Season's Greetings

Oh how I miss the bright fall colors and chilly autumn air!

Here on the other side of the world we are going through the opposite season.  It is spring time right now.  There are many thunderstorms and everything is turning green after a long dry season.

In light of the Halloween holidays I have been thinking about how when I first got to Africa I thought that I would only see a witch doctor if I went deep into the bush to some uncivilized tribe.  But to my surprise I discovered that witch doctors are very prevalent in both South Africa and Swaziland.  They are called Sangomas and there are several in each of the slums that we work in.  The Sangomas practice ancestor worship and sacrifices. The Devil has a huge strong hold in this area.  Many people believe in the power of the Sangoma and go to him or her for blessings and healing.  Sadly many evil things happen during Halloween even to the extent of child sacrifice.  So this Halloween we decided to dedicate the ay to the Lord.  We all dressed up as Bible characters, played games, eat great food, shot off fireworks, and ended the night with an incredible time of prayer and worship!