Dawie’s birthday – 29/09/99 (Chrisna)

Ten years ago, God brought this baby boy into our lives. What a glorious day!

We celebrated Dawie J's 10^th birthday high in the mountains of north Italy, in the small town of Lanciole. It was quite shocking realizing that "our baby" is leaving the single numbers behind – he is entering the teen years! But luckily he is still my little boy. I must say that he has proven himself as being an equally important member of our Fourie-team, really pulling his weight in all the different responsibilities that he had to take on this year. Another tap on the shoulder for him, is the special way that he has toured around the world with 4 adults as only companions. We did "adult things" and he just went along, walked hundreds of miles and never complained. He played alone for many hours (while we were working and his schoolwork is done) and accepted any one of us as a playmate whenever we joined him. Yes, he is my little 10 year old boy, but he is already growing into a special young man!

The day was, on his request, a day of rest at home. We did not work and did not go anywhere – that is what he has wished for! We started the day by singing our birthday song - again in 4 melodies, and clapped 10 claps! WOW! Then we had breakfast, a very special one. We had toast and eggs. There were 5 eggs, which meant that I could make a fried egg for every one(not the scrambled eggs where 3 must feed 5!) After breakfast we sat outside, looking out over the mountains and gave presents.

Dawie was so glad and relieved that he did get presents. He wrapped a gift and wrote a card for himself, coming from his imaginary friend, Ben, because he was afraid that none of us would have bought a gift! He loved the Italy soccer shirt, small gladiator and home made cards that we gave him. I once again realized that living on a small budget, makes you appreciate even the smallest things just so much more. May we keep on appreciating all things when we are back home, where things are cheaper and where our budget is bigger.

Then we played a game of Siedler. Dawie and Tinus created the playboard in the form of Italy and Dawie won – fare and square.

Dawie asked for a barbeque on his birthday and that is what we did – a real Namibian braai , although we had only charcoal and not wood. We enjoyed the wonderful weather, the pork rib and potatoes. And we had ice cream for dessert!

During the afternoon, Dawie gave the 4 of us "permission" to work, while he played along. The evening meal was yet another request. We made paella, a big pot of it and we celebrated once more.

This was the first time in the 9 months that we did not empty the pot and even Charlie said that he had enough, he is completely satisfied (that's a nice word for full). I was overjoyed and stunned at the same time. It has happened – my men were on a 10/10 after a meal!

We did not even eat the chocolate cake that I had baked for the birthday. We wisely left it for the next day, when we knew that we will be back on normal small portions, still feeling hungry after the meal and it gave us yet another opputunity to celebrate Dawie's birthday.

We ended this glorious day of celebrating and rest in prayer. It is our family tradition to, as a family, but individually pray for God's blessings upon the birthday boy. And that is what we did. We know that God heard and that all His richest blessings will be with Dawie for many years to come. May he be an obedient soldier in God's army and fulfill the dreams that God has for him.

Happy birthday Dawie! We love you!

Italy 14 Sept – 2 Oct 2009 (Chrisna)

Much has been written about Italy, but not much about the country itself and what we saw and where we went. I wrote about the accident and the peaceful days of moving our focus back home and Dawie J's birthday, but nothing else. And that is not right, because Italy is a very special place.

It's a country that was a 1^st world country 2000 years ago, but now it is almost more 3^rd world than many places in Africa! The internet did not reach most places, at least not any coffee shop or restaurant. They firmly go for eat and drink in restaurants and definitely not working on the internet! This is not necessarily bad, it just shows their attitude toward life: Stop often to enjoy life with friends, food and wine and in between those times, drive like Formula 1 racers on 2 way traffic streets that are actually to narrow for 1 car!

Italians are open and friendly, loud and helpful. They only speak Italian, but are willing to listen en help with a mixture of English, Italian, Afrikaans and lots of sign language . The food in supermarkets in the small towns of Italy is also the lowest prices of any place where we've been in Europe– still more expensive than Namibia, but almost affordable! We thoroughly enjoyed the different pastas - it was on our menu every 2^nd day! Two other special treats we allowed ourselves to buy in the Esselunga supermarket, were grapes and ice cream – wonderful!

Our house, built in the 1200's and renovated in the 1700's , is next to the church. It was always the bishop's house. The lowest floor was the pigsty and shelter for the cow, but now it serves as the kitchen and dining room. The walls are 1 m thick and the windows very small. Me and Dawie had a room on the middle level and the 2^nd room was Dawie's office, where an ironboard was his desk ('n boer maak 'n plan). The boys slept on the 3^rd floor. From the parking area to the house is a narrow cobblestone pathway hugged in from both sides by other equally old houses. It is almost unreal and it was a special blessing to be able to become part of the small town of Lanciole for 3 weeks.

We left Lanciole only 4 times. The first Sunday we went to Firenze with the train. A friendly Italian woman tried to help us to buy tickets at the machine that speaks only Italian. She has never done this before, but she really wanted to help us! At the end Tinus figured out what to do, we could catch the train and our Italian friend was relieved that all worked out – now she also knew how to buy tickets! Firenze has wonderful majestic cathedrals. They are not specifically the most beautiful ones in Europe, but I will vote for most impressive!

The doors are in solid brass with different panels telling Bible stories. We had fun figuring out which stories each panel portray. Quite sad is that the guides who have tour groups there, explain the panels with humanistic stories and do not mention that it is truths from the Bible! It was also in Firenze that we ran into David. We had picnic on the grass plain in front of another cathedral and found the open market with leather and Italian art and craft on our way back to the station. It was actually a blessing, otherwise we would have spent a long time browsing there and not experience so much of the rest of Firenze. God surely knows which ways to take us!

On Tuesday afternoon we went to Pisa. Let me assure you, that tower is really skew. Although expecting it to lean over, it surprises you just how much it is leaning. Amazing that it is still standing! There were 1000's of tourists – much more than in any other place on our world tour. The only places with more tourists, were in Rome – our last stop in Italy.

Another afternoon outing took us to Lucca, the neighboring town to Pescia (the town at the bottom of the mountain where the supermarket is). The old town is still encircled by a 100% complete city wall! Inside of the wall is a typical medieval village with cathedrals and narrow cobblestone streets. We had picnic on the city wall.

Our final excursion was to Rome. We left early the Sunday morning and drove through the country side of Tuscany and along the west coast all the way to Rome. "Picture beautiful" is a good description of the entire road. We parked our car in the center of Rome, a few meters from the Trevi fountain. We started walking, exploring, discovering, enjoying. The 1000's of people walking the streets created a very special atmosphere. We were tourists in Rome! We found the Spanish steps without looking for them and sat there with 10 000 other people, just sitting and enjoying. We found cathedrals and a street with one designer shop after the other – people actually buy from them! While strolling and going left and right through the streets, we stumbled on the Pantheon – an impressive building with massive pillars and a 100% perfect dome, built many centuries ago! The Italian builders and engineers of the centuries just before and after Christ were surely remarkable! God took us through the streets of Rome and showed us all the special places we were supposed to see!

We left the centre of Rome after sunset, to find a hotel. We found an affordable hotel where they still had a room available, but they needed to see all 5 our passports. Obvious, you might think. Problem: I brought only Dawie's passport and left the other 4 in our Lanciole house! Not clever at all, actually not thinking at all! The lady also warned us that she can easily phone the police to arrest us, because in Italy every person must at all times have identification on them. She also assured us that no hotel will rent us a room without the passports! Oh, the shame and the guilt and feeling bad I experienced! Only a miracle will help us now, otherwise we must drive back home straight away! We prayed and asked God for a miracle: An affordable hotel with vacancies and not asking for the passports. God is faithful and loving kind – He performed the miracle! Praise God! We had a place to sleep and another day in Rome!

Our "bonus day" in Rome was spent almost entirely at the Colosseum and the first city.

This was such a special 5 hours – going back into the history of an era just before and after the birth of Christ. This actually calls for a blog dedicated just towards these stories and the learning experience we had, so I will still try to convince Tinus to write something. After our tour, which only the 3 boys and I went on, we met Dawie in a small cellar restaurant and spent another 1 hour telling him all of our experiences. This was over a plate of very affordable and fantastic Italian pasta.

I would like to mention one thing about the Colosseum. It was a place built exclusively for the pleasure of the people – a place where people fought people until one died and where wild animals ripped people to pieces at the cheers of the crowd.

The material used to build the place, was entirely purchased with everything that was taken from the Temple in Jerusalem after the Roman empire took over Israel. One of the main events of the "shows" in the Colosseum, was to put Christians in the arena with hungry lions. These were people who's lives were different than the rest of the Romans, people who's lives were not filled with the sin and lust of those days, people who were light and salt and therefore were confronted with the question:"Are you a Christian? When they confessed their belief in Jesus Christ, they were fed to the lions! I kept on asking myself: if it was me, would I confess my belief or would I be a "secret agent"? And then the next question evaluating my life today: Will my life show to the world that I am a Christian? Do I look different than the world, or do I blend in so nicely, that I do not make a difference in God's Kingdom? Am I light and salt in a visible, feel-able way? Challenging questions that need to be answered honestly – it is only then that you can grow. The wonderful thing out of all this true and horrific stories, is that on the spot where the Emperor and his family sat to watch the games, on the exact spot, now stands a big wooden cross. The real King, the only King is on the throne! Praise God!

Our final hour in Rome was spent in the Vatican city, at the St Peters cathedral and the big plain. Impressive and special.

Then we took the 6 hour long drive back to our house in the mountains of Tuscany – content and thankful that we could experience Roma.

The next day was Dawie J's birthday followed by 1 workday (finishing goals, packing, cleaning). The 1^st of October came all too soon. With everything ready to leave, the 5 of us gathered in the dining room. We said our thank you's to each other and we said our thank You's to God. We were overwhelmed with gratefulness for the wonderful blessing in our lives the past 9 months. It was time for "new life" to begin – the 40 weeks were almost over! We shared Holy Communion. We only had chocolate cake left, which took the place of bread (we cut it in the form of Africa) and we had red wine to drink. All 5 of us dedicated ourselves once again to our Lord and Saviour and said:"Here am I, send me"

We left Lanciole while it was raining. We all had a tear in the eye, but peace in our hearts. We have started our journey back to Africa, back to Namibia, back home.

Italy completes the circle – 14-30 September (Chrisna)

We are sitting in the business lounge in the Frankfurt airport, waiting for the plane to take us back home. When we departed on 30 Dec 2008, we were also in the business lounge (of Windhoek Airport, both treats with compliments of Trip Travel), waiting to start our 40 week journey..

The circle is completed. We did not plan or even think that it is necessary to plan a fullness of the circle of these 9 months of traveling the world. That is something that a person cannot really plan, that is part of God's perfect plans. Once again I realize that waiting upon God for guidance in making your plans, is so much better than planning on your own and then asking God to bless them. God is the Master Planner. Why? Because He sees the big picture, He sees the smallest detail in that big picture, He knows what will make it perfect, He is creative, He loves us and He WANTS to bless us and He CAN bless us.

So why do I say that our circle is complete? We started our "work year" of this tour in Switzerland, in a chalet high up in the Alps, in a solitary place. It was easy to follow a good routine and get out of the blocks for this 9 months race. It was a time in which God could prepare us for our tour around the world and for what He wanted to teach us. It was a place where we were forced to slow down, where the fast pace was ripped out of us and the only place to look at, was inside of our own hearts.

We ended our tour in Tuscany, Italy. We lived in a house built in the 1200's, in a small village where there is no shop, no internet and very limited cell-phone reception. The village is high up in the mountains with a narrow road winding up the mountain.

It was raining the first few days, and kept us inside the house – in the same manner as the snow that kept us inside our chalet in the Swiss Alps. We did not want to travel the road too much and chose to stay home. It was easy to follow a routine and "finish well" on all our goals. We noticed these similarities and shared with each other that the circumstances are almost the same as in the beginning of our year. Much to our surprise, we discovered that the area we stayed in , was officially called:"The little Switserland of Italy"! God already knew how He will complete the circle when we planned our tour in 2008! We only discovered the beauty of His plan when we were living it!

We were in a solitary place, where God could prepare us for going back to our homeland, to Namibia. We were forced to slow down and to use the time to look back at 9 months of traveling and summarize what we have learnt.

The circle is complete. Many small things of Switserland were repeated now. The church bell rang every hour to remind us of the hour of the day and God's love for us. The exercise went uphill, only uphill, until we turned around to go home, then we must pull in our brakes. One difference however was our speed, much faster than in Switserland. Come to think of it, also that completes the circle – because we have accomplished a much better level of fitness than what we had before.

With the circle completed in so many ways, we also prepared ourselves in our mind and spirit to return home. I cannot say that I am excited to go home, which almost makes me feel guilty. But I realize: it is understandable, because it means that our dream is over, our bubble will burst when we put our feet on Namibian soil. What I can say is that I know it is right that we go back and that it is a privilege to have a place to go back to. Another precious privilege is the fact that many other people are excited that we will be coming back. We also know that Namibia is the place where God wants us. We saw many places on our journey where we know we will have a wonderful, purposeful life, but we know more than ever before: Namibia is our country. And that is good to know.

We will continue to write blog stories when we are back home, because there are still many stories that have not been told – stories on Italy, on other places, on what we have learnt through these 9 months and I am sure there will be a story on "Back Home" .

As for now, I will end this completed circle story by once again just thanking God. He is worthy to be praised.

The God I know: Righteous and Holy

The God I know: Faithful and true

The God I know: a tower of refuge

The God I know: strengthens the weak

The God I know: Your Heart beats within me

My one desire: more of you

Bad things do happen – 14 September (Chrisna)

We left Marseille on Sunday, 13 September at 15h30 after Dawie returned home from AVIS with our car. All our belongings were packed, the house was clean and the food for the road was ready. We drove along the coast, avoiding the expensive toll roads, on our way to Italy – our very last stop on a 9 month journey around the world. We stopped for picnic at a Typical French Riviera holiday town. We sat on the rocks with the waves crashing at our feet, later having a pebble throw competition and watching the sun drop into the sea. It was glorious. Life is good – very good, and we are grateful for what we can experience. We drove over a mountain pass. and slept at Cannes. Monday morning, we continued along the coast up to Monaco. It was spectacular scenery all the way – yet a different example of God's Creativity! Monaco was busy, packed with (seemingly) rich people. We saw the whole of the kingdom of the Garibaldi's, on the day 20 years after their beloved Princess Grace died.

Then we took a toll road – we need to put some kilometers behind us now. We drove on a road crossing the mountains, but we never went up or downhill, because the road is like a chain consisting of tunnel-bridge-tunnel-bridge. Amazing what man and money can do. We entered Pescia, a small town in Tuscany,in pouring rain. It was 16h00, as planned . We met our home exchange host at the supermarket after buying food for the next week. The food was the most affordable prices in the whole of Europe so far. The price of a bread is half of what it is in France!

Soon we were off to our very last house on this adventure of ours. We were following Gloria to the house high up in the mountains. She will take us there, as there is no adresse to put on the GPS and explaining the way is also a challenge. "How can we explain this to anyone or really describe it well on a blog, so that they will understand?", we told each other. The excitement, the newness, the uncertainty, the thankfulness, all of it mixed together, is a feeling that we have enjoyed throughout our 9 months. "It is the last time, remember to drink it in and remember...", we reminded each other.

We left Pescia, and the talking and excitement switched over to utter concentration. The road went up into the mountains, steep and curving the whole time. That in itself is not a problem, but the road is VERY narrow – many places room for only one car! Our guide car went fast, as we found out to be the normal way the Italians drive. When going around a blind corner(of which there are many), the hooter is blown, but the speed remains the same."What do you do if there is a car coming from the front?", some one asked."You hope there is no car coming", was my only answer.

Not many turns after my "wise " words, there came a car from the front. When we saw the car for the first time, it was perhaps 3meters from us. We were very slow at that stage and Dawie hit the brakes. I remember closing my eyes and feeling us stopping, thinking that we missed each other, only to hear and feel the CRASH!

The other car were unfortunately very fast, and although he did brake, he could not stop before driving right into us – almost head on(that's how wide the road is there on that blind turn in the road) When I opened my eyes, I saw the nose of our silver Ford and the red Fiat completely smashed and folded into each other. Then, looking to my left to Dawie and to the back to the 3 boys, seeing everyone is fine. My question confirmed it. All 5 were 100% fine, not even a bump, but the car is close to a right off. By then I gladly saw the 2 men in the other car also climbing out, they were scolding in pure Italian, but they were uninjured. in one piece. Praise God!

Oh no! Can it be real? Thank you God! Sadness. Thankfulness. All of these emotions and thoughts went through my heart and mind simultaneously. Car nr. 13 on this tour is smashed! Our last car and that 1km from our house. We had an accident, but we are all fine and we can walk away from the accident scene. Praise the Lord.

After that, things happened fast. Gloria phoned whoever needed to be phoned, our luggage and food and ourselves were loaded into Gloria's car and taken to our house, a tow-in truck came to take both cars away, we greeted our hosts and the 5 of us were alone. We were safe and sound, but bruised(not physically) and sad and quiet. We ate the meal that I have prepared by now and prayed together, giving thanks mostly. We were sitting in a house built in the 1200's, almost unreal the privilege to stay in such a place, a fitting "grand finale" for our world tour, but we were some what quiet. Dawie J was trying his best to cheer everyone up, continuously confirming his love for us and that everything is OK! So special how God uses us all differently... The rain continued to fall down.

We went to bed, thankful for saved lives, and prayed for the many people who has lost loved ones in accidents like this one. The next morning at the breakfast table, we spend a long time sharing our hearts, asking and answering each others questions, seeking together for things that we've done wrong, repented for what was needed, looking ahead, finding the life lessons that we can learn and prayed together. We asked God that He will help us to walk away from the accident psychologically and spiritually in the same healthy way as how we could do it physically. We decided once again that one of the most valued and important things in our family, is that we must live in unity and treasure our lives to the full. We also trust God 100% as before the accident, we know that He is in control and we are fully committed and relying on Him. We are so glad to be His children.

Yes, bad things do happen, but God is good. Life can sometimes be hard, but God is good – all the time. We praise His name. We will follow Him, because that is the safest place to be.

Thank you Jesus.

A Mediterranean Cruise – 5-12 September (Chrisna)

The cruise in the Alaskan Inside Passage was a dream come true, even better than ever expected, a real blessing. If that was my first and also my last cruise, I would have been content for life. Another cruise was not part of our plans, in our schedule or even somewhere on a radar screen. When Tinus suggested it while we were struggling to find an affordable solution for our 5-14 Sept. empty timeslot, it was an exciting thought, but put aside because of the "unrealness" of it! Luckily Tinus pressed on, investigated and came with the good news that a cruise crossing the Mediterranean Sea, departing from Marseille (where we were in a home exchange until 5 September), will be of lesser amount than travelling to Greece (where we wanted to go), accommodation there and food for the week. Almost too good to be true, but true!

We were scheduled for yet another cruise! That is a special spoil, blessings running over, and I tasted what Jesus meant when He spoke the words in Luk 6:38 " Give, and it shall be given unto you, good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom." What we are receiving is so much more than what we ever have given, so much more. But yes, that is the God we serve and worship: the So-much-more God!

So it happened that on the 5^th of September 2009 we boarded the MSC Fantasia, excited and ready. We looked forward to the new adventure, because although it was also a cruise, it was on a different ship, cruising different waters, stopping at different ports. This was also not "freestyle cruising", which meant that we had routines concerning our dinner time, place and dress-code.

The wonderful thing of a cruise is that no one in the family has any planning, organizing, deciding or working to do. The food in the buffet-cafeteria is ready for breakfast when we wake up, it is again ready when we are hungry or coming back on board at lunchtime and it is ready at 19h00 in the fancy restaurant. The dishes are taken away and washed by someone else after the meals. The boat is in a different port every day and is usually there already when we wake up. (It also happened once that it arrived at the port while we were eating breakfast. We loked at people tying ropes and working hard to get us docked, and we did not have to do a thing.) Whenever we are ready, we leave the ship to go ashore and come back, usually many hours before departure. Again, we will be lying on a sunbed or playing cards, and we feel the boat starting to move and hear the horn blow. We are off, and we did not have to do a thing! We did not have to pack, or hurry to get in the car, we don't have to find the road or even make the decision that it is time to go. We just sit, minding our own business and we are departing! That is fantastic! That is to taste and feel the spoiling you are privileged to experience. (You will understand this spoiling of "doing nothing" and not concentrating at all, better, if you understand how "doing everything while absolutely concentrating" was part of this past year!)

We visited Genoa and Napoli on the Italian west coast and then Palermo on the island of Sicily. All 3 very Italian and very old, but very different. We walked for kilometers, just exploring the cities, admiring the old castles, churches and piazzas - open plains or squares next to massive buildings, which succeed in creating a feeling of space in the midst of all the cluttered buildings. And when we're fulfilled...back to the gigantic ship along the seashore. A strange observation is that none of these places have well kept parks or green areas in them. If there are plants, they grow in pots and the parks we did see, was parks decades ago – now they are empty, dusty areas with sorry trees. On the Monday in Napoli, we saw 10 brides posing for pictures in front of different old buildings, most probably due to the lack of green, leafy backgrounds. We speculated whether it was Wedding-madness-Monday, or why so many marriages late on a Monday morning?

On 09-09-09 we set foot on African soil again – the first time in 8 months and Tinus especially, had a noticeable happy face! We visited Tunisia and could go into town, to the market, for 1hour after standing in the passport control line for 2 hours. All the places we have visited so far was old and dirty. Tunisia was also old and dirty, but also neglected. Yes, we were in Africa. But we knew with a sureness: this is our continent, this is where God wants us – in Africa. We surely are Africans.

The next day Palma, on the island of Mallorca was on our itinerary. This is not only Raphael Nadal's hometown, but also the playground for many very rich people. Although it has it's fair share of old buildings, the city was clean, the roads wide and the traffic orderly. Must be a combination of money and good leadership in the municipality that leads to this pleasant difference.

There is one thing that Namibia and Mallorca has in common: the gecko! Wire, metal, glass and cloth geckos are for sale everywhere. We found ourselves actually having a strange longing for the friendly, mosquito eating geckos in our house on the farm!

On 9/11, the day America remembered the tragic day 8 years ago, we docked in Barcelona, Spain. (This was our last port before arriving back in Marseille again.) It was a public holiday in Spain, and the whole of Barcelona was on the streets, browsing through the many street markets. We marveled at beautiful old buildings and the architecture of Gaudi, which differs so much from the rest of the European styles. Once again the walking fitness we gained throughout the year, like so often before, served us well. We walked far to reach the city, but saved many Euro's that way by not taking a shuttle bus or taxi!

That is a summary of the ports visited and the "free excursions" we planned for ourselves and enjoyed tremendously.

Another thing I would like to mention to make sure that I do not forget it in the future, is the evening meals. It was fancy and we had to dress for the occasion! We had our own table where we sat every evening, looking out over the vast mass of water, and with a personal waiter, Gede from Indonesia. He is working for his 10^th consecutive month of this year, that is without 1 day off ever – 7 days a week, non stop. This is his 5^th year working like this. He gets 1 month per year off, when he goes home. He does this because there is not work opportunities back home. Every one on the boat works like that. They never strike or call on the unions. They all just appreciate the fact that they do have a job and an income and then they work, 12 hours a day. We pray that he will find a good job in his homeland when he goes there in December, he wants to be with his wife and children now and feel it is time to return.

Back to dressing for the occasion: Strict rules apply – only long pants and no jeans allowed in the evenings. Luckily we knew this beforehand, and bought a pair of brown pants for each of the 2 young men (who has only 1 jean each on the tour.) What we did not know, was that the captain decides when it will be "informal dress", meaning the long pants and a shirt with collar, or "formal dress" (a tuxedo and bow tie will not be out of place!) Obviously we could not reach those standards, but boy, did we gear up! We laughed and joked that other people won't think we look too formal, but they did not know that we were wearing the topclass of what we had in our suitcases, that we made effort with our appearance – it was the best we ever looked the whole year. Tinus and Dawie each bought a long sleeved shirt on a sale in Michigan City and Charlie received a "too small shirt " from one of the BC boys in NY and that was what they wore: the brown pants with the black long sleeve shirts and very important, they had a "formal attitude" in their eyes and posture. Dawie J was even better! He had his only long pants on and a black shirt of mine, which sleeves I folded and sewn in place. He combed his hair real neat and had the same posture as his brothers. I had my (only) best blouse on. We were accepted. It was definitely the posture and confidence that granted us entrance, and not the clothes. Yes, the Fouries can gear up with what we have if it is needed! You guessed right that we looked exactly the same on both formal evenings.

We enjoyed the evenings, the special service, the food which we ordered from a menu and especially the conversation. We spoke for hours about many different subjects. Outsiders must have thought that we saw each other many months ago and that we had some catching up to do on the talking! What a blessing. Yes, it surely is a blessing that we love and like each other so much and enjoy our fellowship and being together to such a degree. I thank and praise God for this regularly.

All too soon we arrived back in Marseille and it was time to leave the ship. We agreed that we made the right decision in taking this cruise. It was really fantastic and usually the expensive part of a cruise is to get there at the port of departure, if you come from Africa. But we were fortunate enough to already be in Marseille. We just realized once again that inviting God into your plans, right in the beginning of the planning, is the wisest decision that one can make, because God sure makes good plans. Excellent plans as a matter of fact and we simply say: "Yes, we will go ! Thank you, thank you very much."

Yet another story on the blessings of the Lord. We are grateful for all that we may enjoy and experience. May God's blessings flow through us to those whose roads we cross...

The miracles of keys in Marseille – 1 September (Chrisna)

The problem with falling behind on journaling and also blogging, is that you must summarize a whole period into one entry, and then it quickly becomes too lengthy, so you shorten your writing and obviously shrink your memories and learning opportunities. Another unfortunate result is that you also forget some key elements of what has happened and the life lessons accompanying them. This is exactly what has happened with my reporting on Marseille – I did not include a few (3, to be exact) key elements in my blog. Luckily I have enough time to reflect and think back again, to remember and write again. The problem is just (and this is now a short interrupting lesson for myself), that back home, while on the run and busy, there is not always time to re-reflect and to re-write. That way valuable lessons might fall on the ground and not in the heart. The lesson for me now, is to not postpone, to stay on schedule and to do it now and do it right! (sounds as if I read Tinus's blog on lessons learnt in Germany!) The only way to do this, is to plan and do, plan and do – never think that I will have time tomorrow, because tomorrow will be full of tomorrow's stuff, so do today's stuff today! Woa! That was not planned when I started with my blog on keys, but somehow God managed to take my thoughts there and re-taught me a valuable lesson, as if preparing me for what awaits me back home.

Back to Marseille and the key elements that I've missed on my first round. It is all about miracles God performed there with keys. Not once, but 3 times!

Miracle nr.1 : Arriving at house nr. 1, we found a young French boy there, mowing the lawn and getting things ready for our arrival. He also had the key to the house, but there was a problem: the key was stuck in the lock. It did not want to move and the door was unable to open. We could understand from his signs that he has tried everything, but with no success. We all tried, different tricks and ways, but the key and lock was stuck. There was no way to enter the house. After 30 minutes of struggling, we stood together and prayed. We asked God that the key will unlock the door, will come out of the lock, so that we can unlock the second lock on the door as well. We tried again, simply turning and pulling the key. It worked! It did exactly what it was suppose to do – unlock the door! I still do not know who of us or the Frenchman was the most surprised, but I do know that our voices said: "Praise the Lord!" and he said something that I could not understand. We had to agree, God is also Lord of stubborn keys. And we had to repent for trying such a long time before asking specifically for His help. The evenings prayers included many thank you's for unlocking the door for us!

Miracle nr.2: Our house had only one door, with 3 locks. The one on top in which the key was stuck, which we never used again. Another lock at the bottom on which that same key worked which was the only lock we used. The third lock, in the middle. was a jail lock (that you can lock from the inside without a key) for which we did not have a key, so obviously we did not use that lock. The first afternoon excursion happened a few days after our arrival in Marseille. We took special care to close all the windows tightly. It was a team effort to try to maneuver the car from the garden into the narrow street in which 4 family members took part, while the other was locking the door. We had a special afternoon visiting the Church on top of the Hill, the church where over centuries, seaman went to give thanks for safe journeys on stormy seas and ask for protection for the next journey. We had a blessed time. Back home we unlocked the lock that is the only one suppose to be locked, but the door did not want to open. Then we saw that the middle lock was locked! How is that possible?! We tried all the keys, but we definitely did not have the key for that lock. Then the locker realized that he was not concentrating earlier and did lock the lock from the inside, before pulling the door shut – the lock was locked. There was no other way into the house, except for breaking a window, which we obviously did not want to do. By now, we have learnt our lessons and everyone was praying for a breakthrough – or shall I say a break-in. The next moment the door opened and Dawie stood there with a piece of wire in his hand and a smile on his face. He has unlocked the lock with a piece of wire! I guess by now you know our shout: "Praise the Lord!" Again we had to agree, God is Lord of locks as well, and He can and wants to help, even if it was our own mistake which caused the problem. The evenings prayers included many thank you's for unlocking the door for us – once again! We know that God not only protect those on the stormy waters of the seas, but also in the normal storms and unsteady waters of the every day life.

Miracle nr.3: We moved to house nr.2 and had to phone the neighbor, who you guessed right, speaks French, to organize with him when we will be at the house. We said we will come on the Sunday some time after 17h00. The cleaning of house nr. 1 took longer than planned for and the traffic right across the city was a nightmare, so we reached the new house only after 18h00. It was securely locked with no one in sight. The neighbors spoke only French and were not helpful at all. We did not have a phone to call again and no other plan of how to enter. Charlie and Dawie J walked up the street to see if the house has a back side, but it did not. By now, we were all praying: "Please get us into the house?" An old Frenchman came walking to us, scolding in fluent French, pointing to his watch. He has the key to the house, and someone phoned him to say to be at the house at 17h00, and when no one was there then, he went back home. His house is way up the road. He by accident saw the 2 boys walking past his house, talking a strange language and he thought to see where they are going. He found us at the locked house. We apologized for being late and he gave us the key. Yes, we all said: "Praise the Lord!" Again we had to agree, God is Lord of locks as well, and He can and wants to help, even if it was our own mistake which caused the problem and even if other people are involved. The evenings prayers included many thank you's for unlocking the door for us – once again!

Within 3 weeks, we experienced how God performed 3 miracles with keys. Yes, even something as practical and real as a locked door is not too difficult for God. The lesson to take away? God is almighty and can do anything. He is faithful and loving and He really cares for us. He not only can help, but wants to help in all circumstances. He wants us to ask. Why, if He in any case knows what we need? He knows it will grow our faith if we ask and see a prayer answered, He knows that it is good for us to realize how dependant we are on God, He knows that small victories can lead to bigger victories later, He is God.

I am so glad that I know Him. May my life bring glory to His Name!

Marseille – 20 Aug-5 September (Chrisna)

In America it is: The bigger, the better. In France it is: The smaller, the better. That mainly includes cars. The best car to have in Marseille – or any other French town – is a Smart. The streets are so narrow, that even the smallest of cars must fold their mirrors away, that's if you still want them. The streets were built in centuries before cars were the mode of transportation and when politeness was a quality that everyone demonstrated.

The other thing very striking of France, is that it is old. The history of previous centuries comes to life before your eyes. It is wonderful that buildings, 100's of years old, are still in full use and standing strong. Unfortunately it is not just very old, but very dirty - everywhere. While driving through Provence and all the towns, the following saying is true: Beautiful from afar, but far from beautiful, when near. Yes, from a distance, everything is picture beautiful. It's the one puzzle-picture or postcard-image on the other one. I was totally trigger happy(that is with my camera). But... if you get closer, you see how dirty everything is. The streets, the buildings, the pavements... Whenever you take a picture, make sure not to include the ground, because it is covered with cigarette ends and beer bottle caps.

That is the one really sad thing of France – the smoking. My guess is that almost 70% of the population above 15 years of age, smoke! That calculation was made counting people who smoked/did not smoke on beaches, in restaurants and on the streets. I must admit that it was not a very scientific calculation, but sadly very close to the truth. Even sadder is that they not only cause other people to smoke with them with the 2^nd hand smoking, but they also pollute the ground with cigarette ends. Not good...

However, if you look past the smoke and the dirt, it is beautiful. While driving through Provence, up and down tree covered hills with one small town following the other, we treasured the beauty from afar. We saw the already harvested lavender fields and the hectares full of dead sunflower heads and could imagine just how even more beautiful it will be in June/July – when all is in full bloom. We admired the vineyards loaded with grapes ready for harvest and olive trees in neat rows. We had picnics in forests and on mountain tops and next to rivers. We explored, photographed and travelled Provence and thoroughly enjoyed it.

One thing that is obvious from the years gone by, is that many battles have been fought. I don't know whether everyone always knew who they were fighting against, because the battles were so many, but they could fight. They also tried to keep the enemy out with very high walls – some still standing strong to this day! (In Namibia we try the same technique with the thieves! I'm not sure who has the most success.) At least, if you count all the churches, you also realize that they knew where their Guidance, Protection and Power came from. The battles are different in this century, and Guidance, Protection and Power is still needed, but I'm not so sure where it is found. The churches are either monuments, with visitors taking pictures, or if it is operating as a church, those attending church services are old people. Whenever entering a church, it became a habit to pray for all people entering the building, the same prayer as what Jesus prayed in John 17: "That they will Know God".

Although we cannot speak their language, we managed well with a friendly smile, "merci", sign language and Afrikaans. Please do not speak English, they are not very helpful when you do.

During day time, the pavements are pavements, but at nighttime they all become street cafes. The French people love to sit in a cafe on the pavement on chairs all facing the street. It seems that they always have time and energy for a few hours with friends at the nearest bar. They definitely put a lot of emphasis on their social life. May we also always put great effort into maintaining special friendships and make time to create special memories.

We had 2 very different houses while in Marseille. We were really blessed to be able to have these different experiences. Both houses, as I think all houses in Marseille , were in neighborhoods where the houses fit in like Lego blocks, or like pieces in a puzzle.

Our first house had a wonderful backyard, complete with a vineyard canopy and a fig tree. We had all our meals out there in the shade, and enjoyed the French life with fresh grapes daily.

We were woken every morning at 4h00 with the baker next door opening his safety door and chatting in "high volume" with who ever was with him. It surprised us only the first night, and there after it became a comfortable pattern. Although the house is in the main street, it was quiet and peaceful during the daytime. The house also provided comfortable workspace for each one of us and good internet. Another big fun provider at our Rûe de Rabelais house, was the table tennis that filled the passage in front of the house. We had tournaments and play outs and I can officially say that I am ranked nr.5 in the Fourie family. Luckily my self esteem is not tied to my table tennis rating!

We also had a car while we lived there. Remember that I said a car has to be small? Well this one fit the regulations. It's a Renault Kangoo, very small body, but surprisingly spacious inside. My family even tried to convince me that this must be my next car if I buy a new car! We drove all over Marseille and Provence, a few days even without a GPS, and was grateful each time that we arrived back home. One day we went to Cassis, a small town east of Marseille. We went on a boat to see the Calanques, massive fjords that protrude from the land into the sea. The water is turquoise blue and the scenery was(again) like on postcards. The sea was rough and everyone sitting on the front of the boat, got soaking wet. Although there were about 20 people there when we started, it was only the Namibians who stayed there the whole time. We had so much fun! We were wet to the bone and when we dried, we were like salt pillars, because the water is extremely salty!

Afterwards we had a picnic on the beach, where we were the only ones wearing hats. Everyone was just lying in the sun, trying to look like a over baked cookie. Another observation is that the ladies wear only one-piece-swimsuits: only the bikini pants!(Somewhere, some one must have many bikini tops for sale) In any case, we had a wonderful day and no one was burnt.

Our second house was right on the other side of Marseille. We all drove there, with our luggage, in the Kangoo. We unloaded and Dawie and Charlie went back to house nr.1 to leave the car there. Then they walked all the way back to us. It was 16km, of which most of the way was not pleasant or good for pedestrians. All 5 were very relieved when the doorbell rang. (they saved more than E40, enough for food for a few days!)

This house is in Rûe de Bouderesque, very close to the sea. This is a very busy, noisy neighborhood, with people moving and talking till very late at night. The street is wide enough for only 1 car, but it is a 2 way street. It is a real art to move in and out of that small, but busy corner of Marseille. We were glad that we did not have a car while living there. We walked everywhere we wanted to be. We went for regular swims, either in the harbour or in the open sea, where you jump in from the rocks. It is special to look at the city from deep within the sea.

We celebrated Tinus's birthday while we were there, but much have been said about that special day already. Although we did not have internet or workplace for everyone, we still managed to do what was set out for us in our goals. We could also take nice long hikes next to the sea on the path with the longest bench in the world. We loved watching the full moon through the balcony door of our bedroom! Although the moon was always up there, we did not see it so often during the past 8 months and really enjoyed to see it this time.

Another wonderful thing was, that when we left for our boat cruise, we could pack only 2 bags and left our other luggage in the house and when we returned to Marseille, we had a house to go back to(for 2 days), before leaving on our last leg in this tour around the world.

Yes, we were blessed with both our houses in Marseille. Yes, we were blessed like all the previous times. We agreed once again, that home exchange is a win-win way to enjoy your holiday. What makes it special for us, especially this year, is that we become "locals" the moment we move in. Then we plan what we will do in this new place(never too much) and we become "slow paced tourists" for a few hours every now and then. The rest of the time we are "home", working, playing, talking, laughing - We love it!

Birthday Celebration! 3 September 2009 (Chrisna)

Today is the birthday of Tinus, our firstborn! He was born on 03-09-90 and today 03-09-09 , is his 19^th birthday. If it was not for this year of Grace, he would have been far from us now, but we still had this 1 extra year of him living with us, to celebrate this day with him. And did we celebrate! It lasted this whole day, we did not even work at all, and we officially decided that we will celebrate his birthday the whole of next week as well.

I really want to remember the detail of this special day, that's why I decided to dedicate a blog to this 1 day!

We woke Tinus early with "Veels geluk, liewe Tinus"(an Afrikaans birthday song), sung in 4 tunes, but passionately. (We did try to sing one melody, but not 1 of us received the talent of singing.) Tinus and Charlie then went for a jog next to the Mediterranean Sea. Then we had a proper breakfast – bacon and eggs! (It was the first since the cruise in May - we usually have cereal)

Dawie also went to the bakery on top of the hill, to buy fresh croissants, and even there we were blessed. He asked the price of 5 croissants, the French lady wrote the amount down (language is a Big problem here)and he said: no thanks, but it's too expensive." She said: "wait", and wrote a much cheaper amount and he said: "Yes, thank you very much, merci!" and she smiled. We were all excited about the special treat, and each had one. When I cleared the table, there were still 2 croissants left in the bag! This lady did not only give us discount, but gave us 2 extra croissants as well! If you've been to France, you will know that this is not their usual way of doing business. (So far we have encountered many near to rude people here.) Praise God for showing us the goodness in people!

After breakfast, we had our normal family tradition of blessing and praying for the person who has his birthday. Just for the fun of it, we 1st sang the birthday song again (this time in 4 different melodies than earlier) and also a song "We love /bless you with the love of the Lord ". Then we prayed for Tinus – Dawie J, Myself, Charlie and Dawie. It was as if the prayers and blessings were more intense than other times. Perhaps because we realized that we will not do it in this usual way next year – as he will be in Stellenbosch. I think another reason is that he will be entering into a new phase of his life. Perhaps it was just because we appreciate him now, after a close-knit 8 months, even more than before. What I do know is that God heard every one of our requests and will keep him in the Palm of His Hand.

We then gave him his presents: His Switserland knife, which I've lost, (and he gracefully accepted it), but I discovered it 3 days ago in my bag and did not tell him about it. He was very glad and received it as if it was for the first time! He also received the much needed pair of shoes that we bought him in New York, wrapped up. Also a CD, which also has a special story attached to it. At Willow Creek, Dawie gave each of us a "voucher" to buy something in the bookshop. Tinus had difficulty choosing between a book and a CD, but took the book. Dawie J then, instead of buying something for himself, chose the CD which he knew Tinus liked, and gave it to him on his birthday. Dawie J also colored the magnet for Tinus that Tinus bought in Michigan City. (It still needed coloring in.) Charlie gave him all of the money he received when he sold his dog's puppy earlier this year so that Tinus can buy himself a specific thing he wished to get. And there were cards we made and wrote.

After those special moments, we all went for a swim at the small harbour near our house. We reminded each other what a real treat this was: swimming together on a Thursday morning! Back home again we enjoyed tea and chocolate cake, which Dawie J baked.

All of the above took us to 14h00 and we left our house with a long planned mission: Vieux Port, the heart of Marseille. We walked the 3 km to get there, then walked slower and enjoyed the feel of being a tourist.

We walked on and on, to La Vieille Charite in Le Panier – the oldest parts of Marseille. La Vieille Charite was built in 1671 to offer a safe place where refuges, orphans and the homeless could have a place to rest. Yes, people do have a good, caring side in them. God made us that way, but unfortunately we also have a dark, selfish side. We all have the ability to good and bad. At the end, it's the one that gets fed most, that will come out. Feed on God and His Word – good will be visible. Feed on the world – bad will be visible. Each must choose. Whoops, that was just a short interruption in my birthday story. Let me continue.

Dawie(the older one) found a restaurant with WiFi and sat down to work, while the rest of us explored more of Marseille. We joined him at 18h00 to eat. We've planned this weeks ago, that we will have a meal in one of the street restaurants on Tinus's birthday. It was just as we planned it, with the only exception that we found a place much cheaper than what we expected – so we even ended up well below budget! And more than that – we met another friendly Frenchman, our waiter. He even tried to speak English! Tinus could also skype with Ouma, which was good for both of them. We sat there until the sun dropped into the sea. Then we walked the 3km back home.

We reached home at 21h00. We were happy and fulfilled. We had a special celebration of the birthday of a special young man.

May God continue to bless you, Tinus and may you walk with Him in righteousness and know Him more and more each day. Thank you for who you are. Thank you that there is so much goodness in you. We love you and we like you!

New York, New York! 11-18 August 2009 (Chrisna)

The blessing that was waiting for us in New York, started 4 weeks before we reached the Big City. Finding no home exchange, we were forced to book a hotel for 1 week and changed our air tickets to fly out on 18 instead of 20 August. While in Georgia, we received a mail from a lady from New York, whom I contacted a year ago about a home exchange (which was impossible at the time). She read our blog and wanted to bless us. "Their family is going on a surprise-tour to Namibia during the same time that we will be in NY and we are welcome to stay in their house – no strings attached!"

Now, if that is not a miracle! We all shouted: "Praise the Lord!" Another miracle was that we could cancel our hotel booking without cost.

Although we were sad when we left Chicago, we were looking forward to yet another adventure. Our focus was on New York now - what will God teach us and show us in the Big City? Will there be more divine connections, since we already experienced so much blessing through the correspondence with Patty (the lady of the house)? Our sadness about leaving Chicago, turned into fond memories and excitement developed, also since none of us have ever been to NY before.

We had to take a taxi from La Guardia airport to our house in South Orange, New Jersey. We were shocked to find out that the cheapest taxi was US$ 112,00! We then chose to make the best of the taxi ride and see it as a sight seeing tour. We asked questions and took photos. We drove through 2 tunnels – 1^st onto Manhattan island and then again to get off the island into New Jersey. The taxi stopped in front of a castle – it was our house!

The house has 4 storey's. Each boy had his own room with a desk, there was a gym, a swimmingpool...I can go on! We closed some doors – that was "no entry" rooms (less to clean when leaving!) The miracle was real and super big. Glory to God and thank you to the BC-gang for blessing us in such a way!

As everyone was a little flu-ish and behind on goals, we decided to stay home for the first 2 days. Dawie and myself only went to the nearest grocery store to buy food. Everyone worked hard, making the most of each day, but it felt like holiday all the time – because of what our environment offered. On day 3, the day that we planned to start to explore New York, the vote was to stay home yet another day. At the end we remained in our castle for 5 days without leaving the yard!

Friday evening we were invited to dinner by our neighbors. What a fantastic evening! We went to their golf club and had to wear our best clothes from our suitcases. It was wonderful food and the conversation was even better. We discussed many different stimulating subjects and knew, this was yet another divine connection God had in stall for us. That evening after we returned home, all 5 of us ended up in our huge bed, and chatted away until after 2h00 in the morning!

Here is yet another divine connection. Special friends of the BC's (our home's owners), brought us a cherry-pie, our first one in America. Boy, it was a special treat! We invited them to stay for tea and had a delightful visit for many hours. We were privileged to have 2 more such special visits with them .(We surely hope that Paul and Shelley, John and Barbara and their families will come visit Namibia real soon...)

Sunday morning, day 6 of our 8 days in NY, we left the house! We drove all the way to Brooklyn, crossing 2 long bridges and Staten island to get there. Our destination was the Brooklyn Tabernacle. Once again, Dawie did not make a mistake by the choice of church we visited. The fellowship, the choir, the message, everything was bringing glory to God and food to our souls.

Back at the house, it was time to pack and clean. We left our castle Sunday evening after a final swim. We drove 10 minutes to our hotel and in the process went from one of the richest to one of the poorest neighborhoods in New Jersey. Back to reality in our 1 small hotel room, but we were grateful to have a safe place to stay and even more so to have the memories of the miracle.

Monday morning, day 7, was the day for New York City! We decided to go on until we drop. We left at 8h30 and returned, tired but satisfied, at 23h30. We've covered NYC right from the Statue of Liberty up to Time Square – all on foot.

We really experienced the city! What's more, is that we also got our very first suntan of the whole tour in NYC! It was a hot, sunshine day and the boat trip on the Hudson river in the NYC harbour, was the right setting to "feel summer".

Dawie already wrote about some of the sites we passed as we walked for miles and miles. I want to add one personal experience: the horror of 9/11 became a different reality as we saw the gap where the Twin Towers once were, as we walked where people died and read the stories in the churches, which became havens during those days. America's face and heart was ripped open. Oh, the horror of where human minds can go to! Oh, the ability to love that people have in them to care for others in need! As we sat in a nearby small park, I had time to meditate on this. And then the terrifying thought of how often we go down that road of destruction – with a word we say, or even something we insinuate, something we do, or something we neglect to do –so many different ways how we can hit each other in the face, and then move on. A terrible, but true picture of this world we live in.

I realized that 2 things are necessary to overcome any a tragedy and to live a satisfying, abundant life in this world. The first action step is that you have to forgive to become free of the hurt of the past, otherwise you allow the horror of the past to continue to harm you. The second thing is to hold on to the Hope that there is in Jesus Christ, to walk as He has walked, to live His love to the people around you and in that way be part of the goodness that there can be in the world. I found a good summary of guidelines on how to live the good life:

Mic 6:8 The LORD God has told us what is right and what he demands: "See that justice is done, let mercy be your first concern, and humbly obey your God."

May we all find the courage to live this way. May we be willing to submit ourselves to the Lord and be part of the solution and not the problem!

After 9/11 New York went on with life, and we also continued our journey. We walked the whole day, stopping, looking, chatting, taking pictures and walking. We had picnic in one of the many parks, we sat at the tables which are conveniently on the islands in the middle of Broadway and simply watched and enjoyed, and we walked.

We loved it. We walked till way past sunset and was greeted at Time Square with millions of lights, 360 degrees around us. There were as many people as there were lights. It was vibrant, alive, fun and so New York!

Tuesday morning came too soon, but we were up and ready. This time we went to Central park where we walked, sat, played ball and walked - enjoying this massive park in the middle of the hustle and bustle of the Big City. We walked south to Penn Station, past Time Square (still as many lights, but not as impressive as during nighttime) and were on time for the 13h30 train. Our destination was our castle in South Orange. The BC's were home, and we went there to meet them and personally say thank you. The visit was a blessing, we said good-bye as true friends.

Back at the hotel, we had a short time to pack and go to the airport. It was time to greet New York, but more than that – it was time to greet the USA.

Oh, what a wonderful 7 days we had in NY and what a wonderful 4 months we had in America! This was good, very good times. We could become part of the locals, but we could also stay objective and look from the outside. We learned many different lessons: we took note of the many things we liked and appreciated and will make sure that it will be true of us as well AND we also recognized the wrongs, the mistakes and can learn from that and take extra care to avoid the wrong roads.

If my place was not in Namibia, Africa and God gives me the choice to live any place else, I,and the rest of my family, will choose America.

We were blessed to be able to live and learn there for 4 months of our lives. Thank you God for the abundant life we have in You!

Chicago – 26 July – 11August (Chrisna)

It was a mistake! Procrastination is never good, even if you think you have a good reason- and that is what I did. I kept postponing to write a blog on Chicago, and then on New York and I had a good reason: There was so much to say and so little time to say it. There was never enough time to sit down and pen down all that I felt inside, always something more important to be done, and now I realize that I cannot postpone any more, this is the more important thing right now. But now I have a new problem. There is so much bottled up inside of me, Chicago way down in the bottle, on top of that New York and now even on top of that, Marseille and the French Riviera! It was definitely a mistake to wait so long...

Let me shake my bottle, and let it all just fall out!...........

Chicago was special, very special. We had a special time in Chicago, very special.

We were sad to leave Chicago.

Why? Many different reasons, let me name a few: the beauty, the friendliness, the skyline, the lake, the classical music concerts in the park, the miles and miles of paths for hiking and jogging, the small Chicago apartment we lived in so close to the lake, the many free things to do, the sunrise and sunset, the church, the Leadership summit, the divine connections...

We started off on a bad foot with our home exchange being cancelled. But,this was the only bad part of Chicago. We spent many hours on the internet to find other accommodation and eventually succeeded. We rented an apartment in the basement of a 3 storey building in Lincoln Park. We had the most wonderful landlord, who even gave us a special discount rate and 1 day for free! Miracles happen even in the business world. (If you ever want to go to Chicago, contact us for her detail.)

We had our "goal-meeting" on day 2, and worked very disciplined. During breaktimes, we sat outside in the 3m wide piece of land between our house and the neighboring one and drank tea, or played cricket in that same area. The road is so narrow, with cars parked on both sides of the street, that you have to fold the car's mirrors flat!

From our house to the lake, was 2km. Sometimes we walked from the house to the lake and back, sometimes we drove to the lake, parked, and walked along the lake for 1 hour. This was our daily exercise.

We were there before sunset and walked till it was dark – seeing the colour of the sky change and the city lights go on. We were also there before sunrise, saw the sun lighting up yet another day and the city lights being switched off. Whatever time of day, it was always beautiful – the sky, the lake, the skyline of the city.

We did not only admire the skyline from down below, but also from the top of it all. Yes, we went up the Willis (formerly Sears) tower (for many years the tallest building in the world, but after Dubai's building spree, the highest in USA). We went all the way up to floor 103. If I had a choice, I would have stayed on the ground, but my 4 men took me up. And was I glad they did. What a beautiful sight! Again we saw the setting of the sun and the city lights flickering on. Yes, we were on top of it all, and we were all very excited and appreciated the outing. We were also glad that we could use an elevator this time – and not like always climb to the top!

Mondays are free days at the History Museum. We took this opportunity specifically to see the exhibition on the life of Abraham Lincoln, a great leader. We were impressed with more than his leadership skills alone, because at the same time we could see the good leadership and planning the leaders of the city of Chicago had centuries ago. The beautiful city and many parks did not just happen by coincidence, it was planned. A quote of Daniel Burnham at the entrance of the Willis tower sums it all up: "Make no little plans, they have no magic to stir mens blood."

Dream, Plan, Action (this is my quote!)

We were also blessed to visit with a Namibian girl who lives in Chicago for 5 years already. Her mother gave her details to my mother and we made contact. What a special and brave young lady Nadine is! She stays with a family where she takes 100% care of the children and cooks for the family, while at the same time studying full time. It was wonderful to spend time and share stories in Afrikaans and to make a new friend! Her parents can be so proud of her and Namibia can only hope that she will return, because she will surely be an asset to our country.

The 3 services we attended at Willow Creek Church, as well as the Leadership Summit were obviously highlights. Luckily Dawie shared about that experience, so I will not write about it now other than to say: "Thank you God, for allowing us this blessing!" It was also good to see other Namibians at the conference and as we greeted them on their way back home, to know: we will also return, Namibia is where God wants to have us, but not now, not just yet. (Oh, Thank you that we still have 2 months left before going home...)

What I want to write concerning Willow, is to tell about another miracle that happened to Dawie J and us while we attended the Leadership conference. This lady, Karen, and I corresponded via e-mail about a possible home exchange, which could not work out. When she asked whether all of us will attend the conference, I told her that only Dawie J will not, and she invited him to stay with them. We took Dawie J to these complete strangers on the first day of the conference . When we dropped him there that morning, I had complete peace in my heart. When we went to fetch him, he asked to go there again the next day! They invited us to dinner and we spend the evening with them, parting at midnight as friends.

Friday evening, fetching Dawie J, we were again invited to dinner and enjoyed yet another feast and wonderful fellowship. All three children plays different instruments, and we were blessed with beautiful violin and piano music. (Were we perhaps in heaven for a while?) We had such a special feeling for Lane, Karen and their children in our hearts, that we went back to them on Monday, just to say good-bye. Needless to say, a short good-bye ended up in a feast! Psalm 133:1 (NIV) How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity!

Both Dawie and I had very significant meetings with different people during our Chicago stay. God surely loves to surprise us as He uses us as His instruments. He gives the wisdom when we are out of our comfort zones and can use us even outside of our SHAPE, the only thing we must do is to say: "Yes, Lord".

As I write and write, I understand why I continuously postponed to write about Chicago. We had such wonderful times there and made wonderful special new friends. My words do not do justice to what we truly experienced, and I think that I always felt that my writing will be inadequate to show the whole picture, so it was easier to postpone! Now it is inadequate, but at least something is written. May this be enough to remind us in years to come of how sweet Chicago tasted...

Thank you God, for blessing us in such a way – yet again. Thank you also for using us in different ways in the lives of different people and to use different people to build into our lives. You did it in every single place we called home, even if it was for a few days, during this fast speeding year of 2009! Thank you!