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Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Uplifting Compliments
In my third week at working at PACSA, a female co-worker told me that they missed my smile. How sweet! I had only not been at PACSA one business day since seeing her last. It's these surprising compliments that inspire me. She said I needed to leave them with something because I am a nice person. Wow. Isn't it amazing how God's children connect and see the beauty in one another. As I was leaving, she said, "God bless you, Kate!"
A Few Words in isiZulu: Unjani? Ngiyapila
Unjani- How are you?
Ngiyapila- I am well or in good health
Grammar: The above words are for greeting one person and replying about one’s self. However, if you are asking a group of people how they are, you say, “Ninjani?” If you are replying for a group of people, or even regarding your family as well, you would say, “Siyapila.”
Comments: I often greet people first, whether in the US or in South Africa. However, I usually do not ask strangers how they are. Yet, when I ask or a person asks me, the person’s eyes usually light up, presumably because I know enough isiZulu to ask how they are, to show that I care about them.
Ngiyapila- I am well or in good health
Grammar: The above words are for greeting one person and replying about one’s self. However, if you are asking a group of people how they are, you say, “Ninjani?” If you are replying for a group of people, or even regarding your family as well, you would say, “Siyapila.”
Comments: I often greet people first, whether in the US or in South Africa. However, I usually do not ask strangers how they are. Yet, when I ask or a person asks me, the person’s eyes usually light up, presumably because I know enough isiZulu to ask how they are, to show that I care about them.
January Sound Bytes
For a week in late January, I had the opportunity to see God in the faces of Lutheran partners from the US and South Africa. The people shared concerns, passions and interests, but most importantly, they showed one another love. Below, I include quotes from many of these partners. These partners saw God in one another, and they parted ways with a renewed sense of hope in how God moves across all man-made boarders, such as country, race and gender.
From Minnesota Partners during one gathering…
Prompt from Minnesota leader: “Please give your name, where
you are from, and one thing that has surprised, inspired or
amazed you, in a minute or less.”
“Tremendous joy”
“I think the thing that surprised me the most was that church was
three and a half hours long, and I liked it.”
“It’s not until you get here until you realize how much they have to give to us.”
“I’m just touched by the depth of life.”
“You are my brothers and sisters in Christ.”
“It was like I had been with a girlfriend for years.”
“If I ever complain about anything, you have permission to slap me silly.”
“His whole life exudes hope.”
“A deep Christian faith that is second to none.”
150 members at the church, three cars
“They have a very warm feeling, these people.”
“It’s making me a better person.”
“The tremendous potential in this country.”
“People are the same the world over.”
“We’re all God’s children.”
“We’re so caught up in our stuff.”
“We have the stuff, but quite often lack the spirit that it is the people.”
“They talk about the same problems as we do.”
“I really do believe that we’re walking together.”
“I’ve always known that the people around the world that love Christ are our brothers and sisters. But I knew it here [head], but now I know it here [heart].”
Other quotes from the week…
“Be at home.” – SA Partner
“It’s a beautiful thing to see how God works.” – Pastor Jean (US)
“I was so worried that what we would do wouldn’t be good enough for Americans.” – A South African who took us to a lion park, a zoo and out to lunch
“We’re about empowering one another.” – Pastor Jean (US)
“Partnership is about relationships mainly.” – Dean Myaka (SA)
“We are very different, but we have the same …Lord, …waters of baptism, …communion.” – Pastor Harvey (US) to a SA congregation
“I wish you could teach us how to have joy in giving.” – Pastor Harvey (US) to a SA congregation
“We are just co-workers with you. Keep reminding us of that.” – Dean Myaka (SA)
“And in this common Lord, we are all blessed.” – Pastor Harvey (US)
“God bless you for coming to see our place.” – SA partner
“We need to go back home and tell them that we don’t know how to do evangelism and we need to learn from our South African brothers and sisters.” – Pastor Harvey
“Christ is reality and deeds.” – Pastor Harvey
“I think we’ve all become stronger in our faith.” – Pastor Jean (US)
“He calls us all to work together… for the glory of God.” – Pastor Jean (US)
“God brought His people together.” – SA partner
“You chaps have been wonderful.”– SA partner to US reps
“We couldn’t’ve asked to have been treated better than we were.”
– US partner to SA reps
Helping US partners would give SA partners: “The confidence that we are equal… even though we can never be equal.” – SA partner
“You are evangelists. We take care of ourselves.” – US partner
“You are missionaries to us.” – US partner
“The truth is… we have an awful lot of needs.” – US partner
“This is an equal partnership already.” – US partner
From Minnesota Partners during one gathering…
Prompt from Minnesota leader: “Please give your name, where
you are from, and one thing that has surprised, inspired or
amazed you, in a minute or less.”
“Tremendous joy”
“I think the thing that surprised me the most was that church was
three and a half hours long, and I liked it.”
“It’s not until you get here until you realize how much they have to give to us.”
“I’m just touched by the depth of life.”
“You are my brothers and sisters in Christ.”
“It was like I had been with a girlfriend for years.”
“If I ever complain about anything, you have permission to slap me silly.”
“His whole life exudes hope.”
“A deep Christian faith that is second to none.”
150 members at the church, three cars
“They have a very warm feeling, these people.”
“It’s making me a better person.”
“The tremendous potential in this country.”
“People are the same the world over.”
“We’re all God’s children.”
“We’re so caught up in our stuff.”
“We have the stuff, but quite often lack the spirit that it is the people.”
“They talk about the same problems as we do.”
“I really do believe that we’re walking together.”
“I’ve always known that the people around the world that love Christ are our brothers and sisters. But I knew it here [head], but now I know it here [heart].”
Other quotes from the week…
“Be at home.” – SA Partner
“It’s a beautiful thing to see how God works.” – Pastor Jean (US)
“I was so worried that what we would do wouldn’t be good enough for Americans.” – A South African who took us to a lion park, a zoo and out to lunch
“We’re about empowering one another.” – Pastor Jean (US)
“Partnership is about relationships mainly.” – Dean Myaka (SA)
“We are very different, but we have the same …Lord, …waters of baptism, …communion.” – Pastor Harvey (US) to a SA congregation
“I wish you could teach us how to have joy in giving.” – Pastor Harvey (US) to a SA congregation
“We are just co-workers with you. Keep reminding us of that.” – Dean Myaka (SA)
“And in this common Lord, we are all blessed.” – Pastor Harvey (US)
“God bless you for coming to see our place.” – SA partner
“We need to go back home and tell them that we don’t know how to do evangelism and we need to learn from our South African brothers and sisters.” – Pastor Harvey
“Christ is reality and deeds.” – Pastor Harvey
“I think we’ve all become stronger in our faith.” – Pastor Jean (US)
“He calls us all to work together… for the glory of God.” – Pastor Jean (US)
“God brought His people together.” – SA partner
“You chaps have been wonderful.”– SA partner to US reps
“We couldn’t’ve asked to have been treated better than we were.”
– US partner to SA reps
Helping US partners would give SA partners: “The confidence that we are equal… even though we can never be equal.” – SA partner
“You are evangelists. We take care of ourselves.” – US partner
“You are missionaries to us.” – US partner
“The truth is… we have an awful lot of needs.” – US partner
“This is an equal partnership already.” – US partner
January Snapshots
My host sisters and I often went for daily walks; apparently, when
we started going for walks, so did other people in Cool Air
Saw “Invictus” in theaters
Planned and led a youth retreat
Went to Durban for New Years and visited Juma Musjit Mosque,
beaches and the BAT (Bartel Arts Trust) Centre
Attended the first day at Dalton Primary School for 2010, where
the teachers greeted me with hugs
Sang “Siyahamba” walking home with Sunday School children
After spending a wonderful week with the Minnesota partners, I
typed 13,635 words in four days about meetings and experiences
we started going for walks, so did other people in Cool Air
Saw “Invictus” in theaters
Planned and led a youth retreat
Went to Durban for New Years and visited Juma Musjit Mosque,
beaches and the BAT (Bartel Arts Trust) Centre
Attended the first day at Dalton Primary School for 2010, where
the teachers greeted me with hugs
Sang “Siyahamba” walking home with Sunday School children
After spending a wonderful week with the Minnesota partners, I
typed 13,635 words in four days about meetings and experiences
Shine Your Light: A Message to My Youth Group
Based on Matthew 5:1-16
This morning, in a focused rush, I stopped at the shop to buy a few things for the retreat. As I stepped up to the counter, the shopkeeper and his friend started asking questions. As I answered the first few questions, the other tasks I needed to finish before the retreat raced through my head. Yet, then I thought of our scripture reading for today, about being meek and pure in heart, about being the light of the world. The men’s questions continued into topics about justice- reflective of Jesus’ encouragement in the Beatitudes to be peacemakers and to seek righteousness. We discussed affirmative action, poverty, and differences between the US and South Africa- whether the US was better or not. Although I thought I was going to the shop to buy a few things, my more important task was to witness to what it means to be a Christian and to see God in others.
Close your eyes. Imagine looking out onto the large Sea of Galilee. You watch your teacher move away from the crowd and up the small mountain. With the other disciples, you follow your teacher up the hill. Your teacher, Jesus, seems to be a many of mystery, for he always seems to surprise and challenge you with his words. He turns towards you and begins to speak… (I then read Matthew 5:1-13).
In the Beatitudes, Jesus shares the ideal characteristics of a person. With these characteristics, a person will be blessed, also interpreted as satisfied or happy. You will be blessed if you are merciful… pure in heart… peacemakers… persecuted.
Why would we follow these characteristics? Why would we want to be blessed? Jesus is a miracle worker in people’s lives and he is the giver of new life. He not only worked miracles or gave life two thousand years ago, but he also works miracles and gives life today. Jesus Christ sacrificed his life so that we could live. We should walk in his footsteps as a living sacrifice.
“You are the light of the world” (Matthew 5:14a). When Jesus told his followers that each is a light in this world, he did not distinguish between whether or not each followed the Beatitudes. Each person who follows Jesus is a light in this world.
You are each a light of the world. God has given each of you so many gifts to share, and thereby give glory to God. Please don’t hide your light. Shine for all to see.
“…Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in Heaven.” – Matthew 5:16
Amen.
This morning, in a focused rush, I stopped at the shop to buy a few things for the retreat. As I stepped up to the counter, the shopkeeper and his friend started asking questions. As I answered the first few questions, the other tasks I needed to finish before the retreat raced through my head. Yet, then I thought of our scripture reading for today, about being meek and pure in heart, about being the light of the world. The men’s questions continued into topics about justice- reflective of Jesus’ encouragement in the Beatitudes to be peacemakers and to seek righteousness. We discussed affirmative action, poverty, and differences between the US and South Africa- whether the US was better or not. Although I thought I was going to the shop to buy a few things, my more important task was to witness to what it means to be a Christian and to see God in others.
Close your eyes. Imagine looking out onto the large Sea of Galilee. You watch your teacher move away from the crowd and up the small mountain. With the other disciples, you follow your teacher up the hill. Your teacher, Jesus, seems to be a many of mystery, for he always seems to surprise and challenge you with his words. He turns towards you and begins to speak… (I then read Matthew 5:1-13).
In the Beatitudes, Jesus shares the ideal characteristics of a person. With these characteristics, a person will be blessed, also interpreted as satisfied or happy. You will be blessed if you are merciful… pure in heart… peacemakers… persecuted.
Why would we follow these characteristics? Why would we want to be blessed? Jesus is a miracle worker in people’s lives and he is the giver of new life. He not only worked miracles or gave life two thousand years ago, but he also works miracles and gives life today. Jesus Christ sacrificed his life so that we could live. We should walk in his footsteps as a living sacrifice.
“You are the light of the world” (Matthew 5:14a). When Jesus told his followers that each is a light in this world, he did not distinguish between whether or not each followed the Beatitudes. Each person who follows Jesus is a light in this world.
You are each a light of the world. God has given each of you so many gifts to share, and thereby give glory to God. Please don’t hide your light. Shine for all to see.
“…Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in Heaven.” – Matthew 5:16
Amen.
A Spiritual Word: Hope
“We also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.” Romans 5:3b-5
A new year screams hope-especially the year 2010 in South Africa when Africa will host the FIFA World Cup for the first time. Furthermore, my two youngest sisters and my young neighbor/cousin/almost brother wanted to do something and intensely focused on the task of contributing to this newsletter as my “South African Friends” (see page 2), reinforcing the theme of hope, as they are the future. When I read the first few verses of Romans 5, this Biblical passage about hope seemed to be speaking about black South Africans.
Imagine that you are persecuted your whole life because of a trait you did not choose and cannot change. You stand in a different line at the post office based on this trait. People that have a society-deemed-better uncontrollable trait ask you to fetch them things because you have a different, uncontrollable trait. You cannot leave your home after certain hours or go in specific areas of town. Black South Africans, the vast majority of South African’s population, lived this reality for decades under apartheid.
As I mentally prepared for living in South Africa, I prepared myself to receive bitterness based on my skin color. In some ways, I thought the bitterness justified shown towards the oppressors by the unjustly oppressed. Yet, since I’ve arrived in South Africa, no one has shown me bitterness. In my small community, people initially stare at me as a celebrity, humbly divert their eyes to the ground or measure me with their eyes, but I never feel demonized. In drastic contrast, people have surprised me over and over with their kind eyes and genuine smiles when I greet them. When I asked Dean Myaka why I received no bitterness or anger, he calmly responded, “It’s not in our nature; you can’t just ill-treat people out of the blue.” His intuitively clear and simple answer left me speechless. If anything is left from the apartheid that I sense in interactions I share with others, it is a sense of doubt about whether we may greet one another as fellow humans, as if others are unworthy of my acknowledgment. How do people come to a point when they question their self-worth? I am in awe of and humbled by my South African brothers and sisters.
Martin Luther King Jr. articulates a rationale for treating oppressing people with love in his collection of sermons called, Strength to Love. In the 1960s, Martin Luther King Jr. spoke of the power of love to overcome racial injustice: “There will be no permanent solution to the race problem until oppressed men develop the capacity to love their enemies. The darkness of racial injustice will be dispelled only by the light of forgiving love” (55). Hope cannot be found in continuing the cycle of injustice, but breaking the cycle with love. Furthermore, he shares that, although centuries of unjust oppression could lead people to feel bitter and act correspondingly with hate, hate is never the answer. Dr. King states that if people act hatefully in retaliation: “…the new order we seek will be little more than a duplicate of the old order. We must in strength and humility meet hate with love” (55). Even after years of suffering, Dr. Kind declares that love is the only solution to hateful actions.
In Romans, Paul writes from a prison cell of how suffering leads to hope. Although people do not often look to add suffering in their lives, I feel the strength of the people all around me in South Africa. Yesterday, I greeted an older woman as I passed her on my way home. She was carrying a very heavy parcel on her head (talk about neck strength), and I asked if she was okay. Instead of giving me some of her burden, she started asking about me: my name, my last name, where I am from, what I am doing in South Africa, etc. In return, I asked where she was going and asked her name: Ivy. I turned to go, and she called after me, “You didn’t ask my last name!” Taken slightly aback-family affiliations are much more important in my community in South Africa than my community in the US- I smiled and asked her last name. After responding with a smile, she called after me something along the lines of: “I wish I could spend lots of time with you so I could learn English.” I called back: “And I could learn isiZulu!” As I walked away, I felt humbled by this woman; Ivy had been oppressed by a system run by white people for the majority of her life. Yet, in our conversation, mostly in English, she told me that she wishes she could learn from me. Talk about character! She demonstrated Paul’s abstract argument. Her skin spoke to her suffering, her heavy parcel and even steps demonstrated her endurance, her conversation proved her character, and her eyes and spirit shone with hope. The people of South Africa ceaselessly teach me about deep, spiritual hope.
At times this year, I have felt a loss of hope. Yet, these are the times when I am depending on my own understanding. Of course I should loose hope in my understanding, for my understanding is limited. Hoping solely based on my own understanding is not a deep, spiritual hope worthy of my efforts. Deep, spiritual hope is based on something larger than myself: God’s power and grace are unlimited. God gave us the ultimate reason to hope when he died on the cross to give us new life. As our creator, God lives in each of us. You will find God, and therefore a reason to hope, in every person’s face. Perhaps people’s faces do not always read love; maybe the faces seem overtaken by hate. Yet, God has still created each of us. Furthermore, when God gave us freewill, he gave us the capacity to choose love over hate. We may choose to show love, thereby sharing God, leading to hope. In love, God reveals hope.
God, Guide us to see blessings of hope every day. Amen.
A new year screams hope-especially the year 2010 in South Africa when Africa will host the FIFA World Cup for the first time. Furthermore, my two youngest sisters and my young neighbor/cousin/almost brother wanted to do something and intensely focused on the task of contributing to this newsletter as my “South African Friends” (see page 2), reinforcing the theme of hope, as they are the future. When I read the first few verses of Romans 5, this Biblical passage about hope seemed to be speaking about black South Africans.
Imagine that you are persecuted your whole life because of a trait you did not choose and cannot change. You stand in a different line at the post office based on this trait. People that have a society-deemed-better uncontrollable trait ask you to fetch them things because you have a different, uncontrollable trait. You cannot leave your home after certain hours or go in specific areas of town. Black South Africans, the vast majority of South African’s population, lived this reality for decades under apartheid.
As I mentally prepared for living in South Africa, I prepared myself to receive bitterness based on my skin color. In some ways, I thought the bitterness justified shown towards the oppressors by the unjustly oppressed. Yet, since I’ve arrived in South Africa, no one has shown me bitterness. In my small community, people initially stare at me as a celebrity, humbly divert their eyes to the ground or measure me with their eyes, but I never feel demonized. In drastic contrast, people have surprised me over and over with their kind eyes and genuine smiles when I greet them. When I asked Dean Myaka why I received no bitterness or anger, he calmly responded, “It’s not in our nature; you can’t just ill-treat people out of the blue.” His intuitively clear and simple answer left me speechless. If anything is left from the apartheid that I sense in interactions I share with others, it is a sense of doubt about whether we may greet one another as fellow humans, as if others are unworthy of my acknowledgment. How do people come to a point when they question their self-worth? I am in awe of and humbled by my South African brothers and sisters.
Martin Luther King Jr. articulates a rationale for treating oppressing people with love in his collection of sermons called, Strength to Love. In the 1960s, Martin Luther King Jr. spoke of the power of love to overcome racial injustice: “There will be no permanent solution to the race problem until oppressed men develop the capacity to love their enemies. The darkness of racial injustice will be dispelled only by the light of forgiving love” (55). Hope cannot be found in continuing the cycle of injustice, but breaking the cycle with love. Furthermore, he shares that, although centuries of unjust oppression could lead people to feel bitter and act correspondingly with hate, hate is never the answer. Dr. King states that if people act hatefully in retaliation: “…the new order we seek will be little more than a duplicate of the old order. We must in strength and humility meet hate with love” (55). Even after years of suffering, Dr. Kind declares that love is the only solution to hateful actions.
In Romans, Paul writes from a prison cell of how suffering leads to hope. Although people do not often look to add suffering in their lives, I feel the strength of the people all around me in South Africa. Yesterday, I greeted an older woman as I passed her on my way home. She was carrying a very heavy parcel on her head (talk about neck strength), and I asked if she was okay. Instead of giving me some of her burden, she started asking about me: my name, my last name, where I am from, what I am doing in South Africa, etc. In return, I asked where she was going and asked her name: Ivy. I turned to go, and she called after me, “You didn’t ask my last name!” Taken slightly aback-family affiliations are much more important in my community in South Africa than my community in the US- I smiled and asked her last name. After responding with a smile, she called after me something along the lines of: “I wish I could spend lots of time with you so I could learn English.” I called back: “And I could learn isiZulu!” As I walked away, I felt humbled by this woman; Ivy had been oppressed by a system run by white people for the majority of her life. Yet, in our conversation, mostly in English, she told me that she wishes she could learn from me. Talk about character! She demonstrated Paul’s abstract argument. Her skin spoke to her suffering, her heavy parcel and even steps demonstrated her endurance, her conversation proved her character, and her eyes and spirit shone with hope. The people of South Africa ceaselessly teach me about deep, spiritual hope.
At times this year, I have felt a loss of hope. Yet, these are the times when I am depending on my own understanding. Of course I should loose hope in my understanding, for my understanding is limited. Hoping solely based on my own understanding is not a deep, spiritual hope worthy of my efforts. Deep, spiritual hope is based on something larger than myself: God’s power and grace are unlimited. God gave us the ultimate reason to hope when he died on the cross to give us new life. As our creator, God lives in each of us. You will find God, and therefore a reason to hope, in every person’s face. Perhaps people’s faces do not always read love; maybe the faces seem overtaken by hate. Yet, God has still created each of us. Furthermore, when God gave us freewill, he gave us the capacity to choose love over hate. We may choose to show love, thereby sharing God, leading to hope. In love, God reveals hope.
God, Guide us to see blessings of hope every day. Amen.
Apartheid Era Joke
Context:
Two of my co-workers were arguing about who can be considered African. A woman who is of Indian heritage stated that she was born in Africa and she is African. A man who is black bases his understanding of African people based on race. Who is African? is a very fascinating question. Anyway, to break the ice, my male co-worker asked if he could tell a joke:
During the Apartheid, a beach was labeled to be a whites only beach (only whites could swim on the beach according to law). An Indian started swimming on the beach. A white person told him, "Can't you read? You can't swim on this beach. It's only for whites." The Indian replied, "You can't tell me I can't swim here. This is the Indian Ocean!"
hahahahaha
Two of my co-workers were arguing about who can be considered African. A woman who is of Indian heritage stated that she was born in Africa and she is African. A man who is black bases his understanding of African people based on race. Who is African? is a very fascinating question. Anyway, to break the ice, my male co-worker asked if he could tell a joke:
During the Apartheid, a beach was labeled to be a whites only beach (only whites could swim on the beach according to law). An Indian started swimming on the beach. A white person told him, "Can't you read? You can't swim on this beach. It's only for whites." The Indian replied, "You can't tell me I can't swim here. This is the Indian Ocean!"
hahahahaha
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