I still can't believe that God has allowed us the privilege of being here and sharing Jesus with those around us. Today was the first day of the Bible study we began with the men from the soup kitchen. I had been praying that God would be working in the lives of these men and that we would at least have one person show up. I struggled with it though because if they showed up that means they didn't find any work for the day and also means they haven't eaten anything.......but I know they need Jesus more than anything!
God doubled my prayer request by sending two men! They were very eager to learn more about the Bible. I had gone out and purchased Zulu Bibles for them but one thing I didn't think about was that they had never used a Bible and had no idea what to do with it.
We studied the first 18 verses of John 1 and the men were really taking it all in. You could tell that the Holy Spirit was working on them. They asked some really good questions and Klaas said he wanted to know more about becoming a follower of Jesus Christ! I had the amazing privilege of leading him to the Lord! It was a joyous moment and you could just see the peace that overcame him. His friend Humphrey said he had accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior when he was younger but had turned away from God. He said he wanted to come back to God so he prayed for God to forgive him for turning away and to help him walk closer to Him.
Please join us in prayer for Klaas and Humphrey as we disciple them and that the Lord will give them the strength to overcome the temptations in their life and provide work for them.
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
What an Amazing God we Serve!
Please pray for God to move in a mighty way in the lives of these men that are showing an interest in learning about Him! We will start with going through the book of John. Thank you Jesus for showing Yourself to the South Africans and that Your love and forgiveness is for everyone!
The soup was really good too! It was chicken curry pap with lentils. (Pap, pronounced "pop", is similar to a mix between mashed potatoes and grits. This is put in the bowl first and then the chicken curry soup on top.) Yum!
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
The First Week!
It's hard to believe that we have been in our house now 1 week. Thankfully the temperature has warmed slightly and we haven't had to use any heat the last several nights. The rise in temperature is a big blessing since there is a shortage on propane and no one is able to buy any right now. God always provides and meets our needs!
The kitchen is pretty much stocked with the basics now. Some of the shopping experiences have been very interesting, both getting there and then what's inside! Erin has cooked some amazing meals and improvised quite well when needed. Kaleb and Blake are so excited that we can buy strawberry powder for their milk!
The boys are adjusting much quicker than we expected. Kaleb has already made some great friends. There is a boy his age that lives across the street from us and they played all Saturday morning together running back and forth between the houses. He has also made friends with the other missionary kids here and Erin and the boys have been at their house twice so far this week!
We attended Northmead Baptist Church on Sunday and really enjoyed it. The Pastor had a great message and the church has a heart for reaching out to those around them. There is a great blend of several cultures and everyone was very welcoming. Please pray that God would make it abundantly clear as to where He would have us serve Him. We are very excited for the ministry opporunity with this church every Friday. Each Friday they hold a soup kitchen for those in need in the community. Last week over 20 people came and got to hear about Jesus! We have the privilege of going this Friday to see how God is working there. Please be in much prayer for those who will attend. Pray that their hearts will be prepared to hear the Gospel and respond to Jesus by asking Him to be their Lord and Savior. Each week Bible stories are shared and then there is a time where they can respond and ask questions.
Pictures will hopefully be posted this weekend as we hope to have our internet established then. Driving lessons begin this weekend for Erin as well. Please pray for confidence for her that she will get it down. Driving a standard on the opposite side of the car and road can be very intimidating.
Words cannot express how much we treasure your prayers. We can feel them everyday and I know that God is faithful to hear the words of His children. Please let us know how we can be praying for you. We would be honored to intercede on your behalf to our Father.
The kitchen is pretty much stocked with the basics now. Some of the shopping experiences have been very interesting, both getting there and then what's inside! Erin has cooked some amazing meals and improvised quite well when needed. Kaleb and Blake are so excited that we can buy strawberry powder for their milk!
The boys are adjusting much quicker than we expected. Kaleb has already made some great friends. There is a boy his age that lives across the street from us and they played all Saturday morning together running back and forth between the houses. He has also made friends with the other missionary kids here and Erin and the boys have been at their house twice so far this week!
We attended Northmead Baptist Church on Sunday and really enjoyed it. The Pastor had a great message and the church has a heart for reaching out to those around them. There is a great blend of several cultures and everyone was very welcoming. Please pray that God would make it abundantly clear as to where He would have us serve Him. We are very excited for the ministry opporunity with this church every Friday. Each Friday they hold a soup kitchen for those in need in the community. Last week over 20 people came and got to hear about Jesus! We have the privilege of going this Friday to see how God is working there. Please be in much prayer for those who will attend. Pray that their hearts will be prepared to hear the Gospel and respond to Jesus by asking Him to be their Lord and Savior. Each week Bible stories are shared and then there is a time where they can respond and ask questions.
Pictures will hopefully be posted this weekend as we hope to have our internet established then. Driving lessons begin this weekend for Erin as well. Please pray for confidence for her that she will get it down. Driving a standard on the opposite side of the car and road can be very intimidating.
Words cannot express how much we treasure your prayers. We can feel them everyday and I know that God is faithful to hear the words of His children. Please let us know how we can be praying for you. We would be honored to intercede on your behalf to our Father.
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Red Carpet Treatment
We made it! The plane ride wasn't so bad with two little first-time flyers. I could have done without all the turbulence, but the boys didn't even notice. Thank God for TV screens behind each seat! Traveling with all the bags, trunks, double stroller (not to mention the boys) was pretty intense. But like my mother-in-law wrote in an e-mail, God sends guardian angels at just the right time. As we were watching for all our bags on the carousel and wondering how we were going to get all of our stuff to the next location, an airport employee came rolling our trunks to us and offering to assist us. How did he know??? God!!!
As we rounded the corner, we were overwhelmed with the entourage of team members welcoming us to Joburg! What a sight for tired eyes! They brought us to the place we're staying for a couple of days to help with transition. How bizarre to drive on the other side of the road (prayer request!!!). The fresh roses were a wonderful hospitable touch!
I believe it was about 1 AM (our time - 7 hours ahead) when we heard "Mommy, Daddy, I'm starving!" So we had pb&j sandwiches and watched movies until the boys were ready for bed again. Last night was a repeat, but hotdogs instead. :) It's pretty chilly in the house, but the space heaters and heated underblanket keeps us nice and cozy at night.
We had a wonderful evening yesterday with great friends we met in Virginia, their supervisor's family and another couple to celebrate our Independence day. Pizza and games!!! We have also felt the outpouring of love from Kody's co-workers as they are taking turns hosting us for a meal each day.
This morning we had a lovely meet-and-greet/tea time at Kody's office. The next part wasn't so pleasant, for me anyway - driving... Kody of course had no problem, but for someone who just learned how to drive a stick then to drive a car in a different country on the opposite side of the car and street created a slight panic attack. I believe I'll be sticking with just neighborhoods for a while. It is nice to have a car now, though! We will be driving a Toyota Corolla (African version, very compact).
Thank you so much for your prayers and messages. You all are a great encouragement during this time of transition.
As we rounded the corner, we were overwhelmed with the entourage of team members welcoming us to Joburg! What a sight for tired eyes! They brought us to the place we're staying for a couple of days to help with transition. How bizarre to drive on the other side of the road (prayer request!!!). The fresh roses were a wonderful hospitable touch!
I believe it was about 1 AM (our time - 7 hours ahead) when we heard "Mommy, Daddy, I'm starving!" So we had pb&j sandwiches and watched movies until the boys were ready for bed again. Last night was a repeat, but hotdogs instead. :) It's pretty chilly in the house, but the space heaters and heated underblanket keeps us nice and cozy at night.
We had a wonderful evening yesterday with great friends we met in Virginia, their supervisor's family and another couple to celebrate our Independence day. Pizza and games!!! We have also felt the outpouring of love from Kody's co-workers as they are taking turns hosting us for a meal each day.
This morning we had a lovely meet-and-greet/tea time at Kody's office. The next part wasn't so pleasant, for me anyway - driving... Kody of course had no problem, but for someone who just learned how to drive a stick then to drive a car in a different country on the opposite side of the car and street created a slight panic attack. I believe I'll be sticking with just neighborhoods for a while. It is nice to have a car now, though! We will be driving a Toyota Corolla (African version, very compact).
Thank you so much for your prayers and messages. You all are a great encouragement during this time of transition.
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