SATURDAY SHOPPING AT KILLARNEY MALL

It is Saturday morning about 9:00AM and I had just hurried to get my Saturday grocery shopping finished before the food that I wanted to buy had been swept off the shelves. It is the kind of store that one day you can find something and the next day or weeks it is not available.

The shopping mall is directly across the street from where we live in Dukes Court. The mall is very convenient, especially since we have very small refrigerators that don't hold very much cold food.



The mall has a variety of stores that can accommodate most of our daily needs. There is one large grocery store and one very small grocery store, several small clothing stores and a couple of larger department stores, 2 beauty salons, a pharmacy and a drug store and a movie theater with three screens and a couple of book stores, plus several cafes. But most of all it's convenient!

I think spending so much time in Africa my eyes don’t see the uniqueness of this place we call our second home. When on our first mission here it was new for the full eighteen months but now most things are common place . But this day was different because as I walked into the mall the lights were out and what shops were open either were lit by candles, flashlights and a lantern here or there . The reason for the power outage was due to “load shedding” a polite term for infrastructure failure. All over SA it’s become a fact of life that power goes off in different areas of the country at different times of the day and will stay out in that area for at least 4 hours. It can be very inconvenient if it hits during rush hour . Traffic lights are out, alarm systems are shut down, no lights to get ready for work by. For business owners and their employees , lost revenuers, lost wages.

This Saturday was different, instead of my eyes seeing darkness the dark seemed to open my eyes to see more clearly the interesting and varied environment we live in. Everyone in the mall had a resigned attitude about the power outage. Store employees were sitting outside darkened stores, chatting with shoppers, or fellow workers, waiting for 10:00 A.M. to arrive when the power should be restored. Some restaurants and the grocery store I shop in have turned to generators and one little restaurant works off of propane offering a limited breakfast menu. Interesting to me is how the people have adjusted and resigned themselves to the situation. The resiliency of these people is evident in their lives every day.

As I look around I see women in Kurtas and men in Kandura’s, I see colorful traditional African clothing, on the faces of these beautiful bright and smiling people. People speaking many languages walking side by side in an interesting acceptance of one another.

After finishing my grocery shopping and finding almost everything I needed, for a change, I was standing in the check-out line people watching as usual. Two isles down were two teenage girls one of them was filling time by doing a little dance to the piped in music over the stores speakers. She was smiling and chatting with her friend and was caught up in the beat and rhythm of the African music, then she began to do a little dance, swaying and bobbing her head from side to side to the tune, oblivious to those around her.

It's not long before I notice I am also tapping my foot and give way to a smile that creeps onto my face as I see the joy in her face. I notice others with smiles on their faces bobbing their heads a little also. Who would have thought you could find happiness in a grocery line?

It's that way when we go to Church or to the Area Office where we are surrounded by our black brothers and sisters, smiles are quick to surface on their faces. There is singing in the offices by staffers singing or humming hymns and songs of praise. At Church, especially the black Wards, the singing is wonderful, bright smiles lighting their faces for those minutes they have no worries. There is a special handshake the Africans use to greet you , it speaks of friendship and acceptance and we know we are welcome.

That's what I saw and remembered today grocery shopping in Africa, it's not our number one home but we call it our second home and runs a close to our #1 home.

We thank God each day that we are here in this unique place where the lights may go out any time of the day or night but the gospel light still shines brightly and we are blessed to be a part of it. Life is good!

Can you find joy in a grocery check-out stand, at the very least smile and see who smiles back.

Cheers!

A GREAT MONTH IN SOUTH AFRICA

The work in SA and other countries that we visit are going at a rapid pace forward. We feel privileged to witness this growth, even though we are only a small part of it. It's the small parts that the Lord is hoping for in the future to fill the many openings in the Senior Couple pool. Do you want to be a part of it? I know I sound like a poster for recruiting into the Army, you know the one "Uncle Sam wants you". But there are so many areas that missionaries are needed here in Africa alone. There will be an Auditors position open in only 7 months, that is to replace us. If you only knew how blessed we feel to be able to do this work for the Lord and what blessings you derive from this service you would all be lined up to volunteer.



This past month was very busy and oft times tiring but the Lord buoys us up as we move forward. I would like to tell you of some of the places that have topped our "to do" list. The first was a Day Care center Jan visited with Sister Parmley and other Sister Missionaries. It is a place that is supported by the Church, donating food mattresses, hygiene kits, blankets etc. The Church has been a supporter of this Center and many others in Africa. Sister Parmleys philanthropic group of women friends donated the play center that you will see in the yard.


This Center is mainly for little one's who are Aids Orphans, most of them are infected with the Aids Virus themselves and being raised by older siblings who are also still children. The Center was opened so that the older siblings could continue to go to school and the younger would be cared for while they are in school. Look at the faces, I see them when in my quiet moments I remember how beautiful they are and how helpless. The Center feeds them and cleans them of lice and other ailments that are Aids related. The Anti-Viral drugs are administered as well. They are given loving care by the workers and are really happy normal little kids as you can see from the pictures.



PHARMACY

There is an alternative "medicine doctor" on the premises who makes drugs from the barks and leaves from plants and trees. As you can see from the pictures it isn't what we would call a "drug store", but who are we to say they don't work.


SEWING ROOM

The sewing room has all donated equipment that teaches sewing and the clothes they make are mainly school uniforms. Here in Africa the children cannot go to school without a uniform so these are provided for the older siblings of these little ones and others in the village. It is also a skill that the women can use to make their own clothes and perhaps have a little business on the side for their own families income.



THE MATTRESSES

These are donated by our Church for the little tykes to take a nap on, the children are lined up like cord wood snuggling up to each other for comfort and warmth. The Church has also provided blankets to keep them warm in the Winter. These little ones can come to the Center even when they are ill, especially they are not shunned from the Aids related complications that has affected their fragile immune systems. It is a blessing for the community.

THE PLAY AREA
As I said the benevolent women of Sister Parmley's group have provided this Jungle Gym set, the children love it and find so much pleasure climbing on it like any other group of children. The group of Sister Parmley also provide much support to other orphanages around the Area of SA.




THE CLEAN-UP

The people who run this Center are always willing to take suggestions from our Humanitarian Couple here which are Elder and Sister Rix, they do a great job and have helped this Center in so many ways. As you can see from the picture of black mold on the ceilings, this was in most of the rooms. The Rix's told them how to clean it and then which paint they should use on the ceilings to clear up the problem, the next time the Rix's and Sister Parmley came the job was done and the problem was solved. They are teachable!