Baptising Joseph

Walter post-baptism

It’s been so exciting to journey with them over the past 2 months, and to see the new life that has been blossoming before our eyes.

The most tricky part of this process is that Paypal do not allow funds to be withdrawn into a South African bank account.  There are so many wonderful, simple, ecommerce solutions that make use of Paypal, and as a result save the merchant a lot of money.

So what are the alternatives?

Right now I’m looking at the following options:

• Use Shopify and find a payment processor which works well (and is low in cost) in South Africa.
• Use Magento and their VCS payment module.

Please do let me know if you have any ideas!

Luke Pedersen (of Project Studio): the guy whose heart resonated with those of our team and who ran with the technical side of the project.  He has spent many a late night developing the concept and pinning down engineers who could hone it.  He also gave the project its name.

Bethany O’Connor: the director and chief social worker on the project.  Bethany has sat through meeting after meeting with local social workers and partner NGOs.  She’s has made countless phone calls and written hundreds of emails and has kept her sanity and focus when everyone else has had enough.

I flashed back to my memories of post-school freedom.  As the clock edged its way towards home time I would find myself distracted by a longing for the ‘creature comforts’ that awaited me.  I would be welcomed home by loving parents, snack, play, read and watch television until it was time to eat yet more nutritious food.  I anticipated a womb-like safety.

Then I was struck by the reality of his expression.  When his school day ended he knew there was nothing to look forward to.  He knew that he would walk through the maze of shacks back to his tiny, dank home.  There was no one eagerly anticipating his arrival.  The night ahead would bring with it a cold dampness, the threat of disease, and, amid the distant shouts of alcohol-fueled domestic violence, a bitter awareness of his lonely insignificance.

At his age I didn’t even know sadness like this existed.

The Reunion

We were finally and delightfully reunited after 6 long months apart. (photo copyright Louise Persson)

Zoe came to visit

The Wedding

On the 9th of August Emma and Dave celebrated their becoming one. Sofia and I were Maid of Honour and Best Man (respectively), so it was an exhilarating day. The night before, Dave, myself, and a few male family members went swimming in a lake. The water was darkened by tanning, so we came out a temporary shade of brown. (Photo copyright Zoe Morgan)

Meeting of the Matriarchs

My parents came over and spent 10 days making new friends of Olof and Eva, Sofia’s parents.

We will be in Wales for 1 week before heading back to the Southern Hemisphere.

When the storm drains are cleaned twice a year in our area, the city’s waste management reports seeing small, dead, baby bodies. This is traumatic for the city workers, and its reported that a psychiatrist is on staff to debrief the workers.

click here to read more.

A few days ago, one of the Rastas met with Stephen and told him that Jesus wanted him to stop smoking weed. This came as a surprise because we’ve deliberately not focussed on our differences, on the fact that they smoke, and we don’t, but it was really exciting to hear.

This isn’t the first time that this kind of thing has happened. Over the past few weeks I’ve heard a number of stories of alcoholics deciding that Jesus wants them to stop drinking, and subsequently stopping!

Field Report - May 2008