Week one in Africa

Hi Friends - welcome to my blog! I wanted to give a recap of what I have experienced while in South Africa & Lesotho and this seems to be the best way for nearly everyone to see it!

4/20/10 Tuesday - Arrived at RDFC (my home church) at 7:15 AM and was sent off with a time of brief sharing and prayer... I cannot tell you how loved I felt looking around a room full of people who were there to pray for my safety and God's protection! I have an awesome church family and I'm going to miss being a part of their week to week activities while in Lesotho. After good-byes and well wishes I left with Karen O for the airport. We then met up with my Mom near SNA (John Wayne) to say our final good-byes. Didn't realize how tough it was going to be saying good-bye to Mom. I love you Mom and I miss you a ton already! Getting through security was a breeze and before I knew it I was on board the plane bound for ATL and sharing my row with Cathy... wanna guess where she's from? She was flying to JNB (Johannesburg or Joburg) to go home after a holiday in the OC. God answered prayers immediately as she took me under her wing and helped me get from plane to plane and then with retrieving my luggage once we landed in JNB. God's grace and provision are amazing!

4/21/10 Wednesday - Was on the plane most of this day... a loooooong flight! I reunited with Cathy after landing and because I was with her when we retrieved our luggage; somehow I skipped customs altogether and so in moments I was face to face with Justin & Amanda Honaker, MAF teammates, who offered to come and get me from JNB and drive me home to Maseru. A sight for tired eyes I'll tell you! They were all smiles and so gracious to a very unkempt, tired ragamuffin who had been flying for the better part of 2 days. We drove to BIMS (A Baptist guest house) where I showered (YAY!) and afterwards I felt human again. Those of you who have traveled far know what I'm talking about! After the shower we had dinner - A steak sandwich with mushroom garlic sauce which was quite tasty and a Coke. Those that know me know how weird it is for me to drink a Coke but I wasn't sure what would be safe to drink so Coke seemed the safest choice :) On our way home we stopped at a gas station convenience store to buy a Magnum bar. Magnum bars are ice cream bars and they have a flavor called... wait for it... Death By Chocolate! Wow!! It was soooo tasty and all 3 of us enjoyed eating them and talking a little to get to know each other. After that it was home to crash... I slept like the dead as I hadn't slept more than a couple of hours on the plane.

4/22/10 Thursday - Today was my homecoming day! The Honakers and I were able to reach the Naaktgeboren family on the phone and arrange to meet for breakfast. They are related to Jim and Patty Klein (Heather is Patty's brother's daughter) and they are missionaries with Calvary Chapel in Joburg. I have known Heather since she was a teenager. We had a yummy breakfast at Mugg & Bean... Eggs benedict, scone with devonshire and coffee. Really good coffee! The Honakers and Naaktgeborens had a great time getting acquainted and now we are all friends... in fact Chad hopes to pay a visit to Lesotho sometime soon :) Let me mention here how incredible it is to be in a new place and see some old friends... Heather and Chad you and your 4 kiddos were a blessing straight from God to me and playing with your children was a balm to an Auntie's heart. Thank you for making the trip in rush hour traffic to come and meet me! After breakfast and see you soons we were in the car and on our way home to Maseru. We stopped for a bite to eat at a place called The Cabin... such a cool place! Kinda reminds me of places in Laguna Beach in the sense that it is a crafty, artsy place where you can buy all sorts of things and also grab a bite. We had grilled cheese and nectar (watermelon-strawberry) walked a bit and stretched our legs, snapped a few photos and then hopped back in the car for the last leg of our journey. An hour later we were crossing the border into Lesotho, getting passports stamped, and then making the final trek to my new home... which coincidentally is right across the road from the Honaker's home. When we turned the corner I saw the Shutts, Mike, Sharol and Joanna waiting for me. They were there to carry stuff in and welcome me home. I had cards, flowers... seriously I have the best team ever! After unloading we hopped back in the car and went to the Pepper's home for dinner. Larry and Sally were great hosts, Larry is a doctor with the Lesotho Flying Doctor Service which works closely with MAF. So if you are paying attention... Larry is aka... Dr. Pepper! Aside from being a doctor he makes an amazing espresso. Yes, that's right my first meal in Lesotho included a home made cappuccino which was folllowed later by an espresso. Starbucks has nothing on Larry... he makes a mean cuppa joe! After dinner we played Mexican Golf, a card game, and talked for quite a while. Tonight was my first night at my home... I love my home and cannot wait to make it my own with pictures and momentos to remind me of friends and family.

4/23/10 Friday - This morning I went grocery shopping with Kari Peters who is a member of the team and hails from Alberta, Canada. My team had told me we could get almost everything we have at home, it's so true! The expats call Lesotho "Africa-lite" and it is easy to see why. Many things are really convenient and easily obtained, though not always cheap. Somethings will be just once in a while goodies to have when I'm especially homesick or celebrating, but it is great to know they are available! We ran into Sharol and Joanna while shopping so Sharol gave me a lift home since Kari's kids were due to be home from school. Sharol showed me where I can purchase units for water and electricity. Yep, here in Lesotho you pre-pay for utilities and you can do so at the gas station. The gas stations are all full serve so while someone is pumping your gas you can walk in and buy units and then walk back out and drive off with everything you need - so convenient! Sharol dropped me off to put the groceries away and then a few hours later came by and took me to the hangar so I could meet the gang and see where I'll be working. The guys are fun, I think I'm going to really enjoy working with them! I also met the national staff (Basotho) and likely slaughtered most of their names. Most have American friendly nick-names but I really want to be able to call them by their given names too. I'll likely be given a Sotho nick-name... wonder what that will be? I drove home with Mike back to the Shutts' home and had dinner with them and played Settlers of Catan... a fun game and popular with many of the team. Sharol made roast with veggies and we had apple dumpling for dessert.... SO GOOD! Loved every minute with them! A side note... Sharol was really my first contact on the team and I really have grown to love her even before arriving here in Lesotho. She is a mentor to me and she and Mike are the veterans of the team having been here 15 years. Honestly I have the best group to work with and I am so thankful for God's provision in the form of my teammates!

4/24/10 Saturday - I slept in as I haven't been sleeping well - the jet lag has caught up with me. Today was driving lessons with Sally Pepper (I had dinner with them Thurs night) Sally has the patience of Job which is a good thing because I have only driven a manual transmission twice before today. We went to Pope's Field, which is where everyone learns to drive in Maseru. Pope John Paul II visited Lesotho and this field and a staging area were created for that event. Now people learn to drive and cows graze lazily while new drivers try their best not to hit them. After an hour or so of circling the field I drove home on real streets and managed not to hit another car - a personal victory! I'm still too green to feel comfortable driving alone but Sally offered to practice with me again and assured me I had done well. Personally, I think she was just being kind ;) Dinner was across the street at the Honaker's home and Bryan joined us. We had corn chowder, home made muffins and for dessert home made brownies complete with chocolate chunks - Yum! After dinner we played another new game similar to Settlers and then a few rounds of Mexican Golf. This night was really fun and the best thing is all 3 of them are my neighbors. I hope to have them over soon once I get everything all squared away in my home. None of us has kids and we're all kinda in the same age range with me being the oldest. I'm really liking it here and I love my team. Amanda has become a buddy and I love sharing time with her just talking and hanging out. I think we'll be close friends :)

4/25/10 Sunday - Church this morning at MUC (Maseru United Church) with the Haaks which are part of the team and hail from Holland. I'm not sure if I should learn Sotho or Dutch first! Christiaan came and got me for early service which seemed really early as I'm still not quite in the right time schedule. Church was good but I gotta admit I really was missing Rose Drive today, especially choir! After church I went home with the Haaks and stayed all day, we had lunch and talked quite a while. Christiaan decided that driving in Pope's field was not adequate preparation for driving in Lesotho as it is flat and most of Lesotho is hilly... so we jumped in the car and he took me up a few hills and then had me pratice stopping and starting. I thought for sure I was going to have a heart attack as these are main roads and it was early Sunday afternoon. I think I was probably the fodder of dinner conversation in many Basotho homes... "we saw this crazy white girl driving today and she stalled the car over and over..." Christiaan was very patient and admittedly I'm a bit more confident... but only a bit. After the driving lesson a few expats came over for a game of volleyball which was great fun! We had a supper of tuna, hard boiled eggs, home made chicken soup and bread - delicious! The Haaks have 4 children and I thoroughly enjoyed getting to play with them. I'll get to be Auntie here in Lesotho which is great but man do I miss my nieces! Vani and Talia if you are reading this please know how much I love you and that I think of you every day - no one could ever take your place in my heart! After dinner it was time to come home and catch up on a bit of email and a chance to skype with the Reinharts. So fun to hear voices of friends while on the other side of the world.