off to cape Town!!

Hi everyone…. a short message as it is early and we are off to cape town.  We are going to stay with family of ron and Sybil’s in Cape Town.  That is so awesome because the boys and i will be staying in ‘a flat’ they have (like a studio) and Daniel will be staying inside with the family.  that helps out so much with expenses and makes it for a more ’stress free’ environment.  our funds are running low, so the break helps. 

Speaking of money, thanks to the wonderful group at church that raised a little extra for me and gave it to Schaun.  I have recieved it already and it sure helped out. 

 We will be back sometime Monday.  It feels funny to leave me ‘family’ but i guess we need to get out.   The girls all want me to wake them up for an early 0530 departure…so, i will be doing that and then we are off.  i will try to find and internet place where i can drop a line or two while we are gone.  

 I took all the girls to get tested again today and uuuuggggggggg ‘it’s africa’.  I called two clinics, they said they were too busy at one, the other one said ‘bring them now’ and then when we got there, they said they were too busy to test.  So, i am having someone come to the house on Wed. (next week) at 1500 our time to test everyone…. the girls are being so brave and we talked about ‘going through it like sisters’.  they liked that idea and are excited to get it behind them…. keep you posted.

Also, Daniel’s dad and Schaun are coming here at the end of july.  Dave (daniel’s dad, the one who taught him to nearly run out of gas and be very elusive during cleaning hour) is willing to bring toothbrushes if you still have them MGM?  Look out Dave, my neighbor has a few little things too if you don’t mind??? (snicker, few things….haha).

Thank you all again for continuing to pray for us…. we love and miss you all so much.

Love,

jennifer, joseph and james

wow is all i can say!

Hi again.  Lots to report today.  It has been a busy few days so i will have to type fast…. Friday, I went back to my new ‘village’ to check on the baby i put on antibiotics and to see the HIV woman contemplating and abortion.  The baby was getting much better.  He was not coughing anymore and his ears were looking better.  His mom, however, had a fever, swollen glands, lots of aching and just looked awful.  So i put her on antibiotics too.  

When we first arrived at the ‘village’, the HIV woman met me first with a huge smile and said she cancelled her abortion.  Now she has to have her cd4 level checked on the 13^th.  Prayers please for that.  I will keep you posted.  I went back later that evening and left her a bottle of vitamins.  She looked so at peace with her decision… 

My boys…. Wow, all is can say is wow.  They spent half their mission money on Friday as well.  They bought a soccer ball, coats, shoes, socks, pants and blankets.  They took the soccer ball to the kids that are always playing out in front of my new favorite place.  They loved it!  Then, james bought a huge blanket for a family that he over heard say that they get cold at night.  So he ran right up to their shack to give it to them.  The clothes are for another little boy they have befriended and they can’t wait to see him and give him his goods.  I know i keep saying how proud of the boys i am, but i really am.  They have done fantastic over here… i can’t believe how well they have adjusted, how easily they have made friends and how tender their little hearts are.  They are so compassionate.   

Saturday we all went to Grahmstown for a festivel.  We had a great time.  Lots of things to look at and buy.  The boys got their birthday presents there.  They both wanted an African drum.  So, stupid me, i decided that was perfect.  Well, i should have waited until the END of the trip to get those… i feel like i am in the middle of that movie Drumline.  Between them and Daniel drumming every night, the roosters every morning… i am going to learn to sleep through anything… J 

Today was an awesome example of how God  works.  Just last week, going to this village was just a mere ‘desire’.  Now we have been able to treat the sick and today the teachers were able to teach an English class.  We showed up at 0800 (little too early, my fault), that is the time i picked when i asked if some of the ladies if they would like to learn English…  It was a slow start.  Nobody was there at first but by the end of the first hour, there were around six women and  three children.  They loved it! There was an empty shack in the middle of this town and in it were four picnic type tables…. Like it was just waiting there just for a class to be held.  They are all coming back tomorrow and the teachers did great.  They played a cool ‘english bingo’ game.  What a great way to learn English… can’t wait until tomorrow.  I will get pictures sent soon.   

On the other hand, Daniel and i went to motherwell today to get the food parcels bought, but also to visit the girl’s family that died last week.  Her grandmother was understandably upset still and had a big hug for us.  She cried.  We gave her some sponsorship money to help with funeral costs (money that was donated for the girl) and said our goodbyes.  Very sad.  Her grandmother said she knew she was going to die because the last night she was alive, the little girl asked her grandmother to light some candles for her…. 

There is a new boy here who is going to stay.  He fits in nicely and loves joseph and james….he is something else…look out girls. 

Well, lots going on here.  Tomorrow i am going to try to take some of the older girls in to be tested, they say they are ready….so you know what that means… pray, pray….  

Thanks so much for your support everyone…. Your prayers and warm encouragement really keep us going….sometimes that is all we hold onto for the moment. 

In his hands,Jen, joe, james 

 

 

 

Pictures!

Sad day

My friends and family,  hello…… we miss you all so much.  Today i could use a hug from each of you.  My little girl in Motherwell (the one in her home with aids) died yesterday.  L  We received a phone call from her school teacher (the one who introduced us in the first place) today saying she passed away.  I am so sad.  This fragile little life taken by a hideous disease that shows no mercy.   She suffered tremendously and to see a child, the same age as my youngest son, be tormented by something so powerful really makes you feel small and helpless.  But maybe the mercy came in our Lord calling her home.  Her suffering is over and now she is resting.  I know that sounds so cliché, but now i really understand what a relief it is almost to know that someone is at peace after paying a toll that none us have had to go through before.  Each breath seemed painful and her heart was growing weary.  I had such hope for her as i know God’s mercy’s are new every day and he performs miracles all the time.  The boys were a little upset (as they have been with me each time i visited her) but they understand her suffering is over. 

 

Today we also went to get two more children here from ocean’s tested and we had to leave the clinic because 10  workers didn’t show up.  They didn’t have the staff to test.  So, we will try again tomorrow and Monday and every other day as long as the girls are still eager to do so.  They are so brave and i see a shift in their strength now that their counseling is almost over. 

 

We delivered donated diapers today to some people in Motherwell.  Tomorrow I plan on rechecking the baby in my new ‘village in the woods’ and seeing the woman that had been beaten.  We will take her a new pair of glasses and see if that helps as well as some food.

 

Update on the young woman who was contemplating an abortion… me and mama went and visited her yesterday evening and mama was awesome!  She told her all the problems she may have with an abortion and her HIV status, not to mention her emotional state, and warned her of some of the consequences.  After much discussion we prayed for her, me first in English and then mama in Xhosa.  It was great.  Then as we were leaving, she said she has decided to not have an abortion, but we will keep visiting her and she how she is doing.  Her next visit is on the 11^th.  So again, prayer warriors, do your thing.   

 

We also receive a new child at the orphanage tomorrow.  A four year old boy… can’t wait to see him, there needs to be some boys around here.

 

 

Thanks for all your prayers for my sweet girl in Motherwell. 

 

We love you all very much,

Jennifer, Joseph and James

 

Follow your promptings!

Wow, is all i can say.  It is amazing it is to me how God puts a small prompting inside and if you are obedient to that He will really put you to work.  I prayed today before we went to that little ‘village’ in the woods, that God would use us powerfully and He did!  ’  We packed up the car again not knowing what we would do or find, but with a goal in mind to just minister to the ‘people in the woods’ and in one hour, we had our hands full.   My goal is to be going a couple of times a week on our ‘down’ times if we can.   Jimmy and Amy went with us this time and took some sandwiches along with our toothbrushes and toothpaste and my medical supplies.   We didn’t make it too far in and we had all the work we could handle, we ran out of time and had to schedule some times to come back. 

 

We were very well received again and the placid memory of the first time we were there was again present .   I asked if anyone was ill in the community and over a period of about 30 minutes, there were enough people to treat .  There was one baby (one year old) with double ear infections and with what sounded like the start of an upper respiratory infection.  So, i am taking antibiotics to the mom later today.  Then as we were leaving, i noticed a woman whose face looked disfigured.  I stopped and asked her what happened to her face.  She said she had been beaten.  I asked her what else was hurting and she showed me her head.  There was dried blood throughout her hair and numerous open wounds from where she had been beaten.  Her face was full of scars and her right eye was destroyed from a previous beating she had received and had been hit in the eye by a bottle.  As we talked she said she was unable to see out of the other eye very well which kept her from getting a job.  Her eye filled with tears as she talked about her three children that she was unable to care for.  I told her we would meet with her again on Friday and bring her some clothes for them and i am going to just guess on a RX. for glasses and see if they help at all.  I also asked if anyone wanted to learn English (we took one of the girls from the house with us to interpret).  The group of women that were standing around got huge grins on their faces and all were very excited at the opportunity.  So, hopefully the teachers that are here can try and teach them some English.  We are going to schedule a time and see how that goes…. Can’t wait to see if that pans out… we will see… another excited opportunity!!! Pray, pray.

 

But one of the most significant interactions that came up was on my way out i saw a woman chasing after me.  She stopped me and told me she was two months pregnant with her first baby and she is HIV positive.  She said she is considering an abortion and her family is encouraging that as well.  I asked her what her CD4 count is and she said 234 (very low).  I wasn’t sure what to do other than to strongly discourage the abortion and told her of medications that are out there that can keep her healthy and the baby too.  It is possible for an HIV positive mom to deliver an HIV negative baby.  I could see hope in her eyes.  She said her boyfriend wants to keep the baby too.  We are going back this afternoon with mama to pray with her and to encourage her.  When mama heard of this woman she said ‘no, i can not allow her to do that… she will die from the abortion’.  So, we will be going at 1700 my time… She is scheduled on the 11^th to recheck her CD4 count and at that time she is supposed to decide if she wants the abortion or not.  Please pray for this woman and her gift from God.  I will keep you updated!! 

 

The boys were again amazing today.  They have such compassionate hearts.  They love to hand out toothbrushes and toothpaste and sandwiches.  As soon as we got back from the little town, james came to me and said ‘mom, quick, we have to go and buy a blanket so i can take it to them tonight, they said they are cold at night time…’ !  Way to go my son.  I can’t believe God gave me two boys with such wonderful spirits… Joseph just jumps right in and makes friends with the kids around and he sees the pain in their eyes and is moved to teas sometimes…. i am speechless when i watch them….. i am so blessed.  Thank you Lord.

 

For the fourth we grilled hamburgers and hotdogs and ate potato salad.  The kids made American flags and south African flags… it was a great time.  Sister ate a hotdog for the first time and said ‘if you aren’t going to eat your hotdog, i will’… J  so, she did!

 

Lots going on, keep the prayers coming!

We love you all,

Jennifer, Joseph and James. 

  Hello all!  Everything is going great here… what a good day.  It was warm and beautiful.  I went for a run this morning (don’t worry, I was with amy and jimmy)and then I wanted to go and minister to a little place i saw hidden in the trees on the way to the lion park.  So Daniel, the boys, one of the girls from here and myself packed up all the toothbrushes and toothpaste and hit the road. 

 

This place was so cool (cool in the way it made me feel, of course not in the way that they are forced to live).  You can not get into this community by car.  You can see it from the road, but we had to park just off the road and walk.  I was a little worried how they would ‘receive’ us because we didn’t really have an agenda but i really wanted to go and show them that we care and maybe i could find some needs that could be met. These shacks are woven into the trees, amongst hills and bushes.   So, we started with a few children we saw on the edge of this place called ‘swazidinga’ (at least that is how it sounds).  They were playing in a pile of dirt.  We gave them toothbrushes and toothpaste.  Soon there were several families coming out of the woodwork (pun intended) wanting toothbrushes.  They loved them.  As we walked farther into this place, the most noticeable thing was how quiet it was.  All you could hear were bare footsteps in the dirt (do you know what that sounds like?), a woman doing her washing in a tub and at one point a young man riding a bike through and you could hear the rattling of his chain.  Because there is not electricity, there were no tv’s or radios blaring.  It was so peaceful.  They were very welcoming and of course eager to have a toothbrush.  I noticed one family looked to all be very thin and ‘sickly’ so i plan on going back there later in the week to see if they have any needs.  Of course i am going to have to try and find the same path to go down first…J

 

Then we came home and we had a ‘garage dwellers’ cleaning session.  We all took on a job and we cleaned our little garage…. it smells so much better now.  Everyone pitched in (Daniel was very elusive during the cleaning time, another trait he said he learned from his dad) J I wouldn’t say we are ‘sparkling’ now, but better.   Tomorrow, Nandy comes again to do counseling for the girls and then i think they have an ‘outing’ planned for later. 

 

We are considering going to
cape town in the next couple of weeks, but so far, it is just the boys, Daniel and myself considering going, so i don’t know if we will do that.  It would help with the cost to have some more people go with us…so, we are hopeful. J 

 

Andrea, it is good to hear from you, thanks for taking such good care of lucy.  Susan, don’t be in too good of shape because i am going to be a super slow runner when i return…Anna, can you send a picture of Amanda, Katie and Molly?  Thanks to my patient (won’t say your name) for sending the beautiful letter and pictures of Truman.  I really appreciated getting something in the mail.  Darlene, i miss you, tell the girls, andy and marty hi for me.  Mischele, lisa fell asleep on my lap today and i gave her a kiss for you when  laid her down, still praying…. To the boys friends- thanks for all the messages, they read them all the time, they can’t always respond (or are too busy too) but they love to hear from all of you.  Mom, can you make a hair appointment for me with kate in the first couple of days i am home?  i cut my hair yesterday myself and am realizing how much i love my hairstylist.  J 

 

I have found the best spot in the mornings… i climb up in the tree house with my porridge and cup of tea or instant coffee and watch the sun rise…. Wow, an African sunrise is almost as good as the sunsets.  Nothing quite compares to seeing the milky way though and the big yellow moon suspended in the sky with all the clusters of lights surrounding it.

 

Dreaming of my bed……..

 

wbh

 

Lots of love, please don’t stop praying for us,

Jennifer, Joseph and James

 

 

 

 

The front seat is better!

Hello family and friends… what an amazing couple of days.  We are having the best time, finally things feel like the ball is rolling and i can see God’s efforts and goals being accomplished and how blessed am i to have a front row seat?!

 

We visited the little girl (homebound girl with aids) on Friday and she is about the same as earlier in the week.  I dropped off some more supplement and she seems to be taking it in pretty well. 

 

Then we went to the lion park yesterday and had another amazing time.  The lion jumped up on the back of our truck and one came up and bit the door handle and it pulled up!! Guess whose door it was?  Yep, mine!  It didn’t open but you would have thought that not only did it open but that it took a chunk out of my body… i was ready to get going after that…  Then we had lunch up on a hill overlooking the valley and the boys got to get into a pin with lion cubs.  They were 5 months old.  To get all of this recorded, of course someone needed to get in there also and take pictures… i looked around for the boys’ mother, didn’t see her so…. I volunteered.  It was actually very fun.  I thought it would be completely safe since they have people all the time in there and often children… so i was surprised when one of the workers ran behind me and had to smack one of the cubs on the nose because he was sneaking up behind me… you know that crouch that your cat does when they are coming around the furniture?  That is what this guy was doing…. That happened twice and then joseph had to jerk his arm out of the cats mouth and we decided we were done…

 

One of my favorite relationships here has been the one with sister.  We often have to take mama or sister up to a corner where a bus comes by or a taxi.  She asked if i would take her to see her son, who traveled all the way from motherwell (approx. 45 min.) to get money from her (it was payday).  It is not uncommon for families to be separated while at least one of the family members is away working.  In this case it is sister.  Whenever sister rides in a car she always sits in the backseat.  It was just me and her this time so i asked if she would please sit up front with me because i can’t talk to her as well and friends sit next to each other.  She said she has never ridden in the front seat of a car before, so she made herself comfortable in the back as usual.  So i took her to the corner and she saw her son there on the street.  We pulled over and then we got out and walked to a corner store.  I told her son (19 y.o.) that i really like his mom and i thought she was funny.  The usual son reply ‘i don’t know her to be funny’.   Haha.  Anyway, as we walked through the store, sister and i laughed and talked and her son ‘loly’ (she calls him) just watched us.  Then before he left, sister said, he is watching us because he has never seen me with a friend before… i have never had a friend.    Then as they hugged goodbye and she gave him money… i started the car and was waiting… then ‘boom, boom, boom’ i startled and looked over at the passenger side of the car and there was sister.  She had a huge grin on her face (even funnier because she doesn’t have any teeth) and she was waiting for me to unlock the front door.  I let out a squeal and she climbed in the FRONT SEAT.  We drove off next to each other just like friends do, laughing at how she has never been in a front seat before!!  I loved it.   She will always be close to my heart.  Funny how despite language barriers, despite cultural barriers, economic barriers, race and so many more, we are able to find harmony and love each other anyway. 

Phumlani is still working.  He just applied for an I.D.  and is going next week to open an account.  I noticed this morning that he even tithed with his new income… way to go phumster!!  (he laughs when i call him that).   As far as the NF dx., the doctor was pretty sure he has it but not willing to put a ‘stamp’ on it until another dr. confirms.  So, trying to get him in still.

 

The boys, they are doing great.  They have really gained new siblings here.  Today in church, the 2 y.o. sat on James’ lap the entire time and wouldn’t let anyone else hold her.  He did great with her and his spirit never tires… he amazes me.  What a true gift from God.  Joseph has grown so much and just is a ton of fun everywhere he goes.  He is great friends with all the kids here and he makes sister and mama laugh all the time.  They both just jump right in and you would never know that they haven’t been here for years.  Their hearts are now open to all that is here.  I can see it.  I am so proud of them.  They are angels at work…

 

We love you all and even though our hearts are full here, we miss you all there… wbh, We will see you soon, 

Xxoo sm

 

Much love,

Jennifer, Joseph and James

God is so Good!

Hello everyone… again, a day of anxiety at times but ultimately a day of praise and relief… I got another child tested today and the results of another one as well.  They both came back negative and whew, now i can rejoice and look forward to the next step.  I called the doctor on the results of the other child and how frustrating… “call back at 1200 please”.  I called back at 1200 was told “he is busy, he will call you back shortly”.  I waited a few hours and called again and still, “i see the results, but i can not give them to you, please call later”… i was waiting with baited breath.  Finally, at around 5:00 i asked Daniel to call for the results and of course, a direct transfer and yippee, another negative result!!  Praise God, you are so merciful.  On the way back for the test this morning (after an immediate negative result) i could here the child right behind me, looking out the window singing ‘waves of mercy, waves of grace’ and all i could think of was how true and how beautiful that is…. 

Denise, thaks for putting up the pics below!

Today was also the first day the girls counseling started.  We picked up the counselor and brought her to the house and she stayed for about two hours.  After I took her home, two of the older children said they were ready to be tested and wanted to know when they could go.  I told them i would like to wait until after the next three counseling sessions (which is next tues., wed, and thurs.).  They were okay with that but if they get a real fire about it, i will take them and just hold the results until after the counseling… they are growing spiritually and emotionally every day… i just love to see it.   

Tomorrow, i will be visiting the young girl in the township again and taking her some more supplements and checking the sores in her mouth.  I can’t wait to see her and i hope she looks even better.   

Things are pretty crazy around here…. please pray for peace and harmony as this last month is going to be crazy.  Two more ladies are coming today and they are teachers.  They are not staying here but are coming for a month and i just heard ‘don’t have their own car’.. yikes, i do not know how that is going to work.   God has surprised me with many things here though, so i am sure He will work this out too.    

We miss you all so much.  The boys are still going strong but are getting a little bit home sick, ready to see their family and friends. As usual, they are in it for the long haul and josesh even said ‘here i am complaining about driving situations and ‘myboys’ (talking about the young boy across the field whose mom died a few weeks ago, that is what joseph calls him) is without a mother and lives by the heat of a fire’.  So, i think i can deal with this for a while… J  Yea Joseph!! 

Much love to you all, Please be praying,Jennifer, Joseph and James 

Hi our family and friends… thanks so much for all your support, you all mean so much to us!!! We love you!!  I can’t wait to get home and give you all a personal hug and thank you!   

Today was a long day.  In the morning we went to Motherwell Township and visited the little girl from last week that is fighting aids and unable to walk. 

I wasn’t sure what do to for her so all i could do was leave a nutritional supplement for her to take three times a day.  It is an expensive supplement (80Rand per can).  Your money paid for that! Thank you so much.  When we saw her again today, she was a little better (at least to me or maybe it was me just wanting her to be).  But her face was still thin but not as sunken.  I was so pleased to see she made it through the weekend as i can not get her off my mind.  She is my personal mission now.  Her heart was still racing and her breathing was still labored.  I saw a few sores in her mouth developing so i gave some new medicine for that (thrush medicine) and i will be checking on her later in the week.  Her sponsor from the states (she received sponsorship within one day, food parcels) is here now and will see her for the first time this week.  Way to go Sue.   

Then I took one of the kids to the doctor for hiv testing and to see if neurofibromatosis is a possibility.  The doctor stated he had only seen one person in all of his practice with NF but it certainly looked as if that was the case…. So, off to another specialist to get another confirmation.  Thank you all so much for your prayers, please keep praying for this but most of all for strength for this one.  I will get the HIV test results back in two days…. God, keep your hand on this child as this life has already suffered so much… be merciful.   

What will tomorrow bring…?  i am supposed to take another one to be tested at different clinic…but we are having a hard time locating it.  I am hopeful that i can find it.  Again, keep praying. The test results tomorrow, i should have by the time i leave the clinic.    

I love you so much and am missing you all.  I can’t wait to see you all.   i have a plan to collapse and regenerate after i return.  This is certainly not a vacation but i didn’t think it would be.   

Loving you guys all the time,

Wbh sm, xxoo

Jennifer, Joseph and James