Pictures Which Can Never Be Forgotten

David Livingstone wrote the following as he was crossing the North of Angola on his way to East Africa:

I have often thought, in traveling through their land, that it presents pictures of beauty which angels might enjoy. How often have I beheld, in still mornings, scenes the very essence of beauty, and all bathed in a quiet air of delicious warmth! yet the occasional soft motion imparted a pleasing sensation of coolness as of a fan. Green grassy meadows, the cattle feeding, the goats browsing, the kids skipping, the groups of herd-boys with miniature bows, arrows, and spears; the women wending their way to the river with watering-pots poised jauntily on their heads; men sewing under the shady banians; and old gray-headed fathers sitting on the ground, with staff in hand, listening to the morning gossip, while others carry trees or branches to repair their hedges; and all this, flooded with the bright African sunshine, and the birds singing among the branches before the heat of the day has become intense, form pictures which can never be forgotten.
 
(Missionary Travels and Researches in South Arica, chapter 22, by David Livingstone)

One Day With The Poor

July 18, 2012

Mandela's Day: We prepare a nice meal and went to visit about fifteen families and a creche of poor children where we served the soup. Everybody was so gratefull and happy including us.

The Preparation:Two pots of meat and veggie soup

Sara serves the soup to the children

The kids eat orderly at the creche

Now is time for singing and say goodbye

Off we went to the field to share the soup with families 

Time to say good bye and, thank you people for your gratefulness!

 

 

A Few Hours on the Mountain

Cooking bread (eaten with chocolate sauce) and marshmallows on improvised coals on the mountains, while sipping coffee with the kids makes a difference on our moods and brings togetherness and new inspiration.
Although the mountains seem barren and dry during winter in South Africa there's plenty of beauty and peace and a bit of adventure as we go out and explore the terrain looking for beautiful stones.
Enjoy the pictures.

Looking for a safe place to make the fire and enjoy the view

A Song in the Heart

Newsletter July 31st

A Song in the Heart

This week when I woke up one morning things didn’t look so bright and I had a burden on my heart and some real problems to face and I thought of sharing the burden with others as soon as they would waken but instead the Lord impressed my heart that they had burdens of their own. Why not help bear and lighten their burdens instead of burdening them with mine and just them that old song came to my mind so forcibly that I began to sing it aloud.

You remember this song. “There is sunshine in my soul today. More glorious and bright and shines on any living way for Jesus is my Light. There’s music in my heart today, a carol to my King and Jesus listening can hear the song I cannot sing. There’s sunshine in my soul today.” Most of the words from the old song came back to me and soon as the others had heard they were all singing. Then my own burden seemed much lighter and I can assure you, the day for all of us was brighter and some of the problems which seemed insurmountable were half solved.

Did you ever try singing one of the old Gospel songs of victory the first thing in the morning before the old Devil has a chance to show his teeth or blow his hot breath on you? Oh, it isn’t easy but it does work. Try it sometime especially when you don’t feel like singing. But I confess that it’s hard to sing the old Gospel songs with joy and satisfaction unless there is a song in your own heart. Psalm 77:60 says: “He will give songs in the night, songs in the heart,”

Before they call, I will answer

This is a story written by a doctor who worked in Africa.

      One night I had worked hard to help a mother in the labor ward; but in spite of all we could do, she died, leaving us with a tiny, premature baby and a crying two-year-old daughter. We would have difficulty keeping the baby alive; as we had no incubator (we had no electricity to run an incubator).
     We also had no special feeding facilities. Although we lived on the equator, nights were often chilly with treacherous drafts. One student midwife went for the box we had for such babies and the cotton wool that the baby would be wrapped in. Another went to stoke up the fire and fill a hot water bottle. She came back shortly in distress to tell me that in filling the bottle, it had burst (rubber perishes easily in tropical climates).
      'And it is our last hot water bottle!' she exclaimed. As in the West, it is no good crying over spilled milk, so in Central Africa it might be considered no good crying over burst water bottles. They do not grow on trees, and there are no drug stores down forest pathways.

What the People Say

Dear Sara,

Good day. This is a message of gratitude for sparing your time to pray with me on Thursday the 26 April at Middleburg filling station. I actually was thinking of committing suicide and meeting you was just an answer from God. Having gone through a rough patch in my life and trying to be best mother and Wife has come with a price for me. I am truly grateful and trust that God strengthens you as you continue to be a blessing even to those you don’t know. Bless your heart.

M.

Footprints on the rock

   I stumbled upon the fact that there is a giant footprint on granite relatively close to where we live here in South Africa. It's an amazing discovery yet hardly known. It sure proves the veracity of the Bible like nothing else does. For more details about this giant footprint visit the following websites:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dRuxw-nZoJw

http://numbi.hubpages.com/hub/African-Mystery-Goliaths-Footprint

http://www.chrissiesmeer.co.za/giantfootprint.html

   Interested in knowing more about these giants on the Earth mentioned in Genesis 6:4 I found an interesting Bible Study about this subject.

 

Giants on the Earth

There has been much speculation about the sons of God mentioned in Genesis 6. The incident involving angels and the daughters of men is mentioned not only in the Bible, but in many other Christian, Jewish and Muslim writings. Many scholars believe that these Fallen Angels, as some call them, because of their strength, intelligence and spiritual powers, became mythological gods in various ancient cultures. This opinion is corroborated by so many Bible verses that it merits a class on the subject.  The foundation verses for it are the following 

Birthday Service

IT WAS MY BIRTHDAY AND THEY WERE HAVING A SPECIAL SERVICE FOR ME IN THE PLACE, in the beautiful banquet rooms of the Villa Sweden where I had my Sunday services. So they were celebrating this particular Sunday and there was quite a group there, and nearly every place was filled. I was sitting at the speakers’ tables, facing everyone when suddenly I found, as I went to reach for the cup of coffee to put it to my lips, that I couldn’t move my right arm! I had had a stroke!

To Reflect

The next time you encounter a difficult obstacle or problem, smile and say, “Here’s my opportunity.”

Read more in Think About It

Humility

   Oh, how few Christians make humility the object of great loving and how little it’s preached. Yet in Luke 18:14, we find this statement: “Everyone that exalts himself shall be abased, and he that humbles himself shall be exalted.”

   You know, so many times I’ve thought of this little illustration, of a young preacher. When ascending a platform to preach, he was quite sure of himself, and regarded his sermon as something that was going to be quite a good deal. He had put a great deal of thought into it and he had some well-prepared notes, and he was quite sure he was going to make a very good impression on the audience and folks would tell him afterwards what a fine sermon that was.

   So he ascended the steps of the platform with his head held high in considerable pride and self-assurance — there wasn’t much need of heavy leaning on the Holy Spirit, he was so sure of himself. But you know, when he got to preaching he couldn’t get his stride. He stumbled and fumbled and he lost his thought at times, and he didn’t feel the anointing of the Lord. So, when he’d finished, he came down quite different than he had gone up. His head was hanging low, and as he passed a faithful old elder sitting on the front seat, the elder touched his arm and whispered to him: “Oh son, had you gone up the way you came down, you could have come down, the way you went up.”

   Oh, external teaching and preaching can’t give humility, it must be the Holy Spirit of God. How much there can be of even active and earnest religion, and yet not Christ-like humility. Grace of humility is surely scarce.

By Virgina Brand Berg

Don't Go Until the Lights Come On

One late afternoon in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, wanting to be alone, I entered a strange cathedral & sat down amid the silence & semi-darkness. It was a gloomy place at that hour. The stained glass windows were especially forbidding. Presently a caretaker approached me, and thinking he wished me to leave so that he could lock up, I started to go. "Oh no," he whispered, "don't go until the lights come on!" So I waited. The room became darker, the shadows deepened, the windows were ugly & repelling & I wanted so much to leave. Then suddenly the street lights came on in full & the whole scene was changed!

What a transformation! I thought I had never seen such exquisite coloring, such Heavenly suggestiveness as the windows gave forth in their wonderful coloring! Everything was enhanced with unearthly beauty that fed my soul, and I wanted to capture and keep it forever!

Then I thought of the darkness which had shrouded many times my spirit, and how inexplicably it can vanish with the joy of the Lord coming in & His light flooding the soul. "The Lord will lighten my darkness!" (2nd Samuel 22:29) I had learned a secret from that old caretaker, yes I had!--Don't go until the lights come on!

By Virginia Brand Berg

The Time of the End

There are few things that naturally interest me; one of them is the end time prophecy. I don't have to make an effort to enjoy that, it comes naturally. There was a time when I only read things about that, my spiritual food were strong articles and chapters of the Bible that would deal with that. Then I realized that it was a very narrow diet of spiritual food and would affect me spiritually if I persist on reading and reflecting only on that.