You're late!

I was honored to be invited to preach at Troyville Baptist Church in Joburg's inner city last Sunday morning.

As I walked into the sanctuary I was told - "we should have started 5 minutes ago." I am highly event orientated so I was deeply hurt . . . but, I have a very good excuse.

As I approached the church (according to my GPS) it was obvious I had to "make a plan." The GPS informed me that I needed to turn left at the end of the street. As I stopped at the stop street (stop sign) I noticed the street to the left was closed. There was a guard rail across the entire street. As I started forward (now looking right - searching for options) my front left tire disappeared and the car came to a crashing halt. I felt as though I rose about a meter in the air. Low and behold - I had driven into a hole (literally a manhole).

It seems as though someone had taken the manhole cover to the scrap yard to sell the metal for cash. Needless to say that left a hole in the middle of the street! The cover is not there but the hole is not missing - I FOUND IT!

Soon after I planted the car a lady walked by and (bless her heart) instead of laughing at me she prayed aloud - "In the name of Jesus - send some men to help get that car out of that hole." Within seconds, literally, before she stopped praying 6-8 big boys came up to the car and lifted the front end out of the hole. Praise the LORD! Since they were there very quickly we were only 5 minutes late to church.

Hey, have you seen the most beautiful girl in the world?

Seems like that was a country song when I was growing up (listening to Rock & Roll).

I know I am biased, but I wanted to share the most recent picture of Ruth Anne. It was taken as she went on her 1st date ("that wasn't really a date"). Last week she went to her school's Matric Farewell (prom).

The boy didn't deserve her company but being as compassionate as I am - I felt sorry for him and I didn't want him to have to go alone. [I asked over 60 girls to homecoming one year so I know 1st hand the pain involved].

Anyway - it seems like she had a good time dancing the night away with Yo-yo (or whatever his real name is). They want to go out again but JK and I can't find a movie that we all want to see. And probably won't for another 3-5 years.

Any tips for fathers of dating daughters would be much appreciated!

TAKE ANOTHER LOOK AT THE MOST BEAUTIFUL GIRL N THE WORLD BEFORE YOU SURF!!!

On the Road Again

Yesterday, in Soweto, I had two interesting encounters both involving the drivers of vehicles. Both reminded me that "truth is in fact stranger than fiction."

As soon as we arrived in Soweto a small car pulled up where we were standing. Seems like a small group of white folks stand out and are fun to chat with. Anyway the car was decorated with stickers announcing that it was used to teach students how to drive. It is a very common sight in Joburg. The car had a big red L stuck on the back window. The reason I share this story is because we chatted for several minutes and eventually the driver got out to chat. When the driver (teacher) got out of his car at 9:30 a.m. he was holding a large bottle of beer in his hand.

I think JK and I will use a different teacher to help RAH get her license.

After an hour or so of handing out Challenge Newspapers and sharing the Gospel we came upon a young man being pushed in a wheel chair. We chatted to him and his group for several minutes. A half hour later - several blocks away - we saw several folks from this group fighting as they walked down the street. Another long story! When our day was done - as we waited by the car for a few of our team to finish - another car pulled up and stopped to chat. The man in the drivers seat (Sibosiso) was fairly antagonistic. He demanded to make an appointment with me. He wanted me to come by and discuss his religion. He promised me that once I understood his religion I would run from mine to his. AINT GONNA HAPPEN CAPT'N. As we exchanged phone numbers I suddenly realized that the three folks in the back seat were the 3 people who were fighting a few minutes earlier. Then- and to to my great surprise I realized that the driver was the very same young man they were pushing in the wheel chair an hour before.

I have seen so many things in Soweto that I am usually not surprised - but, yesterday I was shocked not once but twice!

Fast Food

I took a friend to eat at McDonalds last week. 

One of the nice things about living in a huge international city is the availability of "American" fast food. Maybe I should have put food in parenthesis. I digress . . .

After finishing my Quarter Pounder With Cheese I made polite conversation as I waited for my friend to finish his meal. It took him forever. Actually, he never finished. After an extended period of time he packed the rest of his burger and chips in a bag to take it home with him. I was surprised because I knew he could have consumed all of his meal faster than I finished mine.

Eventually he told me that he was taking some of his food home - not to have something to eat later - but as a "trophy" to show off. His family and friends would never believe he ate at the golden arches if he didn't bring something home to prove it. 

I take so many things for granted. Honestly, I never really enjoy Mickey D's. It is a lot more fast than it is food. So to have a friend who cherishes the experience illustrates how good I have it.

I need to stop taking "little things" like McDonalds for granted.

Thank God for Quarter Pounders With Cheese!

RED CAKE

I love Raspberry Zingers! 

They are so good that I never considered Twinkies to be in the same league with the wonderful red snack coated in coconut. 

I admit I also have a soft-spot for Sno Balls. 

I was thrilled the other day - on the way to Soweto to have Bible study with a friend - when I saw "Red Cake."

My mouth watered as I stood in line with my purchase!

Words can not express my utter disappointment. The African version of raspberry zingers is horrible! Not that is tastes bad - it doesn't. The fact is - it doesn't taste. That's the point. It looks beautiful, all red and coconut covered . . . but there is no flavor to be found or enjoyed! 

Janna Kay says "there is absolutely no taste - it's like water. It is a waste of calories."

Even though she considers Snickers bars to be sin - her opinion is absolutely correct.

That leads me to make another observation. 

Snickers bars are not sin - Red Cake is sin! 

That is to say, Red Cake is just like sin in that it looks really appealing. It looks like it would be worth whatever it costs, but in the end it leaves you frustrated. It does not satisfy, in fact it leaves you wishing you had not spent the time or the money or the energy. 

I need a Milk Tart!

 

Famous Missionary

Every wonder which missionary you are most like?

The Missions Mandate blog has a fun quiz which I enjoyed taking.

I encourage you go to the following link and take the quiz.

Let me know what you think.

Famous Missionary Quiz

Sushi

Joshuwa turned 7 this week. 

As per our family tradition, Joshuwa got to pick the restaurant where we celebrated his special day. We headed to the Cape Town Fish Market so he could eat his favorite meal - SUSHI.

I DON'T LIKE SUSHI.

In fact, I don't enjoy any seafood at all. Nevertheless we headed to CTFM because it had a conveyor belt which continually rotated with different kinds of sushi, giving Josh ample choices. Needless to say he had a great time and I enjoyed the meal - because I saw him enjoying himself. I tried the vegetarian sushi and it was good - but not great. The meal took a decidedly upward turn when the conveyer belt brought dessert  . . . I helped myself to brownies! That was a mind changing selection. I actually enjoyed the experience.

I DON'T LIKE SUSHI - I LOVE IT!