Sand, Sea and the Long Road

You may remember that I mentioned in a past post that December in S.A is holiday month. Our family wasn't planning on going away but things changed unexpectedly and we managed to take a short holiday after Christmas and visit some friends down at the coast. Rachel and I were born in Port Elizabeth (P.E.) - a seaside town on the East coast. Some years ago we moved inland but we used to go back to P.E. at least once a year to visit friends and family there. Unfortunately for the last couple of years we weren't able to do that so we were all very excited when we heard that we were going down to P.E. again in December! :) It's a 12 hour drive by car from where we are now living and the countryside changes a lot on the way down. (Sorry the pictures aren't too good - most of them were taken through the car's windscreen and the weather was often overcast and drizzily so the light was bad).

 We've had so much rain this Summer, apparently it's the most rain the country's had in more than 40 years and our normally sunny skies are now almost always cloudy. The Northern part of the country is very green but when you go further down you get the area (in the midle of S.A.) known as the Karoo, and it's semi-desert. Although it's looking "greener" now than it usually does.

 Horse/Donkey carts are still used quite a lot in South Africa, especially in rural areas.

Crossing the Orange River. This river marks the border between the provinces of the Orange Free State and the Northern Cape.

 Crafts (windmills in this picture) are often sold on the side of the road outside the small Karoo towns.

A service station and restplace just off the national road. A place to freshen up, get something to eat and of course, refill the car with petrol. :)

 Picture above and below - Part of the Karoo, known as the Plains of Camdeboo.

Starting to leave the Karoo and entering a mountain pass.

We're getting closer to the coast and the landscape is becoming greener again and soon changes to coastal forest.

 A final mountain pass and then we drop down to the sea!! :D

 I love the sea and it was wonderful being down by it again - I wish we could move back! As you can see from the photos we had almost continuous rainy weather but we didn't let that stop us from enjoying ourselves on the beach. :D

 It was so good to see Danielle again - she is one of our best friends and we got to spend most of our holiday with her. :) The three of us and Danielle's younger brother had lots of fun at the beach...

 ...and in the sea. :)

 The view from the home of friends.

A picture of the same beach but on a clear day.

We had a wonderful time but all too quickly our holiday was over and we had to take the long road back home again. :)

Cute Cubs and a Curious Giraffe

During the recent December holidays we went on a number of outings. One of these was to a small game park where you can have quite a lot of interaction with the animals. Here are a few pictures. :)

 One of the tame and curious Giraffes enjoying a meal off a thorn tree.

 These Aardwolf cubs were in such a playful mood and were chasing each other around and in-and-out of the carrier box until they eventually knocked it over on it's side and both got a fright. :D

 This Spotted Hyena cub was so cute and quite friendly.

 A shy and sweet new-born Giraffe calf. The weather was quite overcast with drizzle now and then so the staff at the Park tried to give the calf a little extra warmth with this specially-made Giraffe baby blanket. :)

We found it amusing that even the Giraffe was curious about the 'game' going on in the Aardwolf cubs' pen! :D

 I don't know why, but lion cubs always pull and play with the bottom of my skirt! lol! It's always fun interacting with the cubs but you have to watch out for teeth and claws - even at this young age they can be very rough.

 This was one cute and very sleepy cub - even when Jess and I both patted him at the same time he hardly stirred.

 When driving through the camps where the adult lions are you have to keep your windows closed and also be careful of stopping near them, especially if you are in a bakkie without a canopy on as they like to jump in the load bay and can do a lot of damage, not to mention that it can be frightening and dangerous too!

Our bakkie has a tonneau cover over the load bay and this young male lion jumped up on the bakkie and started biting the cover. Dad had to pull away very quickly to prevent him doing more damage, but the lion wasn't giving up so easily and he trotted after us for a while before deciding we weren't 'playing along' and gave up. Well, Dad had been wanting to replace the cover with a new one and the rips and tears from claws and teeth forced him to do so right after our visit to the Lion Park. :P

Commune With The Lord

And Jesus answered him,
 saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone,
 but by every word of God.

- LUKE 4:4

 

Now, our bodies need food and drink each day to survive, our physical body. If we don't take food each day and drink, then our body weakens. There's something in us that we must have food. One day's food will not last for the next day. You've got to have food each day to strengthen your mortal being. You can live over, but you're weaker. And the second day, you're still weaker. And the third day, you're getting tremendous weak.

Well, that's what many times that we do in the spiritual realm. You see, each day we've got to commune with Christ. We've got to talk to Him each day. We've got to settle it with Him each day. Paul said, "I die each day. (See?) Each day, I die; yet I live, not me but Christ lives in me." So if your physical body needs food each day and drink each day to survive, your spiritual body needs spiritual Food and communion with the Lord each day to survive. Yes.

Jesus said, "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every Word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God." So each day we've got to study the Bible. Some people doesn't study It at all. Some picks It up every two or three times a year. But a real, real believer that's really spiritually built up, he reads his Bible every day and talks to the Lord. That's right. He has to. "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every Word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God."

Bro. William M. Branham - COMMUNION_ 62-0204

Happy New Year!

A very Happy and Blessed 2011 to All!! 

Another year is dawning,

Dear Lord, let it be,

In working, or in waiting,

Another year with Thee.

Another year of mercies,

Of faithfulness and grace;

Another year of gladness

In the shining of Thy face.

Another year of progress,

Another year of praise,

Another year of proving

Thy presence all the days.

Another year of service,

Of witness of Thy love,

Another year of training

For holier work above.

Another year is dawning,

Dear Lord, let it be

On earth, or else in heaven

Another year for Thee.

--Francis Ridley Havergal (1874)

December In South Africa

December in S.A. is unlike any other month in the year - it’s major holiday time. It’s the end of the school year and the longest holiday for the schools – they are closed from about the first week in the month till about the second week in January. Most of the factories and many businesses also close for about three weeks over this time.

Although it’s holiday time, December is an extra-busy month somehow! Of course, Christmas and New Year also fall during this period so it’s really a festive month and the shops are packed with people buying Christmas and end-of-the-year gifts. Just don’t expect much service over this time because even though some businesses don’t close except over the public holidays, everyone is in this “relaxed mood” and not much work gets done, or else it gets done very slowly! The shops are usually short-staffed as well and long queues are just something you have to put up.

Fairs pop up all over and it’s a season for parties, parties and more parties all together with excessive eating and drinking. It’s also a time for loads of baking, mainly for Christmas but also for all the extra visitors – it’s a major visiting time!
Lots people go away on holiday, especially to the coast and every place is jam-packed! Unfortunately the bad crime in the country gets even worse over this month.

December is also mid-Summer here so it’s usually very hot. Many people still celebrate Christmas the European way and in the heat, all the preperations for the traditional meal, all the hours spent over hot stoves and the heavy food makes it quite a trial for the cooks! :P

Our family, well at least, my parents, Rachel and I and our one uncle and aunt and their children don’t celebrate Christmas. The busy-ness and chaos makes December our least favourite month but there are some things we enjoy over this time. Dad usually gets to take some leave and it’s lovely having him home with us. Our church usually has a convention over the Christmas week as then most people are able to attend the special service. The meetings are always a blessing and we also have wonderful fellowship! Another nice thing is that we get to visit with family and friends a lot more than usual. :)

In Christ We Have....

    Life that can never die.
       Rest that can never be disturbed.
          Joy that can never be diminished.
             Love that can never be fathomed.
                Peace that can never be understood.
                   Beauty that can never be marred.
                      Glory that can never be clouded.
                          Light that can never be darkened.
                             Happiness that can never be defiled.
                                Wisdom that can never be baffled.
                                    Strength that can never be enfeebled.
                                       Hope that can never be disappointed.
                                          Resources that can never be exhausted.
                                             Righteousness that can never be tarnished.
                                                   ...HOW BLESSED WE ARE!

Hippo To The Rescue

Hippos kill more people in Africa than any other large animal.

They are very dangerous and can be extremely aggressive; yet they sometimes display an amazing gentle side to their nature...There have been a number of accounts of them rescuing other animals that are in distress!

The latest incredible drama happened recently in Tanzania. The rescue was witnessed and video taped by Tom Yule, a South African working in Tanzania as manager for Grumeti Expeditions. He and a tour group were watching the Wildebeest and Zebra migration across the Mara River.

At a certain time every year there is a great migration of wildebeest and zebra across certain areas  - it is one of the greatest spectacles in the natural world. One of the big obstacles in the migrating animals' way is the Mara River. In October this year the river was flowing very strongly as there had been recent heavy rains.

While Tom Yule and the other people in the group were watching the animals crossing the river, they saw a wildebeest calf swept downstream by the strong current. A hippopotamus in the river immediately went after the little wildebeest and placing itself on the downstream side of the calf, nudged it with it's snout and kept it above the water until it could get to the other side and join the rest of the herd. :)

That wasn't the end of the incredible "drama" - a few minutes later a zebra foal was swept away by the water and straight away the hippo went after it and helped it to the opposite side like it had done before. The foal managed to get onto a little rock island very close to the bank but the poor little thing was so exhausted by this time that it just stood there panting.

The hippo then got out of the water and nudged the foal from behind, even gently giving it a little bite at the back to get it moving. The foal moved off the rock across the channel to the opposite bank and then ran off to join the rest of the herd again. :)

Here is the YouTube video:


Isn't God's creation wonderful!!!