Moving to Johannesburg: A Survival Guide for New Arrivals to the City of Gold

Most of the people in our Bible study community moved to Johannesburg at some point in their lives. Some of us moved for work. Some of us moved for a spouse. Some of us moved for a school. Some of us moved for a fresh start. Some of us moved because we were following a call we did not fully understand.

Almost all of us made the same mistakes in the first year. We underestimated the traffic. We underestimated the security. We underestimated the social distance. We underestimated how hard it is to find a church, a doctor, a plumber, a community, a friend.

What the Bible Says About the New Place

Genesis 12:1 — The Lord had said to Abram, 'Go from your country, your people and your father's household to the land I will show you.' Ruth 1:16 — Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. Jeremiah 29:4-7 — Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. Marry and have sons and daughters. Increase in number there; do not decrease. Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it.

The new place is presented as something to settle into. The new place is the place where God has put you.

The First 90 Days: A Practical Timeline

Days 1 to 30 — Survive and Settle

Five things to do in the first 30 days: get connected to water and electricity; set up your mobile and data; find a grocery store and a pharmacy; find a doctor and a dentist; drive the city at different times of day.

Days 31 to 60 — Connect and Understand

Five things to do in the second 30 days: find a church; find a Bible study; find a community beyond the church; learn the load-shedding rhythm; drive to the countryside.

Days 61 to 90 — Put Down Roots

Five things to do in the third 30 days: get a South African bank account; get a South African driver's license; open a medical aid or hospital plan; find a long-term rental; start a small daily Joburg habit.

The Hard Truths About Settling in Johannesburg

The Hard Truth 1 — Joburg Is Not Safe in the Way Other Cities Are Safe

The security situation in Johannesburg is real. The hijackings. The burglaries. The smash-and-grabs. The home invasions. You will need to learn the security habits. The security habits are not paranoia. The security habits are common sense.

The Hard Truth 2 — Joburg Is a Long Way from Everyone

The distance is the part of the city that no one warns you about. The distance is the part that catches up with you in the second year. The Bible is not silent about the distance. Psalm 137:4 — How can we sing the songs of the Lord while in a foreign land?

The Hard Truth 3 — Joburg Will Test Your Faith

Joburg will test your faith. The drive across the city at 6pm on a Friday will test your faith. The home invasion at 2am will test your faith. The testing is not a sign that you have done something wrong. The testing is the way the city forms you. 1 Peter 1:6-7 — These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith — of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire — may result in praise, glory and honour when Jesus Christ is revealed.

A Prayer for the New Joburg Arrival

God of the new place — we thank you for the city. We thank you for the work that brought us here. We thank you for the jacarandas in October. We thank you for the thunder in November. We ask you to help us to settle. To find the grocery store. To find the doctor. To find the church. To find the Bible study. To find the friend. To find the rhythm. Make us people of the city. Make us people who love the city. Make us people who pray for the city. In the name of the one who had nowhere to lay his head, and who made the whole world his home. Amen.

Johannesburg Bible Study Church meets online every Wednesday at 7:30pm. New to Sandton? New to the city? You are welcome. Call +27 77 487 1295 or +27 67 442 4461 to join.