Massive storms Part 2: Parasites and guns

If you haven’t read last week’s blog, you might want to start there as this is part two of that story. When I wrote my blog last Saturday Ian was feeling well again and we were going to take a day together to do some shopping, have a nice lunch, get a pedicure and then finally a date night. We spent the morning at the local craft market (one of my favorite places in any country), booked a pedicure and then headed for lunch. Suddenly my tummy wasn’t feeling well and I was starting to sweat. We all know that feeling, and Ian had just finished feeling that way for three days, so we quickly headed back to the hotel. I had a parasite, there was no doubting that with ALL the signs and symptoms included. I crawled into bed with a fever and Ian had to go out and get more medication as he had consumed most of what I had purchased.

 

Due to Covid restrictions in South Africa, pharmacies close at 3PM on Saturday and he was struggling to find a store that was open. He finally found one Dis-Chem pharmacy across the city and headed there to get my desperately needed imodium (now you know the real problem). On his return Google Maps brought him back to the hotel through downtown Joburg – not a good part of town, but he didn’t realize where he was until it was too late. He was stopped at a red light when a gang of 6+ men came up and banged on his window with a gun. His head swung to look at them just as the gun holder started to cock it. Ian says the man was high or drunk, or both, and it slowed him down a second so Ian hit the gas and squeezed in between two taxi/vans known as “combi’s”. As he wedged his way between them the light turned green and he took off out away from the men.

 

He arrived back in the hotel with medicine in hand, but quite shaken. Joburg is known for its car-jackings and violent crime, and if you recall in last week’s blog that was MY greatest concern as I was driving around the city trying to accomplish what we had gone to do. Needless to say, date night was off and we couldn’t wait to get back to our quiet mountaintop in Eswatini.  A day after we got home the border that we cross was closed again for several days and we were so thankful that we weren’t stuck in South Africa any longer than we needed to be.

 

So why did all that happen? We were looking forward to a much-needed break, had fun plans in place and then illness and fear took over. Meanwhile back at Project Canaan the hail storm raged causing damage that we are still trying to repair, destroying crops that are beyond repair. I’m not going to lie and say that we weren’t discouraged, or exhausted by all the craziness of the week, but I can say that we quickly right-sided our thinking and chose to look at the good side and the protection that was provided.

 

Ian wasn’t shot in the head and robbed of his car, wallet and life. We were able to get Imodium and the parasites that I am convinced came from the hotel food have left us. We did have a nice 14-hour drive in the car together seeing the beauty of the South African countryside along with the wild animals at the gas station (ostrich, rhinos, zebra, kudu, bushbuck and impala to name a few). 

 

 

We were able to support many local stone and wood carvers so that they can feed their families again and feel hopeful for the days and weeks ahead. We weren’t “needed” at Project Canaan during or after the storm, and while it is always nice to have mom and dad around during a crisis, our team is incredible and handled it all with professionalism and intentionality. No person or animal was hurt during the storm – everyone was protected. 

 

These beautiful Rosewood utensils will be for sale with our charcuterie boards soon!

Yesterday was payday in Eswatini (everyone only gets paid once a month) and that means it was a half-day of work. People leave work at 1PM so that they can all rush to the store to buy food for the next month. Many of them have little to nothing for the last 7-10 days of the month as their pay just isn’t enough to get them through, especially with so many mouths to feed in each homestead. We see it as a long weekend because we get a half day, plus weekend, with a relatively quiet farm. This weekend we will go for long walks with the dogs, sit at the amphitheater and watch for our neighborhood crocodile, take a nap, go to the soccer pitch with the kids and then enjoy some wonderful home cooked food and call it a date night. How much more could we ask for, really?

 

James 1:2-4 in The Message bible says,

 

“Consider it a sheer gift, friends,

 when tests and challenges come at you from all sides.

 You know that under pressure,

 your faith-life is forced into the open

 and shows its true colors.

So don’t try to get out of anything prematurely.

Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed,

not deficient in any way.”

 

May all of the tests and challenges that you are facing this week be allowed to accomplish the work that they are designed for.

 

Live from Eswatini … resting.

 

Janine