Dec 5, 2009 | Baby Photos, South Africa, Stories
Even when life is tough, I know God is good. But sometimes it’s really nice to give the update that both are good, at the same time. 🙂 I shared with you recently about how settling into this new place has been tough, and how it had been a greater challenge than I expected.
And many of you have asked how I’m doing and been so encouraging, sent emails with words of encouragement, and you’ve prayed for us and for me, which is a wonderful blessing. I just want to give you an update and say thank you for your prayers. The Lord is answering them.
We have settled in at the church we visited when we first arrived. Although I feel certain it was the Lord’s leading for us to take the time to seek His direction about where He would have us, I am really happy that we’ve settled in at the Every Nation Church in Somerset West. We’re beginning to make some lovely friends there, and it is just such water to our souls to be in fellowship again after feeling like nomadic travellers for so long. (Friends, thank the Lord for your friends and your communities and fellowship! Even if it’s sometimes tough to be in community, it is ALWAYS better than NOT being in community, I am convinced.)
We enjoyed attending a Life Group last night, which was actually a big end-of-year Christmas party, and had lots of laughs playing the Bad Santa Christmas game where you draw numbers and get to steal gifts or choose new ones. And Mark stole my homemade brownies, ate one, and gave them back to the person he stole them from after the game. He’s such a hero hubby!
We are also still getting to know our neighbours, which is lovely. We’re making salsa to bring them today as Christmas gifts since we leave for Bloemfontein on Wednesday. And we are networking with other Christians in the community in really exciting ways…meeting with folks from different churches interested in partnering with Samaritan’s Feet, and speaking with people who know people who know about working as a trust…making shoes…and lots of other things that could make our work here just blossom into a powerful ministry for the Kingdom and the glory of God.
We have even been welcomed by believers we’ve met at the gym, and the warm welcome into the community is such sweet water to our souls. So this is a big thank you, from the bottom of my heart (whatever that expression really means…why the bottom) and perhaps from the bottom of Mark’s heart too, and the Bear’s happy bottom… for your prayers and your encouragement. The Lord answers prayers. He is wonderfully good. And I am thankful for your friendship and support, as sometimes a comment on a blog has been enough to get me through a tough moment, here in sunny South Africa, my home 7,500+ miles away from home.
So here’s the big thanks…
THANKS!!!
(Sorry I can’t figure out how to make it any bigger) And I will give the Bear the big kiss I can’t give each of you…
Nov 26, 2009 | Baby Photos, South Africa, Stories
Ya know, it might be a little hard to celebrate Thanksgiving in the southern hemisphere at the moment. I don’t know where to find cranberry in a can or canned pumpkin for pumpkin pie or that special topping everybody seems to use for green bean casserole. And I definitely don’t have any Jiffy Cornbread mix or Nestle Toll House chocolate chips. And, honestly, no matter what it doesn’t feel like Thanksgiving without the following:
My Mom’s sweet potato casserole, my brother scraping most of said sweet potato casserole topping onto his plate, a football game on TV, that sleepy post-turkey-triptophan feeling, and for the past few Thanksgivings I’ve been back in the States to enjoy, stepping in a wee pond of my brother’s dog’s drool as he lies on the kitchen floor with those pitiful big brown eyes and that look of — are you really gonna eat all that and give me dog food?
While it’s tough to be away from home at these times of year, and though my Thanksgiving lunch was a (surprisingly tasty) toasted bacon, egg and cheese sammie (sandwich) at a nearby coffee shop that boasts free wifi, I’m still giving thanks down here in South Africa. And here are just a few of the many many things I’m thankful for at the moment.
Of course I’m gonna say this guy. I am so thankful for him, and his wonderful wonderful Daddy! Love you my delightful boys!
And I’m thankful for enjoying my own football game today. Complete with a star player in a very special t-shirt. A little different from the games you might be watching if you’re in the US…
My sister is expecting and I’m really thankful for this new little one on his or her way into the world. You’re gonna have great parentals, kiddo!!
I’m thankful for our new home here in SA. Here’s Harold, our friendly but perhaps a little dangerous neighbourhood seal, doing tricks with a fish! It’s a show we enjoy from our balcony! Our evening Thanksgiving meal will be boerewors with potatoes and butternut squash, grilled on the braai on said balcony!
There’s a lot more I am very thankful for…my great family in good health back in the US, so many good friends around the world, friends very dear to me getting married soon, and a list of other things that goes on and on, I have limited this post to a few that are easily illustrated! And while I might have tonsilitis and be far away from home, I still have so much to give thanks for this Thanksgiving. We are in a great place, and we’re where we’re supposed to be. And living life inside the will of God is a wonderful thing to give thanks for, any day of the year.
Happy Thanksgiving friends near and far! Don’t forget to give thanks!
Nov 18, 2009 | Stories, The Good Word
I have been reading through Exodus lately. I’m in the section where the initial instructions are given for the Tabernacle, where the Lord will dwell among the Israelites while they are in the wilderness. You’ll know if you’ve read it — the instructions are incredibly specific — this item is to be gold, this one bronze, this one silver. This thing should be this length, that one that length, there should be rings to hold gold bars in order to carry this and that. The amount of workmanship and craftsmanship required to make this happen — it’s really incredible.
As you get into the intricacies of the Tabernacle, even the types of fabric to be used for the priests clothing or the curtains, there are lessons one after another. It is amazing how significant badger skin can be! But this morning I was reminded of what I think is one of the biggest lessons of all: A Wonderful, Holy God desires to dwell among us. He desires to be a part of our lives. And He wants us to build a space where He can dwell. Fortunately, you don’t need to get out your hammer, your badger skins, or your sewing machine for this. Because Christ came into the world, we have boldness and confident access to enter into the presence of God, and to welcome Him into our lives — not by our own works, as if we had the skills or talents or intrinsic goodness to make it possible — but simply because we’ve been forgiven, and we are acceptable, thanks to the work of Christ on the cross.
I asked the question, I suppose of myself and the Lord: What does it look like to build a space for the Lord? And time was my thought before any other. One of the most significant spaces you can build for just about anyone is a space of time in your life. You can write a cheque, you can do some good deed, but there is nothing like giving people time. At 15 months old, I can already see that my son would rather have my time — me playing with him or reading to him — than new toys.
We can build a space of time for the Lord in our days, where we read His word and seek His face. We can build a space for the Lord in our words — seizing opportunities for Him to speak to others through our mouths. We can build space for Him in our families, when we take the time to teach our children His ways, and when we pray and worship Him together.
In the goodness of God, He saw it fit to give us life — and we have the awesome privilege of opening up our lives to Him, and allowing Him into every space and sphere: our words and deeds, our work and relationships, our minds and hearts…the list goes on and on. It is such a privilege to have the opportunity to take a fresh look at the Tabernacle that is your life, each day, and to open it up for the Lord to fill it will His presence. Take a moment to consider a new space He could fill — and then enjoy the privilege of inviting Him in and watch how He inhabits your life in a new way. Expect it to be glorious! Christ in you is the hope of glory!
Nov 17, 2009 | South Africa, Stories, Travel..ling Tuesdays
Top of the Tuesday to ya! I hope your week is off to a great start! It is Travelling Tuesday again! (Forgive me for bailing last week when I was a grumpymuggins and not feeling well.) A few weeks ago Mark captured what I considered quite a stunning shot of some clouds coming over the Hottentots Holland Mountains. Here’s the backstory.
The Collie Clan went for a stroll at a nearby wine farm a few weeks ago, on a lazy Sunday afternoon, and, as she often does, adventure caught up with us there. We encountered a big beautiful peacock on his way to the cheesery. Delightful!
I would’ve thought he’d have gone for the chocolate shop but, to each his own.
After a while, the Bear got tired of being held and did some of his delightful and mischievous crawling around, here there and everywhere. At one point, he was just a short distance away from us, and we both simultaneously turned to look at him, because the wind picked up, and the outdoor umbrellas, which were closed, looked like they might still be blown over. Not two seconds later, down one comes and — surely it’s not going to hit him on the head — yes, the huge umbrella bops him on top of the head.
It was like it happened in slow motion — the umbrella s-l-o-w-e-d down just before bopping him — as if an angel happened along just in time to hold it back. He got the fright of his life (maybe besides his circumcision) and kind of crumpled over. We ran over to pick him up and I cuddled him for ages, but after forty-five seconds it seemed like he’d totally recovered! He is very brave. He didn’t have a bump anywhere on his head — just a couple of tiny wee scratches on his face from his landing. And ya know, I think mother’s intuition warned me about those umbrellas but I thought — surely not, you’re being overly protective! I will listen next time!
The staff who saw it happen felt absolutely terrible, and gave him a HUGE chocolate lollypop, which he proceeded to devour in two, yes two bites. He still only had one tooth at the time (a few more are on their way in right now!) … how did he do that? In the end, I think he decided the mishap was totally worth the treatment afterwards. Here he is, struggling to keep his mouth closed with a huge bite of chocolate inside:
And afterwards, in a chocolatey stupor. (He refused to share, mind you.)
Finally, just before our departure, Mark captured some shots as the clouds began to pour over the Hottentots Holland Mountains. It is so beautiful to watch the clouds move like this… cascading and pouring over so gently and so quickly. It seems like it happens a lot in this part of the world, but I’d never seen it before I came here.
So that’s this Travelling Tuesday! Happy Trails, wherever the journey may take you!
Nov 13, 2009 | South Africa, Stories
For the past couple of days, we’ve had swallows visiting, and behaving a bit strangely. They were flying around, divebombing in different directions, continually coming up to our balcony, and occasionally flying directly into the clear glass doors. Ouch! Then one appeared, perched on the light up on the wall on our balcony, and then another…then another. And eventually five birds were snuggled together, perched atop this rounded outdoor light fixture, almost pushing each other off.
We got a few photos but mostly left them to it, although they were not bothered in the least when Mark took photos of them, and even touched them. It was strange! Here are the birds in question:
The next morning, we discovered two of the birds just kind of lying together on the floor of the balcony, and they seemed so strangely tired, we just left them there again, and wondered what was the matter. Mark thought perhaps since swallows are migratory birds, they’d just arrived in Gordon’s Bay (perhaps expecting it to be slightly warmer — it has been unusually and unseasonably cold) and they were very tired because the wind has been hectic. So it was fine for our balcony to serve as a birdie rest haven for a wee while.
Then, while I was doing some early prep work for a big tasty dinner last night (an early African Thanksgiving, I made sweet potato fluff!) I just saw something drop and heard this thud on the balcony — one of the birds was lying there just behind the grill. “Mark!!!” I announced, “One of the birds has fallen off!! I think you need to help it!”
I must here interject an important point. You might meet Mark one day, dear reader. Depending on what part of the world you’re from, especially if it’s outside the southern hemisphere, you might mistake him for an Australian. This is an egregious error. To the untrained ear, Australian and South African accents seem similar, but they are indeed different. Different accents, different countries, different continents, different rugby teams, and different ways of cooking meat over an open flame. We once met with a dear sweet pastor back in North Carolina who after a few minutes of conversation exclaimed, “Dude, you’re like the Croc Hunter incarnate!” My husband is many delightful and heroic things, but friends he is no Steve Irwin, Jr. And I am not Terry. And we don’t have any pictures of the Bear near crocodiles either. Mark is rather good with animals in most situations, but let the record show, he is not the Croc Hunter.  Now on with the story. After a picture of the Non-Croc Hunter with the bird in question:
So, Mark went outside and picked up the poor bird, who did indeed seem very tired. He tried to help him onto a porch chair, but the bird seemed keen rather to stay in his hand. He held him and warmed him for a little while. We brought out a little burp cloth blankie for him to cuddle in, but he didn’t really want to stay in it. Eventually, Mark decided to place him in a box with the blankie inside, and let him rest for a while. Someone was coming in the afternoon to install our big wireless internet receiver thingy out on the balcony, and there would be some noisy drilling, so it would be better if dear Baby Bird came inside for a rest.
I got back to my sweet potato fluff and Baby Bird was peacefully on the counter in the box, never making a sound. I was occasionally freaked out as I walked past the box thinking…this bird could decide he feels better and explode outta that box at any minute! I found myself taking routes around the flat that avoided getting near the front of the box where the lid was slightly ajar. Eventually he started to stir a little, after the outdoor maintenance was finished, and Mark took him back outside to see if he wanted to get out and perhaps fly off. I was a little concerned about letting him out of the nest so soon. Motherly instincts.
Anyway, he perched on the edge of the box like so:
Mark helped him out of the box, and at one point he tried to fly away, but THUD! He hit the ledge just below the railing on the balcony, and we felt so so sorry for him. I thought perhaps he would need to rest a while longer. Mark picked him up again and held him for a while. I went back inside to continue Facebooking my Mom or something, and all of a sudden heard Mark shouting, “GO BIRDIE, GO BIRDIE, GO BIRDIE GO!!! OH NOOOO!!!!” I scurried back onto the balcony to discover that our bird decided to take another leap of faith, made it out halfway across the harbour, and then ran out of gas. We watched in shock and utter disappointment. After a big wet feathery raucous, he was just floating along in the water, struggling to get to shore. It was clear he wasn’t going to make it. I immediately remembered the net down by the pool for scooping up leaves and said, “Mark, you could go get the net at the pool and run and fish him out! Maybe he’ll still be okay!” Then we watched as a seagull took a couple of pecks at him and we shouted, “No, seagull! No!”
The plan was in action. Mark rushed down to the pool, grabbed the net, and ran around the harbour to where the bird was. I stayed on the balcony to keep an eye on the bird and direct Mark to where he’d floated when he made it to the other side. (The Bear napped through this entire adventure). Mark arrived to the rescue amazingly quickly. Only there was an issue. The net was not long enough to reach our feathered friend. I stood there and could see the disappointment on Mark’s face as he scrambled along the rocks and tried to figure out what to do. And since there was no other way to rescue him, let’s be honest, in my heart of hearts, I really hoped Mark would go for a swim for our bird.
And he did.
As you can see, the local cormorant and crane, and two geese looked on, but did nothing to help our birdie friend. Birds of a feather… It was at about this stage that I remembered we’d just five minutes before seen Harold, the local harbour seal, up to his shenanigans, no more than thirty or forty feet from where Mark went for a swim. We have heard that Harold can be rather aggressive because he is so used to humans, and always expects them to feed him. So I was snapping photos and praying, “Lord please don’t let the seal attack my husband! Lord please don’t let the seal attack my husband!”
Finally, Mark was back on shore with the bird in tow. I quickly found a towel and hurried down to meet him. He came around the corner, bird in one hand, pool net and flip flops in the other. And that was when he broke the news. Our bird didn’t make it. It was either the pecks of the seagull or the little birdie lungs full of water that did him in. At least we know it was quick and hopefully peaceful. The soggy hero returned:
It was a really sad moment. We were bummed for a bit of the afternoon that our birdie friend didn’t make it. But I think someday Mark will do something like this again, when the Bear is old enough to understand what’s going on, and he will be so proud of his Not-the-Croc-Hunter-but-still-great-with-animals Dad. I already am.
Here’s to a Hero of a Hubs!
xCC
I create resources to help people find deeper, more meaningful relationships with God through pursuing, pondering, and prayer. The "Shop" link above will take you to the home of many of the lovely resources I’ve created to help you keep walking one day deeper with Jesus.