december data

Well the year 2013 has finally drawn to a close. We have had a busy but most rewarding time throughout this period. Bulgaria saw us again and it was as if we had gone home. Much was done on the reparations of the house there, in March friends joined us for a visit, and at the end of May we welcomed a work team too. Tasks on the KE house were done and done well, thank you so much for all your hard work team. And then there were a few jobs done for neighbours too.  It was great to have them with us. We are looking forward already to our next trip to Bulgaria.

We, Jean-Pierre and Rita, returned to South Africa mid June, and in early July Dorianne left home to set up in Cape Town. Two weeks after that, Jordan left home for Bulgaria for three months, and we were ‘home alone’. Loved it. During this time relationships were nurtured and strengthened.  

We have pretty ‘Open Diaries’ for the year ahead. We pray that we allow God to fill them according to what He has planned for us and not just what we desire. We do not want to get busy with our own agendas, rather that we be obedient to His will. We continue to thank God for you and your support.   May you have a wonderful rest, and catch up with your families this holiday season, and may you always be found in the shadow of His wing.

this works for me....

It took a while to make, but seeing as I am completely up to date with my bookkeeping... I have the time, right? Not really as there is a lot that needs to happen, AND I've signed up for Nano this year. S November is busy busy busy!

Dutrieux Data

Dutrieux data

October 2013

The pace has picked up!

It is amazing to see how quickly things fell into place and the keenness for all to get involved and participate. We now know that we know that we know that we were not supposed to return to Bulgaria for the last part of this year. Suddenly, although it’s been a long time coming, we are in full swing with regards to  running  the Passage to Purpose programme in two congregations. One in Centurion and the other in Pretoria East. Both these congregations are also running with Output Platforms, 

which we will oversee till the natives get the hang of it.

It is a blessing and a privilege to serve these people. What is truly an awe inspiring is the size of the two classes. They had really short notice to decide to commit to eight weeks, once a week.  One of our classes had to commence without electricity… no sweat, with the help of an inverter-brandishing friend Jean-Pierre was able to do the class in a most romantic setting. There’s a first time for everything, right?

On the home front things are different. Jordan has returned home from his time in Bulgaria and it is good to have him back.  Summer has certainly landed, and even though some days are warm, we are enjoying some great rainy days, cloudy days and cooler days too. This makes Rita happy. 

“Free” water helps the garden grow. Well not really free, but, solar powered pump for the borehole  has helped hugely in the watering of the plot, now maybe we can consider a real garden…. Meh!

Maybe not.

A little time out was had on my Birthday. Jean-Pierre took me out for the day, it was really pleasant and carefree. Coffee shops, lunch, train…no parking issues etc. Lovely time.

We thank God for His faithfulness in all things.

Dutrieux Data...no really

This is a voice from the “duisternus” no doubt, unaccountably quiet, suddenly recognisable and eagerly anticipated! So much has transpired since our last point of news, mostly due to the fact that blogging has seemed to overtake the need for a separate ‘newsletter’. And a belief that contact and interaction with some people would negate the need for others to be kept in the loop. Sincere apologies, no excuse.

So, getting right to it: Easiest might be a point/month format to start with and an expansion with details to follow.

January: Saw us regrouping at home with family and friends, catching up what seems to fall through the cracks when travels are priority and generally getting things done. We also felt that we should start making arrangements to return to Bulgaria for a time and God was kind enough to confirm this by making finances available to purchase tickets to do this. Also, we have become more involved with a congregation in the East of Pretoria, we are enjoying good fellowship and sound leadership.http://www.rightnowthejourney.blogspot.com/2013_01_01_archive.html

February: This is the time that we shared about Bulgaria to our new congregation and at the same time started on the preparations of forming a team to join us there for an exposure and blessing trip. A great success it was.

March: Found us back in Bulgaria, fixing things that need it, re-establishing contacts and friendships, trying to decide how best to cope with the cold and snow. Making sure we had enough prepared and chopped firewood to help with this. Paperwork for vehicles, taxes etc. that are all new to us. http://www.rightnowthejourney.blogspot.com/2013_03_01_archive.html

April: Friends and partners flew in for a visit while the weather was still rather on the cool side. It was great showing them around. They were a large part of getting the Gostilitsa kitchen closer to completion. Thanks guys for spending time with us there.

May: Here the arrival of the South African church team took priority. Thanks to friends and colleagues who prepared them so well. We are grateful to have a team around us. God bless each one of you. The time with the team was a wonderful learning experience.

June: Our time in Bulgaria came to an end with a rather serious hiccup with Jean-Pierre tearing ligaments in his ankle during a motorcycle accident causing us to spend our planned ‘time out’ with our teammates in Turkey to be accompanied with a rather clumsy ‘moonboot’. During our stay in Turkey Rita did something stupid (laundry) resulting in a Lumbar Hernia which rather forced rest as doing much else was out of the question. On our return to South Africa we found some disturbing things to have taken place in our absence, causing us to get to work on setting up a ‘fool proof’ system to cope when we are not around. 

This is still in the making.

July: Empty nest has come to our family home. Dorianne moved to Cape Town and two weeks after that, Jordan left for a three month stint in Bulgaria. Rita got an abscess in her lower back and for the last six weeks has been on antibiotics to try and kill the little beast. It does look as though the nasty tablets have done their job. So very grateful. Jean-Pierre is in full swing with meeting with leaders and establishing  platforms for output…

August: Two computers, crashed and burned, causing us to call on friends in the game to come to the party so Rita can do all that needs to be done regarding bookkeeping and SARS. This is the task for the next few weeks as the financial year end is the end of September. Looking forward to getting it all done and dusted. Catching up with Partners and friends is in full swing too as we go from house to house and have visitors upon visitors invariably food is consumed and company enjoyed. We intend to catch up with all over coffee…so watch this space and keep your phones handy.

We are so grateful to God for keeping us in His hand during this recent season. Thankful for His hand in directing our every move. In Love with our Father for all He is and all we are in Him. We praise God every day for wonderful people that surround us.

This is the up to date report for now.
We ask forgiveness for not being as communicative as we should have been, and we continue to thank God for YOU.

clean up...not

So... computer crashes are an ideal time to clean out INBOXES and other unused files etc. right? WRONG! While I was clearing out old emails, thinking that everything would still be on my gmail account out there in cyberspace... think again. After a panicky few hours and dispair, eventually reaching acceptance of theloss, I found them and happily restored all deleted mails. It was bad to think that I could have lost the emails from the last nineteen months.
feeling much better!

Raining and pouring

Talking Turkey while enjoying  some Time Out.

 

Since we have hit South African soil we have been trotting. We returned to find that we needed to put in place a 'Fool Proof System' to be instituted while on our travels. We have also learned that it is not always wise to be too trusting with all people. In future we intend to make it easier to trust hired workers by setting up an air tight system. Tough school but necessary lessons.

Jean-Pierre has been meeting regularly with folk to establish certain platforms in church congregations - two. And he has also been learning just how much he needs to use his ankle... very aware of it not working the way it should after a rather iffy fall from a motorcycle during our last day in Bulgaria. Ligaments take a long, long time to heal properly.

 

Left ankle starting to swell after fall.

 

Sadly it would seem that it is not in the cards to go back to Bulgaria this year. But Jordan is enjoying a three month stint there right now. He loves that place too.

Empty nest? YEAH!!! Bring it on! Offspring one now living in Cape Town and loving life there. Offspring two left two weeks after her to go to Bulgaria...so Empty Nest is just a temporary state as he returns mid October. Maybe just a tease?

Computers crashing and dying with a whimper, resulting in a real lack of general communications ... this scribe finds it rather tedious to write full scale letters with fat fingers on little hand phones....

But things are looking up in a big way. Thankyou so much Doctor for making laptop feel so much better and getting a really sick desktop to be able to take her place back on top of desk rather than stuck underneath it gathering dust.

Its great to be able to call on friends... especially since our 'inhousecomputerperson' is in her own house in Cape Town.

Blessings till next time

 

be bear

I Want To Be A Bear

In my next life I want to be a bear.
If you're a bear, you get to hibernate. You do nothing but sleep for six months.
I could deal with that.
Before you hibernate, you're supposed to eat yourself stupid.
I could deal with that, too.
If you're a bear, you give birth to your children (who only weigh half a pound) while you're sleeping and wake to partially grown, cute cuddly cubs.
I could definitely deal with that.
If you're a mama bear, everyone knows you mean business. You swat anyone who bothers your cubs. If your cubs get out of line, you swat them too.
I could deal with that.
If you're a bear, your mate EXPECTS you to wake up growling. He EXPECTS that you will have hairy legs and excess body fat. He KNOWS not to get between you and the food.
Yup... Gonna be a bear.

Blogger seems to be messing up all the pictures taken in Portrait Mode, thank you blogger.

 

So much happened so much time passed. Trying to keep up with posting here has been tougher than expected. It is truly amazing how much one relies on a steady internet connection. Well here we are, back in a place where the connection is right in our room. Right now Jean-Pierre and I are waiting out our time in Istanbul. Our flight is on Tuesday afternoon, but due to some rather unexpected events, we are in a hotel room waiting for time to pass.

A quick catch up is surely in order. So here we go…

 

new path created to reach gully at the border of the garden 

 Mosaic, tea and biscuits

early morning on the mountain

finding the gully 

still looking for the gully

Lunch and a subsequent broken bench... nevermind, fixed again , now back to lunch!

 

off to the waterfall after lunch.... transporting the team was a treat.

 

and enroute.

 

 

brave brave South Africans

creativity rocks

panning for gold or simply washing up?

 

observing...

the view

in front of the house from the top of the village

more view

some brave South Africans

 

Let the clowns dance, let the band play and let the balancing acts begin!

 

 As noted... A merry heart is as good medicine

 

Time for coffee

 

 Some curtains to help keep the beasts out at night...

 

 Some insist on moving at a snail's pace... oh right, this is allowed in this case

 

 just love the highwire and trapeze... erm, I know this is a ladder.

 

Dental work in progress

another day of work

Painting the window frames of Krasi and Iva's house accross the street.

 

And the mundane stuff gets done as well

 

 

framed again

 

coming up for air

...after lifting the ground floor.

 

Deshka with her tools...

 

At this stage, the house looks like a mouth with missing teeth

the next day...

It's early days and the team is still fresh and eager. We are so grateful for them coming out here to help us and experience just a little of the life here in Bulgaria. Work and tasks are on the menu of most days.

A quick break to cool down in the heat of the day. The table that Jean-Pierre put together so well has come into great use. Not quite so much "hanging around" going on this time...

Framed at last!

...'whatever you find your hands to do...do it with all your might, added joy goes a long way too

Hanging around certainly does not mean doing nothing, work in all forms ...

So strong... just look at the ease with which Mark lifts all of these...

Mark and Deshka strutting their stuff in the garden. Its amazing, the gardens  has a little veggie patch, we are happy to share the space. Deshka is free to harvest the crops seeing as we won't be here when they are ready and she has done most the work anyway.

Just hanging at the end of the day...

There were eight Sunday

Soooo excited! Much preparation,  and the time has come! A team of six have made their way through the murk and rush of lives  pre trip, and through a whirlwind visit of Istanbul , a train trip into Bulgaria and this is what we have...

 

 

Quick snack for hungry bodies down in our local market, coffee, and 'home'.

Neighbours brought food, and team ate... and ate well! Camera broke! Joined in at a Carnival on Saturday evening, more coffee, then... blissfully - BED.
.....some of us even slept! go figga.

Camera still Bolen...Sunrise on mountain, Skype with friends, Etera traditional music festival, COFFEE MACHINE ...home... Sundays are busy it would seem.

 

'They ' say... Monday never comes..... not true!

 

Spring-Summer plus progress

The colours are absolutely incredible. Most gardens boast a plethora of bulb flowers.

Even the ones that nobody ever plants are enjoyed... 

Some so yummy looking.... you want ice cream now don't you?

Green...

 

more green...

Day or night...Beautiful.

Jean-Pierre is now the proud owner of a ....ROOSTER???

YEAH! After all his hard labour  he has been rewarded with a rooster that when touched or moved, flashes red eyes and crows... THREE TIMES!!!

Here we were feeling a little like the story of the Elves and the Shoemaker,

 the only difference being...

Deshka and Stefan are not elves and neither are they making shoes! They came to cut down our very own little but growing jungle. Bless 'em.

More Antics happening in kitchen very soon will show the final result.

Meesta up to his tricks again... Bless 'im too.