Introductions

Moving to a new place will mean lots of introductions.  New people, new currency, new geography, new weather, new educational system, new constellations...we hope to introduce them to you as we meet them.  But first, we need to introduce ourselves a bit, or rather what we're doing and why.

 

This is Andrew.  Andrew's connection to South Africa goes back to age six, when a missionary named David Bliss spoke to his Sunday School class at Park Street Church.  Despite being a generally high-energy/low-concentration kid (about the only other thing he accomplished in Sunday School was making catapults out of Linkin' Logs!), Andrew was captivated by David's stories, and his interest did not fade.  About twelve years later he interned with the chaplain at Essex County Correctional Facility in Middleton, Massachusetts.  Two years after that, he spent a summer working with David Bliss in prisons through the Andrew Murray Center in Wellington, South Africa.  He saw firsthand what he had heard about for so long – the transformational power of God working in the lives of society's outcasts, bringing freedom from addictions, reconciliation in families, and restoration in communities.  Ever since that summer, Andrew knew that he wanted to return to South Africa to continue working and learning.  This year, the opportunity came.

 

This is Anne.  She is married to Andrew.

 

Just kidding.  Anne is excited about South Africa as well, although she has never been inside a prison before.  She loves traveling, being a student, and facing new challenges, though, so this adventure suits her well.

 

About two years ago, Andrew applied to the Ambassadorial Scholarship program through the Rotary Foundation.  After many interviews, applications and negotiations, his proposal to study at the University of Cape Town and research prison rehabilitation programs in South Africa was accepted.  This was the opportunity he had been awaiting for years – a chance to return to South Africa, advance in his studies, and have someone else pay for most of it!  We were to leave at the end of June and start classes in Mid-July.  So why aren't we there already?

 

African Bureaucracy.  It is a fact of life that must be accepted and dealt with, but can be a  formidable opponent if time is not on your side.  Suffice to say that both the university and the visa application processes took much more time and effort than they should have, sometimes involving 3-a.m. phone calls in a desperate attempt to reach a human being on the phone and be able to do something with the needed information before all of their offices closed (at 10 a.m. our time).  Finally about a week and a half into June we got our acceptance from the University and an extension from Rotary that enabled us to leave in July.

 

So we're on our way!  Once we arrive, we will be busy getting the basics (phone, bank account, apartment, car, etc.) set up while registering for classes, which start on the 21^st.  We are hoping to settle in quickly so that wherever we are feels like home rather than a temporary settlement.  A year is not very long to get accustomed to a new place and culture, so we want to dive right in and make the most of our time!

 

For the moment, though, our time is being spent in airports and on planes.  More on that tomorrow!  In the meantime, another question for the masses: how do you like to introduce yourself?  What is something you like people to know about you right away?