I'm Here: Pretoria, South Africa

Girl

Hi everyone!

I'm writing from the lovely southern tip of Africa! We stand in awe at God's work in this relatively small (South Africa is 5 times the size of Japan and three times the size of Texas) and young country (republic).

In a nutshell,I am proudly South African and claim my privileged "share" in hosting the 2010 FIFA World Cup (soccer), Madiba, democracy, diversity, sport (rugby and cricket), culture (11 official languages), inventions such as breakwater dolosse, automatic pool cleaners, first oil-from-coal refinery and flight control technology. Well known for nature as diverse as it is beautiful ("God's window" through to the Karoo), the largest green canyon in the world (Blyderivier Canyon), as well as being home to the world's smallest succulent plants (less than 10 mm) and the largest (the baobab). Moreover, we host the biggest man-made hole on earth (Kimberley) as well as the deepest vertical man-made hole (Jagersfontein), the longest wine route in the world, the world’s first heart transplant (1967 by South African Dr. Chris Barnard), the big five and lastly (I’m running short on breath here…) the world's largest diamond (Cullinan diamond, uncut more than 3000 carats, now a "mere" 500 carats nestled in the British crown jewels!

But even that resume has another aspect, we have a crime rate among the highest in the world, AIDS (and countless orphans due to this disease), swine flu, a third of our population has "illegal immigrant" status and some of the worst drivers in the world (public transport is not as well developed as some other countries…). I tell you, the words "concrete jungle" take on a whole new meaning!

And then at last, the best part is most definitely God moving in our country. Something that far surpasses any of the above-mentioned honours and problems is the revival we are experiencing. People are turning to God in ways and numbers unimaginable, with the most celebrated (and, of course criticized) being the "Mighty Mens Conference". Last year we stood in awe as over 70,000 men gathered around the word of God. But this year, an estimated 200,000 men gathered. Can you imagine the impact of that many fathers, husbands and sons seeking God? That is just publicly, the complete extent of the movement has to be felt to be understood and all glory to God (for this is no human triumph)!

Why I love South Africa (By Ian Macdonald)

I love her for the perfection of her days
The crisp Karoo morning
The Joburg winter noon
The late summer Cape Town sunset
The star-filled Free State night

I love her for her people
For our warm smiles
For our resilience
For our I-am-because-we-are

I love her because she delights my senses
Highveld thunderbolts
Jacarandas in bloom
Sunday braais
African sun
Icy sea

I love her raw power, her intensity, her strength

I love her because of how she makes me feel
Sometimes angry, sometimes joyous
Sometimes fearful, sometimes love-filled
Sometimes frustrated, sometimes hopeful
Always alive

I love her because she intrigues me
And challenges me
The Chinese have a curse: "May you live in interesting times"
I see it as a blessing

I love her because she helps me keep things in perspective
By reminding me how privileged I am
Every day

I love her for being a microcosm of the world
A world in one country
For what we can teach the world
About compromise
And sharing
And forgiveness
And tolerance
And hope

I love her because she's imperfect
And full of opportunity
And potential unfulfilled

I love her because she has come so far
And has so much further to go
And whether we ever get there
Will all depend on us

I love her because she's been so good to me
And she inspires me to return the favour

I love her because she's my country
No matter what
I love her because she's my home
And where my soul is at rest

Warmest South African regards!
Marika

* * *

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Comments

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1. Leah A said the following at 6:49 AM on Dec 8:

I LOVE South Africa! I was there last year for a brief mission trip & it was so wonderful to see God at work. We landed in Joburg and stayed near Bethlehem. I would go back in a heartbeat.

2. Dan Gill said the following at 7:02 AM on Dec 8:

I was privileged to visit South Africa a few years back, and you have painted a wonderful picture that matches what I experienced there. I would love to return one day. I'm sure I only scratched the surface of your beautiful land.

And I'll vouch for your description of the driving. That was an adventure!

3. Julie said the following at 8:06 AM on Dec 8:

Thanks for the description of your lovely country! I would like to visit someday.

4. Liesel said the following at 9:48 AM on Dec 8:

Hey Marika,

Thanks for the great post. I am also South African but now living in the UK. Your post made me feel very homesick!

So great to hear about the Mens' Conference. I pray that many families will be renewed and strengthened from the ripple effects.

5. Tom Neven said the following at 9:55 AM on Dec 8:

Hi, Marika

Yes, you live in a beautiful country. I used to live in Waterkloof.

I was posted to the U.S. Embassy when it was still on Church St. in downtown Pretoria.

6. edwige said the following at 11:57 AM on Dec 8:

Yeaaaa 2010 FIFA World Cup!! Proud of South Africa hosting it!! =)!!!

7. MegH said the following at 12:57 PM on Dec 8:

Hi Marika!

My friend was just down in South Africa helping at an AIDS orphanage for Thanksgiving and she mentioned some of the above things you'd said . . . like crime rate, the taxi drivers, rape, etc. I hadn't know these things before, so it's certainly good to learn about them! Yes, God is a God of the nations, and he's working there, too! I'm so glad we can have hope!

Blessings to you!

8. Vanessa said the following at 1:32 PM on Dec 8:

I honestly don't normally read the "I'm Here" blog posts, but for some reason this one caught my eye and moved me to tears. God bless you and your obvious love for your country!

9. Al said the following at 4:10 PM on Dec 8:

Is there some sort of prequesite that I'm Here contributers have to have great photos to be eligible? Because all the entries so far have had good pictures. As someone who is hopelessly unphotogenic, this is strange and incomprehensible to me.

10. Al said the following at 4:10 PM on Dec 8:

11. BDB said the following at 7:32 PM on Dec 8:

Three times the size of Texas?

That's Humongous!

We do get the Africa channel here, and a lot of the programming is produced in South Africa. It's a different perspective. I stumbled across a program on the channel once. It took a while to figure out that it was some sort of beauty pagaent. But all the contestants were discussiong how they would address HIV/AIDS. Considerably more seriously that most interviews in the U.S.

But like other countries, it seems like the seriousness of challenges people face go hand-in-hand with where God is moving.

12. Kelly-1 said the following at 8:01 PM on Dec 8:

What a wonderful post! Thank you for sharing. :)

I almost moved to Pretoria for work 2 years ago, and it's always in the back of my mind how much I would love to visit your country.

13. AJ said the following at 2:55 PM on Dec 9:

Viva SA :)
I'm a born and bred Capetonian...
Thanks for reminding me that SA has so much to offer!

14. Leah said the following at 8:22 PM on Dec 10:

It's nice to see a white South African who is, not only proud of their country, but proud to live there. I know too many who, while loving the country itself, are too happy to leave and never go back.

Al (10) - many "I'm Here" photos haven't included the person at all :)

15. Mbini said the following at 12:54 AM on Dec 11:

That's great reading about SA and great comments. I love my country and Pretoria is just close to my heart.

God is really moving in there.

Thanks a lot.
Mbini
www.pretoria-south-africa.com

16. EJ said the following at 8:44 AM on Dec 12:

Thank you for posting! I really liked the poem.