Random general updates

Hi, all! Sorry to keep you all in suspense! Still lots and lots going on at this end.

• We're pretty much through O-Week at UKZN. We've built some strong momentum in promoting our Alpha course and bringing some new people into the church. We were at the societies' fair last Wednesday and speaking to a great number of people, along with the Hindus, Bahai, and all sorts of other people. We made some good contacts and went down to the beach on Saturday where we got to know them a bit better and introduce them to Durban (as many of them are new). I got mildly sunburnt on the day.... the only painful bits were across the tops of my shoulders and back of my neck. All in all I didn't get too badly burnt, but any burn is still not a good thing to have. The waves at the beach were incredible, by the way! Oh my goodness! While most weren't this bad, I tried to body surf one (which when you catch the wave right carries you so far!), and it flipped me in a double forward somersault before slamming me into the sandy ocean floor! The swell must have been about 3m above the ground - huge! So much fun though - would totally do it again!
• Things are still going well with the boys from Cato Crest. Because of O-Week we've not made too much new progress, but things are still going strong. We're going to hopefully sort some stuff out, check on Fana, and just have an afternoon of fun with the boys tomorrow. The other day when we were playing soccer with the boys I had to go back to collect some of the latecomers. I saw Xola walking home in his school uniform, so I went, alone, with him to his house. He got changed as I talked to his mum and met his dad (who spends most of his time away working in the north of the country and comes home during leave periods). It was so nice to be welcomed into their house and within minutes I was being offered some cold Sprite (which I know would be one of their luxury items) and some fresh grapes, even though I was staying for only a few minutes. The welcome was so warm, and the parents of these guys are actually so glad for some others who want to be a good influence to their kids. So many bad influences are available to them, and are especially appealing when growing up in poverty. But that was just the start. As we left we saw Menzi and waited for him to change at his house. In the meantime loads of the smaller kids had gathered around my car, especially while I was there. They literally just stared, about 15 of them. Whenever I moved my car they ran after it all across the place! It was so weird, but it was so unusual for them to see an unaccompanied white guy in a nice car in their neighbourhood who was friends with their neighbours. Eventually we left and went on from there, but it was so cool to just once again be able to rock up to the township and feel like I've got a place in its life.
• Also, for those who are wondering, I took my car for a service today and it came through all clean. While Jat was here I went to see a Christian car dealer contact in Durban who looked at it and said, "Basically you've probably done quite well for R35,000, and if you've only got a few months left you'd be just as well to just keep going with it. He said he would advertise it for sale and if any good offers came up then it might be worth considering, but on the whole, he was of the opinion that I'd not do a lot better to change and would have to go through the same teething problems with another car. Anyway, was good to have it serviced today and for even the mysterious front brake noises to be undiagnosable (they said there's nothing wrong there, so don't worry about it). So that's some pretty good news really. Since the fuel pump incident it's basically been fine. Maybe it might just be good for me after all!
• I've also been spending a bit of time recently sorting out my visa application to go to Ghana for Julian and Liz's wedding. Oh my! What a mission! Still, the application was sent off yesterday and hopefully should be complete by early next week. I leave for Accra on Monday 18th. I hope for a very good time away, and also with Julian and Liz. Please pray I stay safe and that I do more than have a holiday there - I really want to get more of a feel for Africa and to get a connection with the church there. I had yellow fever jabs, and must get malaria tablets. I hope to have no side effects from either!

Anyway, that's it on this one. But big news up next!