Picnic and Mud

Our lives continue with the weekly Bible studies, preaching, visiting, correspondence and the long list of normal responsibilities. We look forward to a visit from our Regional Director, Mr. Jim Howard and his wife in a couple of weeks. We also hope to do some special outreach here in our community in the near future. Once in a while though, we plan a special day to get away and relax a bit. Last week we planned to spend one day with Fanie and Rose Blignaut and their family. What was to be a nice, relaxing picnic turned into a lot of hard work when the land cruiser got stuck in mud. To make matter worse we were a couple of miles away from anyone and it was also a holiday. In spite of the unexpected we did have a nice time and made some memories!

Wild Fire

These are the charred remains of the wildfires that swept through this area last week. Thousands of acres of mountainside and grassland burned over a period of about three days. We could see the flames on the mountains that surround Ladybrand. Smoke was really bad for about two days. Every year this happens during the winter, but this fire was the worst I have personally seen.

Spring

Yes, that's right, here in South Africa, September 1st is the official first day of Spring. While we certainly welcome the return of warmer temperatures to the southern hemisphere many trees are decked out in their spring best ready to celebrate new life. With the coming of Spring, other less welcome aspects of life make their annual reappearance, like allergies, mosquitoes and the like. But in spite of such annoyances we are thankful that the cold is gone...until next year.

TJG

Here's the picture that's worth a thousand words.

Bull Fight

I forgot to tell you that a little over a week ago when we were out on the farm I had a little encounter with a young bull. A gate was left open and this frisky fellow got out. I was walking down to the corral when this young bull started coming my way. Unfortunately my two oldest boys and some other children were with me. So while I waited for them to get inside the fence the bull started challenging me. Just as the last child was inside the gate they closed it behind me. The bull, thankfully a young one without horns, knocked me over, pushing the gate open in the process and landed on top of me. He was struggling to get up and I was doing the same. In the mean time he dragged me over against a thorn tree and gave me a few painful souvenirs on my arm. Thankfully the tangle didn't last long and besides the hurt arm I didn't sustain any other wounds. My back, chest, and legs were quite sore, though, for several days as I am not in the practice of bull fighting, especially with the bull on top. We thank God for the protection He gives. Sorry, I don't have any pictures of the fight.

New Post

I know you wonder what happened to us and you're tired of seeing the same post every time you get on our blog so I thought I would post something new. They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but in the absence of a new picture I guess it will have to be a thousand words. :-) Actually there have been a number of happenings lately but they're not picture worthy. Some circumstances have to do with our church people and the joys, frustrations, and sorrow that go with ministry. At the same time I continue to teach through the book A Theology of Christian Counseling by Jay E. Adams, and I have also begun a new class teaching through Philip Brown's book, Loving God. I am excited about this new class as it provides an opportunity to minister to more people and to help them get established in their relationship with God. There are between 15 and 18 people that have been invited to attend this class. The first week there were 14 in attendance. Last week we had 6 come. We'll see what happens as the weeks go on. One goal of this class is to have more individuals better equipped to use in the church and for building the Kingdom of God. Keep us in your prayers.

Meerkat

Recently our family was invited to join some friends at a private park for a few hours of rest and recreation. While there we enjoyed petting and taking pictures of a very tame meerkat.

God's Breath (Job 33:4)

I would like to share the words of a song with you that should be every Christian's prayer. In the verse I listed above Job says that God had given him life. He was probably referring to physical life, but we know that God is also the source of our spiritual life. In the Word of God we find all the answers we need for life (physical) and Godly living (spiritual) II Peter 1:3.

Breath on me, breath of God,

Fill me with life anew,

That I may love what Thou dost love,

And do what Thou wouldst do.

Breath on me, breath of God,

Until my heart is pure,

Until with Thee I will one will,

To do and to endure.

Breath on me, breath of God,

Till I am wholly Thine,

Till all this earthly part of me

Glows with Thy fire divine.

Breathe on me, breath of God,

So shall I never die,

But live with Thee the perfect life

Of Thine eternity.

-Edwin Hatch, 1835-1889

Many who are reared in religious circles, grow up in a lifestyle, but have no reality. But there is nothing more REAL than a relationship with God. I trust all who read this will know that reality!

The Bumps

We took the Bumps to the airport in Johannesburg last Friday, July 3rd. It is hard to believe that six months have come and gone so quickly. They have been great neighbors. They have been a huge blessing in the school, church, mission, and community. We will certainly miss them.

Holiday

On June 29th the Bumps and our family loaded up into our Avanza and headed north. Our destination? Well...a variety of places. We stayed at a guest house right across the river from Kruger National Park. We actually only went into the park one day because of the price, but from the guest house we were able to see several different animals. Other destinations during our holiday included the Indian Ocean from the shores of Mozambique and a short drive through Swaziland. The mountains above are in Swaziland. The photo below is of the Indian Ocean in Mozambique. Below that are a few pictures of some of the animals in Kruger. We enjoyed our holiday, but we had to come home to rest. Out of the six days we were away I drove most of five days. I figure I drove nearly 40 hours last week. I, for one, was very happy to get back home.