Happy Thanksgiving!

There's the nose! Evangel had quite an accident. If Paul and I sprout a ton of new grey hairs, it may be related to this one. She was rollerblading with Berwick, our German shepherd, and Josh, and her feet crossed. She did a nose dive onto the pavement. Paul picked her up out of the puddle of blood, and escorted her home so I could be traumatized too. There was a LOT of blood, covering her whole face, neck, and hands, not to mention her clothes, and on Paul, too.

We dashed off to the doctor's, and from there to ER. The bone was broken, but it would heal fine, we were told. Everyone said, "I could stitch it up, but you really need a plastic surgeon to stitch that up." So we went to a plastic surgeon, and he put 18 tiny little stitches in the bridge of her nose.

I like more mudane days like when Joshua finds creative uses for polymer clay, while Daniel looks on admiringly.

Evangel went on a cooking binge, experimenting with our newly sprouted lentils. Josh was her chief helper, and Berwick a very attentive audience.

Results were delicious.

I just had a funny call, but sweet and encouraging.l. A lady called and when I asked, "Can I help you?" she said, "No, man, I want you to pray for me." She has been reading Paul's book, Answers to Prayer and she and her husband are both out of work, and want to be hired in law enforcement. She's not only praying, she's going to the Union.

Yesterday a lady called who I had met last December when Paul preached in Rondebosch. She was telling me that her Muslim stepdaughter had heard Paul preach in Mitchell's Plain and was very enthusiastic about it, and was considering what it would mean if she were to become a Christian. How nice to get a glimpse into the on-going effects of Paul's preaching since we don't see much of what happens after he's there.

I wish I had taken pictures yesterday! The phone calls wouldn't be much to see, but the company was beautiful! We had the Johannekans, as we affectionately call our friends Dion and Johanneke, over, so that we could meet Johanneke's sister Miryam and her fiancé Mattais. We celebrated Thanksgiving with them. Gloria outdid herself in the cooking department. She whipped out the meal for 15 people, complete with a stuffed turkey, potatoes & gravy, sweet potatoe casserole, greens donated by our friends the Becketts, green beans, and pumpkin pie. The Johannekans brought all the drinks. Both of our families particularly enjoy juice spiked with Sprite or something similar. What a feast!

Then we did a little Thanksgiving skit before we split up by boys, girls, engaged couple, and married couples. Boys swam, girls did crafts, engaged couple took a romantic walk, and the married couples hashed out some theological problems. It was a precious, relaxed day with like-minded people. Praise the Lord for friends and time to be with them.

Tonight we're going out to share a Thanksgiving dinner with the Hammond family and others at Frontline Fellowship in Rondebosch. At home we spent awhile reminding ourselves of all we have to be thankful for.

Wonder Secretary

Such a variety of experiences, for Paul, all in one day, I just had to tell you.

First he went to a school in the Paarl area, and got THE blank look. Most schools remember the appointment. But some: "Who are you? What are you doing in our school? WHO scheduled you here?" That sort of thing. Most of the time, someone figures out who done it, and he is at last allowed to speak. Today it didn't work. Nobody would admit to anything, and was told, "Sorry" at the 8 o'clock appointment. So he did some other errands until the 10:00 appointment, and that one was a success!

There he also got the blank look, but the principal saved the day! She acted like she didn't know what he was talking about, but then decided to go for it. She called the entire school outside to the courtyard of the school, and it was a school! One thousand, three hundred, forty five students! That sort of made up for the other one falling through.

So Paul had to hustle to get his easel and chalk equipment set up, and then away they went. He always asks lots of questions as he preaches, and after a few minutes, he could tell this group of Xhosa kids wasn't understanding too much, though they were watching him draw pretty respectfully. He asked for an interpreter, and the principal stepped in again! He said the students listened so well, and she was also quick to squelch a little pushing incident that was starting in the middle of that huge crowd of kids standing up listening.

The kids were attentive, and responsive at the invitation. One time they all started waving their hands at a part when he hadn't asked for a response, so he wasn't sure what was going on with the translator at that point, but it seemed like a good thing.

He left, there and started for home and next came a hitch hiker. This hitch hiker had an unusual job: he pays the fines for Taxi Drivers. Now a South African taxi, is a 12 (or 30?) passenger van that works like a bus. Taxi drivers are notoriously rude drivers, but I had no idea a man could make a living just paying their fines for them. Interesting.

So Paul got to talk to him about the Lord, and he asked the Lord to save him! He asked for our phone number so he could get further counseling.

It was quite a positive day. Not to mention working at home and fun with the kids and counseling in a divorce situation.

OK, so the flower picture had nothing to do with this day, but I thought it was cute. It's from apple picking in August.

Check out the little dude!

It doesn't get much cuter then this! Daniel and I have a new little routine. We go through my make-up bag together. He stops here to admire the beet juice around his mouth, and the lip marks on his head. The women around here can't resist him.




Evangel got ahold of him next, and transformed his conservative cut, to something a bit more African/wild.
What a coy guy.

Joshua got ahold of my crutches and boot. In fact, he even got the right look on his face! I think that's my "longsuffering" look.

Next comes a flashback to my first cast. It wasn't removable like the boot. The kids decorated it a few days before I had it off, and I put my favorite card (kitten in cast) between my toes to make this precious memory.

I'll be glad when all casts and boots are just a "precious" memory, but I have high hopes of growing in grace and patience and being more like Jesus when this is over.


And one last murky glimpse of the new family fish tank. We all like it, but watching the 2 year olds around here watch fish, makes it well worth our while to keep a tank. Maybe I can have a better picture next time. Maybe I'll even catch a glimpse of Curly, the eel.

I graduated

to a boot. It's a high tech boot! It's so cool. It has 3 big Velcro straps, and a little inflatable bag on each side of my ankle. I can pump up the little bags to give a safer, snugger fit. So I'm good to go! But I can't go. I am supposed to sit around for 6 more weeks! Six whole weeks! 42 days, well 41 now, since my appointment was yesterday. I feel like getting depressed, but I'm procrastinating. Procrastinating is normally something I struggle with, but occasionally I can make it work for me. Like I thought about making "The Procrastinator's Diet". If someone procrastinates eating long enough, they ought to lose weight, right? Nice theory.

Grace is still with us. She got her passport in just a few hours yesterday at the American Embassy which is just about 10 minutes from our house. We couldn't rouse anyone there on Friday or over the weekend, even on the emergency number, but we were impressed with their quickness yesterday.

Now we have to wait to hear from Joy on when the rescheduled plane ticket will be. She is waiting for some money, because the airline charges $250.00 for a changed flight, apparently, even when the ticket was stolen on the way to the airport.

Paul hasn't had time to get the car lock fixed, but he and Grace are off in it to Paarl this morning to two schools. He is so pleased with November's schedule. Lizelle scheduled him in 30 schools, all in the Paarl area (not far from where they were robbed). He's only been to one of them ever before. It's an evangelist's dream--that is one of his good dreams. In his nightmares, he dreams he is at a school or church and has some essential piece of equipment missing.

I got out Goodbye, Pie one of the kids' old books this morning, to read to Danielito. He didn't last past page 2, but my 3 big kids hung around attentively while I read this book aimed at 5 year olds. It was funny, and rather a sweet moment.

We need a few sweet moments. I feel like I just sit and boss all the time. It's a whole lot easier to say, "Hurry up and do your chores," when I'm bustling around too. I feel like a hypocrite cracking the whip from my prone position.