Life is different...

For me life in Africa has so many things that are the same as life in America...

Being from the south I love that everyone here is so friendly. Anxious to wave and smile at me. 

Waiting on service calls for internet, plumbing, electric fence (ok thats different), etc...

Grocery stores, italian gelato, pizza shops, organic peanut butter...

We even found Hellman's Mayo at the store last week.

Oh...you know how you go to Costco and fall in love with an item to find that they 
don't carry it anymore...YEP! Same thing here. 
Where are you tomato flavored corn nuts?

People cut in front of you in any line, honk at you while driving, 

and pretty much disregard your right of way.

TV... Yes TV. We can watch CSI, NCIS, ESPN (Africa Version) BBC 

and lots of FIFA and African Football. Even Wimbledon!

As you can see most of these have to do with me and MY comfort... 
That's for sure the same as home!

But one thing that is different is the mental fatigue I feel at the end of the day. I have been given this ridiculously humbling opportunity to be here. To come and serve. Come and share the one true comfort in my life...JESUS. And by the end of every day I am mentally exhausted because in every situation, conversation and moment I am trying (sometimes failing) to share Jesus, trying to rescue kiddos for the glory of the Jesus, loving the unlovable, overlooking the brokenness... because I want them to know the grace of Jesus. The one thing that can for sure comfort them.

Bernard the Gardner- AKA Snake Killer, Bat Killer, Fence Fixer, etc...We NEED him!

At school with the kids, with the parents, at the clinic, with my gardner (yes I have one), with my house manager (yes..that too. Be Jealous!), with the internet guy thats 2 days late, with the plumber who 2 months later still can't seem to fix our toilets, with the 100's of people walking down my street every day, with, with, with...

So why is this different? Because I didn't do it in America... 

It's not Zambia that's different. It's Sandy! 

Baby Mitzi...

So please don't waste a lifetime like I did living your daily life worrying about the stuff that doesn't matter! Without sharing your one True Comfort. By being frustrated in traffic, or with the repairman who is late, or the car that cut you off, or the teacher who upset your child, or the Starbucks who got your order wrong (how I would love a Starbucks...even a messed up one)! I pray you fall into bed exhausted by the stress of trying to figure out how to share your Prince of Peace with a world in need of Him.

YOU are not different than me. If you are a Christ follower (if not LETS talk!) you are on MISSION! You too have been given the ridiculously humbling opportunity to be here. 

This life is about a broken world in need of a savior. And you can share Him at the barber, in line at the DMV, at school, at work, at, at, at...

So...Today is YOUR miracle day too...because He is not done with us yet!

                                                                                                                              Sandy