South Africa

First - NASCAR is finally back with the Bud Shootout last night!  Too bad Kyle B won it but you have to admit the turd can drive a race car with the way he saved it not once but twice....but still....  Next Sunday is the Daytona 500!!!!!!!

For the past two weeks our Pastor has been in South Africa visiting his best college buddy and wife that are running Restoring Hope International (http://www.restoringhopeint.org/) which is an orphanage in Welkom, S.A.  As Louie blogged, Josh was his point guard in college and today I told Josh that he was Johnny P to Louie's M.J. - if you aren't an old-school Bulls fan, forgetaboutit :)

Anyway....Josh got to meet the children at the orphanage, kids/young people that Louie and Amber are mentoring, preach at a church, help construct Louie and Amber's house and more.  Today after church Josh had reserved the party room at Okoboji's on SE 14th for us from Noon to 3:00 pm to eat, fellowship and he would share his experience/answer our questions.  The pix below are of the group in the party room.

Some interesting tidbits Josh shared:

• Mothers can have their child for one, two, three or more years and then decide they no longer can care for them, etc., and try to get them placed in an orphanage.
• There are 11 languages spoken in the region:  English, Afrikan, something else and the rest are tribal languages.  Most children can speak three languages - fluently.
• Hospitals are private.
• No government assistance - of any kind.
• For an international adoption there are many hoops to jump through - even though there are many children available for adoption.
• Promiscuity/sexual immorality is the norm and because of that AIDS is prevelant.
• For 90% of the high school students to graduate, a 30% grade is what is acceptable - think about that one for a minute.
• A year or so ago South Africa had its only submarine that came into port and needed to be charged.  It was 500 volts (amps or something) and the person that plugged it in had a 1000 volt/amp outlet so he plugged the submarine into it thinking it would charge twice as fast............  Shorted out the submarine and it sank - must be that 30% passing high school deal.

This October our church is hoping to send a group on a mission trip to Honduras and possibly next January or February a group to South Africa (at the latest January/February 2014).  I would really, really, really like to go to South Africa, so I'm going to start praying about it to see if it's God's will for me to go.

In the far, right background - the guy standing in the short sleeve green shirt with yellow collar is our Pastor.

The kiddy table otherwise known as "LWF church of the future".