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| Celebrating my parents 40th wedding anniversay, they inspire us great |
You know,
those scrambley times… you get held up in a country one day being told you are
an undesirable immigrant and will be black listed if you try to leave, and then
the next day you are told you will be imprisoned if you don’t go home within
the fortnight? So you move your pillow from place to place, unsure of how long
this will go on, unsure how much longer your spirit can hold its breath…
“Rejoice in
the Lord always, AGAIN, I say rejoice!
And somehow
just around the corner there are those un-scrambley times where its normal to sit
on your own chair snugged up to your own wooden table typing away in the spring
afternoon watching, from your own house, yellow school buses go by as they do
every day at 3:30pm at the corner of Henry and Barkman? And you have your mom
coming over tomorrow to help you plant your first real official veggie garden,
because cousin Sid just finished seeding his fields, so it must be time to
plant your own after the first couple spring rains…
“Rejoice in
the Lord always, AGAIN, I say rejoice!
This is the
blessed picture verse our dear Klassen friends gifted us at Christmas, now up
on our own wall, in our own living room.
This is the verse that I keep looking at, asking the Spirit about its
meanings and secrets.
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| Sit your sitter down on our couch any time! |
Stability.
What a privileged word. Mawande and I have been taking late evening walks in
the big Steinbach city, learning the low german street names around our new
hood. He’s just started a blessed full time summer job landscaping which is
calling on a whole different set of muscles that writing school papers
required. Thus a little stretch outside is just what the doctor is ordering
post supper time. We still cant get over how we stroll along in the dark, never
mind the safety of everyones BBQs! There they all rest innocently cooling down,
untouched, unchained. Or, surely we can’t be the only ones looking slightly
interested in the “garbage” people are putting out at the end of their
driveways a whole day ahead of time? Mawande is pretty sure we are, “Charlene,
leave that half alive bamboo plant at the top of the neighbors heap alone
please!,” he will say. If people put there “garbage out” a whole night before
back in Capetown, there might not be any left for the lonely rubbish truck the
next morning but bits of tired banana peels and dry tea bags.
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| A real live african Landscaper Ladies and Gentlemen |
I think my
sister Marie Eve still leaves freshly baked muffins on top of her garbage can
for her first come first serve
“shoppers” bless her heart.
And its so
quiet!!! By 9:00 pm you wouldnt know if you are out on a tree stand in the
mystery of Pansy or actually here in the middle of town, people are very
punctual going to bed, and accordingly on point with supper times. In Capetown,
the train is still taking a few more rounds of day workers, going home to have
dinner by 10 as transportation cant ever be relied upon for most. But here, if
students aren’t taking those yellow buses, that means they jump into 1 of 100
SUV’s taxing in by super moms, one after the next, as the next extra-curicular
activity is about to begin.
A beautiful
stable land of plenty, not to feel guilty about please! Many people have asked
us the question, “don’t you think we are so spoiled over here,” as if this land
of blessing is a thing to feel bad about. Certainly not! REJOICE! It’s a
beautiful thing to see children running free on the sidewalks, healthy, happy
and safe. We serve a God of abundance afterall who loves giving good gifts to his children. We
celebrate a world like this actually exists still, when so many couldn’t
believe it is any more real than white picket fenced scenes on the Hollywood
screens. It is as life giving to be here as green buds bursting forth from our
seemingly dried up looking lilac bushes all winter long. Oh our God of green
Hope indeed is ALIVE!
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| "Let it grow let it grow let it grow..." |
But there,
that word gifts, is the key we are
trying to secure around the ring. For a gift giver to only recieve guilty
gratititude from their beloved, doesn’t exactly honor the giver. But to be
“full of cheer” and bless the Lord at ALL times, in all circumstances, this is
the little we can actually give back to Him, in times of little and times of
much. I vowed the same thing to Mawande on our wedding day, that I would stay
by his side, gratefully, when life is shinny or dull, surely God our Father
deserves the same.
So today, if
you took a look inside our freezer its stocked to the ceiling with meat, and a
flashy BBQ awaits outside to cook it up, all gifts from beautiful friends. So
we must, dare I say how dare we not do a holy dance lifting up our hands before
our God giving thanks and enjoy that steak with Him, come Lord Jesus be our
Guest.
And then, the
stickler:
Even
if the fig tree doesn’t blossom and no fruit is on the vines,
Even
if the olive tree fails to produce, and the fields yield no food at all,
Even if the sheep
vanish from the sheep pen, and there are no cows in the stalls:
Still I WILL REJOICE
IN ADONAI, I WILL TAKE JOY IN THE GOD OF MY SALVATION.
ELOHIM ADONAI IS MY STRENGTH! HE MAKES ME SWIFT AND
SURE-FOOTED AS A DEER AND ENABLES ME TO STRIDE OVER MY HIGH PLACES.
Or in more familiar terms…
Even if our support and jobs fall through and there
was no other back pocket accounts for paying the mortgage
Even if children don’t come and our house stays quiet
Even if I have to say goodbye to my first veggie patch
planted with mom and fenced in by dad, when God calls us to move on again:
The cry of our hearts is that STILL
we will rejoice.
Hannah in the bible was given the
long awaited gift of a child, but then gave Samuel back to serve the Lord at
the temple, only seeing him once a year after he was weaned. Yes her prayer had
been answered and she was given this gift, but had learnt to hold it with an
open hand. Truly, her joy was in her God, whom she came to know as trustworthy,
regardless of circumstance. So she could truly write, with her arms empty once
again after saying goodbye to her son year after year, “I can gloat over my
enemies because of my joy at Your saving me. (1 Sam 2:1)
So our current prayer these days,
Jesus be our greatest desire,
greatest joy, greatest treasure. Make our feet fitted by fire and trials to
walk up and over the mountains that seem too steep for us, fears to deep for us
to see the bridge of faith just under our feet.
So if you are in the scrambled time,
call on a brother or sister to walk with, listen to the sound of their worship
when your hands dont have the strength. He promises he will turn your mourning
into joy, ask Him to help you trust him explicitly now.
And if your in a yellow school bus kinda
freezer full time, hold nothing back, share your bread and do an undignified
dance like David for He has done great things.
Home is a beautiful place to be these
days, we are lapping up time spent with each one. Waking up in this house is a
miracle every morning.
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| Young Leaders pulled pork bbq at the Manis rez |
News on the ministry front is we are
teaming up with a few others to seek Jesus together during the weekdays in one
another’s homes. Join us if your in this continent, House Fires is the
name. The Young Leaders group is only a
joy and privilege to be a part of, we cant believe a year has almost come and
gone! We’ve grown in love, truth and fellowship with each other and the Holy
Spirit. What could be better? We have expanded our leadership team with another
6 Young Leaders, which we are so excited to watch flourish this next year with
their beautiful gifts and creativity in service for the kingdom of God around
us. Our Sunday morning prayer hour hasn’t grown in numbers, just in depth and
freedom to cry out to our Father together on behalf of our families, church, community
and the global church. Prayer is such a gift for us, Jesus matching our hearts
with his as we present ourselves to him as we are.
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| Sunday school snuggles with My besties baby boy |
As mentioned Mawande is landscaping
and loving it! Ive only gone by to spy on him twice…in the first week.
Rejoice in the Lord with us, He is so
kind.
Sunshine here we come!
PS. Ive been thinking if heaven has
leaves on trees 12 months of the year, unless they are pine needles, which I
Doubt, that means obviously its only summer always and forever as it should be
amen?!!
Love
The Manis
