the 'haves' and the 'have-nots'

This morning as i was walking and praying for a friend and i began to think about the haves and the have-nots.

I don't have a i-phone, and i pad, a bmw nor a dishwasher, but those possession ommisions don't make me a have-not. Not hardly.  Because i have a great phone (thanks uncle ron) and water, hot water.  And that, my husband (in Soweto that makes me a have), and son do the dishes. I have a house, and two toilets and a car.  Definitely have, have, have, have.

But am i grateful?  Do I think about what i don't have?  Or the things i think i "need".  Lord help me to be thankful for the MANY blessings I have and the blessing of knowing you as Father. 

This black tub is THE bathtub.

Everything plugs in here, but the place is so small, all cords reach.

Her grandma works, so the washing is her responsiblity.  Two pair of school socks.

I have a washing machine. 

English can be a difficult language.  It is my heart language, my home language.  And for all intents and purposes my only language.  Greeting in three languages does not count, nor do my few remaining Zulu words count as speaking that language.  

A young friend of mine is in grade 8.  He wants to be an attorney.  And he has asked me to help him with his English.  (In the past, i've helped at my or his gogo (grandmother)'s request.) We were going to read a book and check for comprehension and a few strange words.  Turns out most of the words are strange.  As in,

not used everyday in Soweto, i.e. dense, enormous, and shinning.  

So we will go back, closer to the beginning.  I've pulled out teaching English workbooks and English Made Easy notebooks.  My daughter is enrolled in teaching English as a second languages for next semester.  I could use what she will learn, now....right now.

The last two weeks we covered pronouns, especially he and she.  Most South African black language only have one word to describe both.  In Zulu,,yena.

And past tense....like darken and darkened--see the root.  And cloud and clouded.   And climb and climbed.

We will begin with how each letter sounds, and sight words and grammar and a bit more organization.  I feel in over my head, tho i love to teach/tutor.   This is important to him and to me. 

Home again, home again

After a year in the states we are back home in Joburg, South Africa.  Life is the same--we live in the same house, with the same furniture.  We drive the same bakkie (pickup).  Ben is going to the same school.  We have the same dog and cat.  I'm carrying the same purse.  But life is different-- we are without our daughter.  She stayed to go to university, which also means i have an office.  We are working in Tshepisong (and a bit in Snake Park).  Ben has a new teacher.    But as always GOD is the same. 

Welcome

My old blog home is just that now.  Old.  I could post to it but not edit the thing.  The pictures had been there since before our fulough.  Like at grandma's house, where the same photos were in the same place years on end.  Loved it there, but here it becomes old.  See the theme?