Up in the Air…

So, God has spoken…

For those of you who don’t know yet, Jono and I will be flying back to our beloved Canada on April 26th, Tuesday. We would appreciate your thoughts and prayers for our preparation to leave, and also for all the needed funds to set up there. If you could keep Jono in your prayers as well – for the speedy and complete healing of his leg. Thank you!

We will certainly miss South Africa and everything it means to us! I hope we can come back one day!

There is probably no one we will miss more than Phil and Stephie, who have been our bestest buddies here, as they sat listening to our every exclamation and culture-shock paranoia; laughing, crying and screaming with us; working with us, and working through tough times alongside us. You guys are the best and we will think of you fondly and often! You’d better miss us too! Remember our conditions for visiting you in Reunion, and we’ll hopefully see you soon!

Thank you to everyone else who has also been a help in time of need for us – especially Eduan and Tina, the Lynnwood Home, and our very own Val-de-Grace! You have helped to make our time here in South Africa something we will never forget!

We love you!! xxx

Please pray for Jono!

Jono had an accident while playing football and injured his knee ligament! He is now on crutches and in a lot of pain. We would appreciate your prayers for his rapid healing! Thank you so much! God bless!

Please pray for Japan!

The latest news on Japan is that because of the nuclear reactor damage, there may be concerns over radiation in the tap water. Shops across Tokyo have also begun rationing clean water and other goods, such as milk, toilet paper, rice, etc. This comes at only two weeks after the devastating earthquake and tsunami that rocked the country, as I’m sure you have all heard about.

Please continue to keep the country in your prayers! We have many dedicated missionaries living and working there, and they need your desperate supplications on their behalf!

If you have enough to spare, please also consider donating to Japan relief efforts. Here is a link to a list of organizations that are doing a good work:

http://www.google.com/crisisresponse/japanquake2011.html

Robbed!

- Just when I thought it had never happened to me…

Well, true to the South African news, there are robbers, burglars, and low-lifes prowling around. Though I have been very blessed to never have an encounter with them, almost everyone I know here has. It’s the strangest thing too – I had a feeling the other day that something like this would happen…

“Oh be careful little thoughts what you think…”

So, while we were busy entertaining in a mall out of town, our car was stolen, and with it all our valuables that were inside – including my laptop and hard drives containing every file I’ve ever owned. Sniff… Of course, it’s fully my fault. Who ever puts that stuff all together in a car, right? To be fair, you should have seen the motel we were staying at. I most certainly did not want to leave that stuff there. But, oh well. Lesson learned. Although I was quite furious at the time, thank the Lord I’m over it now and He’s given me a peace about it. Time to start all over again…

The Lord actually brought to our attention many good things out of this seeming tragedy:

• We were able to witness deeply to the manager of the store in the mall where we were entertaining at, since we had no where else to go.
• We were not harmed in any way, though many people even lose their lives in a robbery in this country.
• We had brought all of our funds into the mall with us, and so we didn’t lose any of our days’ earnings.
• We got good practice in humility training, asking for help to do anything or go anywhere, as we were without a vehicle.

And thank the Lord for His mercy in the tracking company finding the car on the side of the road! Though, of course, all of our belongings were gone, at least we got out car back, and we are busy with the insurance company now sorting out reimbursements. PTL!

We’d like to ask for prayer for financial supply, as well as any donations or gifts you may have that you would be gracious enough to send to us here in Africa. We took quite a hit in our finances with this robbery, with up to about $1,200 worth of possessions and products stolen that need replacing immediately. We would really appreciate any and all help if you can! Thank you so much in advance, and God bless you!

I miss Lizzi!!!

So my sister, Lizzi, has gone back to Canada for a long-awaited family visit, and also to deal with some legal paperwork. But…sniff, I miss her!

She had a tricky trip having to fly by way of the London Gatwick airport, which had only just recently reopened, and was still issuing numerous flight delays and cancellations due to drastic weather conditions. Thank the Lord for His interventions and also thanks to you all for your prayers for her! She made it safely to Toronto, and on time!

Have a merry Christmas with everyone, Lizzi! We all miss you terribly back here, but we’re happy for you too! Please don’t hesitate to have a relaxing, awesome celebration. We will still toast to you in your absence! I love you!!! xxx

Dream#005

2010 Dodge Ram Quadcab 1500

Ain’t she a beauty?

Flying home…

…finally! It’s been almost 10 months, from what originally started off as a one-month trip. It feels like a lifetime! Twill be good to be home, I just know it.

I fly first from Taiwan to HK, then to India, and lastly SA. If it’s not too much trouble, I would appreciate your prayers for a safe and pleasant journey, and particularly for my baggage this time. I’ll be taking off at 4pm tomorrow (Thursday) afternoon, and landing at 7:30am Friday morning (SA time). Thank you for your support.

I will miss all of you, my dearest friends. Despite the overwhelming heat, it really has been a good trip, thanks to you! I’d like to especially thank Paul and Joy and family for putting me up, and putting up with me! You guys are the best!

Please keep us in Africa in your prayers, because by God, we need them! And as if I can’t say it enough, thank you, once again.

Plans…

So after many months of doctors, and waiting, and waiting for doctors, and tests, and waiting some more, I’ve finally arrived at the diagnoses:

A.) I had torn my meniscus (cartilage around the knee cap) in my left knee last September, and also sprained the ligament in the back of the same knee (PCL). Lactic acid retention in the knee has hindered the healing process. But slowly it has healed, without needing an operation. I’ve gradually started to walk, then scuttle, and now run. -Albeit not far or fast! Ha. Thank the Lord!

B.) I just got an MRI test done on my right shoulder last week. I’ve been enduring pain from the shoulder all the way down the arm since June 2008. The test results haven’t come in yet, so we’ll still have to see about that one.

I would really appreciate your prayers for complete healing in both my left knee and right arm. Thank you so much!

Meanwhile, I’ve been doing a lot of praying and counseling, and making plans, then changing those plans, again and again. I’m sure many people in TFI have been going through the same process at this time. I’m not complaining about it, as I know it’s needed, and as Maria said in “To the Mission!”, it’s clear that things aren’t going to be the same, and it’s a good time for each of us to adjust our compass, as needed, to make sure that we’re in the place the Lord wants us. I agree with her and Peter that even though so much is changing, there are still a few things I know for certain:

1. I want to serve Jesus to the best of my ability.
2. I want to help others in a big way.
3. I believe that working on the mission field in TFI is the best way that I can accomplish both of the above.

So, I’m off to Taiwan at the end of the month! I never really thought I would be going back there, but it is a pleasant surprise! I’ll be there for a couple months visiting friends, and then it’s back home to South Africa. It’s a shame I had to conveniently miss the World Cup, but I know that the Lord has His hand in everything, so PTL anyways.

That’s as far as I’ve gotten for now. Jono will be coming to join me in a few months, Lord willing. We’re not 100% sure that SA is the place for us, so I’ll be going ahead first to sus it out, and pray about it further. I really do love that mission field, as the witnessing there is phenomenal! I guess we’ll see as we go along. It’s very typical of the way that the Lord works in my life to not give me the full picture right away. Maybe He just doesn’t like me to bite off more than I can chew.

Surprisingly, for the first time, I’m actually more excited than worried. That’s a nice feeling. Thank You Jesus.

In other news:

GO BRAZIL! Heh.

A Different Kind of Christmas…

I think this Christmas is gonna be one for the history books. For several reasons:

Well, I got my first wish. It snowed yesterday! I haven’t had a white Christmas since 2001, so that’s been pretty special…

I’m relearning what it’s like to be a Canadian, ha! It’s freezing, for one. I’m certainly not used to the weather here, and I have this awful cold right now, but I’m sure it’ll start to grow on me.

For two, the fashion here and just what’s “in” and what’s “trendy” is almost opposite that of SA. Even the music they listen to. I’ve never really been a conformer, but being laughed at every day is beginning to grate on my nerves, ha ha. Nah, it’s not that bad, but we’ll see how it goes and if I’ll transform into a “Roman while in Rome”…

This will be my second Christmas as an invalid! At least I had about a 5-year break in-between. Ha! I guess the Lord knows what’s good for me and my lacks in the area of humility. The worst part about it is not being able to run away from creepy, small men that stand at every corner. (I kid you not, infestation like you wouldn’t believe!) Also, Christmas shopping is going  to take a very long time, since I won’t be able to rush around last-minute, like I usually do.

I’ve been reacquainted with heaps of old friends, from as far back as 10 years ago! Everyone’s got new lives and bustling careers, and most of them have growing families as well. Which reminds me, I have not been able to have one conversation so far without the question coming up as to whether I’m pregnant or not. Geez…can’t a girl be chubby anymore? Just for the fun of it, sometimes I’ll rub my stomach and answer “Why yes!, I am!” Exuberantly. Just like that.

I have mixed feelings and reactions towards Christmas this year, just because there are so many things going on in my life right now – both emotionally and physically – and I’m also just not used to having a undefined plan. Control-freakism, you know?

Also, my nephew Reife has been very sick. My sister, Ally, is pregnant and having to stay at the hospital with him on a very tiny little person’s bed. I know that I keep asking you over and over to pray for him to get better, but it’s not only your powerful prayers, but also just knowing that you are praying that’s giving her the strength every day to keep going. So, please don’t stop. Thank you so very much!

Well, the Lord has never ever let me down, in all of my 25 years (even though sometimes it seemed that He did…), so I know that He’s going to be here with me throughout this turbulent time, as He always has been. I just hope and pray that I don’t let Him down during His birthday season, by focusing too much on my own problems and situation, and not giving Him the gifts He needs and wants most.

“Giving to Jesus and others equals happiness at Christmas. So do so, and you can know that there is no Person in the Universe happier than Him. This is not just a special time, but a special opportunity.”

Please pray for Reife!

Dear Ones,

Please join us in desperate and focused prayer for my nephew, Liam Reife (2 years old), who needs you right now. He has been having occasional seizures over the last year. However, they’ve become increasingly frequent this last month, and today he had more than several in a row.

He was recently put on a new medication program, and his body seems to be having trouble adjusting to it. Please pray that he gets accustomed to this new medication (Keppra), and that he doesn’t continue having seizures while he’s on it. When he has several consecutive seizures, he becomes unresponsive, doesn’t talk, etc. as the seizures exhaust him and take a lot out of him.

Please also pray for his parents, Ally and Gabe, for strength, faith and the Lord’s leading and guidance in what to do.

Thank you for your prayers! Please know that they are tremendously appreciated. God bless you.

Desperate prayer in the power of the keys can overcome all odds, reverse damage, and bring complete victory in even the most seemingly impossible situations.