Not YOUR typical Sunday - although it is MINE.

8:15am time to leave our Hillcrest flat and walk into town to attend the 10:00 am church service in Ntshongweni.

 Lovely Hillcrest.















Monday - Friday, Ginger, my ministry partner and I stand in front of this petrol station CAL-TEX, along with many, many people and wait for the taxi (combi) to take each of us to wherever it is we need to go.

But on Sunday the usual combi doesn't go to Ntshongweni so we have to go in the wrong direction  - to Pinetown to catch a combi that is going to Ntshongweni.  Crazy.

Now on the opposite side of the street from CAL-TEX, we wait in front of Freshly Ground Cafe.

Here she comes...

Okay, here's the thing.  And this is important.  Each combi (and there are millions of them in South Africa) have sits for only a certain number of passengers.  Usually 16.  Four in the far back bench.  Three in the third row, three in the second row, three in the first row and two next to the driver.  16.  I've been in combi's with as many as 22 people.  Combi #1  6 Rand = .75cents

This picture is one of the newer, nicer combi's because it has individual seats instead of benches.  The women wearing the purple cape are Roman Catholic.  Each denomination wear distinctive 'uniforms' on Sunday.

Now, when you are stuck on a bench in the back and have to get off - so does everyone else.  Then they pile back on.  They can happen every feet kilometers, on - off - on - off.  We all move around just like this childhood toy.

We arrive in Pinetown, the busy - bustling center of all things and are greeted by many things one would not find in an America town.  Surgery & dental surgery next to the combi rank.  Ouch, it hurts even thinking about going to one of those 'doctors.'

This is Che-che.  He sells newspapers every Sunday.  He doesn't talk but dances around and either has a small whistle in his mouth or makes a whistle noise with his teeth because he has a distinctive whistle.

Many things are for sale.  Actually, I would wager that you could buy anything in world that you want in Pinetown.  Here a mean and awful woman sells fruit.  I've never been taken advantaged of - but she got me.

Combi's for as far as the eye can see.

Everyone does their shopping in Pinetown and carries load after load home with them in the combi. Potato's anyone?   19 Rand = $2.00 for a huge bag.

Just today I had a first, a man with a live chicken.

So if you didn't buy what you needed walking to your correct combi, the hawkers will come by.

Fruit, fruit, fruit.  They all sell the same things, I don't know how anyone makes any money.

People everywhere.

Grapes, mountains of grapes.  Apples, mountains of apples.

Combi's everywhere - you have to know where to go to get in the correct one... or God only know where you will end up.  Then of course with all the kilometers they are racking up they 'occasionally' need repair.  Man oh man does this bode confidence knowing the vehicle I'm riding in has been 'repaired' by the driver, who no doubt has no automotive mechanical training.

 Poor guy trying to sell: FRUIT

OKAY, so back to the millions of combi's.  Each route is designated by a symbol.  To go to Ntshongweni, just look for the combi with a little black man.

Next important thing to know, this vehicle isn't leaving until each and every seat is taken by a paying consumer.  See the one empty seat... so we wait.  We have waited as long as an hour before.  Occasionally, we'll just pay the 13 Rand = $1.62 just so we can leave.

Or instead of sitting a waiting for someone to come, the combi will drive around the township, hooting his horn until the combi seats are filled.  This doesn't make sense to me - seems like we are wasting more petrol driving around looking for folks than just heading to our destination ? We can drive around in circles for an hour. Weird.

9:05am  leaving Pinetown on second combi of the day

11 Rand = $1.37

Sometimes besides the driver, there is a second guy riding who opens the door and takes the money.  It is customary when entering the combi to greet everyone on board. Then everyone greets back to the one who just entered.

Beautiful drive up the mountain to Ntshongweni past the sugar cane fields.

We also drive past the 38 orphan houses that are under the governance of the Lutheran Church.

Thank you we arrived to the dirt road which leads to the Lutheran church.

Did I mention that it is very long, dirty and very, very, very STEEP.

9:42am we arrive.  One hour and thirty minutes to get to church!

The parsonage is right next to the church.  Here Pastor and Mrs. Mandla Thwala live.

Looking into the church from the door.

Communion Sunday

I set out what I will need: (L) my English Bible; (C) my 100 rand offering = $12.50; (R) my Zulu hymnal.  All these are on my scarf - a woman must cover her head.

Looking from the altar to the back door.

10:00am service begins at 10:15am - not bad, we've begun as late as 11:00am before.

First hymn... all in Zulu, which I can actually sing along since it's all phonetic - I just don't know what I am saying.

My hymnal is tabbed so I can follow along.  Orange: '#1 whole page'

I was hard for me to silently say the confession, Lord's Prayer and Apostle's Creed while the congregation was saying out loud in Zulu, so I printed out the words.

Pastor Thwala preaching in Zulu.

I was trying to discreetly take a picture of me with my head covered.  Cheese.

Communion, notice the women wearing their Lutheran uniforms.  Black means they are married, white is for single women.

This is the best part of the whole service for me: Offering.  Each and EVERY person walks to the altar and places their offering in the plate, no matter how small the donation.  First the children...

Then the women...

Then the men!

There is a woman in the congregation who can't walk very well, sits on the last pew - since it's closest to the door, so the elder brings the offering plate to her :)

The men/boys sit on the right side of the sanctuary, Women/girls on the left.

One and a half hours and worship is over.

Fellowship in the sunshine.  No coffee.  No donuts.

Then time for Ginger and I to meet/work with Pastor Thwala in his office.  

Work complete. We are off to the climb that ding dang STEEP, STEEP, STEEP hill (mountain) and catch a combi home to Hillcrest.  We have met so many wonderful people and drivers on our daily transport.  Khulekani is our all time favorite driver.  He is Pastor's closest friend.  Khulekani even let me drive his combi one day - imagine the stares... no women are drivers and no WHITE woman ever!

1:15am we leave Ntshongweni on combi #3 but it only takes us to the rank where we get another combi back to Pinetown.  The short ride to the rank is free, to Pinetown 13 Rand = $1.62

Now, there are many different hand gestures to know.  Index finger up means: Pinetown.  Here Khulekani is notifying folks on the road.  Index finger down means: Local.  And there are many, many other gestures to know depending where you want to go.

If I've learned anything being a missionary in South Africa, this is it!  I am a missionary 24/7 no matter where I am.  Here we met Sylvia.  She is going to Hillcrest to work as a supervisor at our local grocery store.  Her bother just died (very common, too common occurrence) she is raising her 5 children and his 6.  This woman you are looking at is raising 11 children.  She started crying telling Ginger and I her story.  Ginger held her hand and we promised to pray for her.  The good news is that her English is flawless, she was an orphan, was raised by missionaries who spoke English.  I'm assuming her good English is what landed her the good job at the grocery store.

If there isn't any guy riding along to open the door or take the money, whoever is sitting in the passenger seat has to take the money and make change.  This is hilarious.  Each bench collects the money and passes it forward.  Can you imagine in America if everyone on the bus passed their money forward and expected change to be passed back?

We don't all the way back to Pinetown.  We JUMP AT TOYOTA.  The driver will drop us off in Hillcrest.  On to combi #5 for the day and our local ride is 6 Rand = .75cents  Have you counted along?  I've spent 36 Rand = $4.50 to get to church.  Riding a combi everyday adds up.  cha ching$$

Good bye sweet combi, see you tomorrow, thanks for the ride home.  Now we walk to our flat.

HOME:  11 Highland Road

HOME: 2:32pm  over 6 hours to attend church.  What does your Sunday look like?