Lenten T I D I N G S
March 2000
St Francis of Assisi Parish
Newsletter
Contents
Consecration of Martin Breytenbach
as Bishop
I dreamed I had an interview with
God
My testimony by Foibe B Rugumayo
A new year, and another edition of
Tidings. There have been a number of
significant changes in church life at St Francis and the interregnum leaves us
in an expectant mood, waiting prayerfully on God for his direction for our
future. Much of this edition is devoted
to the people who have left St Francis, and surely the next one (or the one
after) will be devoted to new arrivals.
On a more mundane matter, the rising costs attached
to the packaging and posting of Tidings has lead the clergy to decide that a
different method of circulation is becoming increasingly necessary. From the next edition of Tidings, rather
than post out all copies, we have decided to print copies and make them
available at the back of the church. We
would then request that people take one copy per family when attending one of
the Sunday services, or pick up a copy from Christine at the church office
during the week. A separate mailing
list will be kept for people who find it difficult to get out of their homes,
and for those who have relocated to other parts of the world. The web edition of Tidings will continue to
be made available, subject to any glitches in that department.
Happy reading.
Mark
Editor:
Mark Napier. Tel. 012-9987992 (home), Email: mnapier@csir.co.za
Typing:
Christine Lawrie. Production: Anne
Allison. Collation: Amy Macnamara. St Francis of Assisi Anglican Church, 373 Milner Street,
Waterkloof, 0181, Tel. 012-346 1106/7, Fax: 346 4226.
http://www.st-francis.co.za/ mail@st-francis.co.za
Clergy:
Robin Heath, June de Klerk, Ed Smith, Gloria Smith.
Dear Fellow
Parishioners
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ere we are
well into the year 2000. We do hope
that you are enjoying the new series of preaching themes that we have been
using since the beginning of Advent.
The five Sundays before Lent have had the theme of listening to God,
which can be very fruitful, if taken seriously.
I have been asked to put into print the three
types of prayer and listening I have found useful and which I mentioned in the
first of this series.
The first is simple, to use the words: "To you, Lord" as mentioned in
John Suggit's recent publication called "The Anglican Way" quoted
below:
"Many may find it
difficult to spend much time in prayer each morning, but at least they can say
the three words (an ancient prayer) "To you, Lord", and make the sign
of the cross, thereby indicating that they and the world are once again
committed to the love and mercy of God.
In the evening again we are to pray for ourselves and others, looking
back over the past day, thanking God for it and for opportunities of showing
his love to others, and asking his forgiveness both our failures and those of
our society. The Lord's prayer said
slowly is a good framework for all forms of prayer."
Secondly the Jesus Prayer, which has also been
used for centuries, helped many people:
Lord Jesus Christ
(breathe out)
Son of God (breathe in)
Have mercy on me
(breathe out)
A sinner (breathe in)
This can be said as slowly and as
often as one likes, and the breathing exercise also helps a person to relax.
The third format is one that Fr John Salt, introduced
us to at a Clergy Retreat two years ago.
This seems to have a natural progression in the order suggested:
1.
Prayer
of Silence (perhaps using one of the above)
2.
Prayer
of Self Examination and Repentance (sin prevents a relationship with God, so we
need to get rid of it)
3.
Prayer
of Meditation or Imaginative Prayer (Reading a gospel passage about Jesus, and
imagining yourself to be there, as part of the crowd or one of the characters,
can be enlightening and helpful)
4.
Prayer
of Intercession. In this final step you
may find that the Lord Jesus is entrusting you to pray for a specific situation
or person (Very exciting)
Please do remember that, for the Christian,
listening to God is basic to our relationship with Him, and not just an
optional extra.
Martin has now left, and Archie's fairly sudden
death, have left great gaps in all our lives, but we the clergy, have been
greatly encouraged by the way everything goes ahead, by your understanding,
helpfulness and continuous flow of ideas.
See back page for exciting coming events.
A special word of thanks to Rob, Eckart, and
Stuart, our churchwardens, on whose shoulders fall the burden of not only
keeping the church going, but spearheading the search for our new rector. Thanks to Rob for his "Council Chatter"
newsletters, which keep us abreast of what's happening, and to Eckart for
keeping us up to date with matters financial.
I end with words from the letter to the
Hebrews, chapter 6 verses 3 and 11.
"Let us go
forward. And this is what we will do if
God allows."
"Our great desire is that each of you keep
up your eagerness to the end, so that the things you hope for will come
true."
God bless each one of you
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he consecration of Martin Breytenbach as Bishop of the Diocese of St
Mark the Evangelist took place at St Mary's Cathedral, Johannesburg, on
Saturday 5th February. This was a
combined Consecration shared also with
the consecration of Brian Germond as Bishop of Johannesburg.
The celebrant was the
Archbishop of Cape Town, Archbishop Njongonkulu Ndungane. The preacher was the Archbishop of
Canterbury, Dr George Carey.
As was to be expected, the
cathedral was filled to overflowing.
In his sermon, the Archbishop of
Canterbury spoke not only to the two Bishops, Martin and Brian, but also to all
present. His sermon focused on three
major aspects. Firstly, one has to
serve. The Bishops, and all of us have
to be stripped of our robes. We are
ordinary people. But as such we are
charged to go out and serve. He
referred to some of the saints whose memories are commemorated on the
Johannesburg cathedral walls. St
Augustin, St Cyprian and in particular St Bernard, an African.
The second point raised by the
Archbishop was to teach. He charged the
Bishops, and all of us to evangelise.
We should endeavour wherever possible to teach the word of God.
Thirdly, the Bishops were to
be Vision Bearers. He referred to the
Archbishop of New Zealand who had said that the clergy should be Vision
Bearers, and not problem solvers. They
should be Vision Bearers in God's glory.
The Bishops should be leaders of the churches and people. However, they should be very focussed on
Africa, which is rich with music and the diversity of people.
The Archbishop invited us all
to enjoy our faith. Enjoy the
church. Enjoy being a servant. All of these are joyful experiences. The Archbishop also referred to the case of
an officer elect at the Sandhurst Military College in England who had failed. When the father of the boy petitioned the
Sandhurst authorities he was told that:
"People would only want this person as a commissioned officer out
of curiosity!!" He charge us all
not to be people who would be looked at "out of curiosity".
Thereafter the formal side of
the ceremony took place with the presentation of Martin to the Archbishop of
Cape Town, the presentation being by the Bishop of Pretoria, and the Bishop of
Christ the King.
The Bishops were then
addressed by the Archbishop, who charged them to teach and to proclaim the
demands of justice and to lead God's people on their mission to the world. Thereafter the Archbishop asked Martin to
accept the calling to be the Bishop.
This was followed by the Consecration of the Bishops.
Thereafter, there was the ceremonious handing
over of the bible, the cross, ring and star, each accompanied by an appropriate
statement from the Archbishop.
All in all it was a very
joyous and happy event. There were many
from the St Francis congregation who must have been very proud of Martin, Sarah
and the children, all of whom were invited to stand before the whole
congregation and to receive the wide applause and acclamation of all those in
the cathedral. v
Martin delivered this Charge
at his installation as Bishop of the Diocese of St Mark the Evangelist on 12th
of February. We have taken excerpts
from the Charge for this edition of Tidings.
1. Getting Married!
Becoming the Bishop of a Diocese is like getting married - exciting,
frightening, full of expectations and uncertainties:
Since long before the first
approaches were made to me, this process has been full or prayer and the desire
to do God's will. God certainly made it clear to me, and to my family, that he
wanted us to be available if called. The proposal of marriage came on the day
of the Elective Assembly and, like a bride with a mixture of fear and
excitement, I was glad to say "yes" to the invitation from God and
the Diocese. Just like an engagement to be married, all sorts of practical
things had to be worked out during the time leading up to my Consecration last
Saturday.
Although it has felt like a
long time since August, it has been a good one for us, and Sarah, the children
and I feel that we have been well prepared for our life and ministry with you.
The Consecration felt just like a wedding service, with all the ceremonial, the
support of the whole church, vows that were made, fancy clothes - and even the
giving of a ring! Today we are enjoying the wedding reception - a great
celebration of the new life that we are beginning together. There are speeches,
music, rejoicing and feasting at the Lord's Table. Then comes the honeymoon, a
time to explore and enjoy the excitement of our new relationship in the Lord.
Of course it will not all be
easy - we will need to work hard on communication. We will have to learn about
one another, and get to appreciate our various backgrounds and the different
ways we do things. Let us all make a special effort to look for the best in one
another, for all of us have valuable gifts to offer to one another and the
Church in this Diocese.
2. Thank You
Before I go any further, like a bridegroom at his wedding reception, I
need to say thank you ...
2.1 To Many People
Thank you to all of you for the welcome we have received here in the
Diocese of St Mark the Evangelist. A special word of thanks must go to:
·
Those who have prepared "Bishopsmark" for us so beautifully;
·
All who have visited us bringing gifts and practical help;
·
The Diocesan Staff who have gone out of their way to be helpful and to
put me in the picture about many things;
·
Bishop Philip and Charmian Le Feuvre, who have exercised a wonderful
ministry here, and have been incredibly generous and gracious in preparing the
way for us;
·
All of you who travelled long distances to the Consecration last week
and braved the traffic of central Johannesburg;
·
Nehemiah Mothiba, my Senior Priest, the people of the Parish of
Mahwelereng, and the team who have prepared this Installation service;
·
Bishop Duncan Buchanan, who has guided and encouraged me over the years,
and has now come to Install me on behalf of Archbishop Njongonkulu Ndungane;
·
The Diocese of Pretoria where I have been involved in many levels of
leadership, have received most of my Priestly formation, and have grown in
experience and, I hope, wisdom, over the years;
·
The Bishops (and their wives) under whom I have served and who have,
each in their own way, been a huge encouragement - +Michael Nuttall, +Richard
Kraft, and +Jo Seoka;
·
The people of many parishes where I have been a member, guitar and piano
player, Choir member, Youth leader, student, Assistant priest , Rector and
Archdeacon. Special thanks to the people of St Francis, Waterkloof who have
supported Sarah, the children and me for the last 13 years - and have set us
free to grow in our various gifts and ministries;
·
Our link Dioceses: Christ the King, Mara, Singapore and Western
Newfoundland for messages of support and the assurance of their prayers;
·
Our Ecumenical partners, especially in the Northern Province Council of
Churches, with whom we share in mission and ministry;
·
Bishop Philip's overseas Commissaries, who have agreed to continue until
I am able to appoint new ones;
·
My wonderful family (Sarah, Katy, Tasha and Jeremy) who have been
willing to leave behind schools, an exciting and stimulating job, and friends
in order to be obedient to God's call;
·
All of you who have been praying and will continue to pray for us and
the Diocese - "Father, may your kingdom come and your will be done here in
St Mark's Diocese as in heaven."
2.2 To God
But above all, I need to express thanks and praise to the God and Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ. The Old Testament lesson (Jeremiah 1:4-12) and Gospel
(John 20: 19-23) highlight specially what God has done for me and for all of
us.
God has chosen each of us -
even before we were born - to be his children, and to fulfil a special purpose
in his plan for the world (Jeremiah 1:4).
God loves us so much that he
has poured out his grace in Jesus our Saviour, reconciling us to God and one
another (John 20:20) through his death on the cross. More than that - he has given
us the Holy Spirit, and commanded us to receive him (John 20:22), so that we
have power to live as children of God.
In love, God gives to each of
us gifts and ministries (for example Jeremiah 1:9) as part of his body, the
church.
God calls us to use these
gifts and gives us the authority (Jeremiah 1:10) and power (Jeremiah 1:12) to
do so, so that the church and the world may be transformed to reflect his
Kingdom (Mark 1:15). We are to do this by making disciples (Matthew 28:18-20) -
leading people to faith in Jesus and teaching them what it means to live as the
people of God.
In this calling God invites us
to share in the ministry of Jesus to the world (John 20:21), as it is so
beautifully summarised in Luke 4:18-19
"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has chosen me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind; to set free the oppressed and announce that the time has come when the Lord will save his people."
This is a holistic ministry,
not only to individuals, but also to the community, country and world in which
we live.
For this reason I have decided
to launch a "Bishop's Disaster Appeal" to offer practical help to those
in this Province who are suffering as a result of the floods this week. I ask
all the people of the Diocese: please bring blankets, food and clothing to your
church, who can deliver it to the Diocesan Centre. We will see that it reaches
those agencies that can distribute it effectively.
All of these things are
reasons to give thanks and praise to God for his boundless love and goodness to
us.
3. The Church
God has chosen to use, as his special instrument, the church with all
its faults, divisions and weaknesses. Often we fail, betray, deny and hurt him.
But God continues to trust and use us. It is up to us to keep turning back to
him, offering ourselves to him in faith and obedience.
4. The Future
What are God's plans for the Diocese of St Mark the Evangelist in the
next few years? To continue to work and pray until the Diocesan Vision comes
true in all our congregations. As for this year, I know what God wants me to do
- and I invite you to join me in it. It is all summarised in our New Testament
Lesson for today - Acts 11:23-24. As we are obedient to this direction, I know
that God will guide and bless us in ways that we cannot now imagine. Wonderful
things were happening in Antioch. Jews and Gentiles were coming to know the
Lord, and the news spread to the church in Jerusalem. So they sent Barnabas the
"Son of Encouragement" to see what was going on. We read:
“When he arrived and saw how God had blessed the people, he was glad and urged them all to be faithful and true to the Lord with all their hearts.”
I believe that God wants me,
and all of us, to be like Barnabas.
5. Conclusion
Now, let us continue to celebrate the wedding feast of the Lamb at the
Lord's Table, knowing that all these things are but a foretaste of the great
celebration that awaits us and all those who are faithful and true to the end.
Thank you.
God has not
promised skies always blue,
Flower-strewn
pathways all our lives through;
God has not
promised sun without rain,
Joy without
sorrow, peace without pain.
But God has promised strength for the day,
Rest for the labour, light for the way,
Grace for the trials, help from above,
Unfailing sympathy, undying love.
God has not promised we shall not
know
Toil and
temptations, trouble and woe;
He has not
told us we shall not bear
Many a
burden, many a care.
But God has promised strength for the day,
Rest for the labour, light for the way,
Grace for the trials, help from above,
Unfailing sympathy, undying love.
God has not
promised smooth roads and wide.
Swift easy
travel, needing no guide;
Never a
mountain, rocky and steep,
Never a
river turbid and deep.
But God has promised strength for the day,
Rest for the labour, light for the way,
Grace for the trials, help from above,
Unfailing sympathy, undying love.
From “This England”, sent in by Robin Heath
"Come in"' God said.
"So, would you like to interview Me?"
"If you have the
time," I said.
God smiled and said "My time
is eternity and is enough to do everything.
What questions do you have in mind to ask Me?"
"What surprises you most
about mankind?" I asked.
God answered, "That they
get bored of being children, are in a rush to grow up and then long to be
children again. That they lose their
health to make money, then lose their money to restore their health. That they live as if they will never die,
and they die as if they never lived."
God's hands took mine and we
were silent for a while and then I asked: "As a parent, what are some of
life's lessons you want your children to learn?"
God replied with a smile.
"To learn that they cannot make anyone love them. What they can do is let themselves be
loved.
To learn that what is valuable
is not what they have in their lives, but who they have in their lives.
To learn that it is not good
to compare themselves to others. All
will be judged individually on their own merits, not as a group on a
comparative basis!
To learn that a rich person is
not the one that has the most, but is one that needs the least.
To learn that it only takes a
few seconds to open profound wounds in persons we love and it takes many years
to heal them.
To learn to forgive, by
practising forgiveness.
To learn that there are
persons who love us dearly, but simply do not know how to express or show their
feelings.
To learn that money can buy
everything but happiness.
To learn that two people can
look at the same thing and see it totally differently.
To learn that a true friend is
someone who knows everything about them, and likes them anyway.
To learn that it is not always
enough that they be forgiven by others, but that they have to forgive
themselves."
I sat there for a while
enjoying the moment. I thanked Him for
his time and for what He has done for me and my family.
God replied. "Anytime,
I'm here 24 hours a day. All you have
to do is ask for me, and I'll answer."
"People will forget what
you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you
made them feel!"
From Gesine Buiten
Although
the St Francis church was packed to capacity, many people missed the funeral
service for Archie. Here are some of
the eulogies that were read there, and a letter from Cherry.
To all at St.
Francis,
You have all been a wonderful support to my family and me over the past month after the loss of my beloved husband, Archie. I can't say enough thank-you’s for all the cards, letters, phone-calls, visits, flowers, plates of food that I have received. I have been literally overwhelmed and at the same time humbled by all the care that has been shown to us. Without your support, I would never have had the strength to go on and ultimately that comes from the Lord working through you, so I have much to be thankful for. May God bless you all in your ministry.
Cherry, Susie, Mark & Jo, Rob & Riana, Andy
& Fern
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y beloved husband, although you are not physically here with us today, I
know you are with us in spirit. I would just like to thank-you for loving me,
spoiling me, caring for me with a most dedicated love which could withstand any
pressures, crises and problems and still remain the same. What did I do to
deserve such love? I give thanks to the Lord.
Always ready to give to
others, to think of others before yourself you were a shining example to me and
to your children who are already showing that your wonderful influence is
having a remarkable effect on their lives and within their own families – may
these gifts of yours be passed on through them to their own children. Thank-you
for giving me four wonderful children, who give me endless pleasure and a
reason to live.
Although you could be serious
and enjoyed deep discussions, your ready sense of humour was always close to
the surface and many a friend or family member fell victim to your little
pranks which together with your wonderful positive attitude to life, kept the
people around you on an even keel.
God has blessed us richly in
giving us a happy and fulfilling marriage of nearly 32 years (6th
Jan). Many people do not have that
privilege. God has been good to us in so many ways and we thank and praise Him
for that. We thank Him also for a wonderful support system given to us through
all these hard times by people all over S.A., U.K. and even the States - I did
not know you had touched so many people in your life!
And so we say good-bye for
now, my love, knowing that you are beginning your new life with your beloved
Lord, a perfect life with no more pain, sickness or tragedy. May you have
eternal rest and peace.
Your loving wife,
Cherry
Dad you were a precious man. I remember so many things that were so
special. Walking down the streets in town being ever so proud to hold your
hand. The bear hugs, which I could never win. The patient cricket coach, the
proud soccer fan. The sensitive father with tears in his eyes at each
departure. The times we would just talk and especially those “compulsory” golf
days that were so necessary whenever we met. There was always time, then, to
talk about the things that were happening around us.
You have been the role model
in my life and I thank you for the special moments we shared.
I thank the Lord that He
provided the time for us to talk just one more time before your illness took
you away. The pleasure in your eyes of seeing your grandchild again will always
be in my memory, but Oh, the sorrow to know that you cannot continue physically
to share in our joy.
The Lord has taken you from
us, most probably to have the company of one of his faithful servants. Rest in
peace my Father and friend –
For ever missing you
Andy
One of the best memories I have of my father were the hours that he spent
with me in the cricket nets during my school years. During some seasons we
would go down to the cricket nets every day of the week. Dad’s enthusiasm at times seemed even
greater than mine! Coaching me was not
always easy! My family will tell you
how extremely frustrated I get when I don’t get some things right the first
time! My regular expressions of these
frustrations would have tested the limits of any coach’s patience! Dad seemed to have endless patience with me! He must have been an excellent coach as he
managed to teach me how to play the game!
At all my school cricket matches, dad shared my disappointment at every
failure at the crease and shared my enjoyment of every success. These times I will never forget.
Dad was dedicated to his
family. He gave us everything that he
had to give. He was an excellent
example of a great husband and father.
Dad loved and served God and his fellow people. By his life he showed us what values are
worth holding onto. We will always
remember these.
I always thank God for giving
our family such a great father.
Rob
Dad, Thank you for being such a wonderful father and man. You embodied
what a Christian ought to be in so many ways. You were patient, kind, loving
and always thinking of others before yourself. You were an example and an
inspiration to all of us. Always a family man, who missed us terribly when we
moved away from home, you let us go with both love and pride. When I lived in
Pretoria, I remember our special lunches we had together and our squash games
where I just couldn’t keep up with you .
As children we knew we could
come to you at any time with our hurts and disappointments. You were always
there with words of comfort and wisdom.
Jo
Dear Dad,
I love you very much. Thank you for being such a good Dad to me. Thank you for taking
me to work and back. Thank you for getting me into Irene Homes as a resident.
Thank you for always having time to do things with me, like playing putt putt
and other games.
Lots of love
Sue
Being a daughter-in-law and having an Afrikaans background, I must admit
that at times it was difficult to feel part of the huge Archibald family. My first recollection of this, was the first
time I met the Archibald and extended family at the PSA camp at Gonoubie. What
a shock it was to the system! It
felt like walking into a group of a
million people babbling about everything and anything. Being a Kovsie girl, the language
barrier made it difficult to join in.
If there was one person who
always made me feel at ease and very welcome in the family, it was my
father-in-law – a person I could look up to and who I could think of as being
my Dad, a person I loved as much as my own dad. I will always think of my father-in-law as a
very kind-hearted man who always gave something of himself and lived life to
the full.
How privileged I am to have
such special memories of a father-in-law!
Riana
I remember Arch. I remember the unfailing dedication to God;
the morning and evening prayer conducted without fail even when on camp. Sleepy
eyes, locked on the last words of prayer before nodding off.
I remember a meticulous
scientist – a leader in diatom biology. I remember Arch’s own private
meteorological station – temperatures and rainfall recorded every day for the
last umpteen years.
I remember Arch’s homebrew beer
– a quart shared every evening before supper. A family man whose biggest regret
in passing is probably that he can’t hold his grandchildren.
I remember a selfless man who,
when I had flagged long ago, was still packing the dishwasher at midnight and
loading the washing machine at 5am the following morning before going for a
run.
I remember Susie’s innocent
characterization of her Dad as “a beautiful soul”.
I remember a man of God.
Mark
It’s very difficult to know what to write down today when I realise that
this is going to be read out in front of people who knew you for many more
years than I did. But as one of the
newest members of the family I feel that I have to at least try to say thank
you.
As I was thinking about what I
could possibly write that hasn’t already been written, I suddenly thought that
I didn’t really have time to get to know you. But then I realised I was wrong,
because so many of the things that I love and admire in your son I know he
learnt from you. His sensitivity and gentleness, his patience, were things that
were second nature to you.
I will never forget the day I
married your son and you took me onto the dance floor, gave me a hug and said,”
I think I’m going to enjoy having you as a daughter in law.” Well I can honestly say that the feeling was
entirely mutual.
What a privilege it is to be a
part of your family, where you were such a brilliant example of what a godly
husband and father should be. What a wonderful legacy you have left behind you.
Thank you, Fern
By Foibe B Rugumayo-(Uganda)
We run this autobiographical account as a two part series in Tidings. People wanting to see the second part of the testimony will have to wait!
From Iron Age to Space Age
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y husband and I often refer to our past, in humour but thankfully as
being, “From stone age to space age", or is it the digital age now? We have come a long way from humble
beginnings of hardship of childhood and youth.
It did seem like survival of the fittest, large families, little change
of clothing and no shoes, with scanty personal belongings. In retrospect, individualism had no place,
honest hard work without much personal reward except for self-reliance. ‘No work, no food’ was the rule of the
day. At times we had to forgo
delicacies with crop and animal epidemics.
Travelling long distances under heavy tropical rains without rainwear
when crossing swamps in search for Upper Primary School was a nightmare. Secondary education being boarding
throughout the country at the time, was a haven for many of us, but competition
was quite stiff even then. Hardly with
the affluence of modern conveniences such as electricity nor gas, car nor
television, let alone the fascination of Internet and the computers.
Survival
|
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owever, we were reasonably contented and happy. A Christian, non-materialistic upbringing
gave us a good foundation. We did
survive on parental as well as family love and care with community
support. We were blessed with a rich
cultural heritage of natural food, folklore, music and dance. It was a blessing that we both enjoyed the
mother-father figure till old age.
By the grace of God we had the
privilege of studying abroad for our University education. We have crossed continent upon continent,
survived Idi Amin’s reign of terror and the harsh realities of refugee-exile
life. New beginnings began to unfold in
the early nineties with the opportunity of working for the UNDP in Lesotho as a
programme director. Later we moved to
diplomacy in South Africa where my husband has been representing Uganda as a
High Commissioner (Ambassador). He has,
since August, been appointed to the cabinet by president Museveni as the
Minister of Internal Affairs, combining police, immigration and correctional
services. As one put it correctly ‘This
is a trouble-shooting spot’. We shall
value your constant prayers.
Exile
|
W |
hen Edward resigned from Amin’s government as Minister of Education in
1972, he ran away to Zambia under the guise of Sports Minister with mere
suitcases and three children to start a new life. In a similar manner I followed later while undergoing a Cambridge
certificate examination course in Nairobi as a history teacher. We started from scratch but slowly built our
family. Our children were marvellous,
undemanding and understanding.
Three years later, a dear
South African colleague and friend, Prisca Molotsi, puzzled as to why I was not
using any contraceptives but still not pregnant, grabbed my hand in African
style, and dragged me to a gynaecologist in spite of my plea that both my
husband and I were not worried and that all was well. The doctor in question fell sick while diagnosing my case and
with the social welfare medical services in Zambia at the time the doctor I
took on was not at all sympathetic to my cause. After realising that I was reluctant to follow his drastic
schemes, he brushed me off saying, “You go, maybe your God will do a miracle.”
Soon after, I had an
opportunity to go to Botswana where I accidentally met two gynaecologists
including my original bedside doctor who gave me much encouragement assuring me
that children were gifts from God and there was still a chance.
A miracle baby
|
I |
left feeling restored and hopeful,
concentrated on a rigorous keep fit programme and not on my uncertainties. The following month, I remember exactly, the
good Lord did indeed bring about a miracle, and I conceived. The Lord
graciously blessed us with a precious beautiful daughter, Mbabazi, now
completing her course in tourism at Technikon Witwatersrand. She loves the Lord Jesus, is handy in the
house, and a source of encouragement and fellowship.
Our firstborn Timu is now
working in Uganda as a civil engineer, he has given us four wonderful grand
children, Mpuuga, Ira, Kogere and Bobo.
Our second and third born, Nyonga married to Ulf, and Olimi married to
Caroline, are all here with their Norwegian spouses and families. We have enjoyed immensely a global village
with them and our delightful and affectionate grandchildren, Guma and Hangi
(Nyonga and Ulf’s), Cwa and Olea (Olimi and Caroline’s) and at one time all
under one roof in our beautiful mansion in Waterkloof Ridge, Pretoria. How I shall miss them. We could not send
them spouses by DHL after living in Norway for over ten years due to the
political unrest at home.
Diplomats
|
O |
ur present home, a Uganda residence, is an imposing, spacious structure
with a spectacular view in Waterkloof Ridge.
A Greek semi-millionaire built it; I keep saying he didn’t know that he
was building it for us. I bumped into
his daughter one day at a shopping centre, on overhearing the address I was
giving to a friend, she got excited and arranged to come to the house with all
her extended family, over 10 of them, who came one Sunday afternoon because
they had not been to the house for some ten years and wanted to show now the
grown up children where they were born.
At first I nearly went round
the bend with its maintenance. My first
exposure to SA’s maintenance service was not impressive. Diplomats were seen as people with fat
pockets. Eventually like everywhere
else, I discovered some lovely genuine transparent and efficient service
providers. Thanks to the St. Francis
Anglican Church Pretoria contacts where we have enjoyed wonderful Christian
fellowship. I learnt to accept the
inevitable and did what I could. It was
then that I started enjoying the God-given privileges and learnt to be content
with whatever was available.
Variety: the spice of life
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I |
n regard to factionalism, I believe that ‘variety is the spice of
life.’ God has created diversity for
our good. Each culture has a contribution to make and we need not copycat other
cultures. True, we need to be
selective. Every culture has had the
Stone Age, and we do not need to go back to the dressing habits of the Stone
Age to be seen to stick to our identity.
Culture is a living organism: it grows and changes, and we have to
discard what is superstitious and artificial, a consumption of gullible belief
in medicine for example, and uphold what is genuine, true and effective.
History has proven that it is
the fear of the unknown that makes people suspicious of one another and the
more one is exposed to meeting other people with an open mind the better our
human relations will become.
Foibe’s personal conversion
is described in the second part,
appearing in the next edition
From Rev Martzi Eidelberg
Please contact her if you have any offers of help or queries Tel 344-3299
Proposed Projects List for the
Brooklyn “Religion Against Crime”
Church Community Initiative
The following is a brief summary of some of the projects/activities in
which the Brooklyn Church Community could assist the Brooklyn Community Police
Forum to fight crime.
1. Individual Congregational Activities
a. “Adopt-a-Cop” – this is
aimed at young children through the schools.
The idea of this project is to create awareness among young children
that a policeman is not a “bogey-man” but rather someone who is there to care
for and protect them. The children are
also advised how to contact the police in time of need.
The police will visit a
Primary, Play or Sunday school with a clown or some such person and spend time
with the children. Individual churches
can assist the BCPF by arranging meetings through their local Primary or Sunday
schools. The contact persons to take
this further are:
Sgt Annabelle Meyer (PRO at the Brooklyn Police Station) tel 362-1507 x
206
Insp Wilma van der Bank, Sgt Karel Viljoen, Sgt Thomas Molefe
b. “Anti-Drug Education” –
this is currently taking the form of a very hard hitting school-level drama presentation
by University Students entitled “Time Out”.
Individual churches can assist
the BCPF by fund raising for this production or by arranging for the
presentation thereof in their church or other local community or school
halls. The play could for example be
presented on an evening together with their youth band.
The contact persons to take
this further are:
Super Johann de
Lange (Brooklyn Police station) tel 362-1507
Christiaan
Bezuidenhout (BCPF) Cell 083-310-4520
c. “Improving Moral Values”
– individual congregations could make a huge impact in the fight against crime
by encouraging a greater sense of moral values within the community. This could be done by way of sermons,
lectures etc.
d. “General Awareness Against
Crime”
Possible projects that could
fall under this umbrella are:
Advising Elderly – This is a group
of people who are generally very vulnerable to crime. There is as yet no specific project defined to assist/include the
elderly.
Self Defence Training – through Ladies
Fellowship/Woman’s Auxiliary and/or Youth groups. The police are more than willing to assist with this.
Domestic Servant Awareness
Training – through Ladies Fellowship/Woman’s Auxiliary. The Brooklyn Police have an office.
The use of Sunday Intimations
and/or Prayer Lists to provide members with relevant information and to pray
for the Brooklyn Police in particular.
The contact persons to take
this further are:
Sgt Annabelle Meyer (PRO at
the Brooklyn Police Station)
Tel 362-1507 x 206
Insp Wilma van der
Bank, Sgt Karl Viljoen, Sgt Thomas Molefe
All of the above are trained
in these fields and will assist the congregation in getting such activities
going.
2. Activities to be Co-ordinated by the
Religion Against Crime Committee
a. “Inter Trauma Nexus (victim
support/empowerment)” – This is a project run by Barbara Louw and aimed at
providing victims of crime with counselling and advising them of their rights
and how to enforce them.
Churches are requested to canvass
their congregations for potential Counsellors who could be trained to assist in
this work. Groups within the
congregation could also be requested to provide “Rape Packs” for distribution
to victims.
The RAC Committee to
co-ordinate.
b. “Wednesday Lunchtime Prayer Meeting” – This is a group prayer
meeting that takes place at the Brooklyn Police station every Wednesday
starting at 12h30.
Churches are requested to
canvass their congregations for members and/or clergy who are interested in
attending/leading such meetings. The
RAC Committee will set up a Roster in order to give individual congregations
the opportunity for conducting these meetings.
c. “Networking” – Each
congregation is requested to appoint one or two members whose names will be incorporated on a “Grape
Vine”. A RAC Committee member will head
up this “Grape Vine” and through this the BCPF will be able to disseminate
information to the various congregations.
Individuals wishing to remain anonymous will also be able to us this
“Grape Vine” to provide the BCPF with information.
d. “Reservist/Administrative
Manpower” – There is still a need for individuals willing to make
themselves available to assist the police in this capacity.
The RAC Committee will also
investigate ways, together with the BCPF, in which the community can assist the
BCPF with Voluntary Administrative manpower eg the filling in of accident forms
and/or taking statements.
e. "Police Image” – The RAC Committee to investigate, together
with the BCPF, ways in which the public image of the Brooklyn Police Service
can be improved.