"The Guys..."

We have been attending a church in Wartburg (about 1/2 hour from Appelsbosch) almost every Sunday since we moved to Appelsbosch.  They have been a wonderful church that has embraced us as family.  We have thoroughly enjoyed being part of their "family". 

The guys had an opportunity to learn how to Braai (BBQ) from the masters. Peter (second from the left) and Mike (second from the right) were in their element!

How to braai a Boer War (a type of sausage).

More Boer Wars and chicken...YUM!!!

"Albert Falls again..."

The last time I wrote a blog about Albert Falls, only the kids had a chance to see the falls.  So a few Sunday's ago, after church, a group of us ventured Albert Falls.  After a quick stop at the local "Spar" (grocery store) to pick up lunch, we headed up to the falls.  We had incredible weather....nice and hot.

Alisia on the bridge to the falls.

The falls-lots of kids were swimming in the water...not something I would do!

Joshua climbing to the top of the falls.

Mike and Deb at the falls.

At the top of the falls.  I have never done rock climbing in a dress....a first for everything!

"Trip to the Stadium..."

Last week the mom's decided to take a field trip with the kids to Moses Mabhida Stadium.  This stadium was built for the 2010 Fifa World Cup(soccer/football) that was held in South Africa in June/July of 2010.  This Stadium was named after Moses Mabhida who was an instrumental member of the ANC political party in South Africa.

The stadium was built to hold a capacity of 62,000 seats for the World Cup and then reduced to 54, 000 for regular use.

The arch of the stadium is 350 meters long and 105 meters high. The arch also represents the once divided nation of South Africa coming together, inspired by the South African flag.

 It cost $450 million to build the stadium.  Currently it is used for cricket and soccer/football matches.



After we were finished with the tour of the stadium, we made our way to Mitchell park to have lunch with the kids and then let them have some play time.  As you know, I like taking pictures of some of the random signs that I encounter.  This one was at the entrance of the park...

 These are some amazing birds.  They are indigenous to South Africa.  They are call a Hadidah, and are a type of Ibis.

 View of the park area.

A monkey (that had lots of friends) that knew where to get a good meal from after we were done our lunches.  Some of them were so bold as to grab the sandwich off of the table in front of us.

The kids on the merry-go-round playing!



"Teach on a Ship..."

We are looking for qualified teachers for our Academy.  If you are interested or know someone please email:  academy@mercyships.org

call:  903-939-7183   

"Where We are Headed pt. 4..."

I was going to make this last blog about different statistics for the country of Sierra Leone like :  population, language, religion etc.  But then I got reading a blog from the Alexanders-Tim and Hannah, who are on our advance team.  The blog really made me see the country we are going to be entering-not just a break down of numbers.  The title is "too comfortable".

"too comfortable.


Each day here I am reminded of how much I have.
I step out of our concrete-walled house, and exit through our walled compound safely secured by a guard and I see it.
All.around.me.

I see our neighbors sitting outside their one-roomed homes made of metal scraps.

I see it through the tattered, old, simplistic clothing that covers them and their children. Bras are for the rich.

I see it in Margaret’s 3-roomed orphanage with maybe 10 beds for 17 children without a mom or dad.

I see it in their diet. Vegetables are for the wealthy, referred to as “rich food.”

I see it in the lack of water.

I see it in the men (and children) who pound rock into tiny pieces all day for money.

I see it in adverts along the road for HIV treatment

I see it in the children on the streets selling stuff to earn money instead of being in school earning an education.

I see it in eyes of the beggars that surround my car everywhere I go.

I see it in our guards who don’t take a single day off because they can’t afford to.

I saw it in our friend who almost died of malaria.

And just this last week I was beginning to feel sorry for myself. We have been without running water for a week now. I’ve had bucket showers the past few days for the first time. And let me tell you, it’s a little tricky. I can't get over the stench of the toilet from not being able to flush it. At times it can be inconvenient to filter water or boil it. I’ve been longing to go for a run by myself somewhere, anywhere. Or to get back into a regular exercise routine in a gym. I’ve been craving a vegetable salad with broccoli and craisins, and all the various things I love in a salad. Or even fruit (other than pineapple and overripe bananas). Just the other day I was aching for home and all the things I get to do… eat… go… the conveniences.

Then, all I have to do is step out of our house and I am ashamed. I have become too comfortable. I have been so blessed to live such a cozy life (of which I'm SO thankful for). Where unlimited, clean water is for granted. Where we can choose our diet. Like whether we want (or need) organic and vegetarian. Meat is a treat here! Inside I too often want to complain at how hot it is when the majority don’t even have electricity (let alone a/c). I get a little perturbed when the internet is too slow, or even down.

Yet I get to eat three meals a day, sleep on a matress atop a bed, mostly have a proper shower, and drink water whenever I am thirsty. Tonight I have a light bulb to aid my reading or guide my steps to the bathroom, air-conditioning to keep me comfortable, and the internet to stay current with friends on Facebook (or blog) :). They have a small flame. For cooking, for light…for everything.

It’s just that in my excess; my convenient and comfortable lifestyle has brought me discontentment when stripped bare.

I have... Too much. I live... Too easy. I am... Too comfortable."

Thanks Tim and Hannah for sharing from your hearts!-Miss you both!

"Where We are Headed pt. 3..."

As I talked about in the first blog, one of the factors that is looked at before we enter a country is the level of need. 
Sierra Leone is ranked #158 on the Human Development Index.  What this means is: 

• Life expectancy at birth (years) 48.2
• Under-five mortality (per 1,000 live births) 194  
• Mean years of schooling (of adults) (years) 2.9
• Expected Years of schooling (of children) (years) 7.2
• Income GNI per capita (constant 2008 US$PPP) 808.7

Compared to the United States- Ranked #4

• Life expectancy at birth (years) 79.6
• Under-five mortality (per 1,000 live births) 8
• Mean years of schooling (of adults) (years) 12.4
• Expected Years of schooling (of children) (years) 15.7
• Income GNI per capita (constant 2008 US$PPP) 47,093.9

Our Advance Team has taken some pictures of Sierra Leone...

Please keep our Advance Team in prayer as they prepare the way for the Africa Mercy.  Also the crew in prayer as we prepare to minister to the people of Freetown Sierra Leone.

"Where We are Headed pt. 2..."

Before we enter a country, Mercy Ships has an Advance Team, that will go into the country and set up a protocol with the government of the country.  There is a lot of preliminary work that our Advance Team has to do before the ship arrives in the country.

One of the aspects of their job is to do some preliminary screenings.  To do this fliers have to be published and then passed out.

"Where We are Headed..."

The next few blogs, I really would like to focus on the country that we are headed-Sierra Leone. 

Flag of Sierra Leone

Country of Sierra Leone.

We will be staying at the port in Freetown.  One of the ways Mercy Ships decides which country to go to is it's ranking on the Human Development Index (HDI).  The HDI is an indicator of health, education, and income of a country.  For example according to he 2010 HDI ranking, Norway is #1 on the index, Canada is #8, USA is #4, and South Africa is #110.  Sierra Leone in #158 out of #169-which is Zimbabwe.

"Teaching the Basics..."

Crew members Becca Taylor and Ellen DePagter were roommates on the Africa Mercy , in West Africa . During the Togo Field Service, Ellen was working and teaching on shore at the Hospitality Center, where patients stay before and after their surgeries – to gain strength before surgery, to recover from surgery, or to undergo post-operative treatment.
One day, Ellen heard that English classes, which were being held at a local church, had been discontinued. The classes had been very popular with the Togolese people.

So, Ellen and Becca decided to help. They organized a one-hour class in which Ellen taught English and the alphabet every Saturday morning to thirty enthusiastic women. Then Becca taught a one-hour class on handwashing, wound care, treatment for diarrhea and other basic health care techniques.

To extend the impact of the program, Ellen trained a Togolese woman, who took over the project when Ellen left the ship. This new leader is very serious about her job. She assigned homework and even had a final exam.

In addition, every other Tuesday, Becca taught specific health care basics to seven women and a pastor. Their homework was to find another place to teach these lessons in the community. “It's been so much fun,” said Becca.

Becca and Ellen made the lessons reproducible, so the project could continue after the Field Service ended. They used a minimum of supplies and no technology. “Just simple, easy-to-find things that they had, resources they could continue to use,” said Becca. “It's working!”

The women are excited about the lessons and want to continue teaching them. One woman is even preparing to expand the program by identifying other topics of interest.
Story by Elaine B. Winn


Edited by Nancy Predaina

"A Christmas to Remember pt. 4..."

Finally, Mike's time to remember!  For everyone who knows Mike, he is a bit of a history buff.  He loves to look at historic battles, tactics, and strategies.  So, for his once in a life time adventure, we went to two of the most famous battlefields in the area-Isandlwana and Rorke's Drift.

Both of these battles happened on 22 January of 1879.  The British forces were fighting against Zulu forces.  One battle was a complete massacre the other was a remarkable victory.

At Isandlwana-about 20 000 Zulu forces completely overwhelmed the 2 000 British Forces and it became an absolute massacre.  After being able to see the terrain that the British had to conquer and how they implemented some of their strategies, it is not too surprising that the Zulu overwhelmed them.  For Mike, to be able to stand on the battlefield and have the events of  22 January described to him, it was a very overwhelming experience.  It made all his reading and discussions over the years come to life.

The Zulu warrior and the British uniform.  Now remember, that it is summer in January in South Africa.  The temperatures can get into the High 30'sC/90'sF.  It also had been raining at night, so during the day there was high humidity.  The ground is rocky and rough terrain.  The Zulu fighters knew the area and were prepared whereas the British were not. 

The Zulu tactics were to have one group attack from the front and then two other groups attack from the sides thus surrounding the British forces not leaving any British standing.

The area is scattered with piles of white stones.  These stones are a memorial to the fallen British forces.

A memorial to the fallen Zulu warriors.  It is a Zulu Bravery Necklace.

Mike and I standing at the base of Isandlwana.

On the other side of the hills, at Rorke's Drift, they had no idea what was happening at Isandlwana.  They were preparing for their own battle.  In the late afternoon of the 22 January 1879, about 4 500 Zulu attacked the hospital and re-supply post at Rorke's Drift.  There were about 139 men, of which 36 were patients in the hospital.  These 139 men were able to hold off the Zulu forces for 12 hours, when the Zulu finally retreated in the early hours of the morning on 23 January.  11 Victoria Crosses were earned that day at Rorke's Drift.

The hospital at Rorke's Drift.

The church and kraal area (under the trees to the left) where the British held off the Zulu.

Replication of the area of the battle.

Zulu Bravery Necklace

The kids sitting along a stone wall.

The family next to a Buffalo Bush, which is a small, spiky, shiny-leaved bush of great cultural and medicinal significance to the Zulus who, among other names, call it umphafa or isiLahla meaning 'that which buries'.  For the Zulu's the tradition is quite clear: should a person die in a place that is not their imuzi or homestead, they believe that their spirit will be unsettled until someone from the village arrives with a branch of isiLahla.  The messenger should go to the exact spot where their compatriot died and ask the person's spirit to enter the branch (the tree's straight thorns direct the spirit onto the branch; the curved hooks ensure it doesn't fall off) whereupon it's taken back to the homestead to allow the spirit to finally rest and join the revered ranks of the ancestors.

Overall it was an incredibly memorable Christmas, with expereinces we will never forget.  May this New Year be full of love, joy, and peace-with each step of your life being lead by God.

"A Christmas to Remember pt.3..."

Christmas Day...

As you can guess by now, our whole Christmas has been memorable.  Christmas day was no exception.  We started in the morning with an early breakfast.  Then we returned to our rondoval to open presents.  This year, the picture of the kids by the tree was a bit different than the past.

The whole family also received a "Springbok" rugby shirts for Christmas. 

After opening presents, we had a quiet afternoon sitting by the "tree" and listening to music by the "fire" and  enjoying being together as a family.

Later in the evening, we went to a local hotel where we had reservations for Christmas dinner.  The view from this place was amazing!!  (Just out of curiosity, we asked what it was for a family of 4 to stay for the night...$525/night...-including breakfast and dinner....but it was still a whole lot out of our budget!)  Dinner was no where near the cost!!

View of the Amphitheatre from the Orion Mont-aux-Source hotel

Christmas Day dinner

Stay tuned for Mike's Adventure of a lifetime...

"A Christmas to Remember pt. 2..."

Christmas Eve...

For us, Christmas Eve is normally a time to get together with family and friends, go to church, have a nice dinner, give the kids their one traditional Christmas Eve present and then go to bed.  The only "normal" thing about this Christmas Eve was giving the kids their traditional Christmas Eve present.

Our "giant" Zulu bead tree with the kids Christmas Eve presents~

This year we went on a bit of an adventure.

Deb has wanted to see the Bushman (San) Cave paintings since we arrived in South Africa.  So, we go a tourist map (all that we could find), asked some questions about how long the journey would take us, grabbed the camera bag and set out on our way.

What we were not prepared for was the absolutely amazing beauty of where we were going.  If anyone has watched the movie "Zulu" this is the area where they shot the film.  The scenery is some of the most beautiful scenery we have ever seen.

We headed out about mid-morning, with our rather useless tourist map-and followed the signs along the road to Royal Natal National Park.  It was about a 45 minute drive from where we were staying.  According to the guide that we had, the park used to be called the Natal National Park back in the early 1916's when it was first established as a national park.  Then the British royal family visited the park in 1947, after they returned to Britain the name was changed to the Royal Natal National Park. 

We were stunned by the beauty of what we saw while we were driving and were excited to get closer!

At the base of the natural amphitheatre, there are a lot of Zulu villages.  Anyone in the US/Canada would pay a small fortune for this view!

One thing we were not prepared for was the hike to see the Bushman paintings.  So we had to make a stop at the visitor's center and get hats, water, and a walking stick for Mike!

Before we headed to the paintings, we drove closer to the amphitheatre.

At the base of the amphitheatre.  These pictures do not do the beauty of the area any justice!

We then got back into the car and headed to where we were told to find a guide that would take us to the paintings.  No longer do they allow people to go up without a guide to see the paintings, due to vandalism.  So we hired a guide from the local village to take us there.



Our trek was about 30 minutes up hill for 1.5 km.

Once again, the scenery along the way was STUNNING!!

The Bushman (San) Paintings. 

The San people lived in the Drakensberg area for thousands of years before being exterminated in clashes with the Zulus and white settlers. For the San, rock paintings weren’t just representations of life; they were also repositories of it. When shamans painted an eland, they didn’t just pay homage to a sacred animal; they also harnessed its essence. They put paint to rock and opened portals to the spirit world.

A Christmas Eve, family picture.  Not the usual one that is by the Christmas tree.

Stay tuned for Christmas Day and Mike's lifetime adventure....