Don't Talk to Strangers

My mother is a Lutheran,

My father is a Lutheran,

That’s why I am a Lutheran,

I am Lutheran, I am!

This is a song that was introduced to me at a young adult conference here in South Africa, and since then I have been well exposed to it- in Masealama and elsewhere. Once I started to think about the lyrics, I realized the important question which is often raised to which this song responds... Why are you a Lutheran?

My answer is simple, and I am sure many would respond in the same way- I was raised Lutheran. I am Lutheran because my parents baptized me as such and have dragged me to church every Sunday since- willing or not. This song addresses how my Lutheran roots began, but not how I have chosen to continue being a Lutheran since then.

After 18, you are no longer under your parents’ control, at least not legally. You begin your independent life, and begin making choices for yourself instead of doing what is instructed of you. Whether you go off to university or find a job and enter into the “real world”, you will likely be exposed to a completely new environment full of diversity. In my experience, I ventured off to the University of Clemson to pursue my degree in architecture. While I did not travel that far from home, when I first set foot on campus I met people from all different walks of life- students and teachers who were rich, poor, white, black, Christian, Muslim, American, South African, doctors, engineers, and everything in between. In fact, about the only thing my roommate and I had in common was that we were both girls. As I interacted with this diversity and made friends, I was exposed to a wide variety of traditions, cultures, and religions that I did not find in my neighborhood school system or Sunday school classes. This sudden exposure to diversity often has a confusing effect on young adults.

It is not surprising then that, in a recent survey conducted by LifeWay Research, 7 in 10 previously active Protestants between the ages of 18 and 30 said that they had quit attending church regularly by the age of 23. This drop occurs over that crucial period where youth become independent from their parents and guardians and begin to make decisions for themselves. As our youth rapidly disappear from our churches, the question we should ask is, what are we doing or not doing that is causing this?

In a world which seems to be becoming ever more diverse, we find ourselves increasingly exposed to “strangers”- whether it is in university, in our workplace, on the internet, in the news, or even in the house next door. As immigration increases and people of varying cultures and religions disperse across the globe, as our international media coverage becomes more widespread, and as our international relations become more intertwined, the lives of others who used to be so far separated from us are suddenly thrust in our faces. And if the church does not respond well to this increasing diversity and practice pluralism instead of just preaching tolerance, no wonder our youth wind up confused and loose faith in their particular religious institution! They are constantly surrounded by diversity and taught to be tolerant of others, but they are not properly equipped to resolve this tolerance with their religious beliefs. For example, imagine you attend a university and you become close friends with a person who is Muslim. You know this person to be kind, trustworthy, faithful, loving, and maybe you even consider them to be a better than yourself. Then comes the question- because you are Christian and believe in God and Jesus Christ as your savior, does this mean that you have to believe that your new friend will not be going to heaven? Why would they be cast aside merely because of their Muslim beliefs when they seem to have more faith and spirituality than you do? The result of this internal conflict usually leaves the youth in confusion and doubt in their religion, and without knowing how to resolve it, they drop out and relate to each other on secular terms. Much easier to handle, and it seems to be a viable solution to moving toward a pluralistic society. Or maybe as you discuss beliefs with your Muslim friend, you find that some parts of their religion make a lot of sense. But how can you still be Christian if you find truths in other faiths?

You see the dilemma. 18 to 30 year old youths are constantly faced with these questions, and in the process of finding themselves in this new world, they often loose their connection to organized religion. So how can our churches begin to address this? As our society becomes increasingly diverse, ecumenical interactions are becoming more prevalent. Maybe your church interacts with other churches down the street as you gather for a dinner, or you all combine together to donate clothing to a homeless shelter. But during these interactions, how many of your youth and children are involved? Do you ever address the fundamental differences in beliefs that separate you, and how they are resolved so that you can promote interaction in events such as these? We spend so much time teaching our children and youth what it means to be Christian, or specifically, what it means to be Lutheran, that we forget to teach them what this means in their relation to others of varying beliefs.

After three years of confirmation classes and a lifetime of church attendance, I thought I had it all figured out. When I went to Clemson, I knew that I wanted to connect with the Lutheran church as soon as I got there- join the choir, be a member of the Lutheran Campus Ministry (LCM), and continue my life in the church where I knew I belonged. It was a simple choice that I made, unknowing of the diversity I would face and the questions which would be raised in my faith. If it had not been for Campus Ministry, I would probably be among those seven youth who drop out of protestant churches by the age of 23. But LCM provided me with the tools necessary to resolve these internal conflicts. On Wednesday night gatherings we would have speakers from other denominations and religions come and speak on their beliefs. We would ask questions, locate differences, but on top of everything, find communal beliefs that brought us together and learn how religions could fit into a pluralistic world. LCM taught me how to relate to people of different cultures and beliefs without loosing my own beliefs, and how the relation between us could actually strengthen both of us. Of course, this has just been further strengthened here in South Africa. I may be relating mainly to Lutherans, but our cultures are widely different. But, because of LCM, I do not try to change them, they do not try to change me, and together we learn from each other.

“To each of you God has prescribed a law and a way. If God would have willed, He would have made you a single people. But God’s purpose is to test you in what he has given each of you, so strive in the pursuit of virtue, and know that you will all return to God, and He will resolve the matters in which you disagree.”

Here is your quiz: where in the Bible does this inspirational excerpt appear? It sounds vaguely like it could be Paul’s words to the Galatians, but no, this text comes from the Qur’an 5:49. It speaks a message which is resonated in the Bible, and maybe even puts things more clearly than Paul does. We may all have different beliefs, but if we strive to be the best Christian, Muslim, Jew, Buddhist, whatever we believe- then we will all return to the one God who unites us. That is how I have currently resolved conflicting faiths in my life, and how I have maintained my Lutheran beliefs over the confusing years of my independent life. My hope is that churches will begin to respond to diversity early with the youth in their congregations, so maybe the staggering statistics of youth leaving protestant churches will begin to fall. That way, when they are asked “Why Lutheran” by someone with different beliefs somewhere down the road, they are able to answer them with the confidence that although their faiths may conflict, they do not divide.

~Heather Anne Nelson

CAUTION: Snakes on the Premises

This video speaks for itself.

My Recipe Competition

I have entered into a competition for recipes dealing with heritage, and how food is so integral to culture. As they have moved my recipe onto the next round, they have asked me to post a link to their website on my blog- Easy Recipes. My entry is as follows, for those who are interested.

As you drive down the road in my home town after dark, you will see hundreds of neon signs illuminating the parking lots of the local restaurants. Italian, Chinese buffet, pizza, burgers, BBQ, Japanese, Mexican, Greek, subs, and the typical American cuisine are just a few among many cuisines from which you can choose. These neon-signed restaurants are also reflected inside to the homes in my community. Growing up, we would have so much variety that it would make your head spin, and besides Taco Thursdays we would rarely repeat a meal in one month. So the term “staple food” meant nothing to me, until I arrived in South Africa six months ago…

In September of 2010 I joined a global mission program of the ELCA, and was placed in a small village in the Limpopo province of South Africa known as Masealama. The language, the landscape, the people, the songs, the lifestyle- many things have their differences with my life in North America, but one of the first things that came to my attention was the food.

Walking into work at the Drop-In Centre (which feeds orphans and vulnerable children) on the first day, I was greeted with friendly faces gathered around the stove. As I sat down and sipped tea with the ladies, one of them got up to begin preparing lunch for us. She walked over to a large bowl in the sink and started pulling out long rubbery strings and cleaning out the inside of the goop which was in them. “Do you know what these are?” she asked me. I had never seen anything like it really. “No” I replied. “These are chicken intestines, you will eat them.” So sure enough, my first meal in my new home for a year was chicken intestines, achaar (a spicy concoction made with mangos), and pap- the staple food of South Africa.

I knew I would be eating differently as I was immersed in this culture. I have certainly have had my fair share of interesting meals here- chicken intestines, cow intestines, cow heel, worms from Mopani trees, chicken heads and feet, and more. These things were more of what I was expecting- completely different food. But what I did not expect was the staple food which is eaten for every meal here. Pap, or porridge, is made from maize meal. In my region it is cooked soft (known as motepa) which is usually eaten for breakfast or hard (known as bogobe) which is usually eaten for lunch and dinner. It can be eaten with anything and everything- pap and eggs, pap and milk, pap and fish, pap and chicken, pap and mašotša (Mopani worms), pap and morogo (spinach), and of course, pap and tripe (intestines). Pap is well-loved, and even physically “needed” for life here in South Africa. Some people claim that they can not live without it, and when asked what kind of pap we have in the States, they are surprised to learn that we do not have pap- or even a staple food of any kind!

South Africa has taught me about the deeper meaning of food. Food expresses who you are; it is part of your culture and your heritage. Throughout South Africa pap is common, but in the various regions, the pap is cooked differently. The pap in my area is distinct in that it is cooked into a ball which hardens a little on the outside and thus gives allows it to maintain its shape.

No matter where you go in South Africa, you can tell where a person is from by their pap. They are all made from the same ingredients, but cooked differently enough to have many varieties. And this is true for our world. All of our food comes from the same place, the earth. We eat fruits, vegetables, meat, and grains, all of that is the same globally. How we prepare our meals is what varies. Recipes are personal and often do reflect the culture of the area (especially in South Africa) but ingredients and food are universal. No matter what you are eating, we are all the same.

RECIPE FOR LIMPOPO PAP:

Ingredients:

120g maize meal

600ml water

Method

1. Bring the water to boil in a pot

2. Add approximately 75 g of maize meal gradually and stir well with the wooden stirrer lefetlho until mixture thickens.

3. Cook for 10 minutes

4. Add the remaining meal, stirring well with a wooden spoon.

5. Cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

6. Form into ball and serve hot.

Re a Kgona

Recently I have started volunteering at another organization in Turfloop known as Re A Kgona (translated as We Can) for added exposure to different experiences in this area. The centre, run out of the house of a now deceased lady who started by feeding children on the streets out of her garage, has expanded exponentially and is now home to a crèche, nursery, and a drop-in centre for the orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) of Turfloop.

The other day while volunteering, I accompanied two ladies who run the centre for home visits to the guardians of OVC’s which we serve. It was a surprisingly warm day for mid-April, and the hot sun beat down on us for our long journey- Re A Kgona covers orphans from a large area so we had to walk quite a distance to visit a few.

Our first destination was a lady who watches over 12 children- some orphans, some her own. A few years back her younger sister was killed by her husband who then killed himself, leaving their children orphaned. Her younger brother also died leaving children behind and she, being the only female sibling left (and females typically are responsible for the care of children in this culture), became responsible for 12 children in total. Imagine taking care of a dozen children who are emotionally traumatized by their parent’s tragic deaths, all the while trying to grieve and come to peace with the situation yourself. It leads to much stress on the part of the care taker, which in turn puts stress on the children, and the situation ends up being quite a mess. What shocked me the most about our visit with this lady was when she mentioned what disturbed her most- the social worker. She said that the social worker would come by and check on the children to make sure they are happy and healthy and in a good, supportive environment, but they would not once ask her how she was doing. She said it was as if they did not care about her, but there are two sides to caring for orphans in this world, the orphan and the caregiver. She needs to be remembered and aided for her psychological well-being just as much as those children.

Next we visited a young lady who takes care of two orphans. During her visit she expressed her concern with their attitudes- they refuse to help out around the house, to listen or respect her, and they have even beaten her on occasion. Being as young as she is, she is already very sick, and she can not deal with the constant struggles with them. She is thankful for the drop-in centre which provides them with food daily, and relieves some of her stress as they spend time there instead of causing trouble at home. She is trying to do well, but the children will not accept her as a mother figure as they are still trying to grieve and accept the loss of their own mother.

Finally we make our way to the other side of Turf for a very different experience- we visited a child headed family. The mother passed away in 2005, and since that moment a young girl became responsible for her five younger siblings. In 2006 they were introduced to Re A Kgona who helped them receive a foster grant, and now the younger siblings are able to receive school uniforms and food from the centre daily, which was the saving grace for this family. The second youngest sibling described to me why Re A Kgona made such a difference to them- she said in 2005 the family was struggling. No head of the family meant no money and no food, so even though they pushed their younger siblings to stay in school, they were struggling to do well with the hunger in their stomachs. But as soon as they started attending the Drop-In Centre, there was an immediate turn around in their schooling- she said they became BRIGHT as they could now focus on school instead of the pain in their stomach. Even though the older child was forced at a young age to make many sacrifices to keep her family together, she has done an amazing job, as the siblings remain close knit and very willing to help each other. The responsibilities of the household are shared, and there is an overabundance of respect and love given to and from each one of them.

On our way back to the centre we were stopped by an old lady who needed help opening her gate. We kindly stopped to help her, and she started to ask us who we were. We mentioned that we were working at Re A Kgona, a Drop-In centre in Turfloop, and she asked if we took care of children with disabilities as well. Well no, currently we only take care of OVC’s, and even with them we have our hands full. She asked us to come across the street with her to see her grand-daughter who is disabled and with whom she could use a lot of help. We sidetracked to her house, and were brought inside the living room where a small girl was sitting in a full reclining wheelchair. Her hands and feet were twisted and distorted securing her to forever remain in this wheelchair, and she could not speak, but as soon as I entered the room a huge smile came across her face and she started waving and wailing- a white person is visiting! I sat beside her as her grandmother explained how she had to pay for a full time babysitter for the child as she was no longer capable to taking care of her, and she needed help and funding to continue the support for this 22 year old girl. 22? She did not look more than 12, it is amazing how much this world can age you, but if you are confined in doors and wheelchair bound, I guess the ageing caused by sun and stress and all the things of this world would not hit you as much… She is my age. I sat beside her and smiled, and if I looked away for only a second she would scream until I returned my gaze onto her youthful looking face. As we left I was told that there is not a single organization in Turfloop that cares for the disabled, but there is obviously a high need. Out of the hundreds and thousands of organizations in this country which are caring for the high percentage of orphans, not many remember the others in need out there, the disabled. The bible constantly mentions that we should care for the orphans and widows, but once again the disabled are forgotten as they so frequently are in society. This experience helped me to remember their needs as well, instead of simply focusing on the obviously tragic needs of the orphans.

As we returned to the Drop-In Centre, our bodies were tired, we were thirsty and hungry, but we had a great day. In fact, we had a day which refounded us in the necessity of the work which we are doing and inspired us to continue to expand and do better. As the school let out, the OVC’s came by for their afternoon meal, but before they participated in traditional song and dance outside of the garage. I watched as they danced away all the stresses and struggles of this world which they should be feeling, until all that was left was bright smiles on shining faces, ready and thankful for the food and clothing which we were about to give them. Even those from the community who passed by the house would stop and smile as they saw this going on- we are making a difference.

~Heather Anne Nelson

Youth in ACTION!

This past week for our youth service on Friday afternoons, we decided to go up the mountain and participate in group bonding activities. We hiked up, singing and dancing our favorite choruses along the way, and we attracted many youth who were not planning on attending the service, but saw us parading up the mountain and decided to join. We found a nice shade tree and began our group bonding activities, which were quite successful in bringing us closer. We had a grand time, and on the way down the mountain, we basically ran down singing at the top of our lungs and dancing at the same time... This is potentially one of my favorite moments of all time from youth, and I wish to share it with you now. The energy and passion which each and every one of these youth members have is inspiring, and I hope to keep this with me when I return to the States... Enjoy!

~Heather Anne Nelson

The God of Water

Tap…. Tap… Rat-a-tapp-TAP. BOOM!

I am awoken to a midnight thunderstorm sending rain pouring down on my tin-roofed house by the buckets. There is no such thing as a quiet rain when you live under tin, but I have found the rains here relaxing just the same, despite their volume. And as I hear the rain pounding and then sliding down my roof, I smile because I know that tomorrow I will have plenty of water to do my washing. Maybe I can even wash my blankets! The rain will fill the buckets which my neighbors and I have strategically placed, and save us a few trips with the wheelbarrow to the water pump. This is just one of the many water conservation techniques that I have picked up from the people here in Masealama.

When you live without running water, I have noticed that you become more conscious of water and its role in our daily lives. We all know that water sustains us and all of God’s creation. As humans we are composed of more than 60% water and can only live for a few days without it. Streams, rivers, lakes, ponds, oceans, and rains provide us with water for drinking, cleaning, cooking, growing, plants, generating power, and various forms of entertainment. Look around you, everything that you see was made possible in some way by water! Even non-living things in this world are heavily impacted by water. The stratified rocky slopes of the Grand Canyon would not have been possible without the fast moving Colorado River to slowly cut through the rock. The Grand Canyon, Victoria Falls, and spring flowers are all excellent examples of the many blessings that water provides, but let us not forget the other side of water- the destructive side.

A few weeks ago Japan was hit with a tsunami which caused massive damage and destruction. We all saw the images of houses and cars alike being picked up and moved around like your morning bowl of cereal flooded with milk. We remember the similar catastrophe which hit Sri Lanka a few Christmas’ back, and the devastating effects of the pounding waves of Hurricane Katrina on New Orleans. Here in South Africa we recently experienced flooding which left many people who inhabited the river banks homeless, especially those in informal settlements. On a broader scale, water creates physical barriers between continents, countries, cultures, and people that create division and separation among our human race. If our continents were still gathered into Pangaea without large oceans separating them, would the world wars have occurred? Without the physical separation of the prosperous North from the poverty-stricken South, would we currently be experiencing the same disparity of wealth and resources? The distribution and usage of water also causes issues, and many say this will be the cause of the Third World War. Water is not always the good guy.

Water pervades all, sustains all, is majestic and awesome, but it can also cause destruction and fear. I believe there is a reason why Greek mythology chose one of their most powerful gods to be the god of water- Poseidon. Water is powerful- it can create and it can destroy- water is godly.

But water by itself does not destroy like the waters of the moody Greek god Poseidon. It is through the worldly influences of nature and humankind that the destruction is caused. Earthquakes lead to deadly tsunamis. Our poor treatment of the environment leads to global warming which causes rising tides. Our waste leads to unclean drinking water and deadly diseases. Just as water itself is not the root cause of destruction, I also believe that God does not cause destruction on this planet, but rather we do. In the imperfections of our humanity we create our own worldly demise through the sin and evil to which we succumb. But as we live through this world God is always there with us, through the good times and the bad, and can therefore easily acquire a bad reputation for destruction- much like water.

While here in Masealama, water is frequently on my mind (and coincidentally or not, so is God). My rural location without running water forces me to be conscious of how I use water or how I abuse it. Curious as to how my life here in South Africa compares to my typical life back in the United States, I recorded my water usage for a week, and here is what I found.

Weekly I use the following amounts of water directly from the pump for:

BATHING- 20 litres (5.3 gallons)

DRINKING- 9 litres (2.4 gallons)

COOKING & DISHES- 7.5 litres (2 gallons)

FACE, HANDS, and TEETH- 5.25 litres (1.4 gallons)

TOTAL 41.75 litres (11.1 gallons)

I collect rainwater and utilize it for the following:

WASHING- 6 litres (1.6 gallons)

CLEANING- 1 litre (.3 gallons)

TOTAL 7 litres (1.8 gallons)

I then reuse water from bathing and washing for:

TOILET- 17.5 litres (4.6 gallons)

Therefore I use 66.25 litres (17.5 gallons) of water a week, 37% of which is recycled.

That leaves my daily water usage at about 9.5 litres (2.5 gallons) a day. Compared to the average North American who uses 262.5 litres (69.3 gallons) of water indoors a day, I use 96% less water in South Africa than I typically would in the States if I were to be using a shower, dishwasher, washing machine, flushing toilet, and faucets. 96%!?! Granted I have challenged myself to using the least amount of water possible for each task, so a typical South African most definitely uses more water than I am currently using. But by being smart and creative with how my water is utilized, I have found that I can make my one blue barrel of water last for a week or two- thus limiting my trips to the water pump and doing my part to save the environment at the same time.

Before I came to Masealama and had to obtain my own water, I was not aware of how much water I consumed on a daily basis. Because it magically came flowing from the taps and into the machines and faucets that I used, I did not think twice about my use or abuse of water. However, now that I have become aware it makes me wonder- is our abuse of water reflective of our abuse of other blessings on this earth, including God? When things are simply given to us do we not forget to be thankful for such gifts, and end up abusing them as well? When things are going well in our lives, do we not forget to thank the Lord? I know that I am guilty of all of the above. Just as I had forgotten the power and importance of water in this world before Masealama, I also had a tendency to forget the power and importance of God pervading all aspects of my life.

So as the night rains come to an end and I no longer wake up to the pounding of God on my roof, I hope that my awareness of his omnipotent presence in this world will remain and I will continue to be grateful and respectful of the blessings which flow with God’s glory, especially water.

~Heather Anne Nelson

Fat Cakes

As you walk down the crowded streets of Turfloop you are bombarded with street vendors selling anything and everything you can imagine. You stroll by the fresh fruits and vegetables and can tell which ones are currently in season, you walk by the braaiers who are cooking up whole chickens over the fire, you pass nail polish, hats, chips, matches, and sweets- but at the end of all this you walk by a small street vendor near the university which is the most popular of them all. As you pass by, the wind blows slightly and carries the smell your way- and you are taken back to your childhood, standing in front of a funnel cake stand at the fair. This stand sells one of South Africa’s most loved foods- the fat cake. Basically it is sweet dough which is fried into round “cakes” which are then sold in plastic bags on streets all over South Africa. They are comparable to the North American doughnuts, only without the glazed covering and the hole in the centre.

How can something with the name “fat cakes” be so popular? I doubt that if we were to rename doughnuts (which are probably more fattening than the version here in South Africa) as fat cakes that they would be successful in the United States. In the states we have a cultural perception of thin and toned as healthy and desired, and thus we shy away from anything with fat in the name. But here in South Africa there is a different perception of food and health. Thinness is often associated with sickness, due in part to the major impact that the HIV/AIDS pandemic has had on this country. As many people have seen their friends and family rapidly slim down to skin and bones due to the virus attacking their bodies, thinness has very negative associations. Therefore, being thicker is seen as being happy, healthy, and desirable. This varied perspective can be seen in all aspects of South Africa’s relationship to food:

1) Carbohydrates are not avoided. In fact, if you do not have carbs with every meal then you can not have a meal! Whether it be bread, rice, pasta, or the preferred pap, each meal comes with a heaping serving of carbohydrates.

2) Calories do not exist in South Africa. When you are searching food labels to determine how many calories are in each serving, you will see the calories labeled as truly what they are – ENERGY. And we need energy to survive, do we not? The obsession with calorie counting that is widely prevalent in the States becomes inapplicable here.

3) Portions are extremely large here, as food is a very central part of the rural South African lifestyle. Yes, portions in the USA are notoriously known for their abundance, but I can proudly say that I have found a rival here in South Africa. Often, days become centered on meals, which can take hours to prepare.

4) Eating well means eating all the food on your plate. If you eat well, it shows that you are happy, or the food will bring you happiness. If you do not gain weight in your first few months in South Africa people will ask you what is wrong, and why you are not happy.

5) Fat cakes, cookies, and biscuits of any sort are not avoided! Even though they may be fattening, South Africans just enjoy their goodness without the thought of carbs or calories, and it is relieving!

Yes, there are major problems with obesity here, just as is seen in the United States. We both eat fattening foods and do not participate in enough physical exercise, but the difference is that people are comfortable with their bodies here, unlike the constant self-critical state into which North Americans are succumbed by the advertisements and celebrities that are thinner than twigs. Have you ever watched TV while sick? You notice just how much food is advertised, yet we are expected to be thin? Hollywood pulls us to anorexia while advertising pulls us to obesity, no wonder we have so many eating disorders and unhealthy relationships with food!

In typical southern fashion, my usual saying is “butter = love”, but a farm wife from Illinois sums this up much better in a book I recently read, Food for Life. She wrote, “Food is love. When food is used as God intended, it can manifest God’s love for us, as well as our response to that love.” Often food is not associated with God or theology. Although some of us say grace over every meal, we do not realize the miracle that it truly is- how the world becomes a part of us and restores us to life. God provides this food, and makes this whole process of restoration possible. In Food for Life, L. Shannon Jung claims that God’s intention for food is that we delight in it and share it with others, both of which I agree. I think most of our problems with food arise from not using it like God intends. The modern day fast-food lifestyle leaves little time for delight and promotes eating alone- breaking both rules. Overeating is a form of greed and usually an attempt to use the delight available in food to satisfy other desires. Anorexia and bulimia take out both the delight in food and the sharing of meals with others. If we were simply to eat food in moderation for delight and to share it with others like the Lord intended, then perhaps our unhealthy relationships with food would come to an end.

We all enjoy sharing meals with others and engaging in conversations which add to the delight of the meals, but how far does this sharing go? A few months ago I had a dream about my pantry and refrigerator back at home in America (I often used to dream about the luxuries that I left behind in the USA- especially running water). It was overflowing in abundance and resembled more of an aisle of a grocery store than a pantry. We had hundreds of individual containers of yoghurt, but we did not have the correct flavor of Yoplait yoghurt, so we had to go to the store down the street to pick up the blackberry Yoplait light... I am not a dream expert, but I believe that subconsciously I was missing the comfortable lifestyle that I had in the States, and the amount of variety I had in food! But I also realized how ridiculous it can get. How long has some of the food been sitting on your pantry uneaten? What about that Cambell’s chicken noodle can collecting dust in the back? And how much variety does your fridge have? Mind you, it is winter, from where did those fruits and vegetables come?

In the United States, we enjoy the results of our globalization. We reduce the price of our exports to compete on a global market while small farmers from poor countries are forced to undercut to compete or even export all of their crops to pay off country debts, leaving the inhabitants starving and poorer than ever. The variety and abundance which we enjoy comes at the cost of others, but it is comfortable, which is why I dream about it! We therefore develop partial blindness to these atrocities so that we can continue on with our comfortable, enjoyable lifestyle to which we have become addicted. But even if we remove our blinders, what can we do to change this? How can we follow God’s intention for food and share with those in need? We certainly can not wrap up our leftovers and send them, and sending non-perishable food items once a year is obviously not solving the problem. The answer in my opinion is- we need to change our lifestyle and our relationship with food first. We can shop locally and not support globalization, we can buy directly from farmers, and we can stop stocking our pantry and fridge full. We can even walk to the store and only buy what we can carry- what I have to do here in South Africa. We have to shop more often, but we shop more efficiently and only buy what we need to survive for a week or so, limiting the amount of food we have stored in our houses.

Together we can bring our relationship with food back to what God originally intended. We can stop the societal pressures which drive us to obesity or anorexia and thus remove the delight from eating and stop us from seeing food as the blessing and miracle that it is. We can associate food with God more intentionally to strengthen this relationship. We can be conscious of how our food habits affect others all over the world. So delight and share the food with which God has graced us- especially the fat cakes!

~Heather Anne Nelson

Stop and See God

Every now and then we have those days when we can not help but smile. It’s the kind of smile that comes from within you, and as the happiness inside bubbles over, a big smile stretches across your face. If others see this explosion of happiness they may ask what has caused you to smile in such a way, but at that you just smile bigger and respond “oh, nothing.” Nothing I can describe verbally at least…

I do not know if it is due to a high intake of Vitamin D from the recent sunny summer days here or not, but recently I have been having a lot of days like this, where my happiness bubbles out into a smile. It usually happens when I become suddenly present in the moment and fully take in all that is going on around me. When you are living and working somewhere you are liable to fall into a routine which causes you to live more in the future. Tomorrow you are going to have rice for dinner since you had pasta tonight, but you will have to go to the store on Friday since you are running out of rice, which means you will have to wake up extra early to get your morning exercise in before you go to town, and you have to exercise because next week you are on vacation where you will be seen in a swimsuit… And it keeps going, and you often pay little attention to what is around you in the here and now. Okay maybe you don’t fall into this category, but I certainly do. Even here in my relatively non-busy life in South Africa, I have fallen into this forward-thinking routine, but when I am pulled out of it into the here and now I start to realize how amazing this life is and I can see the beauty and love of God in everything around me.

The other day I was sitting iin a mint green room surrounded by some of my closest friends here and I had one of those moments. Looking around I saw the mint green walls with the plaster falling off in places showing the age of the house. Stones were placed on top of the wooden rafters to prevent the tin roof from sagging in between the supports. The red stained concrete floor was lightly coated in a layer of dust that coats everything in Masealama, but beneath my feet was strips of carpet that invited you to kick back, take your shoes off, and stay a while. I sunk in too far to the couch beneath me, and it made me realize that I was just one on a long list of visitors to this house. Looking outside I saw the bright sun shining down on the tall stalks of meile (corn) which seemed to grow overnight and were now swaying slightly in the gentle breeze. But inside we were comfortable, protected from the intense heat of the sun by the thick solid walls. The conversation was lively, as it usually is among the Lutheran youth here, and even though it was in Sepedi, I enjoyed looking at each person as they talked and reading their body language. And I could not help but smile.

This life is so different from my life back in the States, but I have become so comfortable and at home with it that often times I overlook the beauty around me every day. I encourage you to look for that beauty in your life. Take a moment and pull yourself out of the future. Stop running, take a look around, and enjoy what you discover around you. Whether it be a row of icicles on your porch, the little kid singing in church, or the gentle rumble of passing cars outside of your office window, you will find something that makes you smile. God is present anywhere and everywhere you look, but you can not see him if you don’t slow down and look. Stop and smell the roses, stop and see God.

~Heather Anne Nelson

Under a Large White Tent

It is a muggy Sunday afternoon in Phalaborwa and we are gathered around two twin babies in celebration. We celebrated their baptisms earlier that morning, and as we hold the two small children in our arms, we give thanks that they will be raised to know and love the Lord. As they grow, we have hope that their faith will grow with them. We sing, we dance, we feast, we celebrate…

You can find us under a large white tent.

It is a scorching Sunday afternoon in Alexandra and we are gathered around a young man dressed in his best black and white. He has just completed his testing with the pastor, and has become a confirmed member of the church. We celebrate all of his hard work and his confirmation of his faith which now lies in his hands instead of in the hands of his parents. We sing, we dance, we feast, we celebrate…

You can find us under a large white tent.

It is Christmas morning near Tzaneen and we are gathered around a bride and groom as they exchange wedding vows. With the support of all their family, friends, and neighbors they commit themselves to each other, and we hope that their relationship will help strengthen both of them in the Lord. We sing, we dance, we feast, we celebrate…

You can find us under a large white tent.

It is a sweltering Saturday afternoon in Bochum and we are gathered around a woman celebrating her 80^th birthday. With all her family, friends, pastors, neighbors, and other acquaintances giving moving speeches about her exquisite character, we celebrate how she has lived out her full and fruitful life to date- founded in the Lord. We sing, we dance, we feast, we celebrate…

You can find us under a large white tent.

It is the early morning of Christmas Eve’s Eve in Ga-Kama and we are gathered around a hole six feet in the ground. As our dear friend and youth member is lowered in her beautiful casket into the grave, we remember her short but happy life with glistening eyes. We sing, we dance, we feast, we celebrate…

You can find us under a large white tent.

When you do not understand a language, it can be quite challenging to determine what is happening around you. I often find myself in situations which I do not entirely understand, and due to my relatively slow uptake of Sepedi, I find that what people say helps me very little in my comprehension. But there are a few things which are universal- singing, dancing, feasting, and celebration. These things I understand- from the tambour of the music I can tell the mood of the occasion, from the intensity of the dancing I can determine the passion which people are feeling, from the food I can tell the thoughtfulness and hard work that was put into it, and all of these combined give off an air of celebration. To a passerby walking past one of these occasions, this is what they see. They see the extravagant food which took hours to prepare on the tables, they see the people dancing enthusiastically to the upbeat songs, and they hear the celebratory remarks exclaimed in the choruses which are sung. To an outsider, the events which occur under a large white tent are all the same.

But under that tent, so many different events are occurring. Yes, you are guaranteed to find people singing, dancing, feasting, and celebrating, but the root cause behind these festivities differs vastly. So far I have experienced a baptism, a confirmation party, a few weddings, a birthday party, and a funeral. Had I been in the States for each of these occurrences, I would find that their celebrations do not even closely resemble each other, if there is even a celebration to begin with. I am pretty sure I have never heard of a confirmation party in the United States to which the entire village is invited- and I most certainly haven’t been to one where they slaughter a cow for the affair! But here in South Africa it has surprised me at just how similar all of these occasions appear- especially when I can not understand what is being said most of the time, so all I have to go by is appearances. These similarities made me think, is there something which ties all these events together that I had previously overlooked?

I have come to realize that yes, there is an underlying connection which ties together all of the events which occur under a large white tent. At each event we sing, we dance, we feast, we celebrate LIFE. We celebrate new lives starting their journey, young lives choosing their spiritual path, two lives uniting as one, the many blessings of a long life, and the memory of a life that once was. Instead of focusing on the differences, if we focus on the similarities of all these events we realize that LIFE is the true cause for celebration.

The funeral which I attended is what helped me to stumble upon this realization. Up until that point all the partying made complete sense, but a funeral in my mind is a solemn affair reserved for teary eyed people clad in black to mourn a death, and this funeral was the exact opposite. A huge crowd gathered wearing their Sunday best and we processed from the house of the family to the church singing choruses the whole way. When we arrived to the church we came into a lovely setup with flowers and candles and the entire youth standing up front singing and dancing to a lively tune. I could not help but join in the celebration, and let out a little smile as they sang my favorite song. Then my eyes landed upon the coffin hidden amidst the flowers and the dancing, and I felt a sudden shift happen with in me. Instead of mourning a death, we were celebrating a life.

It is amazing what a simple change in perspective can do to a situation. All too often we approach things with our one-sided views and we miss out on the bigger picture. We hear funeral and expect dirges, we think of Christmas and wish for snow, we see worms and think of fish food not people food- but here in South Africa I have been blessed to see things from another side. While a hot Christmas and a happy funeral may seem like contradictions at first, we must remember that there are always other perspectives. Although they may seem to contradict, our lives are full of contradicting truths.

In a recent interview (check it out at on youtube), Bishop Hanson was asked to answer the question “Why Lutheran”. Part of his answer focused on the contradictions which we as Christians must learn to embrace. We must be both saint and sinner, believe in a God who is both vengeful and merciful, and those are just a few of many present in our beliefs. While these things appear contradictory to us, they all make sense from an outsider’s perspective, from an omniscient viewpoint, to the one who created and fully understands everything that we see as confusing and contradictory. While we will never fully understand LIFE, if we keep our eyes open we can see the one thing that remains consistent through all life, our Lord, and for him we can sing, we can dance, we can feast, we can celebrate…

You can find us under a large white tent.

The Rooftop of Africa

With a show of hands, how many of you are familiar with a country called Lesotho? Where is it located? How big is it? What are the biggest challenges that it is currently facing?

Before this year I would have to admit that the most I knew about Lesotho was that I had a shirt that was made there- and the only reason I knew that was because I wanted to know if I could put it in the dryer and while looking at the tag I thought to myself- where is that country? Probably somewhere by Russia, I can never keep that part of the world straight.

Lesotho (pronounced luh-sue-too) is a landlocked country inside of South Africa. It has the highest average elevation of any other country in the world and is therefore properly deemed “the rooftop of Africa.” This year eight other YAGM’S and I chose to spend our New Years in this small but beautiful country, and thus we came to know a little more about it’s culture, people, politics, and struggles.

Upon entering Lesotho through Maseru, I was shocked to see a U.S. embassy sitting right there, with a full-fledged golf course! I wondered, how many other countries does the US have an embassy in that I have never even heard of? Does my lack of knowledge show that I am an uninformed citizen or that my country has not properly informed me? Is it a little of both?

As we drove from Maseru further into the country to Roma, where we would spend the evening, we gazed out the window and listened intently as our taxi driver chatted away about everything we were seeing. I saw stone houses and rondolvos with thatched roofs, I saw people returning from a long day at work on a taxi, I saw cows herded in for the evening by men draped in traditional Lesotho blankets- all of this seemed familiar to the sights I have seen in South Africa, though with a slightly different flare. But then we came across huge factories amidst these villages which dominated the landscape and people around them. We were told these factories were owned by the US, China, and Germany and although the laborers were from Lesotho, the customers were far far away. Some made clothes (that explains my t-shirt), some made light bulbs- can you imagine working in a factory that makes light bulbs when you don’t even have electricity in your own home? I am not out to condemn these countries for their factories in Lesotho, I know absolutely nothing about working conditions or profits in any of these factories. I do know that these factories provide jobs which sustain many families in Lesotho. I am just observing the blatant contrast which I found in Lesotho between the traditional Lesotho life and the westernized culture which is infiltrating it. Our globalization is bitter sweet- it may create jobs and opportunities, but the cost is often a loss of unique culture in the country we affect.

In Lesotho I see a country which is still holding onto its tradition with all its might. I see the struggle of each Lesotho being confronted with a push for modernization, and being conflicted with how that changes their traditional lifestyles. I want them to hold on to tradition, but if the spread of modernization benefits their livelihoods and eases some of their struggles, especially with HIV/AIDS, I want that too. It’s hard to hold onto the past and move forward at the same time- but I hope Lesotho can do just that.

~Heather Anne Nelson