Greetings from Africa! 08 Dec. 2005
It is SO wonderful to be re-enabled in regards to computers and
Internet! Actually, we are now far better off than before, which should
be no surprise to people of faith. Louise’s insurance paid very
promptly, but unfortunately withheld 25% of the loss (she was not aware
of this provision of the coverage), so we had to chip in personal money
to make up the difference. But, with the improvement in
performance/price over the past three years, and with the strengthening
of the Rand, we got far more with the money than was lost. When she
bought her laptop there was a way to get ‘preloaded’ software and
thereby save money. The problem is that you didn’t get the original
installation disks, and this is what was on the stolen computer. So, we
had to buy the software all over, but got the latest versions – which
are far better. One of the packages was VERY expensive, and to our
utter amazement came with a FREE COMPUTER! Well, we took that deal
(having to buy a keyboard, mouse, and monitor, of course), so we now
have two new computers! All of this new stuff is both the good news and
the bad news, since on the one hand we have tremendous capacity to do
many wonderful things, but on the other have a whole lot to learn
before we can actually do so. Luckily for me, I just love this kind of
thing, so I’m like a kid in a candy store with dad’s corporate American
Express card.
While our communication systems were down you all missed out on a
number of things, which I would gladly tell you about if I could
remember them all. Rather than strain my memory, I’ll tell you about
some exciting things from this week. A couple days ago Louise and I
went to visit a most remarkable man who has spearheaded the
establishment of about 300 Bible colleges in Africa in the past 15
years. He is a very nice fellow, and a busy one. He, along with about
35 others, has written a large array of booklets on just about every
subject of interest (see attached photo for just a small sample of what
they have).
As a result, there is a very affordable way for people to
get a very good education in the Scriptures. Their materials include
very detailed guidelines for the establishment and running of a college
– at various levels. They have programs for a ‘certificate’, a
‘diploma’, and a bachelor’s degree. VERY IMPRESSIVE! He is also very
interested in helping Louise and me personally, and has already come up
with a number of very good ideas for establishing a learning center in
a large black community in Pretoria, including making the initial
contacts himself.
That not being enough for the week, today we went to a town called
Brits about an hour’s drive west of here for our first session in
learning, and learning how to teach, Hebrew in a VERY enjoyable and
effective way. See attached photo for today’s class, including the
teacher next to Louise).
The teacher, Marinda, has spent quite a bit of
time in Israel, including some intensive courses in learning Hebrew in
a way that makes it alive. Louise was exposed to Hebrew for six years
during her training in theology, but she says that it was never made a
living ‘language’, but more a code to be cracked. She is very excited
about this project, and after today I am, too! It doesn’t hurt that
everyone involved is very nice and very competent, nor that the venue
is a room attached to their house with only two walls. The other two
sides are simply wide open to the outside world. The room, however,
doesn’t know about this, and feels enabled to have nice furniture,
books, etc. The initial impression, at least to American eyes, is
pretty weird, but it is also VERY nice. The breeze blows while the roof
provides shade (and, I suppose, functions as a very big umbrella in the
rain).
The third attached photo is of me and Louise’s father, who, it now
turns out, is also something of a twin to me. We bought some shirts on
a going-out-of-business sale a while back, and then were made aware
that ‘pappa’ needed some new shirts as well. The only one in his size
was identical to one we already bought for me, so we bought him his
twin shirt. A couple weeks ago we both showed up together in our
matching shirts, and no one could resist the photo opportunity. As you
might be able to discern from the picture, he and I get along
BEAUTIFULLY! I am so blessed, in every way, by my marriage.
The only other news of note for tonight is that the new MacDonald’s
across the street seems to be nearly completed. By the time any of you
complete your plans to come and visit us we should have resources
nearby to ensure that, although in a foreign land, you can still eat
familiar food!
Love from Africa,
Lary and Louise
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