Languages

My children have Zulu and Afrikaans words sprinkled into their speech.

My neighbor, and most of the town we live in, speaks Afrikaans.

I have friends who speak Indian, Greek, Xhosa, Venda, and Sotho.

Officially, South Africa has 11 languages.

Language is all around us and the impact on our lives continually proves to be interesting. Our weekly Bible studies are a prime example. Out of five people, last week, I could communicate with three of them in English. Two of the women can’t communicate with each other. God has blessed us with David, our translator, who can communicate with all of them and speaks about ten languages.

Pretty humbling for a girl with a college degree and a smattering of French. David never went to school to learn English or most of the languages he can communicate in.

In December, we will be working in Mozambique for three weeks where the official language is Portuguese. Because of our French background, Scott is able to understand about 70% of what is spoken and believes I will as well. (We’ll see how far my smattering of French takes me.)

I am excited though to pick up a bit of the Portuguese and am starting now with David’s help. I’m also using my daughter as my language tutor to pick up some Afrikaans.

So for now good-bye. . .or shall I say. . .

Vaarwel. . .Salut. . .Adeus. . .Sala sentle. .and Sizobonana!

Lisa

God's Love

I’ve started a discipleship class for some of our new Christians, and we had a great study last night doing an overview of the Bible. I was reminded once again of God’s love for His people, His never-ending desire to bring us back to Him no matter what we do, and His amazing gift of Christ on the cross.

Next week, we will begin going through the Steps of Freedom from sin, a simple adaptation of some of Neil Anderson’s fantastic material. We’ve found that many people don’t even have a clear understanding of what sin is. In a study I had a couple weeks ago with a woman, she said that the only sin she knew of was to steal. Because of this, discipleship has become a number one priority for us. It’s exciting to see the joy in their eyes as they learn God’s will for their lives, often for the first time.

We had a group of six last night and are waiting for the return of another new Christian who had to return temporarily to Zimbabwe. Please pray for these men and women as they seek to know God better.


On another note, I’m posting a couple pictures from Gabriel’s last swim meet. He is really enjoying the training and while he isn’t going to compete this year, other than a couple small meets at the school like this one, he seems to be loving every minute of it.

We also received feedback from Mariah’s ballet exams two weeks ago. She received an
A+ along with some wonderful comments on how graceful and poised she was. Way to go, Mariah!

Blessings,

Lisa

High crime and miracles. . .

It only took me a few hours being back in Joburg to be reminded of the horrid traffic and to hear stories of the city’s high crime rate over dinner. It also didn’t take long for me to remember just how much I missed many of the friends I made during the time we lived there.

With Scott leaving for the States on Sunday night, we left Friday and were able to spend time with some of our friends over tea, lunch, and even for a nice long chat during a thunderstorm. Sunday was a blessing as we worshiped at our old church’s new location and were blessed to see even more great people we’ve come to love.

It’s always struck me odd that I can miss the one city I was told to avoid living in. Joburg might be known for its crime, but thank God for wonderful friends who made it one of the best places I’ve ever lived!


One of my great Joburg friends, Gizela.

As for miracles, we are thanking the Lord doubly for His care and protection lately. Saturday afternoon, Scott dropped me off at a friend’s house. On his way back to the place we were staying, the brakes on our truck went out. I’m not sure if I’ve had the chance to mention it yet, but we recently traded in our double cab truck for a Land Cruiser. The mileage is low, despite the fact that the vehicle is fifteen years old. And while this is a very sturdy truck for our treks into the bush, there have been a few kinks to work out. The brakes, of course, are one of the more serious issues.

Scott managed to pull off the road with no problem, but discovered that a hose had cracked and brake fluid had spewed everywhere. Where’s the miracle in this? Well, the very next day I was to drive the four and a half hours home alone with the kids. The last hour of the trip is through the mountains, much of it being downhill. If the brakes had gone out then, it would have been a very serious situation. The second miracle was that the neighbor of the friend we were staying with was a. . .you guessed it. . .a brake specialist.

Isn’t God good! The man managed to find the parts needed on a Sunday morning and fixed the vehicle for us before I needed to leave for home.

So, today I’m thanking God for high crime cities filled with great friends and His abundant miracles!

Blessings,

Lisa

Pretty in Pink

One of the blessings of living in South Africa, is the opportunity for our kids to participate in various sports and cultural events. During the past few weeks, school children have been participating in various activities from art, to ballet, to speech, to drama. They are then judged in their category. Both Gabriel and Mariah entered the art competition and received gold stars. Last Saturday, Mariah and her ballet class preformed in Tzaneen in an informal performance we all enjoyed.

Here are a few pictures from her ballet as well as a picture of her artwork that was displayed in the mall recently.

Christmas shopping for something unique?

Christmas is just around the corner in case you haven't yet noticed the on slot of lights and decorations at your local Wal-Mart store yet. If you live in the Dallas area, Scott will be a part of a fun evening of fine dinning, silent auctioning, and live entertainment. This is all a part of a fundraiser for our ministry that will be held on the 29th of October. There are also dinners being held in Houston in November. The dinners will be a time of sharing about our ministry (with a cool new video) as well as our needs.

If you’re interested in attending, drop me an email and I’ll send you an official invitation with all the details.

I’ve posted a couple pictures of some of the African items that will be included in the silent auction. . .just in time for Christmas!

Blessings,

Lisa

Jacaranda trees. . .

Beth asked me to post a picture of a Jacaranda trees. The countryside around us is dotted with these trees and their bright purple blossoms. They're the kind of tree, though, that you want to enjoy in someone else's yard as their flowers leave a mess when they fall to the ground. All the same, I'm certainly enjoying them this spring!

Blessings,

Lisa

Rejoicing. . .

My week has been so full, I haven’t had time to check my email let alone post a blog. Trying to overcome the effects of jetlag, reconnect with my family, work on looming book edits and deadlines, as well as ministry have left me running, but God is good and has given me the strength to keep going.

For those of you who keep up with my blog, you might have noticed that one of our passions here in Africa is discipleship. When someone accepts Christ, we spend a lot of time training them in the Word (many here have never heard the story of creation or of David and Goliath. . .) and then we train them how to reach out to others and share their faith. The learning process and growth never stops after conversion.

David has been a Christian about a year. When he first started working for us in Joburg as our gardener, he had no interest in God. Two years later, David is now sharing his faith with everyone he comes in contact with, and it’s amazing to see the transformation in his life because of Christ and the Holy Spirit.

David brought a man, who’s working temporarily across the street, to our Bible study Wednesday night. Darlington was not a Christian, but expressed a deep desire to know more. He came back the next night to study with David and Scott and brought with him Joyce, a maid who recently moved into the area. Scott studied more with Darlington, while David and I shared with Joyce. After about two hours of study, like the Ethiopian eunuch, they both pronounced their desire to follow Christ and be baptized immediately.

So, despite a very chilly night and even chillier water, Joyce and Darlington were baptized into Christ beneath the stars of our Creator!

Rejoice with me today and pray that they will grow in their faith!

Lisa

Home again. . .

As much as I miss my friends, family, and the local Tex Mex restaurant, I have to admit that it’s good to be home. One of the things God really confirmed in my life while I was gone was that He has us exactly where He wants us to be. And for that I’m thankful, because while it might be hard to believe for some, I love where I live.

No, everything’s not perfect. There are things I really miss about the good ol’ USA, but God put a longing in my heart to serve Him here, so for me it brought a deep measure of peace to be able to visit, yet still hold an excitement to return home. I was welcomed by a beautiful mist across the mountains and the bloom of the purple
Jacaranda tree whose blossoms fill the view with their color.

The trip back was uneventful, for the most part, and LONG. I left Tulsa Sunday morning and after four planes with fifteen hours of layovers I finally arrived in South Africa on Tuesday. And we still had to drive the five hours home! I suppose the most eventful part of the trip was making our way down the steep and narrow pass through the mountains about forty minutes from home at dusk and discovering we had no headlights at all on our vehicle. Yikes! We managed to follow a car to where we were meeting Gabriel, then followed Allen on to our house because by then it was pitch dark with no street lights.

I do want to give a special word of thanks to my mom who made the trip possible. I enjoyed so much spending time with both my mom and my sister and her family. It was a true blessing to shop, chat, and drink coffee together.

Thanks as well to my wonderful husband who cooked, shopped, did homework with the kids and all of the other Mr. Mom details that have to be done to keep a house running while he had his own work and ministry as well. And my darling kids who did great helping dad, even fixing lunch for him one day so he could catch a breather.

Allen and Janelle, thanks for letting your teammate run off halfway around the world and supporting my family here.

Okay, enough of me sounding like I’m accepting some Oscar award, but I am thankful.

One the home front, I’ve jumped back into life with only one nap today. It was off to grocery shop, get the kids to and from school, start unpacking, straighten up the house for our Bible study, and try and stay awake until bedtime.

So, I'm back to catching up for now. . .

Lisa

Espresso Anyone?

Okay, we’re back to the subject of the unbelievable amount of choices in the USA again. This time? Coffee.

Tonight was girls’ night out. A rare night when I got the change to laugh with my mom and sister over coffee. The talking wasn’t the issue. Bring in the Barnes & Noble coffee choices and I stood out like a glazed over, wide-eyed giraffe.

My sister was my translator. “The difference between a cappuccino and a latte is foamed milk verses steamed milk. . .”

I raise my eyebrows, but the choices only continue.

Tall, grande, or venti.

Regular or decaf. (Okay, I get that one)

Latté, Cappuccino, frapuccino, or espresso.

Whipped cream or non-fat. . .

And wait! There's more. Now we move on to flavors.

Pumpkin spice, cinnamon spice, mocha, raspberry, almond, vanilla. . .

Choices. Choices. Choices. Don’t you love them?

So, if you happen to see me sitting in the back corner of a bookstore, I’ll be the one drinking plain black decaf coffee. . .with a dollop of whipped cream on top.

Blessings,

Lisa (who won’t even begin to go into the trials of trying to buy a pair of jeans. . .)

Technology and me. . .

It wasn’t too long ago when a blackberry was a juicy piece of fruit and a cookie was something you drank with milk. Today, the world has gone high tech and while I understand blogs, RAM, and hard drive space, I often feel left behind. Because of this, I have to admit that one of the things that always strikes me in coming back to the states after six years of living overseas is that life doesn’t wait for me to return!

Beside the fact that my niece and nephew have grown at least six inches since I last saw them, the technology advances always surprise me. I can never figure out how to swipe my card at Walmart, and who is that man talking into the air behind me with no phone in his hand?

Another thing that strikes me is the amount of stuff on the shelves. I know it shouldn’t come as a surprise. It’s not as if I’ve never lived in the states, but sometimes I still feel like a backward hick when I stand in front of an aisle of hairspray that seems to reach across the next state line. Is it really necessary to have to choose from five hundred bottles of sticky stuff that all do virtually the same thing?

I don’t think so.

So I skip the self-serve check out lines, don’t carry a cell phone, and try to avoid my ignorance at an espresso bar by ordering a tropical slushy. (That should make me feel at home, right?)

In spite of all my adjustments to being back in the States the past week and a half, it’s been such a joy to catch up on friendships and spend time with my family. Another cool thing has been to have a number of people tell me that they actually read my blog! I’m loving that. For those of you who have emailed me, I am behind on responding to emails as this has proven to be another one of those technological challenges for me as my South African server doesn’t seem to work here. J

Until my next post,

Lisa

Leaving on a Jet Plane. . .

Another (late) plane and I’m leaving Dallas on my way to Tulsa to see my mother. The ACFW conference was an incredible blessing. Seeing old friends, making new ones, meeting with editors, times of worship, attending the awards dinner, and being reminded as to why I want to write for Him made it a dynamic three days.

I was touched by so many things this past weekend. Besides working on the craft of writing, I enjoyed the encouragement and advice of other authors who have blazed a trail before me as I listened to their life changing messages.

Some things that I learned--

That success in God’s eyes is rarely the same as in human eyes. By human standards Jesus was a failure. Life isn’t about being popular. It’s about being like Jesus.

If God only worked through perfect people, nothing would get done.

We are to be holy as God is holy. This is success.

That my sale numbers aren’t as bad as I thought.

That it’s offering my gifts up to God daily to be used by Him and NOT sales numbers that really count.

A publisher is interested in my ideas to write international suspense set in Africa. (Yeah!)

I need to swallow my fear, move forward, press on, and keep going.

I didn't take nearly enough pictures at the conference, but I've posted a few below.

Be blessed today!

Lisa

Some of my writing buds!

Going Home. . .Yet now so far away from home

It’s an interesting place I find myself this morning. Halfway between the two worlds that I know. Frankfurt is overcast this morning, a stark reminder that I’m nowhere near my sub-tropical home in Africa where the sky is always blue. Neither am I near the home where I grew up where red, white, and blue flags fly in the breeze.

I wanted to shed a few tears yesterday and it wasn’t from Joburg’s hectic airport or from the fact that ‘I’m leaving on a jet plane’ played in the background. I was going home, while at the same time missed the home I was leaving behind. It’s an interesting phenomenon, living in two worlds, and being a part of two cultures.

I can’t deny who I am, or where I was born, and neither do I want to. My children, though, who still speak of Texas, now have a South African accent, love braiis, and riding in our bakkie. Gabriel plays field hockey and rugby while dreaming of becoming a Navy Seal.

Cultures mesh, languages flow together, seasons change, and I become more of another culture without ever wanting to lose who I was. And so I find myself going home, so far away from home.

Quick Update

It's funny how everything I see in Africa, I see in terms of would this make a great post or photo to share on my blog. Here's a picture of Gabriel dressed up as Willy Wonka for Roald Dahl day at school. According to Gabriel, whoever has the best costume wins his or her weight in Skittles.

This past week, though, has zoomed by with hardly a moment to breathe, let alone think of something worthwhile to post. Scott returned Wednesday night after nine days in Mozambique. (I will be sharing an update of his trip with pictures this weekend.) With him gone, things are always crazy. This week has been full of keeping up with the kids schedules, heavy book edits and deadlines. . .and packing.

Yes, packing!

I’m so excited because I leave on Monday for a short trip back to the states to see my mother. She called me a few weeks back and asked if I could please come for a short time since she was not able to make the trip to South Africa as she’d planned. It’s been a whirlwind of getting ready not only to see her, but I’m also going to the American Christian Writer’s Conference in Dallas. This is the frosting on the cake as I will have the opportunity to connect with some of my best writer friends, meet my new editor, and pitch an international suspense series. Yeah!

Speaking of writing, I have three books coming out between now and February--a romance, a romantic comedy, and a cozy mystery. (Can you hear the excitement in my voice?) I will be having a number of FREE giveaways in the coming weeks from my blog for all three books so check back often!

Until I return in three weeks, you won’t hear much from me except for a few updates on my trip from the other side of the world. (I’ll try not to bore you with my frequent excursions to Wal-Mart for socks and slippers and such!)

Until then, be blessed!

Lisa

UPDATE FROM MOZAMBIQUE

I recieved a text message from Scott late last night and am excited that things are going so well. He and Allen are out in a village where they are spending several days discipling Edwardo. Here's what he had to say.

"We are spending the weekend discipling Edwardo. His cousin Joao, just accepted Christ and we will be discipling him as well. Tomorrow, we will go and witness to his wife. On Sunday, we plan to model a house church with the Lord's supper, etc. Lord willing we will have the beginnings of two house churches before we leave next week."

We are excited to see how God is already moving among the Tonga people. Mozambique will be the focus of our work in the coming months as we train and disciple the new believers.

Please pray for this new work and for Scott and Allen as they continue to teach and minister.

Blessings,

Lisa

The price of gas and other commodities. . .

I thought it might be interesting to take a look at the cost of living here in South Africa. One thing we always have to deal with is the fluctuating strength of the dollar verses the South African rand.

When we first arrived here, the rand was about 7 to one dollar. A year later, it had dropped below six. How does this affect our financial state? Say, for example, that I spend 1000 rand a month on groceries. (I wish) When the rand is seven to the dollar, it would cost me $142 dollars. When the rand drops, say to 5.8 to the dollar, I’m then paying $172 for the same amount of groceries. As you can see, this can add up quite quickly when the dollar is weak.

The price of fuel has almost doubled since our arrival and right now we are paying over $4.30 a gallon. Cheep compared to Zambia where the cost can rise above $7 a gallon! Another big raise has been beef. Up 33% in the past year. Even when prices seem comparable to the state, the quantity is sometimes only about half the size.

Here’s a sampling of prices:

12 oz box of Rice Krispies $2.50
2 liter coke $1.60
Canned tomatoes 75 cents
Canned kidney beans 88 cents
Canned fruit $1.50-$2.50
Package of Hot dogs $2.45
6 pack of yogurt, 3.5 ounces each $1.50
1 liter of milk $1.00
Olive oil 26 ounces $9.00
Canola oil 26 ounces $1.00
9 ounces Doritos $1.60
1 pound ground beef $2.40
10 avocados in season $1.00

Overall, we’ve learned to adjust our eating to fit the market. Canned goods are very high, but fresh fruit and vegetables are very reasonable.

Another interesting difference is the cost of cars and houses. Cars are very expensive. We have an old used car that cost as much as a new car in the States. On the other hand, land isn’t worth much here, so we were blessed with a nice plot of land and a four bedroom house for much less that we could have ever found an equivalent in Dallas.

PRAYERS

On another note, please pray for Scott and Allen as they left for Mozambique yesterday to register with the government so we can start our work there. So far, things seem to be going well. They will finish in the capital then leave for Edwardo’s village, a new believer who has gone home to share Christ with his family. They will spend time teaching him and his family for several days.

Please pray also that our house in Dallas will sell quickly!

Blessings,

Lisa

The Beauty of Spring in South Africa

Photos are from our yard.

SPRING IS IN THE AIR

Today, on this side of the world anyway, is the first day of spring. We celebrated by visiting Jayden and Mariah’s school to be a part of their fun walk fundraiser. Besides the walk, there was lots of food, a jumping castle, coloring contests, swimming. . .and more food. The kids have been looking forward to this day for almost two weeks, and thankfully the weather cooperated. It’s actually been rather cold lately, so the sunshine was a welcome sight!

The new season also reminded me of all that I have to be thankful for. Because we don’t have television, I recently subscribed to the New York Times headlines through my email. Between the news, daily prayer requests I receive, and the struggles I see around me every day, it’s easy for me to get depressed about life and to forget why I’m here.

This inspired me to make a list of what I’m thankful for. And to each of you, if you’d like, take five minutes over your weekend and send me a comment with some ways God has blessed you recently and why you are thankful. For those of you who receive my posts directly to your box, you can click on the title and it will send you to the web page if you are online where you can leave a comment.

I’d LOVE to hear about what you’re thankful for in your life and rejoice with you!

Here’s a few of mine:

1. My family
2. My mom is flying me home for three weeks later this month to spend time with her and my sister’s family, as well as to allow me to attend a writer’s conference. (see you soon mom!)
3. Our cell group is growing
4. Winter is over


Anyone else?

Blessings,

Lisa

"Be joyful always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." I Thessalonians 5:18

Excitement is in the air. . .

Okay, you’re probably thinking I’m talking about a something profound like I just signed a three book contract (okay, so that would be great too) but no, I’m talking about excitement over a new grocery store. Or at least a new improved one.

You have to understand when we left Joburg last year to move to Duiwelskloof I went through a bit of culture shock. Gone were the big grocery stores, movie theaters, and McDonalds, and in their place was a small town with little amenities to offer. For the most part, I’ve had little to complain about. The people are friendly, and I never tire of the mountain views and tropical setting.

But then there was the day I want to look for a bag of apples.

I stopped first at the main grocery store in town, but all I found were a few bags of bruised fruit. So I trudged on to another small store I’d never stopped by before. Again, it was the same thing, but worse. I found a broken down cardboard box, with a few very rotten apples. There was one last store to check. I stepped inside and scanned the small room. Canned goods, milk, chips, and a row of open deep freezers. . .but no fruit. Something did catch my eye though as I started to turn toward the door. In the freezer was. . .a cow’s head. No kidding here. Someone had shoved a cow’s head, horns, blood everywhere, and all, into the open freezer.

I remember flooring it home and wondered why in the world we’d left behind the ease of city life.

Needless to say, I don’t do a lot of shopping in our small town. Instead I drive into the town of Tzeneen about twenty minutes away where I can find most everything we need. Until now that is. Our Spar, a chain store in South Africa, is totally renovating inside and expanding, and I have to say I’m quite excited. We’ll see in a few weeks if what they offer is really an improvement, but being the optimist that I am, I’m saying it will!

Until then, enjoy a few pictures of our town.

Coming soon. . .The price of gasoline and other such commodities.

Be blessed,

Lisa

Our new Spar grocery store














A local clothing store














One of two gas stations














The butcher shop

A baby who doesn’t cry, doesn’t get any milk. . .

I recently spent time doing extensive research for a historical novel I'm writing that’s set in southern Africa, and in the process, discovered a gold mine of African sayings and Proverbs. From stories like ‘Why the Zebra has no horns’, to sayings such as ‘Even a wise man can’t catch hold of a shadow.’

The one in my title came from one of our new Christians who was asking me a number of questions after church. He told me that some people had criticized him for asking too many questions, but I assured him that asking questions were the way to learn.

So, if you’re ever afraid to ask a question, remember this:

Ngoana ea salleng o shoela tharing. . .or a baby who doesn’t cry, doesn’t get any milk!

Blessings,

Lisa

Hope from the heart of Africa

(Our internet has been down for four days, so I’m posting last Friday’s a bit late)

I hadn’t planned to add commentary to my slide shows, but tonight I wept openly and felt the need to share. I brought in Gabriel, my nine year old son, to sit in my lap and together we watched the story of Alone through a slide presentation from the New York Times. His story ripped my heart into pieces.

Alone is nine years old, the same age as Gabriel, and lives in Lusaka, the capital of Zambia. It’s a place we’ve been to many times. His mother died in 2001, and he hasn’t seen his father for years. He lives with his grandmother in a one room, cinderblock house. At night he sleeps on the cement floor. During the day, he rises at six thirty in the morning to go work in the query crushing rocks. He works for two hours, with no breakfast then goes to school. At school, he has a hard time concentrating. He’s hungry and tired. At one o’clock, he returns to the query and works for another five hours until it’s time to walk home. Supper is his only meal of the day.

Nine years old, small, undernourished. . .and truly, alone.

There are three hundred children from Alone’s school who also work in the query. Barely making enough money to help their family with a place to sleep, one meal a day, and enough water to survive.

I first thought I’d entitle today’s slideshow Tears from the Heart of Africa, but instead of tears, I’ve entitled it Hope. Hope from the Heart of Africa. As much as I don’t want to admit it, I realize that I can’t change the whole world. I can’t take away poverty. I can never insure that each child has three meals and a warm bed at night. I can’t give a loving home to every child who’s taken into child labor to work as a prostitute, a miner, a street vendor, or a full-time servant. But I can still make a difference. Each one of us can, one person, or one child at a time.

I doubt that anyone reading this post will go to bed tonight with no supper. We have shoes on our feet, and warm beds to sleep in. We are blessed. Because of this, go out and make a difference in one person’s life today. . .and tomorrow. . .and the next day. A neighbor, a friend, someone who’s lonely and needs a phone call, someone you see on the street, someone who needs a friend, a hot meal, a shoulder to cry on. . .and start changing the world, one person at a time.

Be blessed,

Lisa

Link to the New York Times slide presentation on child labor: http://www.nytimes.com/packages/html/world/20060814_ZAMBIA_FEATURE/blocker.html?th&emc=th