A day in the life of Alfred.......'n Dag in die lewe van Alfred......

Fixing things
Regmaak van goeters











Painting.....
Verfwerk.....















Welding ....
Sweis ....














Plumbing.....
Loodgieterswerk ......























Shopping...
Inkopies....













Playing ....
Speel....

English newsletter

The year is only a few weeks old, but we feel as if we are already behind!!
2010 promises to be a full year!!

Project: House building!
We started building our house in May 2009 and now 8 months later and still building, we look back and thank God for His provision and wisdom in every step of the way! When this house is done it will be a monument of God’s faithfulness!!
Two rooms as well as the kitchen-living room floors still need to be finished, doors still need to be made, glass is being fit and the painting has begun!! Lately we have had some setbacks when the drill, water pump and two circular saws broke, but even with all this going on we are progressing well!!
We have tried using as much as we can of the local materials – wood from the veld for the beams and verandas, grass mats for the ceiling, mud bricks and beautiful dead tree stumps all over! A real House of Africa!

Oliver visited us in December and helped a lot with hauling sand, cleaning out the pump, playing with the boys (local boys too) and just being an encouragement to us! He even ate the little stinky fish with relish!! Well done, Oliver – you are a good missionary already!!
Hannes of the White River church is with us at the moment doing some of the carpentry work. We are so thankful for his help!!

Talking about help – is there anyone interested to come and help as we finish off the house – tiling, painting, plumbing, etc?? We guarantee lots of exercise, fresh air, NO traffic and a good night’s rest every night!!  There are flights 4 times a week between Johannesburg or Maputo and Lichinga!!!

Home assignment:
To become part of SIM, or mission, we still need to do a 2 month course. They graciously let us build our house first and so we will return in May to do the course. We will be in SA form late March to mid June. We would love to see some of you then!! We will give out a more detailed program closer to the time.

School:
The Springbuck School started early in January – this year Christiaan will be doing gr 5, Bernard gr 3 and Stefan gr 2!! This is our 5th year of homeschooling!! I do have good students and they work really hard!! When we attend the SIM course they will go to a “normal” school for the term. They are really looking forward to it – dreaming about having friends from their own culture, playing rugby, chess and just having FUN!! Longer school hours and homework is not part of their equation, yet!! This is then also part of our challenge for the year – to finish our own curriculum on top of a longer than usual home assignment!!

What other things keep us busy??
Apart from being a builder, Alfred also helps the community where he can – he has welded many a broken bicycle, motorcycle and mended many mill parts!! Our village hand pump has been out of order for over two months and he fixed that too – the people really suffer from drinking the river water during the rainy season - it was a huge blessing to them! He also helps to haul all kinds of things with the little white truck! Just imagine if the only transport available is a bicycle!! We have been blessed to bless others!

I try and help out with all kinds of medical problems – colds and flu, wounds and burns, tummy aches! The closest clinic is 10km away!! Where I can, I try to make use of things that are locally available – honey, salt, papajas, bananas even custard powder! It is exciting to see how the Lord uses this to touch (and heal) the lives of many people!


The boys enjoy living here!!! They build and plant, saw and recently have started to weld with Alfred’s help! A wonderful life for a child!! Sometimes they miss their own friends, but believe me they can play cops and robbers with any able and willing child and have serious fun!!!

Please pray!:
• We are very thankful to have our car back and also fixed!
• Praise the Lord with us that we could get the roof up without any damage done to the house with all the rain!!!
• Please pray for Alfred and the building work – it is NOT easy to build a house out here in the “bush” – pray for endurance!!!
• We hope to move in soon – maybe end of February – please pray for us as we move again! This will be our 4th move in Mozambique alone!!
• Pray for the boys – the schoolwork, the adaptations lying ahead in this year, fitting into the SA school, etc!!!
• Pray for our general health!
For the people here who need God…..

Thank you:
Thank you to each one for making it possible for us to be here – giving, praying, emailing and many more ways! May the Lord bless you!

With love

Januarie Nuusbrief

Die jaar is maar net 21 dae oud, maar ons voel al klaar asof ons agter is!!!  2010 beloof om ’n vol jaar te wees!

Huisbou:
Die huisbou projek het in Mei 2009 afgeskop en nou, 8 maande later, staan ons weereens verstom en met dankbare harte voor die Here – Hy het op soveel wonderlike maniere voorsien oor die laaste jaar! Wanneer die huis klaar is, sal dit beslis ’n monument wees van God se getrouheid!
Twee slaapkamers, die leef area en kombuis se vloere moet nog gegooi word, deure moet nog gemaak word en vensters word nou ingesit! Daar was ’n paar terugslae met die boor, 2 sirkelsae en die waterpomp wat als in een week gebreek het, maar ten spyte daarvan vorder die werk goed!!!
Ons het probeer om van die plaaslike hout (vensterrame, dakbalke), dooie bome (stoep pale), gras (plafonne) en selfs die rooigrond (bakstene) in ons huis in te werk en dit lyk baie mooi!! ’n Regte Afrika huis!

Hannes Mentz van die Witrivier gemeente kuier (of liewer werk) op die oomblik hier om ons te help met die maak van die kombuiskaste. Ons is baie dankbaar vir sy hulp!

Is daar dalk iemand wat wil kom help vir ’n week met verf-, teël- of loodgieterswerk? Ons waarborg dat jy goed sal slaap, genoeg vars lug sal kry en GEEN verkeer sal sien nie!!  Daar is 4 vlugte per week tussen Maputo (of Johannesburg) en Lichinga!

Tuisbesoek:
Om deel te word van SIM, ons sendingorganisasie, moet ons ’n 2 maande kursus bywoon. Hulle was baie te gemoedkomend en het die kursus uitgestel sodat ons eers die huisbou projek kan afhandel. Die kursus is van 12 April tot 11 Junie. Ons sal van 17 Maart tot 4 April in Pretoria wees. Ons hoop om lekker saam te kuier en sal nader aan die tyd ’n program kan deurgee.

Skool:
Die Springbokskool het al die 4de Januarie weggetrek op ’n dolle vaart! Dié jaar is Christiaan in gr 5, Bernard gr 3 en Stefan gr 2. Ek het darem drie baie oulike studente en hulle werk hard. Die tydperk wat ons in SA moet wees vir die SIM kursus sal die drie na ’n gewone skool gaan – hulle sien baie uit daarna en droom van rugby speel, baie maatjies hê wat almal soos hulle lyk en dink – natuurlik glad nie aan huiswerk en langer skooltye nie, maar ek gaan hulle nie nou al te veel oor die aspek inlig nie!!! Dit is dan ook deel van ons uitdaging die jaar – om ons eie kurrikulum klaar te maak saam met ’n langer as normale tuisbesoek!

Waarmee hou ons onsself nog besig??
Buiten die huisbou help Alfred baie met allerhande sweiswerk – hy het al talle fietse, motorfietse en meulens reg gesweis! Hy het ook nou die dag die dorp se enigste boorgat handpomp reggemaak – die pomp was al twee maande lank stukkend en die mense moes die vuil rivierwater drink met slegte gevolge vir die mae!! Hy help ook om goed aan te ry met die wit trokkie en het nie ’n vervelige oomblik of ruskans nie!!!

Ek help waar ek kan met mediese probleme – verkoues en griep, maagprobleme, wonde en brandwonde sien ek gereeld – die kliniek is 10km se stap of fietsry van ons huis af!! Waar ek kan, gebruik ek plaaslike beskikbare “medisyne”: heuning, sout, papaja, piesangs en selfs vlapoeier! Die Here seën dit en dis wonderlik om te sien hoe Hy deur die basiese goed mense se lewens aanraak!!



Die kinders geniet die lewe hier BAIE!!! Hulle kap en saag, bou en plant! Dis ’n heerlike lewe vir ’n kind! Soms mis hulle maatjies van hul eie kultuur maar glo my hulle speel tog te heerlik “cops and robbers” met enige gewillige siel!!!

Ons is ook baie dankbaar dat ons vir ’n week en ’n half oor Kerstyd saam met vriende kon gaan uitspan by die meer. Dit was ’n wonderlike tyd van rus, kuier en net weer batterye herlaai!!!

Gebedsversoeke – dra ons asb op aan die Here!:
• Ons is baie dankbaar dat ons kar weer reg is!
• Sê saam met ons dankie dat ons die sinkdak kon opkry en dat die Here die huis beskerm het teen al die reën in die tyd!!!
• Bid asb vir Alfred met die bouwerk – dit is nie maklik om hier in die “bos” ’n huis te bou nie – bid asb vir krag en uithouvermoë!!! Ons is in die pylvak!!!
• Ons hoop om eersdaags in te trek – dalk einde Februarie – bid asb vir die voltooiing van die huis en ook vir ons as gesin. Hierdie is ons 4de trek net in Mosambiek!!!!
• Bid asb vir ons skool en die kinders met al die uitdagings en aanpassing die jaar!
• Kan jul ook bid vir ons algemene gesondheid??
• Bid asb ook vir die mense hier wat God so nodig het!!

Dankie:
Baie, baie dankie vir elkeen wat ons help om hier te kan wees – finansiële hulp, saam bid, besoeke, inkopies en oproepe – mag die Here julle seën!

Baie liefde

Ons huis soos dit nou lyk!! Vensterruite word nou ingesit en die vloere is amper klaar! Besig met deure, kombuiskaste, loodgieterwerk!!

````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
This is how our house looks like now! We are busy with the window panes, kitchen cupboards and the floors! Tiling painting, making doors!!













Die seuns het 'n vlot gebou! Dit is immers die reentyd!!
``````````````````````````````````````````````````
The boys built a raft - is it becasue of all the rain??

Nuus volg binnekort!

watch this space!