Sad Goodbyes

After two months of enjoying the company of my good friends, the Linharts, it was finally time to say goodbye this past Tuesday. I had a blast getting to know them all better, and I'm pretty sure having a few more Americans around helped me keep my sanity in recent weeks! What a great family...they will be missed!

One last goodbye at the farm.

Not to be outdone in Cape Town, Terry strikes his own senior picture pose. Notice how he rocks the purse with confidence. Sorry, Terry, I couldn't resist!!! :-P

The Many Languages of South Africa

One of the most intriguing things about South Africa, in my opinion, is the incredible ethnic, cultural, and especially linguistic diversity of this country. I don't know why, but ever since I was young I have been fascinated by different languages. South Africa has ELEVEN officially recognized national languages, including English, Afrikaans (an Indo-European language, derived from Dutch), and nine other African dialects. As you'll notice in the table below, Zulu is spoken in more homes than any other language.

The 2001 census recorded the following home language speakers:

Language	Speakers	%
Zulu	10 677 000	23.8%
Xhosa	7 907 000	17.6%
Afrikaans	5 983 000	13.3%
Northern Sotho	4 209 000	9.4%
Tswana	3 677 000	8.2%
English	3 673 000	8.2%
Sotho	3 555 000	7.9%
Tsonga	1 992 000	4.4%
Swati	1 194 000	2.7%
Venda	1 022 000	2.3%
Ndebele	712 000	1.6%
Other languages	217 000	0.5%
Total	44 820 000	100.0%

Two years ago, I set some goals for my life, and at the time one of my five-year goals was to become fluent in another language. I've decided to give Zulu a shot, which means that I have only three years to meet my goal (that might be a little unrealistic, but I'll try my best!). My language studies to this point in my life have included Spanish, Mandarin, Koine Greek, short stints of German and French in middle school, and bits and pieces of Hindi, Bengali, and more recently, Afrikaans. Zulu is significantly different from all of these other languages. In fact, I have found all African dialects to be unique from any other language that I have studied before. Until now, I've mostly been picking up words and phrases here and there from my interaction with Zulus, but I recently purchased a beginner's level Zulu book which I plan to study for an hour or so each day. The Zulu language contains "click" sounds (a la the bushmen from The Gods Must Be Crazy) which add to the difficulty of learning the language for a white boy like me. Still, I'm always up for a challenge!

J-Life 2009 Highlights: Part 7

Horse Training

One of the benefits of living on a farm is getting to spend a lot of time with animals. Now Driefontein Farm is a cattle farm, which doesn't excite me too much. However, the owner of the farm, Mr. A, is also a horse lover--he has about a dozen horses on the farm. A couple months ago, on our day off, Mr. A asked a group of us if we wanted to take the horses out for a ride. Even though I don't have much horse-riding experience, I enjoy riding so I gladly accepted.

When we got ready to ride, Mr. A asked me if I would be willing to try riding one of his horses that wasn't broken in yet. I explained to him that I didn't have much experience but that I was willing to try anything. He then asked if I would try to ride the horse bareback. Like I fool, I again replied that I was up for anything. Thus, my relationship with Rusty, the most stubborn horse on the planet, was born.

After a frustrating first experience with Rusty, Mr. A asked me if I would be willing to train Rusty every day. I again explained to Mr. A that I didn't know what the heck I was doing, but he offered to teach me. And, thus, my horse training career began.

So I've been riding Rusty as much as possible since that day. He's still a pain in the you-know-what, and he's bucked me off him twice, but he's definitely making some progress. I can now get him to walk, stop, trot, and canter. The other day Mr. A told me that in order to be considered an official horse rider I had to be thrown off at least eight times...something to look forward to, I guess!

MaxAC whippin' Rusty into shape!

J-Life 2009 Highlights: Part 6

African Realities

One of the most impactful weeks in my first four months here in South Africa was "African Realities Week." One fateful Tuesday morning, we rolled out of bed for our 6:30AM prayer meeting, like usual, and little did we suspect that that day would be anything other than the norm. However, when we arrived for the prayer meeting, we were met by Tara, a J-Life staff member, who informed us that we had just entered "African Realities Week." This week was designed to give us a taste of what life is like for the majority of people in Africa. Whatever we were wearing at that moment, those were our clothes for the week. Whatever we had on us, those were our possessions for the week. We were allowed to get one blanket and pillow from our dorms, at which point the dorms were locked for the week.

We were then divided up into nine different groups of society: illegal immigrants, recently released convicts, AIDS children, a child-led household, illiterate single mothers, orphaned children, subsistence farmers, the middle class, and the upper class. Then, according to our social class categories, we were allotted a certain amount of money to get us through the week. Some groups were given nothing (i.e. orphaned children) and were forced to beg off of other groups, while other groups were given a large allowance (i.e. upper class). We then had to walk 6 miles to the road and take a taxi into town to buy food for the week. 

My group was the recently released convicts. We were given a dollar a day to live off of for the week. With some smart shopping, our weekly meals included bread, cereal, peanut butter, pap (mashed maize), and ramen noodles. We also made the upper class guys "an offer they couldn't refuse"--we were recently released convicts, of course--and they bought us a bag of rice.

Throughout the week, we learned all about issues that Africans face--issues such as AIDS, poverty, disease, and lack of education. We had no access to electricity all week, and we were given no shelter until nighttime, when we had to pay rent to sleep on a hard wood floor indoors. Each morning we were woken up early to work manual labor jobs. A few days of "African Reality" was enough to open my eyes to how incredibly blessed I truly am.

One experience that I will never forget is going to the medical clinic in Balfour to get tested for AIDS. After learning all about AIDS, the lack of health and sex education in Africa, and the fear many Africans have of being tested, we were given the opportunity to get tested ourselves. Inside the clinic, we sat in a waiting room full of nervous faces, some of which would undoubtedly face their worst fears that day. Even though I have not engaged in any activities that would make me susceptible to the disease, I still found myself nervous going in for the test. What a life-changing experience... 

Munya and MaxAC putting on their hardcore convict faces.

The "Convicts" enjoying a delightful meal of two-minute ramen noodles, cooked over a fire.

J-Life 2009 Highlights: Part 5

Evangelism Training--Extension 23

After going through a course on evangelism, we spent an afternoon in a local township, Extension 23, sharing our faith with anyone who would listen. We spent quite a bit of time building relationships with the kids there. One of the J-Life teams was sent into Extension 23 last week, where they will be doing ministry for the duration of the year.

J-Life 2009 Highlights: Part 4

Miscellaneous Highlights

At the Apartheid Museum with Anthony.

My good friend Kenneth "Michael Jordan" Tfumbatsi. Ken is the J-Life country leader in Swaziland.

Hangin' with David "Bernie Mac" Mulonga. David is the J-Life country leader in Zambia. I'll be heading up to Zambia later this year to help David launch J-Life Zambia.

Enjoying some good times on Valentine's day. If you look closely, you just might be able to pick me out of the crowd.

Dorm 7, winners of the J-Life 2009 Fun Night Dance-off!

J-Life 2009 Highlights: Part 3

Real Men Retreat

In late January all the men left the farm for the Vaal Dam, where we had what we called the "Real Men Retreat." Besides enjoying a testosterone-filled weekend full of braais (barbecues), canoeing, and paintballing, we also dug deep into some real heart issues that us men face. We discussed how Satan desires to do three things to men:

1) Tell us who we are

2) Keep us out of the battle

3) Steal our destinies

It was a powerful weekend for the whole group of guys, including myself, as we dealt with issues from our pasts. So many of these guys came from homes where their fathers either abused them or were entirely absent from their lives. The anger and hurt from such wounds went deep, but it was great to walk along with some of these guys as they began the process of healing from those wounds. I will remember that weekend for many years to come.

We left as boys, but we came back as men!

That retreat was also the location of some sweet Lion-King-esque sunsets!

Justin and me out by the Vaal Dam.

J-Life 2009 Highlights: Part 2

Miscellaneous Highlights

My first African roommates. Sabin (pronounced Sah-beh), on the bottom bunk, is from Congo Brazzaville. He's 41 years old, and he sacrificed 4 months with his wife and three children back home to come for the training. Praise (top left) is from Malawi, and although he looks like he could be 15, he's actually 30. He also left a wife and two kids back home. Praise and I met in a small group each morning, and we became close friends over the past few months. Samson (top right), is from Zambia. It was a blessing to live with these guys for the first 2 months of training. MaxAC (not pictured) was the white guy in the room. Even though I was the youngest of the four, they jokingly referred to me as "Father", I think because I was big and scary and I had a beard.

One of many beautiful sunrises over the farm.

One night we had cake to celebrate a birthday, and I got in a food fight with Vusi and Sheila. Good times!

Every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday afternoon was an experience known as "odd jobs." In order to ingrain an attitude of service in the trainees, we would be assigned tasks around the farm, such as planting a vegetable garden or painting.

J-Life 2009 Highlights: Part 1

Enjoy this series of blogs that will highlight some of the sights and experiences that I have been blessed with over the past four months, as well as some of the people that have made this such an incredible adventure for me thus far.

Miscellaneous Highlights

Evening jam sessions became an almost nightly routine. In this picture I'm jamming with my Kenyan friend, Justin (sitting), and Lance from SA (standing). Lance plays guitar, bass, drums, keys, and has great vocals...definitely one of the most talented musicians I've met.

We spent the first month on the farm washing our clothes by hand, or in this case, by foot!

The local metropolis that is Balfour.

Taking the foofy slide (zip line) over the dam on the farm.

Bhuti leading the charge as we embark on a raft-building challenge during bush camp.

Some Equations

High Speed Internet = Lots of Blog Posts

High Speed Internet = Trying to catch up on dozens of emails from the past couple months

High Speed Internet = Awesome!

Cape Point

Ok, I'll Admit It...

...I finally shaved my beard a couple weeks back. Still rockin' the long hair, though, and the beard will be making a comeback again before the year is over!

A less shaggy version of myself hanging out with Bruce and Bronson one last time.

Still Having Fun...

Striking a sweet senior picture pose.

Some baboons hanging out on the side of the road.

We found some pretty hectic waves.

We hiked up to Cape Point, one of the southern-most tips of Africa, close to where the Atlantic and the Indian Oceans meet.

The rocky coastline at Cape Point.

More Cape Town...

Climbing rocks on the beach.

A funny sign on the stall door in the restroom

on the beach in Cape Town (wow, I just used four straight prepositional phrases...that can't be grammatically correct!).

A view of the city from the cable car climbing Table Mountain.

Hanging out on top of Table Mountain. After a loss of power on the cable cars, we got stranded on top of the mountain for two hours. We were able to get free hot chocolate and a full refund for the hassle, though...we totally Cramered 'em!

Good times at the aquarium in Cape Town. Which of these 

is not like the other?

Cape Town or Bust!!!

With the mass exodus of people leaving the farm, I decided that maybe I should take a break and get away as well. So, on short notice, I decided to join the Linharts on an adventure to Cape Town, South Africa, said to be one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Our journey began last Friday, when we left the farm in a van with the motto of "Cape Town or Bust!" My personal preference was Cape Town, but unfortunately that day ended with a "bust" in the form of a broken-down van (with memories of trips in the St. Mark vans flooding my mind!). After an entire day stranded at a gas station in Kroonstad, the van was resurrected with this piece of advice from the mechanic: go back to where you came from!

After much deliberation, Plan B was set into place. So, last weekend, we flew down to Cape Town, where I am currently writing. It's been a great week hanging out with the Linhart family, being tourists in an incredible city, and chillaxin' a bit after an intense four months of training. Here are some pics from our adventures so far...

Chillin' at the auto shop in Kroonstad...glad I brought a book!

The view in the morning from our flat in Simon's Town, 

just outside of Cape Town.

The famous Table Mountain in Cape Town.

"Look, mom, a really big wave!"

"Ahhhhhhhhh!!!!"

Entering a New Phase

All good things must come to an end, so they say. The four months of training on the farm ended last week, and in one day over 30 of my closest friends in the southern hemisphere packed up and left the farm, heading for churches all across Africa to plant youth disciple-making movements. I stayed on the farm, as it will be my home base for ministry while I spend the next seven months traveling around Africa, encouraging and training the ministry teams. And, thus, the "preparation" phase of my ministry here in SA has abruptly ended. The past four months have been a time of incredible growth for me in so many ways--meeting many unique people, being exposed to new cultures and languages, being challenged daily in my walk with God, and developing many new disciplines in my life. I can honestly say that it has been one of the best experiences of my life. As I now enter a new phase of ministry, I can't wait to see what God has in store for me next!

The J-Life 2009 Team.

I'm A Big Loser

That's right...I have lost A LOT of weight since arriving in Africa four months ago--somewhere in the range of 20 lbs. or so. I'm currently weighing in at or just under 200 lbs. for the first time since high school...crazy. 

In related news, I've been running like crazy for a few months now. This past Friday I did something I never thought I would do. I got up at 3:30AM, drove 2 hours away to Pretoria, the capital of South Africa, and actually paid money to run. I entered the 32K race (that's 20 miles, for you North Americans). Believe it or not, I really enjoyed the run. I ran a consistent pace the whole way and finished in about 3 hours. I think at this point I am definitely ready for a marathon, so I'll be looking to sign up for one here soon!

In unrelated news, I've embraced more of a rugged look since arriving in Africa. Here's a recent photo. Enjoy...

T$ in Da House!

I'm not sure how I've neglected this post for so long, but I've been very blessed to have some friends join me out on the farm for the past month or so. My friend, mentor, and youth ministry prof. at Bethel, Terry "T$" Linhart, and his entire family have been living with us on the farm while Terry is on sabbatical. Terry has taught three lectures in his time here and has done an incredible job each time. A quick straw poll from the other trainees has revealed that he is definitely one of the favorite lecturers we've had this year. For the past few weeks, Terry has also led our devotions every Tuesday night, giving us wisdom and practical tips for our future ministries--a time that is now affectionately referred to as "Tuesdays with Terry." It's been great to have Terry here, and it has also been cool to see his wife, Kelly, really connect with some of the girls here. His three kids, Lauren, Jayson, and Sean have also really fit in well with everyone here and I'm sure have made several long-lasting friendships. You can read all about their adventures here in South Africa on their blog.

Terry is pretty pumped up to teach us about Eschatology!

Presidential Election Today!

Please be praying for South Africa, as today is the national election. As you might know, South Africa has had a history of corrupt politics. Just 15 years ago, South Africa had its first fair election, in which the Apartheid regime (white supremacy, more or less) was broken down and Nelson Mandela, the leader of the ANC Party was elected President. The ANC is still the dominant party, with some dozen or so other political parties vying for various positions in power and seats in the Parliament. While the ANC has done many great things in bringing freedom and equality to many people in South Africa, it seems that their rise to power has bred corruption within their party. Just a year ago, the leader of the ANC and President of South Africa, Thabo Mbeki, was removed from the presidency. The current leader of the ANC, Jacob Zuma, is presently on trial for major charges of corruption, although the trial continues to be postponed, and the ANC seems to be paying all the right people in an attempt to get the charges dropped. Zuma is expected to win the national election today in a landslide. Where else in the world would you find a President elected while concurrently facing major federal charges? Crazy...

You might be wondering, "Why in the world would people vote for this guy?" That's a great question...I'm glad you asked. 

First of all, Zuma represents the ANC Party, the same party that brought them their freedom only 15 years ago. Despite the corruption that has crept into the party, they are still riding the coattails of their victory in overthrowing the Apartheid regime. The masses are simply not ready to hand the power to anyone else, mostly out of fear, I would presume.

Second, Zuma is a charismatic leader. His seventh-grade education (this is no joke) would seem to suggest that he's not qualified to lead the country, but somehow he has captured the hearts of the people.

Third, Zuma is a Zulu. The Zulu people represent the largest ethnic group in this incredibly diverse country. In the township a few weeks ago, I asked a man who he was voting for. He responded in broken English, "I am Zulu. I vote ANC." Overwhelmingly, people here seem to vote more along ethnic lines than considering policies or even the moral conduct of a party or its leader.

After being here in SA for only a few months now, I don't presume to know everything there is to know about South African politics. Quite the contrary. However, it has become apparent that this election will be HUGE in terms of the future of South Africa, and as believers I think we need to be praying. Please take a few minutes today to pray for South Africa!

One of the funniest guys I know...

...is my buddy, Bronson. We've gotten to know each other quite well over the past few months, as we've been in a small group together, competed in sports against each other daily, and done a lot of ministry together. The following is a brief conversation we had a couple days ago, which made me laugh harder than I've laughed in a long time...

Me: I think I might shave my beard pretty soon.

Bronson: Yeah, it's hard to tell how fat your face is behind all that beard!

Ha! And that is why I love this kid so much...

Bronson and I performing a drama together at a youth 

camp this past weekend.

Poverty

I've seen more people driving BMWs in South Africa than I've ever seen before in my life...

I've seen more poverty in the past three months in South Africa than I've seen in the rest of my 24+ years of living combined...

Anyone see a problem here???...

Email

It's been great to hear from so many of you recently! Just wanted to give you all a heads up that my church email with St. Mark (acramer@stmarkmissionary.org) accidentally got deleted recently. Therefore, if anyone has sent an email to that account anytime within the last couple weeks--basically since I sent out my last email update--I never got it! I know I had a handful of unread emails on that account before it got deleted. So anyway, if you think that might apply to you, please forward those emails onto ACkosmo22@aol.com. And if you haven't emailed me recently to catch me up on your life, WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR!?!?!?!

A Few Random Facts...

• I ran over 40 miles last week...marathon here I come!
• My first 21 days in Africa were without a hot shower.
• I recently read the Bible, the entire OT and NT, in 27 days...it's a good book! (More on this later).
• I have not washed my hair in over a month...don't ask.
• Poverty sucks.
• I have not cut my hair or shaved since arriving in Africa.
• It gets cold in Africa.
• It also gets REALLY hot in Africa.
• I got thrown off a horse three days ago.
• I am convinced that there is no greater bond than that of the body of Christ.

I can't think of any more random facts, so I guess I'm done for now...