Idea Postponed

Back when the purpose and concepts of this blog were still just a thought, I got this idea (that I thought was great) to do interviews with people some how connected to the country of the month. For January I thought interviews with two Bethany grads, Rachel and Jessica, who had done their internship in South Africa would work well. So far Jess has been a challenge to get a hold of. They are out whenever I call. But I was able to get a hold of Rachel the first night and had a wonderful conversation. She agreed to be my very first interviewee. We got caught up, shared about our lives, talked about the college days and our futures. It was very fun and I got three pages of notes out of it. And the sit on my desk waiting to be put into some coherent order.

Tomorrow begins a new month with a new country but I would still like to share the insights these girls gained from the experience. So someday there will be neat thoughts and such from their experiences in South Africa.

Tsotsi

Tsotsi n. thug, gangster, hoodlum

I have struggled to write a decent explanation of this movie. I made the mistake of reading two other synopses first. Their words are far superior. The official website says:

Set amidst the sprawling Johannesburg township of Soweto - where survival is the primary objective -TSOTSI traces six days in the life of a ruthless young gang leader who ends up caring for a baby accidentally kidnapped during a car-jacking.

The movie is rated R and defiantly not forever one. Another downside, for some, is that the movie is subtitled. These two factors aside the movie is worth seeing. It is about hope, redemption, and second chances. To see the fullness of change you have understand the world Tsotsi comes from. In the face of his harsh reality the whole story is beautiful. At first I wasn't able able to say that. The night I saw it I was disappointed and a little distressed. I have thought about the story since. It now holds hope I missed the at first.

The South African National Anthem

During a campus social at EWBC in 2004, students, staff, and missionaries shared a bit about their home country and sang their national anthem.

This is the South African's:

Beat the Drum

Beat the Drum follows the journey of a young Zulu boy in search of his uncle. It is a reflection of a culture dealing with the devastating affects of the AIDS epidemic while showing both the misconceptions and shame families and villages are facing. I first heard about the movie on my internship. It was being shown in Swazi high schools as an educational tool to open discussions on the subjects of sex, AIDS, and abstinence. At the time we were unable to get a hold of a copy. I was surprised this Christmas on my flight home when given the option to watch the movie. I found it beautiful. Just seeing the African country side, hearing bits of Zulu, and watching the story unfold was a joy. It is not the fast paced cinematography we are used to from Hollywood, somewhat predictable, and half the movie is subtitled. If you can handle those "downsides" I say it is a worth watching, if you can find somewhere to rent it.

Insight

Without language, one cannot talk to people and understand them; one cannot share their hopes and aspirations, grasp their history, appreciate their poetry, or savor their songs. I again realized that we were not different people with separate languages; we were one people, with different tongues.

Nelson Mandela
Long Walk To Freedom

More Talking and New Features

I want to thank everyone who joined in on the "Yes Lord, Send Me" discussion. The lack of single men in global missions is a growing concern and as Matthew pointed out a reflection of men’s church involvement in general. I wonder if the emphasis is put on compassion ministries and orphans outreach gives the impression that cross-cultural ministry "woman’s work"?


Two of the new features I am adding to And to the Ends of the Earth is a missions book of the month and a country focus. Links can be found on the sidebar (it took me awhile to figure out how to make them look right. I did a victory dance when I was done. Not really but I thought about doing one). January’s book is Nelson Mandela’s autobiography Long Walk to Freedom. I am about half thr the book. It is long but worth the read. I have been challenged and inspired. Before the end of the month I hope to share a few thoughts and insights I have gained. During my flight back to Halifax I sat next to a young boy whose family was moving to South Africa. We chatted about what he thought it where they would live and what he thought it would be like. It brought back fond memories of my internship in the near by Kingdom of Swaziland. I got an email from a Swazi friend asking how my Zulu was. I must sadly say horrible. I think I could still say yes. During that same flight I was able to walk the South Africa film Beat the Drum, the journey of a Zulu boy for truth. It was these little things and reading of Mandela that lead to my decision that South Africa would be January’s country focus.

Yes Lord, Send Me...

LarkNews headlines read:

Teen seeks missions assignment where women don't wear clothes

Oh how this article made me giggle. In different missions classes the topic would come up on the general lack of men and specifically single men in most missions organisations. We talked about how missions magazines put more male pictures to portray an image that missions is a manly thing. Of all the suggestions this never came up. It might boost the percent of single males on the mission field. Somehow I cannot see it being adopted, yet for those interested I know of a country or two….

What do you think the reason for the lack of single guys going overseas and is it possible to change the trend?

New Day, New Look, New Blog

After a four-month hiatus "Journey on the Other Side" is being reborn. For me it is more than a name and layout change. Over the year in Japan this corner of cyber space gave me a place to chronicle the adventures and share pictures. When I returned in August I wasn’t really sure what should be come of this blog. Then an idea began to form, of a blog that focused on cross-cultural ministry cultural anthropology. A place that would help keep my love for global missions alive while generating discussion on the subject. I am not 100% sure what this should or will look like. I have a few ideas we’ll see what comes. For now welcome to:

And to the Ends of the Earth

"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."

-Jesus