So what did we do on our first day in wild, rugged and exotic Africa? We went to the Mall! Conveniently, the Greenstone Shopping Centre is just down the road from Dave & Delia Russell’s house. After waking up late and Elizabeth having her customary cup of tea, we headed off in search of a SIM card for my phone. Delia had to vouch for us at the telecom company that we were in fact who we said we were. After purchasing the SIM card they tried to load minutes on our phone at the store but the network was down. Every few hours we’d punch in the code but get the same “network down” message. Finally, late Monday night it went through and people are now able to contact us. After a cup of coffee to keep us going, we stopped at a few more shops and at one purchased a power cord adapter so we can now plug our computers into the power grid here. We also visited the bank to change some Dollars into Rands. The exchange rate was not as good as the last time I was here but it’s still 7 Rand to the Dollar. We returned home late in the afternoon and Elizabeth took a nap as she’s still not fully recovered from her sinus infection.

Monday evening the Russell’s took us out to eat at a Portuguese restaurant. The food was great and the company even better! For those unfamiliar with the history of Africa, the Portuguese were some of the very first explorers that landed here in the early 1500’s. In some countries like Mozambique they still speak Portuguese. The Russell’s have been wonderful hosts and we have so enjoyed getting to know them better. Their daughter Jennifer married Matthew Maris last October and I was privileged to be part of what turned out to be an extraordinary event. While I’m keenly aware that we are on a divine mission, it’s the people that God knits our hearts with along the journey that make it meaningful and give it substance. The Russell’s are quality people who we feel privileged to count among our friends.

Tuesday morning I spent entering phone numbers in my cell phone and catching up on emails while the girls went out on errands. Delia is quite the scrap booker and in fact teaches other women the craft. She gave Elizabeth a tour of one of Joburg’s finer scrapbook stores while they were out and about. As for me, my head is still a bit foggy as my brain hasn’t seemed to catch up with South Africa yet.

The afternoon was spent looking at lodging as we need to find a place to settle for the next couple of weeks. After some dead ends, Elizabeth was given a referral to a B&B place that doesn’t advertise.  After hearing that we were visiting from the US the Scottish women who answered the phone said “God told us to get ready to host a couple of Americans."  Elizabeth was speechless (surprise surprise.)  With the amazing events that transpired the last time I was here, I’m now quite intrigued. Tomorrow we head up to Pilanesberg for a couple days and will stop by and meet this “interesting” older Scottish woman and see what happens! I won't be able to post for a couple of days as we are sleeping in a tent...stay tuned!