After my contemplation of friendship this morning i should probably send a little news. My hands are almost too frozen to type as i sit out on the stoep (porch) in the fog and the rain posting this. The unseasonable cold weather will run itself out soon i hope as we would all love to have a bit of sunshine. We braved the impending cold front this morning and hiked to bekezela about 1 1/2 miles from where we are. Tim the Champ hiker did great on his longest hike yet and we got home before the rain. We are looking forward to summer finally arriving here, a month late already, so we can get out more. It's as cold here right now as back home, but without the insulated house and nice wood stove. When the sun does come out though it's great.
Bekezela had 4 cattle stolen this week end, the first theft that they have had. So we wonder and pray what that is all about as the Land changes over to Anton and Hazel's kids ownership and management and the status of the place as a kids camp is in question. There's a huge need for people resources to manage the place so that it can continue to be used to minister to and see life change in Kids as it has done in the past. The four properties tha fill this hilltop are all dedicated to ministry to the whole family, but are all deeply in need of Jesus coming to dwell here and unity is the prerequisite for that. I believe that is what He wants to see happen here, so pry with us that the way forward would become clear. Soth africa too as a nation is at a critical crossroads with the enemies agents of chaos, corruption and violence, ever threatening to take over, Pray with us please.

A contemplation on friendship.


A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. Prov 18v24

Oil and perfume may gladden the heart, but the sweetness of a friend comes from his earnest council. Prov 27v9

A friend loves at all times and a brother is born for adversity Prov 17v17

Greater love has no man than this that someone lay down his life for his friends
John 15v13

I remember a conversation several months ago in our men’s group regarding one of us who had been off on a missions trip. Before and during the process he had felt abandoned by the group, partly because he had not made his need known and partly because we had been too busy with our own lives to take note of his need. As I sit here in the dark forest of South Africa, (literally as it has been raining almost non stop since we got here, and spiritually as there is a strong oppressive spirit at work here) I realize how desperately I need my friends and the men that I walk with day to day in prayer and battle and the ordinary stuff of life.

I remember two years ago as we spent three months in Costa Rica, I came to a surprising realization who my true friends were. They were the ones who remembered me when I was gone and took the time to communicate with me in any possible way. They were the ones who kept me in touch with my world that I had left behind for a time, who kept me in touch with the ordinary parts of their lives day to day which are so important to me because I love them. I was surprised by those who did take the time to communicate and by those who I thought would, but didn’t. I don’t write this to shame anyone or guilt trip anyone into doing something that is not in their hearts to do. However, if it does stimulate you to think about who and what you are as a friend to me and to others as it has challenged me again, then some good has come of this contemplation. So, partially I am stating a need; the need for ongoing relationship in this place where everything is new and different even though I did live here a long time ago. I will leave here in a few months and return home to a community I love and have chosen to pour my life into and will have missed out on a portion of your lives that matter to me.

After all the busyness has passed, the jobs, the work, the gathering of more and more possessions when Jesus returns, all we will be left with are the relationships that we have invested in, the fruit of the sacrifice of our own busy agendas to give of our time and presence to those that we say we love as well as people we don’t yet know who could have become valuable friends had we taken the time to invest in them. I challenge myself in this as I struggle to leave behind the work (projects) that even here get between me and my family. I’m being challenged daily to put them aside for the sake of building time and presence with my boys and Becky. It is not easy, my default and selfish pleasure is to work alone with my hands and produce something, rather than do the dishes with my sons, walk into the forest with them and explore or just play a game that they like to play. I've been strugglig to even want to repent of this, but Jesus has created a need in me to change the atmosphere in my family and will do so when i ask Him to. So I'm asking and will you partner in prayer and in loving your friends and family with me. They shall know we are His disciples by our love for one another, nothing else will prove it quite so well.

Well, I’ll end by asking for your prayers for me in this regard, and asking for a few minutes out of your day from time to time to e mail a friend who misses your presence. It’s wonderful after I have trudged up the hill in the rain and mud to fight through a slow internet connection, wade through the junk e mail to finally get a personal word of news and encouragement from someone I love.

We’re officially back in the land of the living. A few good nights of sleep, settled into our new home, got the toilet to flush in our room, got the new storage tank set up and the hot water system running. Now we can take showers right outside our back door. We drove to Greytown to church at shalom ( for those who are reading “Faith Like Potatoes” ) on an awesome sunny Sunday and then when we got home did a family hike to the coolest tree platform I’ve ever seen ( pictures will follow sometime) and then after changing the tire on the Lada ( our little Russian 4x4 two kids in one seatbelt in the back seat ) we headed off to see a good friend in town. It’s great to catch up with old friends after so many years. So I’ve spent my last few days fighting with plumbing, not always having the right parts, so having to “make do” since town is an hours drive away with a horrible driveway that can only be negotiated by 4 wheel drive and a “do or die attitude”

So after a week we feel like we’ve finally arrived, the weather has started to feel like summer finally, hot sunny days with an afternoon or evening thunderstorm. The sun rises at about 4 am and the birds start singing shortly before that, probably at least twenty distinct varieties can be heard at the loudest volume they can muster, which is pretty impressive. Sun set in the evening is at about 6pm ish. Church at shalom ( about an hours drive on dirt roads ) was very refreshing. A simple service in a barn ( about twice the size of the bridge) mostly filled with farming folks, many of whom drive a long way to be there.

Learning to drive on the left again has been fun, and Becky’s back seat driving ability has been much appreciated as I pull out onto the right hand side of the road. We are driving a beat up (recently rolled onto it’s side) but still functional Lada Niva A Russian made 4x4 , sort of a cross between a beetle and a Toyota Rava. It’s a gem for negotiating the worst driveway in the world, one that would make the most die hard weekend warrior off roader wince! We hear the samango apes calling to each other in the trees outside our house, we’ve seen zebra and blesbok ( a kind of gazelle) lots of hawks and eagles and cool bugs galore. WE get to ride up and down the hill to get firewood in an old landrover that has to be seen to be believed, but the boys love it. They love no car seats and sitting in the back of the truck and the Pajero ( Ben and Russ and Rick you all can relate ) and all the adventure of new discoveries and heading off into the bush to find cool stuff. So as the weather improves we’ll hopefully be able to do more exploring as the rain and cold kept us pinned down last week. Well I miss you all terribly and it’s pretty isolated out here, which makes me realize how much of a social animal I’ve become since I lived here last.

I've spent the past few days framing some walls upstairs in the lodge. The first day all the cutting was done with a handsaw, but i've since been able to borrow a circular saw which has speeded things up a bit. Coming from having a fully eqipped shop to having a few archaic hand tools has been a little trying to say the least, but since production is not the goal here at the moment, the slower pace is okay. I have two young guys that Anton has employed for the holidays helping me. Andile and Tabani fetch and carry lumber and ar learning some basic wood working skills with me between farm chores. Keldan spent the day with me yesterday, pounding nails and holding boards while i cut them and generally being very useful extra hands.

I'm still trying to figure out how to put photo's on this blog and when i do we'll post some.

Hi Friends, well we've made it here and are finally beginning to settle in. Jet lag, birds waking us up with the rising sun at 4am and the cold wet unseasonable weather have left us a little worn and wiped Becky and i out with a flu bug yesterday and today. We're definately realising how comfortable our lives are back home. Our little house has no hot water at the moment and toilets are flushed with a bucket until i can get the big storage tankand stand built to increase the water pressure. So the week has been one of trying to figure out what Becky can eat and trips to town to find food sources ( no health food stores like back home ) So up till now life has definately not been very comfortable, though we did have one hot sunny day that was delightful in amongst all the rain. Tonight i walked 15 minutes through the rain and the fog up to Anton's brother's house to use his wireless internet which is a wonderful gift for staying in touch with you all.

Ahead of us is the task of finishing the upstairs part of the lodge to accomodate the men that come here for ministry. As i look at it i'm somewhat daunted by the lack of tools and finances to do the job. Anton Has built this place on no budget and second hand materials, volunteer labor over the past 4 years. Much ministry has happened here in that time as men have come from far and wide to participate in it.
So at the moment it would take about $5000 to get the tools and materials to finish the lodge. Anyone got money they want to give away!

The boys are settling in well. We went swimming in the river on our one hot day, but are chafing at the miserable cold and rain, wanting to get out and explore the forest all around us, so we're praying for summer to arrie as is everyone else around here. It's late and i've been us since 3 am this morning so i'm off to bed. Will post some pictures soon.

This will have to be a short post to update you all. We are 1 week from leaving for South Africa, our belongings are mostly in boxes and after 3 days of dusty work, my shop is mostly boxed and packed into the 8 x 12 finishing room. We have not sold our house yet, but have had a few lookers the past week which is encouraging after having no one look fr months. We have tried some ideas about renting or someone house sitting, but we keep hearing Holy Spirit saying to wait and all doors in that area are closed sofar, so as usual, my ideas are way too small, manageable and finite, so Jesus has a better plan and we wait to se what it is. In SA we will have a cottage, a car and a cell phone waiting for us, all before we even asked for them! Jesus is so kind to provide what we nee when we need it. So a lot can happen in 7 days! We'll keep you posted.

Let me begin this blog with this premise. God is good 100% of the time! Holy Spirit is the best teacher. Jesus has paid the price for freedom and so i can live in it! His Kingdom is at hand - that means it is to be manifest now and in increasing measure until He returns to reign over all the earth. In the last days His Spirit will be poured out on all flesh. Joel 2 v28. We get to co-labor with Him in the process because He love to work through His sons and daughters. I love this journey.

So here we are at the tillamook cheese factory, the only cheesy photo we have of ourselves at the moment. We are delinquent at taking family pictures, but i hope that when we are at Bekezela we will be able to take lots of pictures and build lots of great memories for our family as we position ourselves for Jesus to recreate our family culture to one that reflects His Kingdom culture and the way that He thinks about family. My intention for this blog is to reflect on this journey for our friends and family to share.