yep, i'm in india!

Sorry for the lack of posts this week. I was officially welcomed to India yesterday with a stomach bug that wiped me out for a day. BUT, today I am much better! Praise God! The last time I got this sick was probably nine years ago in India. ha! The good news is this time in was in a hotel room with a/c and a television...last time was on a 30-hour train ride. I am feeling good now, my body is now purged from whatever it was. Just pray I stay healthy for the time in Calcutta. Jon and I leave for Calcutta on Friday.

The rest of the time here in Goa has been great and relaxing. Just taking it slow, enjoying the beach and pool, and catching up with Jon after a year. It will be good to see Word Made Flesh friends serving in Calcutta. They spend time with the women who prostitute there and God has been doing some amazing things in the lives of several women there. More on that later. I also plan to spend a day with the patients at Kalighat, the house for the dying started by Mother Theresa. I imagine I will be flooded with memories from my visit nine-years ago, when our team served there and had the blessing of meeting Mother Theresa just a couple of months before she died.

Thanks for hanging in with me blogger freinds. The posts may be a little more sparce, depending on schedules and internet cafe availability. I will be home in just about two-weeks.

here in india

Last night I arrived in Mumbai at 11:40 pm. I actually arrived an hour before Jon Derby, who was just returning back from a California visit. I welcomed Jon back to India...ha! It is good to be back in India after nine years! Tonight I had some good Indian food with some of Jon's co-workers and friends. Tomorrow we leave for the beaches of Goa, India. Then to Kolkata for a several days. I will definitely be closing out the trip with some of the hottest weather so far! I'll try and post more along the way here.

cape town pics

Here are a few pictures of the beauty of Cape Town. I posted just about daily updates below.

Table Mountain from the Waterfront

(Notice the cloud "tablecloth" resting on top.)

On top of Table Mountain

One of the many beaches

Nelson Mandela's cell at Robben Island

On lookout hill overlooking the townships

With some new friends in the township

jo'burg with the biedebachs

As I wrap-up my time here in South Africa, I am so grateful for the fun and blessed two-weeks catching up with the Biedebach family here in Johannesburg! Ami and Bradley are both so sweet and fun! Gotta love Ami's South African accent and words! It has been five-years since I was last here, so it was exciting to see the many ways God has worked through the church here. I made my first visits to the Lambano Sanctuary homes for children with HIV/AIDS. One of the homes is just a few doors down from the Biedebachs. Brian showed me the church outreach property near a formal settlement community, where they have plans to build a church and an AIDS hospice. It was fun to see all the hard work of teams who have visited, including Grace Seal Beach!

Our time together included a few day getaway to Pilanesburg game reserve, where we saw all kinds of animals in the wild. It must have been a sleep in morning for the animals, because we saw most during the afternoon. We also visited a lion breeding park where I fed a six-week old lion cub.

It was good to spend time together and make some new memories! God is good! Here are just a few picture highlights....

The Biedebach Family

Ami

Bradley

Bradley & Me at the Game Reserve

Feeding the Lion Cub

cape flats

On Monday I went on a tour of Cape Flats, which is the township area where most people live in Cape Town. Cape Town has a population of about 3 million, of the total population 20% are white, 30% are black, and the remaining 50% are of other races like Indian, Sri Lankan, Indoneisan (which is usually called "coloured" here). The majority of people who are are black and coloured live in the Cape Flats townships. The roots of these townships began with Langa, which is the oldest black township in South Africa and began in 1927. Khayelitsha is the largest black township and over a million people living there (one source says up to 1.8 million). Most of the people living in the black townships are from the Eastern Cape of South Africa, a rural area where the people came from looking for work and a better life. The coloured communities have roots from the District Six relocation which I wrote about earlier. These townships and others were a result of the apartheid government. There remains a huge seperation between the black townships and the "coloured" townships, not to mention the white communities in the city and suburbs. The impact of apartheid racism is still felt and obvious in these very seperate communties.

My guide for the day was Christoph, who spends most of his time working in the prisons and communities giving alternatives to violence workshops. A huge need here! He gives tours when he is able. He finds it very important to connect those on the tours with people who live in the townships. We spent a few hours sharing a meal and conversation with three people who live in the Khayelitsha township. It was a blessed time hearing their stories and walking through their neighborhood. Anele is a man who shared his dream of opening a bed and breakfast in the community (yes, tourists do spend a night in B & B's here!). Stephen has education and training in computers, but has difficulty finding work. We also visited a couple of township churches and ministries actively responding to the huge needs in the community - AIDS, children, hunger, etc. The people we met were wonderful and were an example of hope for these communities and people. I am so grateful for the day.

Today is Human Rights Day here (see previous post). I was unable to connect with any street workers who spend time with the kids on the streets. I did learn about one area right on the coast where many kids will hang out. I just walked the boardwalk of this beach area and saw many boys sleeping and hanging out. I'm sure many of these boys come from the townships looking for more to life. Sadly, I am too aware of what awaits them on the streets here (just like others around the world).

Well, if you are still with me, thanks for reading this long post. I head back to Johannesburg for a few final days with the Biedebachs before I head to India on Friday night. More soon!

robben island

One more post. Today I visited Robben Island where political prisoners who spoke out against apartheid were held for decades, including Nelson Mandela. Mandela spent 18 od his 27 years of incarceration on Robben Island. Former imates were our guides and told of the history anbd conditions of the prison island. The boat ride over was awesome! A group of black South Africans were singing much of the way! I asked one young woman what they were singing when we docked on the island. It was a lullaby that the wives of political prisoners sang to their babies, basically saying keep pride and hope alive. A definite highlight of the day!

human rights day - march 21

As I've said before, Tuesday is a holiday here in South Africa. Today I learned a little more about the significance of the national holiday. Below is the summary I took from a South African web site. It summarizes it so much better then I could!

What is Human Rights Day? Human Rights Day (21 March) is the day set aside to celebrate human rights and to remind all South Africans of their human rights.

What are human rights? Human rights are the rights that everyone has, simply because they are human beings. They are the rights we all have from the moment we are born. We do not have to earn them and they cannot easily be taken away from us.

The list of human rights protected in South Africa is the Bill of Rights, which is Chapter 2 of the Constitution. The Constitution is the highest law of South Africa. Everyone in South Africa, including the government, must follow it. The rules set out in a Constitution are very hard to change, and so the rights in the Bill of Rights are also very hard to change. This means that it is difficult for anyone to change your rights or to try and take them away from you.

Rights and responsibilities Because everyone has these rights regardless of their race, age or gender, we all have to respect other people's rights as well. It is no good saying that you have these rights if you are doing things at the same time, which go against other people's rights. And, we must all respect and follow the laws of the country as well.

Why do we celebrate Human Rights Day on 21 March? On 21 March 1960, events were planned for many parts of the country, for people to protest against the Pass Laws. These laws required all Africans living or working in and around towns to carry a document (known as a pass) with them at all times. Failure to carry this document would lead to arrest by the police and to people being sent away from the towns in which they lived.

On this day people decided to go to police stations without their passes and to demand that the police arrest them. The idea was that so many people would be arrested and the jails would become so full that the country would not be able to function properly. It was hoped that this would lead to the Pass Laws being scrapped.

At Sharpeville in Gauteng, thousands of people gathered at the police station demanding to be arrested. They were met by 300 police officers. After a scuffle broke out, the police opened fire on the crowd. At least sixty-seven people were killed and 180 injured by the shooting.

These people were protesting against unfair laws and were really demanding their human rights. Many of these rights are now included in our Bill of Rights, and include the rights to:

• Equality (Section 9)
• Human dignity (Section 10)
• Freedom of expression (Section 16)
• Assembly, demonstration, picket and petition (Section 17)
• Freedom of association (Section 18) and
• Freedom of movement and residence (Section 21).

We celebrate this day each year to remind us of the great suffering and loss of life that accompanied the struggle for human rights. It is to remind us that people in South Africa will never again be denied their human rights.

friday in the cape

As I shared previously, I visited two ministries on Friday. SHADE works in the city and serves those who have been displaced from other countries in Africa. I met a couple who came to South Africa as refugees from Congo. They experienced and witnessed terrible things during the war there - brutality, rape, murder. They walked 94 days with their five daughters to get to Zambia, then to Cape Town. I was reminded of the stories I heard in Sierra Leone in 2003 following the civil wat there. This couple and ministry have a heart and vision to reach out to the huge numbers of people who are in Cape Town to escape circumstances in their home countries (some are recognized by the South African government, many are not). They provide support groups for women who have experienced so much, as well as weekly programs for the children.

I also visited LIVING HOPE about a half an hour drive south from the city. This ministry specifically addresses the those suffering from AIDS/HIV. They work near a township. They work closely with the local clinics to identify those in desperate need. They recently opened a hospice nearby with about 20 beds. I also heard the story of the local traditional healers (witch doctors) who came to the hospice asking for help for this disease (AIDS) that they could do nothing about. They ministry provided training to educate these traditional healers, which is a huge first step. They have asked to return for more training because they could not take it all in the first time. Along with these traditional healers and the ansestor worship, it is clear that Satan has a tight grip here. The battle is so spiritual.

I went briefly into the township. Many images stood out, but the thing that stood out most was learning about the druglord that controlled this one area of the township. We drove by his big, gated house in the township. He holds the power and is feared. He especially controls youth who sell the drugs. I know this is common throughout the townships.

So, that is just some of what I am processing, reflecting, and praying through. I know I have only stratched the surface of all I have to learn!! Monday I will take a tour of the largest townships near the city, an area called Cape Flats. I am hopeful that I can meet some street workers spending time with street children here on Tuesday. But, it is a holiday, so I am not sure yet.

Thanks for blogging with me. It is so helpful to reflect and write about my time here!

district six

Before I write anymore about Friday, I should back up a day to Thursday. I visited the District Six Museum near the City Center of Cape Town. District Six was primarily a community of what the apatheid government labeled "coloureds." Most of the 50,000 people who lived here had ethnic roots in India, Indonesia, or East Africa. Many of these people had lived in District Six for generations (some up to five generations). In 1966 the National Party declared District Six a white European area. Over the next ten years the govenrment evicted and displaced people to the "coloured" townships. They eventually bullbozed the entire community to make way for whites to rebuild and move in. Much of the space still is deserted and open, as very little was ever rebuilt. The District Six Museum is in a previous Methodist Church buildng near the area that spoke out against what was happening and provided a refuge for those who were uprooted. There is a plaque outside the church that reminds all who pass by what happened here and says, "Father, forgive us" (see below). It is quite an moving experience to see pictures and hear stories of this multiracial community that was completely demolished. It also serves as a place of healing for the people who were forced out. Efforts are still being made to rebuild and give back the community to some who previously lived in District Six. The guides are former residents. I met Noor Ebrahim, whose grandfather moved here from India. Noor told the story of his family being forced out. He had several children, including a three-month old son. It occured to me that this son would have been around my age. I wondered what it would be like to begin your life impacted so drastically by this deep racism. There were many school groups coming through learning and soaking it all in, which is so hopeful! (I bought Noor's book where he recounts his story, if anyone wants to borrow it when I get home.)

Sign outside the museum and former church

a quick one

Just a quick update for all those who regularly blog with me! I will try to write more in the next few days. FYI - The blogspot site was having some tech difficulties, in case you couldn't get on (either could I).

So much to share. Today I visited two ministries here in Cape Town. SHADE works in the city and reaches out to displaced people that have fled their home African countries for many various reasons. Another ministry, LIVING HOPE, ministers outside the city about a half an hour in a region considered the Southern Cape. I am quickly realizing that the needs differ so much from region to region and township to township, depending on the people group and other factors. Another thing that has stood out is how ansestor worship impacts so much here...including many of the churches that integrate it into their beliefs and worship. It is overwhelming to take everything in and begin to grasp the complexities of poverty and AIDS here. I am encouraged by those servants who are leading the way. I am praying that God will continue to guide and direct what three-months here might look like early next year. I remind myself that I have only been here three days and I need to give God some space to guide step-by-step.

day one in cape town

I arrived in Cape Town today after a wonderful 10-days with the Biedebachs in Johannesburg. I will have two more days with them late next week before I head to India. We spent some special and fun times together, including a couple of days at a game reserve. I will post pictures soon! One highlight was feeding a six-week lion cub a bottle!

I am now in Cape Town. My first big culture shock is driving the rental car on the opposite side of the road. A little hard to readjust 20-years of driving habits and instinct. But, I will get it! Please continue to pray for my week here. I am still waiting to confirm visits to a few ministires. It is proving a bit difficult when my days here include a weekend and a holiday on Tuesday (that I just learned about). I do have a few visits confirmed that I am excited about.

I must say that I am seeing Cape Town through different lenses then my first visit five-years ago. There are two worlds here in Cape Town. As I walk around the primary tourist area, the Waterfront with the beauty of Table Mountain in full view, I am struck with how insulated this area is from how most people in Cape Town live. This place is another one of my favorites in the world, but at the same time I am more aware of the hard realities and suffering that many face daily who call Cape Town home. On Monday, I will experience just a taste of that life when I tour the townships with a guide. Today I am experiencing this tension inside, as I enjoy the beauty of this place, but also recongnize there is poverty and suffering beyond what I can imagine.

Thank you for your prayers this week!

masibambisane

Masibambisane means "Let us bear the burden together" in Zulu. Today I visited Masibambisane Community Development Center (MCDC). It was my first time visiting a more ruaral area of villages in South Africa (about an 1 1/2 hours from Johannesburg). This ministry was started by the same South African woman, Melanie Streicher, who started the Lambano Sanctuary Homes for AIDS/HIV children here in the city. What an amazing vision and heart for the tremendous needs here in South Africa! Today we drove through the villages visiting several of MCDC's ministries. There are about 455,000 people living in this one region of villages, 60% are suffering from HIV/AIDS and 70% are unemployed. About six women went with us who walk the villages each day meeting families and orphans and assessing the needs, home by home. I admire and respect these young women who are serving and representing Jesus in the frontlines of the AIDS crisis here.

We visited one of the community centers for children to come receive two meals a day and have some tutoring after school. Many of these children are AIDS orphans and do not go home to parents. We also visited an AIDS hospice for adults with 12 beds. This is where they bring the worst cases of adults suffering from AIDS to manage their pain and make them more comfortable. Many will improve and get stronger when secondary infections are treated, but many will die soon. I briefly met three men in one room and listened to them and prayed with them.

The most impactful part of the day was visiting the home of a woman suffering the late stages of AIDS. She lived with her father and 8-year old son. It became very clear to the directors of the ministry that this woman needed medical attention. She was in so much pain, you could see it in her face and eyes. Arrangments were made to take her to the hospice. She was so sensitive from all the sores on her body that we tried as gently as possible to carry her in a blanket to the back of the van to transport her to the hospice. The son went with us to help him understand where we were taking his mother. The boy did not speak a word the whole time we were there, but the women were explaining to him the entire time where we were taking his mother. While the hospice did not have any empty beds, they made space for her on her own foam mattress pad we had brought with us. The hospice offered her quick medical attention to help manage her pain.

It was a heartbreaking experience, but an important one for me today. It gave additional faces to the suffering and the overwhelming statistics of poverty and AIDS here. The staff here regularly visit 300 homes in this community to give medical attention and care to adults suffering from late-stages of AIDS. And this is representative of what is happening throughout this country and continent. The faces of the suffering mother and her scared son will stick with me for a very long time.

I have so much more to share about my first week here in Johannesburg, but I will take time for more soon. My prayer has been that God would give me fresh lessons, perspective, and heartbreak here in South Africa. Please pray for the ministry of MCDC. It is a incredible ministry responding to the suffering and poverty with the love and compassion of Christ and standing in the gap (www.mcdc.org.za).

Thanks for listening...

grieving with my church family

Tonight in South Africa I got word that Michele Fishback went home to be with Jesus this morning in California after her body ultimately rejected a heart transplant. Tonight, as I go to bed, the Fishback family and church family are very close to my heart and in my prayers, as I feel deep sadness and grief across the miles. It is hard being away during times like this. Michele was a co-staff member at Grace, serving as Women's Ministry Director. I was blessed to serve on staff with Michele for at least two years. I always knew she was praying so faithfully for the needs of the church family, including my own ministry transitions this year. I cherish the hug, smile, and words of encouragement and prayer my friend, Michele, shared with me at my Farewell Reception on January 8. I pray God's immense comfort and embrace during this time of grief and tears for the Fishback family, the church family, and all who loved Michele and will miss her so deeply, including myself.

prague pictures...

Finally, some pics from my time in Prague! The pictures don't really do the city and architecture justice. But I had to try!

City View

Charles Bridge

Old Jewish Cemetary - Europe's oldest surviving Jewish cemetary in the old Jewish Quarter

Golden Lane at Prague Castle

Cathedral at Prague Castle

Old Town Square

Astronomical Clock Tower in Old Town Square

pics from rome

Here are a few pics from my time in Rome, including some self-portraits.

Saint Peter's Basilica at the Vatican - A view from the top of the dome

Trevi Fountain - Tossing a coin into the fountain means you will return to Rome

Spanish Steps - Trust me!

The Pantheon

The Colosseum

good to be in south africa!

Today I arrived in South Africa for a three-week visit. The flight and the jet lag is sure a lot easier having started from Europe this time! Ten hour flight from Paris and just a one-hour time difference. I am inching my way across the world time zones! It is so good to be here with the Biedebachs. Hard to believe it has been five years since I was last here. It was especially special to meet baby Bradley today - he even feel asleep in my arms. Really looking forward to these next 10-days before I head down to Cape Town. I will post more soon, including some pics from Rome and Prague.