Mzolies and Life

First of all I have to say that I love all the English influence in this culture. A bit because it makes me feel smart compared to John and Shannon who are sometimes confused by the language, but mostly because all the British words I hear are like a warm comfy blanket that make me feel like I am at home with my people. I love word blankets!

Right now I am sitting in a coffee shop while the US vs Australia soccer game is on. It’s a bit confusing, I don’t know who to cheer for and people keep screaming and startling me… it’s sort of the opposite of a word blanket.

In other news:

On Thursday night a whole group of us went into a Township for dinner. It’s literally a 5 minute drive from paradise into third world culture. The divide between rich and poor here is second only to Brazil.

Our welcome to the township was seeing a little boy doing a squaty potty on the side of the road… he didn’t really seemed phased by it, so I guess we weren’t either. Most of the houses were no bigger than a typical bedroom and were made of corrugated steel. There were thousands of these little shacks that stretched on for miles. Occasionally you would see a business, which was just a home with a spray painted sign for “spiritual healing” or ‘hair cuts” or something similar.

We ate at Mzolies, a little dive on the side of the road where we literally all shared a big bowl of meet, while eating with just our hands. This may have been the least sanitary meal I have ever eaten, but it was also one of the most fun and tasty.

In the end I am faced with the reality of how small and powerless I really am. At the same time I have to remember that we serve a God who cares much more than I am able. Though we look poverty, death, homelessness and disease in the face, God has seen the issue and he has sent the answer. We wait and do what we can with the knowledge that one day God will heal our pains and take away our sufferings; we need only to place our trust in him.