Bill's Hot Mail. 02:36 PM 1/4/02 +0200jfpeLaigh^ Update 4Jan. 2002>From wjcizim@hotmail.com Fri Jan 4 17:36:09 2002X-Originating-IP: [168.209.97.50]From: "Bill's Hot Mail" To: "McCarty, Kathy" Subject: DeLaughter Family Update 4 Jan. 2002Date: Fri, 4 Jan 2002 14:36:53 +0200X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook Express 5.50.4807.1700X-OriginalArrivarnme: 04 Jan 2002 22:36:06.0015 (UTC) FILET1ME=[328E58FO:01C19570]

4 Jan. 2002

To One and All, . i v it,Ithink that it is time for another Update. Last month was rather busy. We went to the National Youth

Conference which was supposed to be agrand event. Howe\er since there was a bit of n\lry bebween theleaders the venue was changed 5times during the week before the event. Thus, confusion was in the air.On the last day before the event we found out where it was going to be held and went on our way. We m^Alice Fishback in Hammersdale and followed her out to the College property where it would take place. Thegrass was waist high and we found out that the college is not operating now so everything is beingneglected There was an expectation of about 500 who were expected to attend but at last count onlyabout 100 young people came. So, everything was scaled back to suit the attendance. One of the mamspeakers did not make it so Carolyn was able to gi\e an interactive session on the AIDS problem. Thesekids are really sharp and had a lot of questions which Carolyn answered along with Gladstone who is thehead of the Church of Christ Mission here in South Africa. The whole program was cut short because awedding was planned as apart of the Conference, and also there was a new church dedication on the week

We went home a day earlier than expected because of these concems and I(Bill) attended the eveningsession at the new church in preparation for the dedication the next day. Since Idid not know where thechurch building was located in Gamalaki, 1picked up Gift, one of the local elders ft-om Umzumbe Missionwho showed me the way. It turned out that he didnt know where it was either so we dro\e around a whilebefore finding someone who knew something about the church. There were several important dignitanesthere who spoke and sang and really worthed the people's enthusiasm. Iwas told that the one who wa^sgoing to read the Scriptures did not show up so would Iread the Scripture lesson. Isaid that Iwould doanything to help. So, when it came my time to read the Scriptures, Ihad not taken my Bible with me thatnight. Ezra loaned me his. They told me Icould read any Scripture Ilikes, which Ithought was ratherunusual. So. Iselected the 15th Chapter of the Gospel of Luke, about the lost sheep. They said that theSaturday evening meeting was to be evangelistic so thought that would be appn^priate. When Istood upand made a few remari

Bill'sHot Mail, 02:36 PM1/4/02+0200, DeLaughter FamilyUpdate 4 Jan. 2002

funeral should bring food for the femily insteadofexpecting the family to feed e>erybody as the custom is.There are just too many funerals.

Later in the week we traveled to Umtata for a ceremony called "Becoming A Man", but that is anotherstory for next time.May the Lord Bless,Bill and Carolyn DeLaughterP.S. Remember our e-mail address widzim@hotmail.com

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Bill's Hot Mail, 02:00 PM 1/18/02 +0200, PeLaughter Family Update 19Jan. 2002

>Ftx)m v\^d2im@hotmai!.com Fri Jan 18 13:46:16 2002X-Originating-lP: [168.209.97.50]From: "Bill's Hot Mail" To: "MillejiDMaaalL^jmHler32466522@aol.com>Subj^dr557aughterT^mily Update 19 Jan. 2002Date: Fri.18 Jan 2002 14:00:14 +0200X-Mailer Microsoft Outlook Express 5.50.4807.1700X-OriginalAnivalTime: 18 Jan 2002 18:46:14.0012 (UTC) FILEe=[67AA33CO:01C1A050]

DeLaughter Family Update

19 January 2002

Dear Friends, Family, and other interested individuals.

We began our Christmas trip by driving for 5 hours through the most beautiful scenery in all of South Africa.Gentle rolling hills, but \jery high with deep valleys cutting through the high ground in all directions. Wedrove through ses^ral large town on the way. Traffic out on the open road was not too bad, however in thetowns, people eNerywhere. Stores lined the streets on both sides of the road and little stands sellingeverything imaginable on evsry a\ilable sidewalk. And, again people everywhere, on the sidewalks, in thestreets, everywhere. Vans, being used as buses and taxies were busy taking people up and down, parkingeverywhere and lea\ing little room for through traffic to get by. But we made it to Umtata and Ultra City, aShell service station with a store and selling petrol (gas) to meet Alice Fishback.

She took us out to one of the suburbs to the place where she had her house. We met Mavis, her friend andspent the night there. Alice s friend , Anna Onkositana who does house work for her is the one who invitedus to the ceremony that is held when a boy, her son, becomes a man.

The next day we went to Anna s home and found people there cooking goats They had purchased 6 for thee\nt. They had built a temporary kraal (fenced enclosure) for the ceremonies. Carolyn went to be with thewomen inside the house and I v^nt out to the kraal with the men. They brought out a special chair for mebut I just sat on a bench like e\eryone else. Naturally they all spoke Xhosa but some spoke broken Englishwith me. When some of the meat was ready, they put chunks on plates and set in the midst of groups ofmen. Then each man took out his pocket knife to cut off what he wanted. A little boy brought me a kitchenknifo and o%red it to me. I refiised and pulled out my Swiss Army knife amidst ooohs and aaaahs. A bitlater an old man asked to bont>w my knifie. I refused laughing at him and saying, "Never, I know you people,you borrow my knife and never give it back." Everybody laughed and someone gave him the kitchen knife touse. Then they came and offered home made beer to me in a gallon container. I refused but the manInsisted and again I refused. Carolyn was watching this with delight. Again he insisted and said, unlessyou drink, no one else can drink. As I stood up then, Iwas much taller than he, and looked him in the eyeand said, "If this is beer, I WILL NOT drink it, I am a Christian." The old man behind him shook his head,no, and the younger man still insisted. Then the older man came over and whispered in my ear, "You donthave to drink, just take the jug and pass it on to the next man, that is the custom. " O.K. that I could do,and I did. Matter settled and no dmnk missionary!

Eariy in the aftemoon everybody got up and went off to meet the "honored guest" the man who had been aboy yesterday. Alice loaned me her walking stick and said you will see why in a bit. Sure enough when thecrowd came with the boy in a blanket only, came into view, ail the men had a stick of some kind and shookit at him as they danced their way to the house. I joined in the dance and shaking of the stick. We hadgreat fun. They sat him down in the makeshift kraal with his "cook" and his "mentor". The cook was a teen

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Biirs Hot Mail, 02:00 PM1/18/02 -1^200, DeLaughter Family Update 19Jan. 2002

age girl who providedfood lor him while he was confined for about two weeks after being circumcised. Hecould see no one, he couki talk only with his mentor and he could rest and heal. The mentor was the olderman who instructed him in the customs and responsibilities of being a Xhosa man. The boy just sat. Hewas not allowed to respond in any way. His head was bowed down and he did not movs unless he was toldto. Each man present slowly walked up to him and began to talk with him in a threatening manner and tooka f^ coins and tossed them on his blanket. One took a gallon jug of what 1think was home made beer, setit before him then picked it up and had a drink. Others came and dtank a bit as well. He was not allowed tomove, so did not drink. The "cook" sat beside him also in a blanket, but fully clothed. When the blanket gotdisturbed, the boy could not mo\e to straighten it, the mentor had to do e>rything for him.

Then they helped him up and danced him o>rto where the women had been cooking their own goats andagain sat him down with cook and mentor. Each woman came up. gave him a lecture, and presented himwith a gift. He got blankets, pillows, sheets, towels, dishes, and a new set of clothes including his first suitas a man and a cap. He was to dress in this later in the day. The stack of blankets was more than 4' high.

Then they danced him back to where he had come from, he was not allowed to come home yet. He came abit later, all dressed in his new clothes, but not a smile, not one sign of emotion could show.

We left and went home since we thought the party was going to get more interesting than we desired as thedrinking started. This was the community ceremony. The Church ceremony would take place the next day.

On Sunday we went back to Anna s house knowing that I was to preach and fully expecting that theceremonies for the boy were over. But there he sat in his suit, mentor on one side, his cook on the otherside, head down, eyes downcast, no emotion whatever. I began to preach and the clouds came up over thehills and put a damper on things as it began to rain. Church was being held between two buildings so whenthe rain began, umbrellas came out and a group of young men jumped up and grabbed several tarps andspread them fifom one buildingto the other even as 1preached. When the acti\Aty got a little too much, awoman started singing, and they all sang until things settled down and Istarted preaching again. I though,"Shame, these people came a bng way so Ijust cannot preach 15 minutes, they will be disappointed so 1went on and on." Finally Carolyn gave me the sign to cut it offquickly. So, I did.

Then, and only then did I realize that the ceremony for the boy was going to take place fbr the churchpeople. So, once again he was brought out, sat on chairs in front of everybody and gifts were brought bymen and women and coins slapped down with gusto as they offered advice to this new man among them. Iimagine not more than a few Rand was put on the table, but they did it will small coins and kept comingback to offer more advice. When Anna got up to put her 2 cents in, I thought she hated the boy and wasletting him know all about it. Iwould loveto know what she was yelling at him. There he sat, head down,cook on one side, mentor on the other eyes, looking straight down, no emotion at all.

When it was over we started to leave. Someone came njnning up and said, "Come with your camera, hecan smile nowlf Sure enough there he was, ami around his mother with the biggest smite I e\/ar saw. Helooked at me and said, "This is the happiest day of my lifielF'

We took pictures and leftwith a new man holding on to the mother who had raised him as a child just fbrthis day. A boy had become a man.

Exciting times in Afilca. Who knows what will happen next? Iam sure I don t

Yours in Christ,

Bill and Carolyn DeLaughter

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P.O. Box 13

Umzumbe, 4225, Republic of South Ainca

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From: "wjdzim" To: "Mission Services" SubjectJkT1ightpr^miLy Update 3July 2002Date: 1^, 3 2002|)1:08:20 +0200X-Mailer: Microsott Outlook Express 5.00.2314.1300

Dear Family and Friends,This will be rather short as time is very limited right now. We anived here about 2 1/2 weeks ago and have almost settled

in. We are in Johannesburg living in Alice Fishback's house in SouthPort, at least that is what her address is.We sent out a few messages using Alice's e-mail address however we have now sorted out our own address which is

mailto:widzim@aiagrp.net and will now be using that address exclusively. Even our Hotmail account, we cannot access anymore for some unknown reason, so if you have been sending messages to us using Hotmail, be advised that they have madechanges and I can no longer get anything through them.

We are going each day down to Potchestrom (my spelling of Afnkaans is terrible) which is about 100 k's firom here. There isa youth camp being held there at a local school in the location (hi-density area) where the Church of Christ meets onSundays. I counted more than 30 young people there but there will be more coming I am sure.

I am going to be teaching a couple of days on the subject of the Holy Spirit. Carolyn will be leading a session on the subjectof AIDS. Already I ahve contacted two men who are willing to do a bit of translating, one in Chewa and Tongs (Malawi style)and the other in Sothu. We will see how they do and whether their people are interested in the studies that i have available intheir own language.

I said this was going to be short so I willdose now, many more letters to write tonight.Serving Him in Johannesburg. South Africa temporarily,

^^-^1 and Carolvn DeLauohter^mailte;wtdzirn@aiagipjT^^

file://C:\DOCUME~l\STEVES~l\LOCALS~l\Temp\eudl3.htin 7/5/2002