Shortly after we passed through the border from South Africa into Swaziland, Larry’s cell phone rang.  There seemed to be a problem at the transmitter site and we would be passing by the site on our way home.  The chief engineer asked Larry to meet him there.  It is a pleasant ride through the bush.  There are 4 gates to open.  The good thing is that they are remote controlled and one does not have to get out of the vehicle to open them or close them.  Each gate can either be opened by a remote or by calling it using a cell phone.

We arrived at the site and it was determined that the problem was with the electric company and not the transmitters.  The transmitters were running on the generators and God’s Word was going out.  Of course while we were there I took a few pictures.

As we were leaving, I noticed the beautiful sunset and snapped a quick picture.  The sunsets and sunrises seem to always be so colorful.  As we drove on down the road we also saw the full moon coming up.  I was not able to capture the gold tinge of the sky with the moon, but still a pretty picture.

Sunday was a good day of worship and sermon from John 16:12-14.  After church,  we and the Pastor Deon Phillips and his wife, Berenice,  joined Ruth Crowie for dinner.  We enjoyed lasagne made by Berenice and roast chicken, potato salad, rice, fresh green beans and pudding that Ruth made.  We had a very nice time of fellowship.

Monday was a normal working day for Larry and a stay at home day for me.  Tuesday morning we had staff meeting with some of the top people with TWR Africa.  Our Swazi staff sing so nicely.  I could listen to them all day.

After staff meeting, Larry and the other men went to the site and I walked around town and caught a ride home with Ingrid Clarke at noon.

Wednesday was another very normal day.  Wednesday evening we attended prayer meeting and continued a study in James 2 verses 8-13.

Thursday began as a very normal day.  Larry went to work and I took care of my ‘farm’ (chickens) and worked around the house.   Larry came home in the evening and asked,”How would you like to go to Kruger Park tomorrow?”  Well, who would say ‘no’ to that question? Not me.  Larry went on -line and found a vacancy! A two bed bungalow on the river.  It was self-contained with bathroom and outside kitchen.  The nicest place we have stayed in at Kruger.

We needed to leave Swaziland because our visa expired and we needed to go out of the country and get our passports re-stamped.  Kruger was the closest and most interesting place we could think of to go.  There is also a hot springs resort close, but seeing God’s creation is much more enjoyable then laying around a pool.

We were up bright an early and left before 6 a.m. to be at the border when it opened and into Kruger early to make the most of our time there. As we left in the morning, it was very foggy and then misty.  As the morning wore on, we had quite a bit of rain.  In spite of the rain, we saw lots of animals during the morning.  We even stopped at one picnic area and took a little nap during the heaviest part of the rain. At lunch time, we stopped at a picnic spot where they sold food and decided to have kuduwors and pap.  This is a type of thick sausage made from kudu meat and the pap is corn porridge that is cooked fairly thick and then served sheba, a tomato gravy. It is quite tasty and we enjoyed our African meal under a thatch roofed shelter out of the rain. While we were eating, we watched a monkey dart out of the trees and steal some food from a plate in the kitchen.  It was a plate that was to be washed.  The whole time we were eating the monkeys watched from trees and other perches, waiting for the people to be inattentive so they could grab something.

We enjoyed beautiful scenery as well a wonderful wild animals.  Enjoy the photos!

“The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands.” Ps. 19:1

I have one photo of a sunrise in the park.  Usually every sunrise and sunset are brilliant.  The sailors of old, who who trusted the saying, “Red in the morning, sailors take warning. Red at night sailors delight.” would be confused here.  It is usually red or glorious gold.

“The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it.” 1Cor.10:26

SCENERY AT KRUGER PARK

“Then God said, “Let the earth produce living creatures after their kinds: cattle and creeping things and beasts of the earth according to their kinds.” And it was so. Gen. 1:24

These are a few of the animals we saw.  Unfortunately, photos do not do the real thing justice.Kruger has  an area of 7,523 square miles, is about 200 miles  long and 25 to 50 miles wide.  It is home to many different animal, birds and reptiles.  We saw 20 different animals, including 4 of the big 5.  The big five are elephant, lion, leopard, buffalo, and rhino. We did not see a leopard this time, but have in the past.  We have also see wild dogs in the past at Kruger.

We hope you enjoyed the pictures.  With the internet, it is easy to search these animals and learn more about them and see better pictures than the ones we were able to take from the confines of our car.

God has so blessed us with beauty all around, no matter where He puts us.

A couple more photos that are kind of interesting.

Monday was a pretty normal day at home.  Some of the children came over for a few minutes to play and I took a couple of pictures so you could see the fun things they play on in this yard. I think the zip line is my favorite.

Flying down the zip line on her wild horse.

Mounting the zip line horse.

Larry was busy making arrangements for the manufacture of the parts needed for the antenna upgrade.  We are grateful that there is a place in South Africa that can make the parts at a much less cost than can be done in the U.S.  He is now looking for a particular type of screw that he may need to order from the States and will be brought to South Africa by some of the TWR missionaries who are presently at meetings in the States.

Tuesday, 8:30 a.m., I caught a ride into town to get some South African currency and do a few errands.  Our  visa expires and we need to leave Swaziland and then return to get our passport re-stamped so needed to be sure we had the correct currency.  I walked to the Post Office to post some letters and cards, then walked through town and ‘window’ shopped. After exploring some of the stores that I had enjoyed on previous visits to Swaziland, I went to the market and bought some produce and then back to Pick n Pay for a few grocery items. On my way back to the TWR office,  I stopped by a little tea shop and bought a samosa and a cold drink which I enjoyed at an outside table.  I watched people and read while I enjoyed my snack and rested. By then it was nearly 11:30 a.m. and time to catch the church bus to visit one of the older widows in the congregation. After the church bus picked me up in town, we headed to Blossoms house.  The bus already had 6 people on it, including the driver, when they picked me up.  On the was we stopped at two of Blossom’s neighboring farms and picked up Dick, and Calvin and Jacquie.

Blossom was so happy to see us all.  After a time of singing and and a devotional we enjoyed a delicious meal the ladies carried in.  This time we feasted on  biryani and samosas,

This is what covers those delicious breyani dishes. If you see this at a dinner, you know something very tasty is inside!!

fried chicken, pumpkin and roasted potatoes and several types of juices. For dessert there were several kinds of cake, custard, jello and donuts.  It was a great time.  It was nice to have a small group with whom to worship, visit, and get to know people more.

Now in America, we just go out and buy paper or plastic plates, cups etc. and throw them away afterwards.  Not here.  It is very  much as it was when I was growing up.  Out comes the nice plates, glasses, utensils etc. and everyone pitches in and helps wash up.  Even the pot-luck dinners at church use real plates and flatware, just as when I was a child.  The paper plates here are thin and not as nice as in the States and are expensive.  I remember as a child, liking the ‘washing up’ time.  I liked to help and listen to the adults talk.

Back to Tuesday.  After things were cleaned up, we headed home.  When we stopped to drop Dick off, two tiny baby goats came out of their pen.  I took a couple of pictures of these tiny little creatures.  There was one newly born baby back in a corner.  They are so small and cute. Another of God’s wonderful creation.

I am sorry that I did not get photos of the farm, but perhaps I will another time.

Sunday was a beautiful day.  It threatened to rain, but only sprinkled a bit.

The church service was quite good.  Music lively and pleasant. Message straight from God’s Word, as usual, and was from 1 Thess. 1:1-10.  This morning,  Pastor Paluku Bushu brought the message.   He and his wife are missionaries from the DRC (Democratic Republic of Congo) with Campus Crusade.  They came to Swaziland not knowing English or SiSwati.  They now speak excellent English and will soon be leaving for Texas where they will  join their daughter and her family. They do plan to return to Swaziland to visit their children who are staying in Swaziland and their families.  The Bushus are leaving behind some very cute little grandchildren, that I know they will miss, but  they have some in Texas to enjoy, too.

Their children, who live locally, gave a special song for their parents.

After church, we had a braai for the Bushu family with salads and dessert.

We left for home around 3:00 and spent a quiet evening at home.

I have attached a gallery of photos for your enjoyment, especially those who have fond memories of Swaziland and know or are related to some of these very special people.   Keep these Brothers and Sisters in Christ in your prayers.

The solar dryer works great. I would recommend one. This is where I hang my wet clothes. The tree house keeps most of the sun off the clothes, but the wind can still help them dry and lessen the wrinkles..

Tuesday was a cool pleasant day after the rain of the day before.  I was able to get the keys for the house we moved out of and do laundry.  I am thankful I just have to walk up the hill to the neighbors and not go to the river. 🙂  It is good exercise to walk to the other house to put the laundry in to wash, walk back when it is done and then hang the clothes on the line.  The washers do a great job of washing and wringing out the clothes.  They are all front loading and from my experience, they do a better job.  Most of the settings on the machine take 90 minutes to 2 hours to complete.  All that swishing helps get the clothes cleaner, too.  The machines also have a timer so you can see how much time is left on the washing cycle.

Larry was able to download the program he needed for his drawings which has really been a blessing!  It makes it so much easier, especially since he did not have proper drawing equipment to do it by hand.

Friday, James Burnett, from our offices in Johannesburg, located a company that can  make the needed pieces.  Larry has been busy today, Saturday, getting the specs ready to send to the company for them to look over. Larry spent a lot of time looking around Swaziland for a company that could do the job, but with no success.  This company can make the holes with a laser cutter and do the bends in the aluminum  and have the parts ready to use. What an answer to prayer!

Tuesday afternoon, Katja and I visited some local friends who are in poor halth.  He has advanced cancer and she recently suffered a stroke and is wheel chair bound and cannot talk.  She has use of one hand.  This couple knows and love the Lord.  They have been active in the community and church.  When we lived in Swaziland, he ran one of the local meat markets.  He was always busy.  His wife has taught school for years and it is not unusual to run into someone who had her for a teacher in school.  She also taught Sunday School, and one of her pupils was one of our sons, who, apparently, gave her a hard time and did things like hiding under the table.  He was a deacon at the church.  Those are just a few of the things I know of.  Pray for this couple, their children and their families.

Thursday morning, Larry and I attended TWR staff meeting in town.  After staff meeting Larry had some companies to visit about purchasing parts for the antenna upgrade.  While he did that, I did some grocery shopping.   While he was waiting for  quotes to be calculated, we stopped by a shop so I could buy some gum boots for taking care of the chickens.  The grass has been very wet with dew in the mornings and  my shoes were always wet.  Then, of course, there is always the fact that I have to walk in the chicken pens and that also made gum boots a good idea.

In the afternoon Larry went to Matsapa to check out some leads of places who might be able to make parts or have parts that are needed.  That was before he found out about the place in Johannesburg.

Friday, I caught up on things around the house and Larry went to the transmitter site.  It was a beautiful  quiet day.  I wrote 13 postcards.

Saturday,  we ran into town early to pick up some chicken feed.  I still had some, but it was the bottom of the bag and was mostly dust.   Those little hens need to lay more than one egg a day!

Larry is working on the antenna upgrade drawings and I cooked for Sunday. Another pleasant day.

The front door of the house where we are staying

We have been so blessed with lovely weather, beautiful sun rises and sun sets.  If you ever see photos of Africa with the red or golden-red sky, that is what it often looks like.  Beautiful.