Great South African Road Trip 2

We have safely arrived home from our Great South African Trip and first of all I want to thank those of you who prayed for us at any time in our journey.

We travelled 6000 kilometres or nearly 4000 miles in three weeks in safety. We never ever felt endangered nor did we experience any sense of difficulty with the car or accommodation. There were some times when our comfort zones were invaded but we never felt threatened.

We travelled from the very south west tip to the very north east corner of the country, journeying through all 9 South African provinces. God undertook for us in the most wonderful ways. 

Rondavels in the Kruger Park

Four times he overruled our overnight requirements and made sure we had better or more suitable accommodation than we had originally intended. We had several really good special rates or bargains as well. We felt his presence with us.

We had the privilege of visiting three different churches but all three, though different in outlook and style, were full of people hungry for God to move in their lives, churches, neighbourhoods and nation. The worship was wonderful in all three churches and the gifts of the Spirit flowed. People were prayed for and though we do know of any specific healings or answers to prayer, I know people were deeply ministered to by their loving heavenly Father.

Landscape in Golden Gate National Park

We had the privilege of experiencing the wonder of God’s creation and its amazing diversity from sub tropical forests to African plains to the pounding Indian Ocean. The scenery was at times spectacular with amazing rock formations and at other times flat and uninteresting but we enjoyed it all.

Elephants having a bit of a bust up

The wildlife was truly amazing from the mighty elephant, rhino and giraffe to the irritating mossies. There were red and black flying beetles that festooned our sink every evening in one camp and there was the hyena sleeping in a culvert by the side of the road. We were privileged to see two lionesses on the prowl that no one else saw at that time and we got stuck in a leopard traffic jam.

Sleeping hyena

We played golf on a course open to the wild animals and at another one a storm brought everyone in off the course because of torrential rain, thunder and lightning. Finally we re-visited a golf course on the final leg of our journey home and enjoyed the marvellous birdlife all around.

Old friends Norman and Jean

We met up with friends old and even older! With God there seems to be no time scale on friendships and even though we had not met up or been in contact with some friends for 6 years, we quickly re-established our friendship. When God knits hearts together even for a brief while, it takes an awful lot to unravel those hearts.

Breakers Resort Umhlanga

I think I can truthfully say we enjoyed it all. We are still processing the experience because it was an amazing time and we feel very privileged to have been able to do it. I thank God for photography so we have been able to capture some of the moments and through the pictures stir up happy memories.

Golden gate National Park

Thank you again to those of you who travelled the road with us on Facebook and again for all your prayers which God wonderfully answered. South Africa is a magnificent country, resourced by God like no other nation but like all our nations it desperately needs God to come in mighty revival power.

South Africa needs God to arise and sweep away the forces of wickedness and evil that beset it that many may be saved and set free from greed, poverty, AIDs, witchcraft, corruption and injustice.  It will then come into its true prophetic destiny and be the blessing it is meant to be to the continent of Africa. 

Valley of a Thousand Hills

The Great South African Road Trip

There is no doubt South Africa spoils you forever for nature and wildlife.

We are half way through our Grand South African tour driving from Cape Town to the north of the country, down through the Kruger National Park and then round to Durban and so back to Cape Town.

This half of our trip has focused on the National Parks and particularly the Kruger, the Big Daddy of National Parks, the size of Wales which measures over 250 miles top to bottom.

There is nothing like the thrill of driving along tarred or gravelled roads never knowing what may be round the next corner. It could be anything from the enormous elephant, tall giraffe, armour plated rhino

Baby rhino

Gemsbok

to the dainty steenbok or the masses of millipedes all long and hairy crossing the road. You can drive miles without seeing anything and then you can see three groups of rhino in half an hour.

The sheer variety and diversity of wildlife is breathtaking.

Stunning zebra

Male nyala - note the handsome yellow socks

This lady and her friend strolled by obviously feeling a bit peckish

The beauty of zebra, nyala and gemsbok is incredible and if you ever tire of the mammals or get impatient with the lack of animals willing to be admired from the safety of your car, then you can start on the birds. Words fail me to describe the beauty and sheer diversity of the bird life.

Vultures

Ground hornbill - nest building

An unusual black stork

The electric blue greater eared glossy starling

A jacana chancing its luck with a croc!

Even starlings come in stunning electric blue and there is endless fun in spotting and trying to identify that bundle of feathers up in the tree.

A tsessebe

So we visited Karoo National Park and the new Mokala National Park which is wonderful for animal spotting with something round every corner it seemed. It even has the rare tsessebe grazing happily.

Crook's Corner

Then we had a week in the Kruger Park going as far north as Crook’s Corner so called because it is where the borders of Zimbabwe, Mozambique and South Africa meet and crooks and poachers could easily slip across the border away from the authorities.

It has been a heartfelt desire of mine to visit this part of the park and it was even better than expected. The semi-tropical vegetation was home to all sorts of animals and birds and there was a plethora of baobab trees.

However this tour was not just to be an African wildlife bonanza. We also wanted to meet up with some old friends, firstly Kobus van Rensburg at his Spirit Word church for the monthly Miracle Pool meeting. We had hosted Kobus and Annaliese for one of the St Albans conferences several years ago. They were so pleased to see us and we to see them. 

The pool of Bethesda

 The worship was amazing and the presence of God beautiful. Kobus is very unwell at the moment but somehow God gives him the strength and grace to teach the Word. Though he uses a Bible to preach, he seems to have large chunks of it memorised and quotes freely and accurately roaming through the Word linking Scriptures. Afterwards everyone is invited to walk through the pool of Bethesda and be prayed for by a team of people.

The wall covered in crutches from people who have been healed

John and Bev Wasserman with ourselves 

Next day we visited John and Bev Wasserman at their church in Johannesburg. John used to visit the UK quite frequently but he also has not been well for quite a few years and now stays mostly at home. His church hosted both Arrows of Fire (the youth outreach team) trips to South Africa. It was so good to see him and Bev and again we were warmly welcomed. The worship was beautiful and Kobus’ youngest son Pietrus preached for the first time and overcame his nerves to give us a good message. Again we were all invited to be ministered to. It was so good to catch up with these people again. 

Afterwards as we drove to the northern part of the country it brought back many memories of our visits to this area in 1999 and 2002 with Arrows of Fire. We had ministered in the rural area of Venda and on the way there we had stopped to minister at a church in Malumalele. This time we got stopped for speeding by a lady policewoman eager to take our fine in cash rather than having the trouble of going to the police station. When we insisted on going to the police station she let us go on our way as it was too much trouble for her to go there with us!!

We had been advised that we could do any shopping we needed for the Kruger Park in Giyani, also a place visited by Arrows of Fire in 1999 and where several of our party contracted food poisoning at the local Nando’s. The whole town is busy, crowded, scruffy, grubby and very African. In great fear and trepidation we entered the local Spar (a convenience supermarket as it is in the UK) and found everything to be way outside our comfort zone. The butchers had a huge box of chicken feet and other delicacies sitting next to a box of goodness-knows-what. All the meat was very unappealing and there was little of anything to tempt us, so we grabbed a few essentials and fled!

At present we are making our way through some beautiful Mpumalanga scenery to the Indian Ocean near Durban where apart from a dip in the sea, we are going to spend several days with some old friends from Fish Hoek.