thoughts

Wow... we really do miss having internet access! Except for a few days, our internet at home has been down the entire month of February. And at the YWAM base it's intermittent at best. And we simply haven't had time to go to an internet cafe. So we feel out of touch! We apologize for our lack of communication. The problem at our apartment has been diagnosed and our landlord is working on it.

We will try to catch you up on our past month soon. We did go to a Community Watch meeting this morning (see following post for more details.) It was very informative. The purpose of the meeting was to learn about the group and to meet people in our community, as well as to hear a presentation on personal safety awareness. We both really enjoyed it, mainly because it got us outside of our YWAM circles and into the community. It's such a small community, so it really is possible to get to know neighbors and become involved in people's lives. Often in YWAM we focus on what's going on inside the walls of the base with training programs and meetings and sending teams on outreaches to far off places (which is all very good). But Hans and I have an interest in getting to know the people in the community right around us... the people we see every day as we walk down the street or in the grocery store or at the post office. We are not training for some future "missions experience." We want to live out our faith here and now among the people who live around us. We want to learn how to love the people around us practically in every day life. That's the real challenge, isn't it. It's the crux of the Christian life whether you live in South Africa or Zimbabwe or California or Alaska.

We have so much we want to write about. We ask for your patience as we continue to figure out our schedules and deal with internet problems. We also continue to appreciate your prayers. We've just finished studying the Pentateuch, and I'll tell you what... it was amazing. I'm still processing. Some SBS students are struggling quite a bit with the work load and the change from NT to OT. Hans is doing a great job working with those students and helping them find the life and excitement that he found studying the Bible during his SBS. But we all appreciate prayer for perseverance and perspective. Our school still needs prayers for finances, although we have seen God come through for many of our students. Prayer for safety is always coveted. We are starting to make plans for next school year, so that's exciting to start thinking about. Most likely Hans and I will be in Muizenberg as staff of the next 9 month SBS, and we're already in the process of accepting applications for students and making preparations for that school. So it's full steam ahead, and we're just excited to be on board! Thank you for your thoughts and prayers and please feel free to contact us any time!

Much Love from South Africa...
Susan
susanoines@hotmail.com
hans_oines@hotmail.com