The Geise Family in South Africa

Solar Cooking

2012-02-14T03:03:00.000-08:00

We recently became the happy owners of two solar cookers. I had never heard of a solar cooker before but was excited to give it a try. I figure if we can cook even a couple of meals a week in the solar cooker it is that much more propane and electricity we have saved.

Our first attempt at using it was unsuccessful. We put a pot of chili in to cook but before too long the sky became cloudy and we had to finish cooking supper on the stove. Our next attempt was mostly positive. We put a peach cake in to bake but I underestimated the time needed and it got too late before it was finished. But it only took 10 minutes in the oven to bring it to perfection.

Our third attempt was also unsuccessful. I think part of the problem is the type of pot we are using. We'll try to have a positive report next time! :-)

The cake we almost finished baking in the solar cooker.

The Narrow Way

2012-02-04T23:31:00.001-08:00

"Speaking out with a prophetic voice against all that comes short of God's highest purpose for His Church, may perhaps reduce our numbers, but God has always been more interested in quality than in quantity. We don't have to make the narrow way any broader than God Himself has made it." - Zac Poonen

Oily Feet

2012-01-28T07:03:00.000-08:00

I love the pitter-patter sound of little feet running through the house, but sometimes those same little feet can create havoc. Take for example the scenario of bare feet dipped in freshly drained diesel oil. Thankfully we saw those little feet before they went tramping through the house!

God's Canvas

2012-01-07T03:09:00.000-08:00

I'm always amazed at what God "paints" in the sky! Here in the Free State we sit on the "front row" and enjoy some of the most spectacular artistic exhibitions. One of the sunsets this week was truly breathtaking, but what was so amazing was that something was happening everywhere one looked in the sky. Though the camera can not do justice to what we saw I'll post a couple of shots.

The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork. Day unto day utters speech, And night unto night reveals knowledge. There is no speech nor language Where their voice is not heard. Psalm 19:1-3

Wedding

2011-12-20T05:13:00.000-08:00

On Sunday we attended our first Basotho wedding. I was invited to speak at the wedding of one of the pastors in Lesotho - Phello Majola. Actually many weddings are two day events. Sunday was the second day at the home of the groom. The wedding ceremony took place the day before at the bride's village.

Antonie's Dedication

2011-12-06T03:44:00.000-08:00

Philip, Amrie and Antonie Geise after Antonie's dedication.

Thanksgiving

2011-11-30T03:53:00.000-08:00

On November 24^th we enjoyed getting together with coworkers and several visiting Americans for a Thanksgiving dinner. May we all have a spirit of thanksgiving every day of the year!

A delicious pumpkin pie Gwen made

The Garden

2011-11-23T05:06:00.000-08:00

We almost didn’t plant a garden this year because of our neighbor’s chickens. They have at least 25-30 free range chickens and yes, you guessed it – our yard is part of their range. There isn’t much we can do about the situation so it looked as if a garden wasn’t an option. Fencing is expensive so we couldn’t afford to do the whole garden. We finally decided we could borrow some plastic fencing that my brother had, which saved us a lot of money, and the rest we finished off with the cheapest chicken wire we could find.

After putting up the fence we realized the cabbage was still being devoured. I thought it might be bugs so I sprayed it but with no effect. Later we saw that birds were eating the cabbage. We put up a scare-a-crow , of sorts, which helped about one day. Now they are back with a vengeance. A lot of our corn didn’t come up either so I replanted. As I was digging I found a lot of red ants and a number of the old corn seeds-hollowed out. Apparently ants like corn too.

Between all our feathered friends and crawling creatures I’m not sure how much produce we will get but we’ll keep trying.

We used the yogurt containers on the fence posts to cover the seedlings over night to help protect them from getting eaten. During the day we just hung them on the posts. We just haven't gotten around to taking them off yet.

What is left of the cabbage!

Whose Children are They?

2011-11-15T05:34:00.000-08:00

Have you given your children to God like Hannah did with Samuel? (I Samuel 1:28) A practical way of finding out is to examine your feelings and thoughts when another individual corrects your children. Do you feel peeved, irritated, angry or upset? Or maybe you think: “They have no room to talk about my children. Just look at theirs.” These are good indications that your children belong to you not God and you claim full responsibility.

There are at least two reasons why so many become angry when their children are reprimanded by others. The first is that the parents haven’t truly relinquished their children to God’s control. They see their children as solely belonging to them and resent anyone who would dare to say anything negative about them. Secondly, the faults of the children many times reveal deficiencies in the parents. I can think of different times over the past eight years when I have reacted negatively to comments or concerns of others concerning my children. That attitude, though, only breeds resentment and anger.

If someone sees something wrong in our children and they address the issue we should be thankful that the wrong has been pointed out and it can be corrected in our children and in our own lives. It is true that God has place the burden of rearing children on the parent’s shoulders (Deuteronomy 6:7), but if our children belong to God we should be open to admonition, encouragement and council from others.

Time Away

2011-11-10T04:32:00.000-08:00

Recently we had the opportunity to go visit some friends and see a little more of South Africa. Our first stop was to the Kwasizabantu Mission at Claridge. We visited our good friend Bro. Malimabe. (I didn’t get a good picture of him.) We also met Dr. and Mrs. Botha who are the directors of the mission. After leaving the mission, we visited our good friends Stephanus and Rose Blignaut and family. We enjoyed some good fellowship and they even took us to see the Indian Ocean. On our way back home we paid a short visit to the central Kwasizabantu Mission at Kranskop. We enjoyed our time away but it is always good to get back home!

Dr. and Mrs. Botha

We enjoyed visiting Howick Falls.

We visited an elephant part. The giants were quite gentle. This one walked right up to the car and even put her trunk in the window. I was really scrabbling trying to get the window back up!

Our children made some new friends on this trip.

Kosi Bay, Kwazulunatal, South Africa

The Indian Ocean at Kosi Bay

The Blignaut and Geise Families

Politics and the Christian

2011-11-04T05:50:00.000-07:00

As I was studying Paul’s message on Mars' Hill, in Acts chapter 17, I found Adam Clarke's comments on verse 21 quite interesting.

“For all the Athenians and strangers which were there spent their time in nothing else, but either to tell, or to hear some new thing.”

“This is a striking feature of the city of London in the present day. The itch for news, which generally argues a worldly, shallow, or unsettled mind, is wonderfully prevalent: even ministers of the Gospel, negligent of their sacred function, are become in this sense Athenians; so that the book of God is neither read nor studied with half the avidity and spirit as a newspaper. These persons, forgetful not only of their calling, but of the very spirit of the Gospel, read the account of a battle with the most violent emotions; and, provided the victory falls to their favorite side, they exult and triumph in proportion to the number of thousands that have been slain! It is no wonder if such become political preachers, and their sermons be no better than husks for swine. To such the hungry sheep look up, and are not fed. God pity such miserable Athenians, and direct them to a more suitable employment!”

Children see! Children do!

2011-10-13T04:34:00.000-07:00

Have you ever heard your children fighting in a different room of the house and you shout down the hall: "Stop your yelling"! Maybe a little later it then occurred to you that they learned to yell by watching and listening to how you deal with frustrations and difficult things in your life. We've all heard the saying "you are what you eat"! But on a much deeper level our children are what we are. They are what they see and hear. Lately God has been transforming they way we think about our children. As parents, teaching our children is only a part of the command to "bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord". Every word said, every attitude they see and every action and reaction of the parent is being cemented into their very being as the "proper" way to live life and handle situations that arise. Parenting is so much more than going to a good church and teaching our children well. Parenting is first being exactly what we want our children to be! Luke 6:40 "A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone who is perfectly trained will be like his teacher." Don't complain about your childern. They are like you!

Influence

2011-10-08T04:31:00.000-07:00

Parents consider what impact your life is having on that of your children! Ponder this quote from William Law.

"If parents viewed themselves as priests, they would be daily calling upon God in a solemn, deliberate manner. It would make them very careful of everything they said or did, lest their example should hinder the very thing that they were constantly praying for on behalf of their children. - William Law

Sssssssssssss!!!

2011-10-01T10:17:00.000-07:00

Since we're on the snake story we might as well continue. In the past week and a half we've seen 3 snakes. That's too many in a life time let alone in a little over a week! The last two were puff adders. Yesterday we made sure this one wouldn't do any damage to our children! It was 82cm long (about 32 inches).

Venemous Intruder

2011-09-21T05:07:00.000-07:00

The only thing I don't like about the warmer weather is all the snakes that come out of hiding! A couple of weeks ago we had a snake in our front lawn right where the children play. Yesterday we were in the house when one of our sons came running in and said they saw a snake. Well, we found it and I managed to dispose of it properly. It was a Rinkals (Spitting Cobra) measuring thirty-nine inches (1 meter) long. We do our best to keep the grass cut and get rid of rats and mice but for some reason this snake was right outside our back door. We certainly thank the Lord for protecting the children!

SPRING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2011-09-14T04:19:00.000-07:00

Can you tell I'm thankful for this season? Spring is, without question, my favorite time of the year. Spring officially begins here in South Africa on September first. We have certainly been enjoying the warmer weather, greener grass in places, and the blossoms on the trees. Of course I'll share a few of my recent snapshots with you! One of the first signs of Spring here is the appearance of the willow leaves.

Of course pansies are always beautiful!

And in an otherwise mostly brown landscape the peach trees are a most welcome sight!

Or how about these crab apple blossoms?

Tire Toys

2011-08-22T07:31:00.000-07:00

Enjoyment does not need to come from a toy box or the store. Our boys love to play with cardboard boxes and empty dog food bags! These boys are resting a bit after a long run pushing tires past our home.

Gibbous Moon

2011-08-17T03:54:00.000-07:00

Another amateur photographic attempt of the moon with a dead tree branch in the foreground.

Wood For The Winter

2011-08-03T02:32:00.000-07:00

The past two days we have spent a couple of hours cutting wood for duration of the winter. We all went as a family and enjoyed our time together. It was great watching the dead tree come crashing to the ground. The boys enjoyed loading the wood and rolling the heavier logs to the trailer.

These pictures are from earlier in the winter - about a month ago.

The Moon From Our Place

2011-07-25T08:10:00.000-07:00

Because of all the smoke and dust in the air this is what the moon looked like a couple of evenings ago when it was low in the sky. I've been trying out some of the different settings on my camera so thought I would try a night shot.

Sober-Minded

2011-07-15T05:05:00.000-07:00

Allow me to revisit this subject again. For anyone who is serious about following the Lord and developing a Scriptural outlook on life I would recommend reading the following article. It was written by Matthew Henry many years ago but is still quite relevant today. Just click on the following link:
http://www.charityministries.org/theremnant/2010/11/theremnant-2010-11-sober-mindedness.a5w

And here is a good one for sober minded woman or those who desire to be: "In Pursuit of Virtue":
http://www.charityministries.org/theremnant/2010/11/theremnant-2010-11-poems.a5w

Refinishing Project

2011-07-09T05:11:00.000-07:00

When we came here five years ago we bought a little used table and chairs for the boys. It was in rough shape and the boys didn't make it any better over the years. So after returning this time I decided to see what I could do to refinish it. So you can see below what we did.

Here is the "before" picture of a chair.

The boys helped me do a lot of the sanding.

The table after some sanding.

And the finished product. The boys really like the John Deere look!

Sammy Morris

2011-06-28T02:45:00.000-07:00

While our family was in the States we drove through Fort Wayne, IN and stopped to see the grave site of Sammy Morris. If you have never read his story I would encourage you to do so. You can get his biography for just cents on Amazon. Sammy was a simple African boy, but he led more people to the Lord than most of us. His was a simple but real confidence in his God and a living, vibrant relationship with the Creator. Our oldest son sat spell-bound as we read through the book.

Shoshanah

2011-06-23T06:34:00.000-07:00

Just thought I would share a picture of our little girl!

Mud

2011-06-21T03:51:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago we decided to try a road we had not previously been on. Well, near the end of the road we came to a large muddy place. Our choices were to turn around and go all the way back or try to go through. We decided to try to go through..... Unfortunately we didn't get very far. Thankfully some friends came and pulled us out.

We're Back

2011-06-13T08:09:00.000-07:00

We arrived back in South Africa on May 25th. We have occupied ourselves with unpacking, doing maintenance around the house and trying to rest. The day after we arrived Gwen had a miscarriage on our way home from Johannesburg. She ended up spending a night in the hospital. Two of the boys also started vomiting that same week. Our return has been quite eventful but we submit to the will of God knowing what He allows is always for the good.

We will try to update when possible though at this point I'm not going to promise that it will be consistently or frequent.

God bless!

On hold

2011-03-22T11:35:00.001-07:00

I apologize, but with our current schedule I am going to put our blog on hold. It just isn't possible to keep everything together at the moment. We hope you will understand. Keep praying for us as we continue to travel across the States. God bless. Steve for the family

Our little blessing

2011-02-25T05:08:00.000-08:00

Patricia I. Hall

2011-02-19T15:27:00.000-08:00

What do you say when you've just buried your grandmother? Anyway I thought I would share a couple of snapshots.

Funeral

2011-02-16T14:45:00.000-08:00

We are in Florida - again. The funeral for my grandmother will be this Saturday. We are thankful we weren't too far north when we received the call about her death. Lord willing next week we will be heading north again. Thanks for your prayers.

Patricia I. Hall

2011-02-11T18:39:00.000-08:00

Steve's grandmother passed away today, Feb 11, 2011.

Quote

2011-02-11T13:54:00.000-08:00

"One of the great uses of Twitter and Facebook will be to prove at the Last Day that prayerlessness was not from lack of time.” John Piper

Ark Encounter: Help Build the Ark!

2011-02-10T15:32:00.000-08:00

Ark Encounter: Help Build the Ark!

Hobe Sound, FL

2011-02-10T09:02:00.000-08:00

What a contrast! We drove three days from South Dakota to southern Florida. We went from subzero temperatures to balmy sunshine. One morning I took the boys to see the ocean. They really enjoyed the sand and waves.

The Spirit of Truth

2011-01-28T08:49:00.000-08:00

The following prayer was taken from an old Hymnal. It says it is a "Prayer from Kenya".

"From the cowardice that dares not face new truth,
from the laziness that is contented with half-truth,
from the arrogance that thinks it knows all truth,
Good Lord, deliver me. Amen."

John 8:32 "And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."

Congratulation...

2011-01-24T07:50:00.000-08:00

to Philip and Amrie Geise on the arrival of their first baby, Antonie Jonathan Geise - meaning "Priceless Gift from God. He was born in South Africa at 2:25am, January 24th. He weighed 6lbs 3onces.

The Week-end

2011-01-18T10:32:00.000-08:00

Over the week-end we spent two nights with Steve's cousin Mark Mckenzie and his wife Naomi and their daughter Alaina.

We drove through part of the Bad Lands in South Dakota on the way to our Sunday morning service.

South Dakota

2011-01-05T09:28:00.000-08:00

I thought I would share a couple of pictures of our winter weather here in SD. It has been very cold over Christmas and New Year. We've had temperatures below zero, but we have enjoyed the snow.

Traveling

2010-12-27T05:18:00.000-08:00

So much continues to happen that it would be difficult to fill you in on all the details. But we do hope you had a Christ-centered Christmas as you remembered His birth. We....well, we spent most of the day driving. Because of a snow storm we ended up traveling to South Dakota on Christmas day, arriving in time for the evening meal with family and friends. Between Hobe Sound and SD we have seen a lot of friends; been to a lot of places; and experienced a lot of things. The boys enjoyed snow in TN, OH, IN, IA, and now SD. God has been good to us as we have been traveling. Once we hit some ice and the van decided it wanted to change directions but other than that God's hand has been on us-giving us His protection. We've seen numbers of vehicles in the ditch and farther south we passed a car on fire. We appreciate your prayers as we continue to travel thousands of miles.

I'll add a few misc photos:

We certainly enjoyed our visit with Steve's Grandma Geise. We miss Grandpa!

Our boys playing with cousins

Snow! Cold!

Shoshanah saying "Hello" and "God bless you"!

A Special Friend

2010-12-10T05:09:00.000-08:00

Whenever we are in Hobe Sound we always do our best to visit Sis. Cleaver. She is a special friend, of more than ten years, and a faithful prayer partner. She loves the children and always has some special little activity or gift for them. We are so thankful for people like this that God has placed in our lives.

Our first week in America

2010-12-05T12:37:00.000-08:00

I thought I would give you an idea of the week we had after we left Africa. Phil and Amrie rode with us to the airport and took our car back home.

Here we are at the airport in Johannesburg.

This was Shoshanah's first flight.

This is how we all felt after we arrived in the US!

Gwen's brother Brent and family picked us up at the airport.

Gwen's family surprised us and met us at a restaurant after we arrived in D.C.

We had snow Thanksgiving morning. The boys were ecstatic!

On our way to Florida we spent a week-end with my cousin and family Derek Geise. Unfortunately we didn't get a picture of their family. Once we got to FL we visited with my Mom and grandmother.

After arriving at Hobe Sound Mr. Howard took the boys and I on a flight. It was a little bumpy but not bad at all. We enjoyed the flight a lot. There has been a lot of other things happening but I don't have pictures and time to share them all. We plan to leave Hobe Sound on the 9th and begin our trip North.

Hobe Sound

2010-12-02T13:50:00.000-08:00

We arrived in Hobe Sound, FL on Tuesday. We've been very busy. We landed in D.C. on the 24th and were in PA for Thanksgiving with Gwen's family. Then on Saturday we drove to Columbia, S.C. to spend the week-end with Derek and Jessica Geise. From there we drove to Summerfield, Fl on Monday and came here as I said on Tuesday. I'll try to put some pictures on in a couple of days. Pray for us as we begin a busy schedule.

Wrapping it up!

2010-11-13T03:12:00.000-08:00

With ten days to go the pressure is on to finish last minute business, pack, wrap up ministry for this term, set the house in order for Phil and Amrie to move in while we are gone and a host of other details. Today I will teach the last class of a Bible study we've been working through for about the past 30 weeks. Monday or Tuesday we will try to get Isaac to a place in his school work where he can stop for a while. Last week we helped Phil and Amrie get a garden plot ready for planting. We have about 15 services schedule so far with a number of other good possibilities. Thank you for your prayers during this busy time.

Visitors

2010-11-10T06:26:00.000-08:00

We always enjoy having different individuals from our church over for a meal. We've done that a few times recently. Here are three men who are a real blessing in the church. From left to right: Bro. Moshume, Bro. Bokang, Ntate Kori.

Dedication

2010-11-03T05:57:00.000-07:00

The other event this week-end was that Pastor Thabang dedicated Titus and Shoshanah. I preached a short message on Psalm 127; focusing more on the parents responsibility to prepare their "arrows" to hit the mark. What is the mark? Malachi 2:15 - middle of the verse.

Birthdays

2010-11-03T05:52:00.000-07:00

This past week-end there were two birthdays at our house as you can see by the picture. The reason for the lion head and the cross: Micah wanted a lion on the cake, so we decided to put a cross also to symbolize Jesus: The Lion of the Tribe of Judah. Not real artistic, but it sure tasted nice. :-)

Sheep Farm

2010-11-03T05:46:00.000-07:00

We recently visited some friends who own and operate a sheep farm. They were in the process of sheering so the boys enjoyed playing in the wool. The boys also helped bottle feed some lambs.

Sunset

2010-10-20T07:05:00.000-07:00

I'm not a professional photographer but I do like to try to take nice shots. The sunset was really neat the evening I took this picture.

More Fire

2010-10-18T07:16:00.000-07:00

Unfortunately this is very normal for this part of South Africa!

Wild Fire

2010-10-09T05:14:00.000-07:00

Every year during the dry season here there are many wild fires. Yesterday one started up on the mountain behind our house and eventually worked it's way down the mountain and into the fields around the house. We didn't have to worry as there was no tall grass or trees near our house, but a lot of the pasture was burned. A week or two ago another fire burnt through a farm a couple of miles from our place and that farmer lost most of his peach orchard, several cows and a lot of fences. Needless to say there a lot of smoke in the air this time of year.

Count down....

2010-10-06T05:42:00.000-07:00

Seven weeks from yesterday, 10/5/10, we fly out of Johannesburg, SA in route for the US. The weeks are flying by and there is much to do. Some of my responsibilities have already been transferred to others who will be taking over permanently. Sometimes, lately, I have felt a bit in limbo as I'm stepping out of past obligation and now preparing to return to the US for six months. Recently I've had a burden to get good messages into the hands of our people here. I've been taking old audio cassettes, playing them into my computer and then burning them onto CDs. I would like to do this on a bit more of a larger scale so we can give good sermons out here in the community. Help us pray about this new venture.

Our Four

2010-09-15T04:52:00.000-07:00

Nick Vujicic

2010-09-01T10:38:00.000-07:00

Here is a link to the website of Nick Vujicic, a man born without arms or legs. His is an amazing testimony of God's grace. Thank God for those who can go places and be used of God in ways I can't. I am not necessarily endorsing everything Nick believes or teaches, but he does offer hope through Jesus Christ. http://www.lifewithoutlimbs.org/

Special service

2010-08-25T07:21:00.000-07:00

This past Saturday we had a special ordination and licensing service for our pastors here in South Africa. This was the first time this has happened in the history of the work here in South Africa. We are so thankful to the Lord for the progress He is giving in the work here. Mr. Howard our Regional Director was visiting so he was able to take part in the service. Two men were ordained and two pastors received licenses.

Mr. Jim Howard speaking with Pastor Thabang interpreting

Pastor Pheko, HIM's National Representative in Lesotho, and Glenn Gault our Field Director.

Johan van der Merwe, HIM's National Representative in South Africa

Philip Geise, Administrator of Hope Christian Academy

Piet Marais, HIM missionary and director of the Bible distribution project in various African countries

The four pastor's with Mr. Howard

All Thumbs

2010-08-11T06:55:00.000-07:00

It looks like our little girl will be a thumb sucker. She hasn't mastered the concept but she does it quite often!

Church Ladies

2010-08-11T06:50:00.000-07:00

Let me introduce you to a couple of ladies from our Manyatseng church. I hope you will pray for them. The young lady on the left is Nthabiseng. She has only been saved less than a year. She always has a smile on her face and testifies that God is working in her life. The older lady on the right is Makamohelo. She has been attending our church for about a year and a half. She is really saved and is a tremendous blessing in the church and community. She never misses any service of the church unless it is absolutely beyond her control. Pray for these ladies. Life for them isn't easy.

Diagnosis

2010-07-28T04:38:00.000-07:00

Well, it's been an intense week, but at least we now know for sure what has been causing my pain. According to the specialist I have many ulcers, thus the pain. I am taking anti acid tablets, but thankfully there was no H. pylori so I don't need antibiotics. I am eating a lot of papaya and aloe vera which I think are helping to heal the raw areas of the stomach. Thanks so much for all your prayers! Taking life a little slower...... Steve

What a year!

2010-07-23T06:13:00.000-07:00

This past week has been rather eventful. Actually, it seems this entire year, so far, has had it's share of drama. In the past 8 months we have moved twice, been burglarized, had oral surgery, welcomed a new baby in the home, made an unexpected 6+ hour trip one way to take an HIV patient to a AIDS clinic, also made an unexpected trip to Johannesburg (5+hrs one way) to work on US paperwork for Shoshanah, started homeschooling Isaac, and many other smaller activities and details that have barely allowed us time to stop and catch our breath. A few weeks ago I was talking to Gwen and I said, "I wonder what is next?" And then this week... Sunday night I, Steve, had terrible abdominal pain and didn't get much sleep. Monday was fairly normal except for being exhausted from the lack of sleep. Then Tuesday morning after breakfast I started feel uncomfortable again. After lunch I again began experiencing severe pain in my stomach. Finally we decided to go see the doctor. He first gave me a shot for abdominal cramping, which I reacted to. So he then put me on an IV and gave me some strong pain meds and sent us to the ER an hour and a half away. In the ER they did x-rays and took blood samples. All the tests that were done came back clear. The doctor told us he thought is was gallstones or a stomach ulcer. We stayed that night with some friends who live in Bloemfontein and the next day we went back to the hospital so I could be tested for gallstones. That test was also negative. A couple of hours after leaving Bleom I was again in a lot of pain. I hoped it would go away, but I actually spent the entire night tossing and turning, getting in and out of bed, sitting in a chair and on the floor but with no relief. Thursday morning the pain subsided a little but by the afternoon it was back again. Some friends took me to the doctor again for more medication. I was finally able to sleep the whole night. My diet at this point is yogurt, papaya and bananas. (Great weight loss program!) I am scheduled for an endoscopy next Monday to verify whether my problem is a stomach ulcer or not. We are so thankful to those who have helped us and have been praying. We trust the Lord to work out His will in these events.

My Two Beautiful Girls

2010-07-05T08:13:00.000-07:00

I'm blessed to have a wife like Gwen. She enjoys little things and doesn't need expensive clothes and gadgets to make her happy. She made the jumper that Shoshanah is wearing to match her skirt (sorry you can't see that in the picture). I think it turned out very nice. I'm very thankful for my 1 Timothy 2:9 wife and her desire to raise our daughter the same way.

I'm sorry

2010-07-05T07:59:00.000-07:00

I have deleted the previous post due to some incorrect information. I apologize.

The Big Four!

2010-06-08T03:27:00.000-07:00

A Poem

2010-05-24T07:39:00.000-07:00

Here is a poem we read this week that really spoke to us. It is taken from 101 More Hynm Stories, by Kenneth W. Osbeck, p. 269. Think especially about verses 3 and 4. What do you think?

"My God I thank Thee who hast made the earth so bright,

So full of splendor and of joy, beauty and light;

So many glorious things are here, noble and right.

"I thank Thee too, that Thou has made joy to abound,

So many gentle thoughts and deeds circling us round,

That, in the darkest spot of earth, some love is found.

"I thank Thee more, that all our joy is touched with pain,

That shadows fall on brightest hours, that thorns remain;

So that earth's bliss may be our guide, and not our chain.

"I thank Thee, Lord, that Thou has kept the best in store;

We have enough, but not too much to long for more-

A yearning for a deeper peace, not known before."

Written by: Adelaide A. Procter

This morning

2010-05-15T04:37:00.000-07:00

I just thought I would share a picture of Shoshanah I took this morning. She is doing well and is taking lessons on endurance from the hands of her older brothers. They do love her! They just have to learn to be gentle!

Titus' Second Birthday

2010-05-12T10:57:00.000-07:00

This week Titus turned two years old. We didn't really have a birthday party for him, but since we live so close to the Uncle Johan and Aunt Hessie we decided to have supper with them and Gwen made the cake you see below. She put the cow on since Titus likes the cows we see when we travel through the country.

Here is Titus with his South African Grandparents. In Afrikaans they are Oupa (Grandpa) and Ouma (Grandma).

Enjoying the baby

2010-05-12T10:47:00.000-07:00

Shoshanah is really popular right now!

Shoshanah Marie Geise

2010-05-07T05:38:00.000-07:00

Monday started off with Gwen and I going to Bloemfontein for me to have two wisdom teeth surgically removed. I rested quite a bit on Tuesday, thankfully without much pain. Then that evening we realized it might not be long before our baby came. Sure enough about 2am Wednesday morning we left the house to drive back to Bloemfontein for the birth of our little girl. The hospital kept Gwen and the baby one day, although they normally keep them in for two. After getting out of the hospital we had to go by the Department of Home Affairs to get a birth certificate - no such thing as getting one in the mail. After four hours of waiting we received the certificate. The boys are really enjoying their little sister.

When Shoshanah was born she weighed 6lbs 9oz. She was 16 inches long. (All the boys were over twenty inches.) Gwen and Shoshanah are both doing well.

Pastor Thabang

2010-05-01T04:06:00.000-07:00

About two weeks ago I finished teaching through A Theology of Christian Counseling with Pastor Thabang. Here he is with his certificate. We both really learned a lot and we plan to co-teach a new class on Biblical counseling to several in our church.

Our House

2010-05-01T04:02:00.000-07:00

Here's a picture of where we now live. We are very thankful that the farmer is allowing us to stay here for free.

Snakes, Spiders, & other "visitors"

2010-04-26T12:31:00.000-07:00

Since moving to our new location we have seen quite a few snakes. I ran over a puff adder yesterday (Sunday) on the way home from church. Last week while I was in town Gwen found a small snake just inside our kitchen door. She killed it! The picture below, thankfully, wasn't taken in our house, but I'm sure they are around since we live in an old farm house. We did catch a mouse in a trap, and we also found a mole under our stove. I know you would be interested to know that for about two weeks we also found little white worms in our kitchen about every morning. The mystery is that we also found them in a closed cupboard inside one specific stack of bowls. They were never anywhere else in that cupboard. We even moved the bowls to the other side of the shelf and we still found one in the top bowl the next morning.????

Sequel to being burglarized

2010-04-14T05:55:00.000-07:00

Well, tomorrow it will be three weeks since our house was broken into, and a lot has transpired in that time. After the burglary several of our national brethren expressed to us that they felt the burglar would come back again after having found money the first time. There were others who were concerned about our safety and were hoping we would move to another place.

Back in November when we moved out of town we could not find ANY other house open or in our price range except for "Arizona", the farm house where we were burglarized. The house was very isolated in the country and there was no security, but we took the house since there was no other option.

After the burglary someone told us about a house about 3 1/2 miles from coworkers in the mission. We went to look at the house and found it was much more suitable to our situation. So eight days later we moved to the new location. We are thankful that there are neighbors right beside us and we have made several attempts to get to know them.

Two days after we moved we returned to the old house to get a few things from the garage that we didn't have room for on the first day of the move. When we arrived we found out that the same night we moved the burglar returned. From what we could see it appeared there were two men this time. After trying but failing to get in the same window the man had entered previously they broke a kitchen window and entered the house. They also smashed a window in the garage/shed and rummaged through some of the things there. We thank the Lord that His timing is perfect.

Thank you for your prayers. We know God is in control and that He allows things to happen according to His divine purpose.

Burglarized

2010-03-27T12:33:00.000-07:00

This past Thursday afternoon, March 25, about 4:30 in the afternoon our family left home to go to a missions meeting with our coworkers in the mission. When we arrived home between ten and ten thirty we found that someone had forced open a window, searched the whole house, and located and stole the money that they found. We handle finances for three different organizations so only about $275 of personal money was taken. The rest of the money was from our local church, the school, our mission, and from a Bible fund.

We are thankful that nothing was damaged and that nothing much besides the money was taken. (The individual also took some bread and a backpack.) We are also thankful that God in His mercy allowed it to happen when we were not at home.

We have naturally been struggling with some fear and uncertainty, but God is helping us to place our trust in Him. Since moving out here to the country we have known that this type of thing could happen as there is no security at all. We are thankful that God in His faithfulness has been speaking to us and teaching us to trust Him in the difficult times. Actually when we left the house on Thursday and on our way home in the evening we were listening to a message about "bad days". The Scripture that was read was the first chapter of Job. So right up till a few minutes before we found out about the burglary God was speaking to us about His love to us even when we don't understand what is going on. He was telling us to trust Him even in the dark times. Praise the Lord! God is so faithful!

Since that time God has been speaking to us through Isaiah 41:10. We don't need to fear. God is with us! Also concerning peace of heart and mind God has used Isaiah 26:3 and Philippians 4:6-7 to encourage and strengthen us. We understand that really this is a small thing. There are many others who are facing real tragedy in their lives.

There are several times each week when Gwen and the boys stay here at home by themselves for a number of hours. We appreciate your prayers that God will give us wisdom to make the proper decisions in the coming weeks and months. We don't want to be foolish and welcome problems. Pray that God will show us what to do in this particular situation. Thank you for your prayer support.

Life

2010-03-10T06:52:00.000-08:00

Life is now in a busy routine of home, church, and school. I, Steve, am the treasurer for HCA, which provides lots of headaches. The school recently purchased a new financial program so I am struggling to figure out how to operate it. (I'm not trained to do this kind of thing!) They didn't tell me in college that I would be a preacher, teacher, counselor, finance manager, carpenter, maintenance man, painter, plumber, landscaper, electrician, secretary, father, husband, gardener, and run a boarding house for an unwanted dog! (Well maybe they did warn me....) Anyway that's what we are involved in at the moment. I'm not complaining! I just thought I would let you know why I haven't posted much recently.....................

Too Tired....

2010-02-17T05:30:00.000-08:00

Front Porch Panarama

2010-02-13T03:29:00.000-08:00

Here is the view from our front porch. We are thankful for a quiet, peaceful place to come home to after long hours of ministry.

Produce

2010-02-13T03:27:00.000-08:00

Our garden has done very well. We are enjoying some sweet corn, tomatoes, squash, zucchini, cucumbers, carrots, green beans, and spinach. Here are a couple of pictures of some of the produce. We allowed some of the zucchini to get big and then we had stuffed zucchini. It was really good. I think we'll do it again. We've also enjoyed sharing some of the produce with different friends. We are really thankful for God's blessings.

HCA

2010-02-04T09:55:00.000-08:00

Here is a picture of some of the school girls playing a game. Most of these girls are first grade students. Even though everything is new to them they seem to be doing well. I, Steve, have been teaching at the school two days a week because of the shortage of staff at the moment. Even though it is not what I feel I came to South Africa to do, I am enjoying my time at Hope Christian Academy.

Hope Christian Academy

2010-01-30T04:47:00.000-08:00

Bro. Malimabe once again helped us a lot around the school during his summer holiday. He did a lot of much needed painting on the outside of the school. He painted door frames, fascia board, and down spouts. The school looks much better.

Bro. Malimabe also was a big blessing for the first week and a half after school started. He taught the new first grade students until Rebecca Fetzer came from the U.S. After that he went to the upper learning center and helped out there. Bro. Malimabe is now back at college and enrolled in his fourth year. Pray for him during this year of school. We want him to come back and teach at Hope Christian Academy but there are a number of hurdles that need to be crossed before that can happen. We pray for God's will to be done.

Birds

2010-01-20T02:16:00.000-08:00

Here is the list, I promised, of the different kinds of birds we have seen on our farm. This is not a complete list. Once in a while I see other birds that I haven't been able to identify yet. One problem with so many birds is we don't get any fruit from the couple of fruit trees we have. Thankfully we haven't noticed them bothering our garden.

Swallows
White-throated Canary
White-browed Sparrow Weavers
Southern Masked-Weavers
Red-eyed Doves
Speckled Pigeons
Helmeted Guinea Fowls
Swainson’s Spurfowls
African Sacred Ibis
Hadeda Ibis
Spotted Eagle-Owl
Red Winged Starlings
Pied Starling
African Red-eyed Bulbul
Mouse birds
White Storks
African hoopoes
Cattle egrets

Afrikaans Music

2010-01-16T08:12:00.000-08:00

About a month ago while we were in Bloemfontein we happened across an Afrikaans Band. They were playing their instruments outside one of the stores we were going to. They were playing guitars, drums, an accordion, and a concertina. It was very interesting to see and hear a little of their culture in this way. Watching the man play the accordion kind of made me wish I had one. (I used to play one for several years. Though I was never real proficient.)

Farmer Boys

2010-01-11T06:30:00.000-08:00

I just thought I would post a picture of the boys out on the farm. They really enjoy being outdoors.

Our Garden

2010-01-07T08:01:00.000-08:00

Our garden is doing well even though a cow got in last week-end and chewed the tops off about half of our sweet corn. We are already harvesting zucchini, squash, lettuce, cucumbers and green beans. We thank the Lord for the privilege of gardening. We enjoy it and we also really like the fresh produce.

Farming

2010-01-07T07:44:00.000-08:00

We spent New Year's Eve and January 1st on a farm with my brother's in-laws. Since it is summer here there is a lot of work to do on the farm so we were able to help out a little. The boys enjoyed riding in the combine and on the tractor.

When you don't have a grain wagon an old truck with sides will work!

Birds

2010-01-04T07:15:00.000-08:00

It seems we have a bird sanctuary at our farm. Presently I have a list of about 15 different kinds of birds that we have seen on the farm and there are several others that I haven't been able to identify yet. I forgot to bring the list with me to town, but maybe next time I'll post the names of the different birds on our farm.

Here are a couple of pictures of different bird's nests on the farm. This first one is from a weaver bird.

This next one is from a weaver-sparrow.

This one, of course, is from the swallow.

Bible Study Group

2009-12-23T10:13:00.000-08:00

For the past few months I, Steve, have been teaching a Bible Study using the book Loving God. We really had some good discussions and I enjoyed watching God work in the lives of these people. Some of them really gained ground spiritually. This picture was taken on the last day of class. I gave certificates to the two who never missed a class and also a few rewards for different things. I hope to start another class in January.

Sunset at Arizona

2009-12-09T05:28:00.000-08:00

The farm house we now rent is called "Arizona". So the picture below is a sunset over a small pond at Arizona.

Moving

2009-12-09T05:24:00.000-08:00

I want to go back a couple of weeks and share a few pictures of the not so favorite task of moving. The first thing we moved from our house here in town was our garden! Yes, that's right. Because we knew we would be moving a bit late in the planting season we decided to go ahead and start our garden in town and then move it when it came time. We bought a few seedlings and a lot of other plants we started in containers, but a few things like corn and green beans we planted right in the ground and then we transplanted them when it came time to move. The green beans were really set back by the move, but the corn did very well. What do you think about our garden on wheels?

We are very thankful for those who came to help us on moving day. It was a mammoth undertaking. The house we moved to was about twenty-five minutes out of town on a dirt road and we were not only moving our belongings but also many of my brother's things, and the belongings of another missionary who is in the States right now. Thankfully not all those things went out to our new rental but to another house here in town. So in reality we basically moved three households.

Farm House

2009-11-30T04:23:00.000-08:00

Here is a picture of the house we are now renting. We are thankful that God has provided it for us. We are now paying less then 1/4 of the rent we were paying in town. Of course there is the extra cost of driving back and forth from town, but in the end I think this place will be better in a lot of ways.

Mulberry Jam

2009-11-09T02:53:00.000-08:00

Anyone ever make or eat mulberry jam? We have a mulberry tree in our yard so we thought we would try making jam before we move out of this house. The jam turned out good. We like it. (Notice the variety of jars we used. Here in South Africa the people use any jars you buy food in from the store; mayo, peanut butter, etc. All you need to do is make sure the jars and lids are hot and the food is boiling. Fill the jars; screw on the lids and you're all done.)

Sober-Minded

2009-11-05T00:04:00.000-08:00

It is appalling to me the amount of empty, silly, foolishness that characterizes the western world and no where is this drivel so prevalent than on blogs, sites, and other means of communications. Our culture as a whole worships at the altar of entertainment and sacrifices to the god of humor. But what is even more shocking is the nonsense that is regurgitated by those who name the Name of Christ.

My mind turns to Titus 2:6 where young men are exhorted to be sober-minded. When we see an individual with red eyes, slurred speech, and a staggering gate we clearly understand what it means to be drunk and what it means to be sober. But it seems that when it comes to entertainment somehow the word “sober” is confusing and difficult to understand. Christians have become intoxicated with frivolity and lightness, and think nothing of it.

It seems we have joined those of “Higher Criticism” and thrown out the Word of God. Truth is no longer relevant but relative. A very elementary perusal of the New Testament reveals eleven passages where we find the injunction to be “SOBER”. (I Thessalonians 5:6, 8; I Timothy 3:2, 11; Titus 1:8; 2:2, 4, 6; I Peter 1:13, 4:7, 5:8) What are we to do with these commands? Are we going to foolishly fritter away our lives feasting on the swill of those who are spiritually famished? On what do you feed your soul? (Isaiah 55:1-3) Let me share the words of a song by E.A. Hoffman which echo the longings of my soul.

Lord, I am fondly, earnestly longing

Into Thy holy likeness to grow;

Thirsting for more and deeper communion,

Yearning Thy love more fully to know.

Dead to the world would I be, O Father!

Dead unto sin, alive unto Thee;

Crucify all the earthly within me,

Emptied of sin and self may I be.

I would be Thine, and serve Thee forever,

Filled with Thy Spirit, lost in Thy love;

Come to my heart, Lord, come with anointing,

Showers of grace send down from above.

Chorus:

Open the wells of grace and salvation,

Pour the rich streams deep into my heart;

Cleanse and refine my tho’t and affection,

Seal me and make me pure as Thou art.

Moving

2009-11-04T06:03:00.000-08:00

Since we will be moving during these next few weeks you probably won't hear much from us. But when we connect again I plan to show you some pictures of our "new" place. Phil and Amrie flew out yesterday for the States. With their leaving those of us that stay behind will have a few extra responsibilities added to our to-do lists. Pray for us over the next few, very full months.

Micah's Birthday

2009-10-31T07:23:00.000-07:00

Thursday night we had a little birthday celebration for Micah and I. (The get-together also doubled as a going away for Phil and Amrie since they will be in the States for the next four months.) We invited all the missionaries who work with us and also Fanie and Rose Blignaut and their family.

Gwen was very creative with Micah's cake. I thought the giraffe turned out pretty good.

This morning we went to a local coffee shop for a birthday breakfast. There are toys and also playground equipment for the children. The boys really enjoyed our time there.

Here is Africa's version of a rocking horse. A rocking elephant, of course!

I'm an uncle

2009-10-31T07:14:00.000-07:00

I don't know if you have the problem of feeling younger than you are, but sometimes I suffer from the ailment. Sometimes when I see young people I still feel like I am one of their peers. But as I found out yesterday, which happened to be my birthday, I am no longer a youth. Here in South Africa among the Afrikaans people if someone is ten years old or older than you they should be addressed as Uncle or Aunt. Yesterday as I was in a place of business a young man walked past me. As he did he greeted me with "Hello Uncle".

My birthday is on October 30th and Micah's in on the 31st. So we got our picture together today.

A full life

2009-10-28T07:16:00.000-07:00

The past month has been a bit hectic with visitors, traveling, special business meetings, a funeral, lots of sickness, a new dog in the family, and even looking for a different house to live in. Now it looks like the next month is promising to be just as full. Mainly due to the rising housing costs here in town and the devaluation of the dollar we have been considering moving out of town where rent is less. Well, it looks like we have found a house. The rent is less than 1/4 of what we pay now so that will be a great help financially. So in the next few weeks we will be busy packing, moving, and unpacking. On top of that it is spring and it is actually getting a little late to plant a garden so we have to hurry. As soon as possible we plan to get things planted out at the house in the country. We have tried to get ahead us much as possible by planting seeds in pots and containers, so the vegetables will get a head start.

Visitors

2009-10-21T02:47:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday the 13th Gwekn and I drove to Johanesburg to pick up Mr. and Mrs. Howard at the airport. Mr. Howard is Hope International Missions Regional Director for the African Region. The Howards have been very busy since being here. I believe they have had a total of 12 meetings in 7 days. We thank the Lord for His help during this time. One evening the Howards took our family out to eat. We certainly enjoyed our time with them.

On Sunday Bro. Howard preach a very good message at the Manyatseng church. He spoke about how strong families make strong churches and strong churches influence the nation.

This last picture is of the missionary team we work with here in South Africa. From Right to Left: Glenn and Stephanie Gault, Pieter and Hester Marais, Johan and Hessie van der Merwe, Philip and Amrie Geise, Steve and Gwen Geise, and our Regional Director Jim and Freddie Howard. We are thankful for the great group of people we have to work with.

Another Funeral

2009-10-19T04:57:00.000-07:00

On Saturday Gwen and I went to the funeral of one of the girls from our church. In most funerals even though the person that died may have been a Christian unsaved family members do many things that are not Christian. The pictures below are from a funeral earlier this year, but the practices are basically the same at all funerals.

Here you can see men lowering a cow skin to be placed over the casket of the deceased. The Basothos have a lot of beliefs and practices that center around ancestor worship. Many of these practices can be seen especially around the time of a funeral. The cow skin "tradition" comes from the time when animal skins were the only clothes that were worn. When someone dies the Basothos believe that the spirit of the deceased will be cold and will come back to haunt the family unless a skin is placed over the casket. Thus the cow skin over the casket - to give warmth to the spirit.

One custom is for close family members to throw dirt down on the coffin before the grave is filled in. It too is closely tied together with ancestor worship, though many people today simply do it as a tradition. It was originally intended help keep the spirit of the deceased from coming back to haunt the family. Family member file past the one holding the shovel full of dirt. Each one takes a handful and throws it into the grave.

Also as you can see in the two pictures below after the grave is covered and the soil is mounded up some form of container is placed on top of the grave as a way of providing water to the deceased spirit.

The reason I included the picture below is so you can see the vast amount of fresh graves in one of many cemeteries here in the Ladybrand area. Many of these graves are more than likely from AIDS related deaths.

Quips

2009-10-15T04:20:00.000-07:00

Here are a few things Micah has said in the past few months:

One morning Isaac got hurt and Micah said: "You'll tell the tale". (He wanted to say "You'll live to tell the tale.")

One afternoon Micah said he wanted only mayo on his sandwich for lunch. Gwen said "that's boring" Micah replied with "Sorry, that's life"!

Sometimes we give the boys a little food to "hold them over" until we make a larger breakfast later in the morning. One morning Micah said: "Daddy, will you start me up with some cereal?"

A while back Micah was sitting looking at a magazine. Apparently he couldn't remember if he was turning the pages backward or forward. He said: "Dad, now I'm confused. I don't know which way I can go."

Nigel and Forgiveness

2009-10-09T03:44:00.000-07:00

Well, our new puppy has given us the opportunity to practice forgiveness. During his first night with us he was missing his mommy and all his brothers and sisters so he put up quite a fuss. Around 3 am Gwen and I heard the loud honking of a car horn. We wondered what the purpose of that was at that time of the morning. We didn't have to wait long until we found out. Right after the horn stopped honking our doorbell began ringing incessantly. I quickly unplugged the bell so as not to awaken everyone in the house and then I saw through the window that there was a man at our gate who was obviously very agitated. When I opened the door he began a tirade about how my dog was keeping him awake and how I was cruel (apparently he thought I was mistreating the dog). His mostly one-sided conversation was punctuated with obscene language and even a threat to me personally.

Well, obviously I was a bit shocked as that was my first experience of being the recipient of such curses, especially at three in the morning. I quietly shut the door and brought the puppy in near our bedroom where the rest of the night I tried to get a little rest between the times of keeping the dog quiet.

The next day (Sunday) on our way home from church I saw our neighbor was out in his yard, so I went to ask his forgiveness for keeping him awake in the night. Immediately he apologized for his language. I understand the man is a rather rough man, but I'm thankful for the opportunity to show God's love and forgiveness to him.

Anniversary "Time Away" Four Months Late

2009-10-06T03:03:00.000-07:00

Our tenth wedding anniversary was back in June but a lot was happening during that time so we really didn't do anything special. This past week though we were able to schedule some time away, so the boys stayed with Uncle Philip and Aunt Amrie and Gwen and I went to Bloemfontein. I surprised Gwen by taking her to the Free State Botanical Gardens. That's where we got the pictures of the clivia miniata (above).

We stayed at a little Bed & Breakfast for one night. It wasn't high class but it was comfortable and relaxing.

Sitting at the little table above was a nice place to read the Bible and enjoy the cool morning air from the backyard of the B&B. Below you can see our little breakfast corner. The food was first class. We couldn't eat everything our host provided. We had a nice time and we are thankful God has given us ten years together.

Nigel

2009-10-06T02:32:00.000-07:00

Our boys have been wanting a puppy for a long time, so

when we found some labs for sale we decided it was

time to get a dog. It seems that his handle will be "Nigel".

One of the meanings for the name is "Dark Night", and

since he is black we thought it would be appropriate.

I've been struggling to remember what his name is

let alone call him by one that is so high-class.

Isaac suggested we call him "Snicklefritz".

RAIN!

2009-10-01T01:29:00.000-07:00

It has been cloudy for the past three days and we have been anticipating some precipitation. In a place where rain comes infrequently I find myself longing for wet days. Last night during the night we finally got a little rain. Though it wasn't much at least the ground is wet, the leaves are greener and the air has a delicious, fresh, rainy smell. Thank God for the RAIN!

I feel sorry for those who dislike rainy days.