Dearest Friends,
RICH AND POOR
Today, we shared at 2 schools. Though they were only a short 15 minute drive from each other, they were worlds apart. At the first school, the children were very blessed. The children enjoyed many advantages and the benefits of a good education. Everyone had plenty to eat and a bed to sleep in at night. You may think of these things as basics, but for many children in the world, they are a luxury.
The second school was a farm school. Where the first school catered to the children of the landowners, the second school served the children of those who worked the land. These children were growing up in great poverty. Their dreams are very different than your children’s dreams. They were so small and thin. Their school looked very different than the first school.
Both schools loved the puppets. At both places, I looked into the eyes of children who were deeply hurt. In over 20 years of ministry, I have never had a child tell me that I am rich or I am poor. They have told me that they need someone to love them. They have said that no one sees them. Rich and poor have said to me that they need a father or a mother to care about what happens to them.
The need of the children is the same. It does not matter how much stuff a child has or how little they possess, both groups of children have the same need. Both groups need Jesus! We had the sweet joy of hearing children in both places call on Jesus to save them. All prayed in soft whispers and found their needs met at the cross. It was a beautiful day!
FUNNY THINGS…DIFFERENT THINGS
The differences in languages can be very challenging. The word bakkie (bucky) can get you a truck or a bowl depending on how you use it in a sentence. The word leer is a ladder or an army or can refer to studying. The hoof (woof) refers to your head or your principal.
You can enjoy many delicious sauces, like monkey gland. It comes highly recommended.
Peach pits are used in the garden as mulch.
It is autumn here and the weather is cold and rainy. I watched a man raking leaves yesterday. When fall comes at my home, Christmas is not far away. This weather is confusing my dreams. I keep dreaming about decorating for Christmas!
A principal guessed my age at a school yesterday. He guessed 65. The lady with him was that she had a better guess. She said 71. When I told them that I was 56, they both laughed at my joke. It was not a joke. I am glad that the Lord gave me a good sense of humor!
BEAUTIFUL PLACES
We visted Slang Hoek which translates snake corner. I thought it was because of the amount of snakes in the area, but it refers to the shape of the road. The mountains are amazing. Yesterday, we visted a place called Bainskloof. It is a pass between 2 mountains, with an incredible river gorge on one side. I wished I had the time and energy to climb the incredible rocks that I saw. I stared at the mist covering the tops of the mountains and imagined that graet castles were hidden beneath. It is a place that fires the imagination. I am so grateful for all the wonders that we have seen!
In Jesus, Linda for Sam, Silvana, Meg, and Billy