To summarize...

Tomorrow starts a new school term.

That in itself is a very loaded paragraph so I needn't say more on that subject. This past week has been a very busy week for me; much less of a holiday and much more of my own personal version of "Extreme Home Makeover" without the volunteers. I encouraged Delani to go and visit her mother for the one week we had off because otherwise she wasn't going to see her until next April since we plan to go to the US for Christmas. It turns out her mother will come visit in November, but only for a weekend so I am very glad that Delani went. I spent the week (minus last weekend) working on things that desperately need finished in the house.

She is home now and I am sitting on the front porch watching the late afternoon sun lay long shadows across the lawn. I was contemplating all that I have done on the house we live in and all we will still need to do. Every time that I do this I am overwhelmed at God's provision and goodness. It has required a lot, but it has been such a wonderful learning curve in the process.

There is a long list of first things for me with working on this house; brick-laying, plastering, laying tile, making tongue-and-groove flooring, building a cabinet, and making a bed from scratch with steel. Anytime I want to think myself terribly clever for any of these things, God reminds me of all the help He sent along. Little bits of advice from older wiser men that you forget. Perhaps it was one little bit of advice, but without it, the entire project would have been a flop.

God has provided the funds. Like the bed I just finished. Friends of ours gave us money to be used on a bed or just what we needed. It was around $130. I used it to buy steel and with a lot of work, we had a nice bed for less than $200 dollars that should be on its feet longer than me.

We have had the invaluable help of several people, mainly Steve Geise. Steve Geise is perhaps one of the most helpful, kind and godly men I have the privilege of knowing. When he knew that we needed help with the house so that we could get moved in, he cheerfully offered his services. He prepped the walls of most of the house (no small feat since they looked like a road map of cracks) and painted better than any professional I have seen. Every time I stop and think what would have happened if he hadn't been willing to do that, I realize that we would probably still be living in our friend's guest room with our belongings spread between four houses. He also helped me, along with Bro. Bokang, to strip the carpet glue off of the wood floors. That was a terrible job and he did it cheerfully, even staying late with me at times.

Any work I have done has had to be after ministry hours which doesn't leave much time and requires strength and stamina. God has given both in abundance. We have certainly not been building a palace over here, but simply trying to fix up a missionary's house with limited funds and God has provided.

So, sorry if it has seemed to some of you that spoke to me, that the house was all I do. Sorry to those of you who haven't heard from me if I seemed ungrateful for funds sent or prayers offered or words of encouragement. I am very sorry if it has come across that way. We are very, very grateful for all that our friends and family are doing for us so that we are able to minister here in Ladybrand.

We will try and keep posted a little more. If life ever slows down, I will try and start putting my many jumbled thoughts to "paper" once again. God bless.

House Update

After working late the other night cutting stones, I caught the sunset before it was completely gone. Here is the first glimpse of the house.



The next Saturday I needed to keep going so here are just a few pictures of getting sand, the view I have while working sometimes. My efficient concrete mixer and laying bricks for the first time.







And here is the house in daylight

Some day we'll teach at a small school and play and watch the snow fall...

Today we have a treat. The first snowfall like this in five years.

Naturally I was the favorite target.

Just a few snapshots from the iPod. The only sad part about it all; it's nowhere near Christmas.

In this post I exceed my skill set...again

I last posted what I had finished by Wednesday evening when after much trial, I got the first plank in place.

Well, Thursday I spent some time calling around for router bits. Luckily, or perhaps Providentially, Tannie Hessie was in Bloemfontein which was the only place that had them. So between cellphone pictures and conversations with the rep over Tannie's cellphone, I managed to get the bits that I needed. Thursday night is always mission prayer time (although this time we had a birthday party for Christelle Gault), so I did not work.

Friday, however, the good looks of the company I brought increased considerably (no offense to Steve Geise intended). Delani working on her pantry shelves.



And I could get back down to working on the plank flooring.



I only finished two more boards that night, and then we headed back. The next day, Saturday if you've been counting, I headed to town about 6:30 am to pick up my friend, Bokang, who I have hired to help. I should have taken a picture of the morning because it was absolutely breathtaking as the sun came up over the Maluti mountains in the distance.

I got to work on the plank flooring which I finished with very little delay thanks to the new bits. While I was busy with that, Bokang went and loaded up sand and bricks to wall in the fireplace.



And a close-up



It is far from a perfect fit. Some sections of the boards were walked over for the last century and in the process lost about a quarter inch or more. So, it will take a bit of planing and sanding, but it is in and nailed down so other work can continue. I will include a picture of the original boards that I used so you can get an idea of why it has taken me this long.

While I was busy with that, Bokang had finished gathering the bricks, and he and Steve were busy with final preparations on some of the walls. Getting these walls ready has been a full-time job and Steve has really done an amazing job.



After lunch, Bokang and I went to collect stones for the fireplace floor. My original thought had been to use three layers of smaller flat stones to build up the floor. After discussing it with Uncle Johan, we decided to use just one more layer of large, 30cm high stones. Well, Bokang and I got them loaded and that is about all. Weighing hundreds of pounds, there was no way we would be able to move them in and maneauver them in place, so we abandoned that idea.



Just for scale, the Geise boys on the pile of stones.



So we took them back and loaded up smaller flat, finish stones for the last layer. One of the beauties of this project, is stones that would cost a fortune in the U.S.. are laying everywhere on the farm.

Bokang and Isaac helping me with the second layer of stones.



After which I tried my hand at cutting stones. Getting them to break just right can be difficult, but God helped and I didn't make any huge mistakes.



Thanks to Bokang's concrete mixing skills, we were able to get a few of the stones in before it was completely dark.



Hopefully by next post I will have a finished floor to show you. It is really hectic keeping up with the understaffed school and doing a building project, but God is giving extra strength and help.

As always, stay tuned...

Work Continues...

Work continues on the house. I wish I could say that it is thanks to me, but the school keeps me too busy. Steve Geise has been helping me out tremendously. The brick walls look like a road atlas from years of settling and he has been diligently and patiently filling in all cracks and holes. He paints as he does many things, to perfection and so it has been such a privilege to have his help.

I mentioned that some of the floor was rotted. I tore out all of the rotted flooring and found several beams that were unuseable, so I purchased some wood and replaced the beams, but I still had a problem. Part of the floor was rotted as well and wood that is over half a century old is difficult to find a match for.

Johan van der Merwe gave me some of the Oregon Pine that laid in their house for a hundred years before being pulled out of one of the rooms. For a guy who loves history, it is hard to cut into a board that is at least around 110 years old, knowing that it is in every way, irreplaceable.

So, as I mentioned in the last post, the floor, or part of it was rotten.



So, I replaced the beams.



but first I had to go to Build It (Ladybrand's version of Lowe's) where the staff sectioned off the area, donned safety goggles, and with a power miter saw cut the precise lengths I asked for...well, not quite.



A couple days ago, before I started with the wood floor, or rather during the process of getting lumber, etc; I began on what will be the stone floor for the homemade wood stove I am going to make.




We are trying to save money where possible, so reusing the lumber, despite the extra work, is necessary. I started ripping the smaller planks out of the old boards.



Then I started using a router to cut the grooves into the planks



but that wasn't long lived. I think I got three and a half done when this happened



Somewhere in there was coffee break where I pondered my predicament. After all, I was about thirty minutes from a town where absolutely nothing is open and they don't sell the bits I need anyways.

So with a table saw, a leatherman, and a Craftsman scraper tool that my dad gave me, I managed to cut a "tongue" into one of the boards and get it in place. I couldn't leave without at least something to show for my effort.



Stay tuned...

Change of Time

Delani and I are back from our vacation and we are settling into life...well, we would if we had a place to settle. This post is about our homelessness and what we are doing about it. We live in a lovely little apartment that is heavy on the little. It is located in what was a Catholic mission a few miles from town.

This is Delani in our living room-kitchen-dining room-study. Notice the amazing chocolate chip cookies that kept disappearing as I worked on our newsletter.

So, where does the homelessness come in? Well, we have to be out by the end of this month, namely Saturday and here is our Master bedroom where we are going.



We had the privilege of having my sister, Jenny and her husband, Robert, stay with us for a week after we came back from our honeymoon. We went and did some great stuff like eating at "The Cabin."





Including a great idea for a stove I'm going to use on the house involving wheel drums and scrap steel.



And better yet, the Farmhouse breakfast.



Then it was on to the house under a gorgeous, cold winter sky.



Ironically, for a post about the house, I have no photo of the outside of the house. Jen and Robert came to lend us a hand. Maybe I should give a little back story. I was originally going to try and build a small house on the farm, Fraaiuitzicht, where I am now living that would be available to HIM for ten years and then pass to the family...thus helping both of us. It seemed that wasn't God's plan and then, another house they have on their farm about 2 kilometers away, became available. It just needed a little work. So, we are refinishing floors covered for fifty years with carpet and we are painting walls. There are no cupboards or stove in the kitchen. Along with this come all the fun surprises that come with working in an old house.







Robert needed a little break.



Taking up the carpet is turning out to be quite a difficult work.



In addition, I have found that there is some serious rot in part of the floor. So, we have our work literally cut out for us.



Fortunately, since my sister and her husband went home, we have other friends coming like, Steve Geise.

We will keep you posted. If you want to help with this project, shoot me an email and I will try and fill you in better on what it is all about. It is actually a mission project and probably just a two year stop over for Delani and I. Keep us in your prayers. Any work we do must be done after we get out of school and drive the thirty minutes or more. This takes it's toll since nothing is close by here.

Stay tuned.

Christ and the fishes...but not the time you're thinking of

There are definite rewards to teaching English as a second language in books that were never meant for that. I get to laugh quite a bit. Today I burst out laughing in one of my students faces (unintentionally of course).

As a Christian school, we pride ourselves on having the Bible at the base of everything we learn and know. We try to promote Bible knowledge, but sometimes when evaluation comes, I’m afraid we are found terribly wanting.

My student was a bit confused about what Anno Domini meant He had to use AD in a sentence because he was learning acronyms. All that he knew was that AD was supposed to be the same as “after Christ” for a reason he couldn’t understand.

This was his sentence:

“AD was born God created light.”

Naturally I was a bit confused seeing that even substituting “After Christ” for AD didn’t make any sense, I wasn’t sure what he was trying to communicate.

Me
“Okay, so you were just trying to use “after Christ” in the sentence, but what are you trying to say here.”

Him
“After Christ is born God created light.”

Me
“But light was created before Christ was born. Christ was born much later. Light was at Creation.”

Him
“Oh, he was born with the water and the fishes.”

Me
Laughing

Me
“No, he was born much later as a man, but he always existed.”

Needless to say, we didn’t really get anywhere. I dread the day I need to explain the Trinity. He can’t understand how Christ always was and yet was born thousands of years after the world was created…but then again, neither can I.