Happy Birthday

We are having a busy time!

According to our sources, the Armidale area (Australia) has had snow. Meanwhile we are waking up to 30 degrees and going to bed with 34 degrees. We are not game to see what the temperature is at midday!

Last week we had a visit from 2 people from the Netherlands whose mission organisation helps (among other things) sponsor prisoners to study through NETS. They attended (with David) the NETS graduation at our nearest prison. I will ask David to write more about these keen young men who are even allowed out of prison to go and minister to people in the nearby hospital.

David left today for a conference. He is taking a local taxi - it is 90 mins away - and leaving me with the car, which is great. (We are usually left car-less as he needs the car to travel to workshops and there is no public transport.) At least there are local taxis. To catch one of these vehicles one simply has to stand at the side of the road and flag them down. For their part, regardless of how full the taxi is, if they see a potential customer they pip the horn to catch your attention. But, as the cars are unregistered, sometimes unroadworthy, and are driven by people who have not heard of speed limits, one has to pray! The other day the newspaper reported one man in hospital after his car collided with a warthog. Friends of ours had a close shave when a large on-coming truck swerved to avoid a donkey in the road instead of slowing down. The truck came onto their side of the road and they were forced off the road. Providentially, there was no ditch or people in their way.

There is an Oshiwambo proverb-story about a dog, a donkey and a goat. They wanted a ride in a taxi.
The donkey paid his fare but they did not let him get in.
The dog paid his fare but they would not give him the change.
The goat tried to travel without paying.
That is why, when they see a vehicle, the donkey stands in the middle of the road – and refusing to move - waiting for the lift that he has paid for, the dog chases after the vehicle to get his change and the goat runs away because he knows he did not pay.

David comes back on Wednesday and then leaves on Friday for Windhoek where he will attend the NETS graduation. He is taking an inter-major-town taxi (like a mini bus) - they drive like a banshee and are packed to the gunnels with people. But it can be a language opportunity, if David is sitting next to someone with a language similar enough to Oshikwanyama for him to understand.

The Greek manuscript has gone off for proof-reading. I hope it will need only minimal changes so that I can say I have basically finished! Had I known how much work was involved I would have thought longer before saying ‘yes’. However, ever since I wrote the original manual (1997) I have hoped to present it as a correspondence course for ESL folk.

As school breaks up on 24th November, we have had an early birthday for the children (see pix below). We played games inside for an hour or so until there was enough shade outside to play (the sand is too hot to stand on otherwise, and the sun too strong). I think back to the fun party we had last year, in Armidale, and of everyone who came to add to the happy memory.

David has a one or two of workshops, and a couple of preaching engagements before the end of the year. One of the sermons is for a NETS student who is getting married in December.

Why not write and tell us what YOU have been up to recently?!