Great visit

The day following our last posting, we were privileged to be on hand for the ecclesial opening of the Mariannhill Good News Centre – and for the eleven baptisms that kicked off the day! An awesome day in every way!

A week ago Friday (20th) we picked up our son Caleb and his friend Shawna, who spent 30 hours flying in from San Francisco, after spending 6 hours driving there from southern Oregon. Amazingly, they were actually coherent! We headed almost immediately to the Mason Lincoln School for the Physically Disabled (known to everyone as Happy’s School, because the headmaster is a woman named Happy). Bro David White led a Bible study, and then Jane led an activity with the kids — she did a short study on water, and then each student wrote a Bible verse on a water cup, which they then could keep. Caleb and Paul pitched in to help out.

On Saturday we had a youth day in Mariannhill. Turnout was light, but we had a nice small study group. Caleb led one class, and Sister Lungile from Lamontville led the second one (in Zulu). Shawna and Caleb provided games, including a twister-type game that consisted mostly of laughter!

Saturday evening we participated in a farewell to Dan and Leah Egginton, who have now returned to Oz after a year here. They made tremendous contributions and will really be missed. God bless you, Dan & Leah, in the next stage of your lives!

On Sunday, Caleb and Shawna went to meeting out in Mariannhill, while Paul & Jane went to Westville, where Paul did the exhortation. That evening, Caleb followed up with a witness talk in Westville.

Then on Monday, the four of us headed north to the Phinda private game reserve. A family here are members, which enabled us to get into this very posh lodge for two nights, at a cost we could afford. We were treated like Hollywood stars or something! Unbelievable. And the wildlife was truly awesome. We took 2 game drives each day, spending about 9 hours a day in the bush. Started at 5:00 am each day, and didn’t end until a late dinner about 10:00. We saw a tremendous variety of animals, including cheetahs, buffalo, rhinos, hippos, elephants, lions, giraffe, zebra, wildebeest, warthogs, monkeys, impala, kudu, nyala, mongoose, a python, a chameleon, and some of the biggest spiders any of us have ever seen! Our guide was amazing, and unlike other parks we’ve been to, these guides drive right off into the bush – no obligation to stay on roads. We had a pair of male cheetahs walk right by the 4x4, we were charged by a bull elephant (yes, we got away fine!), and we followed a lioness & her cubs down a road late at night. And the stars! This park is 3+ hours from Durban, way out in the bush, and the stars were simply breath-taking.

After this short vacation, it was back to work. Paul concluded a series he’s been leading for the Durban Bible class on Wed night. On Thursday Jane and the “kids” caught some time on the beach, and Caleb & Shawna did some shopping in downtown Durban on Friday morning. In the afternoon Paul & Caleb had the class in the BEC while Jane & Shawna helped out in the shop.

The week ended Saturday morning with leafleting in Lamontville to advertise the study day next Saturday. This put us in the homes of people in the township, many of whom live in a single room. Very sobering, and a reminder of how blessed most of us are. Then a quick shower, lunch, and we dropped Caleb & Shawna at the airport before heading to a wedding. Very full week! But very, very nice. It was tough saying goodbye to Caleb, since we don’t know when we’ll be able to see him again. And of course, seeing him also made us miss the rest of the family. Moms & Dads, sister & brothers, kids & grandkid, cousins and aunts and all the rest – we love you and miss you, and look forward to seeing you all! Hard to believe, but we only have 5 more weeks here.