My First Christmas in South Africa

In this post, I would like to tell you a little about

 my first Christmas in South Africa.

Living here, is so differant from being in my country home in Pennsylvania.

I loved my house in the little town of Brogue.

The winter snow made it always feel like Christmas.

Here is a look at what I would see around Christmas 

on the property where I lived in Pennsylvania, USA.

snow where I used to live in PA

Below, is just one of the sites I see at Christmas, 

on the property I live on now.

monkeys in my backyard

Big difference, huh.

As the weather in Pennsylvania gets colder,

our weather in South Africa gets hotter.

PA is experiencing Winter weather,

while we are entering Summer.

Here is a look at my gardens on Christmas day.

I have been eating fresh lettuce from them for weeks.

As we approached Christmas day, 

the Lord sent me a few blessings along the way.

Like these flowers given to me by the cashier at a local store.

Like these chimes, from my parents.

They were sent to remind me that they are praying for me.

Oh, the beautiful music they make!

I can hear it all through the house.

Cards and letters from my family and friends back home.

Oh, the delight I get from opening a letter or card from someone. 

It is like having a personal visit.

Each piece of mail is usually read over and over again;

bringing encouragement and sometimes tears.

The Saturday before Christmas, 

Londiwe and I had the opportunity to lead a few girls to the Lord

(I will post the whole story hopefully sometime soon).

Another blessing, was the chance to Skype with some family and friends.

(I don't get to do that too often,

 because my internet at home is too slow,

so this was a treat).

So, you may ask, "What was Christmas like for you?"

First, let me tell you about what Christmas day was like.

cleaning the church

The day before Christmas, 

we did alot of preparation for Christmas day service.

This included cleaning at the church,

shopping for groceries,

and preparing food to share.

On Christmas morning,

our service started at 9am.

The church was so full.

We had alot of visitors

and very good preaching.

After church, we went home and got our food together

to have Christmas meal with some other missionaries.

It was a hot day.

We ate our meal outside,

talked for a while, and then went back to the Kilmers

so the kids could go swimming.

(Yes, swimming on Christmas.)

We shared an evening meal with another missionary family

and had wonderful fellowship.

(We were so full from lunch, that no one had dessert-

cookies, trifle, rice crispy treats,...)

We know, as Christians, that Christmas is not about

 food, decorations, presents, or even family.  

It is about the celebration of the birth of our Saviour.

front door

Even though I "made" my home feel like the Christmas season,

It was not really about all of that.

bedroom

I decorated so I would not miss my family and friends so much,

 during this time of year.

I am so blessed to have so many friends and family members 

who have also trusted in Christ as Saviour.

It is during this time that we can all reflect on God's perfect GIFT.

Even though, I am so far away from home,

I am still safe in my Father's care.

He watches over me and cares for me all through the year.

kitchen all "Christmastized"

Yes, the cards, envelopes, calls, and boxes helped to fill the gap.

I certainly knew I was loved and prayed for.

(The prayers from you all are the most encouraging, 

since I know you have prayed extra hard for me this Christmas - THANK YOU!)

living room w/Nativity wall hanging

Thankfully, the Lord filled my Christmas with so many blessings 

and with busyness serving Him.

It really was a great first Christmas here in South Africa!

Nativity I brought from home (notice the lizard on the left)

I praise God for sending His only Son into the world so that all men might be saved,

including the Zulus!

My Christmas Tree

Quick update

Dear Friends,
 
I know that you anxiously await new posts.  Please know that there are so many things I want to share with you.  The Lord has truly been at work.  Along with ministry, also comes trials.  So, even with the stress of caring for people and the different things a missionary faces on a foreign field, God has and always will remain faithful.

Yes, I have been busy, but I also do not have fast enough internet at my home to keep you updated more often.  Please make that a matter of prayer.  But, also know, that even though you are not hearing from me as frequently as you would like, God ALWAYS hears our prayers.  I pray for each of you and hope that as you pray for me, the Lord will show you how He is specifically answering them.

In His Service,
Gina Frey

Our Ocean Adventure

When Londiwe and I finished our study on the Book of John, 

we decided to do something fun together.

So we went down to the Indian Ocean.

It is only about a 45 minute drive from my house.

Londiwe does not get to see the ocean very often.

Here in South Africa, alot of families, English and Zulu alike, 

will go down to the beach over the holidays.

Remember, our seasons are opposite of yours,

so Christmastime will be Summertime.

We enjoyed: walking along the shore, picking up seashells, exploring the rocks,

having a picnic lunch, and playing in the sand.

After lunch, we spent time in God's Word, 

sharing what He has been teaching us from our personal devotions.

I turned around at one point and there was Londiwe writting in the sand.

What did she write?

She wrote: 

"Gina and Londiwe are one".

What does that mean?

It means that -

1. She sees us as friends, 

which we are

2. She doesn't see a cultural or ethnic barrier between us, 

which is true

3. She feels that she has grown in the Lord,

 which she has

4. She feels like we are both moving on with the same goal -

 to win others to the Lord and help them grow too,

 which is true!

Londiwe could have written anything in the sand, but she chose to write that.

There it was written in the sand for the whole world to see.

While we were there, I noticed that people would stop and watch us.

I mentioned this to another South African missionary.

She said that they were probably confused or wanted to understand what they saw.

They saw a white American young woman laughing, playing, singing,

 and reading Scripture with a young Zulu woman.

The two of us were thoroughly enjoying ourselves.

Although, South Africa has been free from an apartaid rule for some time now,

it is still very much followed.

It is never common to see a white person in the tribal area.

The Zulu people only work for the whites in their homes and buisnesses.

they work as maids, garden workers, truck drivers, 

store cashiers, cleaning ladies,....

Only on a rare occasion will you see a white person with a Zulu.

This was one of those "rare" (and precious) occassions.

I love the ocean, sand, waves - I was surprised by this wave

 while Londiwe was taking my picture.

For me, it was also a good day to get away and enjoy the sunshine and ocean.

While I was growing up, my family would go to Virginia a few times each year.

As an adult, I cherished those times that we could go to the ocean. 

When I was finishing high school, I wanted to be an oceanographer.

So I began studying, but the Lord got ahold of me 

and led me into ministry instead.

It was such a blessing for both of us to get away

 from the normal surroundings of life

and reflect on all that the Lord taught us from the Book of John.

Thanks you for praying for our Bible Study times.

We are now studying the Book of I John.

We meet every Wednesday from 1:30-4:30/5pm.

Thanksgiving Greeting

My Home (Away From Home)

Finally, I have gotten around to showing you where I live.

When you think of me living in Africa, 

you may be picturing

something like this~

a Zulu home in Embo

Or maybe you are picturing this~

A round-style Zulu home

Neither of those look like the house I live in.  

Because South Africa is the highest for crime in the world

and

because it is dangerous for a white single woman to live in our village,

I live in a regular home like most South Africans.

(Look for the monkeys in the next 3 pics)

Before you go onto the property where I live,

you must enter through a remote access gate.

Then you drive up the driveway.

I park under the awning or in the garage.

See the monkeys guarding my car.

After parking, I have 4 gates to go through.

The gates make it a very secure place to live,

but they are not fun to open and close when you have alot to carry or when it is raining

(right now it is rainy season and we have not seen the sun in 10 days).

Follow me down the path....

...through 2 more gates...

...now into my garden.

This is the front of my house.

There are bars on all of the windows,

another gate (the 5th gate) on the door,

3 locks to unlock to get in,

an alarm system,

and laser beams.

The first room you come to in my house

is the Bible Study/craft/whatever room.

I am so thankful to have an extra room to put my supplies in.

It will also serve as a guest room when you come to visit!

One of the things that has helped me to feel more at home here 

is to be able to refinish this table and chairs for my home.  

To see more about how I did that go to : http://willingworkinghands.blogspot.com/2012/09/my-stained-table-and-cat-scratched-legs.html

My bedroom is a bright place.

I love the quilt on my bed (made by ladies from my church).

Every night when I go to bed, 

it reminds me of the people praying for me back home.

Next is my bathroom.

I know, people don't really take pics of thier bathrooms,

but I know you are curious, so I included it.

I love to make my place look "homey".

Two of my favorite things about my bathroom-

the curtains that I made are my mom's favorite colors,

and

I love my grass-looking rug!

Now we go down the hallway into the open living area.

The South Africans call a living room the "lounge".

This is where Londiwe and I do our Bible Study and prayer time.

Sometimes we also sit and talk, or play games.

The quilt on the back of the couch is from a church.

They gave that to me at a missions conference.

What a blessing!

 (I use it alot during this cold and rainy season while I sit and study).

Next is the kitchen.

My kitchen is part of the open living area.

The picture over my stove is a treasure I found in my grandparent's garage.

It reminds me of my family and home.

This tractor was a toy I played with as a child.

I made this rug while on deputation.

It is always fun to make something to use in the future.

I do ALOT of cooking and baking for the ministry, in my kitchen.

Love to cook!

The rooster clock on my wall was in my home in the States.  

It was such a blessing when it was mailed here

 for me to have in my South African home.

Food Storage (notice, I am going through a "red" phase)

More remnants of home.

Also, this bookshelf was a gift from a supporting church.  

They wanted me to have a place for my books - THANK YOU!

When you are renting, you have to be careful and creative in decorating.

These are Bible verses and a pic of my great grandparents.

I am also blessed to have a veranda.

To see the bench I made for it - click here

I've planted a garden, but those pictures will have to wait for another time. 

Now, I don't know about you, but my home does not always look so spotless.

So, in an effort to show you what a little bit of my life is really like -

watch the following video.

Thank you again for praying with me about finding a cheap and safe place to live.

This is the cheapest place I found and it is the safest!