There are number of things that are different here in South Africa.
For example, I cannot read my alarm clock.
When the time is 0:14, what time is it really?
It is 12:14 (after midnight).
Whoa, what about 14:25?
It is 2:25pm.
After I got that down, then I also have to do math
to figure out what time it is in the States
so I can do my banking, write to people, and Skype my parents and friends.
(I really do not like all this math!)
There is a different view outside my windows
and different sounds come with that view.
If you look closely, you can see the banana trees.
(No monkeys in sight yet. Wait till those bananas ripen.)
As you can see, the view also comes along with the bars.
South Africa is not a very safe place to live.
All of the doors and windows have "burglar bars" on them.
I also had to get used to locking everything up and setting an alarm system.
What is that crawling on the wall near the ceiling?
(If you are from my area, you are probably saying, "its a stinkbug".
Its not a stink bug.)
Its a little gecko.
Without screens on the windows or screen doors,
all of the lovely creatures outside have full access to the house.
I wonder who else I might get a visit from?
Even my breakfast this morning looked different.
Do you recognize any of these name brands?
From left to right:
Ceres is a juice brand and Litchi is my favorite flavor!
The cheese down here comes in a hard block
(no slices of cheese or handy grated cheese,
you do it all yourself), which is better for you.
Clover is a very big Milk/ dairy Product producer.
Flora is a type of butter/ margarine. (If you notice, this one is made from Olive Oil).
Albany Bread - just recently the stores here have been selling sliced bread in packs.
It used to be that every store baked their own fresh bread without preservatives
When you bought your loaf, there was a slicing machine at the store that you could use.
They still have the fresh bread and slicer,
but the pre-sliced is becoming more popular
(I think I will buy the stuff without preservatives).
Things are certainly different!
Tomorrow, I go to a different church,
with different people, who speak a different language.
There is nothing wrong with something different.
It is just DIFFERENT.
The Bible says that we are to be different from the world:
Hebrews 11:13 "These all died in faith, not having received the promises,
but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them,
and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth."
1 Peter 2:11 "Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims,
abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul;"
We are all supposed to be different from this world and its lusts of the flesh.
I am now here in this different place
to show the Zulu people what a difference
it makes in being a Child of God.
I hope to make a difference because of the difference He has made in my life!