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1 Luna crisscrossed her way down a busy street of Cape Town, South Africa. She was not prepared for such crowded cities. Before she came here, everyone told her all about the many animals people see on African safaris. No one told her about the throngs of people! Several cities have more than a million people living in them. Cape Town was really an interesting place. On the southern end of South Africa, it has many beautiful sights. Luna enjoyed nearby Table Mountain. People say you can see the mountain from 100 miles away in the Atlantic Ocean. She also enjoyed going to Boulders Bay, home to a large colony of penguins. She didn t know much about penguins, but she enjoyed being around so many animal friends. Next Luna planned to go north to Kruger National Park, a wildlife area the size of New Jersey! Thousands of animals including elephants, lions, giraffes, and zebras make their home there. Luna would seem tiny compared to such huge creatures! After her visit there, she planned to go to a place called Great Karoo. A vast open area in central South Africa, it is home to farmers who graze sheep. Now grazing was something Luna knew about! While enjoying scenery and watching interesting animals was lots of fun, Luna knew her favorite part of the trip had nothing to do with sightseeing or grazing. She was going to visit several children s programs connected with churches in South Africa. Children at the programs came every day after school to eat, play games, and get help with their homework. Luna couldn t wait to be a part of what was happening and make new friends in this fascinating country Gospel Publishing House. All Rights Reserved. Not for redistribution or sale.

2 The Country South Africa has a land area of about 471,000 square miles, making it almost three times the size of California. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it borders Namibia on the northwest; Botswana on the north; and Zimbabwe, Mozambique, and Swaziland on the northeast. The country of Lesotho lies completely inside east-central South Africa. The Indian Ocean borders South Africa on the east and south, and the Atlantic Ocean borders it on the west. The two oceans meet at Cape Agulhas. The Indian Ocean side of South Africa has many ports and scenic spots. The Atlantic side is rugged and isolated, and many ships have crashed in the dangerous currents. Even though South Africa is surrounded by oceans, it is home to two deserts: the Kalahari and part of the Namib. Since South Africa lies in the Southern Hemisphere, its seasons are opposite those in the United States. South Africans are getting ready for the winter season in May while people in the United States are preparing for summer. The weather is mostly warm and dry year round and rarely dips below freezing. From December to February, temperatures can top 100 degrees in some areas. The nation is generally dry, especially in the northwest, but along the eastern coast rain is plentiful. South Africa has three national capitals. Cape Town is home to the nation s parliament where laws are made; Pretoria is where the president lives; and Bloemfontein is where the Supreme Court meets. The nation is a treasure chest of wildlife, with more than 20 national parks where people can go on safari tours. The ocean waters near Cape Town are home to penguins and migrating whales. Huge game reserves contain elephants, lions, hippopotamuses, giraffes, zebras, rhinoceroses, leopards, and more. South Africa s flag has a colorful design. A large green Y is tipped sideways with the top pointing left. It is surrounded by a thin white border on the top and bottom and yellow border on the left side. The rest of the flag is red at the top, black on the left, and blue on the bottom. Several tribal groups lived in South Africa before Europeans arrived in Over time, Europeans took control of the land and developed their own language, called Afrikaans. They forced black Africans to live separate from them under strict rules called apartheid. Under apartheid, black Africans had few freedoms, could not vote or hold high-paying jobs, and were often forcibly removed from their homes to live in slum areas. Apartheid officially ended in the early 1990s. In 1994 millions of blacks were allowed to vote for the first time and elected Nelson Mandela as the country s first black president. Gold, diamond, and platinum mining is important to South Africa s economy. The Zulu name for the city of Johannesburg is Egoli, meaning the place of gold, because it was built on top of a large gold vein. Some of the gold mines around the city are more than two miles deep. South African currency is called the rand. The People South Africa s population is about 49 million, which is about twice the number of people living in Texas. South Africans follow a wide variety of religions. Most of them are mixed with traditional ancestral beliefs passed down for generations. In cities, wealthy people live in modern homes, many of them with swimming pools and lovely gardens. Poor people live in shacks made from any type of material they can find, including mud and thatch packed around wooden poles. They have no clean water or electricity. As more people come to cities to search for work, the size of slum areas is rapidly increasing.

3 People in South Africa dress much as they do in the United States. In villages or for special festivals, people may also wear clothes in the style of their particular people group. Beads, bright colors, bracelets, and large earrings are common. South Africa has 11 official national languages: IsiZulu, IsiXhosa, Afrikaans, Sepedi, English, Setswana, Sesotho, Xitsonga, SiSwati, Tshivenda, and IsiNdebele. Many more tribal languages are spoken, making communication interesting and sometimes confusing. Most people know more than one language. English is used in business. Children are required by law to attend school from ages 7 to 16. However, a lack of schools in many poor areas makes enforcing the law impossible. Children in these areas have few opportunities to go to school. People living in cities have access to all types of foods from around the world. Barbeques, called braais (pronounced bryes ) and all types of jerky (called biltong) are popular. Poor people often eat mealie pap (pronounced pop ), a type of porridge similar to cornmeal mush. Soccer is the most popular sport. South Africa was the host country for the 2010 World Cup. HIV/AIDS is a major problem in South Africa. So many people have died that an entire generation of AIDS orphans is growing up without parents. Many of these children live on the streets of major cities. Did you know? South Africa is the only country where visitors can see both the world s largest land mammal (the elephant) and the world s largest sea mammal (the whale). The San people, also known as Bushmen, live in the Kalahari Desert. They speak a language that includes various sounds made by clicking and popping with their tongues. In print, those sounds are shown by symbols such as!, //, and /. The Xhosa language also includes similar clicks. The king protea, South Africa s national flower, has a white center surrounded by pink spiky petals. The flower can grow up to one foot in diameter. Biltong South African jerky is made from all types of meat, including ostrich, antelope, and crocodile. When visiting South Africa, be careful about ordering food called smileys and walkie-talkies. Smileys are sheep heads cooked over an open fire, and walkietalkies are chicken feet and heads! A food with a very long name is waterblommetjiebredie, which means flower stew and is made from the buds of a Western Cape flower. Every day at noon in Cape Town, the South African navy fires a canon to let people know it is lunchtime. The Post Office Tree, a giant milkwood at Mossel Bay, is believed to be the first post office in South Africa. In 1501, sailors tied a boot around the tree and left letters inside to be picked up and delivered by passing ships. On a golf course bordering Kruger National Park, a golfer was trampled to death by an elephant that broke through the fence! In Cape Town, drivers should always lock their doors when leaving their cars. In addition to human thieves, baboons have been known to open car doors and vandalize vehicles. Safari-goers like to set out in search of the Big Five buffalo, elephants, leopards, lions, and rhinoceroses.

4 The Assemblies of God in South Africa The first Assemblies of God missionaries went to live in South Africa in Today more than a million people worship in Assemblies of God churches. Missionaries work alongside national believers to plant more churches and reach people in need. Several missionaries are involved in teaching at Assemblies of God Bible schools. Others hold children s crusades, train children s workers, assist in youth ministries, and help people affected by HIV/AIDS. cornmeal or masa. 4. Adjust heat to medium. Bring mixture to a boil. Reduce to simmer, cover pan, and let mixture cook for 30 to 45 minutes. (Mealie pap tastes better by cooking it long and slow.) Eat warm with chakalaka on top. Chakalaka Zulu Words Zulu make up one of the largest people groups in South Africa. Their language, IsiZulu, is one of the national languages. Here is a list of several common words and phrases in IsiZulu. English 2. Add salt and butter. 3. Using a wooden spoon, slowly stir in IsiZulu One kunye Two isibili Three kuthathu Four okune Five isihlanu Hello (to 1 person) sawubona Hello (to a group) sanibonani My name is Igama lami ngu I don t know. Angazi I love you. Ngiyakuthanda. Christians Balzalwani Yes Yebo No Cha (pronounced with a small click by putting your tongue right behind your front teeth and dropping it quickly making a clicking sound) Foods From South Africa Here are adaptations of two common South African foods. Mealie Pap ;;5 to 6 cups water ;;One-half teaspoon salt ;;1 Tablespoon butter ;;1 cup cornmeal or masa flour 1. In a large pan, bring water to a boil. ;;3 tablespoons oil ;;2 medium onions, chopped ;;2 bell peppers, chopped ;;2 or 3 hot chilies, minced ;;2 or 3 garlic cloves, minced ;;2 teaspoons curry powder ;;3 tomatoes, chopped 1 can (15-ounces) baked beans in tomato sauce ;;Salt and pepper to taste 1. Pour oil in large saucepan over medium heat. 2. When oil is hot, add onions, bell peppers, chilies, garlic, and curry powder. 3. Cook, stirring frequently, until vegetables are soft, about five minutes. 4. Stir in tomatoes. When mixture boils, reduce heat to simmer. Cook about five minutes longer. 5. Add baked beans, salt, and pepper. Heat through. 6. Serve with mealie pap.

5 May Flower Craft The king protea, South Africa s national flower, is grows up to a foot in diameter. Make a miniature king protea to bring to a club meeting. ;;Cardboard ;;Pencil ;;Large-size coffee filter ;;Pink, white, red, and green crayons ;;Medium-weight pink paper ;;Scissors ;;Glue ;;Cotton balls ;;Craft stick 1. Draw a cardboard circle the same size as the coffee filter s base. Cut it out. 2. Color the sides of the coffee filter pink, both inside and outside. 3. Cut several long, thin triangular shapes from the pink paper. 4. Use a crayon to shade the wide end of the triangles white. 5. C olor the tip of the triangles red. 6. Glue the triangles around the outside of the coffee filter, keeping the wide end at the bottom. This will form the flower s long, spiky petals. 7. Glue the cardboard circle onto the inside base of the filter. 8. Glue cotton balls onto the cardboard, shaping the center into a pointed mound. 9. Color a craft stick green and glue it on the back of the filter. Jukskei Jukskei is a traditional South African game that is similar to horseshoes. Here is a simplified version of the game to play with friends. ;;Sand ;;One 20-inch long straight stick or pole Four- to eight-foot lengths of plastic pipe (Paper towel tubes filled with sand and stapled closed at each end can also be used) ;;Tape measure 1. Make a circle of sand up about three feet in diameter. Mound the sand in the center. 2. Insert the 20-inch pole two inches into the sand. 3. Form two teams with up to four players each. 4. Mark a line eight to ten yards away from the pole. 5. Give each player a piece of pipe. Choose a team to go first. 6. Each player on the team must take turns standing behind the line and tossing her pipe toward the pole. If the pole is knocked down, the team automatically receives five points. If the pole remains standing, the tube that lands closest will be measured and the distance recorded. 7. Reset the pipe and let members of the second team toss their pipes, the same rules applying. When both teams have finished, the team recording the closest distance to the pole receives three points in the round. 8. Continue playing until a team reaches 11 points.