Prayer for UCT Protests - 02 October 2016

The University of Cape Town has been closed for the past week to give time for negotiations between the university management and the protesting students.  The hope is to re-start lectures tomorrow (Monday, 3 October).  It sounds like the final set of talks did not go well and we are currently waiting on a decision about tomorrow.

This has been a stressful week on campus with many meetings between staff and students.  I attended five meetings this last week with various different groupings of students and staff.  The students (non-protesting) and staff held a silent protest on Friday (see link below) to re-open the campus, which was then counter-protested.

It is hard to gauge what will happen tomorrow, possibilities range from further closures to violence between protesters and private security or police.  The academics in the Physics department (including me) are preparing to step between security and students if violence becomes a possibility.  Please pray for the UCT campus tomorrow (actually tonight, classes will start at 8 am here, or 1 am CST), that peace will reign.  I will keep you posted, Steve

UPDATE: The Vice Chancellor has just announced that lectures will resume Monday with security present to deal with any disruptions.  Please pray.


More Information

UCT Silent Protest (look for me in the first picture next to the yellow sign)

Shackville TRC (primary protest group)

Protests at UCT - 24 September 2016

Here is a quick note to tell you what has been going on recently at the University of Cape Town (UCT) and in South Africa.  All academic activities have been suspended at UCT for the last week as a result of student protests on campus.  There have also been similar protests at several other universities in South Africa.  Unfortunately, there have been cases of intimidation and violence associated with protests which prompted suspension of university activities.

The primary issue leading to the protests is the call for free university education.  There was a similar set of nation-wide protests last year (#FeesMustFall) that was prompted by unusually high increases (10-12%) in the university tuition for the 2016 academic year.  As a result, the South African president (Jacob Zuma) announced a nation-wide 0% tuition increase for 2016.  So, this year, students have mobilized again (after the Education Minister announced an 8% increase in 2017 tuition) pushing again for free university education (#Fees2017).

The next 7-10 days at UCT will be an important time for the university and the nation.  The university is planning to engage with students and staff this next week to try to reach a resolution and resume lectures as soon as possible.  Further delays will put the completion of the academic calendar in jeopardy.

Steve was not teaching when protests disrupted lectures last week, but did have an uncomfortable exchange with protesting students.  The main portion of campus has been largely quiet since Tuesday with protests occurring in other areas of campus.  Steve is scheduled to lecture next week (when and if they resume) and disruptions are a real possibility.

It has been a stressful time for everyone and evokes deep-seated emotions on both sides.  The vast inequalities in South Africa have contributed to these emotions and make negotiations complicated.  The universities will have to make some tough decisions.  Please join us in praying for peaceful engagements and a mutually-agreed resolution to these protests.  Please also pray for Steve as he engages with students and deals with any possible disruptions.  We will keep you updated over the next few weeks.  Thank you for your prayers, Steve, Diana, Aaron and Seth



Here are few links if you are interested in more information

UCT Campus Updates

New York Times Article - FeesMustFall

Article - Future of SA Universities

foreigner in a foreign land.

a friend asked me recently about my thoughts on living in a foreign country...i just thought i'd paste what i wrote into a note and share it with all of you...

i guess everyone knows that feeling of doing something for the first time with people you don't know. when you live in another country it's like that but on crack! 

we moved 3 times in our first 4 years of marriage. i felt i had it down to a science...it takes about 2 years to feel settled with friends that you know fairly well, doctors you're happy with, regular places you go and restaurants you can't live without! but in a city of 4 million plus, in a country where there are 11 national languages and where people know you're foreign every time you open your mouth it takes even longer.

i think the things that help are: 

1 - we know God planned for us to be here. we see the way he worked out so many details and called us in our hearts to africa before we even knew what that looked liked. 

2 - it also helps that it's so easy to contact friends and family in the states these days. i remember when i went to cameroon in 1998...to some that may seem like a long time ago but to a lot of us it seems like yesterday...and i only called my mom on the phone 1 time because it was expensive but also inconvenient...where i lived for a year we couldn't even place overseas calls. 

3 - God's family helps you feel connected even if you're struggling with the culture. it's lovely that thru jesus christ i can have a foundation of similarity with people all over the world!

[reposted from Diana's facebook page - original date: 20 February, 2014]

being a mom. praise the Lord!

so some of you may know my husband took off for a far-away conference, only yesterday.  i'm holding down the fort...with 2 boys!  let me say, it has not been hard so far.  i didn't get much sleep last night but it was a saturday morning which means a slow start, then my sweet friend picked up aaron for a day at her house.  with one boy taken care of i thought i'd attempt a little grocery shopping...yikes!!

seth fed, nappy changed, grocery list made, seth buckled into his car seat, nappy bag fully loaded...left the house.  

phew!!  we made it to the grocery store.  parked too close to car next to us so couldn't get the car seat out of the back door...improvise...pulled it out of the driver's door.  still on track, we can do this!  

found a trolly right away so i wasn't lugging that GIANT car seat through the garage into the store.  seth starts crying half way through the shop, pulled him out of the seat, carried him through the shop while pushing the trolly.  not a prob.  

finally he's back asleep...checked out, got groceries to the car.  the car that was parked too close is gone, hooray!  groceries and everything else packed into the car...uh oh!  i realize i did not lock the gear shift!  uh oh!  i also left the back window cracked open and worse of all, i left the front door unlocked!!  i do a quick check, PRAISE THE LORD, nothing seems missing and best of all no one stole the car. ;)  

pulling out of garage, passing the boom, oh no!!  i didn't buckle seth into his seat!  pull over, get out, buckle seth.

i did make it home but i tell this story in great detail to help paint a picture.  being a mom is a physical challenge.  its a mental challenge.  i have so much respect for all the mom's out there doing this every day!  maybe you don't remember but when we first moved to sa i did a note on the 15 steps it takes to get out of our car.  i feel like i'm back in that place!  my first time to the shop on my own with seth and i nearly get our car stolen and unsafely drive with an unbuckled infant!  (as a side: i did get all the things on my list.  so not all bad! :))

all that being said though, i can praise the Lord for so many things...i'm not doing this on my own.  not only do i have a wonderful husband (props to single moms!) i also have the King of Kings, Lord of Lords, the ultimate Friend and Father helping me.  not only am i sure that He kept my car and child safe, i know that His ways are better than my ways...no matter what happens.  i'm so glad i can rest in that.  i can rest in the fact that He is strength in my weakness.  i can rest in the fact that He makes me a better mom.  praise the Lord!

[reposted from Diana's facebook page - original date: 03 August, 2013]

Baby Seth has arrived!

Vital Statistics

Seth two minutes after birth

Date: Saturday, 06 July, 2013
Time: 7:26 pm
Weight: 3.66 kg (8 lbs, 1 oz)
Length: 55 cm (21.6 inches)

Delivery Details
Seth came into the world quite suddenly with the whole event taking less than 5 hours.  Diana and I were preparing to go out for our anniversary when at about 2:30 pm (in the midst of her preparation), Diana started experiencing some discomfort and decided to lay down on the couch.  About 30 minutes later, she noticed they were coming at regular intervals (about 4 min apart).

Getting ready to head to the hospital

We were both really hoping to avoid having a baby on our anniversary, but after about a hour of hoping that the discomfort would go away, we realized that this was going to be the day, and got everyone moving towards the door.
  We dropped Aaron off at a nearby friend's house for the night and headed to the hospital.  We arrived about 5:30 pm and after 20 minutes of monitoring, were told that it would be another 5-6 hours.  So, we went for a walk, did the check-in paperwork, discussed our dinner plans and headed back up to the labour ward.

Happy Mom, Dad and Baby!

At about 6:45 pm, Diana went to the bathroom and heard a pop, which in retrospect was her water breaking because the contractions got significantly more intense.  The doctor arrived about 10 minutes after that and told us that the baby would be coming soon (45 to 60 minutes).  The nurse got Diana prepped and then after one look realized that the baby was less than 45 minutes away, so sent word to get the doctor back in the room.  He came running in and they rapidly put everything in place. 
No more than 5 minutes later, the head started to appear and Seth was born a few minutes after that.  In the span of 5 hours, we went from denial (hoping that we wouldn't have to share our anniversary with Seth's birthday) to elation (baby Seth had arrived, the miracle of life!).  I will provide more details regarding the choosing of Seth's name in a future post.  Cheers, Steve

First family picture

Sleeping 4-day old Seth

Lesson from a two-year old

It is not often that my two-year old son teaches me something.  Outside of the names of dinosaurs, I can safely say that at this point he does not know more than I do.  But one area that he far exceeds me in is emotional expressivity (I think I just made that word up).  The emotions of a two-year old are pure and innocent.  Now that Aaron is approaching 3 (just over two months away), he has developed more complex emotions, like getting upset, or refusing to cooperate, and reacting to how Diana and I are feeling.  I read somewhere that the hormonal changes of a two-year old rival that of a teenager and I can believe it.

Well, this morning, they taught me a lesson.  We have had a productive weekend, getting a chance to do some things around the house, have a walk along the ocean, and spend some time together as a family.  In my usual fashion, I left a few things from the weekend tasks cluttering the house, which bothers Diana.  So, this morning she asked me to clean up some the stuff laying around.  And, unfortunately, it rubbed me the wrong way, so I did the assigned task and then decided a little silent treatment was needed (no, that is not the lesson I learned from my two-year old, childish as it seems).  So, over the following 10-15 minutes, I continued to get ready for work, brushing my teeth, taking out the trash, all while ignoring Diana, creating a tension between us.  During this time, I wondered if Aaron would pick up on this.  I was trying to interact with him as I always would, but not sure how successful I was being.

As I headed out the door, I had a chat with Diana and she apologized for the comment, which I accepted, recognizing how childish I was actually being.  I asked Aaron for a cuddle and he ran away.  I didn't really have time to chase him, so I asked again and he refused.  For the next few minutes, as I am getting my jacket and helmet on and pushing the bike out, I continually asked for a cuddle or kiss, but he refused every time.  Even as I started to drive off, he refused to wave, blow a kiss or even say good bye, which on a ordinary day, can take a few minutes to accomplish.

Now, I am not sure that my refusal to talk to Diana led to this reaction from Aaron.  Mondays are often hard days to say goodbye because after a whole weekend together, I don't think he appreciates me leaving, but the tension between Diana and I probably didn't help.  The one thing that I am sure about is the pain that I felt as I drove away.  His rejection, although most likely hormonal and not intended to inflict emotional pain, delivered a sharp prick of guilt and remorse.  It is not often that we get immediate feedback on the ugliness of our actions.  My reaction to Diana and my subsequent treatment of her was petty, childish and mean, designed to return some of the selfish pain from my bruised ego.  Aaron's unwillingness to say goodbye was merely a two-year old reacting to a situation, but delivering a powerful lesson about the the pain we can inflict on those we love.  This stark reminder will linger for a while longer, but will eventually be soaked up by the business of life, and that is why I am writing it down, so that these words will remind me that nothing is as important as caring, loving and never mistreating the ones that we love.

Diana, I am sorry.  Aaron, I love you (and I will get a cuddle when I get home, no matter how long I have to chase you :)

A 46-year old record broken / Father's Day

On June 2, 2012, Cody Zaeske, a junior at East Troy High School broke the WI Division 2 State Meet Long Jump record held by my dad, Ken Peterson, set in 1966.  Here is an excerpt from Madison.com.

East Troy’s Zaeske fells a golden oldie: Of the 25 meet records that fell this weekend, none was as old as the one East Troy junior Cody Zaeske dusted Saturday afternoon.

Zaeske went 23 feet, 8 ¾ inches to win the Division 2 long jump and break the 1966 divisional record (23-1 ¾) set by Grafton’s Ken Peterson. It came on Zaeske’s final try of finals.

“I jumped 23 at regionals, but breaking the state record is something I’ll remember for the rest of my life,” “It felt like someone was pushing me in the back. I couldn’t believe (how long) I was in the air. I saw I was past the state record mark and I went crazy.”

Afterward, Zaeske revealed one motivation for having a big meet -- brother Cory, a sophomore at UW-Whitewater who placed fourth at last month’s NCAA Division III meet (24-7 ¼).

“Jumping’s in the family,” Zaeske said.

Read more: http://host.madison.com/sports/high-school/track/article_848daa34-ace8-11e1-9687-0019bb2963f4.html#ixzz1y4zTowlW

This week, my step-father forwarded an email from Bob Wundrock, a high-school teammate of my dad's, to Cody to give him a glimpse at who Ken Peterson was. The two images alongside are scanned copies of an article from the Ozakee County newspaper written on June 4, 1986, 22 days after he died.

Lastly, Bob also forwarded a video of my dad doing the long jump in 1965.

Ever since I was in high school (secretly hoping to break his record myself), I have been aware of the record and every year around this time, I check the results of the state meet, to see if it survived another year. This year, it was only because of this email that I was aware that his record had been broken, mainly because it is a little harder to follow US sports here in South Africa and the seasons are backwards, meaning it feels much more like late football season then track season here.

Anyway, this day had to come and now that it has, and it is a little bittersweet. The record was a part of my dad's legacy, a piece of him that I could hold on to, and now that it is gone, it feels like I have lost a little bit of him. I was 11 years old when he died, 26 years ago, and the impact of his death still hits me like a brick sometimes. His record being broken, coupled with the article from 1986, and the video has just stirred the emotions all up again. I can't help but think, what could have been?

Now, it is pointless to walk down this road, there is nothing that can be done to change what happened, but it is inevitable from time to time to wonder. Questions will just pop into my head, like with his help, could I have been a better jumper, instead of the distance runner that I became? Or at those times of crisis, what pearls of wisdom would he have shared? The questions go on and on.

The road eventually leads to the big question of: Why? Why did this have to happen? When any tragedy occurs, it is our natural human reaction to ask why. I would love to say that over time it all makes sense, but that would be a lie. Time does heal some of the pain and life eventually moves on, but the wound left behind by the tragedy never fully heals, periodically getting reopened.

Today is Fathers Day and this tends to be a day when the pain resurfaces, particularly the question of what could have been? This morning at church, as they were celebrating fathers and had kids hug their dad and Aaron gave one of his precious hugs, I was overwhelmed with the whole thing. Last night, I realized that on May 13 (anniversary of dad's death) this year, I was 37 years old the same age as he was when he died. The question that I could not shake this morning was what if I am not around for Aaron?

Again, another question with no conclusive answer. Unfortunately, there is no guarantee for tomorrow. As is evidence by what happened to our friends in Madison, Jon & Amy, tragedy can strike at any time. Their 7 year old son died last week when a car jumped a curb, bounced off a tree and landed on the picnic table where they were eating. Absolutely tragic.

Okay, before this spirals too far downhill, tragedy is unfortunately a part of life, but we can not let it control who we are. There are ways to survive tragedy, first holding on to the love that we have for those around us, second treasuring the memories that we still have and for me personally, I have relied heavily on the hope that I have in Christ Jesus. I love my dad and look forward to seeing him again, but until that day, I miss him and wish that he were still here.