Hi Friends
It is going well on this side of the World although we are working hard to keep our heads above water. We are very busy.
Our New House.
We are now moved into the house our co workers, Dave Wright lived in. TThis gives us an opportunity to get our old house fixed up and repaired for when tyhey return. Marie has used all the gifts people gave us from back Home in South Africa to make everything look nice and we feel we are at home when we are in the bush. Thanks a million for your gifts and help in making it possible to make a home for us in the jungle.
Lourens starts with presenting lessons..
With Lourens things are also going well. He had some evaluations done in these days in order to get him checked out to write lessons for Romans and Ephesians and also to revise the evangelical lessons. The consultants help us to evaluate our lesson writing process to make sure it communicates well. So we had a consultant fly into our bush location to came and help us and had some other guests as well. So for a few days we had some new faces around and that has been a real blessing. During the checks we would have many national guys helping us and so our house was full of activity.
Further more Lourens spends a lot of time preparing lessons and testing them with different groups. And he is also involved with seeing the literacy program going ahead well. We are thankful that we have teachers running the program yet Lourens and Simon still has responsibility over it all.
Lourens also spends a lot of time in discipleship, in visiting the people and making sure the teaching and lessons is communicating well. Some nights at seven I need to come and ask the believers to give Lourens a chance to come up and eat.
We are especially excited about preparing evangelical lessons to be taught from August this year. Our goals with this would be to start teaching some of our national believers to start taking over the responsibility of lesson development, teaching and discipleship. It would also an opportunity for unbelievers in our village to hear truth again and also for the believers to be reminded of foundation truths. Please pray for hungry and prepared hearts in our village. Also pray for us to wisely train our new teachers. Please pray for the teachers that they might take up this responsibility of being faithful teachers.
With me, Marie, things are going well. I have been extremely busy in getting our household running smoothly again. It is a privilege for me to be able to support my husband in seeing him reaching the un reach in our tribe. I am thank full that homeschooling is starting to get back into a routine as well. Even though we work hard at getting a routine working for our lives. We literally have dozens of interruptions daily, with sick people and people with injuries. We are so glad we can show them love by healing their wounds, but keep on praying that God would heal their hearts.
Medical help. .
I really love helping people with medicall problems. The last few weeks we had some people with boils. It often gets very large and painfull and we help them getting it all cleaned up. Recently at about 11 at night one of our believers came to ask for help, with a lady who gave birth but the afterbirth did not come out. So me and my co worker went and helped them. When we got there the lady was squatting at the fire with the baby lying naked on the ground and the umbilical cord still attached. We prayed together with believers as unbelievers watched and we helped the lady/ We just rubbed her stomach and this stimulated the ‘birth sack’ and forced out the afterbirth. Everyone was dumbfounded and gave praise to God. Usually they would go to the witchdoctors but this night they came to Christ.
Our ‘kids’ Madeleen, Naomi and Marlou are doing well and enjoying life back in the bush. They visit with the kids, cook food with them and even have rats with them They also help taking care of kids while the parents try and listen to the lessons. It is really funny to watch our kids doing that, for their kids are usually naked and have no toilet manners or nappies etc. Liam is a real joy, but is giving us all our days. He is constantly outside even in the rain, carrying dads bush knife around trying to chop down trees etc. I have a constant battle to keep him intact.
Conference
We are at the moment out of the bush for 6 days. Yearly we have a time of fellowship for missionaries and this is an opportunity for us to hear Gods Word and have fellowship with other missionaries we usually do not see for they live in the bush. Lourens also uses this time to have chats with consultants and leadership and also to do some repairs. I use the chanse to buy all our stuff we need. It is no holiday it is actually a very busy time!
I cannot help to long home a bit today. Lourens is working outside and will be watching an old recorded rugby game of last years super 14. I think I will fold up the washing and make a cup of tea.
Thanks so much for your support and prayers and please feel free to write and ask questions if you might have any. Please do not forget us and our work in prayer.
Love you all
Marie, for the Laureti spaghettis.