Life With Our Children.

April 2012 - A trip to St Lucia Estuary

We  want to say a heartfelt THANK YOU to all of you that made this blessed trip to the beach of St Lucia a reality for us and our children. We must say it was very rewarding: we had a wonderful place to stay at the self-catering Joalize Lodge at the generous invitation of Johan and Elize Combrink. We were invited for a Guided Tour through the west coast of the estuary thanks to the generosity of Jess from Euro Zulu Guided Tours and Safaris and Paul, our guide and driver, who patiently and passionately taught us about many different plants and wild animals seen on the park. We enjoyed every minute of it, and even the cold wind added to the excitement of the experience.

We also had an invitation to spend a day in Cape Vidal to see the wild life and enjoy the beach but we couldn't make it in these 2 short days and 3 nights of our stay. Thank you anyway Johan Gerber.

Then we have the wonderful restaurants from St Lucia, Ocean Basket and Sand and Reef Pizza that generously offered and a nice meal for all of us. Quintus Smalman from the Total Garage on the N2 filled the tank as he does every year we go there. And last but defenitly not least we want acknowledge Robert Bonzair from Waterberg Toyota in Modimolle that so faithfully and cheerfully services our car free of charge for the last 6 years.

What more can we say? Except remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how He said, It is more blessed to give than to receive. Acts 20:35

Alan and Jennifer

Inspirational

 

Shake it Off and Step Up

   Once upon a time, a farmer owned an old mule which tripped and fell into the farmer's well. The farmer heard the mule braying and was unable to figure out how to bring up the old animal. It grieved him that he could not pull the animal out. He'd been a good worker around the farm. Although the farmer sympathized with the mule, he called his neighbours together and told them what had happened. He had them help haul dirt to bury the old mule in the well and quietly put him out of his misery.

   At first, the old mule was puzzled, but as the farmer and his neighbours continued shovelling and the dirt hit his back, he had a thought: he ought to shake off the dirt and step up. And he did just that. "Shake it off and step up...shake it off and step up...shake it off and step up." Even though he took painful blows of dirt and fought panic, he just kept right on shaking it off and stepping up!

   It wasn't long before the old mule stepped up and over the lip of that well. What could have buried him actually blessed him... all because of the manner in which he handled his adversity.

Personal Testimonies

The Blessings of Following a Living Christ
by Carlos

Following a living Jesus

I was raised believing in Jesus. I didn’t think much about Him first, until somebody told me the story of Jesus. It was Easter time so they figured it was a good time to tell me about Jesus death. A sweet young girl in the church told me how Jesus suffered, was despised, tortured and finally killed unjustly in a very painful way, on a cross. I was 7 years old at the time, very impressionable and that story stuck with me for life.

Since then I concluded that to be a good Christian and follower of Jesus I had to follow His sample. He gave us the greatest example of altruistic love, suffering and ultimately death.  The only problem in this story is that there was no victory at all. Yes, He suffered out of love for us – and died, that’s it! So for me, to suffer, be depressed, be sad, be condemned and accused was the way to go if I wanted to be a good follower of Jesus.

That religion led me to a life a great depression in my youth, a life of negativity and almost death. Hell on earth, while longing for true freedom, joy and life. ¹

What the Bible Says About...

What the Bible Says About God, the Natural World, and Us

The natural world was made by God.
Ask the animals, and they will teach you, or the birds in the sky, and they will tell you; or speak to the earth, and it will teach you, or let the fish in the sea inform you. Which of all these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this? In his hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind.—Job 12:7-10 NIV

Steps for Financial Freedom

 
THE BLESSINGS OF GIVING!

                W. L. Douglas, the shoe manufacturer, was a well known man. From his early struggling years comes this story. He had been unemployed so long that he was down to his last dollar. Nevertheless, he put half of it--fifty cents--in the collection basket of his church. Next morning he heard of a job in a neighbouring town. The railroad fare to that town was one dollar. To all appearances it would have been wiser if he had kept that 50 cents. However, with the half dollar remaining he bought a ticket and rode half way to the desired place. He stepped from the train and began to walk to the town.

Forgiveness

Believe in Miracles

Corrie ten Boom and Forgiveness

© Inge Danaher, 2007

In 1939 Corrie ten Boom was 47 years old and lived with her widowed 82 year old father and elder sister Betsie in Haarlem, in The Netherlands. Neither sister had ever married. Her father had a little watchmakers shop. It was the year the war came to Holland and with it much evil. The night the first bombs fell, Corrie had a dream.

"Consider the Poor"

Weekly Food for Soup Kitchen in Barberton.

Every Sunday we pick up food in Woolworths, Nelspruit, and on Monday it's taken to the Soup Kitchen here in town.