Boxing Day

Today is Boxing Day, which is apparently a big deal here in South Africa. The beaches were full with people out celebrating. What is Boxing Day, you ask? We have no idea. How did we celebrate Boxing Day? We went for a walk to check out the masses at the beach. We had lunch with Sharon (Hans' fellow staff member) and her parents who are visiting from Canada (her mom made yummy soup with the left-over turkey... a little piece of home!) We went to the mall to return a few things (yes, there are malls in Africa... and they look a lot like the malls in the states, just with different stores.) And we cleaned our house and got ready for our camping trip. (We leave in the morning for a 5 day camping adventure. We're driving east along the coast for about 5 or 6 hours to camp with two other couples who work with YWAM Muizenberg. We're looking forward to seeing more of the country and having a little vacation before starting up our 2nd quarter of SBS. We'll be back on the 1st and classes resume on Monday, the 5th.)

We hope you are having a wonderful holiday season. Enjoy your time with family and friends... This is such a special time of year! Here's a little snapshot of what you missed on Boxing Day in South Africa...

Christmas Day

What an unusual Christmas! This has definitely been different than what we're used to, but we are still enjoying this new experience of celebrating the holidays in the Southern Hemisphere. Hans and I celebrated Christmas with our fellow staff and students who were still in the area for the break. We had a lovely Christmas dinner with turkey and stuffing and the works... picnic style. Here's a few pics:

Going for a Drive

Hans and I have a car on loan from a friend who is in the States for Christmas, so we've been able to do a little sight-seeing. Last Sunday we took a drive around the Cape...

The first picture is of the Indian Ocean side of the Cape (False Bay) and the other two ocean shots are of the Atlantic side. And I just thought these trees were beautiful.



Hansi driving... it's particularly fun to go for a drive when you don't have the option of going whenever you want! We drove by and ostrich farm.

Q and A with Hans and Susan

1. What is one thing you miss from home?
h-family and friends
s-people

2. What is somthing you don't miss that you thought you would?
h-food
s-american stores

3. What is one thing you miss that surprises you?
h-i don't know
s-our sweet VW van

4. What is something you wish you would have taken with you?
h-my chess board from greg/ping pong paddle
s-more shoes. all I brought were sandals and flip flops, but it rained the first 6 weeks we were here.

5. What is something you are glad you took with you?
h-my wife
s-my milk foamer

6. What is one thing you really enjoy about being in South Africa?
h-meeting new people/being challenged
s-my apartment.... and studying the Bible with people from so many different nations

7. What is one hard thing about being in South Africa?
h-being challenged
s-being a student... I love studying the Bible, but would love to already be functioning in a staff capacity. I have to remind myself to enjoy this year that I get to devote completely to studying through the entire Bible.

8. What is something that surprised you about your new life in South Africa?
h-that i need and use a cellphone and a laptop
s-the weather... I thought Africa would be hot hot hot, but I was freezing the first 2 months we lived here. And now, even though it's summer, the wind still keeps things cool.

9. What is one memorable moment since arriving in South Africa?
h-my teachings
s-watching the US presidential elections from a different continent... seeing the international reaction first hand...

10. What is a special treat you've discovered in South Africa?
h-biltong/chutney/samoosas
s-fried calamari... so good!

11. What is something that has challenged you?
h-typical support structure is gone(family friends church familiarity) still, God is binding us to Him and each other, in new wonderful ways
s-living on support... knowing people are sacrificing for us to be here. and also, having faces to put with the news stories about poverty and oppression. for example, 2 of my classmates and 1 of my staff are from Zimbabwe. they have families back home living through the horror and insantity of what's happening there. they don't have money themselves and are trusting God to be here, but on their minds all the time are their family members who don't have food or clean water and who are in a country being stricken by a devastating, but easily treatable disease.

12. What is something you're still getting used to?
h-people asking for money/food/help. i have been able to begin telling the difference between shysters and the genuine article. mainly by who is around the neighborhood consistently.
s-looking right when I cross the street!

13. What is something you've learned/are learning about yourself?
h-i enjoy walking with people through challenging issues. i love listening, and encouraging.
s-I am excited to teach the Bible... I am really, truly looking forward to teaching.

we made it

Well, we made it through our first of 3 quarters of our first SBS in South Africa. It was a busy week... Hans taught on Wednesday (he really did a great job with 2 Timothy). Susan had two books due, a test on Wednesday and a student teaching on Friday. We're both tired and Hans caught a bug that's going around. It feels a tiny bit like exams right before Christmas break in college. Except we don't get to run out of our last exam, hop in a crammed Ford escort and drive 6 hours to see our family! Instead, we get to look forward to a two week break with no deadlines, meetings or homework. A main priority for this time will be rest. Another will be taking some time to sit down together and process/evaluate our first 3 1/2 months living in Africa. Once SBS started, our lives just rushed from one thing to the next... so I think it's important for us to take advantage of this opportunity to process our transition so far. It's no small thing to move to another continent (we've realized!), and I think we could miss out on part of what God has for us in this transition if we don't take time to process what he's taught us (and is teaching us) through this experience. I'm actually looking forward to that.

We'll be blogging more frequently during this time as well (because we have time to do it!) I know that's perfect now that you are all busy with the holidays! We do think about our family and friends often... knowing how special this time of year is. We've resigned ourselves to the fact that Christmas won't feel very much like Christmas here, at least this first year, so we're going to make the most of it. We're going to enjoy it for what it is... our summer break! But we know that all of you are right in the middle of holiday activities and excitement and traditions... and we want you to know that our thoughts and prayers are with you. We pray that you are able to rest as well, during this holiday season. And that Christmas wouldn't be a time of frantic activity, but a time of peaceful enjoyment of family, friends, and the celebration of God becoming flesh and dwelling among us.

weakness...

i finished my 2nd teaching today.
i taught 2nd timothy, the last book of the quarter. despite that, the students tracked very well.
it really is fun actually. i didn't really know that the person up front can tell if people are understanding/paying attention.
This group did. and for that i am thankful. it could have been challenging, with everyone disconnected, dreaming about christmas break. but it wasn't.

i am struck again by the absolute priviledge of doing what we are doing.
i get to spend over a month, studying one book of the bible, and then i get a few hours to share it. man, i can't imagine anything i would rather do...

another portion of my job, very different, is dealing with folks individually.
i have a few students i get to meet with regularily.

What a priviledge to walk through life with others! not only that, but to feel like my gifts are being used, even developed.

its actually quite humbling. i am recognizing more clearly all the time, that lives are affected by the power of the holy spirit-working through me. not by me.

scripture say His power is made perfect in our weaknesses, i am begining to think its actually true.

Tanzania Team

I thought I'd give a little update on some of the exciting things happening in our department...

But first... a summary of what Hans and I are doing for those of you who are new to our blog: We are currently working with YWAM in Muizenberg, South Africa. While there are many schools, programs and projects that are running here at YWAM Muizenberg, we are specifically involved in the Biblical Studies Department. Right now, that means we are a part of a school called School of Biblical Studies (SBS), a 9 month school in which students study through the entire Bible using the Inductive Bible Study method. Hans completed this school last year in Montana, so he is on staff, and Susan is currently a student in the school and planning to be on staff next year. "Being on" staff includes teaching in the school as well as working one on one with the students, both in a discipleship capacity and through grading their work.

The Biblical Studies department also has a program called Titus Project. This program takes graduates of the SBS, trains them to teach the Bible, and then takes them on outreach to various locations around the continent of Africa to do seminars for local pastors and Christians who have not had training in studying the Bible.

Right now a team from our department is running Titus Project in Tanzania. Almost all of the students who are being trained to go out and teach are Africans. They will be going to different African nations, many for the first time, to teach the Bible. It's been so great to hear updates and to pray for them as they are preparing to take three teams on outreach. Here's a little update from the team in Tanzania:

Titus Tanzania is going full steam ahead. We have 15 students from: Togo, Tanzania, Uganda, Kenya, Zambia, Nigeria, USA, and India. The students are hard at work preparing their teachings and in just a few weeks leave for remote parts of Tanzania, Mozambique, and Rwanda to teach until the end of February. This has been years in the making and finally happening!

So while we are thoroughly enjoying our time in Muizenberg with the SBS, we are also excited to see the vision of our department for taking Bible teaching into other parts of Africa, and we look forward to being a part of that vision. We know these teams would appreciate your prayers. God has already provided for them in amazing ways... both financially and through getting all the visas necessary for their travels (which is always a trick in Africa) but more prayer never hurts.

Here's a picture of the staff and students of Titus Tanzania:

Time Flies

Well, we are now a week past our Saturday Thanksgiving... which was very Thanksgiving-y and fun. It was even a cold, rainy day, so it felt like fall! We all pitched in different dishes (Hans and I made rolls... yes, from scratch.... and mashed potatoes.) We had so much delicious food, it was great! Someone even brought a football game on DVD which we had playing in the background, while we played cards and ate homemade apple and pumpkin pie... I tell you what. It was just like the real thing.

There hasn't been so much blogging happening because we're in the middle of a busy few weeks... lots of books due back to back, Hans preparing to teach 2 Tim, holiday parties, etc... It's good, but taking a toll on our communication efforts. We have already had 2 Christmas parties. The staff party for all YWAM Muizenberg was a big braai (BBQ) at a park with lots of food and volleyball and lounging on blankets in the sun... you know, just like most Christmas parties we've been to. Last night was the party for the SBS staff... also a braai, this time at the Lautsbaughs (the school leaders) home. Apparently, 'tis the season of braais and beach days. People from all over South Africa come to the coast for Christmas and New Year's. Our little town will be packed full with people celebrating at the beach. We've heard you can't even walk down the sidewalk by the ocean because there are so many braai's set up and people grilling and sunning and hanging out. So that will definitely be a different holiday feel for us. We'll post a few pictures.

We have two weeks of class before our two week Christmas break. We are really looking forward to some time off. Quite a few of the SBS students are also staying, so it will be good to have some time free of deadlines and homework to do fun things and get to know them better. We may have access to a car, so we'll be able to see a few of the sights we haven't had a chance to see yet. We are going camping for a few days over New Year's with two other couples. Apparently that is also a popular holiday activity here. We'll be driving 8 hours up the coast and camping somewhere along the ocean. So we're looking forward to that as well.

I sometimes feel like my posts make it sound like we're on a big, fun vacation. And we are definitely enjoying ourselves. But we do stay busy with our work and studies. And we feel like, really, we're still adapting to being here. It's easy to write about the fun we're having, and a little more difficult to write about all the things we're still processing and adjusting to. I think, because I'm an internal processor (YWAMese) I like to have things figured out before I verbalize them. But know that we are still in the transition, adjustment phase. And that we do appreciate your prayers.

I know the holidays are going to be the most difficult time to date of being away from family. Already I've had those tearful moments of realizing we won't get to share this holiday season with our families. Last year I got to spend 6 weeks with my family, which was a huge blessing. The holidays are such a special time. But we are also excited to experience a different culture's holiday season. We love seeing how life is lived in a different part of the world... what is valued, what isn't important, etc. It's an adventure, to be sure.

So enjoy this holiday season. Bundle up and sip hot cocoa by the fireplace for us!

Happy Thanksgiving!

I will say, this has been the most "unthanksgivinglike" Thanksgiving I've experienced so far. It was just a normal class day. I had ramen for lunch. (Is that sacrilegious?) But the Americans in our department are getting together for a Thanksgiving meal on Saturday... so we won't be deprived!

But there is still so much to be thankful for. Just thinking about our families gathering together today makes us think about how thankful we are for each one of them... and how much we miss them. What a blessing to love people so much that it's painful to be apart from them. We truly are thankful!

And we are so thankful to be where we are. We still have to pinch ourselves sometimes... are we really living in beautiful South Africa, doing something we love and are so excited about?? Indeed we are. We are so thankful that it is possible for us to be here. I really mean that. We feel so blessed.

So, while Thanksgiving doesn't look "normal" for us this year, we are still filled with thankfulness for our loved ones and for the many blessings in our lives.

Enjoy your Turkey!

a week in the life...

This morning as I look out our salt coated window, I see trees whipping in the wind and sand swirling down the street, the overcast sky keeping the sun at bay. A day like this would be totally normal in Sitka right now... cloudy sky and sideways rain... but we're in Africa. And it's summer. Apparently this is not usual for this time of year. But I'm enjoying it, nonetheless... today's a study day so I have the whole day to sit in my cozy apartment and study Luke, with no sun to tempt me outside.

Before I begin Luke, I thought I'd spend a little time here... it's been awhile and we have a goal of updating our blog at least once a week. So I'm going to tell you a little bit more about our life here. (Since Hans' day looks different than mine because of different roles and responsibilities, he'll have to write his own entry... this is just my perspective)

What does an average day in our lives look like? I'm thankful that there is some variety in our days. We have class 3 or 4 mornings a week, and the rest of the time is ours to study. Each student also has a work duty so we get to factor that in as well. ( I clean 4 restrooms and wash the base dish rags... I chose this duty because it's flexible. As long as I stay on top of it, I can do it when I want to.)

So every day starts with coffee from my little french press from Reba. On lecture days, we're up by 7 and to class by 8:30. The first hour is either an all base gathering for prayer and/or worship, or an SBS time of worship or review for our tests. From 9:30 to 1:oopm we hear a lecture on the book that we are studying. Our staff members are the ones who teach, except for the occasional outside lecturer who comes in to teach a book.

Lunch on base is at 1pm. Hans and I eat maybe 2 lunches a week on base, but typically walk home and eat at our apartment. We like to eat on base to spend time with people, but prefer the freedom of eating what we want at home. My afternoon is then typically spent doing homework at home. (What that entails is for another blog, another day.) Because it's hard to sit for hours and hours, I usually intersperse my studying with other things, like a walk to the local grocery store or fruit market. We've gotten into the habit of only buying small amounts of food at a time (partly because we have to carry it home... no car) which I actually really like. We go to the store at least 2 or 3 times a week. It's only a 5 minute walk from our house and it's a nice break from studying.

We usually eat dinner at our apartment (maybe once a week at the base). I've really enjoyed the mental break provided by activities like preparing dinner. It uses a different part of the brain and helps me feel a little more balanced. And we're both glad to be able to control what we eat, choosing healthier options than we've had access to during our last 3 years of eating in cafeterias. We eat a lot of chicken, and have been experimenting with the different spices and sauces that we don't have in America. We also eat a lot of fruit and veggies. This is a farming area and since it's summer, there's a lot of great produce available. Yesterday I walked to the "farm store" (fruit stand) a few block from our house and bought 2 cantelope, 6 bananas, 2 avocados and a bag of about 10 onions for the equivalent of $2.50.

Our evenings sometimes consist of more studying. When Hans is preparing to teach a book, he uses his evenings to study. When he isn't and I do have to study, he's usually at the base playing ping pong. He started a ladder tournament and there are about 35 people participating. Ideally, though, we don't have to study at night and can take time off to relax. We read, write email, maybe have someone over for dinner, or watch the TV show Prison Break (don't ask).

So that's a typical week for us. The weekends are different (we typically study on Saturday and take Sunday off). We fit cleaning in there somewhere, and we're learning to prioritize things like communication with our friends and family and supporters and keeping track of our finances (we know this is important for tax purposes but are still figuring out what that looks like). We're still deciding on which church to attend regularly. There are several in this area. And we typically go to the Sunday market to buy dried fruit and things we need for our apartment (last week's target, a cutting board and a fly swatter, this week - a cleaning bucket).

I think we're both still adapting to our new life, and there are definitely challenges and moments of loneliness and homesickness. We are so happy to be here, and at the same time, we don't feel like we have our feet totally beneath us yet. It's an interesting time for us. Good in so many ways, difficult in so many as well. So we still appreciate your prayers and are so grateful for your support. And we're excited to see how things continue to unfold for us. We'll keep you posted!

teaching....

teaching is, kinda surreal.
i spent months, literally, reading through and studying 1st thessalonians.
then i get to get up and talk about it for three hours, roughly.
whats challenging to me, is.....well, everything about that.
concerning myself with others communication style and background is ground unfamiliar.
i truly do desire to have others understand what has challenged and changed me through that book, but my ability to clearly communicate that; lets just say the desire and the ability don't always align. or match up.

it went well. not as well as i would have like though. i had desire to tie my illustration (basically a self discovery tool) into my interpretation of thess much better. to make it clear.
learning experience..

one of the student's world got rocked as far as i know.
and thats worth it.
God moved. and challenged an individuals concept of himself.
which is what i think paul was doing in 1st thess. removing peoples cultural blindness to truth.
challenging historical, cultural norms prevalent in the times.

God is teaching me how to better communicate.
its a privilege.
i enjoy it actually, but my perfectionism and desire to be admired;
based on my performance,
might suffer some blows.
who knows. it might even get goned.....

thats hopeful.

experiences........

isn't it great to know you are where God wants you?!?

isn't it odd, that that place is so challenging,
that you feel "in over your head" 90% of the time??

realizing one is in a place where the experience
one has is insufficient, and the training one has
is as well.

i am in that place.
it is not comfortable.
but it is wonderful.

it is life changing.
growing dependence and
increasing humility
is
grand. and painful.


I am amazed how the experience here has been so rich.
daily confrontation
with tragedy and brokenness
lends itself towards bravado's demise.
the spectrum of emotional experience,
and increasing fluency in such,
is a privilege.

6 books down...

Time is already cruising along in the SBS (School of Biblical Studies). Today we turned in Acts. What an amazing look at the early church and the initial spread of the gospel. I've often heard of those days of the church as being an ideal we should aspire to today... be like the New Testament church... but as we're studying this time period, it's clear that this was actually quite a tumultuous time for the church. There were periods of relative peace when the church unified and grew... but most of the growth and spread of the gospel happened because of intense persecution. For example, it was Stephen's death that began a fierce wave of persecution that drove most of the believers out of Jerusalem. And what did they take with them? The gospel. Their new beliefs. This was the beginning of the gospel going to Judea and Samaria, and eventually to the ends of the earth. Besides all the persecution from those outside the church (mainly religious leaders of the day) it was quite a huge task for those inside the church to boil things down to the essentials and to prune out the false doctrines and the things the new believers wanted to pull in from their previous belief systems. In some ways we have an advantage today... the advantage of hindsight and church history and thousands of years of scholars expounding on the truths in scripture. But we can't forget that it all began with a band of believers, empowered by the Holy Spirit who gave them amazing boldness to proclaim the gospel in the face of obstacles and persecution. And the movement carries on to this day, 2,000 years later. The same truth. The same faith. The same Holy Spirit. Pretty amazing.

But the thing about SBS is there isn't much time to really meditate on a book. Acts was due at 6pm and it's immediately on to the next one. Which happens to be 1 Thessalonians. Which happens to be taught by our very own Hans Oines. So I'm looking forward to that! I know he's looking forward to being done. We'll let you know how it goes!

Muizenberg Kite Festival

This past weekend was the Muizenberg Kite Festival. It makes sense, considering the constant wind of this particular area. It was a beautiful day. The kites were huge! (The closest big red one is anchored to the van...)

The kites as viewed from our apartment... hard to see, but they're there!

Baking Day

Since I'm the only SBS student living in an apartment (the rest live at the base), I had all the girls over for a baking afternoon (as you can see, it was more than just baking...). So here's a few pics... and a sneak peak of our new apartment!

at desk: Vera from Cameroon; standing, Rahila from Nigeria; behind Rahila, Sarah from the States; on the couch: Sandra from Switzerland, Sharon from Canada, Michelle from the States and Hannah from Germany.

Lauren from California and Tanyse from Zimbabwe
with the chocolate muffins that didn't quite turn out.

Our lovely kitchen, which is on one wall of our living/eating area...

outing to the penguins

Vera and Rahila, from Cameroon and Nigeria were freezing!
The temps here are much cooler than the rest of Africa!

Handsome Hans by the beautiful sea (False Bay)

Yes, there are penguins in Africa! Cute little guys...

questions......

what do you do when one hungry street child asks you for food?



what do you do when four hungry street children ask you for food?



what do you do when four hungry street boys named Andrew, Carl, Godfrey and Bonte ask for food... everyday?



what do you do when you feed these boys occasionally, and an elderly man also living on the street comes to you describing how terrible these four boys are?........

in detail.......



what do you do when 4 boys aged 14, 15, 16 and 17 have never been to school?



some say feeding the hungry allows the process to continue....and they have a point.



the bible says care for the orphans and widows.
the destitute and forgotten....


what do you think?

Busy-ness

Hello!
So our lives have gotten a little busier these past few weeks (hence the lack of blogging). The School of Biblical Studies started 2 1/2 weeks ago and we haven't had a dull moment since. Hans taught 3 sessions during that time, and has been busy working one on one with students to help them understand the Inductive Bible Study Method, as well as preparing for his first big lecture on the 1 Thessalonians. He is, of course, in his element when it comes to welcoming and getting to know and encouraging the SBS students. I think he's in the middle of an intense ping pong tournament right now (so there still is time for fun...) I've been enjoying being a student again. We've already studied Philemon, Titus and Philippians and are in the middle of Galatians. We've spent most of our time just learning the method we'll be using to study through the entire Bible over the next 9 months, but have still learned so much about the books themselves... I can definitely see the value of looking in depth at each book of the Bible. There is so much to learn! (I'll expand on that some time in the future.)

We love living in our new apartment. It already feels like home. We've been able to add a few personal touches, but really just having a space to call our own makes it special to us! I promise I'll post pictures soon. It really is a beautiful place. We feel so blessed!

Each time YWAM Montana deposits money from our supporters in our account, they send us a report so we can keep track of our finances. I got one of those reports today and was reminded anew of how amazing it is that people are supporting us to be doing what we're doing right now. Even as I think about it now, it makes me emotional... I'm so grateful to each one of you for sacrificing for us to be here, doing what we know God has called us to do. We feel so much peace and joy, even though it's challenging and unfamiliar and uncomfortable at times. I can't tell you enough how humbled and thankful we are to the people who God is using to make it possible for us to be here.

I will get to the questions people have asked soon... I also have an inkling to write some brief reflections on life since college, seeing as my 10 year college reunion was last weekend... so you can look forward to that as well (as I'm sure you will... you're already on the edge of your seat, I can tell...) And you'll hear from Hans again soon too. As always, we love to hear from you. We are missing our friends and family!

But now it's off to sleep. Until next time...

Any questions?

Hello! We are wondering if any of you have questions for us about our experience so far. We'd love to answer them. Post them as a comment or email us as susanoines@hotmail.com or hans_oines@hotmail.com. Then we will have a better idea about what to include in our blog!

THANKS! We look forward to hearing from you!

day with kids

This past Saturday, Hans and I had the chance to help with a "fun day" for kids from a nearby orphanage that YWAM works with. I think there were around 35 kids from age 3 to 16 (approx). We started out at a place in Muizenberg that is an indoor fun center for kids. Then we took them to the beach to play games, do crafts and have a picnic lunch. Some of the kids (who live in Cape Town) had never seen the ocean. It was a really special day.

hans' first

howdy all,
i trust you are well.
I have finally taken the time to write a bit about what life has been like for me the last few weeks. the first word that comes to mind is....awesome. it has been awesome. i have really enjoyed the staff training. it was challenging and i learned a lot. one of the most challenging things was realizing i must be mindful of the different cultures; reliance on slang and americanisms will not be sufficient for communicating. also, if students arent learning, its because i am not teaching well.
that was challenging to hear, but a good intro. i need to know the responsibility. its my job to communicate well, not the students job to sift through a binch of wackiness.
ive had my first two opportunities already. i am not teaching the bible yet, just the inductive method. the first went really well, the second was honestly terrible. i didnt manage the time properly so my illustrations were left hanging, and my wrap up was insubstantial.
i learned a lot more from doing poorly than doing well.
our new place is grand. its the first time in 3 years we get to cook for ourselves, and we are enjoying that.
we will have 18 students. not all are here yet due to visa situations. we have 6 black africans as students, and 4 white africans. our international flavor is almost unreal.
we are working through philemon first and titus next. sue can give you those details if you want. i must meander back to base to check on my students.
i make sure they are following along well. oh yeah, i am also in charge of work duties for our school, and will be doing the room checks every friday to make sure they are clean. yeah for experience in residence halls!!
be good.
hans

Still Waiting

Well, we still haven't moved into our apartment. We've had the 3rd delay from our landlord, so the move-in date is moved back to this coming Saturday. Each time the date's been moved we've felt disappointed, but it really isn't the end of the world. It's just a little taste of life in Africa. We have a place to stay on base and will have plenty of time to settle into our new apartment. So we're doing just fine.

Hans is feeling the pressure of the SBS starting up this week. The staff has been busy getting ready for students, doing everything from cleaning dorm rooms, to preparing for their first teachings, to attending staff training meetings (and the all the other meetings that come along with being a YWAMer!) I'm sure he'd appreciate prayer as he is adjusting to his new role as SBS teacher and staff member.

I, on the other hand, have been a little more free these past few weeks. How have I spent my time? I've attended some of the staff meetings, including the 3 day staff retreat last week. I've done some reading (The Kite Runner, Martin Luther King: In My Own Words). I started blogging. I've spent time on the internet, both in our room on base, and also at a local restaurant that has unlimited wifi for 10 rand (approx $1.25). I've gone for walks. I've journaled. I've spent some time with a girl called Anne from Sweden who is just here for a short time between YWAM schools. I went along on a trip to visit two orphanages that YWAM works with in the local townships. Hans and I toured the Cape Town waterfront and Cape Peninsula on a rainy day with Hans' South African friend that he knows from Switzerland. I've organized our finances. I've taken lots of hot showers, as it's typically the only way to get warm (since there's no heat in the buildings.) I've been able to help out around the base with work duties. I've eaten a lot of toast and have had lots of instant coffee and rooibos tea. I've gotten to know some of the staff on base and have enjoyed seeing the variety of cultures and countries that are represented here. Everyone has an interesting story about how they got to be here in Muizenberg...

So while it hasn't been stressful, it also hasn't been wasted. Like I said in my previous post, it's been a very good transition time for me... a time to get used to my surroundings and adjust to our new life. And now I feel ready to start this next phase... this 9 month adventure in studying God's Word. I've had a good breather and enough free time to be okay with not having so much free time for a while. I feel trepidation, but also excitement to be dedicating these next 9 months to the Bible. It's exciting to know that I'll be getting to know the Bible in a deeper way than I ever have before... getting to know God in a deeper way than I have experienced before. I look forward to sharing with you some of the challenges and revelations and questions that will arise as a result of my study... and hearing from you how you are getting to know God on a deeper level, as well. After all, we're all on this journey of intimacy with God. We're all on a journey of getting to know Him better. My journey happens to have taken me to Africa to study the Bible. Where has yours taken you? Where ever it is, God is there with you, inviting you to seek Him and know Him and draw near to Him, as He draws near to you.

The beach

These pictures were taken on Friday at the beach in Muizenberg when the sun broke through the rain clouds for part of the day. Sunday, this beach was packed with people because it was actually warm! We spent the afternoon wandering through the local flea market and walking a path along the beach to the neighboring towns (St. James and Kalk Bay). Today, Hans is back in staff training and I'm enjoying one of my last 3 days of freedom before the SBS begins on Thursday. These several weeks of transition time have been a great way to begin our lives here in South Africa. They may not be indicative of what the rest of our time here will be like, but they've helped us adjust to being here. I think we're both ready for things to really get started! We know there are good things in store...

Checkers

My mom asked a question about where we'll do our grocery shopping. So here are pictures of the local Checkers grocery store. Besides different names on some of the products, it looks pretty similar! We haven't actually gone grocery shopping yet, so we aren't sure how prices will compare. But we hear some things are less expensive and some things are comparable in price to the states. So I guess we'll see!

our apartment building

This is our apartment... we'll live on the top floor with the balcony on the right. We move in this weekend. Yeah! It's fully furnished and very close to the base. The bottom picture is from the roof of the YWAM base (I'm pointing at our apartment... clever, eh? I'm also proud to represent SJC in Africa. Oh wait....) Anyhow, we're excited to move in!

newness

Well, we've arrived and have begun our new life in South Africa. All I can say is, so far so good. There is a lot of newness as we're settling in and adjusting to a new environment. But it's good newness. Exciting newness. Refreshing and invigorating newness. We've been getting ready for this kind of newness for a long time now.... since even before we knew we were moving to South Africa. God's been preparing us. So while there's definitely inner processing and transitioning taking place, we still feel the peace and assurance that this is where we're supposed to be. This is what we're supposed to be doing. And that's a welcome feeling.