- PAINTING ANGELS -

2013 - CHRISTMAS with KALAHARI BUSHMEN

                       

“REACH OUT and TOUCH LOVE”

“CREATING WORKING & GIVING IS LOVE MADE VISIBLE”

“GOD IS LOVE”

As with the Easter Friday Service and a meal for 600 people in New Xanagas in 2012, our planning to have a Christmas service and lunch for 800 people started months before the event. The minute we started working on this vision, Satan the deceiver, started sending critics and planted obstacles in our way to stop us from accomplishing our vision. 

One week before Christmas day we were concerned that we would not have enough funds to feed all, we did not have large pots to make the food, we were refused permission to use the community hall, we had power failures, constant rain and could not show the Jesus Film, it was very difficult to reach civilization with Blessing (the Toyota Tazz), to buy all the provisions and sort out Visas and Residents permits.

 Where God guides, He always provides.

He will never give you a vision - without pro-vision.

The rain had been pouring for many days and Blessing looked like a rally car as we tackled the muddy slippery roads to Ghanzi to meet with the Minister of Agriculture who donated P 1000 to buy a large goat for the Christmas lunch. At that stage we did not have enough funds to buy enough food for 800 people and decided to feed the sick, old and disabled first. While meeting with the Minister he donated 100 bibles and also gave us more funds – he gave us exactly the shortfall we needed to buy enough food for all on Christmas day. In New Xanagas the Campus Crusade Team from USA and Gaborone were ministering, handing out clothing and were preparing donated Christmas hampers for the children.

I had to find out the result of my residents permit application (handed in October 2013) and the fun started when we walked into the immigration office in Ghanzi. I was told that I had to leave the country that day (23 December) at midnight or I will be arrested. A very strict immigration officer did not want to know anything about an extension and told me that I had to wait in South Africa for the result of my application. We then landed up in the Directors office and eventually after the Chief and I explained our Christmas day arrangements and that the Minister was involved they called someone in head office and we managed to get 5 extra days for us to be able to complete the arrangements for the Christmas day service and lunch.

In New Xanagas the Campus Crusade for Christ team were very busy with all the arrangements for Christmas day. They were busy with the program for the youth, disabled and elderly, as I had to pack and store all my personal belongings. We received more good news that donated clothing from various Methodist Churches were dispatched from Cape Town to be delivered in New Xanagas on 27 December - the day I had to leave the country. We rushed around on 24 December, found pots in a neighbouring village and had to tackle the muddy rivers (roads) to fetch and load the pots into Blessing.

And now abide these three things “Faith, Hope and Love” – and the greatest of these is LOVE (1 Corinthians 13:13)

 

 On Christmas day we awoke at four, the men slaughtered the large goat and the woman started to prepare the food on fires in the pouring rain. In between the organising, buying extra oil, sugar, mayonnaise etc I was busy packing to leave the next day (26 December) for Gaborone to meet with an Immigration Agent to see if they can speed-up the approval of the residents permit. Just before the service started it stopped raining. We had a wonderful service and a meal for all in the Village. With the Chiefs approval we occupied the community hall and eventually the hall was packed and all had a blessed service led by the Pastor of the Enri Evangelical Church. The children received magunya (fat cakes) and sweet-aid before the service and at the end of the service were handed donated Christmas hampers. Lunch was taken to the sick, disabled and old at their homes and then the children were fed first before the rest of the village. People that did not receive food were intoxicated latecomers who arrived long after the food was finished.

 

“We never knew about Jesus we just knew about Love and when people came and told us about Jesus we realised that this Love must be called Jesus"

- Old Bushmen -

 

All glory to Jesus Christ our Lord. The Kalahari San of New Xanagas thank you all for your prayers, donations and support. Two days before Christmas we were still unsure if the Christmas service and lunch will be possible, but once again the Lord has shown that with Him, nothing is impossible and the San community received much more than they could ever imagine.

 

“REACH OUT and TOUCH LOVE”

“CREATING, WORKING and GIVING is LOVE made visible.

“God is LOVE.” - (1 John 4:8)