January 2020 - A New Year!

Summer is here and it is hot, hot, hot.  Although we have had a few days of good rain (2.75 inches over 5 days in mid Dec) it is generally blue skies with temps in the upper 80-90’s.  For some of you, that is probably ideal, but for this Seattle girl, those few days rainy day in Dec were a true blessing.  I’m already looking forward to winter!

The new university year starts the first week of February so there are a few more weeks of calm and quite before activities begin again.  We hope to have several students come back early for a freshman outreach the last week of January.  This will likely include nightly Bible studies, a movie showing, and going door to door meeting the incoming students.  Please pray that God will lead and direct us in the organization and details of this event. 

Please also pray that the students God would have join us for the coming year will be drawn to our Bible study and witnessing training group and that the student church in my home would continue to provide rich fellowship.

Pray for the new students arriving on campus who may be experiencing their first time away from home and, for those who are Christians, the first tests of their faith.  Is it their faith or their parent’s faith?  Will they put God first or be distracted by university life? For those who are not Christians will they see His truth when they hear the gospel?  For those who’s faith is more cultural than personal will they come to seek a relationship with Him? 

So many challenges and opportunities will be presented to each student over the coming year.  Please pray they God will lead and guide each one to find or be strengthened in their relationship with Christ.

Finally, please remember me and the Gestrings in your prayers as we decide on the curriculum/topics for Bible study and church this coming term. Let the Lord lead us to share His truth clearly and openly.

So many prayer requests fill my heart at the start of each year.  Thank you for coming alongside me in these prayers.  May the Lord be with you in this New Year!

December 2019 - Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!  It was wonderful seeing so many of you last year while I was home, but this year I am looking forward to a quiet Christmas here in Mahikeng. I have an artificial tree to put up, a few decorations for the house and Christmas movies to watch on Netflix to get me into the Christmas spirit.

The term finished in late Nov, but the final-year animal health students took their last practical exam for Companion Animal Care in late October.  I have to admit I was discouraged by the results.  We allowed those who wished to try to improve their score to have another chance at some of the questions (calculations) which did improve the marks somewhat.  A 40% is the minimum and several students did not even reach that level.  On the other hand, quite a few students did remarkably well, hitting 80%.

A few weeks earlier, we took a team of 10 students from Acts 29 to the Kingdom of Lesotho over spring break.  This time we stayed in the capital of Maseru rather than traveling up into the rural mountains. We assisted at an Anglican ministry, Durham Link, as well as working with Scripture Union in many schools and one college.  Each morning the students broke into teams of 3-5 to visit local primary and high schools and speak during assembly, where they shared their testimonies and short gospel presentations.  These were well received by the kids and the Acts 29 students found they truly enjoyed the experience.

Over the weekend and once during the week we went out to more rural locations to host Tae Kwon Do events for the children.  We use the colored martial arts belts to tell the story of Jesus.

Afternoons in Lesotho were spent working with troubled or special needs children and youth coming to Durham Link for outdoor education.  Our team worked alongside the Durham Link instructors to teach abseiling, rock climbing, canoeing, and paddle boarding and provide lots of loud encouragement.

Three evenings during the week we were also able to join the Scripture Union at the Lesotho College of Education hosting discussion nights for the students on the topic of temptation and giving a lecture on having a Biblical attitude about success.

After 7 days, we drove the 7 hours back to Mahikeng exhausted, but encouraged by God’s activity and presence in Lesotho.

Please pray for the student over the summer holidays as they are back with their families and enjoying a much-deserved break. 

Also, we hope to again run an outreach for Freshmen in late January as they come to register for classes so please keep that outreach in your prayers. Pray that the Acts 29 students will be able to return early to help with the outreach and that many Freshman will be reached with the good news of God’s love for them.

Finally, as you plan your end of year giving, I am still in need of additional yearly and/or monthly financial supporters to remain sustainable here long term.  If God is leading you to give, your assistance would be greatly appreciated.

Once again, wishing you a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!