The Flores Journey

The more I spend amongst the Xhosa people, the more I learn about them. I have been learning from my Xhosa friends in Khayelitsha about a tradition called Lobola. When a young man is ready to get married he must approach his perspective bride’s father. According to tradition, the father will ask the young man for the price of his daughter. The price of the daughter ranges according to her education and standing in the community. I questioned the young man telling me about this tradition as to why education would matter. He told me that, “If the girl can read and write, she will bring in more money. She could get a better job and contribute to her new family.” The price of the bride is measured in cows. The father determines how many cows that the daughter is worth to him and asks the young man for that price. Because, there are not many cows in the townships of Khayelitsha the price is the Rand amount of those cows.

One young man told me that his uncle was still paying off his bride price. The cost was thirty cows, which is equivalent to 12,000 U.S. Dollars. According to the guys, 50 cows are supposed to be the max amount of cows that anyone is allowed to charge. This is a very expensive price, especially to the poor of South Africa. It is common for young men not to even get married or even desire to because the price can be so high. I told the guys that it seemed to me that this would just keep guys from getting married and promote premarital sex and young men that weren’t committed. They agreed. This is a tradition that is helping to promote the broken homes that exist all over Khayelitsha. However, they also informed me that if a young man gets the daughter of another man pregnant, the cost of that is even worse. “You have to pay money for damages. It’s tradition.” They told me. Not much we can do about it.

Claire and I personally know one young man who has been saving up his bride price for some time and still has a ways to go. He is twenty six years old and couldn’t get married even if he wanted to because he literally can’t afford the price of his bride. When we talk with him about getting married, I can hear the frustration in his voice. For him, it is still very much out of reach.

I have now figured out how to make my fortune! Claire and I are having our second baby girl. Statistics show that the more children that you have of one sex the more likely it is you will continue to have children of that sex. I’ll keep producing girls and then all I need to do is find Godly, Xhosa men who want to marry my daughters. CHACHING!!! I’ll be making bank! LOL.

For the past two months, we have been working amongst the Xhosa people in the township of Khayelitsha. As we get to know the people in the community we have begun to uncover some very scary beliefs amongst the “Christians” here. One young man shared with one of our team members about his baptismal experience at his “Christian” church. He told us that a goat was slaughtered as part of the ritual and was given a goat-hair necklace by a witch doctor to wear after the baptism. He also shared very openly that prayers are made routinely to dead ancestors.

We talked with some people who have worked with the Xhosa for some time now and they affirm this practice. They told us that it is a very common thing amongst the Xhosa people, even the Christians. They also told us that when the young men go to get circumcised, (see this post), the people who actually perform this surgery are witch doctors. Prayers are offered to dead ancestors and every Xhosa boy has to perform this, or else they will not be respected in the community. When we heard this we were deeply shaken. Many of the young men we know in our Africa Jam group have performed these rituals. We ask that you would pray for us especially in regards to this matter. We are very much aware that to take on this issue we are going to take on a tribe’s sacred tradition. I am distraught that this is so widely accepted amongst the Christians here. We do have some hope in that we have heard of one church in particular that we have ties with in the community who we believe does not agree with the practice of ancestor worship. That said, the same missionaries who have been working amongst the Xhosa told us that some Xhosa Christian’s who don’t agree with the practice said this: “A Xhosa Christian must check their Christianity at the door when going to get circumcised. It’s Cultural and we won’t have any respect. We can’t even get married if we do not do this.”

During the ritual one of the teachings of the witch doctor is that after the circumcision the boy’s first emission is tainted. So they are told that the first girl they sleep with cannot be their wife because the girl would then be tainted as well.

I hope your heart moves for these people as much as mine does. Please pray for wisdom for Andy and me as we try to figure out how to shine light into this very dark area.

One of our kids that meets regularly at the bible study in Khaeylitsha was killed a couple days ago. He was Stabbed by another guy from the township. We talked with Louiso, another A.J. leader about it yesterday and he said that the kid was killed over a drink of soda pop. A girl was holding another guy's drink and our guy asked to take a drink from the soda. The girl gave him one, and when the other guy found out about it he got very angry. The young man from our group told the boy that he would buy him another drink and he had only drank it because he was thirsty. At that, the kid got even more angry and said, "You don't think I have enough money to buy one myself?" He pulled out a knife and stabbed our young man who then bled out there on the ground.

I'm letting you guys know because of the seriousness of the situation in Khayelitsha. These things happen and are much more common that you would think. I can't even tell you how angry I was at this news. I was filled with a lot of righteous anger. I work with a lot of these young men and to think that another person would think life to be so cheap. By his action he told the world that this child wasn't even worth a soda pop. I feel helplessly angry. It's soo wrong! I feel a real sadness in the pit of my chest.

God Help Them!

Boy did we ever have a crazy night a while back. So all of you know everyone in South Africa has some sort of Security alarm on their house with an armed response. You see it on every house you drive past. Our security system is called Chubb. The reason that everyone has these kinds of security systems is because their tends to be a lot of break in's and armed robberies in South Africa. Every time I pick up the newspaper, there is another story about a robbery and break in that occurred during the week.

Claire and I just finished watching a world cup game and headed off to bed. Before I jumped into bed I armed the security system which secures the entire house. As we were drifting off to sleep, we heard a large crash downstairs and instantly the Chubb security system started blaring throughout the house. I was half awake when the alarm started blaring and immediately my heart was in my chest. Someone was downstairs!!! I told Claire to grab Peyton and jump on the other side of the bed away from the door leading downstairs to the ground floor. As I stared at the door my hands fumbled for anything that might serve as a weapon to protect my family. My hand rested on the large bedside lamp that was plugged into the outlet on the other side of the bed.

Our phone rang and Chubb was on the other line. They asked what was the problem and though my voice was shaking I told them what had happened. They told us that an armed response was en route to our area and would arrive shortly. They remained on the phone with me and as Claire recounts, "She was preparing herself to die. I don't know how to explain the terror that grips you when you are expecting men with guns or much more likely crude knives coming through the door. We have a window upstairs and we waited for Chubb to arrive the pulled up and the dispatcher asked me to go downstairs and let them in. I tiptoed down the stairs listening intently to hear if their was anyone else in the house. I opened the door to see three armed Chubb men completely decked out with body armor and weapons drawn. I was very impressed. One went outside to secure the grounds while the two others secured the downstairs. To Claire and my great relief, and yes embarrassment we saw our intruder that had us bound in fear upstairs. It was the T.V. It had fallen over from it's position on the couch. Claire had pulled the sandle that was propping up the T.V. when we had gone to bed.

If it had been an intruder I don't know what we would have done. I don't know how to communicate this but in that moment we felt like our house, the place of security, had been compromised. The one place that I feel safe in, My castle, My last defense didn't feel so secure in that moment. Praise the Lord it wasn't what we had thought.

I am grateful for Chubb though. They came very quickly, though it seemed like forever at the time.

Bryan

(One of the small businesses started in Khayelitsha)

Friday I was invited to go to Khayelitsha and visit several of the businesses that have been started through the Income Generating Program or IGP. I have been very excited about this part of the Africa Jam program and had heard some good reports leading up to it. For one, the program has been noticed by some people that can really take this program to the next level. We have been told by the South African Government that if we can raise a certain amount of money in savings then they will give us a very substantial grant. The South African Government wants to invest money in programs that are bringing funds into the poorest communities, and that is exactly what Africa Jam is doing. This is great news for the IGP team because, success from earlier ventures have created much enthusiasm throughout the community.

Like I said we visited several of the businesses that have been created in the community. First, one of the “African Momma’s “ took the money that she was loaned and invested it into purses and wallets as well as sweets and other snacks. She told us that she had completely sold out of all of her purses and was going to stock up on more from the money that she had made. Money is paid back on a monthly basis, with interest and she has been making all of her payments.
Another woman we visited was not there but the son showed us the things that had been purchased with the loan money. We saw some red flags here because there was very little merchandise that she was selling. Whenever there is so little merchandise in the home we need to ask, ”Where is the money that was loaned going?” We told our loan officer to make sure to check back on this house and inquire as to where the money had been invested. Every once in a while a need comes up and the money used there. This is discouraged because they won’t be able to pay back the loan, not to mention lose their ability to purchase other merchandise to sell and actually make themselves a profit.

There were several other businesses that had been started; Women sold aprons, purses, candy and treats, cell phone minutes, chickens, and eggs. I went to the meeting after visiting several of the stores and got to meet the rest of the business ladies. All the women are older. This is the third month of this loan and all of the woman have been able to make most of their payments. There was just one or two who owed a bit more rand and promised to pay it the next day.

I am very impressed with where this program is going and how it is really empowering the “African Mamas” to make a living from home. It’s incredible to see the lengths that these women are going to and the kind of entrepreneurship that is coming out from the townships. We want the IGP to be able to function completely on its own without funding from outside sources and are definitely on the right track.

We are very encouraged by the potential of the government grant which will open up many more loans and businesses. The best thing about this, is that every other meeting we bring in a pastor to have some time with the group. It is a Christian based program so before every meeting is prayer and a little talk. This program is going to have some serious impact, especially because Christ is at the very center.

Bryan

Andy, Leigh, Claire, the two babies and I took a trip into Khayelitsha a couple of days ago to visit some of the young men and women there. We noticed that Mpepe, one of our friends from last year wasn’t anywhere to be seen. We asked about it and were very surprised with the answer.
The Xhosa people along with many of the other tribes of native South Africans in the area have a very interesting tradition that they observe. When a young man turns a certain age (late teens to early twenties) he is given the opportunity to “become a man”. That was exactly what our friend Mpepe was doing.
I asked to hear the story of one of the young men who had already done this, because I was very curious. He said that it was a very celebrated occasion in the community. Before he was taken into the wilderness the community gave him a party. They feasted on meat and other meals and danced and played music. He told me that He was led off into the wilderness by one or two of the elders in the village. They took him to a place in the wilderness where there weren’t any people and they constructed a shelter for him to stay in. He described the shelter as being constructed out of plastic and other makeshift items. During this time they circumcised the young man and left him there where he had to stay until he recovered. I was told that it took some of the young men several weeks, even a month for the healing to take place. The elders of the community would take turns coming out to the isolated location, where the young man was, to bring him small amounts of water and food. They weren’t allowed to eat anything for a few days and some were barely allowed to drink anything at all. This was all part of the tradition of becoming a man. “We were told that there are many poisonous snakes out in the wilderness and I was given a large stick in case anything came into my location.” Said the young man I was questioning. “For the first few nights I didn’t sleep at all. It’s fearful being alone in the wilderness in all that pain. With all the noises in the dark, who could possibly sleep. After I had been out there for so many nights in a row I just got used to it. I was too tired to care what could be out there, I had to sleep.” He continued, “For the first week I could barely get off the ground I was in so much pain. When wind or any sort of weather came in, I had to try and hold the shelter together. ” He smirked at that. I could tell he was reliving the experience that he had had.
When the boy comes back to the village, he is no longer a boy anymore. He is given much more respect in the community. When he speaks, he is listened to. His words carry much more weight in the community. If however, the individual doesn’t participate in this tradition and people in the community find out about it they are not given respect at all. In fact people from your own household, even your own children, don’t have to listen to you. I thought that was very interesting that he mentioned even their own kids will give them less respect if they don’t take part in this experience.
I have always been interested in surviving off the land. I had thought that this is what was required of them. However, it was mainly a circumcision that had taken place. I am very excited to talk with Mpepe when he comes back from the wilderness to get a fresh account of his story. I want to hear from him if he saw any wild animals during his trip or if the rain, which we have had recently, affected him at all. It seems like every day we encounter something new. The Xhosa people are a proud people. I am really enjoying getting to know who they are as a people, though I have only begun to learn. I pray every day that God will give me a love for the people and those I am working with. I don’t want to be a “sounding brass or clanging cymbal.” (1 Corinthians 13:1)
(Bryan)

Yesterday we hopped into Andy & Leigh’s vehicle and made the ten to fifteen minute drive to Khayelitsha for an Africa Jam meeting. This meeting was primarily for us to get our feet wet and kind of know the schedule of events that are coming up with the organization. There are several opportunities that we will be checking out.
1. Men & Woman’s Bible Study/Prayer Meetings (This is held on Friday nights in Khayelitsha where men and women gather in separate groups and have their bible studies and prayer times.) We won’t be able to join them this week but next week we will be there.
2. School Outreach (We will be participating in an event that lasts several days at one of the local schools. We participated in a similar event last year when Andy and I visited the organization. Games are played with the kids, bible stories are acted out as well as discussed in small groups. Music is played and the kids get to dance and sing. We are praying that it is sunny and not rainy so that the kids aren’t stuck inside.
3. Parentless Kids (We will be working with some children that have been abandoned and or orphaned. I am really looking forward to simply loving young kids that have been simply abandoned orphaned or rejected. I can’t imagine what this communicates to a child. We really want to love these children by simply taking time and coming down to their level and hearing what their hearts are desperately crying out. I can’t wait to post some of the experiences we have in this area.
4. IGP (Eventually we are to meet up with the IGP or Income Generating Program to see how this is doing and how we can assist. We don’t have a set time yet but in the next few weeks we should know.)
These are some of the events coming up that will keep us busy in the upcoming weeks. There are also plans in the works for taking out a group of young men and women from the Khayelitsha area that have been coming to the bible studies and going on an outreach into the rural areas surrounding Cape Town. They have done it once before and saw a woman that was lame healed in front of them. They go into these rural areas sing and help out the poor with whatever they need. Cleaning yards, doing laundry etc… I am very excited about this! The kids are going to begin raising funds soon, which I am shocked at, because they live in such a poor community. But somehow they have pulled it off before and will do so again. It seems we have arrived in God’s perfect timing. There have been a handful of the Africa Jam leaders who have just left. One has gone to Minnesota to help out A.J. there and the American, Ryan, will be going to the States to work on getting some bible training. We keep hearing that our arrival is very timely. Though I was very zealous to get here earlier, the Lord had everything lined up perfectly.
(Bryan)