The second term of our village disicipleship classes started up again last week. We’ve been on break for the last couple months as we’ve been hosting mission teams from the US, but it’s time once again to start teaching.

This term I’m excited to be teaching a class called Love, Sex and Relationships. Now even in America these aren’t always the most popular subjects to talk about in the church and I assure you that it’s even more unlikely that you’ll ever hear a pastor talk about love much less sex in a South African church. Which is why I feel there couldn’t be a better time to teach this stuff. Kids, and I mean kids are having sex and catching AIDS like wild-fire over here. In my first class I asked the question, “Why are kids having sex?” It took a little while for everyone to start talking, but once the ice was broken I couldn’t get them to stop. Their responses… “kids are just bored and have nothing else to do, ” with all the poverty girls will want to get pregnent so they can get recieve money from the government”, “our parents press us for grandchildren” and the list goes on and on. I guess one of the bright points of the class so far is that we’re finally getting these kids to talk about topics that have never been taught in the church. Which is a shame because it’s the church that should have been teaching these kids about love, sex and relationships all along.

Prices Compared
US - Starting at $799
South Africa - Starting at $1,396

As most people would think a country that is plagued by poverty and a slow growing economy the cost of living would be some what low. Well, you’d be flat out wrong! It’s always fun to explain to people that there isn’t hardly one thing here in South Africa that I couldn’t get cheaper in the states. You name it, it’s more expensive here…. Gas - $4.50 a gallon, Cars - twice as much, Electronics - twice as much.

This whole post was prompted when I was checking out prices of Dell computers here in South Africa. At first, I thought that Dell just sold different computer here, but turns out the computers were the same, but they just aren’t so cheap here. I don’t understand how a country expects its’ people grow and prosper with prices like this for the everyday things when minimum wage is around $0.40 an hour.

Well, today was my birthday and it is without a doubt one for the books. Having a birthday in August and growing up in Florida usually meant my birthday party was a pool party, because it was just so hot outside. So, when I woke up this morning I was a bit shocked and confused to find it snowing on my birthday! I say shocked because just 3 days ago I was walking around in shorts and a t-shirt enjoying the sun shinning down on my face. Now, I find myself bundled up in 3 layers of clothing with a heater always by my side.