Another tough day in Africa!

Ah, yes, another tough day in Africa! We're at Strand beach having bite to eat at sunset. The scenery is good, it's a fantastic day, 'en die Kaap is nog steets Hollands'!

Two ponies in their stable.

Can you believe that they managed to fit both my German luxury vehicle (aka the BMW 650GS on the left) and my Italian stalion (aka Mertyl the orange 1967 Vespa on the right) into the removal truck that brought our belongings the 1419 km's from Johannesburg to Cape Town!?

Well, here they are, two ponies safely in their stable!

Suffering from 'internetlessness' what's the best solution? A little help please!

For the past four years I have had ADSL broadband at both my home and my office.  For those in the UK and the US, ADSL is the fastest 'wired' internet access we have in South Africa.  Because of our telecommunications company, TELKOM's monopoly on the 'pipes' in and out of the country through SAIX all other providers have to rent bandwidth from them.

ADSL has been quite fine for my needs.  I seldom stream more than a few seconds of youtube, I don't download large updates, videos, or huge files.  At most I download a 40MB MP3 every other day as a podcast on iTunes.  

Now, however, my broadband needs have changed with our move.  First, I will be traveling quite a bit, so I do need a solution that will make internet access available at a fairly fast and reliable rate throughout South Africa, and even the world when necessary.  Second, we are renting our current home for just a few months while we look to sell our old house in Somerset West and buy something that is a bit larger.  So, we don't want the hassle of waiting for TELKOM to install a phone line, process our application for ADSL, charge us huge installation fees, and then have to go through all the hassle and expense in a few months time when we move.  Third, at work I am locked into a fairly restricted corporate network.  They use a Microsoft exchange server, which means that my MAC gives them headaches so they have asked if I would please use a Windows laptop (they are buying me a little Windows subnotebook for work purposes - either a Sony TZ, or the Acer 6292).  This means that my Macbook Pro (which is the machine from which I blog, record my podcasts, record my Radio Pulpit weekly shows, upload and download podcasts etc.) will not have steady broadband access through a regular network.

SO, here's the question:  What is the BEST and CHEAPEST broadband solution to meet our internet needs?

1)  Bite the bullet and get ADSL put in at home!

2)  Sign your life away and get a VODACOM 3G card.

3)  Didn't you know that you can use xxxx solution in the Helderberg Basin!?

If you have any advice, insight, or help you can offer to cure our 'internetlessness' in the Somerset West area I would be eternally grateful!

Please, also just drop a comment to let me know what broadband solution you use!  I would be interested to know (corporate network, University network, leaching your neighbour's wifi, dialup, etc.)

Thanks!

PS.  We had our first 'flood' in our new house last night.  We started a load of washing at 10pm, only to discover at 11.30pm that the washing machine wasn't working so we had a few inches of water throughout the house (and many boxes still unpacked on the floor....)  MANY, MANY, MANY towels and buckets later we had moped up most of the mess and hit the hay.  The good news is that I have fixed the washing machine!

Babysitting, flexibility and life. If you can't bend you may just break.

I had a little revelation yesterday, nothing too profound, just a thought.  You know, life is a lot like babysitting!  

One of the struggles that we have encountered in our move this week is the fact that I am pretty useless when it comes to unpacking, moving things, and carrying anything around.  My crutches leave me rather helpless in the department where husbands normally excel...  So, my saint of a wife Megie has been bearing the brunt of getting us settled into our new home.  Together with that Little Liam has been rather unsettled for the last week and a bit.  It is quite understandable.  We have been stressed, and babies are quite sensitive to that.  But, over and above that, he has watched his whole world get packed into boxes, his movement has been restricted, his regular patterns and habits have been disturbed and he has had to spend quite a bit of time being told that he should not touch this or that, and not go here or there.  The long and the short of it is that I have done my best to keep him occupied while Megie tackles the boxes.  Liam doesn't seem to find me nearly as interesting (or useful) as his mom!  When he is with her he is quite happy just to be on her lap or hip.  When he is with me, however, he needs to entertained!

We have a number of 'props' and toys that keep him occupied.  However, I have come to understand that his attention span is about as short as that of his old dad.  Every few minutes the activity needs to change, or otherwise he goes off in search of his mom!  What keeps him occupied now will not necessarily keep him occupied in 5 minutes time.  Flexibility and novelty seem to be the keys to successful babysitting!

Well, that was the source of my revelation.  

Here I am a 36 year old doctoral graduate who has spent his adult life in ministry of one form or another (except for some time as a conscript in the South African Army, and far too many years at University).  Mid life for contemporary males is 36 years old (I'm not sure if you've ever done the Math on this!  They say that the average age at which a relatively healthy, white, South African Male dies, at this point in time, is 72 years old.  Divide 72 in half and you have 36, my exact age.  Mid life....)  Mid life is an extraordinary time!  It has caused me to reflect on what I spend my hours and days doing.  The previous 36 years have passed like a flash!  Sure, there have been very many incredible, rewarding, life altering, consciousness raising, Christ loving, moments... But boy it has passed way too quickly.  So, what shall I do with the next 36 years (which I hope to live to the full...  I should make it to 72 years old if I don't ride my scooter to often...)?

That was when I realised that flexibility and novelty are key to getting the best out of life and living.  Sure, one needs stability, and one must capitalise on what one knows (it would be stupid for me NOT to do something in theology, science, ministry etc.)... But, within those parameters one needs to have COURAGE to dare to do new things, and FLEXIBILITY to be able to role with the changes.

If you cannot venture with courage you will quickly become stagnant and stale.  And, if you cannot be flexible you will very quickly break under the pressure of an ever changing life.

How courageous are you?  How flexible and open to change are you?  These might just be two keys to greater fulfillment and blessing life!

Thinking outside the box... It sure changes one's perspective on life!

Well, our removal company arrived at 17h00 yesterday to offload our 'stuff'... They were supposed to get here in the morning but they were running late. So, once they had squeezed the truck into our driveway they started the process of unloading our belongings (even my BMW 650GS and my Vespa were on the truck). They left at about 21h30. So, today we start unpacking.

There is something comforting about knowing that all of one's possessions are in the house (even though they're boxed ans wrapped). Last night Courtney and Liam slept on their beds, Megie and I slept on our mattress (there was not enough space for our bed among the boxes).

It's another lovely day in paradise!

Here's Liam in a box. Thinking outside of the box helps, but keeping a 16 month old in a box while one is trying to unpack helps even more!

Happy to be home!

Here's little Liam enjoying our new home!

We had such a lovely 'send off' at the College on Friday - I will miss my friends (both staff and students) so much! It feels quite strange not to be at Chapel at 7h15 on a Tuesday morning. I have been thinking about the college all morning. In my prayers I have asked the Lord will take care of everything that needs to be done for the sake of the students, and also to help lighten the load that Neville, Dix, and Ruth will bear until they find a replacement to fill my post.

Our farewell service at Bryanston Methodist Church was also very emotional! I cannot tell you how much I will miss our family there. That community has left an incredible impression upon us! They loved us, showed us such acceptance and care, and helped us to develop our discipleship of Jesus. It is truly a remarkable Church. I was constantly amazed that I should have the privelage to minister there.

Well, now we're back home! We had 6 incredible years of ministry here in Somerset West (a year of which was spent in Stellenbosch when I was doing my doctorate there). As we drove through Stellenbosch last night it just felt so familiar, so wonderful to be back!

Today our belongings will arrive just after lunch and the big job of unpacking will start. We will take a break just before sunset to take a walk on the beach (well, I'll sit on the side... My crutches don't cope too well on beach sand! Ha ha!)

We've arrived!

We arrived in Somerset West this evening after a pleasant drive from JHB. We left Bryanston where we stayed for the weekend with Megie's sister, at 4h00 and arrived in Somerset West at 21h30. That's a 17 and a half hour drive (if my tired brain is doing the Math correctly)! My friend Pete Grassow was an absolute star! He drove my car most of the way, I only drove for about two hours from Richmond to somewhere just past Beaufort West (when Pete drove Megie's car so that she could have a little sleep). It still amazes me that we have such a dear friend who would fly to JHB in order to help us drive back to Cape Town! Thank you Pete! What would we have done without you! Your willingness to serve, your care, kindness and friendship, are such a blessed encouragement!

When we arrived at our new home in Somerset West our friends Andre and Michelle Boer were waiting for us! This was another incredible expression of care and love! They had made a bed for Megie and I to sleep on this evening, and another for Courtney to use, there was Pizza, tea, coffee and some coke, and a whole stack of bright baloons! We feel so much at home already.

Tonight I give thanks to God for safe travels. I give thanks for my wonderful wife Megie and all her hard work, dedication, and love. I thank God for good friends such as Pete, Andre and Michelle. I thank God for our new home. I thank God for new opportunities, and for the blessing of all that is past! I thank God for the students and staff of John Wesley College, and for our family and friends at the Bryanston Methodist Church - we are loved so much more than we could ever deserve! Thank you Lord!

Now, it's time to sleep! Tomorrow the removal truck arrives and we start the job of unpacking our stuff! More news and pictures to follow soon.

Thanks for all your love and prayers!

Somewhere between Richmond and Beaufort West

We're on the road to Cape Town today! This photo was taken in 'middle South Africa', somewhere between Richmond (a one horse town where the horse up and left), and Beaufort West. Surprisingly it is quite green out here. They must have had some rain recently. That is my good wife, Megan's, car in front. My good friend Pete flew up to Johannesburg to help us drive. Right now he's driving with Megie and Courtney and myself are in my car. 600 km's to go!

Goodbye Pretoria, hello Cape Town!

It is a lovely day in Pretoria today! As you can see from this picture. The weather is great, the sun is out, and there is just a gentle breeze to keep the heat at bay. Today we say goodbye to Pretoria and begin the move to Cape Town. It will be a gradual move since I have a wedding and a final service in Bryanston on Saturday and Sunday respectively. So, while our belongings hit the long road today (1419 km's to be exact), we shall only follow on Monday.

Pretoria has been a fantastic city in which to live! The weather is great, there is a lot to do, it is very green, there's lots of space, and within a few minutes you're out in the countryside. Sure there are some issues with safety and crime (we had an attempted car hi-jacking in 2004, a 'smash and grab' in 2005, and two break ins (even though we live right across the road from the 'Scorpions's (South Africa's version of the FBI) headquarters). However, there are much worse areas for crime and safety in Gauteng (and the Cape), for example the East Rand where we have a friend who has endured 4 car hi-jackings in the last few years).

I will confess, however, that we're looking forward the beauty of Cape Town. The weather is not quite as temperate (jokingly, Cape Town is like a baby - if it's not wet, it's windy!), but the scenery is great, the beaches are fantastic, the mountains are breathtaking, and we have many, many, good friends.

It's moving time!

Yup, it's moving time. We are so fortunate that the removal company is packing for us (a first time experience)! I feel quite helpless on crutches - but at least we know that all of our belongings are safe, and will arrive in Somerset West (Cape Town) safely. I have felt quite tense about the whole move simply because we are normally all packed about a week in advance. However, by last night our home had only 3 packed boxes! Today it's a different story as you can see.

Well, seaside living, mountain air, and of course, the 'mother of all cities' - Cape Town.

The Body of Christ loving itself through its members...

I cannot imagine how persons in contemporary society cope with the pressures, demands, expectations, disappointments, struggles - and of course the joys, celebrations, and events of thanksgiving - without being part of a Church community!

Yesterday I posted about how low I was feeling as our move approached, more and more just seemed to be piling up, and we needed support, encouragement and prayer. The response to that call for help was amazing!

I had a number of encouraging text messages and emails, quite a few phone calls, and some wonderfully practical offers of help! Thanks Juan and Mark for your willingness to help us with Wendy!

Some (who shall remain nameless by choice) put us in touch with a very kind (and gentle) lawyer! So, he (the lawyer) phoned the managing agent of the complex that had decided we could not bring our little dog Wendy to simply request copies of the constitution and rules and regulations - no veiled threats, no pressure, just a request to see what the current legal position was. Within minutes the very difficult woman who had been so rude to Megan changed her mind about our little dog! It would seem that there was no authority to deny our request, and that her rude and dismissive demeanor was uncalled for.

SO, praise the Lord, Wendy the dog gets to go to Cape Town with us!

Moreover, I got a phone call from the Managing Director of Volkswagen SA's office to sort out my car... At last! So, when I get to Somerset West it will be taken to VW there and hopefully rectified once and for all!

Two things have struck me in this process:

1. Why is it necessary to revert to calling on 'the big guns' to get things done that should be done as a matter of courtesy and common decency? Has our recognition of our common humanity (and the miracle that every person, regardless of race, title, standing or position in society, is created in the image of Almighty God!) been so eroded by greed, selfishness and abuse that we forget to treat one another with dignity and care? I wish for God's Kingdom of 'eternal Shalom' (a peace that passes all understanding), where we can be truly human with one another. A place where I don't have to be 'Doctor Forster' to get things done. A place where we don't have to call a lawyer just to ensure that we get treated just and fairly. A place where trust and common decency means that you don't have to go the managing director of a firm to get something fixed that you have already paid for. I long for that Kingdom. And, because I long for it, I shall work for it! Matthew 6:10 says "Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven". Now that's something I can live for, that's something I can spend the rest of my days doing!
2. The second thing that I realised is that until this perfect utopia comes to pass, I shall certainly need some support and care! And, of course, I shall need to offer support and care to those who suffer under the imperfection of our common reality. There is a line in one of the prayers of the Walk to Emmaus spiritual directors' handbook which says something like "Today you have witnessed the miracle of the body of Christ loving itself through its members...". Anyone who has been a spiritual director more often than me will certain know the prayer well. It expresses what we are experiencing, and what we have experienced today - the love of Christ, through the body of Christ!

So, thank you. Thank you sisters and brothers for your prayers, and for your practical care. Tonight I rest with an easier heart.

Tomorrow the removal company arrives to pack our home and my office... Then, on Monday we drive to the promised land! A land where there is plentiful rain to keep the grass green and the vines growing. A land where the is plentiful wind to blow away the germs. A land where the scenery is breathtaking, and where God's Rugby team (the Stormers) play Rugby. A land that has the 'mother' of all cities and the 'flattest' of all mountains - Cape Town, here we come.

Technorati tags: lawyers, Christian Love, The Walk to Emmaus, Cape Town, gratitude, thanksgiving

Lord, please give me a break! No, not one like that...

Today I had to take a few minutes out of the last minute rush around as we prepare for our move to Cape Town to pray a short little prayer - I simply prayed 'Lord, please give me a break'.

I can tell you that Megie and I are feeling quite stretched at the moment.

Moving is a stressful enterprise at the best of times, but when you have one partner in the marriage on crutches, and one child in the household with special medical needs, moving takes on a whole new dimension. I have to pay loving tribute to Megan, my ONLY wife of 14 years. She has taken up the slack, borne up under the pressure, and ensured that between having me in hospital, and Liam with his 4th bout of tonsillitis in as many weeks, we are ready to move when the removals company arrives on Thursday to 'deal with our belongings'.

Today, however, we received another bit of running interference... A month ago when we signed the contract for the home that we shall be renting in Somerset West, we followed the complex rules, as stipulated by Aida properties, so that we could have our pet doggie 'Wendy' with us. The rules stipulated that one may have one pet dog (tick), not too large (tick), and that one must apply in writing (tick), and have the permission of the owners if one is a tenant (tick). Everything was sorted out for our new (temporary) home. You see, even though we own a small townhouse in Somerset West, we cannot move into it ourselves. First, because SMALL is the operative word in the description 'small townhouse' - the small townhouse in question only has two bedrooms (we are four persons), and it has no garage and only space to park one car (we have two cars, a Vespa (praise the Lord), and a BMW motorcycle). Second, we could not move in there because we have a tenant, a good one at that, who lives in the small townhouse.

So, we sought a place to stay, turning down many cheaper, and more suitable complexes and free standing houses, in order to find a place where we could keep our little doggie Wendy.

Today, however, a very obnoxious managing agent told Megan that our request had been summarily denied, and that tenants are no longer allowed to have pets in the complex (the right to a single dog is only open to 'owners'), and that this rule had changed a year ago (even though the contract that they leasing agent had supplied us gave us the full procedure listed above). The contract that we signed clearly stipulated that we were allowed to have our dog if we applied for her, which we did. Moreover, to tell us on Tuesday, when we move on Thursday, that we cannot bring out pet is simply heartless!

Sometimes I think that we (and I include myself in the collective 'we') forget that rules affect the real lives of real people... Compassion, just a little compassion.

So, I prayed 'Lord, please GIVE ME A BREAK!' I feel helpless. I cannot carry a box, drive a car, or even walk without crutches because of the 'break' to my leg... I feel like I have been getting a lot of 'breaks' like that lately. I need encouragement, help, and solutions.

Tonight I shall have to tell my 8 year old daughter that we cannot take our dog with us to Cape Town... Then, in the next 3 days I need to find a good home for Wendy. I don't know how I am going to do it? 'Lord, please give me a break!'

Oh, and did I mention that my car which has been back to Hatfield VW too many times to count (for the same electrical fault) broke down on the way home from Church last night...!?