Appelsbosch, South Africa

After traveling for more than thirty hours I can happily say, YES I did arrive and I'm still alive!! Made it here with not a problem... though jet lag is taking its own merry time to leave (or should I say 'stay') either way though, all is well. I'm in awe of how beautiful it is here in South Africa!!! Just breathtaking!!   

For the past few months and on into the first few weeks in January the crew of Mercy Ships has and will be staying off ship in the rural community of Appelsbosch -- located here is a vacant college of education that was built and used by the local South Africans and then closed down at the end of the terrible apartheid. It's a pleasant and unique place. Almost everything inside is grey. Grey floors, walls, doors, beds, chairs you name it, it'll no doubt be grey. Extremely high ceilings and lots of cement... the acoustics are incredible!! That being said, I of course was looking for the first opportunity to get out my flute and let the rafters ring... but, that was a bad idea. When I did so the other afternoon I almost went deaf in the process. In fact, a whisper will echo if you're not careful. I'm living on the third floor of the building above. Currently there's two of us living on that floor. Over the next week about seventy new and returning people will be arriving filling all the many empty spots. Our noise level is sure to reach new heights. Surprisingly with so much rain around the place, water is still a scarce necessity and often absent. Hot water, a rare luxury at best. The dampness in the air means that clothing takes about four days to dry hanging inside... so it's a bit tricky. I won't say much about the spiders, other than they are many and love to live as close as possible.   
               

Here are a couple of the views from outside my building. Look close to the road in the photo at left and you'll see a farmer with his cows, they go right by our building just outside the fence every day. The fence is not wood, it's cement! I only realized that myself the other day.         Appelsbosch is located about an hour up into the mountains outside Durban. The higher elevation results in a lot of rain and therefore, absolutely gorgeous landscape. With all these new things -- new people, new situations, new environments, new foods, and new responsibilities it's a lot to adjust to in a short time; however, I feel most blessed to be a part of this incredible opportunity to play a small part in helping create a dramatic impact in the lives of others.