Real Life

I just got home from what turned out to be one of the most restorative and life-filled weeks I have had in the past two months. Where was I, you ask? With friends. In Durban, to be precise, but then that’s just a city. The location didn’t matter. The conversations with people-who-get-me, the hospitality and no-expectations, the just-be-yourself-safe-space did matter.

This combination of days turned to a week were just what I’d been looking for. and to think: the day before the journey, I was still debating if I should cancel it. I just have too much to do, important people I want to see and spend time with here in Joburg, packing and planning to do. What terrible timing for some “holiday” I planned months ago, before I had any idea how much my life would change between then and now.

How my life has changed is a blog I’ve been mulling in my head as I try to figure out a way to share about it: when that comes, or when I am more settled into those changes (whichever comes first), I’ll be sure to share all about it. In the interim, I’m resting in one of the things I have taken away from this week.

Now: This moment: That’s all that matters.

In the past few months, perhaps since moving to South Africa, I have been overwhelmed with stress or anxiety. For the first time in my life, I was made physically sick by all of the stress in my life. If you know me at all, you know the magnitude of that statement, as I have certainly been no stranger to stress. Some of this was self-inflicted, the most of it wasn’t. But I suppose the result of stressful things you can do nothing about is often more stress. So the cycle continued.

This past week, I stepped out of my growing bubble in Johannesburg and visited some American friends living in Durban. It was good to spend time with them and digest some of my life from the past few months. They understand all too well the elements at play in my life here, and it was healthy to digest and process my life with people who understand but are outside the situation. The opportunity to be honest and take down the walls of protection over involved parties was like a breath of fresh air.

Fresh air. Spring is in the air. In Durban, some days are so warm you forget winter has not yet passed in full. Fresh air on the beach, soaking in sun on my first full day in Durban could not have been a more welcome treat. We sat for hours in silence, listening to the waters crash, the birds chirp, the people laughing and talking around us. Beautiful Serenity.

Days that followed brought trips to good coffee shops (finally- good espresso!!), watching movies, non-work related chatter over countless shared meals and games of cards. We played with their 3 cats and I visited with their Monday night Bible Study group. I even read an entire book - the first time I’ve managed to finish a book since February or March.

All of this, and as I sit home reflecting on this “ordinary” week that didn’t involve typical site-seeing tourism as may be expected on a vacation (and first trip to a new city), all I can think about is how great it felt to be back to “normal.”

No negative stress. No overwhelming anxiety. No to-do lists looming or people questioning my actions. No one to check in with. Just time with friends, space for honesty, and a bit of healthy competition over a few too many rounds of “Nertz.”

At the end of the day, I can’t help but wonder:
    Maybe this simple stuff is what life is really “about.”

Occassions to Celebrate

The past few weekend have been eventful and full of time to spend with the Ilunga family, as we are invited/expected to be at family events. It has been a great way to get to know them better - the girls but perhaps especially Mama and Papa while outside of work-related events.

The first of these family weekend events was the weekend we returned from the Congo. In true Ilunga style, we received a text message at 3 telling us to be ready to be picked up at 5. That's it. We didn't know why, or where we were going. We did call to find out if we should eat supper first, to which we received a surprised "of course not! We're going out to eat!" haha, ok... good to know, right?

The purpose for this particular outing was to celebrate Debbie's 17th birthday! One more year as a minor... and she made sure we knew it! We - the 5 Ilunga girls, Mama & Papa, Clifford, Vixa, Rachel, Hannah & I - gathered for some much-needed laughs over our celebratory dinner, complete with singing a few rounds of Happy Birthday to implement proper amounts of embarrassment for the birthday girl!

On our way out, we did manage to stop for a family photo. Too bad the pretty blue wall behind us doesn't look so pretty with the flash ruining the sweet lighting. But you get the idea. :)

Our next outing was the following Friday, for which we gathered for yet another Ilunga family birthday - this time, Judy was turning 19! Again meeting up at the Waterfront for dinner, we added more people to our group and did our best to sing, take photos, etc. A quality bonding activity with the family, we are definitely starting to see different sides of them - esp Mama Tembo - and I love it! It also helped piece together where "innocent" little Nissia gets all her spunk from! haha

 

For the third weekend in a row, we spent a day this past weekend at another family function, this time at a wedding Mama and Papa were hosting (as the godparents of the groom). The ceremony was beautiful and provided an eventful and full day of events, beginning early (not until 10am for us) with preparations and continuing on an "African time" schedule. Following the ceremony, we (the entire wedding party, which we somehow became a part of and Hannah became the official photographer for) made our way around town for photos. We stopped at the city garden, where this group photo was taken, then moved to Milnerton beach, where a few of us managed to go play in the water while the photos were being shot. Eventually we made it back to the Ilunga home, where the entire party gathered to eat lunch and do that thing we are oh-so-very good at these days: wait. Nearly everyone changed to eat so they wouldn't spill on the fancy attire, only to begin with hair, make-up and new outfits for the reception. As usual, this took a bit longer than anticipated, and we arrived at the reception just over two hours late. The guests are clearly used to this routine, though, as when we entered about 15 minutes before the couple, everyone seemed content as could be just hanging out in the reception hall.

The arrival of the couple meant a meal was soon to follow, followed by lots of dancing and photo opportunities (Hannah did a great job!). The party got one so late and everyone had such a good time cutting the cake was nearly forgotten! Seriously. It was so late when it was finally cut they decided not to bother serving it, and shortly thereafter the couple left, encouraging the guests to do so soon thereafter. A great time was had by all, but the time we left, we were definitely exhausted and thankful to be going home. We did manage to get one quick picture of the 3 of us in our "reception dresses" on our way out the door, though. A definite shout-out must be had to the Ilunga girls, once again, for letting us go through their closets (per request of Mama Tembo). All 3 of us started in clothing we'd taken the previous week. Then in the afternoon we unexpectedly changed into eveningwear... again, courtesy (not that it was always a choice) of the Ilunga closets. They're pretty stylish girls, huh?

This has been a lot of excitement in a little bit of time, especially since we spent today at a town meeting in Atlantis! (hopefully more on that later) With the youth Stay Awake Friday (read: lock-in only everyone seriously stays awake all night) and another wedding on Saturday (that we are not anticipating making after being up all night, if we can help it), to say we are tired would be an understatement. Its that good kind of tired, though. The kind that keeps me alive and remembering what we are living for. That every day is a new day, that every moment presents a new opportunity for adventure, that there are countless ways to enjoy life through love, laughter, and joy.

These are the kinds of moments I am living for. I have embarked on this crazy adventure. I have moved to South Africa because I believe God has called me to live and work and pray and serve.... and learn. Each day (like these) that I have to live more fully into the community I have been welcomed into here, I know I am being shaped. Sometimes, it feels like pinning and prodding. Most of the time, it feels like love shared between friends and family. That's how it feels today, and I realize I must have the best "job" in the world: I would rather be no other place in the world than right here, right now. That, friends, is an incredible feeling, and I praise God for it! and I praise God for you - my supporters and prayer warriors and friends and family who have helped support me and bring me to this place. Really, truly, from the bottom of my heart, I want to thank you for being a part of this journey with me.

Celebrations

I write today from our host home, Uncle Jimmy’s house in Lubumbashi. We (Rachel Hannah and I) were supposed to leave with the rest of the South Africa group yesterday, but we realized that we had not yet seen much of the Congo outside of the conference walls and our drive between the center and Uncle Jimmy’s home, so we changed our tickets and have decided to stay an extra few days: through Wednesday. We will then fly home with Joyce, Mama Tembo and Papa David.

(Our "family portrait" from the Cultural evening with Mama Tembo, Papa David, their daughter Joyce, her friend Abigail, and of course Lucy, our friend/sister/roommate for the week, and co-worker at SHADE)

The conference officially ended Friday, and while it was sad to be over, I think our bodies are also somewhat grateful. I know I have learned a valuable lesson about which Malaria pills I should not be taking, as I have had terrible reactions to the ones I have been taking, and as such have spent most of the past ten days quite sickly. I’ll spare the details, but I will say that I am grateful to have some time of much-needed rest and to a more regular eating schedule, something that certainly cannot hurt an aching and upset stomach.

Aside from that, this week really had been phenomenal. The official ending of the conference was marked with the Cultural evening/event on Friday. We had a lovely dinner and everyone dressed up in cultural attire, including us Americans. It was a great opportunity to feast, fellowship and laugh together one last time before we had to part ways with our new friends. I know I was certainly thankful for those final non-work related conversations we had the opportunity to share with new friends! Not to mention the music, the presentations and the fashion shows that ensued. There were no dull moments to be had, that much is certain!

I am struggling to come up with words to describe the evening or the close of this week. I am still processing the many events of the week, and am nothing if not grateful for being a part of it. There were lots of struggles this week, lots of joys and sorrows shared, lots of memories created and friendships began. God was present and faithful and full of surprises, but most of all, Good. We know that All the time, God is Good, and this week was no exception. Right now, I can do little but celebrate in that fact, in how well the conference went despite all the challenges faced. In such a mode of celebration and gratitude, I want to share a few pictures from our closing ceremony - the cultural evening of celebration.

Chancey from the American team (Church of the Resurrection) shows off during the Fashion Show.

Zambia during their cultural presentation

Me, Rachel, and Hannah with our new friend from Malawi, Sam

An Amazing Weekend on Tour

The past few days have been the most amazing days of the trip for a number of reasons.

First, it was great to see Aaron and the Blood:Water folks. We were treated like royalty in Red Oak (I actually stayed in Cedar Hill) by the folks of Oaks Fellowship. I am not exaggerating. They were absolutely amazing. We were blessed beyond ways we could even have imagined or anticipated, and it was like heaven to have a sabbath day and the opportunity to rest in Paul's home with friends that have become family. It was sad to leave there... and we definitely still wish Paul and Candice could have joined us...

As if Dallas wasn't already too much, Tyler was astounding as well. We had riders join us for the day, a HUGE event including a Sara Groves concert, and raised $86,000 (and counting)! It was awesome to meet Sara and her husband Troy afterwards... I've been a fan of her music for some time, and it was a strange turn of events for her to come to where we were staying after the show because she wanted to meet us. I was later forwarded an email from Troy that concluded with, "Everyones gifts coming together for a greater purpose. The most satisfying night in our 10 year career." Absolutely incredible.

I look forward to the journeys ahead with great anticipation...

Catching Up

I was looking for an adventure this summer - and I am certainly getting it!!!

My last post stated that our van had broken down. The good news is this: it was NOT the transmission (as we initially thought), but rather a couple leaks we were able to get patched up with the help of some amazing and kind folks who stepped forward just when we needed them. It could not have worked out much better, really... and we now have the van back and were able to use it to offer support to our 14 riders as they made an 80-mile ride today from Apple Valley, CA to Twentynine Palms, CA.

Much has happened in between then and now.

Yesterday when we were van-less, I planned to spend the day doing some odds and ends while I waited for our rental vehicle to come pick me up at our hotel. As the bikers were warming up for their ride, one stepped down to get off her bike and her foot slipped under her. She fell pretty hard... and could hardly move. So the team left without her and I got her to a doctor. Unfortunately, it looks like she won't be able to ride the rest of the trip... she has fractured her tailbone. ugh. Poor Criselda is having a rough go... her pain pills made her sick today, which was quite miserable as she had to sit in a hot van in the desert as we made our way to support the team. I have to say, though, I am absolutely blown away by her optimism and laid-back reaction to it all. She is even going to stick it out- and I welcome her presence with me (us) in the van.

There was also a decent wipe-out on the road yesterday with another rider. She's sore and has a pulled groin (ouch!), but is going to be okay. thankfully. She wiped out on a busy highway, at probably the only time all day there weren't cars there that would have hit her.

When we arrived in Apple Valley, we were absolutely blessed by Apple Vally Baptist Church that took care of us. We parked our bikes there, then went to the pastor's house where we were hosted with an amazing grill-out - great food and fellowship! It was nice for the "event" to be so laid back and overwhelmingly friendly! In talking to Mindy about Phoenix, I mentioned I am excited to get together with a friend who lives there (Brian), and when she asked I told her I knew him from an organization called MoSAIC. She was definitely interested to hear not about the organization, but about how I as a Christian can support my theology as a part of such an organization. She didn't push - I didn't either - and we kept it low-key and conversational (NOT a debate) as to not stir up controversy in this room in which I am pretty sure I am the only one who stands in affirmation of such inclusion in the church (avoiding conflict out of respect, not because I am afraid to let others know what I believe). She received it openly and curiously, and I look forward (!?!?) to furthering the conversation later, when we don't have to 'whisper'.

From there, we split up into host homes. I went with 3 other girls to stay with Bunnie, a wonderful older woman (and her husband/mother) who opened her house to us to give us a cool, clean, wonderful place to stay. We were so grateful for things like showers... and she made the rooms up all nice, even putting chocolate mints on our pillows! She was fantastic. I do wish we had had more of a chance to chat with her, but it was nice to just relax. We (Mindy, Blocker, and Margie were also all staying there) sat around for a little while and chatted... it was great to have that time with no agenda but just to talk about our thoughts and experiences and impressions, etc thus far.

Hospitality we have received thus far has been amazing, and I hope everyone knows how much we appreciate it!