Rapid fire update

Ok, this is going to be a rapid fire post. AGAIN, I apologize for not posting sooner; life is busy, internet wasn't easy (I now I have wifi in my room though!!), and after a long day, writing is tiring. But I truly will try to do better. So, here are some highlights until I post again (which will be soon, I assure you), and in no particular order:

1) (Ok, well this I made sure to put first) We are having our first campus baptism tomorrow, since I've been here! Her name is Alicia and she goes to UJ. She is such an encouragement and joy to me and I can't wait to show you pictures!

2) We have seven girls studying the bible at UJ (and like 17 guys...go guys)! Pray for us.

3) It rained for almost two days straight, and the past two days have been filled with afternoon thunderstorms. This is lovely but problematic because Joburg roads do not seem to handle rain very well. Dirt and silt from the medians and sides of the road become sludge in the streets, and sewers tend to overflow. :/ ick! But the sun has been out for two days which brings joy to my heart and civility to the streets.

4) Yesterday was Human Rights Day which is a national holiday here. South Africans love their holidays. I celebrated by going to the Vaal River (doesn't that just sound cool?) and spending the day braaing, knee boarding, and wake boarding. My body is having revenge on me; Advil was a part of my breakfast this morning.

5) My family is coming to visit in June! And my roommate through all of varsity is as well, in August. Yay, yay, yay!! I definitely am missing friends and family.

6) My birthday was a week ago and it was lovely. As I've already mentioned before, South Africans are some of the warmest and friendliest people you will meet, and they did not fail to lavish birthday celebration on me. :) I was woken up at 6am to my family here singing happy birthday and bearing presents (in which I received a South African cricket jersey! very cool), had tea and cake in the most charming and delightful tea room I have ever been to (not that I've been to that many), and had dinner in a Mozambiquen restaurant. (I don't think that is the right form of something from Mozambique.) It was very encouraging birthday, especially with all the emails and facebook posts from abroad. Thank you! :)

I'll elaborate on everything later, as well as, include pictures of my life here. In the mean time, here's a few from my birthday dinner and the Vaal River.

Cheers!

The Harveys, Gordon, and me at Mozambique (the restaurant, not the country)

Vaal River

Me kneeboarding: not too bad.

Me wakeboarding: not so much.

Someone's YARD - those elephants are fake, in case you thought otherwise.No, we don't all live with elephants in our backyard here. And those black squares underneath the elephant in the background: that is a fish tank!

day ending on the beautiful Vaal