Prayer:a privilege and a necessity - 7 June 2009 (Chrisna)

Prayer has always fascinated me. It excites me and make me feel grateful. I am also amazed and humbled that the Lord of lords actually listens to what I'm saying AND always answers. The fact that we are invited to ask and promised an answer, makes it even more amazing. Even more mind boggling is that our prayers can be powerful and can make a huge difference in circumstances (sometimes the circumstances remain the same, but I become different). In James 5 in God's Word every one who is suffering, is invited to pray. We are reminded that prayer can be instrumental in healing and that God is present when we come together in His name and pray. Awesome!

Prayer has always been part of my daily life and existence. But this year...this year of being out of our comfort zones at all times, being far from home and unable to assist others in a seeable way, this year of challenges and self confrontation more than ever, of having to trust totally on God and not on the things we are used /able to do, prayer is an even bigger part of life. (May it keep on increasing in my life in years to come.)

Why is prayer so prominent and alive in my/our lives this year – even more than other times – and even to such an extent that I feel it important to write a blogpost about it? I'll give a short summary of reasons, which must also be a reminder for me in months and years to come, to continue fervent prayer and even do it more as time moves on. While I'm writing , I realize that there is more reasons than what I thought initially, and what was suppose to be a short blog, might be longer. My problem is that I think while I speak (or write,) I realize now that there is more in my heart than what I thought!

Why we pray more:

Reason 1: We are so completely dependant on God. Yes, we say we always depend on God, but back home, in known circumstances, I am unfortunately quite often able to do many things on my own and then dependence is more theoretical than practical.

Reminder/Lesson 1a: Depend on God's guidance even in known circumstances. There might be a better way to do things, and by merely following my known ways, I might miss the wiser way.

Reminder/Lesson 1b: Plan with God from the start. Don't plan and then ask God to help you and bless your plans. God's plans are always the best.

Reason 2: We are constantly out of our comfort zones. In a comfort zone, one feels...comfortable, and in control. We do not feel like this – we feel privileged and blessed, but not comfortable and in control. This causes even more dependence and need for guidance and sometimes even rescues. This demands adaptation, self examination and a good attitude at all times.

Reminder/Lesson 2: Never get too comfortable, it is a dangerous place of self dependence and reliance completely on own abilities. Comfort-zone-living can easily lead to selfish self-centeredness, without you ever calling it that! I must check regularly if I am in a comfort zone or if I'm stretching myself to limits which I can only achieve through the Power of Jesus. (Phil 4:13)

Reason 3: We are far away from home and cannot help others in need physically. I cannot sit with someone in pain, I cannot listen and give advice where it is needed, I cannot see the need and then do something about it, I cannot give anyone a hug... The "only" thing I can do, is to pray. And because I cannot depend on wise words the Spirit give me to give someone as advice or comfort, I must pray and trust God to send someone else or to comfort the person in need Himself. Quite often, I do not even know of the need and must rely on the Spirit to show me for who and for what to pray, only to experience God's faithfulness when realizing afterwards how "right" that specific prayer was. An e-mail response to God's call in my heart for that person, is the only thing I can do, other than continuous prayer for the person.

Reminder/Lesson 3: Pray for someone before I talk to that person. Wait and pray and wait and pray to get guidance from the Spirit to know for whom to pray. Sometimes, all I have to do, is pray – not necessarily "help" physically, unless God says so.

Reason 4: The slower pace and more time gives more opportunity for self search; for looking into the mirror and asking the Spirit to show me dirty spots. The not being so busy with doing and performing, gives more time to see the hidden, not so good, parts or characteristics, that was overseen in the past. Being out of the comfort zone also reveals parts of the self that is not so easily recognizable inside the place of comfort. To deal and grow through these realities, needs prayer and lots of it. Out of myself I cannot change, but if I allow Jesus to live through me, I can become who I am supposed to be.

Reminder/Lesson 4: MAKE time for self evaluation and do it regularly. Running is OK, but slow walking and pausing - stopping - is of vital importance. Self evaluation and rectifying of flaws does not happen with one line prayers on the run. To be filled with the Holy Spirit, to have Jesus living through me, takes time in prayer, in communication with God, woven into meditation on His Word.

Reason 5: More time with my family and more time for praying together. More deliberately living a life and setting the example...24 hours a day in which God is real and near and with us. Involving God and all 3 boys in the day to day decisions and challenges.

Reminder/Lesson 5: Think of God as being with you the whole time (it IS an absolute truth). Involve Him in your day to day life. Pray not only because you need Him, but as a reminder of His presence, of Him being with you. Make time to pray together – with my husband, with my family, with my friends. Make special prayer opportunities out of ordinary things – creating a life of thinking about God the whole time, knowing he is there the whole time. Like praying with a meal – it's not about the food or the habit, but a reminder of God's Presence.

There is more reasons for praying more and for praying, but these are a few that I know I must remind myself of in future, back home when I'm on the run.

Let me end this blogpost by praising God and giving a testimony of His faithfulness and hearing and answering of our prayers. In March ,when my mother experienced severe back pain, a diagnoses of cancer in the vertebrae was made. She received one dose of radiation therapy AND MUCH (too much to count) prayer from people all over. My mom has not experienced any pain since then and when a bone scan was done a few weeks ago as follow up, there was NO sign of cancer any more! She is completely healed. All other tests done shows that everything is normal and healthy. ALL HONOUR AND GLORY TO GOD!

Prayer is important, it is a privilege, it is a weapon, it is powerful, it is available. When you ask for something which is the Will of God, you will receive, BUT you must have faith. So, with prayer and faith, I will go on another world tour, I will go out of my comfort zone again and again. I will come back home, I will do what God asks of me and I know I can do all things through Christ who strengthen me.

I pray that these few words may help and remind someone out there of God's Faithfulness and invitation to pray, as much as it is helping me to write them.

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It is Sunday today (or it was 10 minutes ago). I wrote this part above on Saturday evening, but haven't posted it yet. This morning we visited "our church" in Whitefish and the message was on prayer! How great is God, and faithful! It was such a blessing to me and confirmation of what I have written. I do however, want to add a paragraph coming from the introduction to Pastor Paul's teaching:

Prayer is always needed. Prayer is always appropriate. Prayer is always effective.

"Eph 6:18 Never stop praying, especially for others. Always pray by the power of the Spirit. Stay alert and keep praying for God's people."

This world we live in is like a minefield. I must walk slowly, carefully and prayerfully through it, always thinking of the other people around me as well. So, let's continue praying – God is listening...

Montana again - Tinus (Sunday night, 7 June '09)

I am really content.

No, I am really, really, really content.

Why? Well, a steaming cup of especially strong coffee is close at hand. My family is all close by also: each silently busy. I know God is happy with me, smiles over me and feasts on my pure delight. The intimate presence of the Holy Spirit (one of my 3 best friends…guess who the others are) adorns every inch (the USA is still on the imperial system) in and around me. And…I have just come home from the most wonderful day in Glacier National Park.

An awe inspiringly beautiful road – the "Going-to-the-sun road" – runs through the park from East to West Glacier. The middle portions of the road, are however at such altitudes that they are all but destroyed during winter. Early every summer, that part of the road is thus closed for repairs. But, bicycles are still allowed to travel to a section of the road called "the Loop," which is almost at the very center of the park, just West of the continental divide. (The continental divide is the imaginary line that runs along the Rocky mountains from North to South, from where rivers start flowing either East or West. It thus divides the North American Continent into East and West.)

So, today we took the two bikes we have (along with a third on which only Dawie can ride) and headed out for Glacier after church (which was amazingly blessed in itself!) Since there are four of us and only two bikes, Charlie and I took the first mounted shift and my parents and Dawie came walking behind. The two lane road, exclusive to cyclists this time of year, took us through paradise, beside a crystal clear river and amidst the most majestic mountains I have ever seen (and I have been to the Spitskoppe, Brandberg, Western Cape Mountain ranges and Drakensberge). We (the eldest Fourie brothers) turned around after 5 miles (exactly, about 28 minutes), having only really been on the part of the road that starts to climb for about a mile. The slight elevation we gained and the relative flatland beyond translated into a return journey to my parents of a 3.5 miles.

Then they took the bikes and we did not see them for 50 minutes. By that time, our feet had carried us to where the road starts ascending. From there, we cycled all the way up to the Loop (3 miles and 30 minutes), having gained around 350m. Sure, this doesn’t sound so hard, but for runners (I haven’t ridden a bicycle in a very long time), it is an effort worth mentioning. This entire scenic bi-athlone, took us a total of 2 hours 50 minutes. But, oh! I would do it again and again and again, even if just for the view!

So, with a tired and slightly sore, but healthy and currently comfortable body, I am content.

I am really, really, really content!

Praise the Lord!

The last time I felt like this was on the Alaska cruise…

P.S. My mother had our camera with her, so for photos, you'll have to wait for her post. Sorry.

Mainly Montana - Tinus (6 June '09)

I am content!

Two weeks ago we arrived in Whitefish, Montana by train. Our time since has been spent mostly working (e-mails to Namibia, school, etc.) and walking. Truth be told, I am still slightly drained as I am writing this, for on Friday the family thought it propper to hike for more than 20km in Glacier National Park. Yes, I am tired, but would do it again any day!

The natural beauty of this land cannot be put into words, or even captured in a photo. Everywhere you look, you'll see some form of water.

Be it the snow we hiked at higher elevations, the lakes gracing the distance, or the cascading water falls that make you want to cry from delight. Logically, everything is also green. And so many shades thereof! Then, throw into the mix the white snowcapped mountains, the brilliantly blue sky, the magnificent mountain faces that blush when you look at them and the seemingly infinite detail in which all are tied together and you find yourself in a place you do not wish to leave (were it not for your wet cold feet and angry belly).

Truly, this world was made good!

But it became even better when humans started roaming it. We had the privilege of spending an evening with the Ogle family: Paul - the pastor of the foursquare church where we were so blessed last Sunday - and his wife, Angelita. Apart from wonderful (oh no, I'm starting to sound like Dawie J, which isn’t a bad thing, come to think of it) food, lovely atmosphere and GREAT company, our time was also blessed by God. May He bless them abundantly.

Before we arrived in this corner of the world we spent a day in Seattle, sleepless off course! The journey by train from there to here was filled with beauty also. We passed through the longest tunnel in the US, slept on the airplane-business-class-tipe chairs and watched movies on my laptop. The trip took us up and over some mountains, which afforded an interesting observation: as we went higher, the rivers became smaller, and faster and as we went down on the other side, the mountain streams we crossed gradually became small creeks, larger creeks, fast flowing small rivers and eventually mighty boulevards of stampeding water.

The past two weeks have truly been unforgettable! But, believe it or not, the week preceding it surpassed it boundlessly. I am referring to a week that was by far the highlight of my tour thus far. A week which was filled with ear-to-ear fun and excitement, breathtaking beauty, inspiring art, fattening food and soothing encounters with the Creator. A week I shall write of in due time: our week aboard the Norwegian star!

5 Weeks in USA - 31May 2009 (Chrisna)

Time flies, that's no secret, also no big discovery or something we can change. The thing however, that we have to continue to figure out, is how to make the most of time, of each day, of each hour. Like we read in Psa 90:12 "Teach us to use wisely all the time we have." The King James translation calls it "to number our days".

This principle has been an important one throughout our world tour, which is halfway over already. And, although we focus on that, time still quickly slips away. That's why we had a family meeting on day 2 in Whitefish ,Montana, to make sure we will use the 3 weeks here wisely. This will be slower pace, with not so much time going into driving from point A to B (like in Los Angeles) ,or having appointments, or so many attractions that we must see. But it is so easy then, that the days might just slip by ,because you think you have lots of time. Each one of us had to give a list of goals that need to be accomplished before we leave on June 12. We wrote them down and keep each other accountable on them. We had another meeting, where each had to evaluate himself and recognize what habit or characteristic needs to be changed or fine tuned. We did that, each looking in his own mirror and repenting, choosing whatever is needed to be more godly and more effective. This "exercise" is also a time saver, otherwise so many hours and days can pass by, over which you have regrets later and have to rectify things – and those are time stealers.

Like in all the other places, we also decide as a family, what activities we will do or which sites we will visit, and then go with that plan. It is impossible to see and do everything at every place we visit. It's part of having balance this whole tour: to see the world and experience different cultures, to rest, have family time, exercise, have enough quiet time, get work done, learn what we need to learn, make divine connections and grow as individuals. (And still stay within our budget as we do all of this.) So once again, planning is important and help with "using our days wisely."

While I'm on this subject of different places, let me give a short recap of our time in the USA so far. The 3 weeks in California was a good mix of sites to be seen, things to do, church visits, special appointments and LOTS of miles on the road. (They are still a bit "behind" in this country and use miles and pounds.) We were not only in Los Angeles during this time, but also in Palm Springs, Arizona where the Grand Canyon is, took a quick drive – 30 minutes - through Las Vegas( and saw the total emptiness money and worldly pleasures bring) and back to LA.

We visited Saddleback Church 3 times and Crenshaw Christian Centre twice. (We were at Saturday evening, Sunday morning and Sunday evening services!) That surely has been a blessing. The main message during those services was the choice to give Glory to God and the choice to run away from sin. I must take up my responsibility. At Crenshaw church (where the members are mainly African –American), we made a funny observation: Although we were the only "white" people there, we were the only real Africans in the church! It was also there that God spoke to me clearly to confirm that my place, our place, is in Africa.

We had meetings with Mark Carver, head of Purpose Driven International ministries, and with Apostle Fred Price and his wife Betty. Both very fruitful and blessed meetings. Wise men and and woman, from whom we can learn so much.

We stayed in a "home exchange" house, very close to the LAX airport. Every afternoon, while taking our walk/jog along the beach, departing planes flew over our heads at a 3 minute interval. Planes played a big role in the LA experience.

A big reason for that was Charlie's return to us. Glory to God for his safe journey -29 hours non stop, with only 2 of them on the ground in Australia and NZ airports! As we drove into the airport, Charlie's plane came in over our heads – how amazing is that! It was and is so wonderful and gracious and a blessing that he could come back, that our family could be complete once again. Thank you God!! The big bag full of sweets and chutney and surprises he brought with him, were also fantastic!

My men drove me down to San Diego for a one day leadership seminar for women. That surely was directly from God. I was blessed.

Greeting LA, we flew to Seattle and drove directly from the airport to Vancouver, Canada, spent 3 hours there and drove back.

Luckily the sun only sets at 21h30, which gave us enough time to experience Vancouver and the Washington state roadside. Beautiful, beautiful country. What a privilege to see it all. We keep on discovering that God's creativity never dries up, it remains amazing and new and fresh.

THEN – we went on the boat – but that deserves a blog post on it's own.

Thank you God, that we may do this, see what we see, experience all we do, learn life lessons and have loads of fun at the same time!! We praise your Name.

May we use our days wisely...

Frequently Asked Questions (Dawie) - 30 May 2009

Today we are exactly 5 months away from home on our journey around the world. I wish it was possible to share the appreciation and thankfulness in our hearts. Just as that is impossible, so too is my ability to use words to describe our journey and experiences. Luckily I have a talented family who will share in different ways our tour with you. Some will do it in perfect British English, other in charismatic American English and others in passionate Namlish.

It does not matter how these words will be put together, I am convinced that the Holy Spirit will use our words to feed your soft hearts to encourage, to edify, to equip and to reprimand for His glory.

I thought to share my heart today with you by answering (some of) the questions most frequently asked, apart from: "Where is Namibia?":

Where do you come from, which places have you visited, where will you still go and when will your tour end?

We come from Namibia in Africa, left home on 30 Dec '08 and already built precious memories in London, Paris, Orcierre (France), Switzerland, Germany, Phuket, Singapore, Australia, New Zeeland, Los Angeles, Palm Springs, Grand Canyon, Seattle, Vancouver, Alaska and Whitefish (Montana). We plan, amongst others, to visit Toronto, Atlanta, Chicago, New York, Southern France, Italy and Greece. We plan to be home on the 5^th of October 2009.

How did you come up with the idea like this?

Difficult to pin point and give 1 reason, but I guess it was birthed because of a family habit of regularly having family meetings. During one of those meetings Tinus challenged us to do a Cape to Cairo trip. In another meeting he shared his heart that he is close to finishing school but did not want to leave our house yet, but, also do not want to waste a valuable year of his life. If there was only one reason why we do this tour , it was to say thank you to Tinus who :"got it right for 18 years in our home". We dreamed ,talked, discussed, prayed and laughed, and over time, the around-the-world-idea unfolded right before us.

What was the highlight of the tour so far?

For Tinus: Sydney (because of the Hillsong church) and the Cruise to Alaska. For Dawie J: The many new places (or watching rugby in Sydney). For Charlie: the isolation in the snow in Switzerland and joining the family after playing rugby back home for two months. For Chrisna: Impossible to say...every place is a highlight, but if she had to say..."the bonus family time". For myself: the slower pace, being more with my family and our Lord Jesus, the visits to the many special churches and their leadership, losing part of my finger and ending in hospital in Phuket, the Alaska cruise and the many times I was hearing God's crystal clear voice.

How could you afford it?

Live a life of simplicity over many years, save according to a plan which has measureable goals, pray, plan, study and work hard, prioritize, budget, assign responsibilities, be accountable, measure progress, be disciplined, be obedient, adjust timely, find cheaper options (live on specials), do home exchanges, do not make mistakes, operate in faith and communicate well (if you need more detail...read my blog dated 20^th Jan 09: http://fourieworldtour.blogspot.com/2009/01/our-trips-finances-20-january-2009.html)

What would you have done differently?

Very few things, it was as close to perfect as can be! But maybe to sin less and walk to the bottom of the Grand Canyon and sleep in it for at least one night.

Are you not tired of traveling, foreign food, suitcases and not to have a place of your own? Are you not considering it to go home earlier?

Not at all, we are enjoying every moment. We are continuing with our family meetings. I am putting the above question on the table on a regular basis, and the answer remains the same: no one wants to go home yet!

When we are reading your blog it seems that you are enjoying it so much. Are you considering it not to go back at all?

There are so many beautiful place on earth. We have discussed it several times. We are sure that there are many different places where we will be able to stay and be very happy. Although we are blindly loyal to Namibia, we are, for the first time in our lives, honest enough to acknowledge that there may be other places on earth, which on a scale may "weight better" than our home town/country. However, the decision where to live is driven, in our opinion, by God and his calling for your life. For what the latter is, we will remain in a close walk with our Lord Jesus.

Can you, as a family, remember special "wow moments " that you will never forget?

Chrisna: Seeing and touching a Koala Bear , experiencing God's Greatness in the Grand Canyon and Alaska's glaciers. Charlie: Seeing my family after two months. Tinus: God's special gifts during the Alaska cruise. DawieJ: Receiving a word from the Lord from strangers in Australia and NZ. For myself: Seeing a banner with the three words on it: "Family , Faith, Friends"...when I saw it I thought: "this is IT, this is me! That is why I will devote my life to leadership development and the local church so that people will reach their full potential , enjoy life to its fullest and God's glory will shine!" But there were many more...seeing the Grand Canyon, the majestic snow covered mountain tops in Alaska, the many prayer times as a family, the special people we have met, etc. etc.

The whole trip sounds so exciting with so many wow's and so many highlights - were there any disappointments as well?

When you travel so much and so far as a family with a limited budget, there will always be numerous challenges. But through God's grace we could turn them all around into great learning experiences. (Like to walk in the snow for kilometers after our car could not go further one night in Germany to mention only one). I think it is very true that the only real disappointments were when we as individuals sinned and we did not reflect God's glory through our characters, thoughts, words and conduct.

What have you learned so far?

So many things. Read my blog comment on the 9th March 09. (http://fourieworldtour.blogspot.com/2009/03/ali-newsletter-9-march-dawie.html) Maybe I can add: God is GOOD and GREAT. There is no one like Him! The needs in this wonderful Godly created earth are growing. We have to press harder for the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. We have to pursue in love and faith. We should not try to do it alone. We need family, friends, a local church, a strategy and above all the power of the risen Jesus Christ inside us.

Will you do such a tour again?

I seriously doubt if such a tour is possible more than once in one lifetime. The circumstances around our children will also never be the same again. But if it is God's will, I most definitely will.

Is there any last message you have for the people reading this blog?

God created this earth in its splendor and beauty. He saw that it was good. Then He made you and me and He said it was VERY GOOD. (Ps119) We have one life...let us make it count for the King of all kings, for the Lord of all lords. Accept Jesus' forgiveness, give forgiveness yourself: quickly and in abundance, live with a soft heart, do not judge others, treasure your family, diligently pursue your purpose, get actively involved in a local church within your area of gifts, never stop learning, keep your passions burning hot and finish your calling. While you are on this journey... laugh a lot and walk intimately with Jesus!

Dawie Fourie - 30 May 2009 - Whitefish, Montana, USA

Cruise Alaska – 16-23 May (Dawie J)

Finely: school vacation and off on the boat!

We came on the boat and immediately went to eat. And repeated that lots of times thereafter.

There were so much to do: there were games, restaurants, lounges, card rooms, a cinema, it was just great.

We played Table Tennis. You think I would win my mom, well I did not, but it was still fun. We also played shuffleboard on the deck – there I was the champion!

We cruised along the Inside Passage of Alaska. The scenery was wonderful! We went right up to a glacier and saw icebergs around the boat. When we went ashore, we hiked for miles and miles.

That was the only thing that was free, but it was very nice. We walked over mountains and saw waterfalls, snow, pine trees and rivers.

Unfortunately I got sick the last 2 days on the boat. I think the lots of sugary food was a shock on my stomach, but my mom said it was a bug (and the fact that I don't like fruit). I am 100% healthy now.

The boat trip was very nice, I enjoyed it a lot! But I am also glad to have my 2 feet back on solid ground. I am ready for the next adventure and for school that will start after this 1 glorious week of holiday.

Flashback: two months in my Mother land- 25 May 2009 (Charlie)

First of all ,it's great being back on tour! I realised that I was a bit behind on blog writing so here goes. Although I miss my beautiful Namibia and its people already, being with my family again is amazing. The moment I landed at LAX and saw their faces, I truly realised what they mean to me. I truly thank God for all my wonderful privileges, but I thank Him the most for the wonderful foundation of love, peace, trust, forgiveness and grace He has given me through my family!

Coming back to my time in Namibia, I want to tell you about the most significant events, but also give it an evaluation based upon expectancy and responsibility. Our lives hang on a thread. Only God knows when and where we will die! Because we can't plan the date of our death or choose at what age we want to stop living on earth, it is essential to give it your all, live your purpose and prioritise the things that are dear to you. One thing we can also control is where we will go when we die because of the gift God gave us in sacrificing His Son on the cross, the question still remains:" How many people will we take with us?"

This was my fuel for going back in these two months, I wanted to serve others to the best of my ability, encourage and enlighten. Yes, in earthly terms I went back to play rugby, but God saw an opportunity for so much more! Thus these two months in Namibia were not going to be a piece of cake or like my dad likes to say, "It won't be Mickey Mouse, son."

I came in Namibia with the expectation and warmth of seeing my friends and eating red meat! Luckily the first few days I stayed with the Du Plooys, so both of my instinctive expectations got realised in the first two days! I had a Steak dinner and got to see my friends at a surprise party the next day! This was a wonderful beginning to my time at home. To add to that beginning, we had rugby practises on the Friday and Saturday just after my arrival. It was great to see my team mates again, but unfortunately the bad jet lag I got made it tough on the body, little did I know that this was the start of a tough physical battle. After a lovely weekend with A.J. and family I headed to my grandma's and started an amazing and blessed time with her!

The next Monday morning it was time for school! Yes, I loved being back in the whole school environment, but from the word go I had to adapt to the new conditions. I did work hard on my own overseas but the teachings were in many cases based on notes and although I had the basic knowledge of the syllabi, I did not know all the new kinks and format, thus I had to do everything from the beginning with only a month to the exams! This put me through a little bit of stress but I soon developed an action plan to approach this hurdle: Hard work. I put in a lot of extra hours and although this was tough I knew it was a preparation for things to come in my life.

Moving past the school, we practised rugby a lot and I enjoyed it with all my heart and battered body. Our first games as an u/15 side came the next weekend at the H.T.S. tournament. We were suffering from a few injured players, but we still managed to bring home the trophy. Although we won, we didn't play good rugby thus we had a lot to work on before the AFFIES tour.

In between the rugby and School I enjoyed a lovely time with my grandmother. I ate a lot of red meat and Namibian "braaivleis" and listened to a lot of very interesting old folk stories that I never heard before. We also went to restaurants, a luxury I didn't have overseas.

The training for the Affies tour went well and before I could take hold of the time we were on the bus. Now the interesting thing about this tour was not only the high quality of rugby we were up against but also the fact that we had to write exams on the tour! I pre prepared pretty well but we all know that the studying done on tour was not going to be much and when studying it is not going to be effective. Besides the Rugby and the exams an even greater challenge laid before. I had to pick up the spirits of the team and deal with tension. Yes, in our closely knit set up there was a brewing of tension between certain parties like in any relationship around the globe. We had unhappiness and conflict and unfortunately this cost us dearly. The first game we played was against Pretoria Boys High. This was a gruelling encounter like we expected it to be. Many points were walking around like they say but neither of the teams could capitalise on them. Before we knew it, we were 10 points down at half time. The second half needed a change of mind and of heart. It happened but we were still three points behind when the siren sounded- the last play of the match was in our hands... We went left and right on the field just retaining the ball on numerous occasions and then after two minutes of play after time was up we dived over for the try! It was a memorable and blessed win. Unfortunately it was the last highlight of that tour. We lost the next game badly which was our first loss as a team. The next game we should have won but lost it at the end creating a losing streak of two.

It was tough on the team but strangely that was just what the doctor ordered! Everyone was humbled and forced to put their differences aside so that we could come back stronger. That for me outlined the fact that God makes everything work out for the good for those whom he loves!

On this tour I also had the opportunity to enjoy a day with my Family that lives in Rustenburg, the Potgieters. This was excellent and very, very special.

Before I knew it we were back in Windhoek and finishing with our exams. My last two weeks there flew by and I utilised it to the full. The last few days with my grandmother was great and very enjoyable. Our relationship got even better like most of my relationships. I focused on building and not breaking anything down

Time flies and I said goodbye to Namibia again and went on the Jnr. Sport tour. Like all tours with WHS this was amazing. Here I picked up on my social life and got to spend not only fun time with the people around me but also very serious talks that the Lord used to change my life and theirs.

The spirit in the camp was also a lot better. We were eager to come back from the losses and were eager to do the Lord's will and play for him! Naturally with that mission we did well and had great wins in our first two games but lost a tight one in our third game. All in all I had a great tour and I know now that the team is ready for a great season.

I want to end off with a special thank you to everyone who made my time in Namibia special and who really showed me love to make it very enjoyable!

As for now, we are in Whitefish, Montana, U.S.A. We just came from an amazing Alaskan Cruise and one of my other family members will write more about that.

God Bless