I wrote this for a local freebie newspaper in their "THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK" collumn.
They published under the headline 'Elephants, giraffe, wildebeest - snow!'
My wife and I have been living in the UK for nearly six months now after spending the first six decades of our lives in South Africa, both having been born there. Our experience of the UK was limited to a couple of visits of two days each while spending time with family in The Netherlands. What has struck me after this half year is how similar things are but also how different.
People are people wherever in the world they might be, so being a minister in the Methodist Church here has not been a very big adjustment. I take services on Sundays and midweek in care homes, visit families, meet with groups for bible study and fellowship, conduct funerals and weddings and meet and pray with people in all the celebratory and sad moments of their lives.
What is different is geography! Having spent most of my ministry working in rural communities in my home country I was surprised at how close everything is in the UK. Climate is also different but please note that in one of the places where I lived in South Africa, we were snowed in for 2 days on two occasions over a seven year period. I have not yet got used to being unable to go for a drive and encountering elephant, giraffe, and wildebeest in the wild. Seeing a couple of foxes while travelling by train the other day did begin to make up for that.
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever. I am finding each day as I minister here that this is so true. Jesus is the same whether you are in the UK, South Africa, Australia, USA, The Netherlands or wherever. My relationship with him is the one really totally dependable thing in my life.
Is it the same for you?
Friday, 20 February 2009
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)