1000 pair!

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Newsletter out early (to avoid getting caught up in the black Friday sales fliers) J

perceptions are others realities - a cultural lesson

wow, was blown away this week at the "perceptions" of the local black people(sorry if you are offended by that term, no offense intended...here in Africa, there are whites, blacks and coloreds (mixed, indian, other)).

Was delivering food and firewood this past week and training a new delivery driver to take over that task.  (he is a brilliant young man who LOVES the Lord).  Along the way we picked up another man.  The vehicle is a 2 seater pickup(we call them Bakkie's), so i crawled in the back end with the food.  The men were very uncomfortable with this (they are both black...i'm color blind, so i didnt notice)

Up and down the highways and dirt trails we went.  The wind in my face(and on a 100* day-that felt pretty good), working on my tan and waving at onlookers.  I couldn't understand why people were laughing, pointing and shouting at others to look.

I asked my two friends at the end of the day "Why were people so shocked".  

(here is where my heart hurt...whether true or not-this IS the perception here-and therefore their reality)-They said "White people do not ride in the back.  They drive, if they have a pet dog-it sits in the passenger seat and the blacks ride in the back...we are not good enough to sit where the dog sits"

Apartheid (racial division) is "official" over here, but a remnant remains.  

I was told that what i did was shocking to people(in a good way) and was a sermon without any words...hmmm, isn't it true that some of the best sermons we have all "heard" used no words.

I LOVE these people, and i am so glad to be here and serve with them, we really believe that part of our call to be here is to bridge a gap between color, and involve people in each other's lives... Lord may it be!