"A Christmas to Remember pt. 2..."

Christmas Eve...

For us, Christmas Eve is normally a time to get together with family and friends, go to church, have a nice dinner, give the kids their one traditional Christmas Eve present and then go to bed.  The only "normal" thing about this Christmas Eve was giving the kids their traditional Christmas Eve present.

Our "giant" Zulu bead tree with the kids Christmas Eve presents~

This year we went on a bit of an adventure.

Deb has wanted to see the Bushman (San) Cave paintings since we arrived in South Africa.  So, we go a tourist map (all that we could find), asked some questions about how long the journey would take us, grabbed the camera bag and set out on our way.

What we were not prepared for was the absolutely amazing beauty of where we were going.  If anyone has watched the movie "Zulu" this is the area where they shot the film.  The scenery is some of the most beautiful scenery we have ever seen.

We headed out about mid-morning, with our rather useless tourist map-and followed the signs along the road to Royal Natal National Park.  It was about a 45 minute drive from where we were staying.  According to the guide that we had, the park used to be called the Natal National Park back in the early 1916's when it was first established as a national park.  Then the British royal family visited the park in 1947, after they returned to Britain the name was changed to the Royal Natal National Park. 

We were stunned by the beauty of what we saw while we were driving and were excited to get closer!

At the base of the natural amphitheatre, there are a lot of Zulu villages.  Anyone in the US/Canada would pay a small fortune for this view!

One thing we were not prepared for was the hike to see the Bushman paintings.  So we had to make a stop at the visitor's center and get hats, water, and a walking stick for Mike!

Before we headed to the paintings, we drove closer to the amphitheatre.

At the base of the amphitheatre.  These pictures do not do the beauty of the area any justice!

We then got back into the car and headed to where we were told to find a guide that would take us to the paintings.  No longer do they allow people to go up without a guide to see the paintings, due to vandalism.  So we hired a guide from the local village to take us there.



Our trek was about 30 minutes up hill for 1.5 km.

Once again, the scenery along the way was STUNNING!!

The Bushman (San) Paintings. 

The San people lived in the Drakensberg area for thousands of years before being exterminated in clashes with the Zulus and white settlers. For the San, rock paintings weren’t just representations of life; they were also repositories of it. When shamans painted an eland, they didn’t just pay homage to a sacred animal; they also harnessed its essence. They put paint to rock and opened portals to the spirit world.

A Christmas Eve, family picture.  Not the usual one that is by the Christmas tree.

Stay tuned for Christmas Day and Mike's lifetime adventure....

"A Christmas to Remember pt. 1..."

First of all, let us greet you with a very HAPPY NEW YEAR! 

We had a very unusual Christmas this year.  Yes, last year being aboard the Africa Mercy was very unusual, but this year was even more so.  We decided that we would go to a B&B in the Northern Drakensburg mountains for Christmas.  "Drakensburg" to the Voortrekers means Dragons Tooth, to the Zulu it means Barriers of Spears.  It is drastically different from the Appelsbosch area.  Appelsbosch area is full of rolling hills and the Drakensburg area is full of mountains.

The place that we stayed was called Bingelela.  It was a bit more rustic...but very memorable.  All around us we see round houses called Rondovals.  Well, the cottage that we stayed in was a rondoval....very unique and interesting.



The roof structure is made out of layered tall grass.  They said that the rood will last about 10 years.  It is very beautiful to look at when you are laying in bed at night.  The only draw back to the grass roof is the bugs.  In the mornings and before bed I (Deb) would go on a bug hunt-especially in the bed!  It also does not smell the best, but after awhile you get used to it!

 

Since it is a round structure, the inside is round.  The bathroom area is divided off and part of the shower is round-even the windows are slightly curved...

The area is only big enough for a double bed so the kids had their own rondoval to sleep in.

Stay tuned for our Christmas Eve Adventure in pt. 2....

"You Know..."

I need to spend some time getting our Christmas photos organized before I post them.  In the meantime, as we were returning from Mike's dental appointment today, I was struck at how somethings here are so different.  With Mercy Ships, we have become very accustom to saying "It's not right or wrong, just different."  So here are some notable differences...

You know you are in South Africa when...

*People say "pleasure"  (It can mean- thank-you,  you're welcome, it's an honour...)
*People say "shame"  (depending upon the intonation, it can mean-I'm sorry, Too Bad, That's sad...)
*You get funny looks driving a vehicle with the steering wheel on the left side of the vehicle on the left side of the road
*When alone, you have to get out of the vehicle (with the steering on the left) to get the ticket from the parking dispenser because they are set up for cars that steer on the right side.
*In more rural areas, people make a two lane road into a three lane road
*If the shoulder is large enough, that becomes a lane also to move over and let people pass
*Flashing the hazard lights are a way of saying "Thank-you"
*Meals are relational...a restaurant meal can take 1.5-2 hours...just sit back and enjoy who your with!
*When going to a person's house for a meal, expect to stay at least 4 hours
*When having a Braai (like a BBQ) men do the Braai and women do the salads-that is just the way it is!
*There is a Braai Master
*You cannot rush a Braai-the coals have to be just perfect
*People genuinely want to talk, to know how you are, where you are from
*You are offered a packet in the store (packet=bag/sac)
*And finally, my absolute favorite, is having one of the cleaning ladies TRYING to teach me Zulu...She talks Zulu, I jumble/forget and then think in French...She laughs and smiles!

"Christmas Greetings..."

I know it is not a traditional Christmas Greeting...but I thought it was cute!  May you have a blessed Christmas full of God's amazing love and a New Year full of renewed joy, hope, and grace all because of what our Saviour Jesus Christ has done for us!!

The Jacobsen Family

Our Christmas Wish to You...click here...

"Power..."

Remember that nursery rhyme from when you were young..."Rain rain go away come again another day..."  When we first arrived at Appelsbosch in early September, there was a serve drought going on.  When we were living in LA a few years ago drought meant - only water your lawns every other day, try not to fill the pool every day, or wash your car every day-maybe just once a week, don't let the water run excessively, turn off the taps.  I think you get the general idea.  Drought here is a whole different meaning.  It means-animals die, people cannot wash clothing or cars, river beds are dry, it means no coffee at restaurants, crops cannot grow, it means there is very limited water-some places only had running water for 2 hours a day.

One thing we started doing as a crew, was pray for relief of the drought in the area.  A few weeks ago, we were talking with some friends who live near the game reserve .  They shared with us that the drought has come to an end-to the point where the river banks were overflowing!  End of drought means LOTS of rain.  With lots of rain we have had some marvelous thunder and lightening storms.  These pictures were taken a few weeks ago by one of our crew members. 

I just marvel at the power in these storms.  INCREDIBLE...Thanks Josh for the pictures.

"Gingerbread Houses..."

It has always been a tradition in the Jacobsen house to build a gingerbread house at Christmas time.  Last year we were unable to do it, but this year thanks to the hard work of our galley team, gingerbread houses abounded!  The were about 9-10 teams of 3-4 people that got together and decorated their houses. 

I believe at times there was more icing, food colouring, and sprinkles on the kids than there was on the houses.  We all, from the youngest to the oldest, had a blast of a time!

Enough for a crew!!

Getting up the walls.

Team effort...

Our final product...fit for a king....or at least a hungry mouse!

Creativity abounds!

"Breakfast..."

Saturday mornings have been a special time for those of us who live at Appelsbosch.  Saturday mornings mean...Saturday morning breakfast!!!  Now "regular" morning breakfast usually consists of an assortment of cereals, bread, yogurt, and fruit.  Saturday breakfast (thanks to the Palmer Family) became-breakfast burritos, breakfast casseroles, biscuits, fried eggs, hash brown casserole, bacon, sausage...as Mike would say a "REAL" breakfast.  Sadly though, the Palmer family was asked to move to our International Operations Centre in Texas.  This meant...no more Saturday breakfast.  So, Peter, two of his kids, Jay, Mike, Joshua and I were determined to continue the Palmer tradition and made breakfast for the crew this last Saturday morning.  Fried eggs, bacon, and pancakes.  It was delicious!!! (If I do say so!)

Pancakes anyone...just 10x's the recipe!

How do you decorate a tree in the galley?

With plastic forks/spoons, tea bags, bananas,and scouring pads...that's how.