Praise and Prayer Request

I am continually overwhelmed by God's grace and love.  The past 2 weeks at the Soup Kitchen have been incredible to see how God works.  Our translator has not showed up several times but God has always provided another one!  The number of men for the Soup Kitchen has been down some but the past 2 weeks the attendance has been great.  Last week we had 25 men and this week we had 15 men!  Those staying for the Bible study are also increasing.  We had 12 the previous week stay and this week all 15 men stayed!!  It's amazing to see them so engaged with the Word of God.  Each week they continue to ask more questions and remember more from the previous week.  Lots of Bibles have been passed and some of the men are now asking for Bibles for their wives!  My prayer is that the Word of God will penetrate their hearts and they will see their need for salvation and accept Jesus as their Savior.

On Wednesday we were able visit a new township that we would like to see a new church planted in.  The people were very receptive to us and gave us lots of information about the community.  Please pray for relationships to continue to be built that will lead to starting a Bible study that will lead to forming a church. 

The African Bike Saga

The boys have really been wanting bikes so we decided last weekend to go buy them.  Kaleb got a "big boy" bike and Blake got a "bike" that you see most African kids have (one that you push with your legs but doesn't have pedals).  Blake decided when we got home that he liked Kaleb's bike better and has been trying to ride it everyday.  He actually does a pretty good job and has figured out a way to make it go even though he really can't reach the pedals! 


To try and prevent an injury we thought it would be better to go buy Blake a small bike.  I went to the store this afternoon and bought the only bike that size they had.  When I got home I noticed that it wasn't pedaling correctly and that the chain kept falling off. 


I took it back to the store an hour later and explained what was going on.  The man looked at the bike and said, "yes, this is a problem."  We went back to the bike section and he said, "I know what is wrong with the bike, it is the chain."  I agreed with him and said that is definitely the problem.  He then looked at me and said, "you do not want this bike.  It has problems."  Again, I agreed and said I wanted a different bike.  Another employee came up and asked what was wrong with the bike and they talked about it and then he told me again that the chain was bad on this bike.  They then told me to choose any bike that I wanted.  I looked around and told them that this was the only bike this size and this is the size that my son needs.  They told me again that I needed to choose any bike I wanted.  I said I would love to choose one of the bikes there but they are the wrong size.  One of the employees said he understood and the other just walked off.  I asked if we could take the chain off of one of the other bikes and place it on this one, but they said that was not allowed.  I then asked if any more bikes were in the back or in a box somewhere.  He replied and said that there were more bikes but just stood there looking at me.  I asked him if we could put another bike together and he said we could.  We walked over to a set of boxes and found the one I needed. 


Watching them put the bike together was very interesting!  It was very much trial-and-error, and they would bring the defective bike over to see how it was supposed to look and then push it away.  I was keeping track in my mind over everything that needed to be redone or tightened when I got home!  When it came time for the training wheels to be put on he looked up at me and said, "Oh, I now see the problem with the other bike.  It's the chain.  This chain is fine now but if we put the training wheels on it will be bad like the other one.  So we are going to leave them off."  I told him that wasn't going to work because this little bike is for my little boy that still needs the training wheels.  He said, "Oh, I understand."  So they agreed to put them on but not how they are supposed to go on.  Again, noting in mind to fix this once I get home!  They finished the bike and with a big smile said, "Here you go!"  While he was saying this the front break completely fell off the bike.  He said, "Oh, that is not good.  I need you to find me a screwdriver in my toolbox because I cannot find one....."  I'm looking through the tool box and there is not a screwdriver to be found but there was something that could work instead. 


Now the bike is finally assembled and he told me I could leave.  I asked him what do I tell the people at the front of the store.  He said, "Oh, let me go with you."  As we approached the front of the store the queue (line) was very long.  Instead of going down the side of the store, which would have taken us directly out of the store, he decided to go through the queue as he bumped them with the bike to make them move.  Everyone looked very strange at me as we passed them. 


We finally reach the security guard at the door that stamps your receipt and allows you to leave.  I thought I was going to have problems because when I bought the first bike he was not there when we were leaving and I did not get the stamp on the receipt.  He looked at the receipt very carefully and said, "Oh, you bought this today, you are free to go!"


When it was all said and done, Blake is happy to have a "big boy" bike now!

Eight is Great!

Another M and I have the opportunity to lead a young women/mom Bible study every Sunday afternoon at a township in Daveyton, which is about 45 minutes away from where we live.  It's amazing how just 45 minutes can take you from big American-like city to poverty African style.  Yesterday was our 3rd week for the study, and the number of ladies has increased every week - 3, 5, and now 8!!!  Yes, I know it's not all about numbers in ministry, but it's encouraging none the less!

God's Merciful Love

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.

What an Amazing God we Serve!

 

What a great day! Good turn out at the soup kitchen. I shared the Creation to Church Bible story and most listened very closely. The greatest part was that around five men are interested in starting a Bible study! We will start this next Thursday at noon. I am so thrilled that God has provided this amazing opportunity!


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!

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. 

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.