Frequently Asked Questions

The page that follows contains a number of the "Frequently Asked Questions" that we have received since we began serving the Lord in South Africa. Most of these questions have originated from Americans who attend the churches that we have visited both on pre-field ministry and on furlough. Occasionally, we get some funny questions from the people we work with in South Africa. Questions coming from here will be marked with an "SA." Enjoy!

1. What part of Africa is South Africa in?

This was the number one question on our pre-field ministry and probably the number 2 question on furlough. We tried not to smile or laugh when we gave them the answer to this question, “It’s in the southern part of Africa.” --- The normal response was, “Oh, yeah. That makes sense.”

If you look at a map of the continent of Africa and go all the way to the southern tip, you’ll find South Africa.

2. What country in South Africa are you working in?

South Africa is an independent country. The Republic of South Africa came into existence in 1961 apart from the British Commonwealth.

3. Do they speak "American" over there?

A man in a church asked me this question while we were on our pre-field ministry. I answered his question in the following manner, "No, they speak English." - The man gave me a dumbfounded look and stared into space for a couple minutes then responded, "What's the difference?"

Actually, South Africa boasts 11 official languages. English, Zulu, Afrikaans, and Xhosa are probably the most common to outsiders. In addition to those far, people also speak Tswana, Ndebele, Sotho, Pedi, Swazi, Tsonga, and Venda.

4. Do you see any wild animals where you live?

Yes, we see lions, elephants, hyenas, rhinos, zebras, giraffes, warthogs, bush-pigs, and baboons……. but we have to drive to a game park to see them. However, we do see monkeys in our garden from time to time. In fact, we've even had monkeys come into our house and steal bread and bananas. - The most recent monkey episode took place a few months ago.

The kids had planted some corn in the back yard. The stalk began to grow nice and tall and a very small but beautiful ear of corn began to form. When the corn grew a little larger, some monkeys made their way into the yard and snatched the corn from the stalk. The kids were very disappointed that the monkeys stole the corn.

We also see snakes from time to time as well. Sara seems to be the magnet for the snakes. She's had a couple snake episodes that have created moments of fear and humor for her.

5. What's the climate like?

The weather in South Africa is absolutely beautiful almost 90% of the time. Durban itself, is a sub-tropical climate. The temperatures here are usually warmer in the winter than they are up in Johannesburg and down in Cape Town. The winter months are June-July-August. In the winter it will get as cold as 45-50 degrees farenheit. However, we don't have central heating in our homes so when it's 50 outside, it's also 50 inside.

The summer months are December-January-February. During these months the average temperature is probably 80-85 with unbearable humidity (especially in February). We also see many days well into the 90's.

6. Do you live in a mud-hut?

No. Our homes are very comparable to what you'd find in the USA. One major difference would be that homes here do not have screens on the windows. When you open your window it's open to the outside and you could crawl through. However, most homes have burglar guards on the windows due to the high crime rate. Most homes will not be insured unless there are burglar bars on the windows and an alarm system installed.

7. What are the people like?

The people of South Africa are incredible. Historically, South Africa has been divided into four major people groups: Black, Coloured, Indian, and White. Under the Apartheid regime, people were divided into these categories from birth to death. Even though Apartheid no longer exists by law in SA, there is still a strong distinction and division between the groups culturally and socially.

A recent survey trip conducted in SA by some ABWE people has also revealed a large population of Chinese people in SA. Another amazing group of people that adds to the cultural diversity in South Africa!

8. How bad is the AIDS problem in South Africa?

It's absolutely terrible and does not seem to be improving at all. We put together a promotional video on the ministry in Durban about 4 years ago. At that point, the statistics indicated that by the year 2010, the life expectancy in South Africa would drop from 76 years to 36 years. Close to 74 million people will die by 2010 due to the AIDS epidemic.