South African Weddings... In the middle of Church!

So its Sunday.. The day begins with a call from Sandra Pam, our contacts wife. The phone is way too loud and it is an early Africa time today as they are already waiting for us at the front gate earlier than they originally told us! It was an interesting day today that is for sure!

Going to and from places, can be interesting because we have to cram 6 people into the smallest car I have ever been in. Just imagine Steve Urkel's car from Family Matters with 6 people in it. Sam likes to play the lottery when crossing the major streets. He likes to yell, "oh I should have gone" when we would have all definitely been crushed by the speeding convi's! 

We arrive at church and set up all the electrical equipment. We are there 1 and a half hours early and we set up in record time, (45 minutes) so we are just sitting around waiting. Sam, our contact is falling asleep at the sound board. Brandon is doodling and I am on the internet. ASU wins! Woohoo! It is FIESTA time! Also, before church started, I got all the kids to do some "jumping" pictures which turned out fun and even Brandon did one! 

Church started and the pastor began to speak. Well, I found out that I was volunteered, about half way through the service, to take pictures of a wedding that was going to take place in the middle of the church service. Weird, but okay. The keyboardist, named Precious, starts playing "Here comes the bride" cutting off the pastor only to quit after playing for 5 minutes because the bride and groom hasn't come in. Yet, as he quits, they start walking in. This was the start of the hysterics began. The pastor had 4 camera's going on, 2 video cameras and 2 digital cameras. I, along with Excel (a 10 year old boy) were on the digitals and Jacob (a grown man) and Josh (9th Grader) were on the video cameras. The bride and groom are sitting down next to the podium and both do NOT look happy. They are looking away from each other and around the room like "seriously?" Well the pastor begins to talk and tell everyone why we are gathered here today and asks if anyone has anything against them to say it now or forever hold their peace. Well the ring ceremony began and I was snapping some good shots from a distance because I didn't want to get too close or get in the way. I am hiding, trying not be involved. Meanwhile, Jacob, Josh, and Excel are climbing all over the pastor, the bride and groom trying to take pictures. When I mean climbing, I mean "in your grill" all over them! I was trying not to laugh during the service it was so funny. To put things into perspective, the shot that Excel was most proud of was the shot of the ring he took from 3 inches away! I don't think the rest of the audience could see anything because the camera people were so close! The even weirder part was that nobody cared! They all just sat there and probably thought I was the weird one for trying to hide and not get stuck in! Well, the service ended and the preacher just went straight back into the sermon he was talking about earlier before the service. It was the strangest thing I have ever seen. It was like the wedding hadn't even happened. Then the pastor went back to the new couple, announced them, in front of God and the congregation, man and wife. The keyboardist began to play, of all songs, Handel's "Messiah Hallelujah Chorus!" I basically lost it! It was like the "unexpected or the most unlikely thing to happen!" YES they are FINALLY married! Brandon and I were crying we were laughing so hard at the morning's events. We had lunch at the church and then left. 

One funny thing to close on and this is very cultural is when people see something that they like, like a camera or computer, they come and commandeer it. Haha they just come up and take it and don't ask anything. Then the really funny thing is they walk off with something that isn't theirs while you are sitting there wondering what in the world just happened! 

Well, until next time, may God keep you and bless you!

Skelly

Don't Quench the Spirit!

South African Culture My Brew!

So at the urging of Obi Won Kenea Obi, I am starting a new blog. I do not know how this will work out but I do have some inspiration from a friend who is currently writing from the Island of Tonga. Before I start telling stories and sharing about the experiences I am having, I must try to explain the culture and my having to adapt. So here it starts... Whoever reads, enjoy!

Africa. It is said that Africa changes you. It is true. But it is God through Africa that changes you.

Everything here is just bigger and more raw than the US. The culture is western to an extent but it is still behind the times. The culture is also very rustic at times. A good example would be our training. The kids have coaches who know what they are doing but they still don't even pretend to pay attention. They train in clothes that are a step above rags. They have been wearing the same cleats for 5-6 years which are barely holding on to a thread! Many of the "pro" players get royally screwed by the managers of the club who take the majority of the money from sponsors and sales and don't pay their players, who run through walls for them. Players are always coming up to me saying that "I must give them my 'cocks' (soccer boots) or my training top" even though it is simply a T-Shirt. Then what I think is absolutely hilarious is when the players pick up the big cones from training and run to fill it with water to drink out of. Bringing a water bottle just isn't thought of. There is no point to it. Just use cones. The fields we train on are rock hard and the only grass, most of the time, is on the outside of the field. Oh and do not even get me started on Africa time. Africa time means late... really late. If someone says they will pick you up at 9 am, it probably means that you will get picked up anywhere from 930-10. That is fine and is definitely something I can deal with. But when someone says they will pick you up at 9 am and they show up at 8 in the morning... that isn't cool! Training always starts late. Discipline is pretty much non existent. They are absolutely the most skilled players just behind Brazilians and are probably the most athletic players I have ever played with and against. However, they really struggle, especially from the 1st Division down to the youth levels, with the idea of a team. It seems to me to be a very selfish country. Players will pass up the opportunity for a scoring chance in order to meg an opponent or make someone look stupid. I tried to use soccer as an analogy to the culture. The parallels between the two are very obvious. But it can be very difficult to explain unless you actually experience it.

This might sound bad.. but at the same time, I don't view it as negative. I think it is perfect! It is a blessing in disguise! Ever since APU's Business school, I have learned to see every opportunity in every difficulty. Plus, with God, nothing is impossible!

We have been able to train with two different teams at two different levels. At both of the levels, we have been accepted very well. The guys like to have us around. They are very supportive of us and encourage us when we make mistakes. The thing that we have to try and understand is that since there are two different styles of play from two different cultures, we are probably as frustrating to them as they are to us. Yet, we are seeming to get along great. It is just new into the fold. (A funny side note: I have never seen a group of people both black and white get so religious when it comes to sports. Whether it be Rugby or Soccer, they are very dedicated and love their teams. As I watch a championship soccer game, all I see as the camera spans the crowd is people praying, looking up to heaven, and wearing huge, stupid, ridiculous looking glasses made of tin foil! But that passion is what makes this country great!)

Ever since the Apartheid, this country has been healing. Slowly but surely, God is taking over this country. The people's faith here is incredible! Most of the time, it is all they have! The churches here are very charismatic, loyal, and supportive of each other. There is a very distinct difference between churches here and in the states. Also, there is a big difference between the black churches and the white churches here. Speaking of which, as I said before, everything here is healing however everything is still split black and white. It is probably the most racism that I have ever had to deal with. For example, when we are training at the high school next to where we live, the guards, who are black, come over and love to talk to us about football and try and teach us sotho (sUtU). But one day, there was a group of white guys that asked us to play rugby with them and we accepted. We learned how to play and when we left, the guards were not as open or as accepting as they normally would be. It was like they took it personally! It was like we betrayed them! Rugby is the white sport and soccer is the black sport. The blacks like us because we play soccer. The whites like us because we are white. When South Africa won the Rugby World Cup, it was a fantastic step in unifying the country on a color level. Everybody was celebrating! I was happy to have experienced it... even though I didn't get any sleep because of how loud it was!

The one thing that everyone notices is that regardless of skin color, we try and love on everyone. And that has made all the difference. Our goal here is to play soccer but to show the love of God through the game of soccer. So far, I think we have been very successful. Please be praying for us as we continue to try and break down the race/color barrier! Be back later...