Sorry for the lack of posts. I didn't find my passport so have been staying with a friend in Joburg while I wait for my replacement to arrive. So for now I'm living a very normal suburban existence. Not exactly what I had in mind but there's not much I can do about it for now. It should only be a few more days before it arrives and hopefully I can get to some adventuring once it does!

So for now I am safe, comfy and a little bored.

I’m in Jo’burg after a great couple of weeks of rest in White River. I’ve spent a heap of time with the students having a good time and also spending some time on my own just unwinding. I’ve found myself with enough headspace to read and spend some time writing.

Today has been a little crazy. Our plans have not worked out at all. Our plane was delayed for 45mins while we waited for a thunderstorm to pass. We were supposed to be going to the Valle Dam, then the plan was changed to to Welkom, but instead now we are staying at a very nice backpackers just outside Jo’burg. After I’d been at the airport for a couple of hours I realised I had left my passport on the plane. We spent some time trying to track it down but it still has not been found.

Praying that my passport shows up tomorrow, otherwise it’s a trip to the consulate.

I have internet on my own computer now! Yay!

Today was fairly quiet. I went into town for some supplies and then went to Theka Thako, an after school program in the community with some of the ASM students. It’s the ASM people’s last week there for this year, so the kids put on quite a production to say thanks and goodbye for this year. They sang and danced and put on a skit about teen pregnancy. My purple hair is quite a hit with the kids.

I have put up some photo’s here.

I woke up at 10:15am, and my sleep was gooooood!

It’s raining.

I bought some eggs yesterday for at about half what they cost at home, so I had eggs for breakfast and then went to one of the classes before lunch.

Lunch was ‘fish pie’ made with fish fingers. Hilarious!

After lunch I got to go with some students to the banana farm again. It’s the last time they’re going out this year, so I was stoked to be able to go along. The main reason I wanted to go was to see Mpumelelo. When I got there she wasn’t in her wheelchair so I was worried I wasn’t going to see her. It turned out that she’d been left at home because it was raining, but her Mama took us to see her. Turns out ’home’ is a one-room house, probably about 12m² big. Mpumelelo was lying in the dark on a grass mat on the floor. That was how she was to spend her day. We got such a wonderful reception when we walked in, she squealed and smiled and wriggled around. Beka and I spent some time talking to and tickling her, and she was having a ball. It really was heartbreaking to see her in that tiny, dark room all alone and it was hard not to burst into tears as I held her there on the floor. Still, there is an unparalleled contentment in her eyes, hard to believe but it’s like nothing I’ve ever seen.

On the way back to the mobile clinic we were amazed at the white white nappies hanging on the clothes lines, still baffled that they can get their laundry so white in such a red place. We spent some time playing with the other kids which was great fun and it’s so nice to get back into the community.

I've put some pics up here.

The flight over was as great as a flight can be. There was a couple who wanted to sit where I was, to be with some friends, so I swapped with them and ended up with a row of four seats to myself! I got to lay out straight and although I didn’t have a huge sleep I was grateful to have my legs up. Flight socks worked a treat too. I tried the ‘fasting for 16 hours when changing time zones’ trick and it seems to have worked well so far. We’ll see if the jet lag sets in later or not.

The flight to Nelspruit from Johannesburg was incredibly short (especially after a 10 hour flight) and quite enjoyable.

The sky was clear when I arrived and the mountain above ASM seemed to be singing. It’s great to be back, but at the same time feels like I haven’t even been away.

Lunch today was pap and wors which made me laugh as it’s about as South African as you can get.

Tonight we went to Spur (steak house) for one of the ASM student’s birthday. I got myself a 270g steak knowing that I may not get another one while I’m in Africa. It was more than satisfactory and for about AU$15, an absolute steal.

Looking forward to a sleep and no alarm to wake me up!

October 15th 2010

It is exactly one month until my return to Africa and I must say I am getting pretty excited about heading back! These last few weeks it's what's been on my mind more than anything else. I've found myself getting very teary at the thought of Africa...people speaking Afrikaans on the train, African children, an African drum beat or guitar line, it's all been getting me choked up. I feel a bit lame when it happens, but it reminds me of where my heart is at and that it's OK to miss my home.
In some ways it will be very difficult to leave Perth this time, especially with Mum still having Chemotherapy, but the promise of something beautiful calls me on.

I will be heading back to ASM in South Africa for a short while to start with, and then I'm hoping for some adventure. I had initially 'planned' to go to Zambia and Zimbabwe but the closer my departure draws the more I am reminded that my plans are not really necessary and I will end up going where I need to go, so long as I am prepared to relinquish control to the Ultimate Planner.

One of the most exciting things about going back to ASM is that I will be able to use some of the money from my sponsors to make life a bit more comfortable for the 'Little Girl' with Cerebral Palsy I wrote the song about. She has never been far from my thoughts and I have felt it necessary to do something practical for her. So, we will be giving her a year's supply of adult nappies, which will make her life a lot more comfortable.

I love that just a small amount of money can make a really big difference in the lives of the poor, and I'm so grateful that there are people who would entrust their hard earned dosh to me. I will do my very best with it.

I've added a 'donate' button to this blog to make it easier for people to send money while I'm away. Feel free to test it out...haha.

Stay tuned for updates and photos while I'm away.

Thailand - Day 19

Well I took Amanda's suggestion and hired a moto-scooter for a few days. 3 days for $12. I gunned down the highway to see Khao Takiap aka Chopstick Mountain which I'm told has an incredible view and a bunch of monkeys, but I couldn't for the life of me figure out how to get to the top. Might try again tomorrow. I have already had my first scooter "incident", luckily I was going really slow, but a bunch of locals were watching as I rammed my scooter into another scooter which was parked on the side of the road. My ego hurts :(

I've moved into some "humble" accommodation for the next 2 nights. Looks like it will do fine.

Thailand - Day 18

Well my plans for this morning were foiled!

I woke up to thunder and rain and it stuck around until the afternoon. So the morning was spent in bed watching cable. I walked to the beach and then around town for a while in the arvo and it has a really nice vibe.
I ate a McDonald's Samurai Pork Burger for dinner, I'd eat it again...a new one that is.

I think I'll stay here until I fly out

Thailand - Day 17

I'm now in Hua Hin, about 3 hours South of Bangkok. I'm staying in a very nice hotel (thanks Pam) and it's quite stunning.
The team and I flew down from Chiang Rai early this afternoon and everyone except Amanda, Charl and myself has headed back to Perth. I caught a minivan down to Hua Hin which was pretty fast. I didn't quite know whether to be impressed or scared when my driver was doing 140km/hr on the highway and texting at the same time.

The last few days have been pretty busy, even though we were just in chill time. We went for a long boat ride along the Mekong River and then went for an elephant ride. They're not the most comfortable creatures to ride but the scenery was beautiful and the elephants were funny. Then I got to hold an Albino Burmese Python, which is my favourite kind of snake. I'd own one if I didn't have to feed it rats.

From there we stayed a night at Ahka Safe House, a project that RCF supports. Then it was back to Chiang Rai to get ourselves ready to leave. We also managed to take a trip into Myanmar (Burma) for a morning. I was going to venture further into town but with Songkran still in full swing I decided not to risk my camera getting drenched. I'd love to go back again some day and get a better look.

I've got a couple of days in Hua Hin to relax, and tomorrow I think I'll explore the place a little.

Thailand - Day 14 (?)

We're having a great time in Thailand. We're now just outside of Chaing Rai in the country's north. It's much more dry up here which is somewhat of a relief.

On Sunday we participated in a local church service and then drove up into the mountains to visit a remote village of Hmong People. It was stunning up there and the people were very welcoming. We were the first farangs to ever visit their village. We were invited to stay and have dinner with them which was a huge honour, not to mention delicious! We were roped into an impromptu church service and gave out a bunch of toys to the kids.

Monday and Tuesday have been busy doing construction for a school - blocklaying and tiling, although I did not do much as I wasn't feeling well enough. I slept for 13 hours last night and I'm feeling a lot better.

We're in the middle of Song Kran festival, a massive water festival where people just drench each other for days. The boys having been riding around in the back of a ute with a 44 gallon drum filled with water and pegging buckets fulls at people. So much fun!

Charl seems to have picked up what I had so any prayers heading his was would be appreciated.

Tomorrow we're heading further north and we're going for an elephant ride, should be fuuuun!

The parliament here has been dissolved so things should calm down significantly in Bangkok. Thanks to everyone who was praying for the situation.

Thailand - Day 3

Day 2 in Klong Toey and we took some kids to have teeth pulled/rebuilt. Their cavities are like nothing I have ever seen! An abundance of sugar, lack of dental hygiene and I suspect low levels of fluoride have left these kids with not much hope of having teeth without intervention.

On a completely different note, a train has just gone past a few hundred metres from me - it goes down the tracks tooting for people to close their front doors so it can get through. I will try to get a photo at some stage, at least of the shantys' proximity to the tracks.

The Urban Neighbours of Home team really are doing a great job here, loving the people God loves - for the sake of loving them, not for the sake of making conversions. The living is not quite as rough as I had expected, but it's still rougher than most of you would have ever seen. The hardest part must surely be sharing the heartache of an impoverished people. UNOH are bringing hope for a better future, in a practical and empowering way.

Thailand - Day 2

Well day 1 in the slums is over. It's pretty much what I expected. It's stinky and squishy and sticky, but the people make it inhabitable. We took 29 little (5-8 year olds?) to the movies this afternoon to see "How to Tame Your Dragon" in Thai! I really enjoyed it even though I couldn't understand the dialogue. The kids are great and I'm looking forward to spending more time with them.

I'm staying on my own at the Homestay in the slum. It's simple, but I like it.

Tomorrow I am going with some kids to the dentist to have their rotten teeth pulled so they don't damage their adult teeth. Should be...fun.

Thailand - Day 1

I've just spent my first night in Bangkok at a hotel near the airport. Getting backs checked in at the airport took hours and I was well and truly ready to get on the plane and sit down. Funnily enough, I was sitting next to one of the girls who works at Esther House, so it was nice to have someone I knew for that leg of the trip. I arrived at KL parched as and went to McDonalds the quench my thirst but they didn't accept eftpos! I didn't have any Malaysian currency. I ended up going to a restaurant that served local food. 1.2 Litres of water and a delicious Kway Teow Soup later I headed through immigration and got on the plane to Bangkok. The kid behind me decided it was fun to kick the back of my chair for the whole journey and he didn't speak English so I couldn't tell him to stop. It was pretty annoying but I was so tired I just slept through most of the flight. Passing through immigration at Bangkok has to be one of the best (and fastest) experiences I've had.

My hotel was really nice, apart from being a bit noisy it's great. I was still really tired (after pulling an all-nighter to finish an assignment) and I went to sleep at around 7pm.

My driver will be picking me up any minute now to take me to the Barkers, who live and work in the slums.