Fun Design Projects in Africa

In another season of life before we came to Africa, I spent 10 years working for a web design company in Nebraska. I started out as the company's first "designer" in the owner's basement (God bless him for not firing me the first day - I knew NOTHING). The last 5 years I wisely stepped away from design and oversaw the operations of the company.

All that to say - I do love creativity and have had fun here in Africa with a few little projects.

Here are some samples to give you a "visual idea" of what we've been up to.

Invite to Emme's 2nd Birthday Party (see full invite at http://karlandjulie.com/pdf/emme_invite_web.pdf)

Invite for Baby Shower (our "house" threw a baby shower for the property manager's wife)

Tags attached to candy bars
(we gave these to Ocean View High School teachers to encourage them)

Logo for our after school club at Ocean View High (The Amazing African Film Society). We are bringing in successful African women from Cape Town and teaching the girls how to interview them with the FLIP video camera and make a movie using iMovie.



Logo for the Leadership Adventure Camp
we are doing this weekend with the Ocean View High School student council members


Logo for the Discovery House - This is my VERY new idea that is still in the research process (we are praying about developing a house for single moms and their children - a one year discipleship program that involves Discovery Bible Study, teaching life skills and cultivating job skills).

My Secret Plan to Quit

A few weeks ago our group set out to climb Chapman’s Peak.

To say I “climbed” would be a gross exaggeration. To say I “hiked” is pushing it. It’s kind of like I walked – but with MANY breaks to “view the scenery” (aka try to tell myself I wasn’t going to DIE from severe heart failure at that very moment).

our hiking party (before we got to the trail)

Seriously – it was sad.

There were 10 of us in our hiking party and literally 3 minutes into it I thought, “There is absolutely NO way I am ever going to make it to the top of this ridiculously large rock at this mind-blowing pace.” (which I’m sure was just normal walking for the average person). Nonchalantly I moved from the middle of our group to the back.

Quickly I formulated my escape plan – I would linger toward the end of our single-file line…and when it looked like the person in front of me was the least bit distracted I would say “You know, I think I’ll just head back down and have Karl pick me up.” (Karl was home with the girls so I could go on the hike).

This is about the point where I formulated
my plan to defect from the group
(the smile on my face is because I know I only
have about 2 more minutes of torture)

I tried to find the perfect moment to implement my secret plan to quit – but I didn’t count on the resolve of this group to see us all to the top. Much to my immediate annoyance, they wouldn’t let me quit. I tried from several different angles – but with no luck.

So, we split into 2 groups. The first we-are-super-fast-hikers-and-more-in-shape-than-I-could-hope-to-be-in-a-lifetime group and the second slower group (who pretended to not be in a hurry so I would feel less like a very dilapidated old lady).

I think they had seen too many nature shows – and didn’t want me to get picked off like the weak-link in the animal heard. You know…the zebra with a gash in its leg – lagging behind the group – just waiting to be cheetah chow.

the group that wouldn't let me quit

At any rate – the top seemed impossible, but somehow this team talked me to the peak.

And it was beautiful!

I had a new perspective – on where our township (Ocean View) stood on the landscape, on the beauty of Cape Town, on the fact that I actually didn’t die a slow and painful death right there on the trail in full view of unsuspecting nature-lovers. It really was amazing.

almost to the top

view from the top

As I reflect…here are my “valleys” and “mountain tops” since arriving here in Africa:

Valleys (my 3 low points):

1. CAN I HAVE SOME MONEY? Realizing that a girl from Nebraska, unaccustomed to such disparity between rich and poor, has a lot to learn was a low point. After I gave a woman a few dollars for bread, she later asked me for $50 (for some strange job scheme for her boyfriend). I said “no” to this – thinking the “giving money thing” was done – but then she later asked for more “bread money.”

Determining real need is important. In the end she and I had a heart-to-heart conversation where I said in essence, “You are my friend and when I give you money it turns you into a beggar and me into a Sugar Mama. I will help you in other ways.”

The “Can I have some money” question is very tricky. Sometimes it’s good to give – I have so much and they have so little – but perpetuating a relationship of dependency is not so good. Generosity is one of my core values and I hate saying “no” as it is. I am learning the hard way to give only as the Spirit leads.

2. MICRO-LOAN MISTAKE: I have started small with some pre-micro-loan experiments. We have tried a “cake business” – with buying cakes from a wholesale bakery. Not a bad plan – but when I bought the cakes I quickly realized I have no inherent skills on choosing the “must have cakes of 2010” for the residents of Ocean View.

3. BALANCING: For the first few months, I felt utterly overwhelmed trying to be a good mom to two little girls who just had their world rocked, reasonable wife who was not seconds away from a complete and utter break-down, engaged student in the CPx program, friendly house-mate, involved team member in the community – blah, blah, blah. Many days I was a mediocre mother and crazed wife who was not doing my fair-share of house duties and didn’t yet have a place in the community.

Mountain tops (my 3 high points)…

1. BIBLE STUDY: The Bible study with several Ocean View women has been amazing. I feel a real heart connection with them, and it’s inspiring to see the discovery process of what His Love Letter is saying to us.

2. MAKING CONNECTIONS: Teaching at the high school this week has been a highlight, and I’m looking forward to starting the “Amazing African Women Film Society” after school club this coming Tuesday. I’m also going to be offering a computer class for women in Ocean View to teach them how to create a resume, post it online, and handle email (the first steps in finding a permanent job). Next weekend Karl and I will help with the Adventure Camp for the Ocean View high school student council members. We know we are doing exactly what we were meant to do!

3. ENJOYING MOTHERHOOD: Now that the “teaching” part of CPx is over, I can create a more normal routine for the girls. I really enjoy spending more time with them. Here are their latest statements:

Jensen
- “Mommy, you’re married to daddy and I’m going to marry Emme. ”
- “Girls wear polish and boys wear beards. ”
- “Watch this!” (it’s always some new way she can twist her arms in the air or a funky kind of skip or twirl).
- Me: “Jensen – I remember when you were a TINY baby – why did you have to get so big?” Jensen: “Mom! I wanted to TALK!” (that’s FOR SURE)

Emme
- “Uh oh!” (whenever she drops something she feels we should be excited about picking up for her)
- “Tank Ew” (“Thank you” when Jensen gives her a blanket)
- “Papa!” (she calls for Karl from her bed in the morning)

I've never been a quitter - but that day I came close. Despite the valleys - the mountain tops here in Africa are worth it!

See more photos of the hike: http://karlandjulie.com/photos_chapmanspeak.asp

My Big Dream is to Live in a Tool Shed

In Ocean View there is a lot of talk about “Wendy Houses.”

For a long time I thought people were saying “Windy House” – since it looks like the wind could have its way with this house – although I thought “house” was a big stretch.

This week I learned it’s a WENDY House – named after Wendy in Peter Pan.

Apparently there is some part of the original story where Wendy is injured after arriving in Neverland and Peter Pan builds a small house around her where she had fallen.

Is it me – or does no one else remember this from the story? At least no one else that relies on Disney not to edit out crucial cultural axioms in their movie cartoons?

Essentially it’s a play house... a wooden shed. In the US – these are usually found in the back yard – accompanied by happy children (who most likely have also seen the cruelly deficient version of Peter Pan and have no idea they have their very own Wendy House) or garden tools (who remain mute on this point).

In the “haves” part of Cape Town – as in the US - these are pre-fabricated timber sheds which are delivered by a small truck and erected in the back yard as either a play area for children or tool shed.

For the “have nots” in Ocean View – these are luxury homes they could only hope to afford in another lifetime. In short, their big dream is to live in a tool shed.

I’ve come to learn a smaller Wendy House is aound $400 and a larger one is closer to $1,000. Sometimes they come with electricity and a few rooms.

Housing is the big deal in Ocean View.

A very big deal.

Years ago the government built “flats” (apartments that look like the “projects” in an urban US city) and these go for a mere $40 a month (or $6 if you prove you can’t afford that). Most people in Ocean View could afford one of these flats. The problem is not the rent – it’s the WAITING LIST. People have been waiting YEARS (some up to 10 years) for one of these flats. There are none available. This is why adult children, with their 3-4 children, never leave “home.” There is simply no place to go.

The women I know in Ocean View live in horrible situations with alcoholic, abusive parents who don’t want them there.

They would give anything for a Wendy House...a place to call their own. They want jobs – to pay for the Wendy House – but these are difficult to find.

They want a life – just like you and I - but forget about the vacations and new clothes and nice cars – they simply want with a job that pays the bills, food on the table every day (not every other day) and place they can call their own.

They want to fly.

From the 1953 Disney Movie….

Wendy: But, Peter, how do we get to Never Land?
Peter Pan: Fly, of course.
Wendy: Fly?
Peter Pan: It's easy! All you have to do is to... is to... is to... Ha! That's funny.
Wendy: What's the matter? Don't you know?
Peter Pan: Oh, sure. It's... It's just that I never thought about it before. Say, that's it! You think of a wonderful thought.
Wendy: I'll think of a mermaid lagoon, underneath a magic moon.
John: I'll think I'm in a pirate's cave.
Michael: I think I'll be an Indian brave.
Peter Pan: Now everybody try.
Wendy, John, Michael, Peter Pan: One, two, three!
Wendy, John, Michael: We can fly! We can fly! We can fly!
[the children all fall to the ground]
Peter Pan: This won't do. What's the matter with you? All it takes is faith and trust. Oh! And something I forgot.
Peter Pan: Dust!
Wendy, John: Dust?
Michael: Dust?
Peter Pan: Yep, just a little bit of pixie dust.
Peter Pan: Now, think of the happiest things. It's the same as having wings.

God Likes a Big Party

I love a party. I really do. Colors, themes, food, and FUN are a must. Festivity is everything and the more people the better!

This year for Emme’s second birthday we had a "tea and cakes" party for her and invited EVERYONE.

On the day of her party, as I looked around the café – un upper room filled with about 50 people – I saw all walks of life:

- business owner,
- doctor,
- nurse,
- teacher,
- aid worker,
- pastor,
- professional soccer player,
- counselor,
- house keeper,
- adoption specialist,
- artist,
- student,
- IT manager,
- mother,

...and people from Ocean View (a township) where work is hard to find and lives are desperate.

All had gathered to celebrate two years of life for our sweet little girl with Down syndrome.

I asked Colleen, one of my friends from Ocean View, “Have you ever been here before?”

She said, “No, I used to work at the restaurant across the street and often saw this café.”

Her friend Claudine piped in and said, “It’s nice to finally be inside a place we’ve only looked at and always wanted to go in.”

I felt so privileged to have my new friends there and I was reminded…the Kingdom of God is a party. Yes...it's true! God likes big parties.

Claudine, Julie and Emme

Colleen, Julie and Emme

Here are the words of Tony Campolo – who wrote a book on this topic (The Kingdom of God is a Party).

According to Jewish law (Deuteronomy 14), every year all Jewish families came to Jerusalem. They brought with them one-tenth of all the money they earned that past year. Can you imagine, one-tenth of the gross national product of the entire nation was gathered on Mount Zion! What were they going to do with all of that money? Were they going to feed the poor, clothe the naked? Were they going to build an educational extension onto the temple? No, none of these things.

One-tenth of all the wealth earned in Israel in the past year was brought to Jerusalem and (you're going to love this) it was blown on a party! That's right. A party. It must have been the most awesome party you could imagine. Everybody was invited — the lame, the blind, the halt, people who didn't have any means of income, the widows, the orphans. Everybody was there. There was singing, dancing and a lot of food.

The scriptures say, "Food and drink is ordered." It was a blow-out party to end all blow-out parties. No wonder the children of Israel said, "I was glad when they said unto me, let us go into the house of the Lord." Who wouldn't want to go to church if church was a party?

God wants all of us to know what kind of God He is. He is a God who loves parties.

When Jesus came on the scene, it was the same way. They asked Jesus point blank, "Tell us, what is the kingdom of God really like? What is this kingdom of God really all about?" Jesus' answer was, "The kingdom of God is like unto a wedding reception." A wedding reception? That's right.

He was Jewish, which is pretty close to being Italian. I don't know if you have ever been to an Italian wedding reception. If you have, you know of what I speak. They bring on the food. The father usually mortgages the house, takes all the money out of the bank, and throws this banquet to end all banquets and feasts. There is singing, there is dancing and there is celebration. It's a wild time.

Have you ever been to an Italian funeral? The only difference between an Italian funeral and an Italian wedding is that there is one less person at the Italian funeral. We are people who are into celebration. We are into joy; we are into partying.

I really feel that’s true. I want a party lifestyle – God’s joy, grace, generosity, hope – extended to all I meet. This is why the Kingdom is so exciting.

Religion is empty, hard, and meaningless. Nobody wants my religion.

People want a God who sees them and knows them…a God who loves them enough to invite them to His Party.

See "Happy Birthday Song to Emme" video: http://vimeo.com/10799941

More Party Photos: http://karlandjulie.com/photos_emmesparty.asp

7 Strange Things We Say….

Here a few things we thought we'd never say...

#1. Where did you put the internet? (You wouldn’t think it would be easy to misplace the Internet on a daily basis – but our internet connection is a little “flash drive” thingy that functions like a wireless cell phone connection to the internet – we can never remember where we put it!)

#2 Did you hide the computer? (since security is always a concern, when we leave our rooms, in addition to locking our door – we hide the computer too)

#3. Man it’s hot – about 35 degrees today! (35 degrees Celsius about 95 degrees Fahrenheit)

#4. Oh don’t worry about that…it’s just the rat living in our ceiling (HUGE rat that is…sounds more like a German Shepherd running around up there –more strange than a rat living in our ceiling is the fact that we don’t think much about it)

#5. Uh-oh – we forgot to get milk and now it’s 6:02 pm and the grocery store is already closed for the night. (6 pm is the normal time it closes - everything shuts down SO EARLY here).

#6. Yes, I would like a bag. (at the grocery store a bag is optional and it costs a few cents extra/ I guess some people carry their items out in their arms)

#7. Unleaded petrol please. (That’s what we say when we pull up to the gas station. Want to pump your own gas here? Forget it! All gas stations are full service and no one calls it “gas” – everyone says “petrol”)

Crocodiles, Great White Sharks and Cobras

Nothing is better than letters from home! The other day we received this letter from Sheree, Karl’s cousin…

We hope you are enjoying your experience so far – better than you even expected – except for the whole “snake in the kitchen” episode.

The day before we heard about that, Jackson (6 years old) came down from his room holding three of his wild animal cards. He had sorted out the ones that could be found in South Africa and announced with some worry in his voice that, “These are the three animals that could EAT Karl and Julie!”

They were crocodiles, great white sharks and cobras.

I ASSURED him that all of those animals live VERY FAR from Karl and Julie – out in the wild.

But alas, the next day mom was proved wrong! (see the "snake video" if you missed it - http://vimeo.com/10096943)

So now every night Jackson also prays that you all don’t get eaten by crocodiles, great white sharks and cobras. This is in addition to him praying that there wouldn’t be any earthquakes either…so know that you are well covered in prayer by Jackson alone, but the rest of us are praying too – just for good measure.

Thanks, Jackson. We thought we lived VERY FAR from these animals too. But apparently in Africa your kitchen counts as “the wild.”

Three Things I Love About Africa

#1 You can buy avocados at a red light. Seriously – at the “robot” (aka “stop light”) near our home a man walks from car to car selling bags of avocados for less than a dollar.

#2 Buy a Donkey - “Thank you” in Afrikaans sounds like you’re saying “buy a donkey” (Baie dankie). So if someone gives you back change at the grocery store you say “Buy a Donkey.” It seems like you’re unveiling plans for your next big mule purchase – but in actually it’s just a little gratitude.

#3 Pick N Pay – There is a real grocery store here. They do things a little differently – but it’s essentially the same. I do marvel at the name, however. In the states most businesses tend to avoid using the word “Pay” in your company name (people don’t PAY – they SAVE!)

I took a poll of our fellow CPx students (from all of the world, including Africans) and asked “What do you love most about Africa – in 10 seconds?”

Top 10 Things CPx Students Love About Africa:

1. Food (freshest food in the world – especially fruits and veggies)
2. Natural Beauty (back-drop of the ocean, mountains and forest is truly amazing)
3. Soccer (the style of soccer looks more like a dance)
4. Wildlife (penguins, baboons, elephants, ostriches, etc.)
5. Colorful People and Diverse Cultures (a unique blend of western and African cultures)
6. Patterns on the clothing (so colorful)
7. Sun (most days are sunny and warm)
8. Joyful people (even in the worst of circumstances)
9. Hospitable, warm, open people (no one hesitates to invite you into their home for tea)
10. Most people speak multiple languages (as in- more than 2 languages – it’s impressive – I feel like they often have to accommodate the poor American that only knows 1 language)