Pastors' Retreat 2011

The weekend of the 14th to the 16th of October we held a wonderful Pastors' Retreat at Franshoek Lodge near Ficksburg, South Africa.  (Thank you so much, Oom Andrew, for making this retreat possible!)

Almost all of the pastors that HIM works with in South Africa and Lesotho were able to attend. 

Dr. Randall McElwain from Hobe Sound Bible College was the special speaker.  He presented powerful, clear lectures on "Holiness in the Bible."

Franshoek is in a beautiful mountain valley.

There was plenty of good food, thanks to the capable staff at the lodge.

All the pastors and we missionaries learned a lot and grew closer to God during this special weekend.  Thank you so much to each person who contributed towards this project.  If you want to contribute towards next year's retreat, click here.  Make the memo or description of your contribution "Africa Pastors Training."

New Mission Vehicle

Recently Hope International Missions was able to purchase this vehicle for our use in Lesotho thanks to a generous donation from a from kind person in Colorado.  In the past we hauled visitors and TLC teams in the back of our pickup trucks.  This vehicle will make it so much safer and more comfortable!  We are so grateful!

For those interested in technical things, it is a Toyota HiAce with a 3.0l turbo diesel engine.  It seats eight people, but the law in Lesotho allows us to add an extra seat to carry up to 10 passengers without a special license.  Please pray that it will provide reliable transportation for ten years like the Isuzu pickup it replaced!

Vacation 2011

After a very busy six months back in Lesotho, God has given us an opportunity to get away for some rest and family time.  We are in a pretty area just outside of Bethlehem, South Africa.

 

One night we made smores!

 Kaitlyn enjoyed crossing this little gully on a fallen tree.  She needed a helping hand, though.

 Kristell loved the corn on the cob we grilled!

 

Kaitlyn loves to read.  Kristell will listen for a few minutes, but her attention span is pretty short.

Ladies' Conference

 The Ladies' Conference in Lesotho was the last weekend of July.  There were around 35 ladies on Saturday  and close to 50 on Sunday.  The services were very good. 

Ntate Molise preached Sunday morning.  As you can see, the church was decorated beautifully for the conference.  

Ladies from a mission in South Africa singing a special song.

Kristell's 2nd Birthday!

Kristell turned 2 on July 27.  The following day we had her cake with the other missionaries in Ladybrand, South Africa.

She is very fascinated with horses and cows right now so she really liked the cake.

She tried over and over to blow out her candles, but didn't succeed.  I'm going to try to put a little video on the blog sometime soon.

When we all started singing to her, she dissolved into tears.  It was hilarious!

One of the gifts we gave her was this little Sotho broom. She really enjoys using it.

The previous day, Kristell's birthday, we were in Johannesberg after taking two interns back to the airport.  We took the girls to the zoo for a special treat. I think these are nyala, but I'm not sure.

Gemsbok

Peering down to see the polar bear.  The zoo had a very nice selection of animals.

Loving the animals.  As you can see, the weather was beautiful in the afternoon.

I tried to get a picture of Kristell hiding from the monkeys, but I was too late.  I'm not sure why she's afraid of monkeys!