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Our time with family….

Posted on January 6, 2016 Leave a Comment

was AWESOME!! My mom asked me (Tate) to do a blog post about having our family with us over Christmas this year. They were here a total of 17 days and it was PACKED full of FUN.

The blessing baskets started because we wanted to bless the people who work for J-life. My mom met with Esther in September and asked what would be the biggest blessing to the people here and the Blessing Baskets were created. My Aunt Cindy put a request on the city and also to the Sunday school classes at our church, or to anyone else who wanted to donate. Our goal was set for 50 but everyone blessed us with enough funds to assemble 80 blessing baskets!! Each basket was given away to people in need. About half of the baskets went to the J-life workers and the other half of them went to a group of elderly people located in a township near Johannesburg. These elderly people don’t have proper identification, so they are unable to apply for grants to help them. On top of that, they are taking care of children or grandchildren. We had many grateful hearts, and the elderly people in Johannesburg were so happy that they started singing songs of thankfulness to God.

We were also able to meet with Skip, a guy who works in the local community, and help him with a feeding program. It was considered a smaller program because everyone is South Africa takes holiday (aka vacation) for most of December. The majority of the people who showed up for food were elderly people as well. Aunt Cindy, Aunt Chris and Grandma were able to help set up tables, and we helped distribute the maize meal and veggies. It reminds me how blessed we are because we have so much food, and so many people have barely anything.

Our favorite part of having family here was playing games, games, and more game. We played soccer, RISK, MONOPOLY, video games, and cards. It was hot most of the time they were here, so we also got a lot of swimming in as well.

We spent the last week with the family in Kruger National Park. We were in the park for 2 full days looking for animals. It was very HOT, and we only explored about 1/10 of the park. Kruger National Park is the size of Israel. We saw the BIG 5 our first day at the park. We all wondered how the Big 5 got their name, and this is what we discovered.

How did these five animals – the lion, elephant, buffalo, rhinoceros and leopard – come to be called the Big Five?

It was originally a hunting term used by the so-called ‘great white hunters’ in the hunting heyday of the 19^th and early 20^thcenturies, when professional hunters bagged as many trophies as possible in as short a time as possible.

Considered a rite of passage for seasoned travelers, everybody from American presidents to European royalty and heads of state came to Africa to shoot a large, dangerous animal. The Big Five quickly became known as the most dangerous animals to hunt on foot.

We also had the rare chance to see two wild dogs, two different times. There are only 120 wild dogs in the entire park, that sure was a TREAT!!

We love to take people to ACTS Family Church in Extension 23. This time they asked all the guys to come to the front of the church and dance with the Pastor, who was sharing the word of God with us. It was very embarrassing but fun at the same time. My mom took a video and it is below….you can see that white people can’t dance!!

At the very end of their trip we were also able to watch Megan get baptized. She has wanted to get baptized in Africa for a long time. It was a blessing to hear her testimony and be together again with our cousins.

For Austin, Tanner, Hudson and myself, the hardest part about being here is being away from our cousins. We miss them daily and had such a GREAT time with them while they were here.

-Tate

Merry Christmas!!

Posted on December 25, 2015 2 Comments

We are spending our last few days with family here. I promise I will post more as soon as I have a free moment.

Our 2015 has been filled with blessings, challenges and surrendering to our Heavenly Father. May we all be reminded today of how much He loves us, and how humble He came to save us.

Love you all, and Merry Christmas from RSA!!

A farewell to the 2015 trainees….

Posted on December 7, 2015 Leave a Comment

This past Friday Rob took Tate, Austin and Siyabonga as well as the 2015 trainees from the year-long beta program to the Drakensberg mountains. It was a time to hear everyone’s testimony on how they have seen God work in their lives this past year. It has been an amazing year, with lots of up’s and down’s, difficulties of being away from home, family, friends, and also having such a drastic change in our lifestyle with jobs and culture. But, it was refreshing to hear the testimonies of many of the young adults. A good reminder that God doesn’t need us, but has used us as we lived life with some of these young adults, and gain a better understand of how we should all strive to be more like Christ. As you can see by the pictures, we were surrounded by breath-taking views, as well as, a very challenging hike. What a way to end 2015, and look forward to what God has in store for us in 2016.

Durban, South Africa. The beach….

Posted on December 3, 2015 Leave a Comment

is such an amazing sight. I could sit for hours and just watch the tide role in. Very last-minute we decided to pack up the quantum and do a quick road trip. Our group consisted of us, as well as, Thobile, Siyabonga, Dana, Nathi, and Karabo. 4 of them have lived in Lesotho or South Africa their entire lives and never stepped foot on a beach. Since our time is coming to an end with the trainees we decided to surprise them. Durban is approximately 5 hours away, so we left early on Tuesday morning.

What fun to see the ones who had never seen the ocean before, stand in awe at the sheer size of it. It took them a few minutes to get their toes wet, but once they did, there was no turning back.

We spent the rest of Tuesday at the beach. On Wednesday we took a tour of the 2010 World Cup Soccer Stadium, and then back to the beach. It rained on and off but that didn’t stop our group from spending the entire day in the waves. We came home Thursday morning with sand between our toes and many, many fun memories. Rob and I enjoy all of these kids, and consider each one a part of our family. Boy did we get some crazy looks, and awkward stares, but it didn’t bother us. All 11 bring so much diversity to the table, and yet we have so much in common. Our last names aren’t all the same, the color of our skin isn’t the same but each one of us represent a child of God and long to follow Him in obedience in everything we do.

Thank you God for allowing us to experience the ocean, dig our feet in the sand, and feel such deep love for the family you have placed us in right now. May we never forget how perfectly you orchestrate every detail of our lives!! We love you.

The americans are here….yahoo!!

Posted on November 30, 2015 Leave a Comment

Everyone from the states arrived safely after a couple of long flights. Out of the 12 that came, a few weren’t feeling so well, but still fun to see their tried eyes and smiling faces.

It was a VERY busy week. Our first few days were spent in Pilanesberg National Park. We saw some of the big five (rhino, elephant, and lion). But the most memorable experience for all was the bull elephants we encountered within minutes of arriving at the park. Rob was driving the quantum (a 14 passenger van) and pulling a small trailer, and I was driving our car. As the elephants slowly walked down the middle of the road and approached the quantum, Rob wasn’t able to back up because of the narrow road. Eventually we were both forced to pull over and allow the 2 HUGE elephants to walk by. We also had to turn our engines off, as not to agitate them. I wasn’t in the quantum (but have heard many great stories from the boys). In our car (all the girls), you could have heard a pin drop as they slowly walked by. I am not sure if we were able to fully appreciate their size and beauty, I was so nervous my legs were shaking and eye contact was limited. Everyone has their own version of the story, but now we can reminisce about the up close experience we had with them.

On Wednesday, we did the feeding program at Cornerstone. Nathi gave the message (Karabo translated) at the church service they did. There were close to 180 people who were also fed a meal and given veggies to take with them. Our group did a great job of handing out meals and veggies and finding shade as often as they could in the heat.

On Thursday (Thanksgiving day for us Americans) the kids picked up bags and bags of trash around Camp Eden. Dawn was busy working on a few projects at John and Lorna’s house, while Rob worked with Jim and Mike to finish the washing area that will be used for VAC camp. This area will allow the kids a place to wash dishes and brush their teeth.

The Stultz’s and Michele spent the day preparing Thanksgiving dinner for 60 plus people. Oh – the food was amazing!! We had turkey, ham, green bean casserole, creamed corn, stuffing, mashed potatoes, homemade rolls, and a fabulous pumpkin dessert. The meal was a huge hit with thanksgiving decorations and a devotion by Jim to end the night.

On Friday Mattias (the camp cook) helped roast chicken and cook rice as we packaged 140 containers for a feeding program in Johannesburg. This one was geared towards a younger crowd. Louisa (in the picture below) has been feeding anywhere from 40 – 130 kids each day on her own. We had all the kids sit down and we handed them each a container of food with an apple and a sucker. As we have seen in the past, most of them will eat only a few bites and take the rest home to feed an entire family. Louisa has a heart for her community. She lives among 5,000 shakes (totaling around 20,000 people) and this is her way to help. Some of the blessing baskets we will be assembling when the Sulwer’s and Kochan’s arrive will be going to this area.

The week was FULL of new experiences and eye-opening events. We couldn’t be more blessed then to spend Thanksgiving with such a great group of friends. Each night the men led us in devotions and we could reflect back on God’s hand in all that we did. The kids played and played and played until their eyes couldn’t stay open any longer. Thank you so much for taking the time out of your already busy schedules to spend a week with us in Africa!! You guys will always have a place to stay, if and when you decide to return.

Cameroon = familiar faces from home, what a treat!!

Posted on November 15, 2015 Leave a Comment

Rob traveled to Cameroon last July with John to visit Leo and Florence and see how the training center was coming along. The trip was great, but if you remember, he returned with mango worms.

This time Rob was able to travel with Tate and Austin and we are happy to report NO MANGO WORMS. The main purpose was to meet up with a group from our home church and do some more construction on the training center. Below is a picture of the group. This group did a daily blog on the Grace Community Church website, if you want to learn more about their daily activities click here.

The group was able to put the second floor in the dormitories of the training center. The team also did some work to add another office/schoolroom to an orphanage/school. They also had the privilege of spending some time with the youth. Below is a short video of everyone worshiping together at the training center. What a blessing to see all of the hard work that Grace Community Church has been a part of, and to witness it getting used to glorify God. Rob was chatting with one of the young men there, and he shared that he had previously given his life to Christ at a youth retreat that had been held at this training center.

I stayed back with Tanner, Hudson, Dana, Karabo and Nathi. Although it can be more difficult when a family is divided between two different locations, I was very blessed by Dana, Karabo and Nathi. They helped me daily prepare for the group that will coming soon from the states. Rob and the boys returned on Thursday and Saturday morning we will head to the airport to pick up our friends!! We are so very excited.

Lastly – we wanted to THANK Tom and Glenda for all of their dedication to furthering God’s kingdom over the years. They have been a HUGE blessing to so many through missions club, short-term mission trips, one-on-one discipling, MOPS, and many, many more avenues. There are lots of people who wouldn’t be where they are today without the guidance and leadership of this amazing couple. Rob and I have often look at their lives and see such an unselfish, loving couple. The treasures that are stored up in heaven for them will be many.

November = HOT – Really?

Posted on November 14, 2015 1 Comment

Yes….it is HOT here!! We experienced 97 degrees this past week. A lot of windy days, and it is so very DRY!! We have seen a lot of amazing clouds, but none of them have produced rain…so puffy and beautiful.

We have even had lighting, which started many fires in the area, and this past Wednesday evening the guys went and fought one fire edging the J-life farm until midnight. By 4 AM it had started again and the guys fought it on and off all day Thursday.

Hudson had a lump on the side of his neck that wasn’t going away. We took him to a doctor and after doing blood work, they diagnosed him with glandular fever (mono). The doctors told us he would be really tired and lethargic – YEAH RIGHT. He hasn’t missed a beat. But this past week when we were studying Zulu with Betty, I saw him resting his head on the table and then slowly drifting to sleep. He keeps up with the older ones living with us, and I honestly don’t know how he does it. We have enforced a strict bedtime for him, so he can catch up a bit.

We also had a “first” this week. We found our first rhino beetle. It was in our kitchen (not sure how it got there) and after taking it outside, we observed him for a while and was amazed at his size. Rhino beetles are the strongest beetle on the planet, and can lift something 850 times their own weight.

Karabo and Nathi made us a traditional South African meal this past week, which was another “first” for us. It is called umvubo. Crumbly pap with cold sour milk poured over it. The texture was right in line with cottage cheese, but it was definitely a different taste. Rob couldn’t stomach it, he struggles with anything that looks like cottage cheese and smells a bit off. Tate, Austin and myself added some sugar to sweeten it a bit, and we finished ours. Karabo and Nathi loved having something familiar to them, they said it reminded them of home.

Thursday evening Rob, Tate and Austin departed for Cameroon. The three of them flew 7 hours to Ethiopia and then another 4 hours to Cameroon. If you remember the last time Rob was there – he got mango worms in his arm, and experienced a crazy ride to the airport, click here if you want a re-cap of his last trip. They were really looking forward to meeting up with the rest of the outreach team from our church back home. It will be great to hear about Tate and Austin experiencing a third world country.

Our lives have been full, and the 9 of us have adjusted to living life as a family unit. We share different responsibilities, and have enjoyed seeing how well a family this size can work together. We have less than a month left with the 3 trainees and we are going to miss them greatly. With all of these different ages, we can have a variety of conversations. It has been good for all of us to look at scripture, study God’s word, talk about it, challenge each other, grasp a deeper understanding of something, question the motives of our own heart, and make sure we are doing what God has called each of us to do. As we say good-bye and watch them enter into the next phase of their lives – we pray that God used our family to show these trainees love, and in whatever God calls us to do, we can point people to Jesus and His amazing, perfect, beautiful, plan for our lives.

We never know what our day will bring…

Posted on October 28, 2015 1 Comment

and today started off like any other day. Karabo (one of the trainees) hadn’t been feeling well with on and off stomach pains. He woke us up at 5 AM this morning and had said he had thrown up all night long. We suspected it was a bit more serious when he couldn’t even stand up, it made me hurt to watch him. We called the doctor and the first appointment they had available was 11, so he rested on the couch until then. Rob took him to town and he was given strict orders by the doctor to report to the hospital for emergency surgery for an acute appendicitis. Within an hour they had him ready for the theatre (operating room) and 30 minutes later they wheeled him out.

Rob and I stayed with him the rest of the afternoon and he was in such pain. I held his hand tight and he was squeezing it as hard as he could, he was so unsettled. He looked at me at one point and said, “Did they take my appendix?” and I said, ” Yep, they took it!!” And he said, “Did they give me a new one?” “Nope, you don’t need a new one, you are great without it.” He was very confused. A few minutes later he asked if they had really taken it because his pain was just as bad now as it was before he got there. I reassured him the pain he was feeling now was from the surgery, and not from his appendix. I couldn’t handle watching him in so much pain so I finally found the nurse and she said he had pain meds, but then realized those were given to him before he went in for surgery and he was supposed to have something when he got out, but they forgot!! Yikes….

Once the pain medication started working he fell asleep and was resting nicely, so we left him resting and will go back to see how he is tomorrow. Honestly, I would rather have him here with us, so we can watch over him. I just didn’t have a lot of confidence in what we saw there.

We love Karabo as one of our own, and enjoy his loving personality. He is such a great person, with a big heart and a huge amount of patiences (especially with Hudson). Most often Hudson is on Karabo’s back, or his shoulders, or just holding his hand.

We even talked Karabo into making the traditional “pap” pronounced “pop” for dinner a few nights ago, and it was great.

The picture below is the group that sits around our table most nights. We are doing the Crazy Love bible study with all of them and on Mondays after dinner, we review discussion questions and see how everyone is doing. It has been challenging and also very rewarding to read God’s word, apply it, have people hold us accountable, and walk together day-to-day. I couldn’t ask for a better way to live life right now while we are here. We are often tired, and can sometimes get overwhelmed but we are confident this is God’s perfect plan.

And as we head to bed tonight we lift Karabo up to the Lord and thank God for putting him in our lives, so we could have a small part in God’s perfect plan for his life. May we live each day knowing the circumstances that are going on around us are perfectly in line with God’s plan.

We don’t question anymore if God is in ALL things, we rest knowing He is, and ask how we can be a part.

A glimpse into Africa…

Posted on October 9, 2015 1 Comment

Well, their flights were smooth, and they are enjoying their time at home. Tanner has been riding Austin’s bike, and checking in with our EGGS4AFRICA chickens. We had bets if Hunter (one of our very first chickens) was still around and Tanner happily reported to us today, that YES, Hunter is still kicking.

Rob and Tanner will be sharing about our time so far in South Africa with the Sunday School kids during second service this Sunday. We downloaded some pictures and a few videos to try and give the kids a glimpse into our daily lives.

We are experiencing very hot temps here in South Africa. Last night, right in the middle of making dinner we lost all electricity. We ate a quick dinner with torches, as South Africans call them (flashlights) and made some awesome shadow puppets. My computer was charged so we all put our PJ’s on and had a slumber party in Tate & Tanner’s room and called it a night.

Love from Africa!!

Rob and Tanner are in route to America….

Posted on October 6, 2015 Leave a Comment

Tate, Austin, Hudson and myself just said good-bye to Rob and Tanner. They are heading back to the states for a short time. Rob needs to finish up a few business things for North Star and Tanner is just along for the ride to get spoiled by family and friends. Both families are excited beyond words to spend time with 1/3 of us. The remaining boys will help me hold the fort down here at J-life. I am hoping to sneak in a few movie nights with snacks and popcorn and maybe a PJ day too!! Our other 3 kids (the J-life trainees) are on a mission trip in Johannesburg, so it is pretty quiet here.

On a more serious note; Jann and Bhuti (our downstairs neighbors’) when we lived in the silos, had a baby boy a few weeks ago. He was placed in the ICU after delivery and faced many challenges. This past Sunday we heard those words that broke our hearts to pieces, he had passed away. So often we can question why our Heavenly Father would allow such a thing – the pit in my stomach returned as I wept thinking of the road they would now have to travel, and all of the pain that comes with it. Our hearts are heavy and these past few days have brought many tears, we are quickly reminded how precious life really is….Rob found this quote and we both thought it is such a powerful statement.

The Sovereignty of God doesn’t make tragedy less tragic, but it does give beautiful hope to every trail we face.

Please lift Jann, Bhuti and Dumi (there almost 2-year old son) up to the Lord at this time. May they experience the peace that surpasses all understanding…and that the people surrounding them may continue to work like the body of Christ intended. We thank God that their precious little boy is in no more pain, he won’t have to endure anymore tests, and most importantly he is in the presence of our Heavenly Father. Praise God we have eternity to look forward too!!

Today, I was listening to one of my favorite songs after Avery’s passing by Mandisa. The words are a reminder that we mourn on this side of eternity for our loss but we rejoice that their little baby boy is in the presence of our Savior.

All you saw was pain
All you saw was rain
But you should see me now
Moments filled with tears
Lasted all those years
Disappeared somehow
You never said goodbye
On your knees you cry
You’re still asking why, but

Blue has never been bluer
True has never been truer
Honey never tasted so sweet
There’s a song in the breeze
A million voices in praise
A rose has never smelled redder
The sun has never been brighter
If I could find the right words to say
If you could look at my face
If you could just see this place
You wouldn’t cry for me today

What you think you see
Isn’t really me
I’m already home
You’ve got to lay it down
‘Cause Jesus holds me now
And I am not alone
Your faith is wearing thin
But I am watching Him
And He’s holding you too, and