Facing 2009..

The prophet Isaiah says..

Isa 43:18-20

18 "Do not call to mind the former things, or ponder things of the past.

19 "Behold, I will do something new, now it will spring forth; will you not be aware of it? I will even make a roadway in the wilderness, rivers in the desert.

20 "The beasts of the field will glorify me; the jackals and the ostriches; because I have given waters in the wilderness and rivers in the desert, to give drink to My chosen people.  (NAS)

What a call from this Old Testament Prophet -- A major DO NOT..

Do Not Live in the Past..

Trying to move forward with eyes fixed on what is behind is an exercise in futility.. God reminds us here not to allow the past to so fill our thinking and our vision that all we do is repeat the past..  The past has happened and there's nothing we can do in the present to change it, the best we can do is to learn from the past..   The past teaches us some important things - i) What we ought not to do  ii) What we ought to do..  iii) What we can and cannot do  I am sure there are many more important lessons the past can teach us.. 

The past is however a seemingly attractive place to remain.. perhaps because it is so familiar..

The future however carries with it a significant degree of uncertainty and unpredictability..

To help us and motivate us to embrace the future - after all, that is where the rest of our life will be spent, God gives Isaiah a Word for us ..

> I am doing something NEW

> I will make a way in the wilderness, a place where no roads exist

> I will create rivers in the desert

> I will do these things so that MY people will have drink (provision)..

The one certain reality that we have as we face 2009 is the character and nature of God.. There can be no greater security..

In 2008 some had hope in an election process - It failed

There was hope in a negotiation process - it has failed

There was hope in an economic system - It has failed

Those who placed there hope and trust in the living God have learned one GREAT thing - HE HAS NOT FAILED and HE NEVER WILL.. 

So I am facing 2009 with the confidence that the Lord Jesus, who never changes and who promises to be with me every day will sustain my family and I.  I am looking forward to the NEW things HE is doing, for the means of provision in the face of a global recession, rising inflation and shortages of food.. for his roadway through a year where nothing seems set.. He will make a way for His people and they Will have drink (Provision)..

Faye and I are saying goodbye to a year that has been very challenging, and at times overwhelming YET our God has sustained us.. Now we face 2009 with even greater confidence in Him, in His Call to us and His Committment to us.. Our committment to HIM is stronger today than yesterday..

my Motto for this year: 

His Promises and Provision are Mine in 2009 !

It's Christmas Time..

What a year it has been and how time appears to have flown by at the speed of light ! 

Sadly we will not be celebrating Christmas with our family and friends in Zimbabwe but rather with our new friends and colleagues right 

here in Okahandja Namibia..   We of course have sent greetings and messages of our love to many of our family and friends (really not the same as face to face interaction)..

Regardless of where we are physically located at Christmas time does not take away from the wonderful GOOD NEWS that we will celebrate the birth of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.. Now that is Good news..

We are thankful to God for His providential care through this past year, for the excellent health we have enjoyed, for the many trials we have faced (these have made us stronger and increased our faith), for the new friends we have made here in Namibia and also for the privilege of playing an active role in the local fellowship we attend here in Okahandja..

As always we really do look forward to mail and news from our friends and loved ones and if you are ever in Namibia please do give us a call - at a minimum it would be wonderful to see you and hear your voice..

The Prophet Isaiah declared Jesus would be called :  IMMANUEL

Isa 7:14

"Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel. (NAS)

The Angel told a confused Joseph:

Matt 1:23

"Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and shall bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel," which translated means, "God with us." (NAS)

My family and I joyfully proclaim HALLELUJAH as we also acknowledge that JESUS is IMMANUEL - GOD WITH US !  

May you enjoy and experience God with YOU this Christmas !

All our love and best wishes for 2009 !

Eric & Faye

Garnie

Larnelle,

Sydney 

&

Joshua

The Adventure of I DO continues - 15years later.

Today is a very special day for Faye and I.  YES we remember today the anniversary of our wedding which took place at St Francis Anglican Church in 1993..  Fifteen years have passed since we declared our vows to each other in the company of God, our family and dear friends.. 

We have been blessed with three wonderful children - Larnelle (12) Sydney(5) and Joshua (17mths).  

As we celebrate this day we have a mix of emotions from great joy, to deep concern for our beloved Zimbabwe, especially for our family and friends and of course we are saddened that we are not able to celebrate this joyful and significant day with our family who are now spread across in various countries..

To all of those who sent us congratulatory messages - THANK YOU !!

With God before us we look forward to the next 15years with eager anticipation and excitement.

Joshua Learning to Talk ??

This is a short clip of Joshua in the office being filmed by Tony (on his fancy Cellphone).. Apologies that you have to view it with your head tilted at 90 degrees... Perhaps you could tilt your computer.. Now you can tell why we are having so much fun with this wonderful little boy...

Scary Stuff

You may or may not believe it, but amongst this ghastly gang of Ghouls is my beautiful eldest daughter Larnelle.. Front row on the right is my precious little angel..

Larnelle and I were talking the other day and she complained about some of her 'friends' at school and how fickle they can be.. This was one of those teachable moments - The lesson "You have a choice.. Soar like an eagle or peck in the dirt like a chicken"...

So this is Larnelle - pecking in the dirt like a chicken.. BUT all is not Lost she also gets to soar like an eagle..


Now this is more like it.. Larnelle the eagle.. She and her team won the softball tournament and the winners all received their 'gold' medals..

Of course it's really not about a fancy dress fundraising day at the school ( The tunnel of horrors) or winning first place in a softball tournament.. It's about character and integrity and Larnelle as a prefect is learning that who she is, is of greater significance than what she does.. Because who she is determines what she does and not the other way around.

The following weekend after this tournament we travelled to nearby Karibib to see the Okahandja Primary Team play in another tournament.. Sadly the team did not do well at all on the field and this presented them with the opportunity to soar... Not all did.

After the Karibib tournament we visited with some very special friends who treated us to some wonderful fellowship and the opportunity to relax before travelling back to Okahandja..

Here we see the girls enjoying some fun time on a trampoline.. This was at our friends home in Karibib..

Another Year Passes

On Sunday the 26th October I celebrated the 47th anniversary of my (Eric) birth.. Can you believe it, I am almost fifty years old !! On Tuesday night, Sydney sat on my lap telling me about school etc and then out of the blue looked at me and told me I was old, and that she needed to get new dad. Stopping for a few seconds she looked up at me and then said -" Mummy will get a new husband". I am so glad that Sydeny at age five has gotten the message that children should really have a dad and a mum..

We are eagerly keeping our eyes on the postbox after receiving a phone call advising that our work permits have been renewed.. This is encouraging news especially since we can now make plans for Larnelle as regards High school..

Talking about Larnelle, last night we took a walk to Spar to get a few groceries.. I deliberately chose to walk so that we could chat.. As we walked and talked Larnelle turned to me and asked....
" Dad why did we come to Namibia? No Honestly, dad why are we here ?"
In the few moments before I answered, I realised that this was a very important moment for Larnelle.. She was trying to make sense of WHY we moved from our home, our family, home church, the school she loved - and came to a new country where she not only had to make new friends, she had to also learn a new language and adjust to a different culture... My answer to this very simple yet important question would significantly impact my daughter's thinking..

So what was my answer ?

I explained to Larnelle that Faye and I sincerely and genuinely believe that God called us to serve Him here in Christ's Hope International.. I used the opportunity to reinforce the reality that we are called to obey the Lord and to trust HIM fully - we call it living by FAITH.. Larnelle listened and I got the very clear sense that although she did not fully grasp everything I was saying she did understand that we are here at the Lord's invitation and command.

Joshua is now on his feet and very active. We keep a very close watch over him since he loves to explore and to climb whatever is in front of him. He now is in the habit of pointing at things he wants and he will not settle for less.. In this picture you can see our 'big' young man watching Larnelle playing softball..

Most of Larnelle's friends know Joshua and they all dote on him and want to carry him, play with and generally smother him with attention.. Joshua takes just so much and then he wants out..


This is Faye 'at work' getting the children into line at Kids Club.. Every Tuesday and Wednesday afternoon, Faye and the volunteers invest love and hope and blessing into the lives of these young people. It is not always easy and some afternoons the children are very rowdy and difficult to handle and then other times (most of the time) they are well behaved and listen carefully as Faye and the volunteers teach them principles from God's Word. The children are also encouraged to memorise scripture and put into practice what they learn at the club meeting.


Please do pray for these young people, many who face the kinds of challenges that children so young ought not to have to face. Pray that the Biblical lessons they learn will result in life change and that their choice to follow Christ will grow stronger with each passing week..

Catching up After the pictures

Our visit home was a time of refreshing for us as well as the time to catch up with friends and family.. We're back in Okahandja at the International Training Centre - What next?

Faye is very busy ensuring that financial records and movement of funds in and through the International Office are processed in a timely fashion and in keeping with our policies and procedures.. IN order to maximise on her time and accomodate Joshua it became necessary for Faye to move her office into our flat.. This allows her to work and supervise Joshua at the same time..

In addition to the administration and book keeping that Faye does, she also plays a very active role in the running of Kids club on a Wednesday and a Thursday.. Between 50-100 children attend club and at times some children have to be turned away due to the lack of sufficient staff to adequately monitor the children and give them the attention they need..

Larnelle is very busy with school and we have to at times insist on some controls for her other occupation which interferes with her effectively studying and doing homework.. At this point in time I am happy to say her other occupation is a lot easier to handle than a boy.. it's the cell phone.. We are very proud of Larnelle and very pleased with her performance at school. She has really exelled this year and we are loking forward to great things from her next year when she starts high school. We have made application for her to attend the local private school which is the one that will give her a very good education.. Please do pray for us as we take a bold step of Faith to trust God for the finances to cover her school fees..

Sydney continues to bring us much joy with her free spirit and very inquisitive mind. She will be returning to Smarties Kindergarten in 2009 and will start grade 1 in 2010.. How can I describe Sydney? She definitely thinks 'outside the box', is strong willed and very bright.. The other day I was playing with her and gave her a hug- turning to me she simply told me that I needed to have a shave ! Sydney still loves to go wherever dad goes and at times is very upset when she is not able to do so.. We are happy to say that she is now completely free of having to use pampers and thoroughly enjoys riding her BIG bicycle that papa Chappie bought her during his last visit.

Joshua is up and away.. He is walking now, can get up on his own and negotiates the small steps at the centre with quite a bit of ease.. He has a mouthful of teeth and whilst he continues to be breast fed he also has a very healthy appetite.. He of course is trying to talk now and can often be heard mumbling as he walks about the flat and the centre....

Eric - Busy and asking for wisdom to balance the many responsibilities on his shoulders..

Bottom Line - We are well, we are strong, we are thrilled to have granny Maria visiting us.. We are very thankful for all our friends and family and for those who have committed to pray for us and who partner with us financially..

For our prayer/financial partners please could you add these few items to your prayer list:

1. Wisdom for Eric and Faye as they parent the children.
2. Finances for Larnelle's High Schooling in 2009..
3. A new vehicle- our present vehicle has put in a request for retirement..
4. For continued sensitivity to the Holy Spirit as we serve as Missionaries in Christ's Hope International based here in Namibia..

THANK YOU and GOD BLESS YOU !

Seeing is Believing

What follows are a collection of various pictures covering the past few weeks.. Some of the pics are from our time in Zimbabwe and others are from Namibia.. A picture says a thousand words.. Please view and enjoy...
Joshua Helping Mapunya at the Centre..
Maria on her way to kids club with Faye and the Interns
Saturday Afternoon at the Swakop River..
Relaxing at the Swakop River
Check out the Braai - (Don't ask about the Water in the river).
Joshua making good use of the 10 or so teeth he has in his mouth - Can see this is a good Ndebele boy !
Mother instructing Larnelle's friends on gardening- out backyard looks great now..
Joshua 'driving' his trolley car at Maerua Mall in Windhoek..
Helping granny play solitaire in the morning !
Westacre Cuisine-
Larnelle was thrilled to see Tawanda outside the YFC Offices..
Sydney and Pastor Wayne Nel and Georgia's girls playing Dress UP !
Visiting No 1 Lister Avenue - Dad and Gloria keeping a watchful eye on Joshua..
African Photos - Time to remember
Buying meat at Westacre..

Play Time with Sydney and Joshua
Larnelle so pleased to see Bishop Tudor Bismark's Son during their brief visit to Windhoek..
Dad and mum - Buddy and Maria.. This shot taken during our recent visit to Zimbabwe..
Faye and Chernelle Shirto catching up..

Graduation

About four years ago (while still in Zimbabwe), I enrolled for a bible study course through Victory Fellowship (Bulawayo). The course was through CLST (USA).. On coming to Namibia I could no longer continue with the course but was absolutely amazed to find that I was elgible for an Advanced Diploma in Church Ministry.. Not only was I eligible, but Faye was also eligible for a certificate in Church Ministry.. While in Zimbabwe on our recent visit we were able to attend the graduation and receive our certificates/diploma etc .. It was such a pleasure to see some of the students that I had studied with and of course to be awarded the advanced diploma brought such a sense of satisfaction and achievement.. It was great..

Home is Home

Following the busy time after the International Board Meeting at the end of July and the comencement of our internship training, Faye and I were sensing a real desire to travel home (Bulawayo, Zimbabwe) to visit family and friends, to get a sense of the situation prevailing in the nation as well as to simply have a break and get some much needed rest.

A few key things needed to fall into place for this to happen..

1. Work permit renewals finalised and re-entry visas granted as part of the process.
2. Travel documents for Joshua.
3. A vehicle for the journey- including a police clearance for the vehicle.
4. Finances to cover the costs.

We can truly declare that God worked on our behalf to make all of the above come to pass.. Om Tuesday 2nd September we received our pasports indicating that a 3 month work visa had been granted to both Faye and I, and this included re-entry visas. The high point in my opinion was however on the Wednesday.. We needed to have a temporary residence permit endorsed in Sydney and Joshua's travel documents( this involved having to gain access into Home Affairs in Windhoek), but we also needed to get a travel document for Joshua from the Zimbabwe Embassy ! In Addition to this we needed to get a police clearance for the vehicle processed and available to us on the day we wanted to travel- FRIDAY !!

On the Wednesday in question I not only was granted an appointment at Home Affairs, but we managed to get Joshua's travel document sorted and both Sydney and Joshua's travel documents endorsed with the necessay stamps. By the time Faye and I left Windhoek to return to Okahandja we had all the paper work sorted out and were able to tell the children we would be travelling on Friday, provided the police clearance was provided.. When applying for the police clearance on the Wednesday I was told it would only be ready on MONDAY ! We praise God it was ready on Friday at 2:30pm and after stocking up on some groceries for home and food for the journey we set off from Windhoek at about 6:00pm

We stopped over in Ghanzi (Botswana) at 11:45pm. We slept in the combi and got going again at about 3:30am. We crossed the border into Zimbabwe at about 2:30pm (No long delays or problems) and were home in Bulawayo at about 4:00pm Crossing the Border Between Namibia and Botswana....
Sunrise in Botswana.. Driving into Maun..

It was great to be home and to see family and friends.. we were particularly thankful to have arrived on the Saturday as it enabled us to see Faye's dad who was leaving early Sunday morning for South Africa..

Yes we experienced the power cuts and even a water cut BUT we also saw the amazing depth and vibrancy of Christian Faith in so many of our friends and members of our Home Church (Revival Centre Ministries).. We saw in many of the believers an authenticity in their faith which I believe has stemmed out of the realisation that only God can be truly relied on and that they were living in a 'wilderness' and needed to depend on the 'manna' God provides daily..

Whilst being saddened at the situation and deeply concerned at how the situation would play out, I was very definitely inspired and encouraged by the faith I saw displayed...

To Be continued in subsequent posts...........

A Variety of Family Events...

The past few weeks have been quite challenging for the Garnie Family.. Sydney got the ball rolling with a tooth ache. I took her to the dentist and our little girl had her first extraction.. Sydney had a great time talking with the dentist BUT after her tooth was removed she told me very clearly that we must NEVER come back to this dentist because she made her mouth sore..
Sydney in the Dentist's Chair..

Next in line was the whole family. There was a bug in the air and all of us were down with colds and coughs.. I (Eric) was down for about a week, Joshua and Sydney for 10 days and Faye still has a nasty sounding cough.. It does seem though that we are over the worst.. Joshua's cold was compounded by the fact he was cutting some really large back teeth on his lower jaw..

The other evening we went to the senior citizens home, along with the children from Sydney's Kindergarten.. With lanterns they made at Kindergarten during the week we listened with joy as the children walked among the housing units singing a variety of songs in both English and German..

Larnelle has once again impressed us with her performance at school. She obtained all A's and one C. Her average mark aside from the C was in the mid 90's.. She continues to excel as a prefect and on meeting the school principal in Spar he made a point of telling me how wonderful Larnelle is and that we can be proud of her..

We are still awaiting news on the status of our work permit renewals.. It appears that whilst the permits are being finalised, we will be granted work visas (valid for 3 months) until such time as our work permit renewals have been finalised. Once we have the work visas, we plan to make definite plans to travel home to Bulawayo for a visit.. We have not been home in more than a year and would really like to visit our family and friends and introduce them to Joshua..
Faye and Joshua sharing a fun moment together..

Eric holding on to Joshua while watching Sydney and her school friends sing to the senior citizens.
Brother and sister eating Doritos outside the kitchen window while sitting at the front door..

Eric and the guys from Manna Church music team..
OFC Okahandja's response to KFC.. I think Larnelle's Face says it all - Not about the chicken BUT about her dad taking pictures of her.. Oh by the way Larnelle had an unpleasant experience a few days ago.. She was using my Brand New Nokia 2630 Cell phone and had it snatched out of her hand. The thief ran away and I guess we can kiss the phone goodbye. We have blocked the phone and the SIM card was a pay as you go line.. My dear daughter has learned a valuable lesson and will definitely take more care with her cell phone in the future.. We are simply glad that she was not in any way harmed and that aside from the sheer frightening nature of being robbed she seems to be just fine..

Faye and I look forward to hearing from friends and family and we do thank you for praying for us and also for those who partner with us as missionaries in a financial and material way. We are very thankful to you...

THANK YOU and GOD BLESS YOU ALL !!

Oshikuku

Just before the Board meeting got underway I travelled about 700kms to the north with the seven STLD students who were due to particpate in the prgramme for the official opening of the Ministry Centre that Christ's Hope has established in Oshikuku..

This was my first visit to the north. There is a difference between the north of Namibia and where we live in the central areas..

This is us stopping for breakfast at a service station in Otavi.. Yes it was rather cold..

On arrival at the ARK in Oshikuku we were called in to help with the cleaning and preparation of the ark for the official opening that would take place the following day..
The Ark (Oshikuku).. Greeted by many children who come to the centre and who were there for a club meeting with a team of Dutch young people who were in Namibia on a missions visit.. It was great that they would also be in Namibia for the opening of this facility, especially since Christ's Hope Netherlands have been instrumental in the construction, funding and establishment of this particular ministry Centre..


STLD students singing at the opening ceremony.. Guests under the tent of meeting!

It was a joyful day and of tremendous encouragement was the presence of government and community leaders who all attended as an indication of their support for this ministry centre which we are fully convinced will make a significant positive impact in this community.

Please pray for our people in Oshikuku as they reach out to the community and offer care and love to the children...

Family time

While talking to my sister Arlene (London) she mentioned her desire for their son Michael to visit Namibia and see the kind of missionary work that is taking place in Christ's Hope here in Okahandja.. As we spoke it seemed as though we were talking about a time in the future, perhaps in 2009.. I mentioned to Arlene that we had a team from Northern Ireland who flew from Gatwick (London) to Hosea Kutako (Windhoek) for less than six hundred pounds.. On hearing this Arlene began to speak of Michael coming within about two weeks of our conversation.. Well you can imagine our absolute joy when it was confirmed that Michael and his friend Joey would be in fact coming to visit us..

We were doubly thrilled when Faye's dad called to let us know that he was coming for a visit as well and that he would be staying for about three weeks..

Well we had so much fun with our family- One of the highlights was taking them all to Walvis Bay and Swakopmund for a day trip. Michael and Joey considered their quad bike riding on the dunes to be the highlight of the day..

Michael and Joey helped Faye with Kids club and also went on a Care and Compassion morning of ministry as well as spending som time at the children's home here in Okahandja.

We were so impressed with Michael and Joey who were very flexible and easy going, not demanding and very easy to please when it came to meals. They both carried their weight in terms of house cleaning etc and we see them as a tremendous asset to their families. Michael, Sydney and Joshua having lunch at KFC in Windhoek..

Having Dad (Bent) visit us was so enjoyable.. During his visit in 2007, Joshua was born, and now he was here and seeing Joshua almost a year later.. During that Visit dad also helped with the construction of the flat that we now live in.. so it was actually good to have him back and see the place completed and us living in it.. Larnelle gave up her room for papa and Sydney gave up her room for Michael and Joey.. So we re-located Larnelle to the Spare room and Sydney set up her bed in mum and dad's room..

Having family visit us came at the right moment, as Faye and I were both feeling rather homesick and with no word on our work permit renewals the prospect of going to Zimbabwe for a visit was rather remote and added to our feelings of homesickness.. BUT God is so good he blessed us with a visit from two of our family.
Having a snack at the Maerua Mall in Windoek..

We are looking forward to a return visit next year.. I am so proud of the way in which Errol and Arlene have raised Michael.. I only hope I can do the sam kind of parenting with our three children..

June 2008

With the Short Term Leadership Training nearing it's conclusion, the seven students were looking forward to returning to their homes. It was great seeing them involved with ministry opportunities here in Okahandja.. One of the most encouraging aspects of training is seeing students begin to take the initiative as a result of their lessons..

Philip was so impacted by the teaching he received, that he requested permission to visit the Okahandja hospital to visit the patients to share the Word of God with them and pray for them. He was given permission by the hospital auhorities, which then afforded him the opportunity to visit the hospital at least three/four times a week. I was simply overjoyed to see this young man act and not simply have his head filled with knowledge and information..

Much of my time was devoted to the preparations for the International Board Meeting to take place at the end of July.. I was therefore glad that the International Director and his wife were able to take on most of the teaching responsibilities and thus release me to attend to all the preparations for the Board Meeting... More about the board meeting in another post..

Update

My schedule for the past two months has been very hectic, and I just could not get to updating this space.. I plan to set aside time in the next few days to post new information.. Please visit this page in about 10 days time and you will find some new and up to date news and pictures..

Luv to all.. Please continue to pray for Zimbabwe..

So Far and Yet so Close !

These past few weeks have been quite emotional for us.. Eric's Mum was admitted to hospital to have a knee operation. At the time of writing we are very thrilled to hear that mum is out of hospital and is recuperating very well.

Our hearts were torn with sadness when we were informed that Aunty Cocksen (Bulawayo) was diagnosed with cancer and after a second opinion in South Africa would undergo major surgery.

All of this information was relayed to us via email and SMS messages.. Though we are thousands of kilometres away we felt very close to mum and Cocksen in this time of tremendous emotional stress.

We give thanks to God for all our loved ones and are thankful for the technology available to us that allows us to stay in touch so easily and promptly.. We may be far away but truly feel very close to all our loved ones.

Earlier this evening we took some family photos and I thought it would be good to post some of these pictures for your viewing pleasure..

Drop us a line we'd love to hear from you..