Greetings from Africa!					23 Dec. 2004

This will be my final email for 2004, since I am leaving to return to
the US on Sunday. The way the telephone company (“Telkom”) charges for
everything results in very high telephone and Internet costs – which I
believe is a big problem for economic development here. More to the
immediate point, however, is the fact that, since I won’t be here until
late January and then am shortly moving, I have ordered the
discontinuation of the “land line” as of tomorrow. My cell phone will
be good until I get on the plane in Johannesburg and then again as soon
as I get off upon return.

I just finished a meeting here at the house with a very interesting man
named  Dr. Kobus Klopper. He and Johan (the owner of the Mission
Station) are friends, which is why we met. Dr. Klopper is what is know
as a “mover and shaker” who operates at very high levels in national
and international organizations. He has launched a business that
facilitates the work of churches, non-profit organizations, businesses
and even the government in providing services to needy people. It
involves lots of technology so I, of course, really like it. More
importantly, those who provide the resources also are starting to
really like it, and I believe his system will be very widely used and
effective. So, you might ask, what’s such an individual doing at my
house?? Good question! When we met perhaps two months ago he used a
pencil and a blank sheet of paper to sketch out how all this works,
which is actually rather complicated and resulted in a pretty messy
piece of paper. I suggested that a nice version of that, done on the
computer, would be a nifty idea, and not at all difficult to do. Today
he took me up on my offer to produce that computerized diagram, so we
talked, he sketched on a blank piece of paper with a pencil, and I
captured the whole thing on the computer and printed it for him. He
liked it a lot. I don’t know much about how other missionaries go about
their work of missionarying, but I think I may have helped a man today
who will help lots of organization help MILLIONS of people. There are
many, many wonderful ways to do the work of the Lord, and I am not
qualified to do almost all of them. I am, however, qualified to make
nice computerized documents that capture people’s thoughts and plans.
So, I do what I can do.

Yesterday I had the final counseling session of the year with a lady
who has been very blessed by the Lord. Today I was walking to town to
pay bills when she called and offered to give me a lift for my errands
and also to the mall for Christmas shopping – hers, for me! Seemed like
a fine idea to me, so I kept waling after after a while there she was,
and off we went. I am giving Erton and Lydia various appliances and
goodies in the house, including the toaster. I had my eye on a
particular, and particularly lovely, new one, but it was too expensive
for me to buy for myself. So, merry Christmas and a fancy new toaster
to me! I find it rather weird for me to be noticing the design of
toasters, but I did, and it has all worked out rather nicely.

On Sunday I did my final Fresh Bread teaching of the year (they are
scheduled to resume as a regular part of the Sunday service after I
return). I devoted it to a study and application of the encounter of
Simeon with Joseph, Mary and the baby Jesus. I stressed how Simeon,
under the influence of the Holy Spirit, was moved to do and say
particular things - things that were unusual. We should not be
surprised, therefore, if for us a life of walking in the Spirit
similarly involves doing and saying unusual things. At Christmas time
many people experience a great deal of stress, even to the point of
illness, and there is often a lot of family squabbling. The application
was to follow the Spirit and do the unusual, such as REFUSE to complain
or gossip, but rather pray. To carry a Bible and keep it handy. To
insist on giving thanks rather than worrying. I’m sharing all this with
ya’ll because there is still some time before Christmas, time in which
things can become better instead of worse. Seems like a good idea to me
– better instead of worse. 

I want to close this final message with a huge and profound statement
of THANKS to God my father, to St. Luke Presbyterian Church and to all
of you for what you have all done for me. St Luke for sending me here,
all of you for giving me the notion that someone cared about me and
what I have been doing here, and God for – well – EVERYTHING. This year
is and will remain incredibly precious to me, and important beyond
words to everything that I do and become in the future.

And now, as I prepare to fly off on my next journey,
“MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL, AND TO ALL A GOOD NIGHT!”

Love from Africa
Lary

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