HARVESTING
OUR FATHERS LOVE!!
“And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the
greatest of these is LOVE.” (1Corinthians 13:13)
FAITH: “In this you
greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief
in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith of greater worth
than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire-may be proved genuine and
may result in praise, glory and honour when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though
you have not seen Him, you love Him; and even though you do not see Him now,
you believe in Him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy” (1
Peter 1:6-8).
Three years ago I asked God to
give me the opportunity to live and work among the San Bushman in Africa. Now
in New Xanagas, Botswana with the San and moving away from a campsite with
some minor luxuries like a long drop toilet and a solar shower, I forgot my
request of three years ago when I really started living among the
Bushman. At first I thought that I did not deserve losing minor luxuries, the long-drop and
solar shower, but then I remembered I did ask to live among the San. Living
among the community highlights the plight of many hurting and needy people and
the reason and my purpose for being here is so clear. 5 months living with
the San as my neighbours has shown me the true needs and daily struggles to
survive as we experience the hardship of little or no water for a few days as
well as having little or no food for a few days. I have lost so much weight – I
was told to go on 3 month cholesterol diet in January2012 – don’t think there is a
ounce of fat/cholesterol left in me. All my clothes don’t fit. Living in an
unfinished cement block house with no windows is a bit more up-market from my
flimsy tent. Planning for the day mainly consists of managing your water, food
and firewood. My gas bottles have been empty for 4 months now and I now also
rely on firewood. Luckily I have blessing (the Tazz) to drive far out of the
village to collect firewood – the villagers walk to collect firewood and
understandably there is no firewood close to the village. I now give firewood
to neighbours in exchange for food, if they have food. With the shortage and
availability of water you drink and eat first and then wash yourself and your
clothes. Periods of 3 days with very little water, was a huge adjustment to me.
Some San families always seem clean and are dressed neatly in clean clothes and
the children look smart in school uniforms
– many times I look like and feel like a real hobo with dirty baggy
clothes and long dirty hair - Eisjh!!!
Within a few seconds the Bushman
can make a fire in any weather condition. In the beginning for me it sometimes
took half an hour, practice makes perfect, now it takes a few minutes depending
on the wind, smoke, coughing, choking, cold, wood and chill factor – I am
getting better. My kitchen is in an old mud house and some pieces of the mud
walls have fallen of leaving enough holes for ventilation allowing to make fire
inside – quite cosy on cold winters night. My camping kitchen utensils are made
for gas stoves and for one person – small coffee pot, small pot and two small
frying pans. I am not geared for fire cooking but after a few trials and error
I now can manage cooking with gas equipment on fire and everything is now
black.
I get tested quite allot and one
freezing winters morning while following my well managed working plan with the
last available water in small coffee pot on fire – make tea and
serial/breakfast and the left over water is for washing. The fire making goes
well; pour the boiling water over breakfast and teacup and the wash water into
a very small wash-bucket – to wash face and essentials. Then out of the blue a
strong Kalahari sand storm erupts within seconds, like a mini cyclone (this
happens often) sometimes you can here it coming, not this one. Sand, dust, ash
and smoke everywhere! Once I stop coughing and clear the tears from my burning
eyes I find ash, sand and dust in the tea, serial and wash water. I had no
option drank the ash tea, had ash breakfast and washed in ash.
HOPE: “…Our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we
have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we
rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in
our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance;
perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us,
because God has poured out His love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom He
has given us” (Romans 5:1-5)
San Family listen to the new Audio Solar Bible in Naro San
The Kalahari winter is very cold
and with the wind the chill factor is amplified. If you have water you do not
want to wash or the water is frozen solid. Temperatures of below -5 degrees are
very common. One freezing Sunday morning – 3 degrees I sit in my kitchen
fighting to get the fire going. I do not have much to eat and sugar, tea and
coffee is running very, very low, and all my water is frozen in the containers.
Feeling sorry for myself all I can think of is a lazy boy couch and a mug of
hot chocolate/Milo. If I stay here in these conditions I would surely get very
ill or even die, it would be so easy to pack my things in Blessing (Tazz) and
go back to South Africa, the family, friends and basic comforts. I could drive
to the Mall and buy hot chocolate/Milo, sugar, tea, coffee have some Nando’s
chicken – Hot chocolate/Milo would be so nice!
I battle an hour to get the fire
going in the icy wind, it gives some of the frozen water chance to un-freeze,
do not have enough wood – my day starts with dust, ash, smoke and tears. Every
morning I have quite time with my Father, read bible and chat to God, thank Him
and except His will to be done in my life – not today, its to cold, no bible –
my hands are frozen. I only chat (chatter) and pray – think of hot chocolate
and lazy boy couch. I sms all my prayer partners to pray for courage, wisdom
and strength for me to continue. It is so easy to give up – I cannot and will
not leave now, think of all the orphans and old people who sleep in makeshift
shelters, many with little clothes and no blankets. They all sleep and huddle
together for warmth in one shelter or sit up sleeping around a fire the whole
cold night (if they have wood). Every second week there is a funeral, people
dying of TB or AIDS or a drink related illness – how can I leave now. Prayer
partner Margaretha from SA calls me and encourages me to stay strong in God’s
power and love.
LOVE: “For I am convinced that neither death
nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor
any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will
be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord”
(Romans 8:38-39)
Hunger does strange things to a person. In the beginning
when I arrived here and on my own at the camp site I guarded/rationed my food
and did not share much as I knew that I had to make sure that I could get
through the month on a very tight budget. Living among hungry and needy people
as your neighbour changed everything, you share all and if you do not have you except it, pray
and leave all to God. God is all you have.
That Sunday evening I only have cup-o-soup and some tea. I
am hungry and cannot stop thinking of the lazy boy and hot chocolate/Milo. At
around 20h00 that evening there is a knock on my mud-hut kitchen door. Bushman Henry
enters with a covered plate and behind him a boy with two hot fatcakes on a plate.
They thought that I would like a nice hot meal. Overwhelmed by the plate of hot
maze meal and soup/gravy with grilled rib of lamb – have not had meat for
weeks. I praise and thank God and sms my prayer partners. Margaretha in South
Africa replies immediately with an amazing sms. At 19h00 hours, an hour before
I received my meal from the Bushman, she laid a table with me as her guest. She
prayed and asked God to provide me with a meal to enjoy with her. The power of
prayer and God’s ever present love once again makes my work and purpose so easy
–my Father loves me and will always take care of me.
“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain
in my love.” “I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your
joy may be complete” (John 15:9,11)
DAY OF THE
AFRICAN CHILD.
16 JULY 2012
Some disabled and orphan children
THEME: The
rights of children with disabilities: The duty to protect, respect, promote and
fulfil.
On 16 July 2012 we managed to get some funds through the
Government and we all celebrated the “Day of the African Child / Youth Day” in
New Xanagas. We treated the handicapped and some TB children as VIP’s. They sat
with the Kgosi (Headman) and dignitaries on the stage, were entertained with
sport and by the school choirs and traditional dancing and all had a healthy lunch
with us. I collected and delivered the handicapped and TB children at there
homes with Blessing (the tazz). For a few this was the first time that they
ever rode in a motor vehicle – they did not know how to get in, sat with feet
on the seat, giggled and waved excitedly at all as we were passing by.
“We always thank God for all of you, mentioning you in our
prayers. We continually remember before our God and Father your work produced
by faith, your labour prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in
our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thessalonians 1:2-3)
HARVESTING LOVE
CREATION AND WORK
IS LOVE MADE VISIBLE
