Headed Back to South Africa

We're headed back to South Africa today. The past four and a half months in the U.S. have been a new experience for us which has blessed us greatly. We returned to the US on November 11, just in time to be with our daughter Laura and son-in-law Warren for the birth of their first child (and our first grandchild) Lucille Jane on November 14.

The majority of the rest of our time was spent traveling the states making presentations to individuals and groups interested in coming to South Africa on a short-term mission trip. We put over 11,000 miles on our car in the process. According to our records, we spent 92 of the 135 days we were back on the road. During that time we traveled on a very frugal budget of $11.70 per day for food (for two of us) and spent only two nights in hotels. The other 90 nights we were blessed to be welcomed into the homes of friends or family.

We learned and grew much from the experience. While it is true that it is “better to give than receive” we also found it true that it is easier to give than receive. Receiving or accepting is sometimes a very difficult thing to do. Call it pride or independence, in the past when traveling we would normally refuse friends’ invitations to stay with them and opt to stay in a hotel so as not to impose on them. Not so this time. While at first we were reluctant or embarrassed to accept the invitations of friends and family to stay with them or join them for a meal, we quickly realized that the simple act of accepting their invitations and offers was a blessing and ministry to them. Many people have the gift of hospitality and it is a pleasure and honor to see how they are blessed when they have an opportunity to use it. Use your gift and allow others to use theirs, you will bless them by doing so.

The world teaches to be independent and self-reliant, but the Word teaches us to be interdependent on each other and fully reliant on God. This is one of the things we see and value in the villages of South Africa, where in many cases people must rely on each other and God to make it through every day. We had an opportunity to learn and live this lesson as we traveled and thank God for the opportunity to do so, our lives have been forever changed by the experience.

There are currently seven teams scheduled to come with the first group scheduled to arrive May 17 and the last one (from our home church, Great Divide Calvary in beautiful Breckenridge Colorado) scheduled to depart on September 28. Please pray for all the teams preparing for their trips.