Well guys we have made it to Africa. only took 6 months for us to get here! And it is such a different experience than the rest of the year. New continent, new weather (its winter here.. lows in the 30's, brrrrr) We are finally using our tents as our homes.. and we are living in big community. 4 out of 6 of the teams are staying here in Coffee Bay, South Africa. We are staying at a backpackers community called Bomvu.. The whole little area we are staying at is full of backpackers and people here on holiday from school. The draw here is the beautiful beaches.. GORGEOUS and the scenery and hills are amazing. The beauty in which God created all of these different countries and continents is breathtaking and awesome. Blows my mind every time.
One of the other things about the world race that always amazes me and I don't think i will ever completely understand is the different languages around the world. Being in so many different places that speak such different languages is so fascinating. So many things i didn't know- for example. Did you know in India that every different "providence" or region speaks a completely different language? Even the people from one part of India can't communicate with someone in another part. Another thing is listening to the people talk to each other and the communication that happens just by the way you move your tongue in your mouth and the different sounds you make as you exhale. Its something we just take for granted and don't even think about. I have started to pay attention more to the english language as opposed to other languages. Just a combination of letters breathing and placement of lips or tongues. And to know that this is how God made us.. that we started out speaking one language but then God decided to separate and make so many different languages.. now im starting to think its because there was so much beauty in each one and it was shame to just limit us to a single language. Another amazing thing that we take for granted is how universal the english language is. Honestly, i haven't met a single person yet this year that didn't know how to atleast say hello. I had no idea that almost all of the population in the world speaks english! Become easier and easier for everyone to travel to each country and be able to hold conversations.. People from Germany can come to Thailand and be able to speak to each other through the universal language of English. Makes me a little embarassed that i only speak that one language. The discipline the children have to seek out schools that specifically teach english so that they can go further and have a future is so inspiring.
Last month while staying in a small village of Nepal the children made it their mission to teach us some of their language, so we did. I learned the most last month than i have all year. The joy on the faces of these kids and their families when we walk up and greet them in their mother tongue and slightly hold a conversation with them is amazing. They give you so much respect for not just being lazy and talking in english but actually making the most of our time their and learning their language.
Now being in Africa, we having a totally different experience. Did you realize that there is a language that speaks making clicking sounds of the tongue!? I had just heard of it and really wanted to experience it.. and guess what… Where we are staying uses it. The language is called Xhosa. The X sound is actually a flip of the tongue into a click. ITS SO HARD! haha.. its funny to try and say some things to the locals and they just look at you and laugh because it isn't even close to how they say it. But its ok.. atleast we are trying. I am so fascinated by the beautiful language here. Even that in itself brings you back to the awesomeness of God. How He could create such different groups of people that can all communicate with each other with their own languages and different cultures still blow my mind.. but all i can say is
YOU ARE GREAT GOD!
YOUR WONDERS EXPAND MORE THAN MY MIND CAN IMAGINE.
YOUR IMAGINATION AND CREATIVITY IS SO VAST THAT I CAN'T EVEN BEING TO COMPARE.
