well, things are quite lively here. a few days ago we had the opportunity to go to a traditional Zulu engagement ceremony. it was phenomenal! there was all sorts of dancing, chanting and gift bringing. the ceremony lasted from around noon until late in the evening, though we left at 4. i took a lot of pictures and videos that i hope to post sometime when i figure out how to do it and remember my camera.
the ceremony took place deep in the village and we were the only white people there. this is quite revolutionary here in South Africa since there is still so much racial segregation in the rural areas. it was actually a great honor for the bride's family to have some white people in attendance. they were all eager to talk to us despite the language barrier... which made for some fun interactions.
something else that has been very interesting and has brought a lot of adventure and excitement to our lives are the forest fires. over the past week i bet i have seen at least 10 fires of the large nature. there have been two that have encroached on the property that we are living on, one of which we had to fight at about 9 pm on friday night. five of us put it out in about a half hour. after this josh and i chased the fire the other way with our cameras. we ran through a field with grass that was as tall as i so that we could get good pictures. i found out later that the field we ran through likely has a few cobras living in it. glad we didn't encounter any on our crazy trek!
apparently august is the windy month here and also one of the driest times too. often the small cooking fires in the villages can get away in the wind or a cigarette butt can land in the wrong place or "controlled" burns become uncontrollable. in any case, they create a lot of smoke and a nice orange glow at night. don't worry, i've been taking pictures of this too!! just last night i actually saw a large fire in town that had caught a big pine tree on fire. it was quite a sight, but i didn't have my camera at the time.
so, i've been fully immersed in the South African culture... and if it continues like this, i may never come back... haha. if i don't die that is.
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4 comments:
hi aaron, it was great to read your blog and find out a little more about what's going on. i was a bit alarmed to hear about the cobras. i will continue to pray for you, specifically your personal safety and then the lives of those you encounter. i know that you will make a difference.
Bro good to see you're immersing yourself in the culture! That's one thing I regret not doing more while i was in Rwanda. You're definitely in my prayers.
Oh, my! I don't know about all of this - guess our faith here is being put to the test as we read about your "tests"! What I can picture, though, is you loving on those little kids there showing them the Father's love... Baba to them! Can't wait to read your next entry! Love you!
Aaron, Thanks for your transparent posts so we can continue to "thank God on every remembrance of you." What a joy to see all the passion the Lord has birthed in you. Don't dwell on the discouragement around you, "for whatever is born of God is victorious over the world; and this is the victory that conquers the world, even our faith. Who is it that is victorious over the world but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God (who adheres to, trusts in and relies on that fact)?" I John 5:4-5 Miss you!
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