One Year

As of tomorrow, it has officially been one year since I stepped off a plane in Cape Town and started a new phase of my life here in South Africa. I know most people generally reflect on the year in December or the beginning of January, but I feel like this anniversary is also a good time for reflection.
When I think of the past year, I see a lot of mountains and valleys...there have been some amazing times and some not-so-amazing times. I have learned a lot (including some things I never had any desire to learn about) and grown, both as a person and in my faith. Some of these lessons include:

1. Speaking the same language as another person does not automatically mean you will understand what they are saying. I have heard so many different accents in the last year that I have come to the conclusion that there is no such thing as a "South African accent". Also, there are so many words that mean different things...like vest or robots. And to top it off, people will often just throw in a Zulu or Afrikaans word just to confuse me. And don't even get me started on grammar. Just because everyone speaks English here does not mean that I have not had to do any language learning.
2. It's okay to have a bad day. There. I've admitted it. Not every day has been peaches and cream. There have been days when I just want to come home and cry on my couch and I wonder why on earth I am here in Durban. And that's okay. And it's even okay to admit it to someone else and tell them that I need some help. Or just need someone to vent and express my frustrations to. 
3. It's also okay to say no. Okay. I admit it. This is a lesson that I am currently learning. And I'm not sure that I'm learning it very well. But I'm slowly learning that I can't commit to everything, and I'm not going to be very effective in ministry if I don't take time to spend a day with God and just resting. 
4. I have an amazing family. Coming here has helped me realize just how blessed I am to have grown up in the family that I did. My parents did a pretty good job of raising me (if I do say so myself) and showed me what a godly marriage looks like and how to raise a family in a godly manner. My entire family has been so supportive of me, my ministry, and it was so cool to be able to share with them a little bit of what I do when they came to visit over Christmas. 
5. There aren't lions in everybody's backyard here. Okay, I may have known that before coming here. However, there are so many stereotypes out there about Africa, and it has been interesting to see how few of them are true...at least here in Durban. My experiences in South Sudan colored my idea of what South Africa would be like, which was a mistake on my part. Comparing South Sudan to South Africa is like comparing curry to a hamburger. You can't just assume that all of Africa is the same. Even though I knew that in my head before arriving here, I don't think I fully comprehended how different it would be.
6. I need to fully rely on God. Sometimes I am way too independent for my own good. I want to lean on myself, and I can't. I can't do anything worthwhile on my own. This has been one of the hardest lessons for me to learn. I want to change people, help them to know Jesus, and give them hope. But I can't do this without completely relying on God every step of the way. This was made even more clear to me when my teammates left at the end of November for Canada. When I couldn't rely on myself, I would sometimes rely on them and their wisdom and expertise. And now I can't. So I'm forced to rely on God. It has been a good lesson to learn, but a hard one as well.
7. The family of God is one of the greatest blessings God has given us. I have such an amazing church family in Canada. And I have an equally amazing one here in Durban. They both support me, encourage me, and are there when I need them. Thank you all so much!
8. The more you get to know someone, the more you realize how much each person needs Jesus. I have made several good friends this past year, and when I hear their stories I just hear the hopelessness that they are feeling. They have no hope for this life on earth, and they have no hope for when they die. I was asked the other day why I do what I do. And this is why I do it - to bring hope to those who have no hope. To show them that there is light in a world of darkness. And that there can be freedom from the slavery and bondage that they live in. 

Of course, there have been other things I have learned as well. Like what side of the road to drive on, how to drive a manual car in an extremely hilly city, how to eat curry with my hands, and how to not cry while eating said curry. 

It has been one of the hardest and best years of my life. I've cried a lot and laughed even more. I have been extremely frustrated in situations only to later see that God was perfectly controlling the situation all along. And through it all, I have seen God's continual faithfulness.