Economy 1. The rand was the best performing currency against the US Dollar between 2002 and 2005 (Bloomberg Currency Scoreboard) 2. South Africa has 55,000 high net-wealth individuals holding at least US$1million in financial assets (World Wealth Report 200 3. South Africa has the 27th biggest economy in the world, with a Gross Domestic Product of US$254 billion (World Bank) 4. South Africa accounts for almost 25% of the GDP of the entire African continent, with an economy more than twice the size of the second biggest – Algeria. (World Bank) 5. Gauteng is South Africa’s smallest province but produces 34% of South Africa’s Gross Domestic Product (Stats SA) 6. The JSE Securities Exchange is the 14th largest equities exchange in the world, with a total market capitalisation of some R2.3 trillion (JSE) 7. More than 12,000 'Black Diamond' families (South Africa’s new black middle class) - or 50,000 people - are moving from the townships into the suburbs of South Africa's metro areas every month (UCT Unilever Institute) 8. The black middle class grew by 30% in 2005, adding another 421,000 black adults to SA's middle-income layer and ramping up the black population's share of SA's total middle class to almost a third. Between 2001 and 2004, there were 300,000 new black entrants to the middle class (Financial Mail). Infrastructure 1. South Africa generates two-thirds of Africa’s electricity (Eskom) 2. South African power supplier provides the fourth cheapest electricity in the world 3. ChrisHani-BaragwanathHospital in Soweto is the biggest hospital in the world 4. Durban is the largest port in Africa and the ninth largest in the world. 5. There are 39 million cell phone users in South Africa (International Telecommunication Union) Tourism 1. The number of tourists visiting South Africa has grown by 200% since 1994, from 3 million to over 9 million in 2007 (Dept of Environment and Tourism) 2. The Singita game reserve was voted the best hotel in the world by the readers of a leading travel magazine (Conde Nast Traveller) 3. The world's best land-based whale-watching spot is located in Hermanus in the Western Cape. 4. In 2002, South Africa was the world’s fastest growing tourist destination. In 2006, South Africa’s tourism grew at three times the global average. Sport 1. South Africa hosts the largest timed cycle race in the world (the Cape Argus Cycle Tour), the world's oldest and largest ultra-marathon (the Comrades Marathon) and the world's largest open water swimming event (the Midmar Mile). 2. South Africa will become the first African country to host the Soccer World Cup in 2010 … and only the second country in the world to have hosted the Cricket, Rugby and Soccer World Cups. 3. Since the 1940s, South African golfers have won more golf majors than any other nation, apart from the United States. 4. In 1994, we won 11 medals in the Commonwealth Games. In 2002, we won 46. SA Teaching the World 1. South Africa houses one of the three largest telescopes in the world at Sutherland in the Karoo 2. South Africa is the first, and to date the only, country to build nuclear weapons and the voluntarily dismantle its entire nuclear weapons programme 3. South Africa Constitution is widely regarded as being one of the most progressive in the world, drawing from the experiences of the world’s most advanced democracies 4. The South African oil company Sasol has established the only commercially viable oil-from-coal operations in the world. 5. Two of the world's most profoundly compassionate philosophies originated in South Africa – Ubuntu (the belief in a universal bond of sharing that connects all humanity) and Gandhi's notion of "passive resistance" (Satyagraha), which he developed while living in South Africa. Education 1. Almost a quarter of South Africa’s non-interest budget is spent on education 2. The University of South Africa UNISA is a pioneer of tertiary distance education and is the largest correspondence university in the world with 250,000 students. 3. Our learner to teacher ratio has improved from 1:50 in 1994 to 1:34 in 2004 4. South Africa’s matric pass rate has improved from 49% in 1994 to 70% in 2004, but student’s receiving university exemptions has remained at 18% 5. The first MBA programme outside of the United States was started by the University of Pretoria in 1949. Social 1. Over thirteen million South Africans (a quarter of the population) have access to social grants (Department of Social Development) 2. Since 1994, 500 houses have been built each day for the poor and 1,000 houses per day have received electricity 3. Seventy percent of South Africa’s population is urbanised Environmental 1. The Kruger National Park supports the greatest variety of wildlife species on the African continent 2. The CangoCaves near Oudsthoorn is the world’s longest underground cave sequence 3. South Africa is the only country to house an entire floral kingdom (fynbos), one of only 6 on the planet 4. In 1991, South Africa became the first country in the world to protect the Great White shark. 5. South Africa has the oldest meteor scar in the world, at the Vredefort Dome near Parys. The scar is 2 billion years old. 6. South Africa has the 3rd highest level of biodiversity (SA Tourism) 7. The CapeHyrax’s (dassie) closest relative is the African elephant 8. South Africa has embraced the concept of trans-frontier ‘peace parks’, linking ecological reserves across national borders General 1. South Africa is the cradle of mankind 2. Afrikaans is the youngest official language in the world 3. The Western Deep Levels is the world’s deepest mine at 3777 metres 4. South Africa has the world’s largest deposits of gold, chromium, platinum and manganese 5. The only street in the world to house two Nobel Peace Prize winners is in Soweto. Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu both have houses in Vilakazi Street, Orlando West. 6. South Africa has the world's second oldest air force, established 1920. 7. South African Breweries (SABMiller) ranks as the second largest brewing company in the world. It supplies up to 50% of China's beer. 8. South Africa has the second oldest film industry in the world 9. In 2007 South African businessman Cyril Ramaphosa was included in the Time 100, an annual list, assembled by Time magazine, of the 100 most influential people in the world 10. Cape Town has the fifth-best blue sky in the world, according to the UK's National Physical Laboratory
Ministering to people is a privilege and hard work. Helping people to come into a dynamic relationship with God is a challenge and there is a price to pay. You might remember that when you were a starry eyed student, no one told you about the struggles and the heart break.No one prepared you for the reality of people choosing not to accept the saving grace of God or that a client might succeed in committing suicide.
God closes doors no man can open and God opens doors no man can close. If you need God to open some doors for you...
Look back and thank God.
Look forward and trust God.
Look around and serve God.
Look within and find God!"
My prayer, every morning, is to ask God to open the right doors and keep the wrong doors closed; to send the right people across my path and keep the others away.
This means that I trust Him for His provision in every area of my life, without trying all kinds of gimmicks or formulas to force His hand.
“Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassion never fails. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” Lamentation 3:22-23 NIV
I trust that you will stay closed to God at all times, because His great love makes provision for every single day. He new that we need a lot of mercy and we get it anew every morning.
May God bless you today and remember to have mercy on others too.
Did you know that your usual pattern of thinking can be your big adversary?
I am refusing to let the cares of the economy and the trauma of the people we meet daily become my pattern of thinking. We deliberately practice to make the following scripture our motto:
“…whatever is true, whatever is worthy of reverence and is honorable and seemly, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely and lovable, whatever is kind and winsome and gracious, if there is any virtue and excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think on and weigh and take account of these things [fix your minds on them]”. Phil 4:8
(The amplified Bible. 1987 La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation)
Finally, we pray, daily, for the people who cross our way, because only God can give everyone exactly what they need. We don’t need to add anything extra to God’s provision.
I'm looking forward to hearing (or reading) from you.
Different people have different perception. One man's meat could be another man's poison. A couple bought a donkey from the market. On the way home, a boy commented, "Very stupid. Why neither of them ride on the donkey? "Upon hearing that, the husband let the wife ride on the donkey. He walked besides them. Later, an old man saw it and commented, "The husband is the head of family. How can the wife ride on the donkey while the husband is on foot?" Hearing this, the wife quickly got down and let the husband ride on the donkey.
Further on the way home, they met an old Lady. She commented, "How can the man ride on the donkey but let the wife walk. He is no gentleman." The husband thus quickly asked the wife to join him on the donkey. Then, they met a young man. He commented, "Poor donkey, how can you hold up the weight of two persons. They are cruel to you." Hearing that, the husband and wife immediately climbed down from the donkey and carried it on their shoulders.
It seems to be the only choice left. Later, on a narrow bridge, the donkey was frightened and struggled. They lost their balance and fell into the river. You can never have everyone praise you, nor will everyone condemn you. Never in the past, not at present, and never will be in the future.
Thus, do not be too bothered by others words if our conscience is clear..
Bravenet Blog 
Blog Community
Get a Free Blog
Manage your Blog
bravenet.com