Back in UK

Well here we are – home again.  The sun is shining though it is very chilly morning and evening and as usual the grace of God is there to help us settle back into our life here.

Lovely spring flowers in our front garden

Forsythia in full flower

It was very hard to leave you all this time but Sarah is so glad to see us back and Samuel was very excited that we have returned which is a consolation. We went round to see them all the day we got back and we had to play games with Samuel before having a chance to get re-acquainted with Keira who has changed a lot.  She likes to sit on your knee, look you in the eye and gurgle and blow bubbles at you.

Little Miss Cutie - Keira Grace

Mowing the lawn

We have already been back to Heathrow airport early on Sunday morning to pick up Jonathan and Alyssa who have had a wonderful holiday in South Africa and were full of all they had done.  We went to church and as Sarah says, I slept through more of the service than Keira did!  Thankfully I did not snore but Christopher said it took quite a bit to wake me up. It was just as well he had woken me though as I was asked to help with the ministry team in praying for people.

Sorting out the greenhouse

We have played 2 bowls matches and there is much for me to do and get used to as I have taken over from Christopher as midweek captain.  However the big project is to get the garden back under control.  The grass was long, there is an infestation of celandines everywhere which may look pretty but they literally take over the whole place and there is much weeding, trimming, pruning and digging to do. We just have to keep going at it. So not bad for only four days at home! 

I always thought our lives were similar between Fish Hoek and Letchworth and in some ways they are but in other ways they are so different that comparisons are very unhelpful so I won’t make any. Needless to say we miss you all and look forward to keeping in touch and our consolation comes from knowing we will be seeing you all at the end of the year.

April 2013

Hello everyone

I do hope you are all enjoying some more spring like weather, wherever you may be and especially in UK after that long, cold winter.

Autumn has definitely arrived here though we are still enjoying some warm sunshine but much cooler mornings and evenings.  Our time here in South Africa is rapidly drawing to an end and we are all surprised at how quickly the weeks have shot by.

Penguins have the right idea!
 

Our second half has been quite different from our first half but no less enjoyable.  Most of our time has been spent with people just building relationship and we have some very precious friends here.  Personally I do not think I really appreciated how important it is to spend time with people. I have always enjoyed it but it felt like I was just indulging myself rather than building lasting friendships. Joyce Meyer says ‘relationship is built on fellowship.’  It is so true and as we have fellowshipped with people strong relationships are being forged. We understand the importance of spending time with God but perhaps we do not always transfer that to the importance of spending the same quality time with others, both believers and not-yet-believers.

We have been eating, drinking, talking and praying with many people individually and together.  We have had cups of tea, coffee, breakfast, lunch, supper and been shopping with people and they have been wonderful times. Especially good has been the opportunities to pray with and for people.

In addition to these times, we continue to enjoy the early morning Saturday prayer meeting. It is such an effort to get out of bed but by the time we have prayed over the church, the area and the nation we are revitalised.  Christopher invests good time with both the golfers and bowlers and I continue to enjoy going out with the Visitation team meeting people in their homes and hearing their stories.  We have also all been trained to share the Gospel if necessary.

We had a marvellous Passover meal on the Thursday before Easter with the cell group and we also had 13 of them round for a braai (barbecue). In cell group we have been enjoying some Louie Giglio DVD’s.



Passover meal



Sunday braai

We have had two really good testimonies shared at church. The first was from a young man who was a drug dealer and had been in prison but God had met with him He was off drugs and was now going back into prison to witness and minister to the prisoners. The second one was a young lady, about 30, who is a post graduate geologist and geophysicist. She told us about her work in the African bush, doing soil and rock samples far from civilisation with only men (often chauvinistic and racist) to work with. She found God’s grace to enable her to find her place in the team such that the men would respect her and grace for the inevitable loneliness she suffered. She told how finding an English speaking church where she was, no matter how unlike her preferred choice, was a lifeline to her. Fascinating story.

We took a few days to go to Swellendam, about three hours away, to renew friendship with the owners of a B & B and play some golf.   Then this last week we have had a wonderful time with Jonathan and Alyssa who are in South Africa for a holiday. This is the first time Alyssa has been in South Africa and she seems to be enjoying it very much.

Olive tasting at Morgenster

Mmm olives!

It has been lovely to spend time with them and play cards every evening!


 

Tea at the Mount Nelson

Wine estate called Vergelegen





 

 

Cape Point



Jonathan getting into the part

Cars are good play grounds



 

 

 

 

 

So very soon we fly back to the UK hopefully for some summer there. We look forward to seeing and spending time with the family and our friends but we shall inevitably greatly miss our South African friends. I do hope we will be able to catch up with you in person.

God bless

Christine and Christopher