Two Big Events!

1. Just wanted to include y'all in my birthday celebrations this week! Sing with me..."Happy Birthday to me!..."

Birthday traditions in South Africa are kind of funny. The person having the birthday…

1. bakes the cake,
2. prepares the food,
3. puts up decorations, and
4. invites all of her friends to join her for cake and coffee on the day of her birthday.

It’s a BIG deal! And I’m telling you…everyone shows up! One of my American friends warned me about this early in our stay here. When she first moved here, she had no clue that this was the norm. And so, when her birthday rolled around, all these people just started arriving for birthday celebrations and she had nothing to serve them! She was so embarrassed at the time, but it makes for a funny story now.

Actually, I'm celebrating my birthday this coming Thursday alone with the kids and no husband! Yes, it's true! But I guess he's got a good excuse!

2. Erwin’s on a week-long adventure in “the bush!” (Sounds ominous, doesn’t it?) It’s a bush-camp “retreat” in the wilds of South Africa with other Church of the Nations pastors from South Africa, Canada, England, etc. (no electricity, no toilets - which explains why the wives aren't tagging along)

Anyway, Erwin called me tonight with the exciting news that he actually shot a Springbok today! (That’s a small deer commonly used for food.) It's a first for him and he sounded quite excited - despite the fact that he was facing an "initiation ceremony" tonight! Oh dear! Well, I'm excited for him anyway! I’m not exactly sure how to cook Springbok - anyone have some good recipes?

We'll keep you posted. I'm sure pictures will follow...