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)

Low Carbs, the StairMaster and Good Genes are Overrated

Have you heard about this?

Roseto, a little Italian community in Pennsylvania in the 1960’s, had no suicide, alcoholism, drug addiction and very little crime. No one was on welfare or had ulcers.

The death rate from heart disease was about 50% lower than expected. In fact the death rate from ALL causes was 30%-35% lower than the United States as a whole.

I’m reading “Outliers” by Malcolm Gladwell (a book about the unexpected pattern behind success) and it talks about Roseto. They couldn't figure it out!

At first they wondered if it was diet – perhaps the Rosetans were using some healthier Old World cooking practices? But they discovered they used just as much lard, sugar and fat as the average American. They didn’t exercise particularly much, smoked and struggled with obesity.

Then they looked into genetics – thinking that perhaps they all came from a hardy stock that protected them from disease. Not the case – as other decedents from the same town in Italy who did not settle in this little Roseto were not as healthy as their Rosetan cousins.

They also considered the possibility that maybe there was something special about the foothills of eastern Pennsylvania that was good for health. Another dead-end – as near-by towns did not have the same glowing health records.

After a while they realized it was the town itself.

“What (they) began to realize was that the secret of Roseto wasn’t diet or exercise or genes or location. It had to be Roseto itself. As (they) walked around the town, they figured out why. They looked at how the Rosetans visited one another, stopping to chat in Italian on the street, say, or cooking for one another in their backyards. They learned about the extended family clans that underlay the town’s social structure. They saw how many homes had three generations living under one roof, and how much respect grandparents commanded. They went to mass at Our Lady of Mount Carmel and saw the unifying and calming effect of the church. They counted twenty-two separate civic organizations in town of just under two thousand people. They picked up on the particular egalitarian ethos of the community, which discouraged the wealthy from flaunting their success and helped the unsuccessful obscure their failure.”

They didn’t have any less stress or problems than anyone else – they just had each other. Community in the truest sense produces better health and life expectancy than good diet, exercise or genes.

I was fascinated. I had to know more!

I researched the current status of Roseto and found that after interviewing town citizens in the 1960’s, researchers predicted the town would change, as the youth at that time had more “modern” ideas.

The town did change. Unfortunately.

The people of Roseto don’t go to church as much, stopped naming first born children after grandparents, put older people in nursing homes (instead of keeping them with the family), and are no longer concerned with hiding wealth and bought flashy cars.

Essentially selfishness was killing them. Literally.

Who has time to go to church? Who has the energy to take care of aging family members? Who doesn’t want to show off with a few impressive possessions?

Roseto makes me think of Africa townships.

There certainly is a sense of community here – people don’t hesitate to invite you into their home. It’s not unusual to find three generations living together. And they all seem to go to church.

But something’s missing. The death rate and level of disease is horrific, and crime is off the charts.

The family structure here has completely fallen apart – and I think that’s the key. Family.

Rosetans had family. Real deal family. Not just the basics – mothers and fathers (most homes here do not have both parents) – but grandparents – and essentially a whole neighborhood that functioned like family.

That’s what I want.

We are learning to live in community here at All Nations –this close knit group of strangers from all over the world. There is something to be said for cooking together, cleaning together, playing together, praying together and working together. Being family.

I want to have this lifestyle of “family” – wherever we go….making strangers feel like neighbors….making relationship more important than accomplishment…making time for the seemingly unimportant. I think this is what Jesus did all the time.

It seems family is better than vitamins, gym memberships and perfect genes. Huh!

I No Speaka English.

Apparently it’s me that doesn’t speak English.

I keep using the wrong terminology and people look at me like they really want to understand - but honestly have no idea what I’m saying.

SOUTH AFRICAN TERMINOLOGY TO NOTE

1. AT A RESTAURANT

- "Take Away" food is "To Go" food
- "Chips" are "fries"
Do you want to take away your chips? (Do you want your fries to go?).
What I'm thinking: Please don't take away my fries.

2. CHORES

- "Tumble Dry" is the "clothes drier" - as opposed to wash line drying
- “Nappy” is diaper
I'll change Emme's nappy then tumble dry her pants (I’ll change Emme’s diaper then put her pants in the drier).
What I'm thinking: Isn't "nappy" what Emme does in the afternoon while she's sleeping?

3. IN THE KITCHEN
- “Crockery” is “dishes”
- “Cutlery” is “silverware”
- A “serviette” is a “napkin”
- A “tap” is a “facet” (you "open" it - instead of "turning it on")
Throw away your serviette and open the tap to wash your crockery and cutlery. (Throw away your napkin and turn on the facet to wash your dishes and silverware.).
What I'm thinking: What??!?

4. ON THE STREET

- “To pitch” is to “show up”
- A “robot” is a “stop light”
- A “traffic fine" is a “speeding ticket”
- A “speed cob” is a “police man"
- “Skipped” for “ran through”

I didn’t pitch at the meeting because I got a traffic fine from the speed cop when I skipped the robot (I didn’t show up at the meeting because I got a ticket from the police man when I ran through the red light).

What I'm thinking: I don't get it! Whenever someone says "turn left at the robot" I can't help but picture Rosie, the Jetson's maid, out on the streets of Africa directing traffic.

5. AT THE BEACH

- Costume is a "swimming suit"

You're going to the beach? Let me get my costume! (You're going to the beach? Let me get my swimming suit!)

What I'm thinking: Wow! They wear costumes to the beach here? THIS I've got to see! It was very disappointing to realize a costume is only a swimming suit. If only we wore costumes to the beach!