Visit to America Part II - ALASKA!!

howdy all, hans here.

as you can see in the photos below, our time in alaska was priceless. we spent time with family and friends, had some alaskan adventures.....like... dip netting with a grizzly. good times. Going cruising in Katlian Bay at high speeds on a sunny day (within safe parameters of course)... quadding on some ATV trails... catching some fish that an enormous sea lion wanted to share...rather persistently at that...(even hopping onto the dock in pursuit).. lots of fun fun and more fun.

twas precious. quality times with quality folks.

i got to help my dad put a roof over the oil tank, i got to push my nieces on swings (and have them show me all the secret hiding places around my folks house : ) we got to eat some wondrous fruits of alaska (fishes) we were even given the chance to speak at my home church! We got to have a "christmas in july" birthday party, we got to have multiple game nights.... and even some movie nights : )

what more could one ask for?!?

this was certainly fun.... painful, yet fun : )

i think my bravery was tested more than the girls. they wanted to be pushed far higher and faster than my faint heart could muster

hmm....greek (oines style). seriously tough to beat that kinda spread

maritime adventures, courtesy of TJ motors and rentals

3/4's of the alaskan oines men. certainly a rare breed

fun and mud. seriously.... can you have one without the other??

i ask again: What more could one ask for??

except i guess.... more time?!? : )

We're Back!

When I say that, I mean "We're back in the blogosphere!" After a 3 month break, we decided it was time to get back in the swing of blogging. We know there are at least 3 of you who enjoy reading our updates! So to start, we need to do some backtracking. We just spent 2 1/2 wonderful months in the States and want to share a little about our time. The next several posts will be devoted to a recap of our home visit.

Visit to America Part I

We left SA at the end of June, just a few days after the last School of Biblical Studies (SBS) ended. It was actually a difficult time for us as we had just learned about my (Susan's) mom's recurrence of cancer and didn't really know what to expect as we journeyed home. We knew our time would look different than we originally planned since we would be spending more time with my mom, but we really didn't know what that meant. It all depended on news from the doctors, which varied a great deal with each report we received. So we left for the States without really knowing what our time there would look like or when we would be returning to Africa. We were just so glad to be going. How amazing that God worked out the timing of our trip to be at the exact time my mom would be diagnosed with cancer. We've had these tickets for over 6 months. Imagine if we had to search for last minute tickets and leave our jobs unexpectedly (because staying away was not really an option for me...). Instead, we already had this trip planned. We were already going to be in the States. Now I could be with my mom and family during this difficult time. I can't even begin to tell you how thankful I am for that.

Our trip began with a week in California, where my parents live. After an emotional reunion, we began a whirlwind week with my family. We were heading up to Alaska to visit Hans' family after a week, so we made the most of that first week together. We had family meals, celebrated the 4th of July, had a "work day" at my parents house (tackling a list of things my parents have been wanting to get done around the house) and basically just got in as much hang out time as possible. It was wonderful.

This picture was taken the morning after we arrived... we woke up to 5 of my nieces and nephews (Tim and Donna's kids) standing at the end of our bed waiting for us to wake up. We met baby Hans for the first time, which was so special. (We don't have any other pictures from this first week... so that's all you get!)

So that was the first part of our visit to America... good ole Ripon California and time with the Schoolland family. Next stop... Alaska!

Been a long time...

We have not been so good with the communication these past few months... but we are still alive and kicking! We have 3 weeks left of the current School of Biblical Studies, and then we are heading to the States for a 2.5 month visit. Our plans are then to return to South Africa to continue with the work we've been a part of for the past 2 years. If you'd like more information on our travel plans, please get in touch with me: susanoines@hotmail.com

Winter has come to the Southern Hemisphere... and as usual, it's been quite cold in Muizenberg. We had a warm sunny day yesterday, but in general, we're seeing plenty of our typical cold weather. I'm writing this by a roaring fire in our wonderful fireplace. Even when it's sunny outside, our house stays icy cold, thanks to thick concrete walls and windows that don't face the sun. So, since I'm thinking about how much I appreciate our fireplace, I thought I'd include a few pictures of it... In the first one, I just made the first fire of the season. In the next one, I'm enjoying the fire with a group of students who I had over for a "girl's night." The 3rd one is of our SBS staff meeting, which we have every week in our house. Usually we don't light a fire for the meeting, but that day it was just too cold.

Sometimes it's the little things that make us happy... and today I have to say, I'm thankful for my fireplace.

SBS Restoration Retreat

Last week we took our students on our annual "Restoration Retreat." Because the 9 month School of Biblical Studies can be an intense experience, we've found that it's important to take some time towards the end of the school year to get away as a class and process some of what God is doing in our lives and to get some much needed rest. We drove 2 hours to a Christian Conference Center and spent 3 days/2 nights relaxing, playing games, eating good food, processing individually and in small groups, and having times of worship. Since our YWAM base is in a more urban setting, the students really enjoyed being in a place that they could go for hikes and play field games and be outside at night. Some of the feedback we received from our students after the retreat was that they found it valuable to stop and intentionally process some of the things God has been teaching them through their studies of His Word, and that they feel a renewed passion to finish well as they enter the last 7 weeks of the school.

Here are a few pictures from the retreat:

Virgil and Valorie are students in the school and the children are kids of one of our students. Notice the fall colors!

Lynette and Butshwa preparing one of our delicious meals

Hans playing frisbee on the sport field.

The beautiful retreat center

meal time

Students enjoying the sun

A Wonderful Visit

Hans and I feel so blessed! We had such a wonderful visit from Hans' parents. To come here all the way from Alaska is quite a commitment... South Africa is about as far as you can get from Alaska! They spent 10 days here and were able to experience a little big of our lives. Here are a few pictures from our adventures together:

The Muizenberg beach huts

Dipping our feet in the beautiful Atlantic Ocean

We enjoyed a visit to a game park

We didn't miss the opportunity for some free labor :)

We saw some of the local wildlife (baboons)

Attending our church on Easter morning

Coke's famous cinnamon rolls... how did we get so lucky?
Our favorite activity: sitting in our apartment and talking!

Good Times with Lance at the Cape Argus

Today the largest bike race in the world took place in Cape Town (called the Cape Argus). 38,000 bikers went on a 107 km (66.5 mile) ride around the Cape Peninsula. Our good friend Lance Armstrong was in the race, so we got up at 5:30am to cheer him on. Our even better friend DeWet was also in the race, so he's really the one we wanted to cheer on. It was worth the early morning!

The first sunrise I've gotten up for since we've been here... It was beautiful.

This was the group Lance was in... we couldn't tell exactly which one he is, but we can say we were there!!

Me with 3 of our SBS students... it was early, but we had a good time!

Susan's Trip to Swaziland

Here are a few pictures from my recent teaching trip to Swaziland. I went to teach on the book of Hebrews in the School of Biblical Studies 1 that is running there. I loved my time there, getting to know the students and reconnecting with staff from Muizenberg who are running the school. Swaziland is a truly beautiful country and I am so blessed to have been able to spend 2 and 1/2 days there!

We visited the fruit market in downtown Mbabane, the closest town to the YWAM base and the capital of Swaziland.

This is the guest house that I stayed in on the YWAM base.

This is the road to the base... it gets a little tricky in the rain.

Teaching away...

The students and staff of the SBS 1... a great group!

The view from the base... amazing!

teaching the pentateuch

Hans and I have each taught our first Pentateuch books. I taught on Leviticus last week, and this week, Hans taught on Numbers. It was a challenge for both of us, but so rewarding to be able to spend time looking more in depth at such important books of the Bible. Of course all books are important, but there's something about studying one book for an extended period of time that makes you realize just how crucial it is to the overall message of the Bible and to our lives as Christians. I can tell you that Leviticus came alive for me as I studied it. Who knew! I loved studying it in my SBS, primarily because I came in with such a lack of knowledge... and I really enjoyed bringing that same experience to my students. So much of the NT actually rests on the information we receive from Leviticus. We wouldn't fully understand what it means that Jesus was our ultimate sacrifice, the Lamb of God, without Leviticus. We wouldn't realize how amazing it is that he is our Great High Priest and that because of him we have access to God. Seeing everything that the early Israelites had to go through in order for God's presence to dwell with them makes it so much more incredible that we have God's presence with us now... without all the sacrifices and the tabernacle and the priesthood. Jesus accomplished so much more through his death and resurrection than we often realize. Or we do realize it and take it for granted. Studying the Pentateuch gives us a renewed appreciation for what he accomplished for us!

Hans promises to write soon about his trip to Swaziland. I will actually be making the same trip in a few weeks. Their Hebrews teacher had to back out, and since I taught Hebrews in November, I am going to fill in. Hans had such a wonderful experience, so I'm really looking forward to getting to experience it as well. More info on that soon.

Hope this finds you well!
Much love from Africa...

Hans is in Swaziland!

I dropped Hans at the airport on Saturday and he began his first international speaking trip! He is spending the week in Swaziland teaching in the School of Biblical Studies that is currently running at the YWAM base there. His topic is the book of Mark. There are 12 students in the school from both Swaziland and other parts of the world (South Africa, USA, Brazil...)

I know he would appreciate your prayers for his lectures (he taught today... Monday... and also teaches Tuesday and Thursday.) He'll give you more info on his time when he returns! (He flies back to Cape Town on Friday.)

This picture is of a building at the Swaziland YWAM base.

A few facts about Swaziland:

• It is a small nation that is almost entirely surrounded by South Africa, with a small portion bordering Mozambique.




• It's one of the last kingdoms in the world. The king of Swaziland has 18 wives, and counting! (This is a picture of the king with one of his wives.)
  
  
  
• 46% of the population of Swaziland is under the age of 14.
• Swaziland has the highest HIV infection rate in the world (figures range from 40% to 50% of the population.)
• It is a beautiful mountainous country, sometimes referred to as the Switzerland of Southern Africa.

Near Break In

Recently Hans and I got to experience the crime that South Africa is famous for. Burglaries pick up around the holidays and the building our apartment is in was no exception this holiday season. The other apartments in our building are rented out as vacation rentals, and the thieves must have noticed the guests moving in and out with their luggage and laptops. Thieves broke in to two of the other holiday apartments two days in a row, stealing 3 laptops. The third morning we woke up at 530am to two guys in the process of trying to rip the burglar bars out of one of our windows, which wasn't too difficult considering the rusty nails and corroded wood. But thankfully they made a lot of noise and woke us up. Hans scared them off before they could get into the house. We got the local private security company involved, and they said they saw the guys running away, but they didn't catch them. They were almost certainly junkies looking for something to sell to buy drugs.

That day, Hans proceeded to reinforce all the burglar bars in our house by replacing the rusty screws and added more locks to our front door. It needed to be done, and this close call was all the motivation he needed!

All this to say, we appreciate your prayers for safety! We've been doing surprisingly well, not feeling unsafe or having trouble sleeping. And we haven't had any more trouble. Here's a pic of our damaged burglar bars, and Hans on the rampage with a screw driver.

Christmas Day

Those of you who receive our Friday Photos have already seen these pics, but we wanted to post them here anyhow... double the enjoyment!

On Christmas Day we had a wonderful celebration at the home of our Pastor and his wife. They invited approx 30 people over for lunch and we had a huge spread of both our traditional food (they were being considerate of their North American guests!) and African food. Besides turkey and stuffing, we had all kinds of meats including beef, ham and chicken and all kinds of sides (pap, curried carrots, salads, rice, spinach, etc). We spent the whole afternoon at their home, enjoying conversation, singing, and even a little dancing. We really enjoyed ourselves!

1st pic: Hans and James carving the Turkey

2nd pic: a group from Cameroon (plus our student, Collins from Zambia in the front)

3rd pic: Hans and Nick cutting up the watermelon.

Kirstenbosch Candlelight Christmas Carol Singalong

We are back from our camping trip! Before we get to those pictures, we wanted to post a few other Christmas pictures:

We began our Christmas break on December 19 by going to a Candlelight Christmas Carol Sing-along in the park... at Kirstenbosch Gardens in Cape Town. Kirstenbosch is a beautiful botanical garden/park with a huge amphitheatre where they have picnic concerts every Sunday in the summer. Another annual tradition is this concert, which consists of thousands of people enjoying picnics in the park, and then, when darkness begins to fall, lighting their individual candles (in white paper bags to look like luminaries) and singing Christmas Carols and hearing the Christmas story. It's not advertised as a Christian event (it's put on by Rotary International) but all the songs are traditional Christian Carols and the whole Christmas story is told straight from the Bible (interspersed with appropriate songs). At the end, a pastor from one of the churches in Cape Town gives a short, evangelical message and then the evening is ended with "Silent Night." We went with several of our students and enjoyed a magical evening celebrating the birth of Jesus.