Barb and I took a three day trip last week right across the bottom of Africa. We even were at the point of land that is the most southern spot, the very tip , a place called Agulhas. We saw monkeys, elephants, cows, ostriches, horses, snakes, baboons, and millions of birds along the way...which of course meant driving all the way on the other side of the road. I only 'forgot' a few times :-)

At times we felt we were on Highway #1 in Northern California with the water right beside us. At other times we were on #95 in New Jersey a mile or so from the water with lush vegetation all around us. Then, we were on Highway 70 driving across the waving fields of Kansas with miles and miles of farm land. At times we were driving up #25 in Colorado with towering mountains on one side and open plains on the other. At one point we were reminded of the lake region in Northern New York where there is land and water everywhere....needless to say, it was beautiful!

I preached today. This is the Sunday I was supposed to encourage the people to get involved in various ministries. Man, the people of the church already run a radio station, an AIDS hospice and several clinics as volunteers. How could I challenge them to do more?

27 people responded this morning with, "What can I do?". What an amazing church! They now want to do something for all the kids who live on the street...there are thousands of them. Barb and I will meet with all 27 of these people to help them discover the next step in this great commitment.

We visited several ministry sites last week before we took off. So many needy people living in really poor conditions. We passed many townships (we would call the squatters villages) all along the road the last few days. So many poor people.

Half the people here, the majority, are in the 'black' group...native tribal people, some from South Africa, some from Nigeria, some from Zimbabwe and some from Somalia (those are the largest groups) and they all speak a different language so they cannot communicate. Their major problems are AIDS, drugs and alcohol. They live in the tiny shacks with no water or electricity...education is spotty.

Then there are the colored. These are mixed raced people. Mostly between whites and blacks. These are the angry, 'mean' people. They have been left out of everything. The whites ruled until 1992, then the blacks! "When is our turn?" Their problems are unemployment and AIDS. They live in settlements with small, but, permanent houses put in by the UN and Habitat. They are educated but don't seem to have the opportunities.

Then there are the whites...might be a minority group by now, but, they hold most of the riches and live in the biggest houses. But, many are leaving. They call the 20 year old whites...the "Pale Male" because of affirmative action. He is last on the hiring list after "Blacks", "Colored", "Women", "Handicapped", "Gays"...and so on! Real problem!

We are well and I think we have adjusted to the time change. The weather is beautiful but cool. We are moving toward summer so it should warm up. We will move from the small guest house next week to house set a two bedroom home. That should be nice. We will miss the ocean view, but enjoy the extra room.

Pray for us as our calendar fills up!