Forbidden Love

Well, apparently, I am forbidden to return to South Africa for 5 years. I’m really feeling like a criminal of sorts on this one. Mom and I were going through security, all dandies and daisies, when the lady behind the counter said, “come with me”. We followed her into this back room with stained walls, a prehistoric computer and a brand new scanner. I just felt like corruption was inching to take a nip at me. Luckily, there was another man in the room that had the same issue. I entered South Africa on a “travel visa” which is valid for 90 days. 90 days in South Africa just wasn’t enough so I spent three days at Home Affairs to get my passport visa extended. They required a ridiculous amount of paperwork and a fee, of course. With some housemate assistance, I jumped through all the hoops and finally received a stamped piece of paper and was instructed to carry keep it with my passport.

I kept those papers with my passport, but they did nothing for me. We were informed that the law had “changed” and even if you apply for a visa extension, you are staying longer than permitted and should be penalized. In Africa, you just gotta roll with it. There were also two others standing in line next to me that ran into the same issue. A copy of my passport and some signed paperwork landed on top of a tall stack of papers including others that have been accused of the same thing. I’m not real concerned. If I’m supposed to return to South Africa before 5 years time is up, God will provide a way.

Hitting the slow-motion rewind button, our last few days in South Africa were packed with events and farewells. We went on a game drive in this beast of a jeep. We spotted giraffes, moneys, kudos, warthogs, zebra, ostrich… and got to snap a few photos! In the afternoon, we met with Sue, the executive director of CATCH and she shared the full story on the creation of CATCH. I knew some bits, but it’s the little miracles that make it what it is. Every new piece to the story became more and more God-awesome. At night, we held a baby shower for my housemates. By this point, I felt like my emotions has been in a freezer for the past week… they were numb. I had a “tingling” of reality here and there, which usually lead to a few tears. It made my heart sore to leave, but there is a steady, calm peace covering me that surpasses all understanding.

I received a gift from a family that I will cherish forever: a handmade crocheted blanket in the colors of the South African flag. It’s gorgeous! Along with many wonderful letters and words of encouragement. These past five months are surreal, did that really just happen?

Now, I’m sitting in the Montreal Airport waiting to board my LAST flight to the states! We have been traveling to two days now. We started at Johannesburg to East London to Paris to Montreal and then to Minnesota. That’s a lot of airplane time! I get so jazzed about airports because they are constantly flowing with people going places. Especially international airports where you hear many different languages and can play the “guess the relationship” game of people standing in lines ahead of you. Today, I saw this handsome, tall, white guy, probably a little older than myself, walking down the hallway holding a girls hand. They were laughing and chatting away holding hands. I thought they looked so cute, however, she seemed to be about half his age. It was a little disturbing because she looked so young. Come to find out…. That was his little sister! Even more adorable! Oh airports.

Now, please sit back and relax as you take a gander about some photos from Momma Jayne and Emilee’s final two weeks in South Africa! 

Some day I will own a truck like this.

Can you find the majestic beast in the background??

Some staff at CATCH at my farewell

My traditional schway schway dress sewn with love by Mama Phumla.