There are just some things I never want to forget...

              PINETOWN, SOUTH AFRICA

I stay (or live) in Hillcrest.  I work in Ntshongweni but I often have to go to Pinetown. Pinetown is just over 10km from Hillcrest by taxi. I go to Pinetown for major shopping and also because the main Kombi taxi rank is there.

Cabbage for sale in the back of a small bakkie (pickup truck).  Doesn't get any fresher than this.

By the time I left Pinetown the truck had sold half of their stock.

Piles of people on this beautiful Saturday, September 8th.  Piles of trash, too.

Everyone sells basically the same things: tomatoes, onions, bell peppers, potatoes, chili peppers, carrots.

Then there are the 'stalls' that sell individual cigarette's, cough drops, combs/picks, nail clippers, super glue, phone chargers, boxes of matches, wash clothes.

Walls of people.  The woman with the bag on her head is turning because she knew I wanted to take her picture.

The umbrella usually aren't up but we had heavy rain on Wednesday, Thursday & Friday and they were still up this Saturday. 

Then there are the fruit vendors.  Millions of them.  Each piece of fruit is 1 Rand = 12 cents. Once a guy tried to get 1.5 Rand from me - but I knew the going rate was 1Rand.  Can't take advantage of this smart American.

I asked each time before I took a picture of anyone and one fruit man said I could take his fruits' picture but not of him.  A total of 4 people told me no.

Then we have the grocery cart loaded down with the most amazing assortment of everything.  Hats, backpacks, sunglasses, umbrellas, wash cloths.  You can always ask if there is something in particular you may want and he could have it buried in his wares.

All the while the traffic is buzzing about.

Now this is truly very clever.  To mist the fruit this guy uses a filled water bottle with small holes poked  in it to spray with.

The vendors line the sidewalks.

Some like it hot.

Beautiful red tomato's.  One bowl full is 5 Rand =  62 cents

Of the four who didn't want their picture taken... countless folks called out asking me to take their photo.

This guy asked too...

And these guys...

It was Saturday afternoon and some of the shops were closing.  Heavy security in this dangerous country.

One corner I always go to.  I never want to forget this corner.

When was the last time you saw pay phones on the street?

               
                                                                       More trash - it's everywhere.

I couldn't tell if the crowd gathered for a street entertainer or street evangelist. 

This is my favorite corridor.

This guy sells Bibles and the women Zulu traditional clothing.

This is my favorite picture of this outing to Pinetown.

I got to do a lot of witnessing - everyone wanted to know who I was and why I was taking pictures.

This women's name is Theo and we had quite a long conversation.

Theo sells soap and 'capsules'.  I asked what the pills were for and she said, 'back pain, stomach pain, just about anything that is ailing you.'

Many women had these beauty parlors.  Eyelashes and finger nails.

Need socks or combs?  Theo will help ya out.

This women cooks and sells meat - yummy.

I could have stayed all day taking a million more shots but I realized that I was the only white women and most certainly the only one with an expensive camera in Pinetown.  Time to go back to the taxi rank and back to Hillcrest.

Happiness is...

This powerful quote is from the equally powerful book, Half The Sky.

"As Sir John Templeton said, "Self-improvement comes mainly from trying to help others." Social psychologist have learned a great deal about happiness in recent years, and one of the surprises is that the things we believe will make us happy won't. People who win the lottery, for example, enjoy an initial spike of happiness but then adjust and a year later are not significantly happier than those who haven't won.  Our happiness levels seem to be mostly innate, and not markedly affected by what happens to us, good or bad.

People in end-stage dialysis, for example, turn out to be no different in their moods through the day than a comparison group of healthy people. And while those who suffer a crippling disability are initially deeply unhappy, they adjust quickly.  One study found that just a month after becoming paraplegics, accident victims were in fairly good moods a majority of the time.  Other research found that within two years of suffering a moderate disability, life satisfaction fully recovers to the predisability level. So Jonathan Haidt, a psychologist at the University of Virginia who has studied happiness, advised that if you are hit by a truck and end up a paraplegic, or if you win the lottery, remember that a year from now, it won't make much difference to your happiness level."

Yet Professor Haidt and others advise that there are a few factors that can affect our happiness levels in a sustained way.  One is 'a connection to something larger"- a greater cause or a humanitarian purpose. Traditionally, this was what brought people to churches or other religious institutions, but any movement or humanitarian initiative can provide a sense of purpose that boosts one's happiness quotient.  We are neurologically constructed so that we gain huge personal dividends from altruism."

UNO Game night

• UNO Game Night

One tradition my ministry partner Ginger and I  began a year old was to play the card game UNO with the seminary student at the Lutheran Seminary in Pretoria, South Africa.  The night begins with hugs from Shalom, 4 year old son of student Enoch.

How can one cheap card game make everyone so happy?  Could it be the snacks?  this evening on Wednesday, 15 August I had brought with me American Fritos corn chips and Cheez-its.  I bought everyone's favorite treat: Biltong.  Biltong, is South Africa beef jerky.

The calm before the storm.  Drinking fruit juice.

Let the games begin.

"Easy to pick up... impossible to put down."

• Race to get rid of all your cards.
• Use the action cards against your opponents.
• When you're down to one card, don't forget to yell 'UNO!'

Aerial shot of part of the gang.

It's winter in August - thus all the long sleeves and coats.

Standing is Laura, wife of student Eric.  Robert, Thulani, Prossy, Peter.  Thulani is the smiling chap.

We have to use two decks of cards with this many folks :)  that's a good thing.

Ginger busts out the popcorn!

Even though this is such an easy game, I'm batting 100% of new people wanting to watch a round before diving into the fun.

Paul is in the blue jersey, Enoch is watching TV and the next guy doesn't realize that the object of the game is to get rid of your cards - geeezzzzz just look at that hand full.

Ben, my friend is always so much fun.

 

                                                                Robert is getting serious.

Thulani gets very happy when he is winning, often breaking out in song and dance.

Smile Prossy, we promise to help clean up your lounge.

It takes a while to reshuffle the deck and deal the cards.

UNO 'Fast fun for everyone'

One happy missionary.

Picture with Paul.

Dude, I don't think that many cards is a good thing.

Ginger and Frank (standing) join in the action.

The ceremonial handing over the deck of cards to host Enoch.  We will be back and we will have another great night of Christian fellowship.