Becca Arnold --- Our amazing and unpredictable God deserves praise. - history maker

Food made by Becca

Thu, 18 Mar 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Hi. So I thought that I would take this time to show you a little of what I have been cooking here at school. So I'm sorry if the following makes you hungry.

It was Italy day and I made pizza. One was a margarita two were with sauted mushrooms and the last ones were with squash and sage.

Cinnamon rolls.

Spanish Tapa. It is a fried pita sandwich with veal and sorrano ham inside. Beet chips are surrounding it.

Boiling my bagels before proofing then baking them.

My bread animals. These were fun to make.

The Vietnam soup. Pho Bo. It was good.

This is my pride. The checkerboard cookie. It only took a couple weeks to make. This cookie is more about look then taste.

Fried rice and sweet and spicy beef.

Sour cream apple pies.

Well I hope that you aren't too hungry. These are just a small picture of what I have made this semester. In World Cuisine we have just started Mexico. So Im sure that we are going to be making a lot of yummy food.

The Tasters Guild.

Sun, 28 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMT

This past Friday was the Tasters Guild. Its an event that the world cuisine students put on each year for the next years scholarships. There are about 16 tables all over the building with food from different countries to taste, over 450 tickets sold, lots of gifts to bid on. Its a fun night but a busy one for those of us who work at it.

This event meant that my class and I cook, decorate and serve food from different countries. Our class (Chef Lucy's) was in 4 groups; Greece, Italy, Caribbean, and China. I was on the China Team. For the event we tested recipes and designed our table layout and organized production for last week. All week (well Monday and Wednesday) we prepared for Friday.

When Friday came, it was time for decorating the table. And for doing the final production like cooking the proteins. My team and I went in at 930 to start setting up. By 12 we took a break only to return in a couple hours for the night. With such a huge event all the culinary students were there to help out. All went well. To my hope my team stayed ahead of schedule during prep time. Then once the guests arrive, it was busy. I think our table had a constant line of at least 10 people. With our menu that included lettuce wrapped chicken and Peking Duck we were busy. I never tried our food Friday but we were told that it was very good. We had people taking seconds on our duck and dumplings even before they ate their first one.

After food was scholarships. The culinary institute gave out $30,000 in scholarships and I was blessed to be on the receiving side of one of them. Then the rest of the evening was breaking down and cleaning up while our guests bid in the auction to raise money for next years scholarship.

Thank you all for prayers and support for this even or even just for my schooling. I am really enjoying culinary school and cant wait to use it to glorify God in the future. I feel blessed to be going to school for something that I completely enjoy.

A weekend away.

Wed, 10 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMT

This past week the Bible Study I am part of here on Campus went away for a retreat. We were blessed with a huge house to stay in- Waldhiem II (pronounced with a V). I believe there was about 8 bedrooms and like 16 beds. It is out on the Old Mission peninsula.

It was a great time of fellowship and a time to get to know each other and strengthen friendships and make new ones. I was blessed to have many great one on one conversations through out the week. A bunch of us ladies went on a hike on Saturday and were able to have fun and chat but also spend some great time in prayer down by the water praising God for his creation and bringing us together. Such a sweet time.

I had started to forget how much I love community and how I love living in a house full of friends. It was so much fun. The Guys and Girls each cooked two meals. The evenings were spent worshiping and playing a wide range of different games. A late night run to the 7eleven for milk also took place.

The Lord is so good. The following are a few pictures of the weekend.

A group of the Ladies before we headed out on our hike.

Two wonderful ladies Becky and Taylor (middle) with Me and the retreat.

Gods beautiful masterpiece.

God answers prayers

Fri, 29 Jan 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Hi everyone. Sorry that it has been so long. We are now looking at February swiftly approaching and January disappearing behind us.

I'm not sure where the time has gone. Im am back at school in my second semester at Culinary school. I have to say that I do enjoy my lab classes a lot. There are times that I want to get on a plane and fly to Africa and never leave. But I know that the Lord has me here doing this for the time being so I have decided to enjoy it and not fight it.

Last semester was all about getting through the culture shock phase. After three years ont he mission field there was a lot to "get use to". Its almost shocking, no it is shocking, at what the world is like when you look around and pay attention. It was a struggle each day. I felt so alone and lost. But as the title of this blog states. GOD ANSWERS PRAYERS. And it's so true. I was chatting with one of my girls from last year, Jess, and we were talking about life and I realized that we have both been blessed with new friends. She just recently started going to a new church which has a college group. And I have my bible study here at school. What else I realized is that we were both praying for each other to find friends and have a community. Its so cool that God cares and wants us to have friends to have fun with and to know that we are not alone. We could all live without friends. So many people do everyday. I feel blessed to have such great ones and now I have friends here at school to add to that list. I know it may seem funny to some about how excited I am to have friends but its something that means a lot to me. And I'm just thankful that Jesus knows that.

Jess and I last year at home in Port Elizabeth.

I was home for Christmas.

Wed, 30 Dec 2009 00:00:00 GMT

So this year I was able to spend Christmas at home with family and friends. It was good to be home but I have to be honest, America does Christmas way to much. What I mean by that is, 24 hour Christmas music, Santa movies on TV every night, HUGE light displays and so much more. I feel like Jesus gets lost in the American Christmas. Isn't Christmas Jesus's Birthday? We should be doing everything for Him and always keep Him in our thoughts and speech.

My sister and I talked a lot about not doing Christmas gifts next year. That it really should be a day to celebrate Jesus and what his birth means for us. What His life did and still is doing for us. So much stress and worry is wrapped up into getting the perfect gift to each person on your list. And then you worry if they are going to like it or not. Isn't the whole point of the gift thing is to give. To bless someone with the fact that they thought of you.

I just pray that one day America will realize Christmas isn't about Lights, or cookies or expensive presents, or sales. That Jesus will get his day back. That He will be celebrated.

A Dying Nation.

Thu, 10 Dec 2009 00:00:00 GMT

The following is my last and final english paper of my college career. We had to argue the future. Although the future that I wrote about is not one I would like to see it is one that I believe will happen without a miracle. So I ask you to join me in prayer for the country of Swaziland.

The year is 2029 and only two generations are left, grandparents and grandkids. The entire middle generation has died. Fast-forward another 10 years. All that is left are kids, those who have lost parents and now grandparents. Children who should be going to school, playing games with friends and having fun are now the responsible ones. They must take care of their younger siblings, providing food, a home and safety for siblings who too have been made orphans by AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome). By 2039 only Swazis 15 year old and younger are left. And by 2049 Swaziland will be gone. AIDS will destroy a nation.

The United Nations has said that by 2050 Swaziland will no longer exist (qtd. in Why) however this statement cannot be found as a direct UN quote. Although it can be found on more than ten other websites, mostly mission organizations. Every website quotes the UN saying that "Swaziland will be extinct by 2050".

Swaziland's AIDS rate is the highest infection rate of AIDS in the world. Swaziland will continue to lead in cases of AIDS until it no longer exists. This fact will not impact or upset most Americans and others living around the world but for the over 1 million people living in Swaziland it will mean the end. Not just of a nation, but of a culture and a home, the end of family and friends. Swaziland will not be destroyed by war, or famine but by a disease that attacks the body's immune system. It will leave the country helpless till there is no one left.

So much of the reason for AIDS and the high prevalence in Swaziland is the culture. The way that the Swazis live encourages the spread of AIDS. "Swazis are very traditional people, and their sexual behavior is inbred and totally against safe sex practices...that limit the spread of HIV"(IRIN). By not using condoms or being in only one relationship increases the chance and probability of the spreading HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) and AIDS.

In Swaziland's culture, the women are taught to be submissive and below the men, who are pressured from a young age to have sex (Whiteside et al 29). Women really can't say no to men. Women serve men and make their life better. This creates the social norm of abuse and rape. Swazi women say yes and put men first. Which continues the spread of AIDS.

While visiting Swaziland a few years ago I was able to see these cultural beliefs first hand. While there, as a female, I was never to look men in the eyes when talking to them. Also, as a female, for meals I and the other females in the group had to serve the men their food then sit on the ground while the men ate in chairs. These cultural traditions/customs are deeply rooted. To change them would take many generations; this is something Swaziland does not have.

Multiple wives is a huge practice in Swaziland. With multiple wives these men are sleeping with more than one woman thus have a higher chance of spreading or acquiring AIDS. "During the initial and later stages of the infection period, a HIV-positive person has more viruses in their body and this heightens exposure of their sexual partners" (Whiteside et al 17).

No, not every man rapes women, not every wife has to share her husband with one or more women. But AIDS knows no face, no gender, no age, no color it gets everyone (Youtube). No one is free of it. If one stays negative of AIDS it still affects them.. Everyone in Swaziland knows someone who has died of AIDS, most likely a family member. Everyone is affected by it.

Yet, AIDS is the elephant in the room. No one wants to talk about it because then it would be real. Many myths and lies are out there circulating about AIDS and HIV. Myths that the Swazis believe about AIDS only help in the spreading of AIDS and HIV. Men (women too) believe that if they sleep with a virgin, they will be healed of AIDS. This brings about a wide number of rapes. Another myth states that if one has sex with a fat person the AIDS is absorbed in the fat therefore they are at no risk. These myths and many more help the spread of AIDS.

King Mswati III of Swaziland has 13 wives (Maldonado). Whether a King, a President or a Prime minister the country looks up to them. Swazis look to their king to lead them to show them what to do and how to live. If the king realizes what is happening and changes his way the rest of the country would follow. But that is not happening. A missionary to Swaziland explains how the king thinks.

He [the king] recognizes what is going on, especially with so many NPOs [nonprofit organizations] and NGOs [nongovernmental organizations] coming in helping alleviate problems associated with AIDS and poverty. However, just like most people...if you recognize a problem, then you must face the consequences. In a nation where many still believe in ancestral worship and rely on sangomas [witch doctors], it's easy to believe that there are ridiculous cures for these problems (Maldonado).

As the King continues with his current life style so will the rest of his country.

Many statistics show numbers for death rate, life expectancy, and prevalence of AIDS improving just in this past year. In 2004 14,000 died of HIV/AIDS along with 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 and now in 2009 only 10,000 have died (CIA). Many people may look at those numbers and say "What do you mean Swaziland is disappearing?" The recent change in numbers is only a temporary change. For many years Swaziland's numbers have decreased so much that with one year of a tiny improvement the future will not change. According to the CIA the prevalence rate of AIDS, the numbers of people living with AIDS and the number of AIDS deaths is unchanged since 2004 until this year when there was huge improvement. In 2004 the prevalence rate was 38.8%; in 2008 it was still 38.8%; then in 2009 it dropped to 26.1%, a drop of more than 10%. These numbers seem incorrect. That is a huge drop in a short amount of time. Swazis rarely talk about AIDS. They rarely talked about it in 2004 either. But now in 2009 AIDS is more taboo because of shame and guilt. More people are hiding their status now then they did in the past. Because AIDS is a topic that people never talk about, numbers are unreliable. Many people never tell anyone else their status. If they do not tell their family and friends, why would they tell some one taking a survey? Surveys can't take fear and lies into account. Numbers explain numbers, not how a country thinks or feels. Numbers are numbers till they have faces and stories. Then they mean something.

Life expectancy in Swaziland today is about 32 years (WFP). That means that those who are born today will live a short life. Some may live longer, but for the majority of the population 50 is not a reality. Not 10 years ago, life expectancy was 61 years (IRIN). In just 10 years, life expectancy dropped 29 years. What kind of a drop will the next ten years bring as more and more become infected and the country becomes poorer?

For Swaziland to change its future, it's thinking, beliefs and the way that people live day-to-day needs to change. For years, Swazis have focused on populating their country. No thought given to the repercussion of a mass production. According to Joseph Dlamini, it all comes from the need to populate. Dlamini points out the belief of "increase the population at all costs" started long ago (qt in Integrated). Swazis only know this. Today Swazis are still focused on populating their country. They will continue to be.

AIDS is spreading. And Swazis and their culture is the cause for the rapid spread. Even if Swazis were educated and they change how they live and what they think, the future is still grim. It takes many generations and time for a whole country/culture to change how they live. Even if laws were put in place a change in behavior is no guarantee. When prohibition started people did not just simply stop drinking. They smuggled alcohol in. The problem was worse after the law then before.

There will always be missionaries, non-profits and other groups trying to help the Swazis. People will never give up on them. But no matter how much people help, without changing the way of life in Swaziland, hope of survival for the country is lost. The time for Swaziland to change and it make a difference has past. Even if the whole country decided to abstain (the only sure fire way of not spreading AIDS) and turn the country around, Swaziland is still dying. It may take longer than 50 years, but Swaziland would disappear all the same. Many things go into the survival of a country: poverty, morel, and so much more.

AIDS and HIV is such a huge complex disease that the cure has to be just as complex. "Eliminating HIV from the body would require flushing the virus out of its hiding places and preventing those reservoirs from being refilled. A tall order ..." (Stevenson). Researchers need to be close to a cure now for one to be found in the next 50 years. But every time a new drug made that gets closer to the cure, the HIV adapts to it and no longer does the job. Everyday people spend hours trying to find the cure of AIDS. Every day people try to find the cure for cancer, Alzheimer's and other diseases. Cures are no guarantee. People can only work toward them with hope of a solution.

Presently, antiretroviral drugs (ARVs) are available to slow down the spread of the disease in the body. This is a class of drugs that delay the onset of AIDS and keeps the HIV in a dormant like state. A misconception among many Swazis is that by taking ARVs they cannot spread HIV. But even on ARVs AIDS is spread able.

According to the CIA, Swaziland has 40% unemployment and 69% are below the poverty line. The 69% live on less then a dollar a day. Poverty brings malnutrition, poor hygiene both of which help spread AIDS. With no other chance to survive women and young girls sleep around for food and money. Poverty makes people desperate. Desperate enough to make these women and girls risk getting AIDS so that they will have food to eat and a place to sleep. With poverty come[s] many more problems and they all add up to the death of a nation (Maldonado).

AIDS and poverty brings the age of Swaziland down. The majority of the country is 15 years old or younger. "There are an estimated 80,000 orphans in the country and the number is expected to rise to 120,000 by 2010"(WFP). With a life expectancy of about 32 years most of those 15 year olds will be long gone before they reach that age. Maldonado explains "most kids wont make it to their 5^th birthday whether due to malnutrition or the virus itself". With the lowest life expectancy, major poverty, and AIDS Swaziland needs to fight to stay alive. Odds are against them.

Ignorance plays a huge part in the future of Swaziland. Ignorance gets in the way of change. Without new knowledge or information things stay the same. The continuance of rape, polygamy, unsafe sex, traditions and more equates to the extinction of a country by AIDS. The UNAIDS executive director Michel Sidibe explains it best, "What you do from this day forward will write, or rewrite, the story of AIDS across Africa" (Bryson). For Swaziland this couldn't be truer. What Swaziland does today about AIDS, writes the outcome of its country. And right now their outcome ends in 50 years.

Works Cited.

Swaziland: HIV/AIDS and Tuberculosis- Breaking The Silence. 24 March 2009. YouTube. Web. 1 December 2009.

Bryson, Donna. "S. Africa to Treat all HIV-Postive Babies." The Associated Press. Google, 1 Dec. 2009. Web. 1 Dec. 2009.

Central Intelligence Agency. "Africa: Swaziland." The World Factbook. N.p., Nov. 2009. Web. 16 Nov. 2009.

Integrated Regional Information Networks (IRIN), Swaziland: A culture that encourages HIV/AIDS, 15 April 2009. Web. 11 November 2009.

Maldonado, Isabel. E-mail interview. 29 Nov. 2009.

Stevenson, Mario "CAN HIV BE CURED?." Scientific American 299.5 (2008): 78-83. Academic Search Elite. EBSCO. Web. 3 Dec. 2009.

Whiteside, Alan, Alison Hickey, Nkosinathi Ngcobo, and Jane Tomlinson. What is driving the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Swaziland, and what more can we do about it? Rep. Durban: Health Economics & HIV/AIDS Research Division (HEARD), 2003. South African Regional Poverty Network (SARPN). SARPN, Apr. 2003. Web. 12 Nov. 2009.

"Why Swaziland." Welcome to SwaziMission. Web. 08 Dec. 2009.

World Food Pogramme (WFP). "Swaziland." World Food Programme. World Food Programme, 2009. Web. 30 Nov. 2009.

The girls reunited after 3 years.

Sun, 8 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

As far back as I can remember my third cousins were always the first ones that we thought of when going somewhere. Many ski trips, a back country moose hunt, a Disney trip, a three week roadtrip out west, many camping adventures were spent with the Prines. So you can understand my excitement when I found out that my cousins Katelyn (KP) and Erika came up with their mom, my mom and sister. Its has been so long since the 6 of us went on an adventure. Its' hard to balance every ones schedules and get together for more than a couple hours so a whole weekend was a treat.

Once they got up here on Saturday, that is after getting back on the right track after getting "lost" we went to look at lights for my aunts new room then walked around downtown followed by the mall then a late dinner that was a little too spicy for some. Then back to our separate hotels. Mom and Aunt Carol each booked a room but in different hotels. So the moms got one and us girls got the other. After some homework time, KP, Erika and I cuddled up in bed and watched a movie while Katie went to bed. Soon KP was asleep and Erika and I were left laughing till 2 in the morning.

Then Today we got up early and started out early. Heading to Sleeping Bear Dunes to do some exploring. After playing on the dunes and taking tons of pictures we continued on stopping a couple more times. It was a good weekend that was long over due. Below are a couple pictures of the 4 of us girls.

Quality teachers needed

Thu, 5 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

The following is my second English Paper. The assignment was to argue a crisis. I took on education in the Townships of South Africa and more specifically Jbay. Please read if you have time.

Three years ago I visited Jeffery's Bay (Jbay to the locals), South Africa for the first time. I traveled there to do volunteer work for a year. Upon first arrival, it became clear why people from all over visit. One of the many visitors to Jbay described what she saw as "Quaint little cottages and million dollar homes are available for rent, and most people zoom around town in their nice European-imported cars" (Pictures). From many places in town, one can see the ocean. Beautiful homes and little Bed & Breakfasts over-looking the crisp blue water with waves breaking gently on the beach makes you fall in love with this surfing town on the Indian Ocean. If visitors are lucky, dolphins or whales can be seen swimming in the distance. Souvenir shops, cafs and surf shops line the main street that sits parallel to the beach covered in beautiful shells, a place where any day people can be seen relaxing and enjoying the ocean. This town hosts the Billabong Pro tournament every July when thousands of visitors and tourists vacation. I fell in love almost immediately no way not too. Jbay is so close to perfect that no one notices the flaws, not even the locals.

A couple days later, I was able to see the other half the town. This half was dirt road after dirt road lined with shack after shack. "The ghetto [township] covers hundreds of acres of land, even though each individual family only occupies a small shack roughly the size of a North American bathroom"(Pictures). These shacks are made of metal or wood or whatever people can find to build their homes. Looking around the township of Tokyo Sexwale, I could clearly see that this was where the Black locals live. There was not one White person in sight.

After living in town for several weeks, I came to learn more about Jbay. The number of people living in the townships of Pellsrus, Tokyo Sewale, and Ocean View is equal to the rest of the town. And the townships together are not even half the size of the town. Visiting shops in town and going to local restaurants, I noticed a trend. Only White people are visible to the customers. At first look there seemed to be no Blacks (true African descendents) or Coloreds (a mix race) working in Jbay. After more time and getting to know shop owners and restaurants, I learned that the Black and Colored workers are behind the scenes where no one can see. They work in the kitchens or do the janitorial jobs after hours.

When I went into a shack for the first time, I was shocked. It was a reality check. I walked into this room that was about 8 feet wide and 12 feet long. It was wallpapered with newspaper and magazines on top of the mismatching pieces of plywood and anything else the single mother with Aids could find to put walls around her and her young baby. The roof was a blue tarp and the floor was dirt. The trap kept the sun out but not rain. The only hope was a small amount of privacy. After seeing more shacks and spending more time in the townships, I realized that problems of partiality and habit handicap those who live in the townships. The cycle will continue if not stopped.

Many kids and families in the townships in Jbay and the rest of South Africa have stories that seem unfair. And they are unfair. No kids should have to grow up living in a 8' x 12' shack that they share with five or more family members, wearing the same cloths all week, and not learning how to spell their name till around age 12. To the 40,000 or so that live in the townships on the outskirt of Jbay, (Pictures) all of this is normal everyday life. No one expects kids to know how to do math or read or write, let alone teach them.

What got me was in 2006, a good ten plus years after the Apartheid ended, the town still runs like they did under Apartheid. Yes, Blacks and Coloreds have more opportunities than they did. But why aren't Blacks and Coloreds able to wait tables or run a cash register? I mean they have 10 fingers, two legs just like White people; we are all humans. So what keeps Blacks and Coloreds living in Pellsrus, Tokyo Sexwale and Ocean View?

Part of my job at an after school program in the township of Tokyo Sexwale was to teach the Black kids English, Xhosa, and Afrikaans, the three languages used in Jbay. I found out quick that many of the kids I was teaching unable to write letters, or even name them. Kids as old as 12 were writing letters backwards or just copying what I had written on the whiteboard, they had no knowledge of the letters. Letters are the basic foundation of any language. These Black kids only know how to speak their language (Xhosa) barely able to read or write in it. Living in a country with 11 official languages and only knowledge of one is a big disadvantage. In a town based on English and Afrikaans, these Black kids will struggle interacting with others.

Education is such an important thing. It is such a simple thing too; it opens doors and provides opportunities. In America everyone can go to school whether rich or poor. But in South Africa school fees and uniforms are necessary for even the public schools. Most Families in the townships struggle to cover mandatory school fees. Kids end up not going to school or families go without food just so their kids can go to school. Even at school learning rarely happens. Sometimes teachers never show up and so the kids leave and hang out on the streets and get into trouble. The trouble that these kids get into at young ages stays with them and develops into bad habits as teens. Then these teens grow into adults thinking that things like drinking, drugs, and sexual abuse are okay. And the cycle continues.

These kids have no one in their lives telling them what is right or wrong. No one is showing them how to grow up to be smart and healthy. School should be a place where you go and learn about numbers and how to read but also about respect and how to relate to others, how to communicate and live. Kids in the townships have no one telling them that stealing is wrong or that getting into fights is bad. Parents are almost nonexistent. And most of the time if parents are present they revert to abuse both physical and verbal to get their points across and teach the lesson. Really good families and kids both do live in the townships around Jbay and other South African families. Not every family is abusive or nonexistent. But lots of them are.

The crime, spread of Aids, oppression, lack of education and despair that go on in Jbay's townships do not have to happen. Habit plays a big factor in what goes on. Ever since the start of the Apartheid, Blacks and Coloreds are use to being low on the status ladder. Blacks and Coloreds are use to having the bad jobs, to being told what to do, living from day to day with no idea what the next day brings. This can be prevented. The Apartheid ended over a decade ago, with the end of it the Blacks and Coloreds were no longer at the bottom by law. Technically, they have the same opportunities as white South Africans. Yet all races in Jbay and the rest of South Africa are still living like they lived under Apartheid. Everyone's use to what they grew up in. Whites are use to being above and the blacks are use to being on the bottom.

Education needs to be brought to all ages of people living in the townships. There needs to be many forms of education covering all areas of life for these citizens. The Adults, those who grew up only knowing the Apartheid way of life need to be taught how to do things that they are now able to do. Many families suffer because they do not know how to manage money. Paid on Friday and by Monday they are broke. Men go straight to the tavern after work and practically spend the whole weekend there. Some families will go out and buy the big screen TV or a car then have no more money for gas so the car sits there. Education provides hope for a better life. It is the catalyst for breaking the cycle.

Just recently, schools in South Africa have started integrating other races. A few Blacks and Coloreds go to White schools but rarely if at all will you find a White student in a Colored or Black school. Ladders refers to White Schools as being "hardly open wide" to the Black race. Schools should be worried about the quality of education and not the color of the students or teachers. If it takes White teachers (because they are educated) in Black and Colored schools to bring up the level of education and help improve the schools then they should teach there.

The White school in Jbay is fully equipped with large classrooms, rugby fields with grass, teachers who care about each student and know how and what to teach. Black and Colored Schools have classrooms with broken desks and chairs, gravel and glass to play on, and teachers who do not know what to do half the time. For the black and colored students of Jbay and the rest of the country to rise above Apartheid and to be successful in life their schools need to change. They need to be given a chance. Chances that they have yet to receive.

Nearly all South African children attend primary school, which for a developing nation is doing good. The quality for the education is another matter. South Africa compares badly even with other African countries. In an international study in 2003 of young teenagers' proficiency in maths [sic] and science, South Africa came last of 50 countries (ladders).

What that chance looks like for each school maybe different, but one thing that is common is a quality teacher. Teachers are what a school runs on. Every school has to have them. Mass chaos and no lessons would exist with no teachers. Who would teach students if there were no teachers? Schools need teachers who care about the students, who are educated and qualified to teach. Teachers who are uneducated and unqualified are only hurting the situation and keeping the cycle going. This generation of students is at a risk of being a "lost generation" (Dugger). These students have no education or ability to get out of where they are.

Teachers in the townships of Jbay make hardly anything. Like everyone else in the townships, teachers make just enough to survive. The teachers that teach at Pellsrus and Tokyo Sexwale schools are hired to fill empty spots. So few qualified teachers are available to teach that standards have been lowered. Teachers who would never be hired to teach are teaching because those who should be teaching are nonexistent or available.

Black and Colored schools just like the white schools, receive aid from the government. No matter how many books, nice desks or chalk a school has, if only uneducated unqualified teachers are hired kids will not learn. Linda Chisholm, an education expert at the Human Sciences Research Council states, "The learning outcomes will only be as good as the qualifications of the teachers" (ladder). Schools need educated and qualified teachers for the job.

Lack of teachers and money in the nonwhite schools has forced schools to hire unqualified people to teach. When incompetent teachers are hired to teach they have no knowledge of what to teach and as a result learning is nonexistent. According to Ladders the number of unqualified teachers in South Africa is higher today that it was in 1975. According to Dugger, even President Zuma has noticed that it is "worse in the poor and working class communities".

The Apartheid lasted from 1948 to 1990. The current Black and Colored teachers grew up during the apartheid where they were unable to learn. Blacks and Coloreds were refused higher education. Dugger explains that because of "inferior education" during the Apartheid, today teachers have no ability to teach. When tested they scored low on tests that sixth graders should be passing. So now we have teachers who know nothing teaching kids. How can someone who knows nothing teach something?

I understand that it does take awhile of things to change. Change does not happen overnight and sometimes change cannot happen overnight. But for change to happen, steps forward need to be taken. If small steps are taken, small changes made, little by little things will change. The problem with the townships is those steps forward are rarely being taken. There are some great after school programs that ministries have started but the locals need to take steps toward change themselves.

In the townships absentness with teachers is higher than that of the students. In some schools the students are rioting about this problem. Students understand that they need schooling to get somewhere in life. They have hopes and dreams of becoming teachers, doctors, and lawyers. But they are not given a chance to reach these dreams. "Half of [the] students never make it to 12^th grade" (Dugger).

All of the students that do not make it to 12^th grade are left wandering the streets getting into trouble. Kids need to be stimulated, if they is no stimulation at school kids go out and find something to stimulate them and in the townships, whether that is sex, drugs, and all kinds of terrible things. Kids want to learn but in the townships learning rarely happens. Qualified and educated teachers are needed for the kids to have a chance.

Inequality and despair should not be a crutch in the townships for people to use as an excuse as to why they cannot change but it should be the reason and excuse to change. Qualified teachers who want to teach need to be found and used to give kids a chance at the world and at life. When qualified and educated teachers are hired, teachers will teach and the students will actually learn and things will change. Competent teachers in nonwhite schools will change the status quo.

Works Cited

A pictures worth a thousand words. Dantee, 18 March 2007. Web. 27 Oct.2009. Online posting.

Dugger, Cellia. "Eager Students Fall Prey to Apartheid's Legacy." New York Times. 20 Sept. 2009. Web 26. Oct. 2009

"Ladders out of poverty." Economist 378.8472 (2006): 9-10. Academic Search Elite. EBSCO. Web. 28 Oct. 2009.

Really God? ARGUING?

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

I have found myself in an English class that is all about arguing. If you know me I don't like conflict, competition, or anything that has to do with arguing. I like everyone happy and I don't like to push people to think my way.

Well just my luck I get to write papers all semester doing just that- ARGUING. The previous post was my first paper and I am currently working on another one. I have struggled a lot in this class. If someone were to tell me to write a 20 page research paper about X it would easy. But to write a 7 page argument has me stressing and at a loss of how to do it. My mom kindly told me that its a good thing that I am taking this class. Even though its kicking my butt (Have I mentioned that my prof wrote our text book) I will learn lots and be able to use it in my future missions work. I agree with her just not sure why God chose for me to learn the conflict lesson in college for a grade. Its funny how God works and how He teaches us things. Who knew I would learn important life lessons in an English class.

Just thought I would share a little bit about how God is teaching me even in a classroom.

Facebook isn't all its cracked up to be.

Sat, 17 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Below is the paper that I just finished for English. I talks about Facebook and how our relationships are effected by it. My mom really liked the paper and thought I should post it. School is going good. Its really different then missions on the field so Im still getting use to it. Im learning a lot in my classes and having fun too. Promise to update you more later.

Class is over I return to my room and the first thing I do is log on to my computer and check Facebook to see if I have any new notifications. If I do it makes me feel loved and if I not it hurts, I feel like I'm not important, not worth someone else's time. When I log in and there is a little red box at the bottom right of the screen holding a number it shouts, "someone thought of you". I open it up to find a notification that someone just beat my score in Farkle, or that someone else commented on a status; neither of which has anything to do with someone thinking of me.

I'm not the only one that Facebook does this to. Every day numerous people log on to Facebook in hope that someone has made an effort to connect with them and every day people are disappointed.

Humans need to connect and be connected to others. People need others in their lives, and Facebook promises to help with that. Everyone with a profile has friends and connections, but fulfilling the human need of relationship cannot be solved as easily as Facebook implies. Facebook has its users believing that by using their services they will no longer feel lonely or be friendless; by using Facebook they will always have someone to talk to. But many times users log on hoping for a new post on their wall or an updated thread and when they do not, disappointment comes.

Facebook defines its connections as friendships. A user invites people to be his or her friend. How many of peoples Facebook friends are actually friends of theirs? A friend is someone that a person has a relationship with and who they like. The majority of the time friends share common characteristics and values. When two friends take a walk in the park they are able to appreciate the beauty around them, or when two friends go shopping they can find a great outfit. The hands on visible value of things help to connect people. Seeing someone's reaction to something and realizing that you share that reaction. Friends know what each other likes, what the others values are and is able to share them. Facebook has changed the definition of a friend. On Facebook a friend is totally different. A friend on Facebook could be someone that the user knows someone they have never met. A user just need to be willing to click the accept button and let them have access to their profile. Facebook takes the personal aspect out of relationships. No longer are there a person-to-person connection but a person-to-computer-to-computer-to-person connection. Facebook is not bringing users closer together it draws them farther apart from each other and results in deteriorated relationships.

Facebook has organized everyone's information the same easy way to read and view. Facebook wants its users to feel close to their friends by being able to view pictures and read information. This also happens when reading a book or watching a movie. Just because information is known about someone or what he or she looks like is public information does not mean you are in a relationship with them.

We are farther away from each other than ever before yet thinking we are closer. Facebook provides way to believe you are close since you are reading about them, just like with Harry Potter or Edward Cullen and Bella Swan.

A couple years ago I had a friend who I saw about five days a week who I talked to more and interacted with more on Facebook than I did in person. We were playing scrabble, Super Heroes, writing on each other's wall all before we had met in person and we worked in the same one story building of a small Christian organization. Facebook had me believing that this action was okay, that there was no need to talk to him in person. We were connected and that is what mattered. I finally realized how backwards it was and sought him out to introduce myself. After that we had a real friendship. We each knew who the other was; we connected on a person-to-person level, which is something that Facebook will never be able to offer. We spoke face to face with no computer screens between us. Talking face to face provides you with a clear view of the person's nonverbal communication. I learned a lot more about him off Facebook than I ever did on.

I'm not saying that Facebook is terrible and everyone should all deactivate our pages right now, but I am saying that we need to know how it affects pre-Facebook relationships, and new Facebook friendships. Maybe a relationship is out there that could change a users life but has no chance to because a computer screen and 26 letters are holding it down, smothering it. Nonverbal communication, which includes body language, makes up the majority of what you say. When reading a wall post or a comment a user cannot see or hear the other's nonverbals. Relationships are so much more than words and pictures on a computer screen. A relationship is that hug given a friend after a really bad day, or that laugh you share about an inside joke.

Relationships are built on times when people interact, share experiences, and are real with each other. Relationships are built on actions. Facebook keeps users from being there for their friends. It has made things easy. For Example it is Sallie's birthday. Sallie is Jessica's friend. Sallie taught Jessica how to tie her shoes in kindergarten and the two of them grew up together. Jessica notices on her Facebook homepage that it is Sallies birthday. She proceeds to click on sallies name and go to her profile. Where she writes, "HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!" and posts it on Sallies wall. There, now that Jessica has wished her a happy birthday she can go on with her day. Two words on a Facebook wall seem like it is appropriate for the birthday of a good friend. A birthday is a day to feel loved and celebrated. A day to celebrate that person: their day. To most people two words and a few exclamation marks on their wall from a good friend will not make them feel special. But a card or a call that someone took effort in and put their personality in would.

I understand that life is busy and fast pace these days, that sometimes there just is not time or money to make a phone call or mail a letter. I have many friends overseas and in other states that I use Facebook to keep us connected; but to rely completely on Facebook for all of your relationships. To have Facebook be the main media to connect with friends only leads to disaster. People need to put effort, time and heart into relationships to make them survive.

Facebook downplays how important a real relationship is. Friendships are not taken as seriously as they should be on Facebook. Relationships take a lot of effort to work. Any given person has to put a lot into relationships, whether with a sibling, parent, best friend, or significant other. Facebook says it is easy, but anyone who has been in a relationship knows that it is not an easy road, but more like a roller coaster, with hills, turns, twists and tunnels. There are obstacles and trials in any relationship. I know that there are times of laughter, success and triumph in relationships too, but Facebook wants its users to believe that relationships are only filled with happy times and that its easy to connect.

Facebook expects us to post our celebrations; to find statuses or a wall posts that talk of trials or hardships is hard. Users can agree with peoples status's with a "like" button but where is the "unlike" button. Users can become fans of something but there is no option to be against. Daily Facebook has new people that they suggest a user to become friends with. Users no longer need to look for people they are placed in front of them.

Last year I was able to live in a house full of other college students. We knew nothing about each other starting out, all from different cities and states. But soon after moving in friendships began, real relationships were built. We had tough times but we also became a family. There are many memories that I have from this past year some sad (an unexpected death), some great (House Olympics), others that are just plain crazy (flat tires that catch fire). But I lived with 14 other humans for nine months and got to build an intimate relationship with each one, spending time with them, talking to them, going on adventures to find a butcher together. Those memories are something that Facebook could never have supplied me with. Memories that are with me now when we are all back in our separate cities. Now that we are no longer living with each other it is more important than ever to put effort into those relationships to keep them alive, which is proving to take more than a thread on Facebook, or wall messages. If I never call those amazing people and check in or take a road trip to see them then our relationships that we put so much effort in and built are going to crumble.

On Facebook no effort is needed, just one click of the mouse and a new friend is made. They are easy relationships. One can just sit at their desk and have all their relationships organized in front of them. The truth is relationships are not organized they are messy. A relationship is a place where one can go up to the other person and tell them how something is with them knowing it comes from a person who cares about them, telling them what they need to hear whether it is that a shirt looks terrible on them or that they were hurt by something they did. How many Facebook relationships are like that? I have about five and that is only because we were friends first in the real word before we were friends on Facebook.

Going deeper than surface level in relationships is hard on Facebook. In society these days many friends with shallow relationships is better than a few friends that are really close. Gone are the days when someone would have a couple best friends in which they tell everything to. Facebook has helped with this trend. The fact that anything said to someone (except for messages) is for the public to see keeps people from becoming close. No one wants to have a private conversation that everyone can read. Because of this relationships stay at a safe level, in the honeymoon stage. Staying surface level with lots of friends helps one to not get hurt. If one distances him or herself from people then no one can hurt them. But in doing that they are just hurting themselves.

Facebook has come to be a status thing, a contest to see who can get the most friends. The more friends the cooler one is. I currently have 457 friends on Facebook and by no means is that a lot (a friend of mine has over 2000 friends). Only about 150 do I connect with on a semi-regular basis (about once a year) and about 50 on a normal regular basis. About 14 do I connect with on a weekly basis and only 3-5 do I connect with on a daily basis. Those 443 that I do not talk to on a weekly basis, especially those 150+ that I only talk to once a year Facebook labels friends. But they are not. Those are people who I met once, went to high school with or have never even met. I would call them acquaintances. I am as close to them as I am to you.

People have no idea what Facebook is doing until all their relationships are dead and they are left sitting in front of a screen full of organized profiles of people that they once knew and interacted with. Just like Twitter and My Space, Facebook has supplied its users with a place to go and connect with others. And just like them Facebook is an excuse not to pick up the phone, a pen, or make an effort to grow a relationship. Facebook has created a false sense of closeness. You are never closer to a person then when standing next to them. Facebook has stolen that from us and has us believing that it is okay.

Those who make tears come.

Fri, 11 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMT

I was talking to my mom on the phone tonight and started to think about Africa and those who I left behind. About the kids in my Beat the Drum class in Sumerset, my kids at Ithemba. It's so hard to be away from them. My mom kept telling me that I made an impact on them that I did change their lives. And I know that. But what hurts is who is going to add extra food to Wawa's plate at snack time because he doesn't get food at home. Or who is going to continue to teach them truths and show them who Christ it. I know I'm not superwomen and I know that I am not the only one who Christ uses. But it still hurts. I'm here at school going to classes and doing homework. It'sIBLE completely different than what I have been doing for the last 3 years. In a way I feel useless. I know I'm suppose to be here. And want to too. I want to be able to go back to Africa and live there and help these kids that I miss so much it makes me cry when talking or thinking about them.

I know this year is going to make me have a stronger belief in the power of prayer. I have seen it work slowly and I have also seen it work right away. All I can do is trust that God has his hand on the kids of Jbay, PE and Sumerset and pray for them.

Jesus be with this precious soul. Help Koko to feel loved and wanted. Turn his dads heart to you and to his kids. Keep him out of trouble and safe. He is so young to be hanging out on the streets. I do worry about him Lord but I trust you with him and know that you have a plan for his life.

And Lord this one. At one time it was spoken over him that he was a problem. He is far from that. Show Wawa's mom that he is a sweet boy. Lord he is reaching the age in which he can get into a lot of trouble and hurt some people too. Keep his heart and eyes on you. Help him to live for you alone. Love him Lord.

Lord, each of these kids have a story of their own. I don't know them all but you do. Lord teach them, hold them, love them, grow them, mold them, protect them, heal them, and Lord make your love known to them.

God there are so many children in Africa that don't know what its like to have parents who love them and want them. I ask for those who are available to be adopted, help them get into a home and family that will love them and show them what a family really it.

Lord I thank you for letting me share my life with so many kids in South Africa. I wouldn't have done any of it with out you. Please Lord continue to use me and help me be equipped to go back and keep pouring in to the lives of the kids in Africa.

walking the narrow road

Sun, 30 Aug 2009 00:00:00 GMT

So I find myself for the first time in three years doing something new by myself with out a team or a community right beside me. Its a scary thought. But I know that the Lord has me here at school for a reason. I'm not sure of what it is right now but as my sister reminded me yesterday the Lord knows. So I chose to hold on to that and trust him with my year, and my experience here in Traverse City.

One thing that I have realized is how much of a culture shock it has been being here. For the past three years I have been living in a Christian community. This school is not one of those. Its a totally different culture than AIM or even at home where my friends are all Christians. I have forgotten what public school is like.

I was listening to a message this morning online that talked about the narrow way and how our belief should effect our behavior and if it doesn't then something is wrong with our belief. That our belief in the Lord should have us acting like be believe in Him. That even though I'm up here surrounded by a lot of nonbelievers doesn't mean that I should act any differently then I do when out doing missions or at home with my friends. So my prayer for this year is that I will be able to live the narrow road up here away from a tight community and where its hard to do so.

I will continue to keep you updated on how classes and life is going here at school. I know its not Africa or the Dominican but this is where the Lord has me for now.

Your not loved at all.

Tue, 21 Jul 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Sorry its been so long since my last blog. I have been back in the states now for almost 3 months. I miss Africa a ton and my team but am glad to be near family and friends for the summer.

Speaking of family. Yesterday almost all of my moms side got together and landscaped the front of my Aunt Diane's house. She has terminal cancer and this is something that she wanted to see happen. Saturday my family went over there to get her to map it our and get the pland on paper so that what happed is what she wanted.

Then Monday my family all rounded together their tools, cars and manpower to make it happen. It was really cool to see the fam get together and give this gift to my aunt. It really makes me realize how much family is there for you in the time of need. Everyone was so willing to do what needed to be done. All three of her boys were helping plant flowers and spread rocks. Grandma and mom too. Diane has done so much for all of us I was just thankful to be able to give her something that was really important to her. There is no way that i will be able to thank her for all that she has done for me. For all the times she has cut/permed my hair or styled it for prom and weddings. For all the memories that we have together from visiting her down in Mississippi to peach picking with her and Claire (the girl she nannied) last fall. Or the times we scrapbooked together or Christmas's at her house.

I know that everyone else in my family were really glad that they could help make this possible. Her son Zac in the top picture with katie planting a flower stated in his status on facebook last night that he was happy that his mom could have something to be proud of. That one day of work I know means much more than a better looking house. Her neighbor said it best "Your not loved at all, are you." They were blown away at what we did in one day and how good it looks. Like Zac said - something to be proud of (both the fam and the garden). That one day of work will forever tell her that her family is there for her and love her no matter what. And that her friends (who made it all possible with a gift certificate to a nursery for her 25th anniversary) think a lot of her [and my Uncle Doug].

Please pray for my Aunt and my family as we go thru this time and believe that the Lord is in control and knows what He is doing. Pray that Diane can get her pain undercontrol and spend some tiem with her boys and husband this summer. Thanks.

A year in a few Pictures

Wed, 29 Apr 2009 00:00:00 GMT

I am now back in the States from leading the FYM 2008-2009 year. It was a year that i will never forget. Here are some pictures from my time in Africa. Enjoy.

The Whole Africa Awakening Team 2009.

Dee and My Small group.

Africa Awakening Leaders.

My two amazing co-leaders Chelsea and Dee Dee.

Port Elizabeth 2009 Team (Kevin King missing)

This is what it looks like. Eating spaghetti off a tarp.

All of the PE girls celebrating Valentrick day, our version of Valentines day.

House Olympics team picture

Praying for and Worshiping God for the City of Port Elizabeth. God is the God of this city.

Team picture after Cops and Robbers in the Park.

Road Trip to Cape Town.

The final family of Nine.

Debrief in Atlanta. (Thanks Mama Buller and Rachel for blessing us with your visit.)

It was a year of challenges and blessings. Thanks everyone for every prayer you said for me and my team. Know that they had power.

Gods in Control

Sat, 25 Apr 2009 00:00:00 GMT

I stated at the end of my last blog that our team is flying home Monday. Yes this is earlier than planned but sometimes God has his timing. I have realized that more lately in the past three weeks than ever before. When I got the call that Sarah had died (I was in Swaziland at the time) all I could do was ask- why? I mean she was over here serving the Lord and doing great things, how could God take her? But over the past three weeks I have realized that God knows all and turns tragedy like Sarah dying into something good. I know that people will know Christ thru this more deeply. I can honestly say it has already made me pray more.

The week after Sarah died three of our students were sent home to have time with their families. They were hit hard by everything and we as their leaders and team couldn't give them what they needed most. Now with a team of nine, 6 students and 3 leaders we were all at a loss of what was next. So with some advice by friends we took the next week and went to Cape Town for some debriefing time and relaxing with God. Tom and Cindy Sipling opened up their house and poured into our team. It was a good time to get in tune with our dad and see what he had for us in the coming weeks.

We came back from the week and had a team meeting complete with Tag (our leader in the office) on skype to see where people stood and what the Lord had for our team. In the end we all felt peace that our time here in PE is done. That we have come and done what the Lord has for us and now its time to go home.

So the past week has been packing and sorting and giving away and cleaning. We fly back on Monday. I will be in Ga for a few days to see my friends at AIM then on the 1st I will make it back to Michigan. I am excited to see everyone but please be patient with me and know that it will take me a little bit to settle in and be ready to see people.

She Loved with all she was.

Fri, 24 Apr 2009 00:00:00 GMT

So I have been unable to put the last few weeks into words. My co-leader Chelsea did a great job. So the following is a blog that she posted last week.

April 5th I received a call from one of my students telling me that there was an accident. Three of my students along with a local South African friend were driving in a car from Port Elizabeth to Jeffreys Bay for the day. They only made it as far as Greenbushes. The tire on the car blew out and the car flipped over twice. My immediate reaction was to get in the car and start driving. The Jeffreys Bay leaders, two of my best friends, and I were in Port Alfred for the weekend. Frantically we packed are things and jumped in the van. Words could not even come out of our mouths. I phoned the office back in the states, so that they were aware. Death was never even a thought in my mind. During the two-hour drive phones were ringing like crazy with updates and questions. For a short period we lost service in our phones. The first call I received after being out for a few minutes, was from one of my co-leaders. Sarah Buller died in the hospital that afternoon, within two hours of the accident. I felt frozen, thinking that she was joking. Could this really be happening? Did she really just die?

The next few hours and days were a blur. I began to hate the ring of my phone anticipating more bad news. At home we had nine very broken students and three very lost leaders. How can a family truly recover from something like this? This is a loss like no other.

Sarah was supposed to turn nineteen Wednesday April 8, three days after the accident. She was only eighteen years old and she came to Africa to serve the Lord. On her birthday we had a memorial to remember who Sarah was, and she blessed our lives and the lives of others. One of the students shared about what Sarah meant to him. Of the many things he shared he remembered how as a team we just read the book "Don't Waste Your Life". He stated that Sarah didn't waste hers. How many of us will die, and others around us will know without a doubt that we didn't waste our lives?

Dwight and Peggy Buller have been the two people that have given me the strength in this situation to continue to trust and praise the Lord. Sarah's parents are like no one I have ever met. Their hearts are larger than any of ours. So large that just a few years ago they adopted four children from Guatemala, while they already had five of their own. After the death of their oldest daughter they were checking to make sure that Sarah's team and family in Port Elizabeth were doing okay. In this time I am learning to praise Him in the storm, because Dwight and Peggy can do it. I am so thankful to have had the privilege of meeting the Bullers only a few weeks earlier when they came to visit Sarah.

Sarah is a girl that I will never forget. Her impact was great while she was here in Africa. One afternoon after the accident three of us leaders stopped by one of Sarah's ministries called Isithembiso. It is a transition home for babies and toddlers who have been abused and abandoned. Agnus is the main caretaker of these children. There was a bond that had formed between Sarah and Agnus. Sarah was not a girl of many words, but Agnus felt her presence. When we broke the news to Agnus that afternoon she could barely hold herself together. Her tears made me so proud of the way that Sarah reached out to Agnus. Agnus came to South Africa about a year ago, from Zimbabwe to make money for her family, and her daughter. She lives at Isithembiso with the babies and does not have a life out of the home. Volunteers come in and out of the home and most of them want to hold the cute babies, but Sarah reached out to Agnus and she touched her heart. In Sarah's quiet way she knew how to reach peoples hearts. She reached mine and I am blessed to have been a part of her last year on this earth.

I promise to write a blog soon with my own words but at this time I am struggling to find them. I will be returning to America on Tuesday. Our team decided after praying for a week that we dont have what we need to finish up the year. The Lords time is different than ours. Pray as we say our good byes to our friends here and to each other. Good byes are always hard when you have been living in a community like we have. I love you all and thanks for your prayers and support.

Sorry Sorry. A swazi blog

Wed, 1 Apr 2009 00:00:00 GMT

So While in Swaziland last week I went to the button ministry with Jillian, Mary and Caroline. Its located at a youth center. There are about 10 women who work three days a week (I believe) making buttons. They make them out of clay found here in Swazi. The goal with the buttons is to sell them to businesses and individuals and create a profit. It's a very cool Idea.

Once inside the building one of the button makers, Bongiwei, took me under her wing and taught me how to make the buttons. So I pounded the clay, rolled it out. She even had me initial it. Then we had to wait for the clay to dry then pressed a pattern into it so that the buttons would be a little more creative than plain. So once I got that art down. Which in the beginning I wasn't to good at it. And every time I did something and it didn't turn out she would say "Sorry, Sorry". Which made me smile. She didn't speak to much English but enough that I could understand her. So from the printing of the patterns on the clay we cut out the buttons. And then waited for it to dry. While the clay dried we sanded other buttons that were already dry.

It was neat to sit there are chat with the ladies. But more than that it was cool to hear them chatting with each other and laughing. They certainly had fun. Yeah they were also tired but like every other African they do what needs to be done before they stop and complain or take a nap. It was nice to see what some ministry is like in Swazi for the team. I know that the Lord is moving there and that our FYM team is making a difference in that country. Its really cool to see in person.

Whats next?

Fri, 27 Mar 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Everyone is probably wondering what is next for me I spent the last 3 years doing mission work both in the states and in Africa. There has been a lot that I have learned and a lot that God is still teaching me. This year with leading the FYM trip I have realized that I have been going non-stop since the fall of 2006 (that is when I first came to Africa). Which means there really hasn't been time to put all that he has taught me to use. To know that I can do this thing called life and succeed. Its like I have been in training for the last three years.

SO...

Next year I will be ...

Going back to school to get a culinary degree.

I am really excited about this next season in my life. I know that God has big plans for me and am excited to see how he will use this culinary degree. I have been accepted to Northwestern Michigan College in Traverse City, Michigan. Just found out this week. They have a culinary program in which I can get my associates in culinary arts and I can also get a business degree too. My hope with this is that I will be able to come back here to Africa and to open up a shop and hire those who cant find work or those who want to learn a skill. I LOVE cooking. Especially baking. Just ask any of the teams I have been on. I am always in the kitchen baking or helping with dinner. I like to think that I got my joy of cooking from my Grandma who has cooked all her life and taught my sister and I how.

Now yeah this my be a shock for a lot of you. No I am not done with missions particularly with Africa. I know that I will be brought back here one day, hopefully to live. But for now the Lord has me back in Michigan. I am excited to be closer to home and my family.

Please pray that the rest of this year will finish strong. That the Lord will keep teaching our team how to love like he does. That I can say my good-byes in May to my kids at Ithemba and have them understand that even though I am leaving them again that I do love them. And safety this next week while I am taking a holiday in Swaziland visiting the team up there and relaxing.

A quick update.

Tue, 24 Mar 2009 00:00:00 GMT

A quick update on how it is going here in PE. Chelsea had off last week. Which ment that Dee and I were on our own leading. We got a taste of what it would be like if only 2 of us were leading our team. After last week I am very thankful that there are three of us. We each have different giftings, strengths and weaknesses and somehow balance each other out. There wasn't anything to big happen. It was more in the little things that I missed her. But we are back together this week.

We recently looked at the calendar and figured out that there are about 15 days of normal ministry for us here in PE. We have a week of spring break and a week of outreach in which we will be away from our ministries. Because of this realization the team is making goals and taking another look at their ministries and seeing what they would like to do before it is all thru and they have to say good-bye. Please pray that the students wont check out (I fear that some of them are starting to) but will go into ministry each and everyday like it's the last time that they have to make a impact and show God to this city.

Thank you everyone.

Tue, 24 Mar 2009 00:00:00 GMT

I want to say thank you to all of you who have financially supported me this year. I have reached my goal for support. Know that without all of you I wouldn't have been able to be here with my team. It has been a hard but rewarding year.

If you would like to keep supporting missions and being a part of changing Africa, one of my co-leaders Dee Dee is lacking in support. Her blog is deedeehuey.myadventures.org. Please check it out and pray about supporting her. She needs about $2000 more. She was with us last semester in Jeffreys and didn't plan of coming back but the Lord brought her back to us and for that we are very thankful. Dee has been a huge part of this trip and we wouldn't be able to lead without her. Besides doing all of our finances and discipling 3 of our girls. She has a heart that is huge and joyful. She is always laughing and keeping us laughing. If you feel that you would like to support Dee Dee please send AIM the checks for her instead of me.

Dee Dee is the one in the Middle.

saying good-bye

Wed, 18 Mar 2009 00:00:00 GMT

There is just under two months left for us here in Port Elizabeth. In these last two weeks our team has had to say good-bye to 2 of our team members. For both of them this season was over and the Lord has things for them at home. Their time here came to an end and they have something back home that needs them. For both it is friends and family.

It makes me think about the end of the trip and how our team will all part ways and go on to the next thing. This is something that I have done many times with many teams but it never gets easier. You live with people for 9 months and you get attached and learn to love them no matter how different they are form you. Which makes the end of a season in life a little bitter sweet. Bitter because you have to leave people and possibly a place to move on to new things. Sweet because there is a new adventure ahead of you.

I pray that these next two months can be filled with great memories for my them both in ministry but with each other. That we wont back away from getting to know each other more but push forward and know that time is short. I pray that the Lord will use us in this city to change it and turn it back toward him. And that the Passion that we had in the beginning would return and not leave.

life in PE these days

Fri, 13 Mar 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Sorry that it has been a couple weeks since my last blog. But life as a FYM leader is busy so I haven't had time to sit down and write one. But now I find myself with a quiet afternoon with the house all to myself.

This morning we went to a Elderly home. There are 21 people living there in cottages who are still able to do everything for themselves. Then in the Frail area there are 24 who need more help. We were partnered off with a old person of our very own. That is what the matron said as she "auctioned" us off. Some of us stayed in and chatted others took a walk around the gardens. Leah and I both not to sure about old people shared a lady who is older and couldn't hear. We walked around the garden with her. Well she was in the wheel chair but we walked. Then took her back inside where she sat and listened to Kevin sing and play his guitar. Then one of the ladies that works there took me on a tour of the place to see how its run. I ended up in the Kitchen helping with lunch. I cut chicken, carrots and cabbage all the while talking with the cook and a couple of the ladies that work there about life in South Africa verse life in America. It was a lot of fun.

The other day well yesterday morning was my first visit to the beach here in PE. We went during our Discipleship time to spend some time with the Lord on our own. It was beautiful. For the first little bit I climbed up on some of the rocks and just watched the waves crash and look out over the ocean. It is so beautiful. Some times I cant believe that the Lord has brought me here of all places.

Crazy Love

Tue, 24 Feb 2009 00:00:00 GMT

I wrote this blog back on the 8th of Feb. but because of problems loging in I was unable to post it till now.

In Disciple ship we are reading the book Crazy Love by Chan. The chapter that stood out to me the most was- Serving Leftovers to a holy God, it talks about not just giving God your leftovers but also the first serving. Here are some of the lines and quotes that stood out to me.

"Jesus' call to commitment is clear: He wants all or nothing."

"Form other references in Scripture (Colossians 2:1, 4:13, 15-16), the church at Laodicea appears to have been a healthy and legitimate church. But something happened. By the time Revelation was written, about 25 years after the letter to the Colossians, the Laodiceans' hearts apparently didn't belong to God - despite the fact that they were still active as a church. Their church was prospering, and they didn't seem to be experiencing any persecution. They were comfortable and proud. Sounds familiar, doesn't it?"

"Simply by purchasing this book, you spent what a majority of people in the world will make in a weeks time. [and we don't think we are rich]"

"In heaven exists a being who decides whether or not I take another breath."

"Our biggest fear as individuals and as a church should not be of failure but of succeeding at things in life that don't really matter."

"According to God, we are here to Love. Not much else really matters."

"Following Christ isn't something that can be done halfheartedly or on the side. It is not a label we can display when it is useful. It much be central to everything we do and are."

"If life is a river, then pursuing Christ requires swimming upstream. When we stop swimming, or actively following Him, We automatically begin to be swept downstream."

" I believe that much of the American Churchgoing population, while not specifically swimming downstream, is slowly floating away from Christ. It isn't a conscious choice, but it is nonetheless happening because little in their lives propels them toward Christ."

"But the fact that nothing should concern us more that our relationship with God: it's about eternity and nothing compares with that."

"True faith means holding nothing back: it bets everything on the hope of eternity."

Are you willing to say to God that He can have whatever He wants? Do you believe that wholehearted commitment to Him is more important than any other thing or person in your life? Do you know that nothing you do in this life will ever matter, unless it is about loving God and loving the people He has made?

"I know this whole swimming-upstream, pursuing-Christ; taking-up-your-cross, counting-the-cost thing isn't easy. It's so hard, in fact that Jesus said the road is narrow and few will actually find it... and fewer still among those who are rich. Like the parable of the sower, don't assume you are the good soil; don't assume you are one of the few on the narrow way."

A township experience.

Tue, 24 Feb 2009 00:00:00 GMT

This past weekend our team was able to experience life in the township in a way that none of us had before. We spent the night. There is a church (Holy Spirit Church) in Walmer Township that hosted us. Two of us were adopted into each home for the evening. You probably are wondering is that safe? Why would you want to do that? And many more questions. Well believe me when I say I had a bunch of questions. I wondered if it was safe. We stayed Saturday night and then went to church in the morning with them. With all my experience in the township I knew that Saturday was the one day to stay away from it. You see there is a lot of drinking that goes on because it's the end of the week. The following is what I saw, experienced and felt during this experience.

So when we started to plan this I truthfully didn't want to do it and wasn't excited at all. But I am a leader and couldn't let my team know or see how I was really feeling because they might follow suite. So I faked excitement and battled with lots of emotions. Saturday afternoon came and we all met with one of our contacts Pastor Timba and his family to answer questions and head out. We arrived at the church and for about an hour we sang songs and worshiped. Then they split us off and introduced us to our host families. I stayed with Sarah Buller at one of the elders houses, His name is Wiseman.

Once I parked the Kombi (our van) in a safe garage Sarah and I began our half hour walk to our house. Wiseman drove his car with our bags to his house. All his nieces and nephews and other people our age walked with us. It was a nice walk. We were able to get to know them. Lots of questions were asked from how old we were to if there were black people in my town. Half way to the house a couple of drunk boys came up to us and started to cling. Luckily the girls we were with knew them and got them away.

So now we are at the house. No it wasn't a shack. It was a government home. Really nice. We talked and watched TV for a little bit. Then went with Wiseman to get petrol and electricity. This whole first couple of hours I was trying to calm all my nerves down and be okay with all that was happening. We got back to the house and talked with Wiseman's wife. Im sorry I don't remember her name. Then came dinner. It consisted of dry Milipop (its like cream of wheat) potatoes, carrots, lamb, of which was all cooked together for a long time making it very tender. I had to let out a little sigh of relief when there wasn't anything weird or gross put in front of me. Some of my teammates I later learned had sour milk and oats. Dinner was filled with more getting to know each other conversation. After dinner we watched some more television this time a soccer game was on. Then we headed to bed but not before the whole house prayed.

Sarah and I stayed in their 12 year old sons' room. He stayed in the living room on a mattress. Bed routine wasn't to different from normal except that instead of a sink to wash our faces in it was a basin on the ground. Which gave Sarah and I a couple laughs. Falling asleep wasn't to bad. I was afraid that it was going to be really noisy. But really the only noise was about 20 dogs barking. Once we got use to it sleep happened quickly. About 3am I woke up to absolutely no sound at all. It was dead silent. A little eerie.

Sarah and I woke up around 7 and got ready for church then breakfast. Which was oatmeal and this homemade bread. The bread Mrs. Wiseman made on a tin bucked with a fire underneath. It was really cool. After breakfast the family got ready for church which included telling us that we needed baths. Well more like telling sarah that she doesn't know how to take a bath. It was a little funny. Once every one was ready we headed to church. Church was filled with singing and dancing. They really can worship. Then after church we headed back to our house in Parsons Hill. Then had fun telling each other stories and laughing.

It was a really good experience and I am really glad that we did it and have a better idea of how all our friends who live in townships live and how life is for them.

Our Ministries

Sun, 1 Feb 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Ministries have started for us in PE and the students are starting to build relationships with their ministry partners. There are many different places that the students are working. There are a couple children homes, one that has 15 kids and one that has 105. There is a home for street boys, and a Children's center. Some students are doing house visits and others are going to Algoa Frail Care Center.

On Thursdays we do ministry as a family. Last week we went to a Children's home in town and helped them clean up and get ready for some interns to arrive. This week we went to the Ubomi Obutshu Center where some of the students intern. We helped with their morning kids program. After ministering separately all week its nice to come together and minister.

Each week since we are really busy we try to take time to be together. We call this time family time. This week we participated in House Olympics. We had a three-legged race, a guessing contest, a eating contest called Eat that Thing. There was also a bible drill and wouldn't be complete without Limbo. It was a lot of fun.

Saturday mornings are chore times. We clean the whole house and the cars. Then Saturday afternoons is intentional ministry for the students while we have a leader meeting. Then at night is youth group with a lot of the team is helping out with that.

Sundays are pretty chill. We go to church in the evening with a morning option (The evening is the younger service with a lot of people our age. The morning one is the older generations.). We have lunch together followed by a team meeting then relaxing.

Also within the weeks schedule we have cell groups, worship practice, one on ones, and anything else life as a missionary throws our way. So now you know what our week looks like.

PE Home

Fri, 16 Jan 2009 00:00:00 GMT

So my plan today was to post a blog so that you can see my house in P.E. But because of complications I will give you my co-leaders blog to check out to see pics of the house.

Visit: deedeehuey.myadventures.org

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So the new semester has started. The PE (Port Elizabeth) team is all here. We have started to look at the different ministry options for this semester and will be starting in on ministry in a week. Till then we are getting to know each other and the new town we now live in.

Our house here in Port Liz is amazing. It is a great team house with one really big community room and a great view of the ocean from it. In the girls room we were able to put up three high bunks so that they have more space. The kitchen is our favorite room with its window cabinets and black marble counter tops. I have a room to myself and share a bathroom with our three boys. And my co-leaders are in the back bedroom that is also the leader office. We have a fairly big yard and its all fenced in. The neighborhood is quite safe and people seem friendly.

As for mail, I know many of you are wondering (mom, Katie) we can receive mail at the house which is exciting. So our address that you can write me lots of letters to is:

19 Trichardt

                Parsons Hill
                Port Elizabeth
                6001
                South Africa

Holiday update

Mon, 29 Dec 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Well the First semester is officially done. We are on holiday now, till the 6th of January when we officially become the PE team living in Port Elizabeth, South Africa. You are probably wondering how break is especially Christmas. Well I am relaxing and taking it easy now while I can.

Christmas was slightly hard being away from but my co-RAs and I hung stockings and filled each others and then we went over to Tag and Holly's for dinner. I was able to Skype home and talk to most of my family. (Thanks for passing the phone around guys. It was so good to talk to all of you. It will make up for making ice cream without me.) The students who stayed here decorated the house and had a Christmas meal themselves. It was cool to see them all dressed up and excited about it.

The other day we went to the waterfall near town. No I didn't jump off. Can't seem to get the courage but it was good to get out of the house and hang out. There has been a lot of beautiful weather lately, which is nice.

Other things on my agenda this holiday have been trying to get ready for next semester. There are a lot of logistics to figure out and get finalized before the 6th.

PRAYER REQUESTS
Please be in Prayer for the three teams as we start into next semester-- That the students can get plugged into a ministry and make relationships to advance the kingdom.

Also for unity for our PE team. It is a big prayer of ours. We all want to see our team turn into a family and be there for each other.

Also My aunt went into the Hospital Christmas eve. She has cancer and hit a tough spot. Pray for strength and fight for her and wisdom for the doctors.

Looking for God.

Wed, 10 Dec 2008 00:00:00 GMT

A few weeks ago I came to the realization with the help of Christina, my discipler, that I tend to look to hard for God. I live by a lot of formulas. Which you would understand a lot more if you have read, Searching for God Knows What, by Donald Miller. We are going thru it in discipleship. The first two chapters talk about how Christianity is not formulas like we think. You cant just follow steps one two and three and get a gold star. I had been trying to hard almost to see God. Following all the formulas that I could think of but nothing was happening and I wasn't seeing anything. Which stunk. So I was given the assignment to not have a "quiet time" and just be with God all the time, to not make it a formula. Which is harder that one would think. But I think it is working.

A week ago I went to the Lion Park with a group of girls from the team. It was a great day filled with tons of blessings that I don't think I would normally have seen. On our way to the parking lot we took the wrong way but it took us right past 3 zebras, a peacock, and a giraffe. I think I would normally have overlooked this blessing (#1) as luck. Then lions and tigers were out. Which last time I was there they weren't very close to us. So that was a blessing (#2). We spent a lot of time taking pictures and talking and having fun, right next to the lions. Now who can say that. There is number 3. Two of the lions decided it was time to fight/wrestle. And we got to watch (#4). One of the girls got it on video. Then we went into the place where we drive around and it was feeding time so we got to be in there while they fed the lions. WHICH lions only eat once a week. And we got to watch up close (#5). We then went to where they have the cubs. We were walking around on the pathway, which is above the ground in the trees, and we got like 3 feet from monkeys. Which if you know me you know that was big. Number 6. One almost got Sydney when she tried to touch it. It was such a good day. I wasn't really excited about hanging out with students but it was a lot of fun. I think God gave me yesterday to show me that he is everywhere. Even in the little things like getting a free lunch cooler with three cups from caltex just for buying a water.

A day of fun and elephants.

Wed, 26 Nov 2008 00:00:00 GMT

So sometimes while on the field you just need to get out of town and have fun. So last Saturday me and about half of the team went to Addo Elephant Park. It was a great day for laughter and relaxing. We were able to see lots of Elephants. And a bunch of other animals including warthogs, lots of turtles, a couple zebras, warthogs, ostrich, kudu and lots of different bok (deer) and a water buffalo. Lots of pictures were taken. It was just a really good day in all. Here are a couple pics.

PE here I come.

Sat, 15 Nov 2008 00:00:00 GMT

So next semester I will be serving and leading in Port Elizabeth. I am excited about this and looking forward to being the first group and starting fresh. There are a lot of different opportunities for ministries. I will be leading with Chelsea Short and Dee Dee Huey. Or team will be Meghan J, Leah, Sara P, Sarah B, Victoria, Johanna, La, Nichole, Kepp, Jess E, Matt and Andrew.

Here is some Info from the Web about PE.

The locals call Port Elizabeth Ten-Minute-City' - it's 10 minutes by car from the airport to downtown; 10 minutes from downtown to the beach and to three out of four local golf courses; and 10 minutes from the hotels to the big shopping centres.

Port Elizabeth (PE) is one of three cities in Nelson Mandela Metropole (est. pop. 1.5m). In PE itself, most live in north-eastern Port Elizabeth, an area of townships or suburbs and industrial plants outside the city centre with its busy port. South-western Port Elizabeth includes the main tourist hotel area, and is more like a small town than a big city - big parks, open spaces and a wide stretch of marvellous beach!

The area has great ethnic diversity. The surroundings on Eastern Cape have a rich legacy of ancient civilisations, pioneers, turmoil - and peace.
The area was the first place where the Khoisan and Xhosa peoples met the British, Dutch and Germans.

The first people to live in the Eastern Cape were the San. Early in the second millennium AD, the San were pushed into the mountains and semi-desert by the Khoi, also known as the Hottentots. The Khoi-san tribes were the earliest group of people indigenous to Algoa Bay.

The Nguni, forefathers of the Xhosa-speaking people, arrived in about 800AD.

The first Europeans to visit the Eastern Cape came in 1488 (namely the Portuguese explorer Bartolomeu Dias). In the mid 1700s the Dutch Trekboers began moving in. And in 1820, four thousand British settlers landed in Algoa Bay to become the first permanent British residents of the area. The parks, newspapers, hotels, churches and pubs they established are South Africa's oldest.

In that first year of British settlement, Sir Rufane Donkin, the Governor of South Africa (then known as Cape Colony), named the township in memory of his late wife, Elizabeth. As the landing place of the 1820 settlers it boasts some of South Africa's finest Art Noveau style architecture.

Port Elizabeth was one of the earliest commercial cities in South Africa, trading in wool, mohair and ostrich feathers. Xhosa, Indians and Malaysians migrated to the city to work and trade. This rainbow' community lived together, divided along economic and social lines rather than ethnic group. However, when the Group Areas Act was legislated in 1960, this resulted in forced relocation under the "aphartheid law" among the non-white population.

The 3 languages most used in the area are Xhosa, English and Afrikaans. Xhosa, the clicking' language, is the most common. PE is fondly called "Ibhayi" by Xhosa speakers, "Die Baai" by Afrikaners and "The Bay" by English speakers. But as in most parts of South Africa, English is the business language.

Eastern Cape people were among the strongest opponents of Apartheid, and many of the country's current political leaders come from these parts. Nelson Mandela was born and educated here. The current prime minister, Thabo Mbeki, also hails from the Eastern Cape. (The main avenue in the old Central part of Port Elizabeth, Govan Mbeki Avenue, is named after Thabo Mbeki's father, today buried in one of the city's townships.)

Port Elizabeth's rich cultural heritage guarantees history lovers a unique insight into the region's remarkable past. The city and its environs are an ethnic mosaic on the gateway to the Eastern Cape.