Minutia Part 1

I’ve been told on multiple occasions that many of the things I consider too trivial to write about are often the most interesting parts of my experience to friends and family at home.  I’m not sure if these details fall into the interesting category, but I want to use this post to catch up on some things that I’ve been neglecting to describe to friends and family at home. 

Life for me in South Africa is centered, both literally and figuratively, around the Evangelical Lutheran Church Center in Umphumulo.  The church center compound is the headquarters of the South Eastern Diocese of ELCSA, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Southern Africa. I am staying in a flat near the center of the compound.  My flat has a kitchen, bathroom, bedroom, and large living room.  Frankly, it’s far too much space; I can almost hear my voice echo in the living room.  The water here, like almost everywhere in South Africa, is perfectly safe to drink and comes obligingly out of the tap when requested.  Electricity is a little spotty in Umphumulo because many unauthorized homes have been added to the grid.  As a result, the power tends to go out when the when it’s raining, misty, thundering, dark, and when I’m cooking dinner.  The water tends to follow suit, kind of like a little sister who has to do whatever her big brother does.  Fortunately, a 20 gallon bucket filled with water, a single burner gas stove, and a steady supply of candles keep things manageable. 

The church center also contains a guest house for large diocesan gatherings, an industrial size kitchen, the office headquarters for the South Eastern Diocese of ELCSA, two large meeting halls, a small chapel, and a variety of other buildings where my co-workers stay.  From my back door, I look out over the church center and across a small valley.  The valley is wooded, but I can see Umphumulo Church and Rev. Mabaso’s house on the opposite ridge.  Beyond this ridge, the ground drops off sharply and leads to the center of Mapumulo, about 6 km away.  Other than the church center, my side of the valley is also home to Umphumulo Hospital, a primary school, soccer field, and the site of the old ELCSA seminary.   All of these landmarks are connected by a road that loops around and connects to the main highway, R74.  Mt. Sabuyazi, which means “empty-handed” in isiZulu, stands a couple hundred feet above the road down to Mapumulo

Looking over Umphumulo from the top of Mt. Sabuyazi.

I wouldn’t want to tell too many details, so I’ll leave some for later.  I hope these help paint part of the background for my experience!