Laundry Day

Raise your hand if you love doing your family's laundry.  Okay, thanks for being honest, now raise your hand if you loathe laundry day. Probably for most this task isn't confined to a mere one day of the week but to several.

Welcome to laundry day in Ntshongweni, South Africa.  At the end of the property where the Lutheran creche sits is the township tap.

Here the townsfolk must come if they want water.

I know most of my friends collect the water and take it back to their homes... for drinking, bathing and laundry.

Clever, clever, clever using a soda bottle to funnel the water into the containers.

This day, which was actually October 2011, the women come to do the dirty deed; laundry.

At my missionary orientation, which covered two whole weeks, not once was laundry mentioned.  I'm so clueless ... completing this task never crossed my mind.

Well, actually I knew in 18 months I would have to do my laundry but the part about hanging my clothes out on a line I never thought about.  Hanging my dedicates out on a line for all to see - ewwwwwww. Why wasn't this fact brought up?  I might have taken more care in which panties I packed. 

Like I said, all day long you can watch the children, women and men coming to gather their water.

Happy to take a break from this difficult work for a quick picture.

The community knows community.  Maybe we would all enjoy laundry day more if we were working along side our friends?

It can't be easy to be this pregnant and doing such hard work.

Guess what a gallon of water weights? One gallon tips the scales at 8.34 pounds. 

These fine folks are hauling more than one wee gallon - this suckers are huge and heavy.  Plus this beautiful country is nick named: Valley of 1,000 hills.  Yes, hills and heavy water - ouch.

Please don’t EVER complain about doing your laundry with your Kenmore in your laundry room until you’ve done your laundry in Ntshongweni, South Africa.

Do you grieve over someone who has fallen away from the faith? I do!

O CHRIST, OUR TRUE AND ONLY LIGHT

Do you know someone who has fallen away from the faith?  Do you love someone who has fallen away from the love of Jesus Christ?  I do and it causes me to grieve.  In my grief I cry out to God Almighty to steadfastly pursue my love one and gently, or not so gently, gather them back to the saving grace of our Savior. 

This hymn comforts me.  Rather than sing the words I pray the words over those I love.  Over those I grieve who have lost their way and are living in darkness.

O Christ, our true and only light, 

Enlighten those who sit in night; 

Let those afar now hear Your Voice 

And in Your fold with us rejoice.

Fill with the radiance of Your grace 

The soul now lost in error's maze; 

Enlighten those whose inmost minds 

Some dark delusion haunts and blinds.

O gently call those gone astray 

That they may find the saving way! 

Let every conscience sore oppressed 

In You find peace and heavenly rest.

Shine on the darkened and the cold; 

Recall the wand'rers to Your fold. 

Unite all those who walk apart; 

Confirm the weak and doubting heart.

That they with us may ever-more 

Such grace with wond'ring thanks adore  

And endless praise to You be giv'n 

By all Your Church in earth and heav'n.

Lutheran Service Book

Mission and Witness

839

Fill 'er up - NOT

It's a bad habit and one I need break.  When I sit in the front seat of the taxi I ALWAYS look at the gas gauge.  I don't know why... there is nothing I can do about the amount of gas in the vehicle I'm a riding as a passenger.

So here yet again, the taxi is on E.  Empty; actually below E and I couldn't help see the bright, red warning light was also on.

Never mind that Ginger and I and everyone else on the taxi needed to get to work, the driver (pictured above) stopped at the petrol station.

In South Africa there is no such thing as self-serve gas stations, oh no this country has employment opportunities of every imaginable type - most you are expected to tip the person performing the task.

So yes, one is expected to tip the guy who pumps your gas.

11.32 Rand per liter = $1.42 but remember that it takes 3.78 liters to make ONE gallon. so that's $5.36 for one gallon of gasoline.

200 Rand = $25 

Back to the employment in South Africa, they hire a ton of people to work at most everyplace.  So finding an employee willing to pose for a picture or just sitting around is easy.

It adds up quickly.

Ginger Taff my ministry partner waits in the taxi with the other ladies.

We got our petrol and we are ready to roll.

Never in my daily commute in taxis have I been in one with a full gas tank.  Never in all the times we have stopped to fill up for petrol has the driver put anymore than a few hundred Rand into the tank.

Never will I hear the words... fill 'er up.

Lazy Zeal

Reading! How important is reading?  

Jesus!  How important is Jesus?

The answer is VERY to both questions.  Each week I have the humble privilege to pair these two crucial elements in our lives at Ntshongweni Primary school Tuesdays at 1400 and at Charles Primary, Wednesday at 0730 

But it's winter here in South Africa and I've been fighting a cold for over a month.

So, I got lazy and instead of reading to the 5th grade classroom - I brought in Christian word-find sheets and new, sharp pencils.

and if you look for it as for silver
    and search for it as for hidden treasure, 
 then you will understand the fear of the Lord
    and find the knowledge of God.

Proverbs 2:4-5

Each week the school's assistant principal ushers my ministry partner Ginger and I to different classrooms.

Typically, the classrooms can have between 40 and 50 students.

This day I had a mere 35 students.  

The teachers are thrilled to have us, mostly because they leave the room.  

So, here I am alone with the throng with little to no Zulu under my belt and them with their emerging although limited English.

I paired the class into three's and gave each group one WORD FIND sheet and one pencil.  

They were beyond excited and knew exactly how to look to find the listed words.

The WORD FIND sheets were from a Christian book.

Psalm 33:4
For the word of the LORD is right and true; he is faithful in all he does.

Any which way to work on the Word-find.

Hey, this is fun!

Students outside of our classroom waited to come inside... sorry buddy.

Interesting to see who has an August birthday.  Happy birthday Mthobisi & Lwazi.

We all just love posing for pictures - cheese.

Don't break any rules.  Notice #14.  When I walked in the entire class stood to their feet and said in unison, "Hello Teacher."

Chalk boards and real chalk.  In the office are the boxes of chalk.  Notice that there is not a desk for the teacher nor anyplace for the teacher to keep anything.  No books, no pencils, no computers just an American missionary bring the Word of God to these precious children.