6 months ago, in February, I had been in South Africa for 6 months. Now, I've been here for a year. And that year has gone SO fast, it's unbelievable when I look back on it. On the year-to-the-date anniversary, I posted on my Facebook page that "It's been a year full of settling in and some frustration, a year including a new school, a new church, and new friends, and a year in which we've grown as a family and as individuals." There have been a lot of changes over the last year, and, as I indicated above, some of it's been frustrating. It took us 9 months to find a church, but we're happy. It's a very small church with less than 200 people, and less than 10 teenagers, only 1 my age, but we're forming close friendships. Dad and I sing in the worship band, and I help out with children's church.
All of my life, up until a year ago, I was homeschooled. Now, I and my 5 siblings attend a small (600 kids, K-12) private school called the King's College. My best friend and brother, Matthew, whom I've known since 3rd grade, also lives with us and attends school at King's while his family is serves God as missionaries in Swaziland. To find out more about the Taylor family and see how you can support them, visit robandjennifer.wordpress.com. The motto of this school is "Audience of One". The teachers are wonderful people, dedicated to the kids and their teaching. I struggle with the fact that, in South Africa, the pass grade is 45%, but I raise the standard for myself, and achieve mostly 80s. God calls us to work as if we're working for Him, and not for men - that means doing our best in everything, no matter how low the requirements are. I've formed several deep relationships with people at school, with people who will push me towards God and inspire me to do my best.
My relationship with God has grown as I've had to deal with homesickness, family struggles, and lack of "belonging". I've had to lean on God through all of it. Moving halfway around the world hasn't been easy, but I'm convinced this is where God has called us, so I'm glad we came.
On the upside, there are some distinctively different things about South Africa. They call their traffic lights "robots", and the trunk of the car is the "boot". They don't have Reese's Peanut Butter cups or Jelly Bellies, Bath and Body Works, or Ben and Jerry's, but they have Bar One and Jelly Tots, and their fruit and veggies are SOO good. There is no insulation in there houses because it's only cold for a relatively short amount of the year, but we still managed to be here for the first time it has snowed in 5 years. It was the day before school let out, but no one was in class when it was snowing. The girls were having a screaming jumping fest out on the field, and the boys were playing soccer.
I guess if you take anything away from this post, take away that even if God's call is hard to follow through, it's the best path to follow. A year ago, I couldn't imagine living anywhere but my hometown, I struggled to make new friends, and my relationship with God wasn't as strong as it is now. Now, I'm living half way around the world with tons of new friends and I'm cradled in the arms of my Creator through everything. And I've been told I've picked up a slight South African accent :D
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