Siyabonga, Adonai

Here’s what I’ve learned about South Africa in ten days:

Ø  They don’t drive on the “wrong” side of the road…they drive on the “other’ side of the road.

Ø  “Siyabonga” (see-you-bone-ga) is Zulu and Danke (dawn-key) is Afrikaan for “thank you”.

Ø  Hadedah birds are still both charming and annoying, especially annoying in numbers.

Ø  Samoosa’s are delicious.

Ø  Americans should have “tea time”.

Ø  A wind storm sounds scary in America and in South Africa!

Ø  Poinsettias grow on trees.

Ø  Hymns and praise songs are just as pretty here as at home.

Ø  God is in South Africa…He’s not a respecter of persons.

Ø  The South Africans and Indians of South Africa are VERY friendly people.

Ø  Stray monkeys are just plain adorable…sort of like kittens and puppies.

Ø  The monkeys are NOT considered cute here…they are a nuisance.  They will enter your home and steal your food or anything else they want.  They will throw eggs and make a mess of your house.

Ø  Men stand on corners selling wares OR offering to take your trash out of your car for you…and hope that you will make a “donation” to them.

Ø  Durban is an odd combination of materialism and poverty to the extremes.

Ø  Port cities have unique areas…. “container row” is a road coming from the city to Marcie’s home that is lined and stacked high with shipping containers.

Ø  Pollution is a worldwide problem…so is litter.

Ø  The Indian Ocean is a jewel…beautiful…vast…sparkling.

Ø  They have a “sardine run” just off the coast of South Africa late in the “fall” (May-June) and the dolphins can be seen cavorting as they fill up on the millions of sardines swimming through.

Ø  “Smart” is a reference to how people dress… “clever” is the term used for high intelligence.

Ø  Christian fellowship is beautiful here…I believe almost EVERYONE in Marcie’s church welcomes and shakes hands with EVERYONE in church…today that was about 80-90 people, I think.

Ø  Monkeys will steal medicine from patients at a local hospital and then pass out on the sidewalks from eating the medications.

Ø  Sunsets and sunrises are beautiful here too.

Ø  Dusk is still my favorite time of day…at home and here!

Ø  The children here are beautiful…dark skin of the Indians and blacks…creamy skin of the coloreds…and dark eyes that twinkle when they smile…and they smile a lot.

Ø  Kentucky Fried Chicken tastes just like KFC at home…but the potatoes and gravy do not!

Ø  When I’m here I long for home…when I’m home I long for “here”…what is that all about?

It’s been a beautiful, peaceful, soul-searching, quiet, restful ten days.  In two days the “work” begins as I start my classes at Durban Bible College.  I’m excited about what I’m learning as I prepare to teach about worship and leading worship.  I see how short I’ve fallen in worshiping God properly.  I’ve made my God too small.  Maybe traveling to the other side of the planet helps us to see just how big our God can be…well, truthfully, we cannot even imagine that.  But I have learned in this short time that I want to know Him more, know Him in His fullness…and worship Him in a way that honors Him.  No more “man upstairs” or “friend”…I want to know Him as Lord and Master…my Adonai.  I learned in my studies this week that a servant who is “hired” by a master receives no benefits other than pay for a job completed.  But a servant who is “purchased” by a master gains all the benefits of family membership.  That servant then submits out of love to the master instead of owing the master something as an obligation for pay.  I want to submit to my master and serve the one Who has loved me, Who has paid the price for me and Who has accepted me into His family.  Siyabonga, Adonai!