4-23-06

Today, I am wearing a poorly-fitting Micky Mouse cap in public which means that, much like the preacher who wears a robe, I can not take myself too seriously.

But I promised, in my last entry, to tell you a bit about Robben Island.

 

When Nelson Mandela was on trial in 1964, he ended his defense with these words:

I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die.

Mandela was sentenced to life imprisonment and started his prison years in the notorious Robben Island Prison, a maximum security prison on a small island 7Km off the coast near Cape Town. In April 1984, after 20 years on Robben Island, he was transferred to Pollsmoor Prison in Cape Town and in December 1988 he was moved the Victor Verster Prison near Paarl from where he was eventually released.

One day, Leah and I took a boat out of Cape Town to go visit the island and the prison.

Our tour guide (like all the tour guides at the prison) used to be a prisoner there. He was imprisoned for pushing too hard for a college degree in astrophysics. Blacks were not allowed to pursue such sophisticated degrees.

04-21-06

Since we've been back, Leah and I have been working despite the fact that neither of us are working. Somehow, it works that we don't work, but not working is a lot of work and sometimes it feels like it would be easier to work than to do the work you have to do when you're not working.

She's been working on thesis stuff and finishing up some reports related to the ministries we visited in South Africa. And I've been doing some photo stuff, but I'm not exactly as busy as Leah is.

Today we're going to Madison to see some friends. That will be great because it was so rare for us to hang out with people our own age in South Africa...and even more rare to hang out with people we knew.

The weather makes you feel like a kid again. And without the brutal wind (30mph) that plagues Cape Town residents, it feels even nicer here than I remembered.

For our next entry, I'll tell you all about our trip to Robben Island...

04-15-06

Coffee-colored floor, cream-colored walls, bean-colored ceilings, leaf-colored accents, chairs the color of nightfall, beams of chocolate swirled with sand and soil, barefoot voices hanging from the ceiling – the grave whispers of an over-examined life – I’m in Starbucks.

Moms and motorcyclists, pastors and peddlers scuttle from counter to creamer to couch to car.

I am wondering what affect my coffee will have on this little insect that seems to be drinking from a drop on the table. The drop of coffee is as big as a house…as big as Starbucks…and the insect drinks then backs away, drinks then backs away, drinks then backs away, drinks then backs away.

Insects are visible from airplanes too.

04-14-06

The first day that Leah and I were in South Africa, we saw God's painted promise in the sky (see entry from 1-16-06). That promise represented the gifts he had in store for Leah and me in South Africa -- the rainbow nation.

A few days before we left, we saw this double promise standing in town and pointing West into the clouds. The only times we saw rainbows were the first and last days of our trip.

This new promise stands with and compliments the other. This new promise enhances, incorporates, and substantiates the other.

Keep following along as this new promise becomes flesh and future and memory in our life together.

04-12-06

We're back!!

Leah and I boarded an airplane on Monday the 10th at 4:30p.m. in Cape Town (8:30a.m. Central Time) and we arrived at 3:00p.m. the next day (the 11th).

It was a 2 hour flight from Cape Town to Johannesburg, an 11 hour flight from Johannesburg to London, and then an 8 hour flight from London to Chicago. Throw in several hours of layovers, and you've got a pretty long trip.

But we had a very smooth trip and are happy to be back!

We will continue to post updates about life on this site (just in case you thought this was only for our Africa trip).

Email us if you have time!

love

drewandleah

04-03-06

I thought it might be helpful if we put up some maps of South Africa to help you see what the country looks like and where we've been during our time.

The country is about 1/10th the physical size of the United States with an estimated population of 47 million (according to www.StatsSA.co.za). White people make up about 10% of that population, and people living with HIV/AIDS makes up about 11% or more, depending on where you get your information. 51% of the population is female. And about .000001% of the population is Leah and me.

Below, you will see two maps. One is a map of South Africa, with the places we've been marked clearly, informatively, and almost obnoxiously. The other map is one that shows how the provinces (sorta like states) are divided.

I love you.

drew and leah

Click on this thumbnail to see our travels.

South African provinces.

03-23-06

Each phase of this trip has been new and different and wonderful.

Our first month was spent exploring and seeing and learning and beginning. Our second month was spent travelling and meeting and expanding and working. And now this, our third month has its own unique and exciting character.

Leah has been spending a lot of time working on her thesis. Now that the "gathering information" phase is done, it's time to compile all of that information, sort through and organize the interviews and experiences, and begin churning out some coherent thoughts and conclusions about it all. 

But it turns out that Leah is quite brilliant and diligent, and she's producing some amazing stuff. She usually writes for several hours per day and then spends the rest of the time going through notes and organizing things.

I've been busy doing some photography work lately. I am doing some really free freelance work for a ministry here who needs a lot of photography stuff for publications and presentations, etc... So that's been fun and helpful for me since I get to practice doing professional-like photography.

I also sold some photographs to a local internet cafe (the Chatterbox is where we do ALL our internet stuff). They have moved into a new and wonderful space, and they asked if they could put up 10 of my photos in their computer training center. So they paid for them to be printed and then offered us either cash or free internet for our profit.

We chose free internet since we are beginning to use the internet more and more as we work on thesis stuff and begin looking for jobs. I have sprinkled a few photos throughout this post for you to see the kinds of things we've been doing lately.

We also have updated our photo site, so please check that out when you have time.  

Anyway, we love you and miss you and, as always, would love to hear from you!

your

drewandleah 

03-11-06

I have a beard (this is Drew writing, by the way). To see this and much more, visit our photo album. I also have a story for you:

03-11-06

Nearly 4 hours from Pietermarizburg, there is a very remote and traditional Zulu village called Nqutu, where people still make their homes with grass roofs, mud walls, and dried, compressed cow manure for floors. Behind each home is an outhouse (also made entirely of mud…no porcelain :-), which is built above a massive hole in the ground. These holes usually last about five years (depending on the size of the family) before they have to build another outhouse.

Apparently, white people never visit Nqutu. Not because it’s dangerous (the more traditional a village is, the safer and more stable it tends to be) but simply because it is so remote…and so poor.

The people of Nqutu were doubtful when they heard that Leah and I were coming (and only later did we fully understand why). Some did not believe that we would show up; others did not even believe that we existed. But just in case it was true, the whole village prepared for our arrival.  

Our contact in the village was Kate. She grew up in Nqutu, but moved to Johannesburg so that her children could attend better schools. Kate is friendly and motherly and warm…strong, dedicated, and very bright. She is not only a nurse at a major hospital in Johannesburg; she also runs the home-based healthcare program that drew us to Nqutu.

Kate met up with us outside the village and we rode to the church where everyone had been working since 4:00 a.m. to prepare for our arrival. We pulled into the churchyard (there is no driveway because there are no cars) and before I even got out of the car, I knew it was going to be a great day. The people were clearly very excited to see us…bustling and smiling and staring as we drove up.

Leah and I enjoyed breakfast and tea in a picnic tent erected next to the church as the choirs warmed up outside. Between bites, we were exchanging looks of surprise and joyful disbelief that our visit had inspired this surreal reception.

When it was time to begin the program, one of the 6 choirs surrounded us and began singing “Walking in the light of God” as we shuffled into the church building. The next three hours went by so quickly as different choirs sang and as people talked about the health concerns of the community and how they have been addressing them. Children from the local school performed, some teenage boys did a traditional Zulu dance, and another group presented us with a gift that they made for us. Leah and I just soaked in the overflow of joy and love from this community as they sang and played music and welcomed us to their village.

After that, the day went by quickly. We had lunch with some community leaders and visited the homes of some of the sick people who receive home-based care. More than any other place we have visited to this point, we were welcomed in Nqutu.

At the beginning of this entry, I mentioned that the people were doubtful that we would come. It turns out that people from outside the village had promised to visit three times before, and they never showed up. Three times before us, this village had prepared for guests like us; and three times they were disappointed. The excuse they gave to Kate for not coming was this: “we’re scared that the people will turn on us and kill us or rob us.”

It’s a shame because Leah and I received more hugs and smiles and gifts this day than we had on any day up to that point. These were the most hospitable and warm people we’ve met, and we feel sorry for that group who will never have the chance to meet the people of Nqutu.

03-04-06

Today, Leah and I are in a town called White River. We're actually on our way to a wonderful place called Krueger National Park. It's a vast and amazing park that you could spend weeks exploring. We will be driving around looking for elephants and lions and monkeys, etc...

On Monday, we will be boarding a train from Johannesburg to Cape Town...it's a 25 hour ride! But it should be fun. Leah and I have our own cabin and will hopefully sleep well.

We have seen some truly beautiful sights lately. Tremendous cliffs and mountains carpeted with exotic African trees. I wish I had pics for you, but as you might know...our computer expired:-(  We're not sure how that's going to work out, but so far, every problem we've encountered has worked out so well, we have no doubt that somehow, we will be able to continue doing thesis and photography stuff.

We hope that things are good wherever you are, and we would love to hear from you. So please email us whenever you can!

love

drew and leah

UPDATE! (3-5-06)

When we were at the park yesterday, we saw 3 lions (which is rare), one hippo, several giraffe walking right in front of our car, baboons (one rode on the roof of our car for about a kilometer), elephants (from a distance), a herd of zebra, four rhinos (those things are huge!), wart hogs (those things are ugly!), and lots of different deer and buffalo kinds of things.

Animals are just roaming free in this park! It was beautiful and fun and sometimes a bit scary, but we had a blast. Pictures will be available one day!:-)

2-26-06

Well, it's been over two weeks since our last update. Partly because our access to internet has been rare in these more rural areas, and partly because our computer decided to stop working. So there will be no more pictures uploaded for a while until we can get our computer stuff sorted out. It's unfortunate because we've been seeing the most beautiful things here...things that can only be explained with a photograph.

There's a story in the Bible (in Matthew 25) where God appears in all his glory and majesty and power and, in a sense, he thanks people for helping him when they saw that he was in need. And in response, they ask a very profound question that I would have asked with them. They ask this question, "Lord, when did we see you? When did we see you thirsty or hungry or sick or naked or in prison?" Remember, the God standing before them is exploding in glory and power and majesty. Certainly they would have remembered seeing something like that on earth. But they don't. "Lord, when did we see you?"

And the answer: "Whenever you gave a glass of water to the lowest human being, to the least glorious person you've ever seen, you were giving it to me."

On Sundays, Leah and I sing songs about how God is all-powerful and unchangeable and glorious and incomprehensible. All of that is true, and yet in a real sense, it's only half the story. What we sing on Sunday doesn't always line up with what we see during the rest of our week. We see pain and brokenness and poverty and dirt and need and suffering and sickness and addiction.

But also, we see Christ. More than anything else we are learning here, we're learning to see God in new ways.

We are seeing not only his glorious omnipotence, but also his pain. Whatever else the cross means, it means that God was unwilling to let us suffer alone. And whatever else the resurrection means, it means that even death is not the end of life and hope and love. But to see it all woven together -- pain and hope, death and dignity, life and fear and love and faith -- has been an amazing experience.

Seeing the face of suffering is teaching us to see the face of God in this world.