out with the old and in with the NEW!

'THEY' say that you can tell whena girl writes by the anount of exclamation marks that punctuate her sentences!!! it's true... I AM A GIRL! With much to exclaim about!
heating water over a fire outside to drag to the 'bathroom' - is now a thing of the past!
Cooking on a woodstove... also a thing of the past!
Filling the kettle...you guessed it... A THING OF THE PAST!
Bathing from a bucket/makeshift shower doodah... a thing of the past!
Being cut off from the world... woo hoo!! ANOTHER THING OF THE PAST!
!!!!!LOTS TO EXCLAIM ABOUT!!!!!
Nowifonlymyspacebarwasnotathingofthepast!!!

The House

 Getting ready for bath time... find and chop firewood, make fire under pot... take out and water with bucket and syphon water through shower rose.... erm - and Shower!

 Dinner.... is tricky! But Pioneers have taught us well! And now we just need to see how the oven side works, and do some baking.... NOT! oh... note to self, the top of the woodstove is NOT A SURFACE TO PUT DOWN PLASTIC CUPS!

 My hunter-gatherers doing their thing and gathering wood! They are so good!

 A little something pretty... They were courting  it is Spring here after all...

 

 After a long day of hard work, a little rest in my chair goes down just fine!

Rickety wheelbarrow ... such a blessing! in fact we have been so blessed repeatedly as there are usable tools here. Sure they might look slightly different to what we are used to, but they work none the less!

So until we have connection these postings might continue to be a little sporadic. 

We are working our coms mostly from our mobile phones.

moving right along...

 Just a short walk from The House...Gostilitsa, then take a look at the "Guest House " sign below, and not that the Stambolov Guest House, can you see Gosti? House of Guests.

 Well.... we have bought some beds! And bedding. And... a kettle, now for the electricity connection and we could probably manage some tea!

 Looking for cars is a little trickier than browsing the internet, one also needs to see past the white dust...

Well ... previously when we were here, we were unable to see our neighbours at all, as there was too much greenery. Well winter has certainly changed all that.

 At least now we are able to really see how much work is needed...

 A last puddle of frozen snow!

The view from our room...

Breakfast at Tiffany's... not!

The staple meal of the breakfast table... olives, cucumber, sausage , hard boiled eggs and bread.
This is what we have each morning. We have our own kettle and all the goodies to build a cup of tea to accompany the meal.
The hostel also provides a 'pasta service' each evening. Which, of course, translated means they serve pasta each evening. Though to be honest, its not something we look forward to and rather prefer the local fare elswhere for our dinner.

Talking Turkey

 The skies are blue, the air is fresh... no, rather the air is a cool 7 degrees Cel during the 'heat' of the day and I cannot read the signs...

 Plans are being made and money spent in obtaining tickets to Bulgaria from Istanbul, where it turns out we will be crossing the border at a 'cool' Three AM and changing over from bus to train at that stage. Interesting travel times...

 I am fine with looking at the water and eyeing the seagulls but rather hesitant t get my feet wet. We are quite happy to join in with the fashion statements here being jackets and gloves. Ears get cold so when we go out tomorrow we will be taking our beanies along!

 Pretty lights in Taksim

The passage to "Home" scary huh?

She hangs her head in shame.....

Its been quiet for a while it's true to be sure
So much going on, including manure
Though good stuff abounds and things get done
Shortage of time though, is making us run.

Geysers are popping and drains going bust
builders are building, always covered in dust
Fences are ticking and sparks sometimes fly
Things keep breaking and we're wondering why?

Look on the bright side she says to JP
if its on the blink now, then you will see
you fix it and mend it so that when we are gone
nothing will will break because its already done.

So back to the kitchen and off she goes
Prepares food for 20 new missions heroes
She says that in faith and believes it is true
Mapping Point is here again... where are you?

A WORLD --ASS AFRICAN CITY

Leopard crawling and exhausted after what seems to be an endless 27 month battle with City of Jo’burg Billing Department, our family can no longer continue. Since November 2009 we have been pushed from one incompetent employee to some or other inadequate department head. On the receiving end of countless, pointless reference numbers which amount to absolutely nothing apart from, being handed some more. Inane suggestions from uninformed minions as how we should simply pay up to solve the problem have come our way in abundance. Well, as volunteer workers, our budget simply cannot accommodate an exorbitant bill of what now stands at a whopping R150 000.00! In November 2009 our water bill shot from an average of R350.00 per month to what we believed at that point was an astounding R33000.00.
We have driven from one office to another where the ‘powers that be’ have little or no understanding or ability to rectify their mistake, countless telephone calls, change in systems, training for said system changes and a mass action strike have been but a few obstacles to overcome. We have submitted photographs our meter, handed over billing records and anything else that has been required of us. We have been pleasant, understanding even friendly, passing the time of day with City of Jo’burg officials in the helpless hope of getting the attention needed to get things sorted. We are now regular recipients of threatening text messages to pay the outstanding monies, where initially we were advised not to pay anything until it was corrected. The outstanding bill is nearly equal to what we paid for our property initially and the cost on our family’s well being and health has been beyond that. Who would be able to cope with a staggering bill like this hanging over their heads like the Sword of Damocles? We desperately need for someone to step forward and truly help us here. (Either that or a personal trainer who specialises in endurance training).
To City of Jo’burg Billing department: Our invoice is being billed for a meter which is located over the road from ours. Yes, before you make the suggestion again, we have checked and ascertained which is our meter. Now, with a few strokes on your system’s keyboard, you should be able to change the details on your incomplete records, one does not need to be a space engineer to do this.

New Year... and all that

So the New Year has come around again and the question is..."what am I going to do with it?"
As much as I hate the idea of the New Years' Resolutions and all the disappointments that go with the carcasses of these lofty ideas by mid February, I am certainly guilty of getting swept away by the idea of 'let's try again' and "now is a good time to..." and the eternal "This year I want to do yada yada yada ".

So yes, even in the delightful heat of summer, I am seeing a space of time for things I want to achieve ... not just this year, but for the future in general.

Do I have a list? absolutely not because that would signify a sever attack of New Year's Resolutions! Do I know what it is that I want to achieve, erm... well I do have a few ideas, but honestly having a list would truly help me get myself organized enough to start some of them at least....!

So... in that vein
a)get Supermom (novel) edited and find out about publishing.
b)enter many photographic competitions
c)learn how to manage, note manage not master Photoshop
d)health and fitness... as this is not a list for all to see, erm... I know what I mean by this
e)More oil paintings to happen, in fact any oil paintings would be great as I have been seriously lacking in the inclination and time to even pick up a paint brush or open that bottle of turps that stands on the shelf in my office sneering at me.

HO HO HO
Let's see how we go...

Baby in the Sand

Something that blew my mind.... I was scrolling on my facebook page and

 directly below each other were these two pictures.... both can go by the same name.... but tell such different stories.

What name do you go by? What story do you tell?

December Data

Time for reflection
This is a time of year when one sits down reached our goals, whether we should even have goals, what we could have done to make things better or even just different. And on this note…
This past year has seen many developments. Some for the better and others just different. Some unexpected and others well yes and others! Amazed we stand at how God has been faithful throughout all. Times of growth have been in abundance, and times of laughter and tears have had their fair share through the past year too. Our focus has strengthened and our purpose has been confirmed. This is true both ministry and personally speaking. Even though there have been so many changes, one thing remains the same, and that is, we serve an almighty God. A God who remains the same yesterday, today and forever!
Ministry-wise
We are the proud members of a truly motivated team that is happily taking responsibility on all sides regarding ministry. We are blessed to know you and have them as friends. It is a refreshing time in this ministry not to be the sole carriers of the vision and we are oh so grateful for this.
We have had some interesting developments where we led a team to Asia in the beginning of this past year.
From that another team was taken by Mark and Paulien – team members- to India,
And during that time Jean-Pierre and Rita went with Kobus and Hanneke to ‘spy out the land” of Bulgaria.
All of the above are steeped in good soil and beginning to bear fruit. More details will be shared at the Midrand base on the 21^st January 2012. (watch your inbox for invite)
Family-wise
Well Jean-Pierre’s mother has had a tough ride since breaking her hip and pelvis in February but as those breaks have healed it’s just a matter of her taking up the reins of her life again…easier said than done.
Dorianne is doing well with her choice of work. Freelancing as an illustrator, designer for a few prominent companies. And loving it.
Jordan still has Handyman company yet his passion remains the bush and all that’s in it! Yes that includes snakes… sigh
Thank you so much for your continued prayers and support.
We are still called to be an EFFECTIVE link between church and missions..

that time of year

May this time ahead remind you
Of all things said and done
Of Christmas day and what it means
Though incorrect, the birth of God’s Son

... Throughout the celebrations
Let laughter, joy and cheer
Carry you and your families
Right up till the New Year

Then with your eyes on Jesus
Wide open and alert
Choose His options in your life
Like that you won’t get hurt

He is the reason for the season
As you’ve often heard before
Give all you have for Jesus
And He will surely give you more

Nations ‘out there’ need Him
Of this be rest assured
Reach out and touch the nations
And see all iniquities be cured

landed but still running

Well it has been more than a month since this spaced was scribbled on in any way.... reasons... who knows? I am glad to be back in South Africa again, though sad to have left behind stunning countries visited.
A few highlights of being away from home base are
1) reuniting with friends
2) discovering Bulgaria and subsequently establishing a foothold there.
3)time with my wonderful husband
4)many oppportunities to take great pictures :-)
5)the youngsters at home coping extremely well with any 'fires' that dared to raise their heads
6)returning home to do a major clean up and clear out of "stuff"
Catching up with things left undone during our absence is taking a lot more energy than we feel we are able to spare right now... but we will slog on! (As one is wont)

these are a few more pictures of things seen and done while away.