Tony’s South Africa Daily Journal - 2019

See my daily journal for 2018, for 2020 and for 2021

On 10 November 2017, Laurie-Ann and Tony Copple set off from Canada for a three year mission to the townships of South Africa. This daily journal began at a guest house in Cape Town prior to their arrival in Worcester, Western Cape.
Latest postings are at the top.
Jan 2019 |Feb 2019 | Mar 2019 | Apr 2019 | May2019 | Jun 2019 | Jul 2019 | Aug 2019 | Sep 2019 | Oct 2019 | Nov 2019 | Dec 2019

Tue Dec 31, New Year's Eve
A quiet time in Hooggelegen 48. I worked on the Windows 10 restoration of applications files. L-A worked on more drawings for the colouring book. Carica came by with meds for L-A that she ordered yesterday, and offered to drive us to WCC for the 9:15 service tomorrow. In the afternoon I walked to OK Foods Drostdy to get some basics. It was harder than I thought because of both my feet and my breath. We opened Nye sparkling wine early evening, and watched The Good Fight. We watched sporadic news photos of new year fireworks from Sydney, Thailand and other places east of us. By 11:30 we had finished the wine and turned in.

Mon Dec 30
There was no reply from Jeannette about a rental car today. Later someone did answer the phone to say they were closed for rentals until 6 Jan. Since MMJ is also closed till then, we are stuck at home. This means L-A will not be able to go to lunch tomorrow, taking Janey, with Maggie and the Fouries, and I won't be going to the prison on Saturday or church on Sunday. Janey did however tell us about an Uber-like service for Worcester called Woeber, 071-194-8756, though with restricted hours. Apart from the Robertson lunch and the prison, our calendar is empty so if this had to happen, it was at the least bad time. It does add to the weekly list of challenges, mainly car-related, that we have faced for a month. However one potential problem that solved itself is that following the mistake in Cape Gate Oncology, giving L-A a 3-week dose instead of a 1-week, we don't have to go there tomorrow, and 2 weeks from then we sincely hope we are driving again. The Hendersons texted at about 10:30 that they were through the tunnel. They arrived with flowers, Norm looking splendid - he got his weight down significantly. We chatted with coffee and tea for a while, all keen to hear of the others' lives and experiences. They are in SA for a couple of weeks, and considering the situation with our immobility it was so good they came to us. I reminded them I had interviewed them for CKCU at the start of their Angola mission (though I can't find the recording) and I would really like to interview them for CWCP. We had an excellent roast turker lunch from the leftovers from Friday's feast with the Cupidos. Audrey doesn't take gluten so she picked out what she could eat, which was enough. The rest of us also had Christmas pudding and hard sauce. I took photos at lunch. After lunch I didn't want to give them options so I just told them to get into the recording studio. It was an excellent interview. Had we not done it there would have been no new Worcester Report this Thursday. Instead we have two overcomers preceding L-A's Overcomers Part 2, a great start to 2020. This was an opportunity and I am so glad I grabbed it. In the afternoon thy drove me to Fairbairn Pharmacy to get meds for L-A, and then I conducted them through downtown Worcester, Durban Street, and views of Avian Park and Riverview. Back home we had fun using the selfie stick - the first time I have used it in SA. They left around 4 intending to go to the beach in Gordon's Bay where they are staying. It was such a good reunion, and I am sure the folks at BHCCh will enjoy the pictures. After they had gone I sensed L-A was down in her spirits - it was because of being shut in for the next week. I am trying to see it as an unexpected chance to get things dealt with. To practice what I preached I started on a task ideally suited to this time of virtual house arrest: getting my main computer, the Dell Lattitude E6530 working on Windows 10. PC Partz had done the clever stuff, loading Windows 10 when they replaced my hard drive with a solid state disk. Now I had to restore the applications from the back up disk. My concern was whether some of my most used software would run on Windows 10.

Sun Dec 29
We hadn't heard from the Hendersons since they told us they would be visiting Cape Town around now. So first thing I did this morning, about 6:20, was send Norm a FaceBook message asking if we could get together either this afternoon after the wedding, or tomorrow. I also replied to a message from Glenda asking where the wedding was. She is officiating! Then I got us some breakfast, and packed up the SLR, Flip video, and Marantz to make an audio recording of the wedding. I didn't put anything in the trunk, but took Yanni's wrench so I could open the trunk if necessary. We were on the road shortly after 7, the car running really well. We were cruising through the mountains a kilometer before the Huguenot Tunnel when 'bang' - a sudden noise from the engine was followed by a rattling noise and the car shaking. We were still moving at speed along a road where traffic is quite heavy. I didn't want to stop there, but I knew there is a heavy vehicle checking station just before the tunnel where there is plenty of safe room to park, and road staff, so I made for it and we came to a halt as a couple of those staff walked towards us. Apparently they had seen smoke from our engine from way back where the bang happened, and didn't want us driving into the 4 Km tunnel. At this stage I hadn't seen any smoke and thought we might have blown a tire, but all the tires were fine. One of the men was concerned for us and asked me to open the hood, and then re-start the engine. Then we saw smoke - exhaust? - puffing out of the rear of the engine manifold. My immediate thoughts turned to the wedding; clearly the chances of our getting to Langsberg to pick up Soraya and take her to the Schoongezicht Restaurant in Brackenfeld were nil, barring the kind of miracle that God tends not to perform very often - maybe once every hundred years. I didn't think we would qualify for that jackpot so we needed to call Soraya. My Q10 phone was not detecting cell signal but L-A's Priv has a stronger receiver. I called Soraya and told her that what I had said yesterday might happen, had. She was remarkably calm, so I figured she must have a Plan B, as I'd suggested (she probaly had one anyway). I told her how sad we were that we wouldn't see her and Celio marry. The wedding had been planned for next year but they had brought it forward and L-A thinks this was partly so that we could be there. I remember suggesting to her when we first met Celio "Why wait a year to get married?" So we felt pretty bad about this situation, also because I was the unofficial photographer (there was no official one) and I had the equipment with us to take good quality photos, short video of the vows, and an audio of the whole thing. Everyone has a camera these days and she will have to solicit photos from them, and we knew there weren't many guests invited. See the photos here. We turned our focus to the car, I have the AA number and membership number on my phone, so we made the call from the Priv and got through quite fast to a lady in Johannesburg who had never heard of the Huguenot Tunnel and couldn't figure our where we were. Laurie-Ann came up with the answer - give her the GPS co-ordinates from Garmin. This we did. We also told her our phone could run out of power, so if she couldn't get back to us she must still despatch a driver. She asked for a second number and I said I would get one and call her back. She gace us a reference number of 36 - we were probably the 36th AA case that day across SA. I walked over to the traffic office and asked one of the men if we could use his number, and he said yes. His name is Marco. I returned to the car and called AA and gave her the number. L-A and I discussed whether we should phone someone to ask if they would rescue us and drive at least one of us to the wedding. One of us must be with the car when the tow truck comes. But I wasn't prepared to be separated from her in her current state of health. It would be too much of a worry. We should stick together. Marco strolled over to our car window and chatted. He was a very friendly person and genuinely concerned for us. Periodically he went back to check the roadworthiness of a truck. He looked at the lights, the tires, and the wheel nuts. Most days there are a couple of vehicles that don't pass the test, and probably rather more that drive 'over the top' because they know they have defects. After 20 minutes the AA called back and put me directly in touch with Mr Ismail junior of Ismail Towing in Worcester. He said he would arrive in about an hour. As our conversation with Marco developed, it turned out that he runs a company that supplies vehicles to Maarman Funeral Services in Johannesburg. He takes cars like ours, cuts them in half and adds a middle section, creating a stretch limo. He gave me his number and said he would like to buy our car when we go back to Canada. Further, he would drive us to the airport and then take the car. This remined me of when I emmigrated from UK to Canada in 1987 and I sold my large Ford to a taxi driver, and he drove me, Emma Dupigny and John Mason to the Norwich Airport to see me off. I plan to take Marco up on the offer, though L-A says I shouldn't have quoted him just R 40,000, because we should be able to get 60,000 after paying 80,000 two years ago. Marco had two colleagues and they all came over. L-A gave them all our mission cards because it became clear they were Christians. One of them, whom I had a great conversation with about road safety, said to me that it could well turn out that not getting to the wedding was part of a God plan that would be revealed to us in due course, and that shouldn't feel to bad about it. At 9:30 a sedan stopped near us, which had been on its way to the tunnel. Imagine my surprise when Pastor Folla stepped out. He and three colleagues were on their way to Soraya's wedding. He had seem our car from the highway and wanted to help. We explained that couldn't leave the car. But we were able to help him. He thought the wedding was in Stellenbosch! We gave him the name of the restaurant from Garmin, and then Marco told him exactly how to find it. They went on their way, but at least they'd be able to give our situation to Soraya. The Ismail tow truck arrived on schedule. I told him L-A was disabled and he said we could stay in the car. This I didn't expect; I thought it was illegal. It made it far easier and more pleasant for us. He got on with hoisting the Mercedes onto the back of his vehicle with us enjoying the ride and taking pictures. And that's how we got home. Cosmos was interested to see us back so soon, and a neighbour came over to chat. Shortly after we arrived there was a text from the Hendersons saying that they would like to drive over to Worcester tomorrow! They would arrive at 10. This is great.

Sat Dec 28
The prison staff including Ben Kotze welcomed me warmly, perhaps because many volunteers take a break during holiday times. I only had 12 stalwarts turn up, but 4 who had been coming were released yesterday on some sort of New Year amnesty. We had a TV but it wasn't loud enough, in contrast to the people in the courtyard only too close. Half way through I decided to stop the video and take over verbally from the noted L-A had mysteriously found yesterday. Since the last item on the notes was group prayer, I split them into 2 groups and had one pray for the men who had bee released, and the other pray for Soraya's happiness in marriage. The first group, which included Lee-Wade, got right into it, and when it was time to end I couldn't get them to stop! I was shopping when L-A called and said Bella's family needed bread and peanut butter, so I got them and drove down. When I was there Bella asked for R40 to get milk, and I said no. It would be morally wrong for her and Cathy to think we will always bring eveything they need. Next door I stopped to give Jamelia some Hall's for her sore throat. Soon most of the family was gathered round the car. Her mother wanted to tell me that if people had been saying they were taking drugs and alcohol, this was totally wrong. There was something about her mother's way of saying this that made her very credible. When she asked who has said they were drinking excessively I took the opportunity and said that we had heard about the alcohol from her - indicating Jamelia with a nod of my head. One or other of them is lying, and if it is Jamelia, then her mother can deal with it. Jamelia's strategy may have been to say her parents were drunk last Saturday 21 December in order for her to be invited to stay with us for several days as a refuge. During those days we both noticed she was a little surly, and taking advantage of our hospitality - possibly her concience was at work. Then there was the issue of the missing biltong which she has since repeated that she never saw it. That is also unlikely. It's sad for us because she has been a trusted one. I called Soraya, partly to be sure I could reach her from my phone, but mainly to recommend she had a Plan B to get to her wedding just in case we didn't make through unforseen circumstance. I didn't want to be responsible for a bride not getting to her own wedding. I had an idea about the car trunk, and looked for the photo of Eugene opening it with a piece of wire outside Kevin's house. I could clearly see his wire and the angle of entry. This was different from what I had used thus far. I went to the car and tried the different angle, but to no avail. In fact my wire got hooked round something inside and I coudn't get it out. I decided to enlarge the hole I was working through and git to work with the electric drill. Soon the hole was three times as big. Yanni from across the road came over to offer moral (and practical) help. He saw that my pliers were too small for the job. He went back and got a larger pair and a wrench. There was one cable I could clearly see through the larger hole which could even be the one that operated the release for the lock. I had tried tugging on it with my pliers but without result. But when I held it firmly with the wrench and pulled, Eureka - the trunk popped open! I looked at Yanni and he looked at me, both with broad smiles. Unfortunately the missing key was not inside. But L-A's art poster and Andre's biltong were, hopefully both still in good shape. I tried shutting the trunk, and re-opening it with the wrench, and it was easy. I called Ruan Butler. We had bought the Mercedes from his wife Angelique's aunt. He said he would call her and see if by any chance she still had a spare key - just the trunk skeleton key. We had an early night, setting alarms for 6 to be in time to take Soraya to her wedding.

Fri Dec 27
The day of the feast. L-A continued with the vegetable preparation, inventing a way to make yam bake with white yams. I filled a suitcase with any of our possessions that might be irresistable to little fingers and put it in our bedroom. Both of us cleared away a month's worth of papers and other paraphernalia, making the house a lot less cluttered. Among L-A's papers was a sheet where I had made notes from the Alpha video on prayer. Since this was the subject of Alpha in tomorrow's session, I put it with my things to take to Brandvlei. From time to time I attempted to open the trunk of the Mercedes, becoming more hopeful that the trunk key was inside. Finally the time came for me to go and get Bella and her family. She had asked if her two brothers could come and we had planned on six at table. But now Bella asked if her other brother could come. I didn't realize she had another brother! My first thought was that if the other brother wwere left here he would be lonely. Risking L-A's surprize I said OK. But then two more got in, the brother and a girl of about 6, who turned out to be a sister I didn't know about. In for a penny ...! We were now 7 in the car as we drove to Hooggelegen, a place only Bella had been to before. The children and Cathy went in the door and L-A soon figured there were more than she had expected, but she took it in good spirit. We had friendly converstion as I prepared to serve. I put all the large plates on the counter, including two cereal plates and one plastic plate. I opened all the food containers that L-A had expertly prepared, and served the first place, for the youngest in the room. I asked Bella to help me and had her take the plate and the youngest to a seat at the table. Then we had grace which I said and Bella repeated in Afrikaans. Then I served the plate of the next youngest, and Bella took him and his food to a place. This continued for a while but we noticed they weren't eating. But when we had served Cathy, and she said a grace, they began to eat. Soon everyone was served; there was plenty, and it actually turned out very well that there were 8 of us, not 6. I brought good quality orange/mango juice for the young ones, and Appletizer for the mature ones. I took a few photos with the new camera before sitting down. Most enjoyed their food, except the youngest, who would never have tasted turkey or the vegetables before, but she loved the juice. When the first course was done, I served Christmas pudding with hard sauce. Cathy loved it and ended up eating about 4 helpings, including 2 from the children. After dinner we had some family photos, then a presentation to Cathy of one of the necklaces that Bella and L-A were wearing. I gave a little speach, which Bella translated, saying how much we appreciated that she had opened her house for the Mailbox Club. She was very happy to have the necklace. I took some photos of the 3 necklace (and doek) wearers. We had coffee and a biscuit from the big box given us by Worcester Primary. I got out the guitar and all the children sang with great energy 'I don't want to be a rock star,' and 'I like the way you smile.' All good things came to an end, and I took them home via Worcester's Christmas lights in Church Square and the High Street.

Thu Dec 26
We'll be having the Cupido family from Avian Park for dinner tomorrow. So we spent quite a lot of today preparing. That means L-A was the brains behind it all and I was the labourer. She's an expert when it comes to cooking a big meal to entertain with, and I watched in awe as everay aspect was taken account of. We cooked and carved the turkey today and did some preparatory work on vegetables. Instead of leaving the legs and wings whole, I carved them up and removed the bones, and then put the carvings onto two large plates, white meat and dark meat, and into the 'fridge. I went out to buy cranberry sauce, and started at Woolworths. No they don't sell it. Next, Checkers. No they don't sell it either, but they recommended Pick n Pay, their arch rival. And indeed, Pick n Pay had some. In between the cooking, I swept and mopped the floor, and sent a Boxing Card by email initially to my brothers, sisters and cousins, most of whom don't seem to use socual media. I then sent the same message to another database of supporters and people for whom we may be of interest. This garnered some pleasant greetings, and quite a few hits on our Namibia photos. Chantelle messaged L-A asking if I would take her and several relatives from OVD to Avian Park. I wanted to double check the Bidvest area and the Pick n Pay area to see if by chance the car key had dropped on the ground there. So I agreed to meet Chantelle. When I arrived in OVD she admitted she had made up the part about her relatives needing a lift; all she wanted was her Christmas present! That was OK with me! But I visited Avian Park anyway and found a couple more of our girls and gave them the Christmas neclaces. Bella told me how very much she was looking forward to dinner tomorrow and I confirmed I would be down to pick them up at 6.

Wed - Christmas Day
It was just 2 days after her chemo, and her reaction had been more painful than any previous one, so L-A opted out of coming to church even though she had got up and dressed. I went. It was a small congregation. There were some regular praise songs, and then the 'O come let us adore him' chorus with several key changes. Johan began a remarkable sermon by reminding us that when people world wide, and of all faiths and no faith referred to their calendars, they are counting years since the birth of Jesus. He then traced the birth through the prophesies of Daniel and Micah, showing that they predicted not only a saviour but universal peace. He mentioned that God had ordained the birth in an obscure village rather than Jerusalem or Rome in order that no-one would later claim kudos for their large city. I thanked Johan after, saying that out of an obscure SA town, Worcester, had just come a sermon to rival any Christmas sermon. We were invited for Christmas lunch by Andre and Janey, as we had been for the last two years. We rolled up at 11 and chatted and ate and excellent cold meat lunch and enjoyed one another's company. Around 2 I drove to Avian Park to deliver christmas gifts to our girls: neclaces with a large pearl-like ornament. I stopped outside Britney's house where her mother Veronica and friends were having a party. She came out to say Britney wasn't there and could she have money for bread. I said no and tried to drive off - but the ignition wouldn't ignite. I tried some more and eventually it worked. The prospect of being parked on Mannikin St while I attempted to get a tow on Christmas Day had been somewhat unpleasant. I was able to find a couple of the girls but was careful not to turn off the engine. When I got back to Andre's I said to L-A that we would have to leave immediatley because the engine was running and I would rather be home if it wouldn't start again. So we came home and spent the rest of the day in relax mode, except I put in an hour trying to get the car trunk open without the key. L-A slept a lot and needed extra painkillers. She was worried about her mother, in the emergency ward and acting irrationally. Some time in the evening I realized that probably what happened with the ignition was I had tried to start the car in other gears than park, being a little flustered by Veronica. This seemed feasible, and the problem has not recurred. We watched the Queen's speech (not live). We listened to Jonathan Griffith's Christmas sermon.

Tue Dec 24
Christmas Eve - but a crucial day for us in regard to cars. We faced the prospect of having to rent the Toyota for the Christmas season - unless, just possibly the Mercedes was repaired. I did the calculation on when we would have got down to less than 350 Km per day in the Toyota, and found it was today. The message on MMJ ansaphone was ambiguous - it said they were open all week, but they hadn't been when I drove past on Saturday and Monday, and I wasn't sure which week it referred to. But the message gave an emergency number for Brian. So called him. He said he'd tried to call me but didn't succeed (because we were abroad), The he said 'the car is fixed!' I was instantly elated. He said he would be in the garage at 10:00 and I said I would be there. When I drove out of Hooggelegen one of the guards gave me the rolled up art photographs that L-A had ordered from Kyle Goesph. I drove to Augsberg Toyota and spoke to a service clerk, asking if it would be possible to hoist the car and order whatever was needed to replace the ripped off undercovers. They said not before Friday. So I drove to Avian Park to see Bella. She had been asking for me to come down for days. It turned out what she wanted was a pair of shoes to go with her new dress that Joy had given her. I had been worried the problem was much worse. I gave her R150. Then I drove to Pick n Pay. There wasn't time to get groceries but there was time to get biltong for Andre. The biltong shop next top Pick n Pay sold me R50 worth of ostrich biltong. Then I drove to MMJ. I parked the Toyota outside their gates, which were open but wouldn't be for long, and went in. Brian was the only staff member there. He drove the Mercedes round to the side for me and then went to the payment station and gave me my bill. It was R6,616, half of what I had expected based on earlier conversations! I thanked him that I could have the car back today. I drove out of the forecourt and parked the car. I opened the trunk and put the art photos and biltong in. Then I locked the car, and drove the Toyota to Bidvest, noticing on the way that the Bluetooth was still in there. I put it in my pocket. Jeannette took the odometer reading, plugged it into the computer and confirmed there was no over-kilometers charge. I showed her the broken plastic undercovering and asked her advice. She suggested I through it away. So I did, and settled up with her. The cost for the 14 days was R14,809. I walked back to MMJ via Spar, where I bought a doughnut to assuage my hunger. Arriving back outside MMJ I drove the Mercedes to Pick n Pay to buy our list of pre-Christmas requisites: groceries, and even some Christmas decorations from the Crazy store. I got out the Mercedes key to put these things in the trunk - and looked twice at it. The little key that normally rests inside the electronic key was missing. It is vital as a back-up if the electronic key fails, and also to open the trunk since the internal trunk release is defective. Suddenly I was back in the state of mind of losing the keys in the lake three weeks ago, or stalling on Piekennaarskloof Pass two weeks ago. How could this have happened? I am scrupulous about putting the small key in its housing immediately after unlocking the trunk. The art photos and biltong were now inaccessible. I drove back to MMJ and combed the road and gutter where I had parked. Then I drove back to Bidvest in case it had fallen out of my pocket when I was there. I drove home, trying not to be disconsolate, and told L-A the sorry story. I was still very happy about the repairs to the Mercedes engine, and the fact that the engine light was no longer on, making thwe car saleable. I was also relieved that on Christmas Eve we had returned the Toyota. But this key thing was just something bad right out of the blue. For the next hour or so I looked at our options. I should try and open the trunk the way Eugene had done. I removed the number plate, fashioned a hook from a metal coat hanger, stuck it through the holes Eugene had made and waggled it around attempting to catch the wire release for the trunk lock - but no luck by the time to make supper. I don't want to end the day on a sad note. The good things that happened today are far bigger than the loss of the key. We have a Mercedes that is working just as it used to, and is sellable for a good priice. We paid far less than expected for this. The work was done without inconveniencing any of our ministries, while we were on holiday. The Toyota was just stong enough for the rigours of Namibian gravel roads. We paid the minimum possibel amount and withour any excess kilomenterage. The petrol smell had subsided sufficiently for us not to have needed valet service. Had these things not happened today, it would have been after the new year that we could have ended the car rental. TKOG indeed! Dr Kotze phoned L-A to say that the reason her chemo had taken so long was that she had received a 3-week dose instead of a 1-week dose. There had been a miscommunication with wither Dis-Chem or the nurses. Although this was concerning, it turned out to be a blessing.

Mon Dec 23
Jamelia's light was still on in the morning, and it was quite a job to wake her up. We had to be on our way to Cape Gate Oncology shortly after 8 for L-A's 9:30 appointment. We didn't know how long the session would take. I was present when L-A met with Dr Hannetjie Kotze, one of her oncologists, who was pleased with her progress and said that the blood tests were normal. I went shopping, taking Jamelia, first to Plattekloof mall, where L-A had found there is a Wellness Warehouse. I bought several replacement meds for her, and then we shopped in Woolworths for Christmas food. When we returned to the chemo room, there was still 2 hours to go. This seemed odd. This was the day when L-A was meant to be switching to chemo weekly instead of 3-weekly, yet the chemo had taken longer than usual. There were only 2 nurses and this may have been a factor. J and I went to Steer's for expensive burgers, and while Jamelia worked through hers I went shopping in Cape Gate Mall for more needs, including CBD oil. I had hoped to be home in time to take the Toyota to have the underfloor panels ordered, and also to see Brian at MMJ, but both of these were now looking unlikely. L-A was finally done about 3 pm. Back in Worcester we dropped off Jamelia at her home, and then went home after a few local purchases at Saffran and Pick n Pay. We were dismayed that the Namibian biltong I had bought as a present for Andre was missing from our kitchen countertop; the only conclusion being that Jamelia must have eaten it. This illutrates that for Avial Park kids, even when their bellies are full, the instinct to steal food if ever the opportunity arises is still there, regardless of consequences.

Sun Dec 22
L-A forgot to take her Targinact pain killer first thing this morning, which was bad, but also good. She realized as we were driving to church. Normally it is pain that reminds her and I often bring it to her, which gets me up, also a good thing. But this morning her pain was less than normal, a good trend. There weren't many in church, and without the Overhex congregation, it would have been a little sparce. I went to get Jamelia from where I had dropped her last night. She hadn't had any food or sleep. When we got to church I parked in a shady spot and suggested she lie on the back seat and sleep. There is no kinderkerk during holidays. Unlike UK and Canada where many come to church only at Christmas and Easter, South Africans like to travel in those seasons. Johan preached a powerful sermon based on the Prodigal Son, but focusing on the role of the Father as the total forgiver. We went home after the service and gave Jamelia some pizza. She then got right back onto the iPad. I arrived at Homeless church by 12. Nik was there but only a couple of homeless men. Our cell group has taken over the running of Homeless Church for a few weeks while the normal team is away, and we have several who are regularly involved such as Mella and Lovejoy. I was due to lead the praise and worship, and I set up my guitar. Gradually men drifted in, but only half as many as normal. Perhaps they had received a bonus grant and weren't as hungry as usual. Nik had played some well-loved Afrikaans songs on his lap-top with speakers as people were still coming. He gave an opening prayer of welcome and then asked me to the front. I started with very ancient history: The spirit world was the only world, when God spoke and created the natural world. But men were sinful but were desperate for forgiveness for their misdoings, so God came from the spirit world into the natural in the form of a human baby born to Mary his mother, who was a virgin, and God was the father. Hence: son of God. This happened quite recently, about 2000 years ago and we celebrate it, the most important event in history, on Christmas Day, in three days from now. Carols are not sung often in South Africa, but I wanted today to be focussed on Jesus' birth, so I used the same format that had gone down well in Brandvlei Youth Centre yesterday. We started with the chorus "O come let us adore him," the only part of "O Come all ye faithful" that seems to be used in South Africa. We sang it several times. I then continued my outline of history from a Christmas perspective as told in the words of carols, showing how God, in love for his human creations, came and dwelt among us in order to provide the ultimate sacrifice in atonement for our sins, experiencing the human condition, starting with poverty. After singing 'Silent Night,' I asked by a show of hands how many in the room were familiar with it, and none of the homeless put up their hands. Yet this baby would preach for just three years, never write a book, or own a house, or travel more than 200 Km from Jerusalem, but would change the world forever, for example providing the structure for the constitutions of many nations today. When I was done, I was expecting Nik to bring the message - he had as a visual aid a basket of loaves and fish. However, he decided that they had now had enough Bible stories and their hunger was stronger than their need for more, so he gave a closing prayer and we went outside. Volunteers from our cell group including Hanna and Mazvita had prepared jam sandwiches and there was juice, nik-knacks and lollipops. The men sat down by the church wall to eat, and then drifted off. Back home, at some point Jamelia took a shower. She fell asleep on the couch about 4, and I suggested she sleep on our bed, which she did for a couple of hours. We watched 'The Good Fight' for the first time in 2 weeks. When Jamelia woke up she had a bath. Baths and showers are not conveniently accessible for her. When we finally turned in she was still glued to the iPad.

Sat Dec 21
First appointment was at Pathcare for L-A's pre-chemo blood test. There was no-one else there, and we were back home by 8. I had Whatsapped Mbane the new spiritual worker in the Youth Centre but had no reply. So I wasn't sure what to expect as I arrived in Brandvlei. As I waited in the 'B' Section dining room, tuning my guitar and playing 'O Holy Night,' a prison officer I hadn't met before heard me, came in, and joined me in singing, and he has a wonderful voice, like a professional opera singer. 28 men from 'B' Section wanted to hear more about Jesus just 4 days before Christmas. There was no TV, and I had forgotten my Alpha scripts, so I needed a new plan. We started with the chorus "O come let us adore him," the only part of "O Come all ye faithful" that seems to be used in South Africa. I used the new chords on the third line that Ashley had played last Sunday in All Nations, Windhoek. We sang it 4 times, and then I asked them what they most associated with Christmas. The second answer was 'gifts.' That was my cue to get the two bags of chocolate minis that I had brought. I opened them and gave a bag to the left and right front rows. Lee-Wade warned me from the back row that they wouldn't reach him because people would take more than one, my specific instruction. So I watched carefully and soon saw a man taking two. Despite my warnings he would not give up the second one. I took the rest of the bag and made sure Lee-Wade's row got their chocolates. In the end I think everyone got at least one. I then continued my outline of history from a Christmas perspective as told in the words of carols, showing how God, in love for his human creations, came and dwelt among us in order to provide the ultimate sacrifice in atonement for our sins, experiencing the human condition, starting with poverty. When we got to 'O Holy Night,' the same prison officer reappeared and sang with me again, this time to the whole room. We may have had no Alpha video, but the 28 experienced something special from the carols, most of them unknown to them, and indeed to the South African population. Returning from Brandvlei I drove to MMJ Motors for a status report on the repair of the Mercedes, but they were shut. I then drove to Fairbairn Pharmacy and bought the two boxes of Tramacet that Carica had told me were available on repeat. Without this I would have been in significant pain for 48 hours. I asked the pharmacist who served me if she had a Toyota. She has. I asked who serviced it. She said Michael Meyer at Augsberg Toyota on the High Street. I drove there and the inventory clerk took the trouble to look under the car - parked the other side of the High Street - to identify the missing cover that I want to replace before returning the car to Bidvest. He found they didn't have the part in stock but could have it here by next Friday. I said I would be back Monday afternoon so they could look under the car on a hoist because there was at least one other ripped cover. Jamelia messaged L-A about 2 pm to say her parents were drunk and her father had hit her, and could she please have refuge with us. I drove down, with ideas of confronting her parents - but was reminded abour honouring thy father and mother, which we want her to do despite their ugly habits. As I drove her back, in answer to my questions she told me that once a month, on the day the grants come, her parents and relatives from Rawsonville with a bakkie get together to drink. They buy 12 bottles of a particular wine and drink the lot, always ending up incapapble and irresponsible for a couple of days. This all happens in full view of Jamelia and her younger siblings. Jamelia is so sick of it (her words). It has gone on for years, and probably was the practice of her parents' parents. Drowning your sorrows has a special meaning in Avian Park, but the part of it that is so sad is the effect on children, who go hungry because the money was spent on wine. What a miracle that Jamelia can see how wrong this is and doesn't want any part of it. I asked if this is a practice throughout Avian Park, and she said no, but a sizeable minority of families. Once in our living room she plugs ear buds into L-A's iPad and watches for hour after hour, with seemingly reluctant breaks for eating. Tonight she asked me to take her to see Worcester's Christmad lights, but my memory of when we did this 2 years ago, the lights are either not so good this year or they haven't yet been completely installed. Later, she received a call from an older relative with heart disease who wanted to be with Jamelia. So I drove her to another part of Avial Pak with R20 for energency food, and arranged to pick her up the next morning at 9.

Fri Dec 20
Our return home from Springbok was like being surrounded a lot of people and vehicles, after driving in the 8th least densly populated country on earth. We found the new location for what had been the Rooibos Tea Shop in Clanwilliam. Then we discovered that Sanet Stander, whom I interviewed for CWCP Radio had sold it to Louise Nortje, and it seemed to be flourishing. I bought a jar of marmalade from Hebron, and we had lunch at Kaardoesie, though we didn't see Barkolu or Bianca. Then it was the home straight. The house was just fine, no ants and nothing in disarray. We were home! In contrast with the last 10 days, I knew where everything was again!

Thu Dec 19
Today may have been our last in Namibia, but it was the day we visited one of Namibia's most significant and popular attractions, the Fish River Canyon. Maps we had seen suggested there were two routes from Keetmanshoop, a shorter one on a gravel road, or a slightly longer one, via the B1, the road to South Africa. We had GPS coordinates from a Wikipedia site, and they suggested we take the latter. After two hours driving there is a road going East, the C12, signposted to the Fish River Canyon, 90 Km. In retrospect I think this is the point from which the map we found started. It was a good quality gravel road allowing 100 K/Hr. Every half mile Garmin wanted us to turn off the C12 on to non existant roads into the desert. Maybe the co-ordinates were wrong. After a while we noticed a rail line on our left following the road. A while later we saw a freight train approaching slowly and photographed it. It was probably designed to bring minerals from a mine. We continued on after crossing the line, and 20 minutes later reached the Canyon Roadhouse. This was an unexpected oasis, but the founders must have realized that hungry tourists on their way to the canyon might represent a good income stream. It is a very unusual place, and reminded me a little of Solitaire. I had a oryx biltong salad and L-A had oryx stew. We swapped half way through. We continued on our way for 10 minutes and reached the place to pay an entrance fee for the lookout: $N 130. There were still 10 Km. to go, and the road for this final section switched abruptly to rutted gravel which shook the Toyota cruelly. As we got closer to the look-out, we could see no signs of any canyon. We parked, and I checked the GPS co-ordinaates. Only the first three numbers were correct! The correct coordinates are S 27 58 9293 E 017 59 7587. There is a moral here - don't assume GPS co-ordinates have been taken by people who know how to do it. Laurie-Ann had already walked into the lookout. After a ramp up to the front, there it was right in front of us, the epicentre of a huge canyon. It was breathtaking, all the more so because I had previously seen no pictures of it. You can see ours here. We remained in photographic mode with the SLR and iPad for 30 minutes. The light was perfect. Later I read up on the Fish River Canyon and discovered it stretched over 100 Km. To continue on our journey re retraced our route since the turning on the B1. From then on it was South Africa here we come. This had Laurie-Ann thinking about passports and I got them out so they would be handy at the border. L-A looked through hers to see the Namibian stamp. Sher looked several times but couldn't see it. Maybe it is very small. I said that not all immigration points stamp all passports. I remember in my youth having to beg immigration officers to give me a stamp. South Africa at the Vioolsdrift border is a range of mountains, most impressive to visitors. Soon we were presenting our papers, and at the second window our passports. The lady looked through them both. Then she looked at me. She said there were no Namibian stamps; how had we entered the country? I showed her the road fund invoice, as proof we had been through here 10 days ago. When I had got into that line up, I had never heard of the Namibian road fund charge for immigrants. I had assumed that when they looked at our passports they would have stamped them. It now appeared that the road fund people were unconcerned about passport stamping. The immigration officer said that Africa is not like Europe, where your every step is controlled by signs and foolproof methods to stop you ending up on the duty free side rather than the external side and vice-versa. She said that here it was up to travellers to visit customs, then immigration, without being frogmarched. What I had done was not very intelligent, is what she was saying. Then she said we had been illegal aliens in Namibia for 10 days. This had me expecting a police presence any moment. I said "What do we do?" She said, "You won't have a Namibian stamp." This was something I could live with. I got to keep my applications for re-entry forms as souvenirs of our transgression. I returned to the car, and told Laurie-Ann she was quite right. Then I sent a small thank you to The Lord that the matter had only arisen now, or we might have spent days worrying. I also thanked Him that we were not arrested in Namibia and asked to present our passports. We proceeded through the rest of the immigration points without issues, and very soon were legal in South Africa. It felt good! We had about an hour's drive to Springbok through beautiful mountains and valleys in daylight; on our outward trip it had been dark. We checked in the Blue Diamond Lodge, more like a botanical garden than a guest house. I was able to use a communal microwave to heat up the last of the mince stir fry.

Wed Dec 18
After checking out, we went again to Bojo's Cafe for coffee and fruit pies, one each this time, and were again served by Jenny. The arts and crafts area of Swakopmund was already bustling, and I could see three estate agencies from where I sat, suggesting this is indeed a sought after place for artists and retirement seekers. Leaving town proved a challenge because of diversions around major construction projects, but soon we were travelling in the direction of Windhoek with destination Keetmanshoop on Garmin. My long distance endurance is improving even in the absence of audio entertainment since the Toyota's radio is such a pain. We can't figure out how to switch it off without turning the car off! We arrived at The Quiver Inn Guesthouse around 7, and dined on mince stir fry and Cape Port. Quivers are a local tree-like plant, but actually a species of aloe.

Tue Dec 17
Indeed, today I felt much better. L-A did some internet research and discovered that there was a recent wreck, the Zelia, just 30 Km North. Se we decided after all to check it out. But first, L-A was keen to check out The Bead Shop. The first things we saw were crosses. People were making their own jewelry by stringing beads and other ornaments on to chains. Alternatively the specialists in the store would do the creating based on the preferences of the buyer. Soon a knowledgable assistant (or maybe he was the manager) had helped L-A decide on a marquisite cross, and then brought over a selction of beads and a black nylon neclace. L-A got to work. Soon she had her cross neclace exactly the way she had envisaged it. We left the shop and went to Bojo's Cafe for coffee and the best fruit tarts L-A had ever tasted. Our friendly waitress was Jenny. We drove in the direction of the Skeleton Coast for about 20 minutes, when we spotted the Zelia. From the road it looked as if she had sunk into the beach, but when we drew closer we saw she was aground on a sand bar about 20 meters from shore. She had been there 11 years after a tow line broke when she was being towed to Mumbai for scrap. I went off with the SLR to get pictures. Much further up the Skeleton Coast are wrecks from 100 years ago or more, now resting on dry land as continental drift has shifter the shore westward. There were men selling gemstones on the beach and one of them, John, approached L-A in the car. She bought a few stones and discovered he and his friends and their families were camped the other side of the road. After hearing more from him she decided she wanted to help out this little community. We drove on to Henties Bay, another 20 minutes North, and found Fishy Corner, a resturant that made me a remarkable paella with huge prawns and clams. I bougth $N 250 worth of staples in the next door Spar store. Then we went to a pie shop and got 4 hot pies. We drove back to the Zeila and gave the food to John and his friends. They stood in a circle as I prayed for them, their families, and their gemstone business. Shortly after I photographed them as they ate the meat pies. Going South we by-passed Swakopmund and made for Walvis Bay, via more large constuction projects. Approaching Walvis Bay we passed a huge dune being used for dune boarding, a sport I was not aware of. Walvis Bay is a port. Our focus however was on flamingos, and we eventually found them all asleep on one leg with heads twirled ontop their backs about 30 metres off shore. More fodder for the camera. After relaxing for a while we returned to Swakopmund along a shorter route. The two of us cooked a mince stir-fry dinner; L-A giving the blow by blow instructions and I doing the cooking. It was quite nice and there was plenty left over. I counted my Tramacet pills and found that after fasting from them yesterday I would just have enough till we were back in Worcester, but would need more by Saturday. I sent a Facebook message to Carica asking if I had more Tramacet on repeat (or would need a new prescription). It that time she was on holiday out of Worcester, but when she returned at the end of the week she took the trouble to go into the phamacy and check, and messaged me I had two boxes still available. Now that's ultimate customer service!

Mon Dec 16
We both slept till 8:30 which should have meant we were full of energy today, but the reverse was true. Getting up was hard for me because of no painkillers. I had left the trunk of the car open to help clear the petrol smell, and when I checked it, I think it had. But the smell inside the car was a shock. Even though the source was removed for nearly a day, the smell remained. What to do? After breakfast I went shopping with L-A's list for a pasta stir-fry, but first took a look at the beach. It was cold and windy - but atractive. I found an auto repair shop and asked for an emergency petrol can. They gave me one free, with a much sturdier cap than the one that had let us down. Next stop an auto parts store who told me that the way to get rid of an interior petrol smell was with a valet car wash. I went to the town's industrial car wash. The man in charge seemed dour - just doing a job and no smile for a potential customer. They would need the car for 4 hours and the price was N$ 840 (N$ are the same value as Rand.) I decided to put that off, at least for today, and drove round town for groceries, and to see if there was an arts and crafts market which might have a Namibian cross that L-A was very interested in. The arts and crafts area of Swakopmunt is extensive and full of Aftican and other art - but I only found one cross, and it didn't seem particularly Christian, so I photogaphed it before considering getting it. I was recommended to go to The Bead Shop, but it was closed for lunch. I had an interesting chat with three crafts makers. I asked my parking attendant where I might find a hairdresser, and was quite pleased with the result - my hair had necome too thick and too long. When I got back, L-A was asleep. I left all the car windows open. I poured the petrol from the old can to the new. I had a slice of left over pizza from yesterday, and used the one spot in the house where the wifi signal is adequate to post the rest of our pictures to date, including some taken in the town today, to the Namibia page. Around 2:30 L-A awoke and had some food. We both were way more tired than usual, and about 4 decided bed was best, sleeping till 8. Instead of the stir fry I prepared a simpler meal, thinking of what Jason had done in the desert. I had found some marzipan Stollen in a German bakery. Namibia was a German colony, and in Swakopmund more than anywhere else the German feel remains in the architecture, food and even language. We discussed whether tomorrow we should drive north towards the Skeleton Coast, or south to Walvis Bay to see flamingos. To me the idea of driving for hours wasn't attractive so I favoured the latter. This would also help keep the kilometers down on the car. I closed the car windows at dusk, but when I checked at about 10 the petrol smell was still evident. We will probably need that valet cleaning before returning the car, unless we think of another way to disperse the small. We tried the TV but after 20 minutes fiddling with the remotes concluded that someone hadn't paid the DSTV bill. I worked on my journal, completing four days, but all the time feeling several degrees under, as I had all day, with pain from chest to feet, and a general concern for what could go wrong rather than just enjoying the holiday. Tomorrow will be better; it always is the day I return to the pain meds.

Sun Dec 15
We woke early in order to have time to pack and get to All Nations Church. I mentioned to manager Chanelle that everyting had been excellent except the scalding water in the hot taps. Apparently this comes from solar energy and she didn't think the temperature could be ajusted. We enjoyed the excellent scrambled eggs and crispy bacon again, and paid our bill. All Nations Church was ony 15 minutes away, and I was happy there were absolutely no friction sounds from the underside of the car. There was still a distinct smell of petrol in the interior. We arrived at All Nations in time to be welcomed personally by Esther, the pastors wife, making sure L-A would use the disability slope. She introduced me to her husband Volker. They have served this church 40 years but there was nothing tired about them nor the service. They remembered Sankie Smidt, who had lived up the street. The worship leader Ashley is an accomplished keyboard player. The sermon by one of the elders was refreshingly different, including interviewing mothers of new babies to illustrate that being born is the easy part, but serious work is needed to turn the baby into a well-behaved child. And serious mentoring is necessary to turn a just born-again Christian into a discipling influence in their community. We departed for our 4 hour journey to Swakopmund, the German style resort town on the coast. We arrived at 5:30 to be greeted by Johan, the owner of the 'Be Still' retreat centre and guest house. For this leg of the journey we had decided to unpack, rather than live out of the suitcases. L-A was cold and asked me for her Springboks jacket. She sniffed petrol on it. This meant there was some kind of leak in the trunk of the car. I went to the car and opened the trunk - and saw the cause of the problem. Our 2L emergency petrol container was on its side and when I picked it up I could tell it had leaked at least 15% of its volume. For most of the trip it will have been upright, but there have been times when the suitcases were out of the trunk that the petrol can will have fallen on its side and done the damage. Though she still had smelly clothes, this was actually very good news; it meant there was no leakage in the car's petrol system, but almost immediately I realized it was bad news as I considered the implications for a rental car that smelt of petrol. We hadn't been grocery shopping so our dinner was a saute of the remaining pasta from the Legacy Relay food gifts with ham and Columbar. I had custard for dessert but L-A has a suspicious boil reminiscent of her HS phase. She has drunk some milk on the last 2 days, including Debonairs pizza for lunch today. The HS disappeared when she went off cows milk completely. So no custard for her. I decided to make tomorrow a day when I skipped my painkillers, because we weren't planning a lot of activity, and I need to wean myself off them. I didn't count them carefully but had an impression I might not have enough till we were home.

Sat Dec 14
We enjoyed the best scrambled eggs and bacon breakfast we'd had in a long while. We spent the morning in our room, catching up with the things that we do on holiday like this journal, and posting photos to Flickr. I envisaged that much gravel may have become lodged in the car's undercarriage, and even in the braking system. Chanelle had told me of a car wash behind Joe's Beer House that might offer valet cleaning services on a saturday. I drove to the area, though it was probably closed, but a man approached and when I aked where was the car wash behind Joe's Beer House, he said it was right here on the street. Soon he and a friend had got hold of buckets of water and cloths. I said I wanted a power wash, and he said it would be forthcoming. I said how much; he said $N 200. A little steep, but the car was filthy. Talking to a bystander I found out these were all homeless men, eking out a living by offering car washes after the official car wash has closed for the night. I had a strong wish to help these men even though they weren't being honest with me. I watched them as they painstakingly washed and chamfered up every inch of the car. Of course there was no power wash at the end, but at that point the leader actually broke into tears about his family's financial situation. I gave him $N 200, at which the second man wanted the same, but I gave him $N 50, and felt good that these homeless men might eat better tonight. Late afternoon I looked under the car and saw the cause of the grating noise in road bumps. Something quite large was hanging loose just above the road surface. But first, it was now about 6 pm we were hungry, and we had looked forward for days to dining in Joe's Beer House, recommended by Norm and Audrey, and a Windhoek landmark. It wasn't too far. We drove carefully and were suitable impressed by this amazing restaurant. See our pictures for a good feel of the place. It's a world class restaurant and a whole lot of fun. For a while we forgot about our car problems. Back home I drove the car to a curb to get the left hand wheels a little higher, and looked underneath. I had thought my days of getting under cars were over. What was hanging was not a hose or a vital mechanical part, but a bent piece of plastic cowling with the function of preventing ingress of rocks and reducing road noise. I had a word with Chanelle to see if she knew someone with some ramps, and she recommended a filling station not far away. 15 minutes later some very willing car attendants had the left side of the car raised nearly a foot, and one of them was under the car with 'big scissors' cutting off the offending cowling. I gave him some $N for his trouble, and filled up with petrol. One problem solved.

Fri Dec 13
Today we drove to Windhoek via Solitaire. Is this perhaps the one way that most people come, making the way we came, from the South, unknown to many? That would explain why, when we arrived, we were told we would be going back along that same dreadful road. We found out about this route from the petrol station attendant when I asked the best way to Windhoek, and he said we should aim for Solitaire, and start slong the same road that we just came along from Desert Camp. We set Garmin for Solitaire. This road was still rough. We encountered a tractor smoothing it, and for many Km we drove in it's recently ploughed track. The scenery was for ever impressive as we crossed a mountain pass. L-A's guide book on her iPad told us that Solitaire lived up to its name, an oasis far from anywhere, and had become famous from McGregor's bakery and its speciality, apple crumble! After about an hour and a half, and ignoring Garmin's recommendation to by-pass it, we drove in passed a vehicle graveyard and parked near the bakery. The apple crumble, and coffee, were indeed good. It is a small blace, but bustling and travellers should not miss it. From here there are two routes to Windhoek, the one Garmin had previously aimed for via a vanilla-variety mountain pass, and the northern one, Spreetshoogter, too dangerous for trucks. But what atracted me was what the petrol attendant had said - it was a metalled road. Shortly before we began a clearly visible sequence of hairpin bends, the road switched from gravel to interlocked bricks and the car said 'thank you.' We did most of the ascent in the lowest gear. The views were magnificent, but we weren't about to stop to photograph them properly. Just one shot of whence we'd come. There didn't seem to be a descent. The road switched back to gravel and we stayed at about the same altitude. Maybe this was an escarpment. After several hours we reached the B1 to Windhoek. On the smooth road the car made some omminous noises. It seemed to be trying to get rid of gravel that had lodged underneath it. But there was one persistant and worrysome sound when we went over bumps. Windhoek is a lovely-looking city, modern, great architecture, and quite large. At the Hotel Uhland we were warmly welcomed by the chief receptionist, Chanelle. She gave us a room which meant only short walking for L-A. As I got the suitcases from the car I noticed a strong smell of petrol. I wondered if we had punctured a fuel line with all the rocks from the road that had been hitting the underside of the car like machine gun fire, but the fuel gauge was not showing any obvious loss. We had dinner in the hotel dining room, but in my mind there was a cloud as I wondered if we could drive on to Swakopmund on Sunday - or even to All Nations Church.

Thu Dec 12
We set our alarms for 4:30. Drove the 5Km to Sossusvlei Lodge for 5:30, the rendezvous time for the drive to the dunes, and Deadvlei. Our driver was Jason, from Northern Namibia, and a gentleman. There was one other couple on the drive, Andreja and Riguel, from Etobicoke! They were on a seven country tour of Africa. Jason positioned Laurie-Ann in the front left seat of the 4 x 4 safari vehicle, quickly realizing it was the only seat she would be able to get into. I was immediately behind her and could communicate by ear and visually via the rear-view mirror. Soon we were on our way the 45 Km towards Big Daddy Dune and Deadvlei. It was a metalled road, probably the only one for hundreds of Km in any direction. Occasionally we saw Oryx. We had the Fujifilm S4000 ready to zoom. It was pleasantly windy in the vehicle. We chatted with Andreja and Riguel. 50 Km out was the place where the metalled road ended and only 4 x 4 vehicles continued. Jason engaged the front wheels in the drive. We curved along sand. It was a little like ski-ing. Then we came to a park-like area, and we got out near a table under a tree. We stretched legs, but Jason was engaged with other activity, and a few minutes later he had laid the table with a healthy breakfast, tablecloth, steel cutlery, china plates and coffee cups. We all took our seats and enjoyed breakfast in the desert. A sound I didn't expect was the chirping of many birds. Then we noticed we weren't alone. A fine orix had come close and was pretending to graze while actually watching us. The zoom lens came out and I took a series of photos of him. Jason cleared the breakfast and we got back in the vehicle. He drove us the short distance to the bottom of the nearby dunes. There were other vehicles parked, and a shady area under a large tree with tables and benches. Jason explaned that we had some choices. A, to climb Big Daddy Dune, the largest in the region. B, to take a lower route near Big Daddy to Deadvlei. C, (Laurie-Ann's choice) to stay here under the shade of the tree. It was only about 7 am, but would get hot later in the morning. I chose B. Andreja, Riguel and Jason chose A. My walk on the sand following hundreds of footsteps and slopes up and down took about 25 minutes. Then, ahead of me was this magical sight. A silver oval with about 50 dead trees 'growing' in it, all with dramatic shapes - the kind beloved by artists. I walked towards them, round them, and photographed some with the SLR. At one stage the SLR was giving me an error message but the sun was too bright to read it, so I duplicated the shots on my Blackberry. After a short time I did manage to read the error message, which was 'Take off lens cap.' Now you may think this was pitiful, but it actually had a benefit. Later I was able to compare the quality of the same scene with the two cameras. Actually there is no comparison. Fuji won hands down. On the Flickr album I have left some examples. I was in Deadvlei about 25 minutes before the return walk. High above me by that time would have been Andreja and co., and they eventually came down to Deadvlei after scaling Big Daddy. L-A took a shot of me coming back to base, and then we both photographed the many birds drinking water from a plastic bottle-top on our tabletop. Eventually we spotted the three brave explorers as they got back to base. On the way back we stopped for a while at Dune 45, which has an unusual shape often drawn by artists and photographed. A healthy acacia tree grows right out of the sand near its base. I photographed a couple on its peak. We rode the rest of the way back to Sossusvlei Lodge. L-A and I then had an excellent buffet lunch in the Sossusvlei Lodge restaurant, and bought a 2020 Namibian calendar in the curio shop. A few of the pictures in it were of sights we had seen in our first 24 hours in the country. We went back to Desert Camp for a couple of hour's rest before adventure number 2 - The Game tour. At 6 pm we were again met by Jason and invited into the safari vehicle, together with a group of young tourists mainly from Germany. Sossusvlei Lodge owns a private game reserve about 7 Km long and 4 Km wide and we followed tracks well travelled, with Jason's sharp eyes always on the watch for game. Fairly soon we saw wildebeest being followed by a hyena. We also saw oryx. I was too slow to catch anything on the SLR, but L-A got some success on the iPad. We also saw Desert Camp from a distance. We came to some rock formations that looked like huge bass reliefs of historical figures and Jason drove behind them and we dismounted. As we enjoyed the great views, he slipped back to the side of the big rock that faced the sun as it began to set. But what he set was a fairytale dinner with biltong, pastries, fruit, wine and beer. He returned to the vehicle, invited everyone to the other side of the rock, and drove L-A there. As the sun continued down, we all enjoyed the unforgettable event, and Jason showed that he is a dinner host and accomplished barman as well as his other talents. A late supper back in Desert Camp was chicken and chips (heated up) for L-A and Malva pudding and custard (heated up) for me, plus Cape Port. L-A was working on a 'Ways to Go in God,' sitting on the table on our porch, when she saw a jackall sizing us up. It was the size of a German Shepherd. We turned in about 10, but a few minutes later heard a strange banging noise. I went to the front door and looked out. The jackall had waited till our light went out and then came back and attacked our garbage bin. The black plastic bag was out of the bin on the ground, and he was making a run for it. Maybe he got the remains of L-A's chicken.

Wed Dec 11
The border was two minutes drive from Vioolsdrift Lodge. Our papers were good - thank you Jeannette! The main exercise seemed to be collecting $N 308 from us for Namibian road maintenance. I waited in line for 20 minutes, but the actual transaction was quick. She did want the exact amount - which I happened to have. Namibian dollars, $N, are the same value as SA Rand, and both currencies are acceptable in Namibia. No more load shedding for 10 days - a reason in itself for coming to Namibia! The desert we were immediately driving through was bleak with almost no vegetation. Laurie-Ann drive for the first 40 minutes, but felt weird, probably because of the oxycodon she takes every 5 hours. Our first stop was Keetmanshoop, which took three hours. We did some grocery shopping there, including a cantelope melon, and got some $N from Simplii at an FNB ATM. We ate at a KFC - my firt time in decades - and were aggressivly targetted for money by a parking attendant, who was dissatisfied with what I gave him and started washing the car so he had a reason for asking for more. After paying for the chicken, I did have some more change to give him, just to send him packing before he got even more agressive. I would have preferred to give some of that to a teenage boy who was also begging, but by then I had no change left. Laurie-Ann thought she had lost her eyebrow pencil, very important when the eyebrows are no more, but after searching under everything she found this expensive item in a smaller pocket in her purse. Panic over. We drove on, and on. Unexpectedly to me, just before sunset, the road became a wide rough gravel road, and there were more than 200 Km to go. The only saving grace was the road signs, which told us we were on the right track. The track was really rough in places. We were on it nearly 4 hours, the last 2 hours by moonlight, with no road markings, and very difficult to tell where the edge of the road was before it became desert. Our last half hour was made more complicated because the GPS map reference we were following for Desert Camp, Sesriem, conflicted with the actual roads and road signs. Several times we decided to follow signs rather than the GPS. Evenually, about 10pm, we reached Sesriem, an oasis, and 5 Km further on we were at Desert Camp. There was someone still up to give us the key to #201, a hut built right on the desert sand, but cosy inside. I wondered if the road we came on was the only road to Sesriem. The idea of returning by the same route was seriously unattractive, and definitely not good for our Toyota. We were here one day later than the original schedule, and we had a very early start the next day. Later we sent the true GPS coordinates of Desert Camp to the owners: S 24 29 2080 E 015 50 9449.

Tue Dec 10
We woke to load shedding, which would end at 10:30, so there was no point in dealing with card too early. The car drove normally down hill to MMJ at about 9. I had written out a sheet for Brian, OK'ing him fixing the acceleration and black smoke issue for around R15,000 as previously quoted. He said he may need the car beyond 20 December when we return. I then walked to Bidvest, arriving with Jeannette. She wouldn't be able to print my paperwork till 10:30 when the power would return. She showed me the car. She also told me she is on Tramacet for her knee. Then L-A called to say Brian was trying to reach me because I had walked off with the car keys. I told Jeannette I'd be back at 10:30, and walked to MMJ. Then back towwards Bidvest, but dropped in at Integro en route to ask if the car rental might conceivably be covered - but it wasn't. Not unless the car had been damaged in an accident. I sat on a roadside bench and saw a guide dog I recognized across the High Street. I raised my eyes and saw Andre, and a woman. So I went over and discovered Andre was lost and the passer-by was trying to help without success. So I was very welcome when I said I would take them to their home, diagonally across Church Square. The problem was that Nixon had it in his head that doagonally was not good. In the end, Andre took off his harness and help him on the lead, which is a signat to the dog that he sould follow, and not lead. So we got there fine. I did take to opportunity to tell Andre what a wonderful wife he has, and I hoped he appreciated her (because she doesn't think so). Back at Bidvest, with power, Jeannette filled out the rental-car equivalent of the form needed to take a car into Namibia. She was worried about making a mistake and that we would be stuck at the border. She let me drive home to get the passports for her to copy. Back home I started repacking the car, but didn't take my guitar since the Toyota was smaller, and inferior in a number of other ways. So there would be no song-writing on this trip. We left at about 1, with a print of 'Jesus makes all things new' for Bianca and Barkolu, and drove non stop to Kardoesie. We didn't like the Toyota radio, mainly because the volume control was on the touch screen, a dangerous manoeuvre to attempt while driving. Our nenefactors were not home when we got there, but we dropped off the art print. We drove on for hour after hour through some spectacular rock formations and other unusual scenery. In Springbok we called our host Tony at Vioolsdrift Lodge so he would know we wouldn't be there till around 10:30. He was waiting, and led us to our chalet.

Mon Dec 9
As the day started I thought back to last Monday and the car key crisis and wondered if today would be smooth sailing in comparison. That event seemed longer than a week ago. We were packed and ready to go by 10 am with a huge drive ahead of us to Vioolsdrift on the border with Namibia. The car started well - reasonable acceleration and no black smoke. We stopped at Bergsig winery on the off-chance they might have Muscadel, but not, so I got a bottle of their Cape Port. On through Neuwekloof pass with the train line to Cape Town on our left. After that the road climbs slowly and the car become uncomfortable with itself. It was now blowing smoke continually, but there was another symptom; as it climbed, the speed dropped to 60, then 40, by which time we had reached the top of an incline, and it ran downhill for a while sometimes getting back to 100, and giving us false hopes. We stopped at Piketsberg for lunch at Spur. I had an excellent steak and L-A a good Hake and chips. It was good that we ate well. I also bought somr Hunter's Gold. We presson on, and soon saw the Piekennaarskloof pass ahead, with a long incline from right to left. The car was labouring at the bottom, and you may ask why we continued on. Two reasons; This fault on the car had been evident for weeks but at no point had the car actually stopped. Secondly, since we felt that divine powers had solved the lost keys problem last week, why would God not continue the good work in our car? Thirdly and most significant, in such a situation one carries on hoping rather than giving up and explaining to any kind rescuer that we didn't think we would make it up the hill. We needed proof. About a 15% of the way up the Piekennaarskloof Pass, we got it. The car went slower and slower and then stalled.

We were in a relatively safe spot with lots of room for cars and trucks to pass. Then, within a few minutes, a man stopped and came down to see if we needed help. He said he could call someone with a tow truck. When he had gone, we tried starting the car again and it ran, very slowly, taking us close to a nearby rest stop, when it stalled again. We were now in a safer place. Within another 5 minutes another man arrived and said his son would be passing very soon, and could tow us to the top of the pass, from where we could call the AA. Soon he arrived, with his wife, in a sturdy 4 x 4. First thing he did was to identify the small plastic cover on the front of the car behind which a tow hook can be screwed in. He said we would find the tow hook in the trunk with the spare wheel, so I unloaded the trunk, and sure enough there it was. He had a professional tow rope. Since we were going uphill, the tow was a fairly simple and relatively safe matter, and soon he had us up the steep incline to a padstall near the top, called Kardoesie. It turned out he was the manager, his father who had called him is the owner, his name is Barkolu and his wife is Bianca. We parked in some shade and got on Laurie-Ann's phone. It was about 2:30. First we called the AA, and they said they would send a tow truck, but they weren't sure whn it would arrive. Then we called Jeannette at Bidvest, and yes, the automatic Corolla we had booked and cancelled was still available. We re-booked it. Then I called Brian at MMJ and said we would be brining in the car tomorrow. So far so good, but an hour later when we called the AA again, they hadn't yet identified the whereabouts of a suitable tow truck. This happened several times. Bianca invited us to the their home an guest house at the top of the hill. First however we called the AA and gave them her number for contacts. Soon we were snoozing in one of her guest bedrooms. Load shedding was on. We slept 90 minutes and were woken by the electricity coming back. We put L-A's phone on charge; it was almost exhausted. Bianca invided us to braai dnner, but just as we were talking the AA called to say the tow truck had arrived some time before, hadn't found us, so was returning to base. She said 'no' he must come back for us. The problem had been the load shedding which had prevented him calling when he had first arrived. We had enough time before he would be here so we ate a wonderful braai meal while we were waiting. The AA called with the cost of the tow, since it was way out of the free range. We paid R1800 by Mastercard. At about 7:30 the driver arrived, Barkolu went down on a ATV to see him with the keys, and soon he had the car up on the truck, which was the scene when we got down there. It wasn't long before we and the driver were on our way back to Worcester. He had come from Paarl, It was a noisy and uncomfortable drive, but L-A took it in her stride, and two hours later we rolled into Hooggelegen. He even parked the car in our driveway, and I gave him R100 tip. I got all the stuff out of the car. It was 11 pm. Soon we were asleep, and with a big day tomorrow.

Sun Dec 8
To Mike and Carolynn's new house in a remote spot in Robertson for an Iris Western Cape gathering. They had given us GPS coordinates but Garmin wouldn't accept them. It turned out someone else had given them to Mike and he had never used or tested them. His street, Voortrekker was on GPS so I set street address 1 Voortrekker onto Garmin. This took us to Robertson main drag, which is also called Voortrekker. He had also given us directions so we started on them. Next minute we saw Maggie's car, stopped at a grocery. She came out bearing milk, so we were able to follow her along a 15 minute drive through narrowing roads into the foothills, eventually arriving at Mike and Carolynn's delightful country residence. As we entered we handed Carolynn the school supplies we had promised weeks ago but forgotten to bring, then. There were 17 of us for the gathering. We started with some carols which I led and Gavin accompanied. Then Johan invided each of us to tell the group where we felt the Lord was leading us. For my contribution I chose the Prayer Postcards 4 Police potential integration with the Worcester Churches prayer initiative for the local police. When all had shared it was time for lunch, but it was also time for load shedding. The creamy haddock pies that L-A was much looking forward to were never going to receive any thermal energy, and we left them for Mike and Carolynn to enjoy as a thank you for the excellent braai'd wors and other meat that they had provided and was still warm from before the power cut. Johan and Marie had bottles of wine for everyone - we got two. The situation with their farm is very sad. Because of drought they decided to plough in the current crop. Their generosity with previous years' harvest is all the more generous.

Sat Dec 7
As I was approaching Nana's samosa stand, I heard a song that was part of my teenhood: 'Born to be with you.' It was Frickie Boeter busking outside Pick n Pay. I made sure to have R10 in my change from the samosas and when he'd finished singing chatted to him about the song, which he said was by Dave Edmunds. I told him the original was much earlier, and he said he'd love to hear it. Later at home I remembered it was the Chordettes. I found a stereo version on YouTube and Whatsapped it to Frickie. Bought a couple of very nice looking creamy haddock pies from Woolworths to take to the Iris Western Cape gathering tomorrow. Eskom announced Level 4 load shedding for the entire country.

Fri Dec 6
To Groote Schuur Hospital, Cape Town, with Jamelia, to visit Bella, two days after scoliosis surgery. We were given favour by the guard on the gate as a result of L-A's disability, allowing us to park close to the main entrance. Inside we asked at reception for Bella's ward, and were told D5. This is a huge hospital so Jamelia and I left L-A with her walker in the reception area and went off in search of the elevator to take us up one level to D. Once there we tried to find D5, but the hugeness of the place hasn't given rise to more signs and direction; they are scarce. We did pass the heart transplant unit where Christiaan Barnard pioneered his famous first heart transplant on 3 Dec 1967. We found D5 after 20 minutes, but enquiries revealed Bella was in D14! As we returned from D5 we met Laurie-Ann and her walker, arriving in the D5 area. This was not part of my plan. Had we not seen her then, we might have lost her because her phone was out of power, and she might still be wandering the hallways of Groote Schuur. So I asked her (a little more forcefully) to wait there while Jamelia and I found D14, and greeted Bella and her ouma Cathy with great joy, and then I returned for L-A. The end of visiting time was almost upon us when Laurie-Ann and Bella embraced. Bella was looking good considering the major surgery to fuse discs in her spine, but it may have been joy at seeing us and her best friend Jamelia. She was very happy to receive gifts from us including L-A's hairbrush which she no longer had a use for. At that point I returned to look for Ricardo. It was aleady 15 minutes after the time we had set to meet, and he was about to leave. He had tried to call me but I had left my Blue-tooth on in the car so my phone didn't ring. Suddenly there he was in front of me. I had a choice; take him to D14 or start or interview here. I chose that. He had spent a year being trained in radio and TV production in the Brandvlei radio station, so he understood my keenness for taking this one chance for the interview and he fully co-operated; we got a great interview, despite the fact that I couldn't find my preparation notes. It turned out he had done very well in the year since his release, and his experience has the potential greatly to encourage ex-offenders. As we were ending, Laurie-Ann and Jamelia were just returning from D14, so L-A had her reunion with Ricardo. We had dinner at Spur in Paarl on the way back. The car had run well all day, with just a few periods of black smoke. I called Jeannette at Bidvest and cancelled our booking for a rental car for next week's drive to Namibia. I found the notes for Ricardo's interview in my trowsers pocket.

Thu Dec 5
Today was an opportunity to skip my pain meds, since I had no meetings or strenuous activities. I got through the day reasonably well - the experiment is working. At 9, Brian called from MMJ to say that the car needed new brakes on the rear wheels and new wiper blades. That was all. Apart form that we are fit to go to Namibia! I gladly OK'd the brakes and wiper blades without even asking the price. We spent a pleasant morning with Jamelia adding to the family atmosphere. At about 11, the Mercedes arrived, driven by their very friendly drive-home man, Willem. I drove with him back to the garage and paid the bill. I thanked Brian very very much for what he had done for us. I was also pleased that the car appears to generally still in very good shape. Laurie-Ann's CWCP broadcast was delayed an hour because of unexpected load shedding. I asked Jamelia to listen to it, even though her inclination actually to listen to talk on radio would be zero. The interview gives an excellent description of her state of mind and body half way through her 5 months of chemotherapy.

Wed Dec 4
I woke up knowing that my key objective of the day was to be able to be sure whether the Mercedes was reliable enough to drive to Namibia. A pre-requisite of this was for it to be serviced by MMJ by mid-morning Friday, since we will then drive in it to see Bella in Groote Schuur hospital, Cape Town. I drove down to Lock and Key for 9 am, and chatted with Eugene's wife (Isabel?) while he worked on cutting a key to open our trunk. It turned out that the reason they had got the ignition unit reprogrammed for a new key so fast was that their son had been going to Capetown on Tuesday and we was able to get the work done there. Eugene's skill alone made the key cutting possible without a master to copy from. After two hours work he had done it. I paid the bill - R4,500 - half what I had expected. I thanked them both, and took a copy of the bill round to Integro. The receptionist wrote up the claim in a couple of minutes and said it would be fully covered. They also made a certified copy of the registration of the car which we will need to get into Namibia, There was no charge for this favour, but it was extremely convenient for us that they did it. They also gave me a print-out of the new monthly policy, also necessary for our bordewr crossing. Brian had told me on the phone about 9:30 that he didn't have a spare slot for me today or tomorrow, but said I could come there this afternoon and tomorrow early in case the situation changed. I drove home for lunch. We called Ricardo Abrahams to see if we might meet up him after seeing Bella in the hospital on Friday. He will indeed be there for 4 pm on Friday, and - bonus - he agreed that I might interview him for CWCP. He had spent a year in the Brandvlei radio and TV school so he knew my motivation. Around 2 pm I drove down to MMJ, ready to spend some time waiting, but Brian told me that I could go home and return at 4pm, and he would get the work started today and would finish tomorrow morning. He really went the extra mile for us in this, and it meant we would either discover the car was unsafe, in which case we would take the rental Corolla, or he would give it a clean bill of health and we could enjoy our holiday without expecting to get stranded in the desert. Jamelia messaged L-A to say that her relatives from Rawsonville were coming for a few days and there would be no room in the house for her. In the townships, family visitations are sometimes an excuse for everyone to get drunk in company. I dodm't know if this was the case here, but if so, Jamelia's wish to have no part of it is totally understandable. Kids seeing their parents drunk in the townships is way too normal. WE decided to welcome her. We would be taking her to see Bella on Friday. I went to get her about 6, and we three enjoyed cabbage soup for dinner. Jamelia settled down to an iPad binge and I listened to GNiTM on my phone.

Tue Dec 3
For the first time since 16 July we didn't have to get up early on a Tuesday for Legacy Relay. Instead we slept in till 8:30, a rare thing in this household. Around 9 Mella called to ask if we would be coming to the end-of-term party at the school and could L-A bring some of her famous egg sandwiches. I knew nothing about this I had not seen a text she had sent on Saturday, since all all my recent correspondence with her had been on Whatsapp. I told her we wouldn't be able to make it because of the car. Half an hour later Ronel called and asked if I would come if she picked me up, because there was a problem with the kids transport - they had no way of getting home after the party. She asked if I could use Mella's car to take them back to Zweletemba. This all sounded a good idea. At 11 Ronel rolled up at hour house and took me to the school. This may be the last day I'll see these children and I'll miss them a lot. When it was time for them to go home, Ronel gave me the keys to Mella's Subaru. It was automatic, a pleasant surprize. Soon it became apparent from the conversation that Paula had moved since that time log ago when I walked with her to her home just to see how far she walhed twice a day. I asked Sinegugu if she knew the way to Paula's new hose, and I foolishly believed her when she said she did. She took us to the dropping off point where taxis picked up Paula and Deliverance. But I didn't want to drop her there and expect her to carry all Deliverance's books as well as hers. So I handed control to Paula, who insisted she knew. We went through some of the roughest parts of Zweletemba, along narrow bumpy roads. I drove slowly and carefully. We came to Deliverance's house; a shop. He wasn't staying with Paula any more. Paula took the bag of his books and passed it in to the shop. We drove on round the houses, avoiding small children and animals. Eventually we were at her home. I phoned Integro to hear the good news that we are covered for stupidity - insurance covers us for loss of key. They won't pay for having the car towed back into town. I then called AA, which does cover a tow, but I must be there. when the man shows up. It also covers loss of key. I was on a roll so I called Simplii, and lo and behold, the nice man was able to change my password. My SA cell number worked as if it was a Canadian Number. Called Kevin to arrange to be there when I call AA, and he had a surprize. Eugene was already there and had replaced the lock. He was working on opening the trunk so that he could jump start the car; the battery was flat. Kevin arrived in our car! I drove him back and spent half an hour chatting with his mother Rena. I drove 50 KM towards Cape Town and back to make sure the battery was in good shape. I recorded an interview with Laurie-Ann at the half way time through chemo to go our this Thursday on CWCP. I called Simplii and they were able to help me get a new password. No stressful questions about how long we were out of the country for. The telephone number on file that worked was my SA cell number, less the country code!

Mon Dec 2
Today was a terrifying reminder that things we could never foresee or expect in our wildest projections and plans can happen - and we just have to deal with them as best we can and not panic. On this mission one of my personal rules has always been not to make any unforced errors - a tennis phrase that suggests you can win against better players if the only mistakes you make are the result of superior play by your opponent, but you can't win if you make mistakes that the opponent didn't force you to make. Today I made a huge unforced error that is threatening our mission. The unexpected began at 11:45 - up till then things ran according to plan. We rose at 6, and picked up Janey at at 7. I invited Andre for lunch at 12:15. We arrived at the Pick n Pay entrance of the Mall at 7:10. At 7:15, the Dis-Chem bus arrived and L-A and Janey got in, the sole passengers. I drove home to print the science exam marks and her marked exam for Paula, who had come top. Then to Jamelia's house to give her R50 for her church outing. Then to the school. I searched for my rain jacket which had gone missing but it wasn't there. Sinegugu and Paula arrived at 8, and we drive to Kevin's house for the long-promised hike. Kevin started with an excellent Bible study, and then got them making home made apricot jam and cheese sandwiches with bread he had pulled out of Trevor's oven a short time before. Soon we were ready for the hike. I drove us to the same starting point that we had gone from about 18 months before with Kanyo's generation. The girls were much better behaved, but a third of the way to the distant destination they were tired and we struck camp to eat the sandwiches. If only we had gone on and used up all our time on the hike! We returned to the house, and as I drove the car into the driveway Kevin suggested I park on the left under shade rather than in front of his garage door. The children and I went to change into swimming costumes. I took my shorts with my wallet and locked them in the car trunk. I would want to take photos so I kept out my phone. When we were ready to go I locked the car with the key. Kevin was right there and commented on the rattling noise the locking system makes. I then did what I have done many hundreds of time; put the car key in my right hand pocket. The four of us walked down the hill and then up a hill on the other side of the road to the dam (ie artificial lake with a dam on its downstream side). We took off shoes and shirts and went into the quite cold water, except Paula who stayed at the shore. Kevin swam to the disused fish farm in the middle. I tried giving rudimentary swimming lessons to Sinegugu. When Kevin returned I got out and he continued the lesson, showing her how to float. By 11:45 we needed to be getting back to the house. As I was collecting my things I realized I didn't know where the car key was. It wasn't in my swimming trunks pocket. There were two possibilities: in the car, or in the lake. My heart started pumping faster with adrenaline. I shared the problem with Kevin, and he reminded me he had seen me lock the car - so the keys were not in the car. We arrived back at his house and of course the keys were nowhere to be seen, and the car was locked, with my wallet, credit card, money and our house key inside it. I didn't know when Laurie-Ann would be getting back, and my phone has great difficulty in working in Kevin's mountain house. The children needed to be back at Mella's house by noon and it was now 11:55. I was meant to be taking Andre for lunch at 12:15 and had no way of reaching him. My unforced error was multiplying its effects by the minute.

My first concern was getting the children back to Mella's house in time for their transport home. I went upstairs to the bedroom where there was a small amount of signal strength on my phone and called Mella. Every few seconds my phone cut out, but I was able to tell her they would be late, and for her to tell me the transport was coming at 12:15, not 12. I asked Kevin if he would drive them. Thank God my car wasn't parked in front of his garage door, or the children would have been stuck there for hours. In fact he got them there in time, so the parents were not put to any worry. As soon as he was on his way I walked back to the dam. Kevin though the keys might float. I spent the next half hour walking half way round the lake searching the shoreline. When I was nearer to the far shore I could see that most of it was not sandy but rocky and the chance of finding the keys was very slim. I retraced my steps. Just past the dam I met Kevin with his goggles. Since his car, also a Mercedes, has similar keys, he now thought they would have sunk. We walked to where I had swum and he dived to the bottom over and over covering the area, but came up with nothing. We returned to the house. On the way I received a text with Laurie-Ann's ring tone, but the sun was too bright for me to read the message. Once back at the house I read it. She expected to be back at her departure point at about 3:30. So we had some time to think this through. There was no way I would be supervising Mailbox clubs in Avian Park at 3 pm, and no way to let them know. I texted Laurie-Ann that we had trouble with the car, and she and Janey should wait for us in Dulci Cafe near where she would be in the mall. Kevin and I discussed the situation, and realized we needed to make two visits. First he drove me to Grondbeurs hoping to get a duplicate key for our house so Laurie-Ann would be able to get in. They had no keys, not even for the garage door opener. They recommended Lock & Key at 59 Stockenstrom St., 023 342 4894. Next stop, MMJ, where I told Brian the sorry story. He said that it would take up to six weeks to get a new ignition mechanism from Germany. But then he said I should go and see Lock & Key. So we went, arriving as they opened at 2pm after their lunch break. Eugene Meyer, the owner, and his wife Isobel(?) were in residence and I started by telling them that my car keys were at the bottom of a lake. That got his attention. 10 minutes later he was ready to drive to Kevin's house. I left my name and number with his wife. Half an hour later I watched as his car wound its way up Kevin's hill. It took Eugene about a minute to break into the driver's door of the car using two tools that any car thief would envy. Now I had my hands on our house keys without having to break a car window, an option I had considered. Then he worked on the trunk, and this took rather longer. He removed the number plate, drilled two holes into the metalo behind it, inserted a wire with a hook on the end, and twisted the wire until eventually he caught the wire inside the trunk which is connected to the handle of the trunk. Now I had back my wallet, credit card, and cash. I could have also grabbed a bag of crisps that Paula had brought, but I left them on the back shelf. Things were looking up. Next his target was the ignition box. He unscrewed various parts of the area to the right of the ignition until he was able to reach behind and pull it out after disconnecting two electrical signal plugs. He took this with him in his car to be reprogrammed for a new key. He told us this could be done in a couple of days, giving me sudden hope. but I didn't really dare to hope it could be true. Then he drove back to his shop. It was now about 3:15. Kevin drove me to the mall, and as we approached I caught a glimpse of the Dis-Chem bus. At the Pick n Pay entrance, Laurie-Ann and Jamey were waiting. Kevin drove us first to our house and then he took Janey home, and she carried my sincere apology to Andre for having stood him up for lunch. I mulled over the options open to us if we didn't want to give up our Namibian holiday starting a week today. I called Jeannette at Bidvest and ordered a rental vehicle for Thursday morning, when she had an automatic Corolla coming in. She warned me there would be charges for taking it to Namibia, and a daily limit on kilometers that we would probably exceed. While we were still in a big fix, we were in a better situation by far than at noon just a few hours ago. Also, if this event was somehow ordained by the Devil to thwart us, then surely the powers of righteousness had been able to affect the timing of it, since it had happened when it didn't mess up the lives of our school kids, and only marginally our Avian Park kids. Another TKOG was that thanks to Kevin's suggestion that I park in the shade, I hadn't blocked off his garage.

Sun Dec 1
I dropped L-A at church and went to see if Chantelle was waiting at OVD to be taken to church. She wasn't, but her ouma somehow found out it was I and came out to tell me she wasn't there. I offered to take ouma to church but it didn't seel to catch on. The preacher was a (very) long term missionary, and he spoke on the difference between receiving blessings from God, and appreciating God's presence even when the blessings weren't much in evidence. Afterwards I spoke to Brian and Pamela Kinghorn, missionaries from this church based in Namibia. They said we mustn't be dissappointed if we find a spiritual dryness as well as a parched landscape there. Bella asked if we would bring her a hairbrush when we visit on Friday. Laurie-Ann stopped brushing her hair about 2 months ago so we do have a surplus hairbrush. Jamelia messaged L-A with a request for R50 to allow her to go on her church's beach outing. I took it down to her after our dinner of the second half of a Bella Vita beef lasange we had been given by the parents of the grade 1s; the best lassanga I ever tasted. Jaamelia was not at home, but I asked her mother to tell her I would be down early tomorrow. After our dinner, L-A called Simplii and asked what might have happened to our e-Transfer. After waiting on the line about 25 minutes, she explained what had happened. He checked, and said the transfer had been 'intercepted' by an email including the word 'princess.' This was Tara's other email, but at least it doesn't suggest fraud. The man said he would redirect the e-Transfer to Tara's main e-mail. Shortly after this Tara received the e-Transfer notification, and sent an e-Transfer to me of the $2,400. I deposited it in Solutions Banking.

Sat Nov 30
Before leaving home I checked the Mozambique phone to see if Soraya had been in touch on Whatsapp. She had - to say she wouldn't be coming to the prison today. That gave me a little more time. In B section, the very friendly Ben Kotze was all smiles, but he only had 9 men to send me. Some men were playing cricket in the courtyard, and I could see that both the bowler and batsman had played the game to a reasonable standard. Ben was concerned they were hitting the ball on his grass. He did produce a Tv without being asked; a different one from last week's without a remote and poor sound. we had songs including Silent Night and Joy to the World, and then 'Why did Jesus die.' Half way through someone started strimming the grass outside the window, making a frightful din. At the end of the video I sat them down in a group and explained the history of the universe from God's perspective in 10 minutes, explainig how sacfifices of perfect lambs were made to receive forgiveness for sin, but God offered his son as the once for all sacrifice for all sin. We then had discussion on bearing grudges - unforgiveness - and its effects. So we ended well with this one small group. I went down to Avian Park at three and brought back Chanique, Jamelia, and Britney who snuck in to the car after I had told her 'no.' Anyway, Laurie-Ann got to meet Chanique, who aquitted heself very well. We had gypsy ham and trifle, so it was a special time; however Jamelia still spent a lot of time on the Mozambique phone. On the way home, Britney asked if she could lead a club in January.

Fri Nov 29
My last day for regular school, and the science exam. There were 50 multi-choice questions and 2 marks for each. I invigilated Seth and Mella was kind enough to invigilate both Sinegugu and Paula. By 'invigilate' I mean read all the questions and the multiple answers, and leave them to circle the right one. They all finished within the 45 minutes. They had previously reviewed all the questions. Back home I worked out their marks, then added a 'term mark' for the average quality of attentiveness and performance during the term. Sinegugu and Seth only got 35% for term mark, but I gave Paula 50%, which meant she still came top when I'd averaged the marks with the exam mark. She deserved to be top. During the break after the exam I took a couple of
really nice pictures of them sitting in the sun. Mella confirmed the hike on Monday, but I doubted Seth would come, since he said he was going to be with his father tomorrow. I confirmed this with his mother and let Mella know. Laurie-Ann received a messge saying her chemo on Monday was being moved one hour earlier to 8:30 am. I couldn't find the number of the Dis-Chem bus that we had booked for 8:15. I checked my phone calls for when I had booked it and there were three. One of them turned out to be Lynda Timmerman, who suggested I call Dis-Chem, who should still be open, it being Black Friday. I did so and soon was talking to Muhammat on 071 267 0172. He charmingly changed the time and said yes, Janey could come too as the chemo-buddy.

Thu Nov 28
Since I had no exams to invigilate today, and was feeling in good shape, I deliberately did not take my normal early morning dose of Tramacet and Celebrex. I managed to last out the day fairly well. I would like to slowly increase the times that I do without the pills, the main motivation being to save money. In today's science review we worked through the third batch of whiteboard images. The e-Transfer to Tara has still not arrived. We need to call e-Transfers with the reference number to find out if there is a problem. My Mastercard will be paid automatically on 2 December, and there is enough in the All-in-One to cover it, but only just. We Watched 'The Good Fight' for the first time in 2 weeks - we really have been very busy! L-A had been tired today and we didn't make the Skype call to the bank. It was the night for Diane Blenkiron's Skype to L-A, and they talked about the bank situation. Patricia came in on the call for a while. Prayers were said to smooth our forthcoming discussion with Simplii.

Wed Nov 27
The science review class didn't start till 10 am, so I had time to finalise the music exam. I placed all the 7 questions requiring the children to play an instrument or sing at the beginning of the exam. Then I added more questions to the science exam so there would be 50, making it easier to work our percentages. In the class I gave them just the new questions to revise, spending the last 15 minutes going through the questions they got wrong. There was ony a 5 minute break till the music exam. Ronel and Janey were able to work with two learners on the non-practical quetions, while I examined one of them on the first 7 questions. It all worked well, and the surprize at the end was that Seth, the youngest, outscored the others. The e-Transfer to Tara has not arrived. it should take 20 minutes, so this is worrying. I uploaded the Good News in the Morning archive and listened to the broadcast on my phone with earbuds. Normally I would listen on the machine which is now in Computer Mania. I uploaded the 7 whiteboard images that I had drawn in last week's science classes. There is now a complete set of all 90 images.

Tue Nov 26
We had an amazing time at our last Legacy Relay before the Christmas holiday. I played carols, even though it was still a month to go to Christmas. Before I was able to start science, Hanlie aked if she could speak. She thanked us for our time with them, and particularly for sharing the cancer journey with the children. Then we saw that there were plastic bags full of gifts for us from the (parents of) the children. Hanlie and Jeanne-Marie must have sent notes home mentioning Laurie-Ann's medical needs. There were bags after bags of food to save us time and money. And there was R1,000 in cash or medical costs! Before the science spot, I showed them the video of the flash mob in Mountain Mill Mall. I was very surprized to be told that the flash mob was organized by our very own teacher Jeanne-Marie, and that all the dancers were from Worcester Primary School. In science I showed them that wind blows clouds along because of areas of high and low pressure; this was illustrated by a photo I had taken of a cloud formation perched above the Brandwachts. Then I showed a photo of Louis' braai that I had taken at their house showing the pile of burning fuel on the right causing a draught across the coals in the centre just enough to keep a consistent temperature for cooking. It's the same story of low pressure (caused by the flames drawing hot air up) and the higher pressure in the rest of the braai. Then we got to art, and I went outside the classroom to bring in the canvas that L-A had transformed by reinforcing the pencilled Christian symbols they had drawn over the past two weeks. The children were justifiably proud and excited by what they had all had a hand in creating. It was a brilliant success, and we donated it to the school. I asked jeanne-Marie if she would give me an interview today; she said it was possible. During the drive home we prayed that the problem with the car would not be really serious. In my mind I saw it threatening our holiday in Namibia but I didn't share this with L-A. As I left MasterPeace Academy after science, I said casually to Ronel that I would see her at 12:30 - and she remined me the art exam was starting at 10:20 - in 5 minutes. Oops. What a creature of habit I am. I got L-A down to the school by about 10:50 and we got started on the exaam. We had willing help from Ronel examining Sinegugu. I took on Sinegugu, and Laurie-Ann worked with Seth using the computer to present the exam questions. Even though we had started late, we finished with time to spare, and I decided to walk down the street to ask Brian in MMJ Motors about the black smoke and lack of acceleration. Imagine my relief when he said it was normal in diesel cars and happened from time to time as a self cleaning routine for the fuel injectors, getting rid of soot. This can be brought on by slow city driving. I could never have dreamed of such an explanation. We were home by noon. I decided to take the car on a 20 Km drive on the N1 to try and get rid of the black smoke, but when I got home after that, neither the acceleration nor the smoke had improved. I began to worry that the problem was much more than Brian had suggested. Next item on the calendar was picking up Anthonica at 1:30 to talk 'women's talk' with L-A. On the way home we went to the framing shop next to OK Foods, but the custom framing had been outsourced to a lady called Ansie Minnie, 084 581 1602. I drove to the mall and, lo and don't behold, the car was cured! No black smoke, and the acceleration back to normal. I took the battery invoice into Computer Mania, and they took my number again to call me when (hopefully) they would have a replacement battery. When I got home I asked L-A if she had been praying for the car, and she had. Her prayers had been answered, and our Namibian adventure was no longer at risk. TKOG. We have a potentially serious issue with the Simplii Bank account. I am locked out of on-line access because they want me to change my password, and to do this I must state my Canadian phone number of file. None of the numbers I used to ahve work. L-A does have on-line access to the account. What we need to be able to do is transfer money to Solutions Banking, from where our credit cards are paid. So she sent an e-Transfer for $2400 to Tara, who is already set up as an e-Transfer recipient. A Whatsapp from Jeanne-Marie Coetzee gave us the good news that she would come to us today for interview at about 4:45. We were happy to welcome her into our house, and she was great to talk with on Marantz. Both of us were still excited about the events earlier this morning and this is reflected in the interview.

Mon Nov 25
Chanique (18) took over Bella's Mailbox Club, holding it in her home 160 Pelikaan. I distributed Mailbox Club certificates to about 5 in what was Bella's Club, and is now Chaniques, about 5 to Jamelia's club and about 5 to Chantelle's. No time for music. Chantelle asked to come to our house for a few minutes to fix a password issue on her phone. There wasn't time to complete this because her phone battery was flat. On the way back she told me she was going to start a holiday business, buying groceries down town and selling them in Avian Park She asked me for R70 for stock and I gave her R100 to encourage her enterprize. I decided, while there was daylight, to search high and low for the Computer Mania invoice. (Doing this after dark would be somewhat harder with my less than 20/20 vision, which by the way is the reason I don't read books much these days, and certainly not by artificial light. So I started with the inboxes and progressed clockwise round the room, throwing out paperwork I no longer needed as I checked every page. After reaching my main shelving for paper files, I came across a folder called invoices. This is similar to the folder 'guarantees and instructions for use,' in in there I found the missing invoice. And it clearly stated that the battery has a 1 year warranty. At 4:40 I was back at Bella's to take her and her Ouma Cathy to Worcester Hospital. On the way got them pies and chips, and a bar of Cadbury's Fruit and Nut as an early Christmas gift for Bella. Near the hospital I pulled over and prayed for them. I was concerned when I left them, wondering if they were really on the right track for overnight accommodation. I noticed there was a distinct lack of acceleration at low speeds on the Mercedes. We had lost it at high speeds months ago and were living with an engine light permanently on to remind us. But when I saw black smoke billowing from the exhaust I was really worried. It reminded me of the incident when we were driving up the West coast. Now, just climbing our Hooggelegen hill was proving a challenge for the Merc, When I had got home, Bella sent a FaceBook message saying there were no beds for them to sleep on that night. L-A replied that I could take them home to sleep, but we never heard back. In the morning Bella texted me to say they were en route to Cape Town.

Sun Nov 24
Jamelia and Britney appeared in WCC about 9:30, much to our surprize. However, it soon became clear the their motive was not totally pure. At 9:45 Britney asked me for R30 because they wanted to get a taxi to Roodeval. I gave them R40 because I only had 2 R20s and we were mid service. If I hadn't had R40 they would have assumed I would have had the choice of saying 'no' or giving R100. I am sure they hadn't thought this through, but I did feel more pressured than I would like, in their assumption that I would give them money. Maggie came over for lunch (lentil curry), arriving in the Village just ahead of us. We had pleasant social and dining times. She had arranged to spend time with Andre and Janey and we convoyed her to their house before getting on our way to Palikan Park for the camera. Setting this up on GPS had proved tricky. His street address was 3 Parrot Street, which Garmin did not have listed, so I selected a nearby street, and then another. The first of these had us leave the N1 far sooner than either of us felt comfotable with. I put in the second, and soon, navigating by Table Mountain, we were back on track. But when we actually arrived, Parrot street was not there. We called Cameron and he gave us directions to about 10 Km away. I think there are duplicate street names in Cape Town, and we had gone to the wrong one. All was well in the end, and we rendezvousd outside a KFC and he brough the camera and we gave him his money. Next stop was Brian and Pamela Jourden's mission - Africa House - in Noordhoek, about 30 minutes East. It was like stepping into Heidi Baker's living room. Brian and Pamela have attracted a remarkable group of Godly people, who prayed diligently for us with many words of knowlege. They also gave us excellent beef stroganof. Three Zimbabweans arrived while we were there who Brian had met when he went in with relief supplies after the terrible typhoon in 2018. The drive home started with an amazing mountain ascent and descent on the M64 with breathtaking views of Cape Town at night. As we approached the tunnel our fuel gauge was quite low and I gave thanks that we didn't come to a halt in there causing a real mess. We did almost run out of fuel, just reaching Ultra City filling station with the gauge on empty, 5 Km from home. The Lord looks after us, even when we are foolish.

Sat Nov 23
soraya and I were ushered into the youth Centre very efficiently. They had even printed off the list of attenders that I had sent Glenda. We only had about 15 men from the 32 who had signed up. But we did have a TV. After the video we split into 3 small groups, and I appointed leaders. For about 12 minutes the groups discussed a variety of questions. One of them in a group I was sitting in on for a while wanted to know if Heaven was above us and what it would be like when we got there. The questions came thick and fast from these men with such a spiritual hunger. I believe we can have small groups each session. Later in the morning I went shopping for a night dress and slippers for Bella, who will be In the afternoon I took my computer to Computer Mania. They said that finding the invoice would make things a lot easier. I went to Pep and was able to get Bella's nightdress and slippers. I delivered these to her around 3:15. I also asked her to persuade Chanique (who wasn't there) to assume leadership of her Mailbox Club, and to take over Bella's children. This is risky since she hasn't had training, but it is the least bad available solution if we are not to lose the momentum Bella had built up. I was very glad that last Monday I had taken a photo and interviewed some of those kids. Laurie-Ann has long wanted a digital SLR camera. Recently the urgency has increased because her Priv has issues mainly with battery life but also manifesting other strange behavior. With our trip to Namibia coming up soon we do need to have reliable means of photography. She found a Fujifilm Finepix S4000 on a private FaceBook advertisement for R1500. This being perfect for her needs and affordable she communicated with the seller, Cameron, and we arranged to drive to his house in Pelikan Park, Cape Town, for 5 pm on Sunday.

Fri Nov 22
Our early morning prayer group started with the annual festive season breakfast - boerwors and bacon and eggs. All very sociable. It was Marius' day for leaving for Brazil so we commission him. Hilton apologised for not being availanle to record an interview, but he has a very solif alibi. His daughter had cyst on her ovary and her had gone to Quenets for medicine. Anton Quenet had help him by phoning all over town for what he wanted. This is a serious condition. Godfrey told me the truck from Pretoria with the sweet corn hadn't turned up because the corn was waterlogged. It might come in the next day or so. This leaves e with a dilemma: whether to ask for my R500 back, because if it is in his possession and an urgent need arises he will probably use it. In science I completed the lessons - and whiteboard diagrams - to complete the set of 90 lessons. In the afternoon I called Anton Quenet and told him I would love to make his the 80th broadcast, and he asked if he could reply to my email at the weekend. Bella messaged L-A to say that on Tuesday she would be going to Groote Schuur hospital in Cape Town for back surgery for scoliosis followed by a month's convalescent. She asked if we could buy her a nightdress and slippers. I was walking in the mall around noon whan I noticed people gathering in the area od the food court. While I was wondering what ther were waiting for, there came the sound of music - Christmas music - followed by a flash mob as about 100 teenagers in red hats filled the area and danced to the music. I captured it in photos and a video. I went into Computer Mania with my visa statement, proving when I had bought the battery and that I'd bought it from them. They said that the battery had 6 month warranty. They said that I should bring in my laptop which may enable them to find out if maybe the battery had tripped, perhaps from a load shedding power surge. I prepared "Who is Jesus" in a verbal format in case we had no TV in the prison the next day.

Thu Nov 21
Godfrey called me early with a plan for a business for him. He had a potential supplier of sweet corn for R7 a cob which he could sell for R10 in Zweletemba. He needed R500 to buy the batch of corn from a man who would bring it to him at 3 am tomorrow morning. He figured I was the most likely person to agree to loan him R500. We settled on 2% interest - R10 - and I agreed to bring him the money that afternoon, and he agreed to return me R510 on Sunday in church. After school, I picked up L-A and we drove to church to see Johan about police ministry. Several months ago, after hearing about Johan's initiative to bring eight Worcester churches together on a roster to pray for the local police, she had called Janice Sadler who runs Prayer postcards 4 Police on Ottawa. Janice was emotioanally overcome by the possibilities of our joining their initiative in some way because her dream was to see it opened up in Africa. She mailed us 250 International postcards. It was to identify the best way to utilize these in the Worcester police ministry that we had come to discuss with Johan. Once he saw what we had, the potential was clear to him. What must be done now is to evaluate ways to exploit the card, pick the best way, and then to bring the plan to the Worcester churches and the police chiefs. He tasked us with coming up with the tactics for this and gave us two weeks before we should meet with him again. L-A and I then went on to give Chantelle a lift from Avian Park to OVD and her blind - and sick - ouma. L-A checked her accounts and idenified the purchase on 22 February of the computer battery from Computer Mania that had failed last week. I printed off the item from her Visa statement. We had had no luck getting Lizette Klopper to come up with a food package for Bella's family, and the research I had done into soup kitchens in Avial Park (with Nik's help) suggested that that route was also a no entry in this case. So it fell to us to take action. I went to Pick n Pay and bought about R500 worth of basic necessities and drove them to Bella's house. Her grandmother Cathy was there and gladly accepted them. She was attempting to mend a broken multi-outlet power bar and it was clear that anything she might try could cause a fire. It was an eye opener to me to see the blatant disregard for safely as a result of ignorance. I took the power bar and told her I would replace it. Jamelia appeared with a story about needing wifi for a project for tomorrow so I took her with me. We went to the mall and I went to Computer Mania. They said that there was only 6 months warranty on the battery, but if I brought in my laptop they might discover that a safety mechanism could have tripped after load-shedding. This would be consistent with the sudden failure. I bought two power bars at Checkers that between them were had equivalent functionality to the broken one in Bella's house. We then returned home where Jamelia now only had 45 minutes to do her research. I had agreed to get Chantelle at 5 pm and take her back to Avian Park. As we drove to OVD Jamelia said she had fallen out with Chantelle because Chantelle had posted bad things about her on FaceBook. The two weren't talking as we drove to their homes, but after dropping off Jamelia I quizzed Chantelle on the FaceBook story and she angrily denied it. I then went to Bella's house where it seemed the whole family had gathered. Now they had food, but no way to cook it. I gave Cathy R50 for power, and then asked Bella to get into the front seat of the car where I gave her Laurie-Anne's watch. It fitted her perfectly after having had the three links removed. Back home I put the finishing touches on the Worcester Report with Jamelia and Bella. Because I was still using Pink Dell, not yet having commissioned my main computer in its Windows 10 metamorphosis, we weren't able to listen in the normal way. I listened on the Q10 and L-A on the iPad. The interview sounded fine. The program ends with the music I had recorded a week before at ECG church in Zweletemba. Later Bella messaged L-A to say that on Tuesday she would be going to Groote Schuur hospital in Cape Town for back surgery. She would be in hospital for a month. God's grace in leading me to support the family today suddenly made perfect sense. She would even have a watch to mark the passage of hours.

Wed Nov 20
Mella left for a week in Strand at about 10 am leaving the school during exam week to the tender mercies of her team. I guess that shows some confidence. Sinegugu wasn't in school; sad that all of them have missed one or more days in this run up to the exams. Charl Munnik took out three links from Laurie-Ann's watch bracelet so that it would fit Bella. He charged me nothing. Riverview was just Ronel and I. There were only about 10 children; the story was that the others were busy revising for school exams. I broadcast the GNiTM archive and listened on my phone while relaxing on my bed.

Tue Nov 19
It has been raining on several Legacy Relay days, but today it was fine as L-A used her new old walker to get into the Grade 1 classroom After music and science (land vertebrates, mammals, humans) we had groups 3 and 4 add their Christian symbols to the big canvas. We have one more lesson with the children after this before the Christmas holiday. Hilton called me about 1pm to say that his daughter had a cyst on her ovary and her was busytaking her to pharmacies and her doctor to see what they should do. Clearly he wouldn't be making it this week for a recording session. Having heard nothing from Lizette Klopper about a food parcel for Bella's family, I bought oatmeal, rice, milk, sugar and potatoes and took them to her house about noon, but the house was locked. Her sister (the one who's boyfriend had stolen their bulk food) was in a neighbour's house, so I left it with her, plus R20 for power. An hour later L-A had a message from Bella thanking us, but saying they had no power. Her sister had kept the R20, and used it for her own house, that I had asked her to give to Bella's grandmother. Jamelia and Bella came to our house in the afternoon in sequence, for wifi for their school work. L-A had the idea to record them for CWCP. So I sat Jamelia down in the office and interviewd her about her experience as a Mailbox Club leader. In my preparation I had found that we had been running the clubs for exactly a year - a good time for a retrospective. After taking Jamelia home and bringing Bella back. Laurie-Ann decided this was the moment to give one of her watches to Bella, who had long ago asked for a watch. Both watches had bracelets that were significantly too large for Bella's slim wrists. We had decided that the Tempo watch I had bought for L-A more than three years ago in Robertson would be easier to adapt. So I measured how many links should be removed from the bracelet - three. Then I interviewed Bella, asking her the same questions I had asked Jamelia. At the end I realized I could edit the two interviews and make them sound like one, which I did that evening. I then added on the recordings I'd made with the children in their clubs yesterday. I haven't fired up my computer after PC Partz worked on it yet. While we have vital jobs to perform I will continue using Pink Dell, perhaps till after the end of term.

Mon Nov 18
we had an appointment for Hilton to come at 2pm to be interviewed for the Worcester Report for this week, but he didn't turn up, and when I checked Whatsapp her had sent a message that he wouldn't be able to make it today. I replied suggesting 2pm tomorrow and he agreed. After lunch I went to PC Partz to collect my Dell E6530 from Stephan. He had now restored most of what was on the old drive. The bill was R1650, which for a new solid state disk and Windows 10 seemed cheaper than it would have been in Canada. Anthonica and Chantelle told me, when I arrived about 3pm, that they had run a Mailbox Club earlier and it was now over. They asked if they could come to our house for wifi. When I arrived at Bella's, she had gathered her children in her sister's house across the street - the sister whose boyfriend had stolen the food, and who had then stolen the R20 which I had asked her to give to her grandmother. Chanique Elzaan van Zyl was there - she wants to lead a Mailbox Club. I took a photo of the kids with Bella at the back and Chanique on the side. Then we had some music, and then I interviewed a few of the children on my phone about their experiences of the Mailbox Club. Carel Strydom had asked for testimonies, and this struck me as the best way to get them from the young children. Then I went across the street to Jamelia's and repeated the process. I then returned to pick up Anthonica and Chantelle and bring them to our home to do their school work with the wifi. Gisella messaged L-A recommended borrowing a walker from Dallein Nortje at 27 Deon Britz street, near us, who runs an elder care business. Around 5 pm I took the girls home and on the way stopped off to see Dallein. Their's is the first house on the right after leaving the retirement village; good location! He was charming and showed me a basic walker which had clearly helped many in its life so far. I was unsure if L-A would take to it but I thanked him, took the girls home, and then presented the walker to L-A. She liked it immediately, using it to get around inside the house without having to ask my help in case she lost her balance.

Sun Nov 17
Picked up Henry, Tersia and Anthonica. Anthonica got in first and asked if there was any food in the car, and then asked for money, then said they had no supper and no breakfast and they were starving. Henry came out last - I could see the tobacco smoke as he exhaled, and when he got in the car it was the smell of a chain smoker. I commented that there was their problem as a family. I delivered them to Avian Park and gave Anthonica R5 to get something to put in her belly. In preparing for next week's science lessons I looked through all the whiteboard images so far posted, and there were 9 missing. If I re-teach these lessons next week, it will serve doubly as revision and creating a 100% set of images from the course. We picked up Jamelia and Bella at 9:30 to go with us to Hillsong. It was particularly poignant bearing in mind the hunger they had both gone through in the past week, and we were determined to fill their stomachs as well as their minds. As we approached the church, L-A had sudden diarrhea and I had to get her to the washroom fast. She just made it. The service was special because it was Pastor Phil Dooley's 50th birthday, and his review of what he had learned in life seemed to strike a chord with both the girls. We went for McDonald's instead of a windy beach, and then on the way home treated them to Spice Route ice cream. They had had a good day and were happy to be dropped at their homes instead of coming back to our place.

Sat Nov 16
Brandvlei at last! Soraya and I arrived after a four week absence and were welcomed as if there had been no break. The man sent to excort us to Section B turned out to be Linguleza, who reminded me I had given him a lift from the prison months ago when he had come for interview. He remembered I had told him her would make an excellent correctional services officer. So far he seems very happy in the job. Ngethu is the new Mamali - spiritual worker in Youth Centre - but may not appear on Saturdays (and wasn't there today). Ben Kotze is the new Mr Williams, and equally friendly. He was not, however, able to provide a TV. At first we only had about 10 men, and took their names. After we had been singing for a while, more came in, and then more, until we were about 50! After the singing we asked some questions and learned that 20 or so of those present were already attending another Alpha in the Youth Centre. I explained that if they were on that course they didn't need to be on our course, but some said thy would like to be on both. I gave my testimony about Alpha, then Soraya gave hers, and then I asked Lee Wade to give his, which drew a standing ovation. Since we had no TV, I then gave the introductory course wchich went reasonably well. Finally I asked for those who wanted to come on our course to put their names on the list. Soraya had stressed we were looking for consistent attendance. The list numbered 30. The spirit in the room had been powerful throughout; it wasn't boring, untrue or irrelevant. On our return trip we went to Jamelia's house to take her plus a friend to YWAM to spend time with someone Jamelia had met at the concert last Saturday. En route I got 12 samosas from Nana, 5 for Soraya, 5 for us, and 2 for J and friend. She had told me earlier that the YWAM friend was a girl, but now it emergered he was a boy called Josiah. She had told him she was coming, but when we got there they couldn't find him, so I took them home again. In the afternoon I took extra sandwiches and fruit for Bella's family. Jamelia introduced me to her sister Amelia, who was nursing a young baby, who asked me if I could take her for dental treatment. She is 29. I said I would make enquiries. Around 5 pm Chantelle and Anthonica called to say their blind grandmother was very ill awaiting an ambulance. (I hadn't realized she is ouma to both of them), They asked if I would drive the families to see her before she went into hospital. So I did that. It included Tersia and Henry. Chantelle went separately with her uncle. First they stopped at the house where grandmother was, waiting for the ambulaance, and then I drove them to OVD. Antjonica lingered in the car. Soon it transpired she had been tasked by her mother Tersia to persuade me to pick them up tomorrow and take them home. I agreed, as ling as they would be ready at 8am.

Fri Nov 15
In science I continued revising with the whiteboard images, but this time enlarging them which made them all far easier to see. They really are quite good, though I say it myself, and this is a good method of revision that keeps the children relatively focused. Stephan called to say that the solid state disk was installed, but he hadn't been able to get the data off the old disk. He would need more time - ie till Monday, unless I needed the machine back urgently and could do the restore myself. I said Monday was fine, since Pink Dell is able to do just about everything. Lizette was as good as her word and messaged me around 11 am to say there were food parcels at the church for Jamelia's family. I delived two grocery bags stuffed with essentials to Jamelia's house at about 2 pm. Coloured folk don't express much emotion but her mother was clearly relieved to see the food. We watched a fair amount live of Marie Yovanovitch's testimony at the impeachment hearings. Bella called, very distressed. Her family's appalling situation is described in a Whatsapp I sent to Lizette Cloppers: "Lizette, I delivered the food on Friday afternoon to a very grateful family. Seeing the young ones the next day, when I was there with them for a while, looking less hungry was heart-warming. And now I have another similar request for an even more sad situation. Something very bad happened in the house of Bella, one of our teenage Bible teachers, where her grandmother runs an unofficial business buying groceries in bulk and selling in smaller quantities to neighbours. I helped them bring the last batch back from Boxer - it filled our boot. 3 days later the drug addict boyfriend of Bella's sister stole all the stock to sell and buy drugs. He accessed to the house using a key he stole. So now there is no stock to sell and the business may be finished, putting them in a very serious financial position. They have reported the boy friend to the police, and I understand he is no longer a boyfriend. I took them some extra sandwiches and fruit today, but they are bewildered at this outrage. I think a similar food parcel to what you gave for Jamelia would be very helpful at this time, and as soon as possible would be good. I have got to know this family quite well. Bella (14) has exceptional potential, and has been teaching Sunday school for some time, in addition to our Bible studies, and is strong in her faith.

Thu Nov 14
Seth wasn't in school so I just had one on each side of me and the Pink Dell in front as I assessed my method 2 of examining kids of this age. I brought up the images of my whiteboard diagrams starting at lesson 74 on what and why is in a chicken's egg, and asked them questions about it, giving a mark for anything relevant that meant they had hoisted something in. The kids were also quite well behaved, and taking notice of what we were doing. I took in the computer to PC Partz after school, since I had backed up all key stuff. Although Stephan is clearly very expert, he suffers from a severe visual problem, having to get very close to anything he needs to see clearly. That suggests remarkable determination and talent. So I think my machine is safe with him. Then I bought an almond croissant next door at Daly Bread ... mmmm. The rest of the day was relatively gentle since we were not broadcasting tonight; that is except for the trauma in Jamelia's family. We watched an hour or more of the Trump impeachment hearings live, with Bill Taylor testifying. Lizette Klopper replied: "Morning Tony. Just don't give money, pls. I'm afraid for drugs if there is money. I will put together a parcel for them tomorrow and let you know what time to pick it up. I will speak to Pam for maybe a house visit. You can also find out the sizes and i will check in the clothes bank for them. Speak to you tomorrow morning." Glenda Whatsapped to say that instead of switching to the medium security area, she would like us to stay in the Youth Centre, and work with Section B.

Wed Nov 13
I took Jamelia to school at 6:30 am today and gave her sandwiches, and her mother a food parcel, + R50 each. Bella was still around so we took her, and picked up Bella's friend. They were at school by 6:50 and less unhappy. As an experiment to see how best to set exams for the science learners, the three were given a written exam which was originally used for 7 – 8 year olds last year. How would they fare? Here's what they scored: Sinegugu 50%, Paula 50%, Seth 33%. They had a lot of individual help to get these marks. I was generous. But it did suggest that part of the exam could be a traditional list of questions as long as there are teachers there to assist them compehending the questions. In the music class I had planned to show them YouTubes of unusual instruments - particularly the didgeredoo, since Seth had been blowing into a long cardboard tube and pretending it was a didgeredoo. Unfortunataly my main computer refused to fire up. As it turned out, the battery I had bought from Computer Mania 2 (?) months ago had failed totally. So We watched some expert digeridoo players on YouTube on my phone. Then we prepared for the music exam. One of the exercises will be to make up a tune on the keyboard with both harmony on the left hand and tune on the right hand. The three learners each did this, better than I was expecting. We have done it in previous lessons. Finally we added djembes and the tube didgeridoo to the mix and made a recording. The Riverview kids came for an outing at the swimming pool, including lassanga and 5 litres of ice cream which I provided. There were about 20 of them and they all had a great time, including squeezing into the Merc for the return trip. My main computer was still working despite regular error messages that the disk was dangerourly close to failing altogether. We had decided to cancel tonight's and tomorrow's CWCP broadcasts mainly to give me time to do a back-up. I continued diligently backing up stuff because although in theory Stephan at PC Partz will replace everying on to the new solid state disk, there is always a possibility of losing everything. I sent a report to Jan on Jamelia's situation, and she replied saying I should ask Lizette Klopper at our church for a food parcel. I sent this message to Lizette: "Hi Lizette, Friends of mine in Avian Park have a serious hunger problem. Jan Buchanan suggested I talk to you. She said you might be able to provide emergency food for a time. Here's the background. We have been mentoring Jamelia September who we have a close relationship with and she is honest and mature for her years (14). There are 5 children (incl a very sick baby) and 5 adults (including a sick grandfather who lies in bed all day) in their house and they are totally out of food, very hungry, and out of power. I took Jamelia to school at 6:30 am today and gave her and her mother a food parcel + R50 each. Jamelia says they are so poor these days they have no money for drugs or alcohol. My question to you is: do you think I should speak to child welfare about them, or would that make things worse - separating them? There is some physical abuse in the house brought on by extreme stress. Or should we give them money at least till their next grant cheque, in the hope that the money situation is temporary. Or should I have a heart to heart with them and recommend the parents tell 2 adults to go somewhere else so there is more food for the rest of them? You may have experience of what to do for people in such situations - Tony Copple, member of Worcester Christian Church, where I bring Jamelia from time to time."

Tue Nov 12
L-A was determined not to disappoint the WPS children at a crucial point in creating a communal masterpiece. It was raining but we were at the school in good time. I taught on why we have 2 eyes and 2 ears. Then we had groups 1 and 2 add their Christian symbols to the canvas. All went well. It was raining strongly by the end of class so we left the canvas there. By the time we were home I was soaked, and put on dry pants and shirt. I hope rain is falling in the East of the country where they desperately need it. Paula wasn't in school, for reasons unknown. I taught Economics 3 - how companies raise money and how people can make money investing in their stocks and bonds. We finished with 10 minutes available for Meccano and solar aeroplane construction. In art a little later, the two of them completed the small (3" square) canvasses that they could take home, using water colour pencils and then brushes. At about 9 pm we received a message from Jamelia that they were completely out of food, money and electricity. L-A and I prayed and discussed the situation, and I was able to reach Jamelia by phone to say I would pick her up at 6:30 tomorrow, bring food, and take her to school - then the call disconnected. I sent a request for advice to Mella (since Jan hadn't responded to a message from me yesterday asking if she was affected by the huge wildfires in Eastern Australia threatening Sydney). 'Hi Mella, We have neen in touch with Jamelia (lead dancer after the intermision at YWAM) who we have a close relationship with and she is honest and mature for her years. There are 5 children (incl a very sick baby) and 5 adults (including a sick grandfather who lies in bed all day) in their house and they are totally out of food, very hungry, and out of power. I am taking Jamelia to school at 6:30 am tomorrow and will give her and her mother R50 each (maybe more if I feel I must) so they can get something to eat. Jamelia says they are so poor these days they have no money for drugs or alcohol. My question to you is: do you think I should speak to child welfare about them, or would that make things worse - separating them? There is some physical abuse in the house brought on by extreme stress. Or should we give them money at least till their next grant cheque, in the hope that the money situation is temporary. Or should I have a heart to heart with them and recommend the parents tell 2 adults to go somewhere else so there is more food for the rest of them? You may have experience of what to do for people in such situations.' We received a message around 9 pm from Jamelia saying there was no food or power in the house, and they were all hungry. I was able to reach her by phone to say I would bring food at 6:30 tomorrow morning and then drive her to school.

Mon Nov 11
The disk diagnostics were less than encouraging, with error code 2000-0151, and the phrase being 'Smart predictive failure.' Backing up key stuff was urgent. In Science, after some brief revision I taught them Ecomomics 2: what happens when they leave school - university, companies, entrepreneurship. I called PC Partz about my computer, and gave them the readout from the diagnostics. They confirmed that the disk must be replaced. I asked if it could be replaced with a solid state storage device. They said 'yes' and quoted me prices, which were less than I had expected. I pushed my luck and asked if they would also switch it from Win 7 to Win 10. They said 'yes.' This was great to hear. At 11 am on the 11th day of the 11th month we arrived at Dr Hofmeyr's surgery and L-A received two fillings. She hadn't been certain if some of the pain was a side effect of the chemo. Apparently not. I went down to Avian Park as usual on a Saturday afternoon, but our Mailbox clubs were not much in evidence. Jamelia didn't look too well as I sang to some of her siblings, only one of whom wanted to sing with me. She showed me her flip flops - her only shoes - which I had mended a few months ago. No wonder they wear out fairly fast. This one was not repairable. I borrowed it from her for half an hour. Chantelle had no children, but persuaded me to give her R60 for an elastic bandage for her leg, recommended by her athletic trainer. Marsha was nowhere to be found, so I drove into town and bought a new pair of flip-flops at the Chinese store for R30. Then back to the end of Pelikaan where Bella was still waiting for her learners, and I gave the flip flops to Jamelia. L-A wasn't feeling good but she added water and salt and brushed the art canvas to improve the overall look before the children add their Christian symbols.

Sun Nov 10
The post-chemo effect was now hitting L-A with nausea and fatigue, worse that in the past. She did not want to go to church - so that is a bad sign. I went, and came straight home afterwards. At 2 I fetched Jamelia and Jermaine so they could prepare homework, and they stayed till about 5. I showed them Jamelia's dancing at YWAM on Saturday, plugging Flip into Pink Dell. Jamelia told me she thought it was Amedja who had persuaded the 'United in Christ' team to slot them in after the break - and to find their music on line. Although I was still getting regular error messages about my defective disk, the computer was otherwise performing normally. I worked on things that would be lost if this computer went down. Before turning in I set the computer to run disk diagnostics.

Sat Nov 9
I was much relieved not to go to Brandvlei early today. Yesterday's driving had taken a lot out of me and I slept till about 8. When I turned on my computer there was an omminous error message on screen advising me of a 'smart predictive failure' on the hard drive. This I did not want to see - the natural result would be to have to buy a new hard drive, with the risk of data loss if the machine was not fully backed up. The error message suggested that the machine could cease working at any time and strongly recommended a back-up, so I spent some time today backing up critical files such as the final versions of Legacy, my first audio book. I prayed that the computer would stay working long enough to back up vital files. I went down to Avian Park and delivered sandwiches to all except Chantelle, who wasn't at Avian Park or OVD.

Fri Nov 8
There was load shedding in the night. I had set my main computer to defrag, and I think that after the power went the computer battery drained. If this happens during defragging, there could be unexpected consequences. We had 7 at early morning prayer group, the largest number in a while. L-A had switched her chemo from Thursday to Friday so that we could combine it with taking Lynn back to cape Town. Lynn became her chemo buddy and I went searching for Corningware in Cape Gate Mall. I didn't find it in the Home stores, and Home Etc even phoned their store in Canal Walk, and they didn't have it either, but this saved me a fruitless drive. What I did find in Cape Gate Mall was a VapeShop and CBD oil, which will save my going to Canal Walk. After checking back with L-A I replenished two of her items. When the chemo was complete (no more Red Devil!) we drove to Bloubergstrand with its magnificent view of Table Mountain. We had an excellent dinner in Ons Huisie (pronounced almost like Daisy, which tickled Lynn). My starter was 7 oysters for R20! They had been out of oysters, but manager Mike came to my rescue and got them from their sister restaurant up the street. We could see Robben Island from the restaurant. We really enjoyed it there. Vernon called and suggested that instead of us leaving Lynn at his place in Seapoint, he would meet us with her keys at her guest house, which we did, and then said our goodbyes. It had been a lovely 3 days with her. L-A and I then drove home, arriving very tired so going soon to bed after I had Glenda hadn't arranged prison ministry tomorrow morning.

Thu Nov 7
After science, we picked up Lynn and headed to Matjiesfontein. We had been there a year ago on our return from Sutherland and knew it to be an unusual and pleasant destination. We stopped in Touwsrivier and I chatted with Moses, who seemed in excellent spirits. At De Dorns we had to detour off the highway because of industrial action that had interrupted the through traffic. In Matjiesfontein we had lunch at the same table as a year ago and it was equally nice, and birds came to the table again, though I can't say they were the same birds. We lingered for quite a while in the pleasant surroundings in perfect weather. Before leaving town we drove around a bit, seeing the Pink Church, and the station. Back home, Lynn bought us a Roman's pizza. Actually she had paid for all of our meals out.

Wed Nov 6
I woke up with a picture in my mind of what had caused South Africa's sorry state, and it wasn't too complimentary to Nelson Mandela. Free houses for the poor, grants for everyone and additional amounts with every child, and then free medical had spawned a generation with no incentive for work or worth ethic. In UK and Canada there was no such generosity by the state, except for free health care - the only area where one has limited control. Since we have now completed the 6th day of Creation in 'Science-In the beginning,' I decided to give them some engineering assessment, disguised as construction toys. We have two construction toys: 1. Meccano car, and 2. Cardboard solar-powered aeroplane. (The solar power turns the propeller but not fast enough for the plane to take off!) This was made easier by the fact that Deliverance was no longer with us. I worked with Seth on the Meccano, and Sinegugu worked on the aeroplane while Paula watched. Paula wasn’t happy about just watching. Seth made some progress both on reading instructions and on screwing parts together. Sinegugu did far better than I expected with little supervision from me. She also discovered that when the plane was complete she needed to take it out into the sun for the propeller to turn. Here are some photos and a video. In the music lesson, while I taught recorder to one learner at a time, the others continued with construction of their projects. Sinegugu was so keen to get back to her solar aeroplane that she played the recorder tune perfectly right off the bat! Seth finds the recorder very hard, with his 7-year old fingers, but he tries hard.
Lynn came with me to Riverview, picking up Mella on the way. Mella had not intended to have ministry today, but just have me collect the signed forms for the YWAM concert on Saturday and swimming next Wednesday. But when she heard Lynn wanted to see the action, she said she would be happy to show her, so first we went to Topsy Turvy Creations and met two women in their workshop. Then, as we collected the forms, Lynn handed out maple candies to the children, making instant friends. We took Mella back to her home, and then I drove Lynn on a tour of four townships and the Brandwachts foothills seeing places that we have connections with along the way. Then we came back to Hooggelegen for socializing before going to Starpark for Chinese dinner

Tue Nov 5 - Lynn arrival day
Today was going to be busy in a good way. When we arrived at Worcester Primary School, at the back where we'd parked last week. Louis was not yet there, but we went in anyway, plus the large canvas. The children swarmed L-A - they really love her. In music I taught them 'We are one in the spirit.' In the science section we looked at (literally) sound from lesson 84, as I used the bohdran to make a a sound wave which made pepper dance on plastic wrap round a tin can, and I told them that was like their ears and eardrums. In art we continued working on the canvas with groups 3 and 4, compleing the second phase of this ambitious project. The staff were taking quite an interest and lots of photos as they saw what was emerging on the canvas. My science lesson at MasterPeace Academy was the last lesson in the book, on optical illusions. Even though there were only three learners now they made enough noise for 30. I dropped L-A at the school for art, where Janey would again be joining her, and I drove down to Avian Park to collect Jamelia and her parent to take them to the Empilisweni Clinic dentist. Except I didn't. They were not there. I drove to OVD to get Chantelle, and she was there, but no parent, and her grandmother wouldn't deputise. So there would be no dental work done for them. If we repeat the exercise will they be any more reliable. Later Jamelia told me she couldn't come because of school work, and next week she would be in school examas, so wouldn't be able to come. The idea that one should treat a dental appointment as a firm commitment had not really impressed her, and certainly the fact that the dentist was making herself available for free was not something Jamelia considered. One fully understands the way the clinic works, setting appointments for 1pm on Tuesdays for everyone, since half will be no-shows. After school we drove to Seapoint for the great reunion with Lynn (Williams), and also with Vernon. We put her suitcase in the car and drove the N1 to Du Kloof for coffees and photo ops, and then on to Lynn's guest house, the Habit, on Porter Street where she checked in. Then she came home with us for waterblommetjiebredie lamb dinner and talking and enjoying company.

Mon Nov 4
Good news from WeTransfer; the second batch of files had also completed its upload. Although the two batches of files were a lot less than the 2GB maximum free transfer, by splitting into batches after defragging the problem had been solved. I suspect the key issue was the defrag. At 8 am I called the Empilisweni Clinic and made appointments for both Jamelia and Chantelle for tomorrow at 1pm. I was speaking to the dentist herself, Dr Jivangi (sp?). It turned out that Jamelia had failed to tell me what the dentist had said on her visit last Tuesday. To receive treatment she either needed to bring a form from the school, or one parent with Jamelia's clinic card or birth certificate. At school I heard the sad news from Mella that Deliverance's mother was taking him out of school (probably to save money). I was sad about this. He was learning fast with virtually individual tuition. I went to several home stores in the Mall, and though Home Etc do sell Corningware they didn't have janey's piece in stock. When I went down to inspect the Mailbox clubs, I gave both Jamelia and Chantelle their written instructions to be ready with a parent and a birth cerificate or clinic card at 12:30 tomorrow. There were three operational clubs: Jamelia's, Chantelle's, and most gratifying, Marsha's, who had 8 kids. By then I only had 4 apples left, so they passed them round taking a bite each. I took Chantelle, Jamelia and Anthonica back to our house for a couple of hours for homework/wifi time. I called Allianz. The two ourstanding claims since June were still not settled, and now I was told they needed medical records from South Africa. I was then transferred to sales, because I need a new policy. In fact it turned out my existing policy had run out two days before. When I was taken through a verbal questionaire, the question came up about anemia. I was unsure how to answer it because my anemia is just iron-defficiency anemia, and the question was asking generally about sycle-cell anemia and other very serious illnesses. By my saying yes to anemia, she told me (a) I would not be covered in the new policy and (b) my premium would approximately double. so I told her need clarity from my GP about the exact anemia diagnosis, and I would get back to her. So until this is resolved, I am not covered for anything, and we already know L-A is not eligible for renewal. As an ex-insurance agent I am only too well aware that travelling abroad travel insurance is a big 'no no.' So I sent Dr Eric an e-mail asking for the exact anemia diagnosis, and also asking for my medical records. I completed L-A's third medical claim package with all the original receipts, so they are now all ready for Lynn to take with her and mail in Canada.

Sun Nov 3
For the second time, WeTransfer refused to go beyond 95% of the files. A new strategy was needed (see this evening). We were a little late leaving home. Chantelle had phoned to say she was at OVD, so we went there first. On to Avian Park where there was no sign of Britney. We left past Marsha's, and she was all dressed up for - I don't know what - but yes, she would love to come to Hillsong in Somerset West and it fas fine with her parents. So now we were a full load and on our way. As we got closer to Hillsong, Marsha complained of sinus pain. By the time we were parked, she was lying in the back seat in no condition to come in to the service, and I prayed over her. The three of us went in. There wasn't time for coffees. Once L-A and Chantelle were in our row, I went out, drove the car to the disabled spot right outside the church, and asked Marsha if she was well enough to come in. She clearly wasn't. For the rest of the service I checked on her periodically, but she never did see the inside of Hillsong. L-A did some prophetic drawing. A highlight of the service was an unexpected video clip of Siya Kolisi, captain of the Springboks, thanking his Hillsong church for their spiritual support. We knew he was Christian, but to be a Hillsong member was extra special for us. After the service we went to the mall and bought nutrition items and Montagu dried fruit, and by now Marsha was feeling better. She hadn't been keen on coming to the beach, but Chantelle didn't want to miss that, even though it was too cold to swim. We parked in our regular spot, and L-A sat in the pink chair near the entrance rather than venture further on to the beach, and the girls stayed with her while I sat for a short time on the beach. See photos. Soon the girls were tempted and walked to the waves. It wasn't long before Marsha was in up to her waist, and Chantelle to her knees, both enjoying themselves a lot, despite the wind. There were several men kite-surfing. I took photos. Half an hour later we were ready to drive home, dropping them off first at their homes, after getting some of Chantelle's clothes from OVD. Before goung to bed, I set the computer to defrag. At 3 am when L-A takes meds, I sent half of the "Legacy' audio files by WeTransfer to Devon at Audioshelf and to Jasper. Then at about 4:30 after seeing this had completed, I sent the second half.

Sat Nov 2
The WeTransfer to Audioshelf ran all night and only reached 95%. I had two urgent tasks for the weekend, the first of which was to get those files transferred. I put this task on hold till the evening. The second task was to complete the outstanding medical claims with original invoices so that Lynn could take them back with her. Not going to the prison this morning allowed me to make good progress, and soon I had all the invoices for Laurie-Ann's cancer claim up to the beginning of chemotherapy listed and ready to scanned. The scan was not for emailing to them; just for our copy of what Lynn would be mailing to them on her return to Canada in a few weeks. At about 10:15 Bella phoned to ask for help getting her family home after a shopping trip to Boxer grocery store. I decided to helpt them even though my preference was to watch the Springboks and England battle out the Rugby World Cup final in Japan, which would start at 11 am here. But when I got to Boxer they were still shopping. I went to get ham, bread etc for the girls in the afternoon, but when I returned to Boxer there was no sign of them and the game was starting in a few minutes. So I went home. Whan I got there, Bella texted to say har mother was upset that I wasn't waiting for them, and she wanted to know why I was in such a hurry. So I returned to Boxer for the third time, and for the third time they were still not througn the turnstiles. I found them in the store with a huge amount of bulk foods in two shopping trolleys. I pushed the trolleys back to the car and just about filled the Mercedes trunk! How they would have got that lot home without my help I have no idea. I later found out that her mother was running an informal business, buying in bulk and selling in smaller quantities to neighbours. Good for her! I got home during the half time break in the rugby, and watched the second half uninterrupted. As the world knows, South Africa beat England 32 to 12. All other cares were forgotten in the euphoria! I had thought L-A would be well enough to have Mailbox Club Saturday Ministry in our home, but she wasn't. The pain in her knees following her fall has increased and she could not walk more than a couple of paces, even inside the house, without my help. So I drove down to Avian Park with sandwiches, Koeksisters and fruit. Jamelia had said she would be away, and the only leaders I found were Bella, Britney and Anthonica, who told me that her mother had vetoed her coming with us to Hillsong tomorrow because she must attend the baptism of a neighbour's child. She called her father on my phone and he told her the same. Up the street Veronica and Britney were asking for - anything. I said to Veronica that she shouldn't spend money on alcohol and drugs, and she agreed with me, but said she couldn't help herself. At least she was honest. I asked Britney if she would like to come to Hillsong tomorrow in place of Anthonica, and she said yes. I told her to be ready at 9:15. Back home I knuckled down to medical invoice work earlier than I expected, completing L-A's cancer claim and part 2 of my claim for low iron (anemia). Janey had given us a dinner in a Corningware pan, and I was taking it to the car, when just outside the door in gusty weather I managed to drop the glass lid. I thought it would smash into small pieces, but all that happened was some glass was chipped off the edge. I decided that if I could buy a replacement Janey need never know how careless I had been. Late evening I set the WeTransfer a second time to run overnight.

Fri Nov 1
I got up at my alarm and was at Louis' front door at 5:45. The house was dark and I wondered if he had overslept. Afer a few minutes he came to the door in dressing gown. Until this point I still assumed I was right and the rest of the world was wrong. I looked at my watch - it was 3:45! Last night I must have changed the time instead of the alarm time. I apologised profusely, went back home and back to bed for two hours before returning for the early morning prayer group, where I should have prayed for a spiritual lobotomy. Actually, this kind of hiccough can be the Lord stopping me from becoming overconfident. I Whatsapped Glenda to say that we wouldn't be going to Brandvlei tomorrow, not having received her confirmation that we would be expected. I suggested that maybe the time had come when we should return to the Medium, which, under the terms of the new application I had sent a few days ago, would allow Soraya to teach a DTP. I resolved to complete my work on getting the audio files for 'Legacy' sent to Audioshaelf this weekend, so today I sent in the metadata (including a suggested price for the audible version), and recorded the opening and closing credits. I provided two versions of these, one with music from TPO, James group from Leeds university that I have been using for the CWCP broadcasts from legacy, and one without this music. I renamed all of the audio files in accordance with Aidioshelf's instructions, and before retiring to bed set up the transfer of everything using WeTransfer.

Thu Oct 31
We had some drama in science when Deliverance slipped as he was getting back on his seat, hitting his lower front tooth on the wooden bench. I heard a crack. He cried in pain immediately, running to me, and there was blood welling up around his lower teeth. I put my hand over his mouth as I brought him into the washroom. After swilling his mouth in cold water a few times the blood flow stopped. His tooth was broken, but seemed firm in his jaw. Later I checked recent pictures of him, and the tooth was whole. It is a baby tooth so this shouldn't be a problem for him. I advertized this evening's CWCP with Ankia quite widely, including to Carl Wake and his son Peter Wake, since I included the song with words by Peter "
What is the difference betwwn this man and me" - an eloquent statement with truths that any prison volunteer can relate to. I am quite proud of the tune I wrote for it, and the quality of the guitar on the recording. Carl listened in and asked me to send him the audio file of the interview, which I did. I believe it could be used for prison volunteer orientation. I also sent the file to Jeremy Jobling and Glenda. When I turned in I set the alarm to 5:15 am for tomorrow's prayer group, which would be at Louis' house across the street. Unfortunatly I also re-set the time.

Wed Oct 30
Mella had a lunch meeting with her aquafit friends in Robertson, and Ronel went to her parent's home to work on fundraising strategies, so the school was left to the tender mercies of me and Janey. Things went fine. In music I had another go at teaching recorder, but this time I first set them down round the table colouring Laurie-Ann's drawings. Then I called each in turn to practise three notes on recorder with me. Sinegugu came first and did well. Paula came next; not too bad. Sadly neither Seth nor Deliverence was able to play the notes with their small fingers - but they did genuinely try. The experiment had worked. When it was time to go home I made sure the doors were locked and that I hadn't left my things inside. I took with me the cookies and juice for Riverview. After half an hour at home I drove rown to Riverview. Kevin was a little late so I prayed with the kids and then started praise and worship with a bunch of them gathered round my music stand reading and singing the words. Kevin soon arrived with peaches and when I'd finished gave his talk. There were 22 children and just enough food and drink. Mella had given me parental approval sheets for a concert coming up for 10 children, and for swimming for all of them. I gave these out. Back home I worked on the Legacy audio files for Audioshelf. When this is done I must complete the medical insurance claim forms so Lynn can take the original receipts and claims back to Canada with her. I am going to be busy on the computer for a few days. Mella posted a message on whatsapp complaining that when she had arrived home she found that the back gates of the house had been left open. I had only locked the back door, so this was my fault. I apologised and said that I didn't know there were gates at the back that needed locking. Farrel came over as planned at 6. He gave me an excellent interview on Highway Ministry, which ended with promoting a huge prayer event in Worcester on 29 November when he expects thousands to come out and pray for road safety.

Tue Oct 29
L-A was up for Legacy Relay, and we had been told of the rear entrance, which allowed us to drive much closer to the classroom. This was important for Laurie-Ann's reduced mobility. It was also her first outing with her new walking stick, Rosie, which (who?) had been couriered from Johannesburg. I skipped the science segment to give more time for art. This was all done on the large canvas, where groups 1 and 2 used brushes with water to turn the colour pencil work done two weeks ago into paint before their very eyes. It was ambitious, but it worked, enabling every child to be part of creating a piece of modern art, and they clearly enjoyed it. The arrangements for art at MasterPeace AMellcademy were a little different because of Jamelia's dental appointment. Once L-A was installed with the class (no Deliverance today) I drove to Avian Park to pick up Jamelia. Marsha was there to accompany her. We got to the Empilisweni Clinic on time and checked in. She was told to wait till 1:30. I then returned to the school. Janey had arrived 10 minutes after I'd left to assist L-A. It was soon time-up for art, and the children went home, I took L-A home, and then I returned to Zwelatemba. My concern had been that they might have extracted the tooth just to minimized their effort, but in fact they examined her and asked her to return next week for a filling, so this was all very satisfactory. I got the girls some chips and bread on the way home. I was quite tired when I got back to Hooggelegen so decided to have a couple of hours sleep, and slept soundly. Farrell from next door came over about 5 and we all chatted for quite a while, and he told us about Highway Ministry, started in 1995 to pray for truckers and taxi drivers. He agreed to come over tomorrow for a CWCP interview. I sent out info on Thursday's program with Ankia SWart.

Mon Oct 28
Shortly after 8 am I rang the Empilisweni Clinic in Zwelatemba (023 814 2250) and managed to secure an appointment for Jamelia to see a dentist tomorrow at some time after 1pm. No flexibility over the time... Their address is Mayinyana Avenue, with no street number, and it's a long avenue, but the lady told me it wasn't far from the robots. After the science class I drove there so that there would be no mistake when I take Jamelia. It was true, there was no street number (it's a government building so you can't expect any thought of consequences to have entered their minds when they were naming the building). I noted that the house directly opposite was number 24, so that would be how to set a GPS. I went shopping for nectarines, coming into season, and near the stall on Porter Street there was a thirty-something woman sitting on the sidewalk looking very sad. I only had a few rand but gave them to her and prayed for/with her - for which she was clearly touched and grateful. We received a cancer donation, the first for a couple of weeks, which encouraged both of us. Anton van Rensberg had recommended I phone his friend Farrel, who has a highway ministry and lives in Hooggelegen. It turned out he lives across the street from us and was the first neighbour I ever spoke to. I tld him he was recommended as an interviewee, and he said he'd come over then next day. Chantelle began wearing L-A down with messages on Messenger shortly after I got home. It was a long dialogue with both of us but eventually I went down and brought her back for an hour prior to Mailbox Clubs so she could work on her school assignment. It was still raining (since yesterday) so I didn't expect much attendance at the Clubs, and I didn't take the guitar. However both Jamelia and Chantelle did have some kids. I led the music in Jamelia's a capella and it worked quite well because I was able to add actions to a few songs that I have memorized. Glenda emailed to say that the application I had send in with Alpha as servive provider to Brandvlei wouldn't fly because there was an existinf agreement with Alpha. She asked me to re-do it as I had done originally, with Tony Copple and Associates as service provider, and she also said I could add an additional service: DTP, Disciplesship Training Program, which Soraya could deliver based on concepts from the YWAM DTS. I put the new application together and sent in in the next day. This might turn out to be good news, allowing us more flexibility. In the evenening after an excellent waterblommetjiebredie and chicken dinner we had a good phone chat with Lynn on Whatsapp. Then I continued working on getting the Legacy audio files into the right format for Audioshelf, reaching Chapter 7. L-A worked on the large canvas that will be the focus of art at Legacy Relay tomorrow.

Sun Oct 27
Brian Houston spoke on the difference between 'Staying Alive' and being fully alive, which seemed to me to respond partially to L-A's sadness of last night. I took her to church and stayed till 9:30, during which time Ankia's prison volunteers were brought to the the front and prayed for. I was tempted to go up with them, grab the mic and tell everyone about CWCP this Thursday. But it's not fun for the organizers in a large church when the unexpected happens. Jamelia and her brother Jermaine were waiting for me, and we picked up her friend Devano along the way. We were at Christian Worship Centre in good time. and Pastor Jan was pleased that I had come through on my plan to be there this Sunday with the kids. He greeted us near the beginning and asked the kids to stand as he introduced them. There were plenty of others their age in the congregation; they seemed to feel at home, sang all the songs, and afterwards told me they had really enjoyed. It would be great if they can get there without my help in the future, plus others. Jamelia asked if she could come home with me to work on her Facebook and I couldn't see why not. I stopped at OK to get some eggs, and outside was a man trying to sleep on the ground. Unusually, he had bedding: looked like sheet and blankets. In addition to the eggs I bought a coeksister and gave it to the man and prayed for him. Not what he expected! I texted this to Laurie-Ann, who replied that Marius had driven her home and she was able to get in through the garage door. During this time the Springboks were battling it out with Wales in the semi-final of the Rugby world cup. When we got home we made very nice egg sandwiches which the three of us had for lunch.

Sat Oct 26
First thing I did was to post the link to Heavenquest: A Pilgrim's Progress to our Facebooks, to HS 24 and to Iris Alumni. Then I tweeted it including a link to Peta Sergeant's Twitter. I had an idea that since we have access for the whole of today we should invite people to come here and watch it tonight. L-A called Heather and she was up for it. and 7pm would be convenient. I then posted invitations to a number of Whatsapp groups. Next item on my 'do' list for this morning was to post tomorrow's GNiTM to podcast. I checked that there will be enough in our AiO to pay my MasterCard on 1 November. I am frankly surprised that so far we have been able to settle both the Mastercard and L-A's Visa each month in full without paying interest. The donations for L-A's cancer support have helped enormously. But we have not been getting the IG pension of $3,000 a month since May, and I thought that would really bring us down. Maybe we have reduced our expenses. Or maybe the Holy Spirit is lunbricating our finances! After supper at about 6, I drove to Jamelia's with a couple of slices of cornbread intended for her and her grandfather, but the house was full so I suspect everyone will get a bite. Jamelia confirmed she wouldn't be alone when I took her to Christian Worship Centre tomorrow morning. Then on to Janey's to collect our supper for tomorrow. Janey gave me, to give to L-A, a book called 'Prayers for difficult times - Cancer.' When she's cured she must pass it on to another cancer patient. Next stop OVD, to give Chantelle her sandwich etc., and another for her grandmother. I had left one at her home in Avian Park but she said it would have been eaten. Lastly to Heather's house to bring her to watch Heavenquest: A Pigrim's Progress. Noone else showed up to see the movie from all my invitations. We had tea and cornbread, and then got to it. This time I asked if L-A would describe any Christian quotes and characters. It all seemed far clearer to me on the second viewing, particularly the last 20 minutes, and I really enjoyed it a lot. When it was over we watched part of my Harvest Film 3, from Pemba, in which Peta is featured and it was really good to see her there, after the big movie. After taking Heather home I purchased a download copy of the film just a few hours before the deadline, after which it won't be possible to see the film until its release next year. L-A confided in me that she was not feeling the spiritual high that the knows is possible; even normal when the Holy Spirit fees at hand. I said she was worried about a falling off in donations for her cancer appeal as fade factor takes over, and that she mustn't allow this to depress her, because actually our financial situation is better that I ever expected by this stage, no longer having IG pension income. L-A and I began watching 'The Good Fight,' a sequel to 'The Good Wife' without Alicia, but with the same writers Robert and Michelle King, and many of the same characters. It starts with a Bernie Madof-type ponzi scheme showing the brokenness of people duped into bad investments, one of whom was Diane Lockhart, and others, many of her clients.

Fri Oct 25
In the afternoon got some Mailbox copies made at Rodlyn's where Lynda said she planned to listen to CWCP Tellyfonics edition. Drove on the Hospice were among others encouraged the young double leg amputee. Sometimes when I arrive at the hospice I wonder if I am not intruding and not being very effective, but bu the time I leave I am always reminded that it's the Holy Spirit who is being effective, and that I must continue this ministry. I went home via the mall, and there was goat's milk in Woolworths. At checkout I thanked the sales lady for having it in stock, and said to me it was they because I had asked for it! Instead of posting last night's Worcester Report's podcast to Legacy Relay Whatsapp, I posted the audio of Culture Night. If there is no negative reaction I'll post CWCP later. I would love the children to know they had been on radio, at the right time. No response from Glenda about prison Alpha tomorrow so I messaged to Soraya that we'll have another lie-in tomorrow. In the evening I finally reached 'The End' of The Good Wife on Showmax. This has been my entertainment companion on this journey, and it has yielded a stream of quality drama from which I have enjoyed and learned many things, not only about the law as the series tackled topics of public interest and concern. The most noble of the characters was Grace, Alicia's daughter, whose Christian calling was presented supportively, and an unfortunate aspect of the show was its apparent need to include so much ready sex by the main characters, high ups in society, all of them flawed and ready to ditch intergrity for personal benefit. But it makes for remarkable drama. Greatest accolades to the creators and writers of many of the scrips, Robert and Michelle King, who went on to produce 'Brain Dead.' In the evening we watched Heavenquest: A Pilgrim's Progress. It was great to see Peta - clearly an accomplished actor. The film is fantasy Christian, like Lord of the Rings, which may attract a secular audience as well as Christians, and make Darryl Wilson and all the stars into millionairs - wouldn't that be good! Laurie-Ann was following all the Biblical references but most of them were lost on me. The production and acting is uniformly excellent, and maybe if I watch it again I'll understand better what it was about.

Thu Oct 24
In science I adopted a sterner stance, putting Sinegugu in the corner twice in the first 10 minutes for disiplinary offences. She then smartened up and behaved better for the rest of the lesson. I told the childen that they had forced Eeltje to quit, and did they want the rest of their teachers to quit? It is so hard for them just to sit, be quiet and listen to the teacher, watching what is being taught. Their preference is continual physical and verbal engagement with each other, which always trumps whatever a teacher may be saying or doing. The teacher's challenge is not to let it get you down, or lose your cool. RIP Eeltje. Anton van Rensburg noticed that his eyes were closed in a picture I posted of him and Rina on Facebook, but I was able to find another shot in the recycle bin with his eyes open. As I arrived home after school I was delighted to see that L-A was well enough and preparing to come to the lunch for HS 31 outreach students, who were on their first foreign visit in the new style school. At noon we arrived at Pomegranate, which was deserted. We realized that maybe today's lunch was at the winery coffee, but when we got there, they weren't yet there either. I collected L-A's four framed pieces which had been hanging there several months. Around 1 pm the class arrived with Johan and Marie, and we all sat down to lunch. Both of us were asked to give a short talk about our lives on the mission field, and then to take questions. Then when the students went hospital visiting with Maggie, we stayed chatting with Johan and Marie for a while, and told them that we we have a flight booked for 2 April. On our way home we got fish and chips from Ocean Fisheries and then collected Jamelia and Bella to come for homework wifi. It was a tight squeeze for me to finish preparing the broadcast and heat up their supper, and take them home, but we managed it. There was enough spare room in the Worcester Report for extra music, and I decided to include the recording I had just finished editing from Worcester Primary School Culture night a week before. I also decided not to ask permission to use it, preferring to apologise and remove it from the podcast if anyone objected. Getting permission would have taken a long time. L-A asked me to register for the on-line preview of Heavenquest: A pilgrim's progress, which stars Peta Sergeant, our friend from Harvest School 24.

Wed Oct 23
At 10:30 I was at Tellyfonics to interview Anton Jansen van Rensburg for CWCP. His wife Rina joined us but not the conversation, but she is clearly a strong partner in the business, as is his son Anton. It was a good interview, but the audio quality wasn't up to the usual standard because of background noise and him being some distance from the mic. For music class I returned to recorders, full of enthusiasm after seeing the Worcester Primary School culture night. I showed them that they were going to learn just three notes, and hold the bottom of the recorder with their right hand. But the younger children had great difficulty completely covering the holes with their fingers, even when playing just one note, B. When we graduated to playing the next two notes, A and G, only Sinegugu was able. Whenever I helped one of them individually, the others played up. It is impossible for them just to sit, without interfering with one another which ends in fighting. So I asked them to go in different rooms and practise the three notes. Soon they were running from one room to another, Deliverance blowing anything on his recorder. So I gave up and checked if they could still improvise on the keyboard. Near the end Mella came in and gave us the news that Eeltje de Haan had quit after two weeeks; just couldn't handle the waywardness of the children. I told her what had happened in our class, and that I didn't want to continue with recorders, but she suggested giving the kids who weren't actually playing separate non-musical activities. She asked me to continue with recorders at least one more week. I did the Riverview club with Mella in a howling wind, and the children all huddled in a small area which was partially sheltered. I have been in communication with Devon Martin dale at Audioshelf who has OK'd my audio standards and has now created a square cover for the book that Jasper is happy with. Next stage is for me to send in all the chapters in exactly the right formats.

Tue Oct 22
L-A was still not well enough to leave the house, but I had prepared her Legacy Relay spot and her art class. At Legacy, after music I spoke to the children about what happens to them after they leave school and either go on to university or enter the work force, and then what their broad options are for careers. This is basicly economics, career planning, entrepreneurship and working for a living. I have always wondered why such subjects are not taught in school, though I admit that the age of 6 may be a little early for it - nevertheless most of them followed the points to which I was introducing them. By the time I got to MasterPeace Academy I was feeling somewhat under par - 'flu? - and the quality of my teaching was suffering. I had a 10:30 appointment with Dr Hofmeyr because of the severe pain I was in 10 days ago, but which had ceased completely after he shaved off the upper and lower parts of the tooth (and its opposite number) causing the problem. He had planned to do a root canal, but when he had satisfied himself there was no pain, he filled a cavity in the tooth that had had the pain, and extracted the root of a nearby tooth that no longer had a function but might cause probelems in the future. This was expert dental care and should ensure that my plate will be functional for some years. For art class I had them practise drawing Christian symbols, but instead of just copying them, I drew them one line at a time on the whiteboard. This they could handle, and three of them produced credible images; Deliverance was away today. At 2pm I had an appointment with Jan van Rooyen at the Christian Worship Centre in Avian Park, his church. I gave him R300 that I had withdrawn from the My Father's House bank account, with which he would pay the men who recently cut the grass on Jan's land. Then I asked him to witness my signature on the Brandvlei service provider agreement. I scanned the agreement and sent it to Glenda, and in the same message asked her again if we would be welcomed in Brandvlei this Saturday.

Mon Oct 21
It seemed to be a long night since one or other of us was getting up every so often, mainly because of medications. I had leg cramps and then a new pain in my right foot. That one disappeared when I got my trusty sandals and orthotics on. At school Then I asked Mella to witness my signature on the Brandvlei service provider agreement. After school my first stop was at Tellyfonics where I was able to get a new interview appointment with owner Anton senior for Wednesday morning. I collected several medications prescribed after last week's chemo, and more Oxynorm. I told Carica that Laurie-Ann would not be at Legacy Relay tomorrow because of her leg. I collected a refill of Clopaman from Quenet's for L-A - this was a lucky break because Dr Kotze last week at Cape Gate Oncology had forgotten to prescribe it. I also got the telephone number of Andre Quenet, who owns Q-Square, and works upstairs in the pharmacy. Then I popped in to Munik's and Esmee (Charl's mother) had my watch which had been repaired free of charge by Charl. In the afternoon I went down to see the teens as usual, and I was pretty keen on not driving any of them around Worcester after their classes. Jamelia was unwell with toothache. Her day had started badly when her parents failed to wake her in time for school, and then her father beat her for not going to school. Jamelia said he was in a bad state because he hadn't been able to get his hands on his normal dagga, and was taking it out on her. She had about 8 children ready and waiting for their Mailbox Club, so they did get an extended time of praise and worship from me, plus a small rather sour peach each. Chantelle had just one child for class, and Anthonica none, yet they tried to press me to take them to the library (translation: to buy them food on the way home from the library). I declined, and took Jamelia to the clinic, accompaied by Bella, to make an appointment for dental work. But when we got to the surgery, near the hospital, it was too late to make an appointment. I enquired and found out that the unit they needed to make an appointment with is called OBG. I took them home, getting them crisps and Fanta on the way, and telling Jamelia I would see if I could make an appointment for her by phone. Back home I completed the work on the Brandvlei service provider agreement, and printed it for signatures.

Sun Oct 20
L-A was not able to come to church because of continuing - if lessening - pain following her fall last Tuesday. Johan was back in the pulpit after a couple of weeks away, but he has delegated a number of duties to senior staff. Today an announcement was made that Milk and Honey would be free, but only to people who came in with people they had not spoken to before. A short distance from where I was sitting was a man who had that qualification, so I tapped him on the shoulder and suggested we paired up. After the service we were almost the first to arrive and see the extra large assortment of cakes and other goodies, so we collected our coffee and a cupcake, and then almost immediately I tried (again) to walk through a plate glass door! Coffee was spilt on the door and on my wrist but nor further damage. This is the second time I tried to walk through that door. Something wrong with my peripaheral vision? It certainly didn't damage my conversation with Cyril Davies, prison officer at Brandvlei and talented influence among the inmates. A man with a ready smile who knows his potential and is determined not to waste it. He steps out in faith. The weird thing was that there were far fewer people in Milk and Honey than normal. They stayed away in droves rather than ask a stranger to have a free coffee with them. This must be very galling to church leadership which has promoted the idea that we are all a family and have great affection for each other. Cyril and I chatted about this and life in Brandvlei for half an hour before I went to our cell group, where there were now just four of us. After a coffee and company, I returned to church about 12:15 where the World Rugby quarter final between the Springboks and Japan was playing on Supersports pay TV channel. There were about 15 watching and a similar number enjoying a braai in Milk and Honey. After the first half, the score was SA 5 and Japan 3, and I felt the Japanese team were playing better, had a lot more possession, and might win. I went out to join the braai-ers, among whom were Sankie and her extended family. In the second half of the game, The Springboks came into their own and won convincingly 26 - 3. It was excellent entertainment and I am glad I went. Jamelia sent a message to L-A around 6 pm to say they had had no food in the family all day! I made four peanut butter sandwiches and added apples and tomatoes to a bag for them and drove down. The first person I noticed was her mother holding baby Isaiah, who was meant to have been in hospital in Cape Town. It turns out the doctor found he has an infection, so he delayed the operation until December. As I gave Jamelia her sandwiches, I spoke to her mother and fairly gently recommended she keep track of what their meagre grant money is being spent on. My ulterior motive is to see if they will admit to putting money towards drugs and alcohol, as Jamelia has said. This the lady who had her fingers broken by her husband. However, my gut feel is that a bigger issue for them is that there are so many children and jobless adults in the house that the money is never going to stretch for all their needs.

Sat Oct 19
Lie in! No Brandvlei. Pleasant. Not that I don't enjoy Brandvlei. Today is Brexit Super Saturday, so we watched several editions of the BBC World News, culminating with the announcement that Boris Johnson would have to send a letter to EU requesting extra time for Brexit, but he also sent another letter saying that to extend the time would be bad for Britain and bad for the EU! He signed the second letter but not the first, just so he could say later that he hadn't requested it!!! I was pretty busy with computer work in the morning. Several of the teens including Manville called and asked to be taken swimming in the afternoon. Actually they wanted to go at 1 pm and couldn't get their heads around the idea that I would be going to a party. Mazvita was having a surprize birthday party at 2, and we had decided to give her a nice leather bag that was unfortunately too small for L-A to use. I was ready to leave at 1:45 but couldn't find the car keys. I spent 20 minutes searching, and finally found them in a pocket in Laurie-Ann's handbag that she was giving to Bella. They must have dropped in there from my hand when I was carrying too many things. I arrived at Lovejoy and Mazvita's house at 2:20 to see him with Eliora, but no-one else was there. They had changed the location to a few doors up the street where there was a park-like area at the back which was ideal for a party. Lovejoy said that he expected Mazvita to arrive at 3 (not knowing it was a party for her). I left Mazvita's present on a table with other presents. There were about 20 people there aready. Two of them were Brett and Carolyn, a married couple I had seen regularly in church but never spoken to. He told me some of his story; he'd been through a really bad patch (depression?) after losing his job, but had been solidly supported by the church and his cell group. I noticed Soraya was among the guests, in a very attractive dress, and we chatted for a while. By 3:15, Mazvita had still not arrived, and I slipped away and drove to Avian Park. Anthonica told me that the swimming pool would now be closed, and in a way she was right. Bella and Manville were not around, but Anthonica, Chantelle and Jamelia got in the car with their swimmming things. The subject of Marsha came up, and they told be she had been drinking and smooking dagga. And she had quit school. Passing Marsha's house, her sister waved us down and soon Marsha was also in the car. I hadn't seen her for weeks so this was good. We drove to the swimming pool on Van Riebeck opposite the fire station to find a note on the door that it was closed until further notice. Chantelle suggested we go to the OVD pool. When we got there I realized she meant the pool that I had been many times on Grey Street with Khanyo and Mpho. Chantelle wanted to insist that I couldn't go in because I would be the only white person. This didn't bother me in the least. I paid R9 each for the five of us. Inside it was teaming with brown and black children all having a great time. I had my towel and trunks and noticed a seat on a bench that wasn't taken so sat down. Shortly after, Anthonica came with her bag and clothes for me to look after, so that put paid to my swimming. I took a few photos from where I was sitting, and didn't see anything of the girls for an hour. By about 5:15 they were ready to go home, and begging for chips even though I had fed them with sandwiches and koosisters and apples at 3:30. So we picked up a large Lay's and Fanta at OK (almost the same cost as the swim) and I took them to their homes. They'd had a good time. Before Marsha got out I asked her if it was true she wasn't going to school. She said it was true. I asked the others if they thought this was good and they all said to her that she should be back in school. When I got home we had to deal with Manville who said he'd been waiting in his house and expecting me to knock on his door, but I think it was better that we took Marsha.

Fri Oct 18
I was up early and at Jamelia's house in Avian Park by 5:30 to collect her and her sister Ritadean (sp?) and her baby Isaiah. We were at the hospital pick up place in good time for 6am, but it turned out nothing happened till 7:30 when those patients needing transport to Cape Town for serious medical procedures were gathered for the bus trip. Isaiah's intestine seems not to be connested to his rectum, and he has a catheta bag on his stomach. He has already had about four operations, and now they are ready to complete the process with a final operation. I then drove Jamelia back to her home. After school we went to the mall to pick up Laurie-Ann's new glasses. With the pain in her legs arising from her fall on Tuesday, this was a major operation. The first indication of just how major came as she was leaving the house to get into the car; she needed my arm. Then when we got to the mall she needed my arm for every single step to reach Van Wyk & Le Roux. This was largely forgotten however when she saw the new purple-framed glasses which looked and felt so good on her. When they were paid for and adjusted we walked round the corner to Peacock's. There weren't any free tables so I asked the lady occupant of one of them if my wife could join her and I went off shopping. Meantime she had a nice conversation with the lady. When we got home she took photos of herself in the glasses and posted them, garnering a strong measure of approval. I had asked Glenda to confirm we were expected in a new section in the Youth Centre, but she hadn't replied so at around 2pm I messaged Soraya to say that we wouldn't go in to Brandvlei tomorrow morning.

Thu Oct 17
We tried a messy experiment on insulation. Each learner coated his/her right hand fingers with margarine. At this point one of the learners (not quite sure who because they all accused and counter-accused each other) decided to cover both hands in margarine. The other three then followed suit. They did this when I the teacher was briefly in the kitchen. By the time I returned I realized the experiment was now impossible for them to carry out, since only the fingers of one hand should be covered in margarine. Then came the real messy business of cleaning their hands and arms. As I the teacher cleaned each one mainly with kitchen roll, and then send them back to the classroom, teacher Ronel came to my rescue and maintained order in the classroom. After the children were clean the teacher I spent a while cleaning the kitchen of margarine which was everywhere. I then continued by explaining what should have happened: they should have dipped both hands into (a) iced water and (b) hot water. They would then have noticed that the hand insulated with fat was not affected by the cold or hot as much as the other, showing the insulating properties of fat. We picked up Janey to be L-A's chemo buddy at about 11 and drove to Cape Gate Oncology. I missed the chat with an oncologist because L-A asked me to get a drawing from the car that she wanted to give to Caron. Apparently she and this third oncologist Hannetjie Kotze got on really well. My question, which therefore wasn't really answered was how long can there be between the end of chemotherapy and surgery. We did however explain that we were about to book a flight home on about 12 April 2020, and we had deliberately left a gap after the last chemo, in February, in case additional chemo was needed. Leaving Janey with L-A I then drove to Roeland Square to drop off Mella's laptop for repair, and then to the Vape Shop in Canal Walk to get a repeat of the CBD oil she had bought three weeks ago. Why do the salespeople in a Vape shop/CBD shop feel the need to exhibit the drug-related culture by extreme piercings and other hard-to-look-at adornments? I got back to Cape Gate shortly before her chemo was complete. We then had a quick dinner in Nando's before heading home. L-A received a meessge to say her new glasses were ready - that's just a week. We had been invited to the Worcester Primary School talent show, although it was too soon after L-A's chemo session for her to accomany me. I arrived late and sat near the back with Carica; she got Louis to tell me I should move to the (empty) front row next to other Legacy Relayers, which was much better for pictures and audio recordings. Individuals and classes from the junior grades demonstrated their talent, not least grade 1, and within them not least Kaitlyn and Liam, two stars in our class. I noticed that the recorder playing that figured in several of the performances was somewhat simpler and slower than I had tried to teach at MasterPeace. Both Liam and Kaitlyn gave solo performances of poems.

Wed Oct 16
My tooth wasn't sore at all when I woke this morning. I began to wonder if I could get away without a root canal. That would save R500. For the music lesson I decided to teach them about the rap genre which has dominated a segment of popular culture for nearly 20 years. We started by watching a video called Anyone can Rap. Then, with the front room table as a rhythm instrument, each of them except Seth was ready to try rapping on various subjects. I was quite impressed and made an audio recording. While each of them rapped, the others couldn't be prevented from dancing and joining in. I had Mella's permission to skip Riverview kids' club because Deon de Bruyn had allowed me interview time at 2:30 for CWCP. When I arrived at Cafe Hugo, Deon wasn't there but he had asked Cindy his wife, and apparently the more extroverted of the two, to do the interview. That was fine with me; I was just delighted to get an interview with either of the owners of this iconic Worcester establishment. I decied to do it in the courtyard with real background, such as birdsong and passing pedestrians. At one point Hector plus guide dog took a seat near us, and not knowing this was for radio, briefly joined in the conversation. When I edited the piece that evening I decided to leave it in. This was our 75th show, and I am proud of it. Listen here.

Tue Oct 15
On our way to school for art, there were no convenient parking spots so I dropped L-A by Mella's gate and drove down the street for a spot. As I approached the gate, I saw that L-A was only now entering it, and a woman was also walking away from the gate down the street. L-A had fallen on the sidewalk, and this lady and someone else had helped her up. It turned out the lady recognised L-A from a hospital visit; she was a nurse. L-A was having difficulty walking, and was in pain, and needed my help to reach the front door. When we got to the classroom she noticed the bottom of her walking stick was gone, and insisted it was broken beyond repair. I disagreed, and went out to look for any broken bits, but found none. However, back in the classroom I realized that the only missing part was the rubber bottom I had bought a week ago from Dis-Chem. Do after school we drove to Dis-Chem and I got another one. When we got home and she opened her door, the missing one was in the pocket of the door! We thought that she must have fallen because the rubber bottom had come off. She later discovered that loss of balance can be a side effect of chemotherapy. Dr Hofmeyr, my dentist (and son of Maretha Hofmeyr, chair of the Hooggelegen Community Associaton) looked at my upper molar that had given me a lot of angst last Saturday. I told him that the pain had reduced, probably because of my painkillers. He took x rays and said I would need a root canal. Then he drilled off a small amount of the tooth, and from the lower opposite tooth.

Mon Oct 14
I woke up with a dream on my mind which had clearly been triggered by last night's Good Wife. I wrote it down in my dreams file for its Christian significance. L-A had a very peaceful night - thanks to Louise's sleeping potion. After all they were designed for her, not for me. I called Dr Hofmeyr's office, our dentist, and made an appointment for 11 am on Tuesday. Jamelia and Chantelle ran mailbox clubs, and I led the praise music. Chantelle, Anthonica and Jamelia persuaded me to take them to our home for half an hour for homework and printing. I doubt much homework was done, and no printing, but they had peanut butter sandwiches. I was able to take them home after an hour. Actually I am glad we were able to do something for Chantelle. Godfrey had got me the name of his boss at Cafe Hugo, Dion Dubray. I had dropped in that morning but we was in Cape Town. I called him in the afternoon and asked for an interview on The Worcester Reports, and he agreed. We set a date for this Wednesday at 2:30.

Sun Oct 13
When I woke up my toothache was far less than it had been. Maybe Celebrex and Tramacet work on teeth as well as backs. Come to think of it I have had less leg pain since going back to Celebrex with Tramacet at 5am. I sent an e-mail to Richard (Bendall) assuring him that L-A is following his nutritional recommendations to the letter. We picked up Jamelia and Bell at 9:15 for Hillsong. We were early so we went to Wellness Warehouse and Montagu before the service and picked up replacements for cancer nutrition aids that L-A was out of. Caylene (who I wrongle called Fati) prayed with L-A at some length. Both our girls really got into the music. Lucinda Dowling brought the message about stepping out in faith when you are expecting God to act. After the service we picked up sandwiches and pies at Woolworth's and headed for the beach at Strand. There were many more people than last time. The girls had forgotten to bring costumes, so went for a walk up the beach, probably to check out the boys. I decided to go in to the waves, which were quite big. It certainly was refreshing. When we got home the girls came in with us and had fish supper. They had a good time, and when I dropped them off, admitted they were very tired and were worried about the long walk to school. I gave them R20 with which they thought they could persuade a neighbour to drive them. I had reached Series 7 program E15 of The Good Wife. It includes a senior security committee deciding whether to take out a particular Isis terrorist with a drone strike. Alisha had been asked to join the committee to give a legal opinion. Next day I recommended it to James because of the drone politics. L-A decided to take one of Louise's sleeping pills.

Sat Oct 12
Having not heard back from Glenda on any of the questions I had put to her, we didn't really know what to expect at Alpha this morning. The first thing we saw was good news - someone had opened a file for us at reception, labelled 'Alpha.' It may have taken the whole course (for this is the last day) but they did it. However, the pleasure was short lived. The file required us to fill in details of our travel costs to and from the prison. One of its purposes was to reimburse volunteers for expenses. Since I couldn't even remember the plate number of the car, we weren't able to fill in the form, but I will bring the information with us next Saturday. When we had waited at reception for more than 40 minutes, I was thinking that we would end up with a new group of men, which would be pointless for the plan we had for today. Imagine our delight therefore when we were escorted to the external classroom (where we have been twice before), and 30 men with familiar faces arrived shortly afterwords. We told them today would be different and certificates would be given to those who had attended more than 5 Alpha sessions. One of the men asked if he could recite a poem in our honour, which he did from the front of the room, and very well. I regret that I don't know his name, but he wears glasses. Then we had an extended music session which drew applause after each song. The men sang their hearts out. Then Soraya and I took our places at desks at the front, and the men came up one by one to either of us and answered a questionaire that I had devised last night: Your full name: How many times did you attend Alpha?/ Did you enjoy the course?/ Did you learn things about Christianity that you has not heard before?/ Did you invite anyone else to come to the course?/ Before you came on the course, did you consider yourself to be a Christian?/ Do you believe in God The Father, Jesus and the Holy Spirit now?/ For me it was heartwarming to hear man after man saying how they had enjoyed the course very much, and had learned much that they didn't know before about Christianity. One of my group hadn't know anything, but last Sunday had given his heart to the Lord. One man, Diederick Brummer will be released soon, and I gave him my e-mail address. Lee-Wade Davids has been the most stalwart of attenders and I also gave him my e-mail. Generally they had enjoyed the videos most, and one said "Particularly after the explanations given by us leaders." In my group at least 8 of them had invited others on the course; several had invited 3 others. Of the 30 in the room, we gave out 26 certficates, the exact number I had brought. We told them that we would be moving on to another group within the youth centre, and may not see them again. When Soraya and I were back in Worcester buying samosas from Nana, our weekly routine, Soraya realized that she must have left her Bible in the classroom. So we drove back, and the lady on reception called the officer with the keys and he escorted us back there where she retrieved it.
L-A was well enough for us to have the girls to our house, and I collected Jamelia, Bella, Anthonica and Manville, who is not a girl but I see him as possible future group leader. He would have to go through a course first as a learner. After sandwiches and music, which I and Bella led, they sat at the table and I spoke on the importance of the work they were doing for the future lives of the children, and then gave a very shortened version on Alpha's 'What about the Church.' This allowed me to bring up the Christian Worship Centre, 19 Dikkop St. near the Avian Park library, where Jamelia and I had been one Sunday. I recommended their pastor, Jan van Rooyen, and strongly recommended they become members there. One of my upper molars is giving me a lot of pain. If that tooth were removed there would be nothing to anchor my plate in place.
I have never got into Prince's music, but when he died the international acclaim made me interested. This afternoon I selected him on Spotify, where they have a long playlist of all his best music, and let it run. I have never heard any of these songs sung by Prince before. Purple Rain was completely new to me. I think that the reason is that his music is more rhythmic than tuneful, and until recently I wouldn't have listened actively to it on the radio. But my tastes are still evolving, and my enjoyment of all music is on the rise. I found this quite good to listen to. I should listen a few times and see if the tunes start to register. I must say that Spotify is a wonderful resource, particularly for studying music from an artist who is new to one. Another reason I hadn't engaged with Prince was that I would have had to buy an album just to find out if I liked him. But it's all free on Spotify, and their playlists save you even selecting a particular album. I am not sure how the artists are remunerated, but they must be, or Spotify and many of the musicians they feature couldn't have survived. In our good night prayers I asked for relief from toothache, and that the problem be fixable.

Fri Oct 11
5:15 alarm for prayer group. I arrived first so I could give a bag of coffee to our host Carlo. I was looking forward to being with the group, which today included Marius, but not Godfrey or Sean. At 8:15 I looked at the insect trap (jam jar in the soil) I had set on Wednesday and it had two reasonable insects plus about 20 ants. After examining the 6-legged critters, Paula thought they might be hungry and put a cheese niblet in from her lunch. A little later the insects and the cheese were returned to the wild in our front garden. In the afternoon we spent a while listening to Sarah Slean's 'Metaphysics,' since she and Lynn Miles are in concert at the NAC with the NAC orchestra 17 April 2020. Before spending the money I need to listen to this lady, who I have never taken much notice of before. I have felt extra tired today, and with more leg pain than usual. I have been taking Tramacet at about 5am but recently delayed taking Celebrex till breakfast, since the bottle says it should be taken with food. Tomorrow morning I will switch back to taking it with Tramacet at 5am.

Thu Oct 10
I slept really well. Just one 'Insomnia' pill reversed the destructive results of Louise's potion. My whole day was calmer and more productive. Louise should stick to selling shampoo and conditioner, but since she is Laurie-Ann's close friend since school days, she isn't going to hear it from me. However, if she has been taking such medications, no wonder she is a conspiracy theory activist. During science, Seth asked me how much longer we were going to be at the school before returning to Canada. What he doesn't know is that the school may not exist in its present from the beginning of 2020. Laurie-Ann and I feel Seth is a gifted child and we may want to stay in touch with him and his mother after we leave. After school I bought four more erasers for the kids. They are simply unable to keep erasers. Without them they must struggle with the erasers on the ends of some of the pencils. Jamelia and Bella both wanted to come to the house for the wifi but (a) we are taking them on a big trip on Suday and (b) we have plenty to do at home today, so we didn't oblige. At 2:30 I dropped L-A at Van Wyk and Le Roux where she would have an eye test, and maybe order new glasses. I then went to the Hospice. A young man I had seen before was on a wheel chair - a double amputee. His step father had stuck a knife in his back, the wound had gone septic causing horrendous bed sores, and the only solution then was the amputation. The step father is walking around in Robertson. Despite this history, the young man has a winning attitude. One more example of worst family related crime in the world. When I returned to pick up L-A she had ordered new progressive trifocals, with the left lens correcting a significant astigmatism that has been affecting her art. We celebrated with coffee in Peacock. Then we drove to Munnik to see if they had a watch that she would like. Unfortunately neither Charl nor Esmee (his mother) were there. She picked two that she liked the look and the straps of. The watch I bought her three years ago in Robertson has always been a problem for her to put on and take off, so ths time she was looking for practical rather than stylish. One of her two choices was a Citizen eco-watch which, following my interview with Charl, I knew to be based on state of the art technology, but no date, with a state of the art price - R2,999. The other was a Cassio for R500 with a date. She chose the Cassio. The Worcester Report went out and had a max of 4 other listeners, twice the normal number, and one who stayed for the postlude, unheard of before. I had posted the notice for the program on a number of friends FB timelines and Whatsapps. James replied that he would listen to the podcast.

Wed Oct 9
I woke after a night of repetitive dreams that cause stress and leave me tired for the day. The situation has got steadily worse each night sinve I started taking Louise's unlabelled and expensive concoction which I did not ask her for last June in Toronto. Enough is enough. Tonight I will take 'Insomnia,' my regular homeopathic nightly sleep aid for years. I remember when Wednesdays were the big day as far as our ministries were concerned, but now they seem fairly gentle. We are getting used to busy-ness. The busier days now are when we must get up earlier, Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays for me. I decided to teach drumming in the music class, not least because Mella has 5 small djembes, and the kids like to make noise with them. In preparation I watched Proper Djembe Technique, so I was ready to teach them the bass, the tone and the slap. Deliverance wasn't able to copy any of the hand movements I was teaching them, but the others made some headway. After I turned on the phone record app, Paula and Deliverance went to the phone and recorded loving messages for Laurie-Ann. As we drummed on, rhythms emerged and they added rhythmic words and it sounded quite good. Hard on the hands though. I was back at the school to pick up Ronel for Riverview, since Mella had gone to Cape Town to collect Ruloff and Kim at the airport. Ronel and I worked well together. She gave a talk in Afrikaans about Abraham. The kids seemed contented and relaxed. When I got home I called Henny van Rooy, Anthonica's father who said that he was in and would very much like to meet. I drove to Avian Park and picked up Anthonica and Cay-Lene. We were driving out of Avian Park towards the R43 when we hit a speed hump that I hadn't noticed. I have done this a few times before but this was the hardest. There were loud bangs from two distinct parts of the chassis. After we landed the car had no power when I pressed the accelerator and I was thinking "this is it, the end of good transport for us." However, a second later, the engine caught, and we continued on. The car is built like a tank, but I hope I haven't weakened any part of the transmission. A little while later on the way to Esselyn Park, Jasper called. He started by offering his sadness in hearing about L-A's illness, and said that a network marketing company he was in had a powerful anti-cancer product based on cabbage. This wasn't a surprize to me (the cabbage part) so I was happy that he would send me details. We then talked about the Legacy audiobook and he gave me the go-ahead to work with Audioshelf and to sign on the company's behalf. Henny lives in a nicer house than Anthonica and Tersia. We connected just fine. He was very frank; said that he wanted to meet this man who drives his daughter around to make sure he wasn't a perv, and I said I wanted to meet the families of all our teenage Bible teachers. He didn't know that Anthonica was teaching the Gospel, and he was very impressed. We were there about 45 minutes. Father and daughter clearly have an excellent relationship. One thing I don't understand is why Anthonica isn't living with her father, but maybe that was a custody ruling when her parents divorced. I bought the girls snoek on their way home. When I got home after collecting the laundry from Magda, L-A told me that Bella had begged to come to us for wifi, but when L-A suggested instead that we give her some phone data she was fine with that solution. I had had problems with Powertime yesterday, but by today they had send me a second new password and it worked, so I was able to send air time which she converted to data. Problem solved, and Bella was happy. We are looking forward very much to taking her and Jamelia to Hillsong this Sunday. I posted notices of Thursday's CWCP with Charl Munnik on Facebook, and then paid $10 to boost it, as I had done effectively with Lynda Timmerman. Before turning in I took an Insomnia homeopathic remedy to settle the disturbed dreams of the last week.

Tue Oct 8
Back to Legacy Relay after two weeks. In music I added 'Can you feel the love tonight.' Instead of science I taught on money, explaining how we earn for a part of our lives but must put some of it into investments particuarly for when we can no longer earn. In art, we had brought a large blank canvas (actually made of cotton) and L-A explained that this was to be a group watercolour. In this first stage half of the class had a chance to contribute background colour to half of the canvas. This will be continued in future sessions. There is a new Grade 1 teacher, Carla. The MasterPease science class disected a hard boiled egg. In explaining why there was no embryo chick in the yolk of this store-bought egg, I told them that for fertilized eggs a rooster would have had to mate with a hen. I had checked on Google how he did this having never seen a rooster atop a hen. This was a good way to introduce the concept of mating generally at some future time. The children got to eat a quarter of a boiled egg each. L-A was also well enough to run the art class in MasterPeace Academy, also with watercolours. The children continue to have far too much energy to get rid off in ways not directed towards learning. I found it more exhausting than L-A, with low level chest pain and breathlessness. On the way home I bought egg shalers at Tellyfonics, and had a very interesting chat with the owner, Anton van Rensburg, and his son Anton. They visit Canada regularly and would like to move there because of the crime here. People come into Tellyfonics, try their guitars or audio equipment, and then go and buy much more cheaply on-line. This is a similar story as was told me by Charl Munnik. I am hoping to interview one of the Antons for CWCP. Back home, both Anthonica and Bella called and wanted us for various reasons, but L-A told them I was too tired. This was true; after a quick lunch I went to bed for a couple of hours. We got up for supper, listening to Chris de Burgh, and and after supper watched his 1988 Dublin Concert video. The lady at Audioshelf Audiobooks replied to questions of mine, including that no up-front payment was required. They and we would be remunerated by royalties. I e-mailed Jasper Cloete with their site and the recent correspondence, and recommended we use them. I also told him of L-A's cancer, and that we would be returning early to Canada.

Mon Oct 7
At school I did a revision of last week's lessons, using for the first time printouts of my whiteboard diagrams. Seth was on good form, answering more questions correctly than the others put together. He earned 3 stars for this. Sinegugu consistently gave the wrong answers. She is trying to do it by memory rather than by understanding. After school I tried to withdraw cash for Simplii with the ABSA machine beside Safran. The same errors came up as last night - my card not acceptable. I drove home and after a coffee went to the ABSA machine beside OK Foods, but tried L-A's debit card. Still didn't work and gave the same error. So I drove to the mall where there is an FMB ATM. It will only allow R2000 at a time. I successfully withdrew R2000 using my Simplii card, and another R2000 using L-A's. Each withdrawal cost R50, whereas ABSA allows R4500 withdrawal for R50 which is why I have used them. So the problem is with ABSA. Maybe they have delisted Simplii as one of their accepted debit cards. In the mall I was quite chuffed to be able to buy a new rubber ferrule tip for L-A's cane, at Dischem. This is the second replacement in 8 years, indicating how much she uses the cane. Since I had a CWCP interview appointment with Charl Munnik at 3:30, I went to Avian Park at 2:30, with two large bags of naartjies. Jamelia and her family seemed a lot happier than they had been last night. I gave her copies of the next lesson. There were 9 children in her club as I started them off with praise singing. It was still before 3pm and Bella didn't yet have her learners so I drove to Chantelle's. She only had 2. We sang songs. Anthonica came over. I had arranged to take her to her father's house in Esselin Park, and for me to meet him, but before going, I asked her to call him and confirm. It turned out he wouldn't be available today after all. At 2:15 I drove to Munnik's. Charl was ready and most hospitable. He lives above the store so we went up to his living room. The interview went very well and we got on well. He even offered to fix my watch which stopped working a few weeks ago. Near the end of the interview Charl said that business was getting tougher due to e-commerce competition. This would not be a good way to end it so I will likely delete it. Laurie-Ann spent a few hours in bed in the morning but had a productive day after that. Her right breast has not been in pain - very good news. During this afternoon I edited 10 digitized cassettes and a couple of digitized reel-to-reel tapes. Haven't done that for a while, and there are many more still to do to complete the digitization of our music collection.

Sun Oct 6
After dropping L-A at church I went to collect Chantelle and Anthonica, who appeared in their Sunday summer frocks. I asked them not to get near L-A for fear of transmitting germs. L-A was wearing her wig in full view and in public for the first time. I mentioned to Johann Leroux that I was looking for Ankia Swartz, and he asked her to come over. I got her number and said I wondered if there were two volunteers in her group in the maximum in Brandvlei who might be persuaded to transfer to us, with the intention of taking over when we leave. Pieter Louis preached powerfully on the poor. ("Jesus would have walked the streets of Avian Park"). Pam Hugo brought over Dr. Arnold Smith's wife and daughter to meet L-A, who had supplied colouring book drawings for them. After church we drove to McDonald's drive-thru for cheeseburgers for the girls and a McChicken for L-A. Half of us at cell-group, including Vicky and Werner Wullschleger, Nik's parents, went off to Homeless Church, where Adam preached on David and Bathsheba, and then returned to join L-A and 3 others who had stayed. I told them about Mr Williams at Brandvlei bringing a man in handcuffs to us for prayer, and yesterday saying that we had made his job easier by changing the atmosphere in 'A' Section, and mentioned that we wanted to train up one or two more volunteers to take over from us when we leave. Back home I went to bed for an hour or so, and when I got up L-A told me that Jamelia had phoned to say they had no food because her parents had spent all their money on drugs and wine. I heated up enough of last night's stew with rice, and the rest of the white bread, and took it down for them. When I got there I told Jamelia it was just for her and the three young children. I went into the kitchen but found no plates and just one fork and two teaspoons. I served the food in plastic containers. Someone collected another spoon from a neighbour. The children ate it all hungrily as I watched. There were several adults around. Before leaving I prayed over them all and asked for more wisdom for the parents. Laurie-Ann's right breast has been giving her pain and today she asked me if I thought the cancer was spreading. It looks and feels normal. She has mentioned occasional pain there for some weeks. We wonder if it is some sort of referred pain. We pray that the cancer isn't spreading; that is one of the purposes of the chemotherapy. My phone was out of data so I logged in to Powertime. Powertime was no longer listing L-A's credit card as a source for my Powertime wallet, and would not let me add either of our credit cards. While there I checked our electricity - just 17 Rand left! Since I couldn't use a credit card, I bought R200 worth of electricity using the wallet. I sent in a fault report. I drove to OK Foods to use the ABSA ATM to get cash, and it wouldn't work with my Simplii debit card. We received an e-mail from Dave saying that Eternal Hope wanted to send a portion of their monthly tithe towards Laurie-Ann's medical costs!

Sat Oct 5
Prison Alpha was back in 'A' Section with Mr Williams. I mentioned to him that in two weeks we would likely be moving to another section in the youth centre. He wished us luck with other supervising staff who may not be so welcoming as he has been. He told us we had made his job easier by changing the atmosphere in 'A' Section. That is the most encouraging thing than a prison officer has ever said in my hearing. We had a good session with about 25 men, although the 'What about the Church' video is rather low key. Lynda Timmerman Whatsapped that Rodney would be a lot more comfortable if I would remove three other phrases which had Apartheid references - though they were, if anything, anti-Apartheid. So rather than try an convince him, I removed them, which took about 40 minutes of searching. Anthonica's father would like to meet me - he's very grateful for our ministry to her as heold me on the phone. I suggested Monday after the clubs. I spent time with Bella and Jamelia, taking them to buy a pair of flip flops for Jamelia from a sreet vendor, and then to a shop where they bought (that is I bought) some fun stuff - nail varnish and decorations - for a party at Marsha's tonight. I felt listless today and I'm not sure why, but the Good Wife episode was sad. L-A cooked the supper - a very hearty stew with beef. We received a message from the CRA answering my claim (see 11 Sept below). They sent us a tax rebate of $458.19. That's like a very welcome tax free donation! The on-line tax return adjustment facility had worked for the second time - this one in our favour. TKOG. We watched together the first frightening episode of Chernobyl, recommended by Maggie.

Fri Oct 4
I had agreed on Whatsapp to pick up Godfrey for early morning prayer, but I had just got down to Hugo Naude Street when my phone rang and Sean said her would pick up Godfrey. During the prayer time, the thought came to me to remove Rodney's comment about Ramaphosa being an atheist from the podcast. We have no evidence to support that. I did so when I got home, and Whatsapped Rodney to that effect. These children want to eat anything vaguely edible. That is to be expected with the nut, but I was surprized when Paula ate most of the rice crispies which were soaking in water, spilling the water in the process over the cover of Sinegugu’s notebook. In the evening I pampered Laurie-Ann's legs and feet with exfoliant and moisturizer.

Thu Oct 3
I woke at the alarm after a very clear dream of high quality audio Beatles songs. I don't remember a music dream where the notes were crystal clear and exactly as on the recording. I wonder if this has anything to do with Louise's sleeping pills. We had a visit from Rachel and (Dr) Andy, who were interested in looking at the Hooggelegen accommodation in case they should return long term to Worcester. We had a pleasant chat. CWCP with Rodney Timmerman was mixed down by early afternoon. Anthonica and Chantelle called me and asked if I would take Anthonica and her birth father to a school parents' meeting. They had got me there at 5, but weren't expecting her father to be ready for pick-up in Esselen Park till 5:45. When I asked them why Chantelle wanted to come, she said that people in the street had been talking when I had taken either one of them alone in the car, suggesting I was up to no good. This ties in with recommended practice: not to be out in the car with just one teen. Anthonica then told me her mother's boyfriend Henry had hit her (mother), and gashed her arm, needing hospital treatment. When I asked if they had called the police, they said that he had threatened to kill Tersia if she reported him. We drove to her birth father's home in Esselen Park, but he was not there. This was actually good news for me, because I would get them back home with plenty of time to be ready for CWCP. But I felt for Anthonica. I took them both to OK Foods and got them a proper dinner, and then took them home. They refused to get out of the car unless I gave them money. I gave them R20. At the end of the Worcester Report broadcast, my phone rang, and it was Rodney, concerned that he had said things on air that might be taken the wrong way and could impact their business. I assure him this was not the case. One thing that worried him was accusing Ramaphosa of now being an atheist after he had previously been an evangelical Christian. At bedtime I took one of Louise's sleeping pills.

Wed Oct 2
I had my computer and audio amplifier for music, but started off with two science YouTubes that well illustrated our recent science classes. First, Galileos experiment of dropping a heavy ball and a feather in a vaccuum, and second, early attempts of flying machines. In this first music lesson of the new terms I felt it was high time to introinto duce them to one of the few rock bands taught in universities both for their art and their business savvy, and the best sellers of all time. I thought Yellow Submarine might be an appropriate introduction. Even though they knew the title song, they were underwhelmed by the visuals of this aclaimed animated masterpiece. We watched about 30 minutes of it before the end of class. I won't be showing more of it. We received a post office notification of two parcels waiting for us. I drove to the post office and paid R260 customs duty to receive them. One of them was several hundred prayer postcards 4 police from Janice and Ken sadler. The other was the long awaited sleeping pills from Louise Longhairs. I heard back from a second audio book publisher, Audioshelf, based in Constantia. They could be right for 'Legacy.' CWCP GNiTM actually had another listener, Lynda Timmerman. As far as I know she is the only person ever to have listen other than I.

Tue Oct 1
I was a little late for the first day of school because half way there I noticed I had forgotten an umbrella that I needed to show how birds take off, and I came back home to get it. Rachel (the same one who was in church on Sunday) and Andy from UK were there, and sat in on my science lesson, helping out with keeping the children less unfocused. I enjoyed being back with the kids. After school I went to Faibairn Pharmacy and got Oxynorm that Carica hadn't had in stock on Saturday, and Tramacet for me, the last repeat. L-A was just well enough to come for art. Rachel and Andy were not there. She continued teaching water colour with the drawings they had started before school break, using water colour pencils, brushes, water and salt. Seth helped Deliverance, the perfectionist, who gets fazed when things don't go right first time. L-A was wearing one of the new hats that arrived yesterday from Lori-Anne (whose husband is also Tony). The kids were curious about her hair being shaved. At the end of the class she took off her hat. There was a mixture of shock, surprize, and mirth. She told them that was the one and only time she would do it.

Mon Sep 30
This was an unexpected holiday from school which starts tomorrow - it's a custom for South African schools to begin terms on a Tuesday. We woke up to find two major donations totalling nearly $1,500 which we really weren't expecting towards L-A's medical costs. We have been so blessed by the results of the private crowdfunding appeal, with donations continuing to arrive. Without them, we would have needed to redeem major funds from the long term iProfile investments, since we were at the limit of the All-in-One home equity line of credit. But with these investments we have paid down the All-in-One, reducing daily interest. In Avian Park, Bella had about 10 mainly boys who greeted me with calls for them to sing praise songs, and we did exactly that - it was great fun! Then Bella taught her class (I have pictures) and eveyone was enjoying learning about Jesus. This is exactly how it is meant to be in the Mailbox clubs. Next door at Jamelia's it was not so good, because she was ill with stomach ache. She still had 3 children there, and after some songs we all laid hands on her and prayed. It was 4pm by the time I got to Mannikin street where Chantelle assured me she had run a group. Anthonica and Chantelle got in the car and we chatted. Chantelle wanted school shoes, but I didn't want to drive her to town again. Her blind grandmother is in hospital after two strokes and may be dying, so Chantelle can't stay over there; instead her elder sisters are staying in her house. In the end I gave Chantelle R100 to get shoes and she was happy with that. We received a message that tomorrow being the first day back at schools, there would be no Legacy Relay. Back home I completed the cancer claim after checking that L-A's TD visa has no travel insurance component. I sent it in by WeTransfer and received an acknowledgement. This claim is for all costs up to the start of chemo, which was when a limitation of benefits was placed by Allianz. The question is, will they pay for the expensive port surgery, which was clearly a chemo pre-requisite, if they won't pay for chemo? If they do, our financial situation will be reasonably stable. After supper (waterblommetjiebredie) we watched An Act of Love (The Patricia Neal Story). The second of four digital files was defective, but I was hoping this film of Roald Dahl's tough love with his wife after a stroke to bring her back to health might be helpful for L-A.

Sun Sep 29
Laurie-Ann was well enough to come to church. This is significant when compared with three days after her first chemo. We believe that the regimen of nutrition supplements recommended by Richard Bentall, coupled with prayer, and the CBD oil, are already proving beneficial. She put on the wig, but doesn't yet have a barrette to hold the hair out of her eyes, so she wore her green beanie as well, which perfectly matches her Sprinbok jacket. As we arrived she hugged Johan. In church a casual observer would have assumed her hair was natural, and our non-casual friends were all happy to see her looking so chic. I sat next to a lady from England called Rachel, whom I a hadn't seen before. Before the sermon, Johan said that he felt the Holy Spirit wanted the church to pray specially for people with any possibly terminal conditions, and invited them to the front. L-A went up, and soon Riana was praying for her. There were more needong prayer than prayer team members, and Johan publicly asked me to join that team. At first I was unsure what he wanted with me, but soon I was praying for a lady with anxiety and other problems. I feel the Holy Spirit guided me well. I photographed L-A as she drew during worship and the shot was later very well received on FaceBook. L-A invited Heather for dinner prior to soaking prayer that night. In the afternoon we added more waterblommetjiebredie and potatoes to the mix left over from last night. I picked up Heather at 5 and we all enjoyed the waterblommetjiebredie and lamb dinner. There had been no other takers for soaking prayer in action. I had L-A read out
a piece written by Kevin Daley following Heritage Day last Tuesday, and we discussed its implications. In a nutshell: praying passionately for improvements in the temporal world (controlled by Satan) were of less value than prayer for individuals and their eternal lives. This segued into Heather's passion to educate girls and reduce teenage pregnancies. It came to me that she could exercise this by speaking to our teens. We will have her up here on a Saturday afternoon to speak. We then watched Darlene Zschech's 'In Jesus Name,' followed by her cancer testimony, a TV interview, also on You Tube, which we all found very moving and relevant to Laurie-Ann.

Sat Sep 28
I got up at 7 and was ready to leave by 7:30. I went to OK Foods and bought R100 worth of electricity, and texted the number to L-A. Then I picked up Soraya and drove to Brandvlei. This was the Alpha healing session. We were put in the same classroom that we had been a few weeks ago, which was good for this rather intimate purpose. 18 joined us, plus a female guard I hadn't seen before. We had a TV which was not too easy to get to work, but Soraya did it! For the first time I had word sheets for all present. This allowed the men to sing their hearts out. Before the video I explained that today we would be doing some healing and asked if any present had physical or mental issues. Only two admitted to it. After the excellent video, I asked again who had any ailments that we could pray for, and 5 men came to the front. I annointed them with oil, and then, alternating with Soraya, we prayed for each in turn. The second one I prayed for had a lower back problem. After prayer, I asked him to jump. I then asked if he still had the pain, and he said 'no.' it was completely gone. The third person I prayed for had a lower back problem. Before asking him how his pain was I emphasised truthfulness; I wanted no lies. He said he didn't detect any change. I emphasised the facts from the Bible that at the second coming, all will be healed, but some are healed today as the future Kingdon has 'broken into' our history with a foretaste of what is to come. After dropping off Soraya I went to Fairbairn Pharmacy and bought R2,788 worth of meds from the prescriptions from Cape Gate Oncology. I took one of the Mailbox Club lessons to Rodlyn's for GNiTM archive last Wednesday. This was the one episode ever that we had failed to broadcast (other than when we were on holiday). In the afternoon I took sandwiches and cake to three of the girls - Jamelia, Bella and Britney. I drove to OVD but there was no sign of Chantelle, so I gave three sandwiches to some girls who were playing. That caused a stir in a good way.

Fri Sep 27
I visited Grondbeurs and told them that we would likely be leaving next March. They said they only needed 2 month's notice. I spoke to one of their staff, Yolande, about having the beams on the stoep repainted, and she said she would come by on Monday to examine them. I also told her that we had a R600 water bill this month, even though our leak in the irrigation system was repaired 13 August. She will check this out also on Monday. Jamelia wrapped one of L-A's African scarves around Laurie-Ann's head to make a very attractive doeq. See movie. Around 3 pm I finally began working on the cancer claim for Allianz. 2/3 of the scanning had already been done for Case Management. The remaining part was from there to the time when the limitation of benefits was slapped on it. This meant I was claiming up to the first chemotherapy. It did therefore include all the pre-chemo work: x ray, ECG, and port insertion surgery. Laurie-Ann published a health update and sent it to nearly 60 e-mail correspondents who wanted more details of the developing status of her illness. Many of these concerned people are not on other distribution lists. I took Jamelia home about 5:30 after a final peanut butter sandwich. I called Simplii Financial about the 'missing' monthly amounts of $250 which had been set up as tax free redemptions three months before from T-funds in our iProfile portfolio. They pointed out that on the last two 3rd days of the month I had received $584. I realized that it was possible this was a combination of the $250 and RIF/LRIF payouts, and e-mailed Janet with my theory. She soon replied that this was exactly right, having checked on the RIF/LRIF payouts. Athough this solved the problem, it was bad news in a way because I had been hoping for an extra $250 for three months! I found a sheet of words for songs at Alpha tomorrow with four songs they probably would know, and printed 20 copies. I packed everything I would need for tomorrow morning, and then. around 10 pm, the lights went out. I had forgotten to pump it up from Powertime. I tried to log on from both phones without success. With the help of candles we went to bed.

Thu Sep 26
Jamelia messaged L-A to say that the members of her family from Rawsonville we coming to her house that night and then all were going to Oudtshoorn for ger grandfather's funeral. He had died a few days ago. This would leave Jamelia without a bed, so she asked if she could stay a day with us. We left for Cape Gate Oncology about 12:30. We had not received any messages about her pre-chemo blood test. When we arrived she met with Dr Marx, since Dr Du Toit was away. Dr Marx told us that the blood test had shown her platelets were in remarkably good shape! She prescribed some slow release Oxynorm, called Targinact, and other anti-nausea drugs. Once L-A was settled with the drip in the port, I left to buy CBD oils. L-A had identified the best source for high potency CBD oil (100 Mg help extract) as VapeShop in Canal Walk mall. The GPS took me to the mall but I drove around for 20 minutes before I found Entrance 1. Then it was easy to find VapeShop, where I spent R4,050 on the CBD oil and Turmeric gummies, which she will use for sudden breakthrough pains. I was also able to find powdered soy milk at Dis-Chem. I got back just as she was completing the chemo. We went to the nearby Nando's for a late lunch, and bought an extra one for Jamelia. At 7 I picked up Jamelia and brought her home for some Nando's chicken, and a bed for the night. I just got CWCP program with the prayer vigil from St. Paul's Kanata completed in time for the 8 pm start; Here's the podcast. I thought Jamelia might have shown interest in it but she didn't; she preferred YouTube on the Mozambique phone with the big headphones. The playback of the program kept cutting out. Then we realized that Jamelia was using too much of the download bandwidth.

Wed Sep 25
Downton Abbey opened recently in South Africa, and Laurie-Ann had gathered two other stalwart fans, Maggie and Janey, and planned a trip to SK Cinemas in Somerset West, one of the closest screenings to us. Not many Worcester natives are aware of Downton Abbey, so our Nu Metro wasn't playing it. Maggie arrived from Robertson about noon, we picked up Janey and were on our way. Laurie-Ann asked me to buy pop-corn (one of my pet peeves) so she enjoyed the film with
taste as well as sight and hearing. This was an afternoon performance, but there were only about 15 in the audience. Our row was laughing out loud but the others were pretty quiet. Here's Roger Ebert's review, with which I concur. Maggie needed to get home, so we didn't eat in Somerset West. But we did go to Val de Vie Estate to pick up Laurie-Ann's wig from Suritha, on our way. The immediate concensus when she tried it on briefly was that it was very good. We dropped Maggie off at our house where her car was parked, then drove down to Andre's and Janey's to pick up Andre. There was a little drama because he locked their house leaving their only key inside. They persuaded a neighbour with a ladder to climb up on their balcony and go into the house to get the key. Once this was achieved we went to Star Park, our regular Chinese restaurant. It was good to spend time again with Andre and Janey; we have had to drop our Afrikaans lessons with them through lack of time since we returned from the home visit. The evening out meant that we did not broadcast the GNiTM archive.

Tue Sep 24
Slept in till 8:15 and enjoyed every minute. Around 10 we drove to Franschhoek. We had invited Mella on this trip, but she had to cry off because some missionaries from England were visiting her today. That was OK with me. I enjoy all the time with L-A particularly when it is just the two of us. We stopped for coffee at the De Villiers cafe at Spice Route; it was delicious and so was the sorbet/ice cream. The place was crowded, this being school break. I replenished our supply of chocolate, including mainly dark which L-A can enjoy. Then we went on to Franschhoek and had lunch at Good Food and Co, a fine restaurant which had an array of vegetarian and vegan delicacies. We enjoyed the ambience of Franschhoek very much, with its wine tour trams on a disused rail line, and European style shops, We took photos, including the Hugenot monument and then continued home via Franschhoek Pass and Villersdorp, a good drive. Mella had missed a very good day out. I wrote a blog post for Coppleswesterncape.ca which records key aspects of L-A's cancer diagnosis, and my feelings about it, up to the present. Lynn and Lorna had arranged something very special today in Kanata: a prayer vigil for Laurie-Ann (and also somewhat for me) in St Paul's. There were about 10 present, including one man, Clyde Crane. As we watched the St Paul's YouTube stream, they sang and prayed for L-A in a powerful and focussed way. I set up the AR Wizzard to record the sound, and unless they object we will broadcast it as this week's CWCP Radio program. This would allow (in theory) many more to enjoy the privilege of being part of it. The blog post I had written earlier ties in well with the timing of this event and its subsequent broadcast, which did happen. Near the end of the vigil, part of a song by Darlene Zschech was played - 'the cancer song.' I found it on YouTube as 21 million others have done, but I wasn't one of them. It is in the same vein as 'I raise a Hallelujah.' and very very good.

Mon Sep 23
It is school break this week, so no rush when I get up. But today we did have one important appointment, at Pathcare, for L-A to have a pre-chemo blood test to make sure she has enough red and white platelets. The results will be sent direct to Cape Gate Oncology Centre. If anything is amiss they could delay Thursday's chemo and give her special (very expensive) injections. At 11, we and Janay arrived at Salon Joan for the severence of the rest of Laurie-Ann's hair. Over the last few days it has been coming out in her hands, so this was the right time. Joan, and Linda who washed it, treated her in a very special way. They had ensured we were the only customers. I took photos and videos. Laurie-Ann was at peace with losing her crowning glory (I did collect the cuttings). Joan refused to take any money; she likes Laurie-Ann a lot. I forgot I had promised Anthonica that I would come down to her Mailbox Club this afternoon, but she called at 3:20 to remind me, and I was there by 3:45. There were only two children, one of whom she had borrowed from Chantelle's club. I gave Anthonica a large orange to cut up for them as we sang a few songs. At the end Anthonica said that I had also promised her a shopping trip. I don't remember saying this, but I wasn't in a hurry, so I took her into town. She only has one pair of school trowsers and they were torn. She managed to find her right size in the Pep store. I took her to OK for some food. All she wanted was a doughnut for her supper, but I insisted she should have something nutricious, so I got her a steak and kidney pie, and a small doughnut for afters. She needed to eat these in the car as we drove home, because the last time I gave her food and she took it home her mother Tersia demanded a share of it. So she ate the doughnut and then the pie.

Sun Sep 22
We picked up Jamelia at 9:30 for Hillsong, and then drove on through Rawsonville to join the N1 near Du Toit's Kloof winery. We were at Hillsong before 11 and had lattes for the ladies and regular coffee for me, plus scrumptuous doughnuts for Jamelia and me and a muffin for L-A. Caylene from Hillsong staff came over and chatted and then prayed with L-A. L-A put a prayer request into the box. During the service a bunch of Hillsong kids danced up a storm and then one of them, aged about 9, prayed for the congregation, including mentioning 'a lady with cancer' (also on the video but not easy to hear). After the service we went to Wellness Warehouse in the Somerset Mall and I bought the key nutritional supplements that Richard had recommended. I also bought pies and a sandwich for our lunches, which we took with us to Strand beach. See that on our pictures, and also photos from DuKloof Lodge. Jamelia came home with us and stayed an hour or so. She had had a good day with her surrogate parents. L-A has become very fond of her.

Sat Sep 21
L-A was not at all well when she woke, her body hurting all over.
Something special happened at prison Alpha this morning in Brandvlei. As we arrived in 'A' Section, Mr Williams, the supervisor there came to meet us. Once we we inside the dining room where Alpha takes place, he brought a young man to us, in handcuffs. This was the first time I have ever seen handcuffs. I will call the man Fred. Mr Williams said that Fred was having a very difficult time in the prison, and was in handcuffs to protect him from violating other inmates or hurting himself. Mr Williams had prayed for him in his church, and had brought him to Soraya and me to ask us to pray for him. We each did this and he seemed to both of us to be reaching out to find a better way to live and behave. He stayed for the full session and was attentive. This morning we had no TV - it had not been repaired or replaced in the last 2 weeks. So after our praise and worship, I was led to speak to them - about 25 in all - about the fruits of the Spirit. Then I presented 'Telling others' verbally, using notes I made originally when I taught Alpha to pastors in Migori, Kenya, in 2005, where there was no electricity. Soraya added appropriate insights from time to time. At the end we all sang Amazing Grace before prayers for them all led by me and then by Soraya. It had been a good session. Mr Williams told us at the end that Fred's body was covered by satanic tattoos.
Although we had hoped to bring the teens to our house today, L-A was not up to it. So I went to them and gave out sandwiches and copies of the next lesson. I told them that since next week is school holiday they don't have to lead a Club. Anthonica said she would like to lead one, so I told her I would come down and bring the guitar. I was impressed at her keenness, although she usually doesn't have any kids to teach these days. Maybe there is an ulterior motive...

Fri Sep 20
Early morning prayer was at Louis' house, opposite ours. Godfrey walked all the way and Cosmos called me at the gate to check he was legit. Hilton was also there. I rolled up for school, after preparing the science class, to be met by Mella saying there was no school today. I was actually disappointed not to be seeing the children! So I had a fair amount of unexpected time to post photos and work on this journal, but didn't get to what I really need to do, the on-line GIG leader's course. I went to the hospice at 3:15, picked up Bella at 4:15 and took her to Roodeval and back, and then brought Jamelia home where she used Pink Dell for 4 hours, breaking only for supper. I think that having any break from her home is peace-making for her. end we all sang I went to Rodlyn's for 20 copies of the next Mailbox lesson. Lynda came out to say she had enjoyed last night's CWCP broadcast, and had also listened to other podcasts by people she knew. Normally I would return home the way I had come, but something prompted me to take the other route, past the mall. Approaching the R43 there was an old car pulled over, the driver of which was a rather older (than the car) white woman, clearly asking for help. Since for once I wasn't in a hurry, I stopped. She had run out of petrol. Her husband was disabled, and she didn't know what to do. I told her I would get her come petrol. I first went to my normal Shell station which had once before let me borrow a petrol can for a deposit, but someone had taken it and not returned it (several times). I went to the Castrol station on the High Street and they were willing to sell me a regulation can for R5! That doesn't make sense - too cheap - but I bought it and took R35 worth of petrol to the lady, and poured it in. She had no money to pay me. Her reason for leaving home had been to go to an ATM, but something didn't work for her. So I kept the R5 can. Guess what? - it may turn out to save our bacon in the future, perhaps during our trip to Namibia. I may have been part of a God plan to help the lady, and my reward would be to own a possibly life-saving petrol can. I called Allianz for some clarity on the the claims. It looks as though we will be able to make a claim for the pre-cancer treatment up to the time around 4 Sept when they told us she must return to Canada or forfeit cover. This is better than I had previously expected from this rather heartless organization - that they likely wouldn't pay for any costs since the onset of what turned out to be cancer. They said they will clarify further in a few days.

Thu Sep 19
Paula and Deliverance had again missed the taxi. I was teaching Seth and Sinegugu the principles of flight which is quite interesting, even for them. But when I reached the real knub of the matter, which I needed them to hear, they were still more interested in talking to each other. So I tried a new tactic. I told both of them to go outside the room, and I continued teaching to the whiteboard. Now this isn't as crazy as you may think. Firstly, the whiteboard diagrams that come out of each class can be used for exams, or possibly for Mella's centre of excellence in teaching resources. Secondly, even these children appreciated how weird the situation was - so they'll remember it - and they desperately wanted to be back in the classroom, so they crept back and I pretended not to see them. If they were going to be quiet and listen, that was all I was asking of them. We were invited to a lunch at Kokerbaarn restaurant in the Botanical Gardens with Legacy Relay. Louis and Carica generously provided an opportunity for the work helpers to meet one another. We sat with Jenny, Annette (?) and Sampi and had a good exchange of experiences so far. The Worcester Report with Lynda Timmerman went out fine.

Wed Sep 18
After science I had a good chat with Mella about the future of the school. Her vision is a resource centre of excellence which could provide teaching in various forms that could be used by home schools and other places of education. While this would not be profitable, the status quo is burning up money and just can't continue, particularly after we have departed. In science for example she would like to film my sessions including the experiments. Maybe my whiteboard notes could have a place, and my lesson plans. In music I introduced them to a capella with the help of Pentatonix and The Lion King. Here's the progression.

Tue Sep 17
L-A felt well enough to come to Legacy Relay. The children were delighted to see her. After praise songs, including 10,000 reasons, which they all knew, I taught on emission spectroscopy, and L-A expanded on my talk last week and had them pick a Christian symbol thy could relate to and then draw it with enhancements. I searched around the grounds for a feather whch I needed for science class at MasterPeace, and found one small one. But at school, when I asked Sinegugo and Seth to look for a feather, she came back with a good one almost immediately. Paula and Deliverance had missed the taxi ths morning. At 11 we both arrived at Dr Eric's office to bring him up to date and to see if we could get all prescriptions from him instead of bothering Dr. Smith. He prescribed Lyrica (generic Nurika) for L-A to help with the Neuropathy. I told him I thought I was still anaemic and he upped my iron prescription to Sideral Forte 15. Spoke at length with Richard Bendall on Whatsapp about natural cancer curing. He listed a number of herbal products that L-A should get onto , and the foods that she should avoid/eat. He cured himself of stage 4 cancer in this regime and is writing a book about it. She definitely must continue to take OGF. I have stopped taking OGF so she will have the maximum number of pills available.

Mon Sep 16
I collected more Oxynorm 10 and some soluble Panado from Fairbairn Pharmacy. At the afternoon ministry, Bella was in full swing with her boys, and I led some music and Bella took photos that will be used in our forthcoming newsletter. Jamelia was late but I believe she did run a club, though I didn't join her. Neither Chantelle's nor Anthonica's clubs were in operation, but they managed to persuade me to take them to our house to do some printing for a school project. I called L-A to see if this would be OK with her, and she said they musn't come too close to her. The session proved time-consuming for me because their laptop skills are minimal and we had to move files between computers for printing. I had an appointment at 6 with Lynda Timmerman of Rodlyn's who do our Mailbox Club copying. I discovered that she and her husband Rod were YWAM missionaries, and they still see themselves on a mission with the business.

Sun Sep 15
We joined our Iris Western Cape colleagues in a half day of worship, teaching, prayer and food. L-A felt she was up to it and prepared to be in the same room as several children, even though this is not recommended. In fact I was the one who was more off colour. I had felt two degrees under since getting up. Looking back, this was the third day I had substituted Exinef for Celebrex, even though before using Celebrex, Exinef had worked well as a painkiller for my hip. Also my prostate was playing up causing me to need extra visits to the toilet. It was a joy to be all together. Maggie acted as M/C and worship leader, playing mainly Bethel songs from her phone via Bluetooth to an amplifier. Carolynn spoke on fear and faith - how even though we have direction from the Lord we can still be fearful and go in a different direction. The pot luck food was really good including a chicken pie I had bought from OK. We drove home via Nye on the Hill, where in addition to 4 bottles of wine I discovered Stroopwafels, which are excellent. I had a sleep when we got home, and then a brandy and an extra iron pill with The Good Wife. By about 9:30 I was feeling better - we listened to Pixies' new album Beneath the Eyrie which we both enjoyed.

Sat Sep 14
Picked up Soraya at 8am so we would get to Brandvlei before the Alpha men would have gone to sports. As we drove there I told her the situation with L-A's reduced immune system and that our girls (and Manville) still want to see her. She said that I must protect L-A from unnecessary risk and that the needs of the children were secondary. It seemed very good advice to me. At the reception Soraya was speaking with Mr(probably Colonel?) Arando who is a (the) senior staffer in the Youth Centre. He said he could offer us a better place for our class than the 'A' Section dining room, and led us to the vicinity of the Brandvlei radio station, where there is a number of classrooms. We were brought into an excellent room, if smaller than the dining room. He was able to provide a TV, and 20 attendees, most of whom had attended before. But because some hadn't, I decided to move on from the Holy Spirit segment of Alpha to 'How can I resist Evil.' It's a powerful video, including both Gram Seed, and a Tutu from Rwanda who both tell heartrending story of evil followed by redemption. After the video I was guided to speak about this past week of demonstrations against violence by men against women. In this country where one in 5 women will be murdered by a husband or ex-husband, here I was talking to young men who are high risk to act out that stereotype. I focussed on the kind of anger that can make people lose control, like road rage. My objective was to insulate them against such evil behaviour by being forwarned. Although this was very hard talk, I am sure it was an opportunity I couldn't pass up, and it was good I had chosen this video for today. The men were seriously affected by what they were hearing. I finished by discussing the power of forgiveness of others who have wronged you, and of being forgiven through the cross. On our way home I was pleased to see the samosa stall was back. After buying 5 + 5(for Soraya) I asked the sweet serving lady if I could interview her for CWCP, and she gave me her name (Nana) and number. This afternoon's time with the teens was unusual. I had made the sandwiches and packed them and the cookies and fruit. I had messaged Manville to be around. He had been regularly messaging L-A to try and see her. He had joined our training course for The Mailbox Club just once when Soraya was leading it, but wasn't comfortable as the only male. I arrived in Manniken and explained to Chantelle and Anthonica about Laurie-Ann's reduced immune system, and that I wouldn't be bringing them to our house. They asked to be taken to OVD instead. I said I would collect them when I had seen Jamelia. Manville was at her house, and Bella in her's, so I gave them their food, after explaining to them why we weren't going to our house. (Bella gave her sandwich to one of her elder brothers). Then Jamelia asked if i would take her to the hospital because her mother was there. I said OK; I would pick her up around 4:15. I asked Manville to get in the car and drove back for Chantelle and Anthonica + Cay-Lene. I gave Manwille a couple of Mailbox Club lessons to peruse as I drove the girls to OVD. When he and I were alone - I was taking him to McDonalds = I asked if he was familiar with the characters in the materials. No, they were all new to him. This was bad news; I had viwed him as a potential club leader. The McDonalds trip was for me to assess his suitability, but now it became a way to get to know him a little. He has both mother and father in the house with four siblings. That's unusual - a nuclear family! I explaind that my vision was to see mailbox clubs led by boys for boys, vulnerable to gang recruitment. But first he would need to be a member of an existing club, and since Jamelia was across the street from him, her's was the obvious one. I aked him why he had been messaging Laurie-Ann so much, and he said he just wanted to see her. He had met her on that one occasion, but much more recently started messaging her, and me to a lesser degree. After his burger I took him to his home, and picked up Jamelia. She asked if I wanted to know why her mother was in hospital. She had been assaulted earlier today by her husband who had punched her in the face and broken some of her fingers. This was the man who had complained that Jamelia was on drugs and alcohol. I aked her about him. He is using drugs, yet brings in no income. This means he is also using the meagre family grant income, which explains why Jamelia often has no food. Jamelia had called the ambulance. We drove towards the hospital, but on Durban Street she saw them both walking home. We stopped and they got in the car. I was surprized they were together. Maybe he had had a fit of remorse and been with her throughout the trip to hospital. Maybe they had told the hospital she had fallen, rather than he had hit her, otherwise surely they would have called the police. Jamelia said they were very hungry. I drove to OK Foods and got them a hot meat stew and rice, and a slice of cheesecake for Jamelia and cold drinks. On the way to Avian Park I pulled over and turned to face them both. I said that Jamelia was a very special and talented girl, and she was definitely not into drugs or alcohol. I asked what evidence they had for her taking drugs and alcohol. They admitted they had none. I told them that to accure someone without evidence was a curse; that they had cursed their own daughter who had done nothing wrong. From their body language they were now indeed remorseful. They also knew that we would be there for Jamelia and that I would be on their case if problems continue. When we arrived at their home I told Jamelia we would not be able to have her in our home for a month, and she fully understood. As I drove home I reflected on this incident, happening in a week when the whole country was marching agaist gender violence, but it wasn't having any effect on the people who needed to hear it the most. Jamelia's parents see no news, read no newspapers, just attempt to subsist and feed their children, in isolation from the world. Breaking point is never far away, and this week they had snapped.

Fri Sep 13
At our early morning prayer, Godfrey had a word for me that I must remain strong for L-A. Louis picked up on my story about L-A wanting to be prayed for by Heidi. I said that logically it shouldn't matter who prays, but Louis reminded me that the hope-level would be affected by that, generating a more resilient attitude. I prayed for the right decisions in Jamelia's situation. After school I sent Mella the lesson plan reports for the week, and then e-mailed her again offering to meet with her to talk about her proposed changes to the school; possibly closing it. I was concerned that she might change it to the detriment of the children because of our situation. She invited me to join a parent-teacher time next Wednesday at 10:30. With L-A's tuition I cooked a nourishing crockpot meal with chicken and all sorts of vegetables. We played the whole of Adele 25 as I did it. Around 3:30 L-A was looking at her inventory of drugs she would need through the weekend, and I went to Quenets with a prescription e-mailed from CapeGate oncology for anti-nausea drugs. Also went to Fairbairn Pharmacy for Oxynorm, but they had none. They said they would order for Monday morning, and add soluble Panado. I can't be sure if we will have a TV for Brandvlei Alpha tomorrow morning, so I spent time preparing two of the talks verbally. Why 2? Because we also don't know which group of men we will be ministering to. If they are the same as last week we will do 'How to be filled with the Holy Spirit.' If not, it will be 'How can I resist evil.'

Thu Sep 12
L-A awoke feeling a little better after having slept more than 3 hours without being woken by pain. Everytime she is a little better my heart sings. If it were the other way I would be worried stiff by now. Prayers are being answered and even larger donations are coming in: several of $500 and one of $US 1,000! Jamelia messaged L-A saying she had something for us and could I drop by to get it. Around 5:45 I collected food from Janey for tonight's supper. She had wanted me to pray for Andre who is suffering, but he was asleep with no hearing aids on. Tendai was there having an Afrikaans lesson. I went on to Jamelia's, but she wasn't home, but another member of the family ran up the street to find her. Looking back, that may be significant. Jamelia came and gave me a 2-page letter she had written to me (not to L-A). Back home we read it. It said her parents were falsely accusing her of getting into drugs and smoking, including when she was out being taken to church by us, and of looking for a boy friend, Her mother had hit her and pulled her hair. They would be sending her away, and not allow her to go to dance classes or church or Friday youth club. Life was therefore too tough for her at home, and could she come and spend a month with us!

Wed Sep 11
Again, L-A seemed a little better. At one point her temperature was 98.6 - it has been varying up to 1 degree around this. A fever is a danger signal. The science experiment involving jello demonstrated vertebrates vs invertebrates and actually worked this time around. A march against gender violence took place along Worcester High Street - See photos and video. Shopping after morning school I got the remainder of the 10 Mg Oxynorm, and fresh salmon which L-A had specifically requested. It was expensive - R170 - but we don't buy it often - actually this is the first time. Music was a 2-part lesson. Part 1: making up tunes – continued. Before starting they heard some solo piano by John Lewis of the MJQ playing the kind of sounds I wanted them to attempt. While playing a major C chord with left hand, the learner made up a one finger tune with right hand. They all managed this to a degree; it’s hard for Deliverance. But he tried. Part 2 was a brief history of church music. I introduced them to a series of music sub-genres, and played recorded examples. Psalm, Hymn, Praise song, Bethel praise song, Hillsong praise song, Rend co kids – God of Science, Listener kids – This little light of mine, At Riverview, Mella shocked me, saying she was planning to restrict regular teaching from the end of the year, but was interested in filming the science lessons to offer to home schoolers. I messaged Jay Wile - who replied half an hour later to say copyright could be an issue. We could not make his book unnecessary. The reply from U-File didn't answer my key question about the use of MyAccount's facility for changing lines on the tax return, but it did have some useful figures that had been taken from my return. This allowed me to make a line change to increase the tax deductible interest on our All-in-One to the full interest, since we had rented out the full appartment. We will see shortly if CRA accepts my claim, or ask me further questions, which would also be fine. I cooked the salmon and it was excellent, with stir fry veg and yellow rice.

Tue Sep 10
We both slept well - the 10 mg Oxynorm? I felt ready for the two classes of L-A's that I would be teaching, as well as my science class. At Legacy Relay I taught osmosis in science, using a weed from our garden as a prop. Louis suggested to me gently that for Laurie-Ann, instead of chemotherapy she should come closer to the Lord and His word. I told him that reminded me of Christian scientists refusing blood transfusions, and that there was no way we would ignore the plan put forward by Dr Du Toit. For art I arranged to show on the screen the Christian art symbols Laurie-Ann had drawn the previous night, and the children copies them, with soaking music, and generally doing a credible job. For science at MasterPease I taught bees Part 2. For art I taught the same Christian art symbols I had used at Worcester Primary earlier. In the evening I prepared jello for tomorrow's experiment. U-File replied to my help message, but I was too busy to study it today.

Mon Sep 9
Laurie-Ann was up several times in the night taking pain meds, and was tired by morning and stayed in bed for most of the day. I called Miranda at Dr. Smith's office and asked for a prescription for Oxynorm 10 mg. She called back a little later and said Dr Smith would do it. I wasn't able to catch Sonja Lord on her phone, so sent her a report by e-mail of what the emergency doctor had recommended. After school I picked up the prescription from Miranda and took it to Fairbairn Pharmacy for the 10 mg Oxy. I also bought a small amount of Panado, which L-A may need to use when our supplies of Solpadeine are exhausted. While I was being served, Sonja called to say it was fine by Dr Du Toit for L-A to have the stronger pills. Half an hour later L-A had taken her first 10 mg pill. It was Mailbox Club day in Avian Park, and Jamelia had a bunch of kids waiting for songs of praise which I provided. After the music however she told me she didn't really feel like leading the course today. I told her that she must do it even when she doesn't feel like it, and I believe she did. Sadly, the other leaders have fallen off. Part of the reason is they are not getting the Saturday mentoring at our house while L-A is vulnerable to infection. Anthonica asked to be taken to the OVD library to do school work, so I dropped her off. When I got home L-A was in bed suffering from headache, so she took Panado, which helped. Donations were coming in, mainly through Paypal and e-Transfer, and by end of day her first chemo was more than covered. Praise the Lord indeed! Such a respone has been a tonic for L-A, with the volume of prayer as well as the $$. I took Anthonica home an hour later, and then went to Olive Tree Christian bookstore (@OliveTreeChristelikeBoekwinkel)in the Mall to interview Elzaan and Hanta, daughter and mother, about this great enterprize. Lovely people, committed totally to the Lord, and selling lots of Bibles. Back home my email showed that we are continuing to receive donations. I decided to work on my income tax return 2018 because I believe I can make an additional claim for tax deducting all the interest on our home equity line, and not just the part that we used to buy investments. I made some progress, figuring out which lines needed to be changed, but MyAccount (CRA) didn't recognize the lines. I sent a help request to U-File. L-A did not feel she would be up to leaving the house tomorrow so she coached me on art teaching which I could use both for Legacy Relay and for MasterPeace Academy.

Sun Sep 8
L-A not up to going to WCC today, but was up at 7:30 for medication so watched Brian Houston on 'What exactly is the glory of God?" I took notes in case I can use this as a talk. The service at Christian Worship Centre starts at 10, so there was a little more time to post photos and other talks. I drove to Jamelia's and she was ready. I parked right outside the church with two other cars and we entered at about 5 to 10. A pastor was shaking hands with those present and when he got to me he introduced himself as Pastor Nigel and said Pastor Jan told him to expect me. He asked if during the service I would introduce myself. Soon there was music being played with some syncopation and skill on a keyboard, and then a lead singer began to sing. She later introduced herself to me as Rachel. She is a good worship singer. Another musician took over on keyboard and he was accomplished - just like many African worship keyboardists, playing by ear with a real feel for what was needed in any key. The music was good and now there were three vocalists; have a listen here It was not distorted. Between songs there were about four testimonies in Afrikaans, quite lenghthy. Around 11 Pastor Nigel asked me to the front. I told them who I am, and that Pastor Jan and I were board members of My Father's House. I briefly covered Mailbox Clubs, mentioned Jamelia and then explained that teens were probably better for teaching children than adults. Finally mentioned CWCP and that my guest last Thursday had been Pastor Jan, and that's how I knew about the history of CWC. The message was brought by Pastor Dirk Ambraal, in Afrikaans. After he had been going 5 minutes, during which I texted L-A to see if she was up to coming to cell group, Rachel walked down the church and sat beside me. She said she didn't want me to be alone. Than she started translating. I only caught the general gist because the loudspeaker was pretty loud. I took a selfie of us. After the sermon I was asked to give a final blessing to the congregation. As we left the church people wished me well. I took Jamelia home via a store where she bought R20 worth of food for her lunch. As I drove back into town I tried calling L-A because there was no reply to my text, and she didn't answer. So I went home and was relieved that she had just been sleeping. After a quick bite, I drove to cell group. I gave everybody a report on the picture so far, including the insurance situation. It's a real comfort to have people who genuinely care surrounding us. L-A has created a section on coppleswesterncape with our appeal for prayers and funds, and including a 1-page summary. Now we are ready to 'go public' I posted these to Facebook (Laurie-Ann has been diagnosed with inflamatory breast cancer. This is not covered under our travel insurance. For information: http://web.ncf.ca/dq579/postercan.jpg and https://www.coppleswesterncape.ca/medical-campaign.html Please feel free to share this so more people who Laurie-Ann may see it), and L-A put a comprehensive story on her Facebook.

Sat Sep 7
L-A has such pain from her breast that she gets up every few hours in the night. When she is in bed, even the rubbing of the bed sheet is painful for her. As I lay beside her I found myself running through a series of future possible scenarios, some very sad indeed. But we are comforted by the knowledge of the Lord with us on this journey. Prison Alpha was different. Soraya was unable to come. I forgot the extension power cable but in other respects was equipped for a repeat 'How to be filled with the Holy Spirit' session. We had less than 10 for the last 2 sessions so I was pleasantly surprised when about 30 turned up this morning, including 14 new ones. What didn't turn up was the TV (so the missing power cable was a non-issue). Mr Williams explained that the settings had all gone wrong and it was unuseable. So I lengthened the worship segment, and they sang really well. Then I preached an impromptu sermon based on the words by Ruth Fazal: kindle the flame that has gone. It was basicly the knub of Christianity in 20 minutes, homing in on the Holy Spirit and the everlasting fight we have with Satan. It was appropriate for this group and they listened. I also told them of L-A's illness, and we sang 'I raise a hallelujah' with great passion. What a song that is! Talking with a prison officer afterwards I finally realised why some weeks we have many and some weeks we have few. Each section goes to sports on Saturday mornings in rotation. When we have few it is because most from that section have already gone to sports, which starts at about 9am. What we must do therefore is arrive shortly after 8:30 before they have chosen whether to go to sports. Next week it would be really good to hold a 'How to be filled" session with a larger group so we will come earlier. The samosa stand was not outside Pick n Pay this morning as I drove home, I hope the family that runs it is OK. When I opened the front door I heard Laurie-Ann crying in pain. I phoned the CapeGate oncology emergency number and spoke to a doctor. He was knowledgeable and helpful on pain management. She should double up on the Oxynorm to 2 5mg pills every 4 hours, stop both Gen-Payne and Stilpane, continue with Arthrotek (anti-inflamatory) and use Panado (Solpadeine) for the times when the pain bursts through. He said that it would be 6 weeks before the chemo drugs had an effect on the breast pain. Obviously our concern is that taking larger doses of Oxynorm (like Oxycontin) could lead to addiction, but we trust that in 6 weeks that would not happen. He said we should call the oncologist on Monday to confirm this change. 2 hours later after increasing the Oxynorm her pain was bearable. I can't help thinking about the thousands of people who have become addicted to Oxycontin, and the stress they must have experienced when they started on the drug. Drove to seek out Christian Worship Centre at 19 Dikkop street, Avian Park, the church founded by Jan Van Rooyen - listen to interview. Then visited most of our girls in Avian Park, since L-A cannot risk infection, so I took sandwiches etc. for them. Jamelia and Bella asked if I would take them swimming, it being the first warm day of the year. They were surprized when I agreed, and even more when I agreed to take 4 of Bella's younger siblings. I got a consent form from her mother, and we went to two swimming pools, only to find they had not yet opened for the summer. We dropped in to OVD to give Chantelle her sandwich (and one for her blinf grandmother). Then we returned to their homes plus a large cool drink bottle which they all shared. For the young ones it was a small adventure. Back home I cooked up a mince stir fry with almost no L-A verbal help which we enjoyed for dinner. We called Steve and carol - I did the talking - to bring them up to date on Laurie-Ann's situation. They had heard from Nancy about the cancer but were confused by the details. Now they know. L-A has created a poster that she is using to inform our supporting churches with a veiled suggestion that we need financial help for her medical expenses, and we have already received a donation of $100. L-A went to bed quite early, and I watched The Good Wife: depressing but enlightening on corruption in the legal world in Chicago. Still fascinating as chickens come home to roost. When I checked my email, three more supporters had sent money by e-Transfer and Paypal. Good to know my Paypal link set up years ago is very operational.

Fri Sep 6
L-A had less of a bad night than I had expected. We had been warned of all kinds of side effects. Her over-riding problem was the pain in her breast, seemingly worsening. After I returned from school, where I finally had the props to do the emission spectroscopy experiment, Sume Potgieter arrived with flowers for L-A and many words of encouragement form her and the church. I called Allianz to find out the status on the two claims submitted when we arrived in Canada for our home visit that still await benefit payouts, 618478, the second claim for my back pain, and 676821 for my low iron. The first of these got off to a bad start when Allianz allocated last year's policy number and told me the claim was invalid. About 2 months ago they agreed it was their mistake and an internal e-mial was sent to correct the problem. That e-mail must never have got through because last night they sent another. The second claim is still under review. Maggie arrived to see L-A and bringing wraps for us both and wonderful Woolworths blueberries. We had just eaten lunch so we kept the food for supper. Maggie of course was an ideal person for L-A to spend time and talk with. Picked up Jamelia to come to use our wifi and computer for her homework. After dropping her here I felt a strong desire to visit the hospice. Spoke for some time with Jean, the scottish lady, and a retired nurse, who got up to help another patient who was calling out. There were several new patients, some in really serious condition, and awful home situations. I took Jamelia home at about 6:15, and bought food for the teens tomorrow at OK. Laurie-Ann sent out a request to our praying supporters, including the cancer news. During the evening a supporter from St Paul's sent money by e-Transfer. THAT was encouraging. I watched live on Space.com as contact was lost with the Indian moon lander about 2 Km above the moon's surface. This would have been a historic 'first.'

Thu Sep 5
After school we left for CapeGate Oncology Centre for Laurie-Ann's first chemotherapy. There is a Dis-Chem inside the room where we paid for her drugs - R13,338 on her credit card. This would all normally be something of a stressful time, but whether it was angels with us or prayers from special people she was calm throughout as the very experienced staff got to work. The drip had to be inserted in a port in her chest, and the moment of inserting required two nurses, one with the needle and the other holding Laurie-Ann's head in her arms. It worked - they got the hole first time. The first bottle of drugs began flowing. She was comfortable in her chair reading books on her iPad and was also in touch with supporters thanks to the free wifi. I had a seat beside her and two books and my phone. We were set for the next 2 1/2 hours. There was free coffee but no food (and we had last eaten at breakfast). One of the drip bottles contained the 'red devil,' that Dr Hanlie Du Toit had referred to. I started reading 'Point Man' by Steve Farrar, lamenting the loss of leadership by men in their families, a phenomenon that arose with the industrial revolution as men were forced by economic factors to spend less time with their wives and children. I am one of them, and the book doesn't make me feel good. Eventually 4 (?) plastic bags of drugs had gone into her bloodstream, and the nurse had given her a detailed training in things that might happen and how to react to them. In a nutshell, if anything bad occurs, call them 24/7, and she gave the emergency number. Back home we broadcast Jan Van Rooyen's excellent interview with its blueprint for a better future for Avian Park kids.

Wed Sep 4
We received an email from Allianz warning that they would cut off all benefits related to this claim should L-A not be repatriated for chemotherapy and all future cancer care. We replied as follows:
"Thank you for laying out the situation, and it is generally as we understand it to be. This cancer was masked by the other illness Laurie-Ann suffers from, Hidradentitis Suppurativa, which is the subject of claim 658201, for which you have paid a partial amount of benefit. By the time the cancer was diagnosed, she was too ill for anything other than the treatment plan designed by her surgeon and oncologist here. The major priority was to start chemotherapy as soon as possible. This was an emergency. She will have the first treatment tomorrow at CapeGate Oncology Centre. Her left breast had swelled to twice normal size and deep red in colour and was so painful that oxynorm, gen-payne, stilpane, were unable to reduce it. It was getting worse by the day. The doctors here arranged port insertion, echocardiogram, and chest X-Ray in preparation for chemotherapy. It seemed to us that to switch the treatment to another continent in mid course would be foolish indeed. This view is also held by the surgeon and oncologist. My main concern was that she could suffer a serious setback, or even death during the tortuous flights back to Ottawa, or if she survived the flight she would then be expected to present herself to the medical authorities there essentially as a walk in. When first you told us of this plan she almost had a fit. Cancer recovery depends to some extent on the patient's confidence in her doctors and that the way ahead is well defined. To bring in a major fear factor would have set her back. For a while that awful night we were both in shock. It seems from our perspective you had not taken account of the fact that this particular cancer was advancing very fast - clearly an emergency situation. She is being forced to take more and more pain medication up till the present. Neither did the strong recommendations of her doctors here apparently make any difference to your decision. This reminded us of my previous experience with our Ottawa medical centre which we visited in June which never showed interest in my MRI and X-Ray results form South Africa, immediately repeating the X-Ray. And now you were apparently dismissing their recommendations. I understand that it makes no difference to our policy which country a patient is in or how good the medical services are there, whether to repatriate! South Africa is second to none in medical treatment, and her situation is extremely well understood by her doctors here. But what chance that Canadian doctors would be interested in receiving information and recommendations from them, or even have time to study them if she came back immediately as you recommended? What came to us that evening was a compromise. We will fund the chemotherapy, and plan on returnig to Canada for the mastectomy. Our surgeon here has strongly recommended he is put in touch with the surgeon in Ottawa to ensure a smooth transition. There will be time to plan. We realised that we would forfeit the free return flights. However this is not an issue because we cancelled our return tickets after arriving here and received rebates, which you would require we give to you, as stated by one of the Case Management team. My wife, her family, our doctors, our missionary supervisors and all people who know her situation fully endorse our decision. In fact, I am surprised that you didn't recommend it, after all the information we provided. So you will place a limitation of benefits on the case. We expected this would be the case going forward, but we feel it to be unfair and unreasonable to deny benefits for the care she received up to the point that cancer was diagnosed. I will be claiming those in a second clail for claim 658201, since all indications were that the problem was Hidradentitis Suppurativa. I would even suggest that you should pay benefits for all or some expenses up the the present, though we will handle the chemotherapy. Maybe as a gesture of goodwill. Put yourself in our position and consider what you would have done in our situation. Regards"
Music class was interesting. While waiting for everyone to join us, Sinegugu started playing a one finger tune on the keyboard, with reguar timing(!). I joined in with guitar, and Paula was on djembe. It was really quite good! My coaching them to make up tunes was bearing fruit. When all were present I told them that the keyboard chords they had learned last week were the basis for many tunes, and I played the starts of 5 Adele classics to prove it. Sinegugu was familiar with at least 2 of them and sang along. Then I had them each in turn playing major triads, but using fingers 1,2 and 5, which proved easier than 1,3,5. I was aiming to have them play Cmaj 8 times, Gmaj 8 times, Fmaj 8 times. They were getting the hang of keeping the same fingers in an orientation, then moving the hand to the next chord. Then I added guitar accompaniment as each learner did it again, and the other three kept up the rhythm on djembes. Again, it was a fun jam session. Then we repeated the excercise using Cmin, Gmin, Fmin, after which I told them about minor chords. We need to do this more until they can play a few more chords such as Am, Em, Dm, and then they will really have the tools to vamp tunes.

Tue Sep 3
L-A was determined to get to Worcester Primary for Legacy Relay, to be there when the children were told of her illness. We started as usual with praise songs, including 'This little light of mine,' and 'I raise a halleluja.' Before switching to the science segment I told them she had cancer, but she was going to be back to good health in time. It was clearly a shock. Then she told them that she would be losing her hair, in two stages. This reduced the tension; it was something they could relate to. One of the teachers then spoke to them bringing in the relevance of the song 'I raise a halleluja.' For science I took them through the Venn diagram of the differences and common factors between plants and animals. I used a small whiteboard that Louis was lending us, and will greatly facilitate these sessions. L-A made good use of it for her teaching on symbols in art, like fire (Holy Spirit), and the cross. She explained that in art, and particularly prophetic art, such symbols are very useful because they allow an artist to portray entities like God and the Holy Spirit, which are spirit. Today's teaching is designed to help the children greatly in their understanding of prophetic art, and even of dreams. I felt it was the right time to tell the MasterPeace children that Laurie-Ann has cancer. I left it to her to tell them the 'hair' story during art later. They were quite quiet during the science lesson, which was more on saltwater and freshwater, and osmosis. It was hard for L-A to get to art, with the pain, but she was determined. She told them that next time she saw them she would have a lot less hair, and she answered their ensuing questions. Art was watercolouring, for the first time, using watercolour pens and brushes on the drawings they had made two weeks ago on special watercolour paper. Deliverance the perfectionist decided it was all too hard for him, and went and lay down, but the the others did reasonable work in this medium, completely new to them (and to me). L-A's appointment with Joan, my hairdresser, was at 3. L-A likes the haircuts she has given me. Today she had Linda with her to help. She combed the hair back, put a band round the pony tail, and watched by my camera, snipped off the long hair. We put it in a ziplock bag. Then Linda washed it, plus tender loving care. Joan then did a marvellous job with L-A's remaining hair. You can see this unfolding hair.

Mon Sep 2
It was very pleasant to be back with the kids at school, whom I hadn't seen since last Wednesday. Science was about osmosis, one of the vital forces of nature without which..... Mella gave me a printout of a song by Rend Co kids called "God of Science." We had an appointment with Dr Smith at 11:45. He checked that the port surgery was healing, heard our story of the travel insurance, and wrote another prescription for Oxynorm, Gen-Payne and Stilpain. He also gave L-A a requisition for a pre-chemo chest X-Ray. We went to Pathcare and Advanced Health to pay bills, and then to Radiology for the X-Ray, and then on to Quenet's for the drugs. All these medical destinations are very close to one another in Worcester; so convenient. I went down to Avian Park as per usual, but only Jamelia's club was operating. We had a good Christian sing-song there, and also prayed healing for Jamelia's sister's 4-month old child, Isaiah, and Jamelia's grandfather who stays in bed in their living room. Chantelle and Anthonica were around but without evidence of learners for their clubs. Chantelle wanted to come home with me for wifi but I said L-A had veto'd it today. I am concerned that the project is losing steam. I did have a good talk with Marco, but he doesn't seem fired up to start a Mailbox Club in the informal settlements. He told me of his 13 year old daughter who was born at a time when he was charged with murder, and whose mother and other relatives have kept her apart for him ever since. He longs for reconciliation now he is a new man in Christ. On the news, Britain is in crisis over Brexit. A general election could come within a week (how can it be organized that fast?). It appears Boris Johnson actually wants a 'no deal' exit from the EU and doesn't feel the results would be as catastrophic as experts have forecast. I checked out 'God of Science' by Rend Co Kids and put it on my phone.

Sun Sep 1
We enjoyed a sumptuous breakfast, served by Sarah, manager of the Oystercatcher's Haven. The owners are in Pretoria, but they chose well in giving her the responsibility for this paradise, and she has built up a strong body of guests who return regularly. Europeans love coming here. After checking out we drove to the far end of Paternoster beach to look back on where we had stayed. We had all day to get back to Worcester, and the sun was shining. So we set Garmin to the West Coast National Park in the hopes of seeing what we had come for: flowers in bloom and abundance. We arrived at the Langebaan Gate and waited half an hour in a queue, then paid our entrance of ~R80 each. We knew that the centre for flowers was Postberg, 37 Km away and the other side of a large and beautiful lagoon. On our way there we stopped once where there were lots of flowers very localized. The orange, yellow, purple and whites were dazzling in carpets of colour. But the surrounding scrub was not in bloom. Maybe at another time of the year? We drove round the bottom of the lagoon and up towards Postberg. At one point we saw a lonely gemsbok very close to the gravel road, and in the distance, zebra. As we entered the Postberg area, flowers became more and more prevelant, sometimes stretching over large areas. By now L-A needed the toilet, and I asked directions in a tourist vehicle, and they pointed out some structures half a kilometer away. As we approached them, the Atlantic suddenly appeared in all its glory, with waves breaking high over rocks - lots of photographic opportunity. We were there 40 minutes or so, L-A in her purple chair looking out over the ocean. Finally we left and set Garmin to take us out via the West Coast Gate, near Yzerfontein. First town on the way was Darling, where we failed to find anywhere to eat, but we did find Calla lillies. Then on to Marmesbury where a Wimpey provided a very late lunch. The final leg to Worcester was uneventful.

Sat Aug 31
Delia came round with the guest book as we were finishing breakfast. I asked if she needed us out by 10 am, and yes she did because of the next guests, part of a family gathering as her daughter was getting married later that day. This meant I definitely wouldn't hear the GIG AGM. We drove off just after 10 and stopped to take a photo of the bay, which is when I remembered I had forgotten to empty the fridge! Back to the guest house to collect wine, beer, cider, salad, and L-A's cooler pack. Then we were on our way to Rena's new place above Sotheby's in an alcove of small shops. Soon we were in her living room for an hour and a half of very pleasant chat, including L-A's medical situation. She told us that she sometimes felt remote from the lives of her three boys, Kevin, Derek and Trevor. So when she heard the interview with Trevor, some of it was new to her! She was very grateful. She told us about Derek's career as an English teacher who uses drama effectively and the children win prizes for it. I felt we really should get him on CWCP, so I recorded a brief intro from her on my phone. We continued on via Weskus Mall where I was able to buy a new battery for my watch, which had stopped yesterday, and sandwiches in Woolworths. Soon we were in Paternoster, remembering what a beutiful place it is. We ate the sandwiches on a bench with the panorama of the ocean in front of us. We went on to our guest house, The Oystercatcher's Haven, perched on the cliff top right above the beach. We were welcomed by Oni and shown our beautiful room with gorgeous views. They had provisionally booked us a dinner table at the Noisy Oyster, where we had dined on our last visit. We got wifi working on some of our devices, so I was able to upload photos. I went for a walk down the sand cliff and along the beach, marvelling at creation. I e-mailed Mella that we would be meeting all our school commitments next week, in case she had thought otherwise. At 7 o'clock we were seated in The Noisy Oyster and enjoyed a fabulous meal and wonderful service. Check out our
photo album of the complete trip. St. Augustine's Anglican Church was near our guest house, but the service tommorrow was at 7:45 a.m., a little early for us.

Fri Aug 30
Delia (our landlady) had recommended Rosemead bakery and cafe, so we went for breakfast. It was a feast, based on bread as good as Daly's, with extraordinary scrambled egg and grilled cocktail tomatoes. The weather was disappointing - not the kind that brings out the flowers in their masses. We decided to drive to Hopefield, to Simply Bee. It took about an hour, and included a brief downpour, and a phone call from Rena Daly. We feasted on honey fudge, nougat, and tea with honey. In the shop L-A bought honey toiletries. As we returned to Yzerfontein, the sun began shining, but we weren't confident the flowers in the National Park would have noticed already, so we continued on. We bought pies in a Padstal, and ate them when we got home. Laurie-Ann then had a long sleep, the pain from the port surgery lessening, and I brought this journal up to date. Rena called again and we agreed to meet at her house after check-out here tomorrow at 10. I have been concerned that Jasper may think I have been dragging my feet on the Legacy audio book publishing, so I e-mailed him with a link to ACX Audiobook Publishers which is we could use. I also apologized that although I had booked to watch the GIG AGM tomorrow morning, it seemed unlikely this would actually happen since I will have no Wifi at the time. For dinner we had the Cape Malay curry I had bought in Woolworths, and wine that was in the unit when we arrived as a welcome gift. Before turning in I uploaded Sunday's Good News in the Morning podcast, which contains a PSA from me asking all listeners to contact me so we have an idea how many there are.

Thu Aug 29
First thing I did on waking, before washing, was to collect all the whiteboard images of my science lessons since the beginning of term, clean them up for brightness and contrast, and rename them with lesson numbers. Then I emailed about 8 of them for Mella to use for the next two days. At this stage I couldn't be sure if we would ever see the children again. A message from Dr Du Toit's assistant arrived with attachments of all the reports that she had been given by the labs, plus her recommendations that the treatment was urgent and better carried out here. I sent them off to Case Management. L-A got up soon and washed her hair in preparation for Suritha at Wigs for Africa. We packed for Yzerfontein in one suitcase, a rucksack and grocery bags. At 11:15 we drove to 66 Fairbairn for L-A to get an Echocardiogram (ECG and heart-health report) from Dr Christo Van Dyk. We took R1,790 in cash because someone stole their card machine. While L-A was having it done, I went to Pathcare to pay a bill for additional items for L-A's recent port surgery. When I picked her up she was full of praise for Dr Van Dyk (a different Van Dyk from Dr Eric Van Dyk, our GP, who is in the next office up the street). He said her heart is fine and good to go for chemo. We drove home and spent 45 minutes final packing for our trip. The first stop was to be a meeting with wigmaker Suritha van Tonder, 30 Main Rd, Paarl at 2:45 pm. L-A had a voucher for 10% discount by CapeGate Cancer Care. The only trouble was the card that CapeGate had given her was out of date and when we got to 30 Main Road, we couldn't find Wigs for Africa between numbers 28 and 32. So we called her and she had moved to 235 Val de Vie Estate. This we couldn't find on GPS, but she had given some directions, and we got to the estate at about 3:10. This huge estate is gated with millionaire houses and new roads without signposts. A guard took our details - ID, photo of licence disk - and gave us a code number to key in for the gate to open. Then we spent 15 minutes navigating by map, but were stopped by a barrier on her street that wouldn't open with the number. We called her, and she came and rescued us. Wigs of Africa is an MLM (I think) and soon we were seated in a studio with L-A trying on wigs for size and colour. Soon it became apparent that there are few choices in curly hair, and fewer still in larger cap size curly hair. But we found a wavy hair wig in the right size and pleasant colour and agreed to order it. She will send bank account details so we can pay by EFT. The price was around R3,400. I took pictures of her in various wigs, but they won't be posted on line! Getting out of Val de Vie proved even more difficult than getting to her house, because we foolishly used the GPS and it took us to a construction area with no public gate. So we retraced steps. Luckily I had saved the map refrence for Suritha's house. Eventually we were allowed out of the gate using the pass code, and were on our way North West. Except that Garmin took us South West. It calculated that it was quicker to go into Cape Town and then North up the N7. It would have been had we not hit construction delays. It was a pretty drive as the sun went down towards the ocean and we arrived at 6 pm at 'On the Beach Guest House.' I photographed L-A sitting on the patio looking out over rolling waves, and joined her to watch the sun dip into the sea. The unit was decorated with Marilyn Monro pictures on the walls, on the mugs (with several other screen idols), on coasters, and one very attractive art print. We had chicken chow main for dinner, bought in Woolworths on Tueday.

At about 7:30 Alliance called. They had reviewed all the reports. They hadn't spoken with our doctors but planned to do so tomorrow morning before the doctors went on their rounds. This was a strange thing to say since they are 6 hours behind so they would have to call about 2 am EST. So I don't believe they planned to call at all. The consultnt, Natasha K, said that Laurie-Ann must return to Canada as soon as possible - within a few days. I asked if she could have her first chemo here, and she said 'no;' it would make her too ill to travel. They would pay for her to fly business class, and also for an unrelated companion (not me), and they would pay economy for my ticket, if I were to return with her. We had been told a few days before that a prerequisite for these air tickets would be that we either need to have return tickets, or to pay them the amounts reimbursed to us when we cancelled our return tickets. When she got to Ottawa she should see her GP. By this point, I was thinking about minimizing risk for L-A, and could not see how switching the treatment to the care of Dr Esguerra would not greatly increase her risk. But I am also aware that by not complying we would cut ourselves off from insurance benefits. I said we would consider what she had told us and start making plans for departure. She said she would start the process for air tickets. We ended the call. L-A had heard half of the conversation, and was angry. For a while we were fairly incoherent. One of her first thought was that the wig wouldn't be ready in time. I couldn't start to plan or even think, and one of the immediate reasons was that we hadn't brought paper to write anything down on. I phoned our landlady Delia, and went round to her door (she lives upstairs) for some paper. L-A was adamant that she didn't want to put herself at risk with the switch of treatment to a different team, and she had no faith in Esguerra. She was emotional and very agitated. Then, in a way I can't really explain, ideas started coming. I felt we should find out the cost of chemo and mastectomy here, so that if she did not return immediatley, we would know what expenditure were we facing. L-A contacted Lorna and asked if she could stay with her at least for a while if she returned immediately. Lorna agreed, bless her. Diane Blenkiron had received some payment from OHIP after having medical treatment abroad, so I called Service Ontario to find our what may be expected. The answer seemed to be about 10% of the cost. L-A said she had already calculated the cost of chemotherapy and associated charges, and it came to R118,880, or $10,807. I sent Dr Du Toit's assistant and Dr Smith an email asking for confirmation of the chemo cost and a rough estimate of the masectomy cost. Meantime L-A was having three simulateous chats with trusted and supportive Christian friends. Then L-A had a brainwave (word of knowledge?). It was partly promted by her extreme unhappiness should we drop out of our various ministries precipitately. She felt that we should remain in SA for the 6 months of chemotherapy, and then go home for good and for mastectomy - or not should either the chemo or the Lord have healed her by then to the point that a mastectomy was not needed. $10,807 is a sum that won't bankrupt us, particularly if we receive donations towards it. We would be able to wind down ministries elegantly, get a good price for the car, rather than a firesale price, and stay here together rather than being separated by the Atlantic. As soon as she said this, it was like a calming wave coming over both of us, and we had a way ahead that would work. I e-mailed Natasha, but by now she had probably gone on the labour Day long weekend. There was a change in atmosphere in our room, and we were able to relax again.

Wed Aug 28
Port insertion surgery for L-A by Dr. Arnold Smith at Dayclinic (Advanced Health Worcester instead of Mediclinic hospital to cut costs). This is a procedure to facilitate chemotherapy by providing readymade holes in her body where the chemo drip can be inserted rather than new needles every time. It was complicated in her case by the need for total anaesthetic, so when I visited her after science class she was still woosy. I said I would come back after the Riverview ministry. I went to the Mall working through a long list of things to buy before we leave for Yzerfontein, home for lunch and them back to school for music. I had decided to give them their first introduction to 3 basic piano chords that are the harmonies for thousands of songs. These triads (eg C, E, G) are not easy for them to play because of the fingering for small hands, but I made them keep trying, ending up accompanying them on guitar. Back to Advanced Health after a text from L-A to find her ready to leave. The nurses had been very kind to her, taking an interest in her missionary work. One in particular, Vanecia Marais, had said to me earlier what a lovely person she is (which I can't deny), and now came out to the car to say goodbye, and asked me to keep her informed of progress on Whatsapp. For several days the pain from the port insertion would be more than the cancer pain, and restricted how she could sleep in bed. I phoned Rena Daly on WhatsApp to say we were coming to Yzerfontein and would like to see her. She had just listend to the CWCP broadcast with he son Trevor, and really liked it. I decided not to put out the GNiTM archive on CWCP. I would not have time to listen this evening, and I am always the only listener. The GNCM team are aware of the broadcasts but nome of them has ever tuned in. This perplexes me and disappoints me, since I always advertise the programs on FaceBooks where many are following us. I have persisted because for me it is a fascinating time with/learning about God in his infinite aspects, and I keep the mixdowns for possible future broadcasts. Tonight however it was good I didn't take the time to produce the program because of a phone call to me that would affect our whole futures. It was from Allianz. They told me that they would not be covering Laurie-Ann for her cancer treatments because after reading the doctors' recommendations and medical reports, the case can't be classified as an emergency in their definition. They advised that she come home to Canada for treatment as soon as possible, where she would have OHIP cover, but they would have no further role in her care. I was totally shocked. I tried to explain that her cancer was not the normal type that takes years to develop, but had appeared over a month or so, and we had only had a diagnosis on 16 August. She said she wasn't a medical person, but an insurance person, but she would have a member of their medical team contact me. What to do now? Should we even go to Yzerfontein tomorrow? Were we in danger of huge hospital bills not covered by insurance? We decided that whatever was transpiring, we wouldn't benefit from not having three nights in a different environment, if only to think more clearly. I called Mella, told her briefly the situation, and said I couldn't come into school tomorrow morning. It was just too heavy, and we must apply ourselves to discerning the best course of action to minimize risk for Laurie-Ann. She understood immediately and prayed in a comforting way that we would be led to find the way out of the nightmare. I emailed Dr Du Toit's receptionist, and Dr Smith with a synopsis of the situation, and asked Dr Du Toit for the report she had written. I gave them Allianz's telephone number in case they would call and put our case. I had already given Allianz their numbers.

Tue Aug 27
L-A not up to ministry today so it was a big day for me. At Legacy Relay in music we started with 'This little light of mine,' which had them dancing at the wrong time (during soaking prayer!) last week. This song immediately became part of my repertoire. Science was about U/V and sunscreen, showing the surprizing results we had in MasterPeace when the U/V turned newsprint yellow. Before I let them draw, I suggested they could receive words as well as images, and played them the whole of Robert Critchley's 'The Father's Love Letter,' and early results suggested the Holy Spirit got through to a few of them. I drove to MMJ for about 8:50 to get the bulb replaced in the RH indicator, expecting this would be a long job. Then had a coffee before intending to walk to school. But much to my surprize the car was ready by 8:10; Brian explained they were able to change the bulb without dismantling the front of the car by inserting a tool though a gap in the inside bodywork, and it only cost R180. TKOG. So then I walked to school in time for science. After the class, since it was Tuesday I crossed the road to the blood bank and filled in the application. But when they pricked my finger for the iron test, I was still too low to give, despite my iron supplementation. They also told me that I could not give until 6 months after a colonoscopy, which would take me to 5 October. This was disappointing. For art I played them soaking music while they either coloured one of L-A's drawings, or drew something of their own.

Mon Aug 26
Rose early to get L-A to Pathcare for blood work by 7:30, so Dr Hanlie du Toit has a baseline sample of her blood before chemo starts. Had issue with getting blood, veins collapsing. Had a very compassionate nurse (called Sisters in South Africa). Back to home, then to school for science. Shopping, then collected L-A from Pathcare. Avian Park in the afternoon yielded 3 clubs running, and four girls at the end who wanted to be taken somewhere, including to our home for wifi. I wasn't keen on the latter since L-A will be resting, but they came and were well behaved. They didn't see her. Dr Smith replied to my request on Friday with scans of medical reports. I forwarded them to Case Management. We haven't yet received Dr Du Toit's report that we watched her dictate.

Sun Aug 25
I turned on Brian Houston about 9:45 to hear him saying that God's annointing was for a lifetime, and not a question of how one felt on any given day. Hmm - I can build that into my talk to the Homeless Church. I dropped off L-A at church before collecting Chantelle, and two young cousins, from OVD. People welcomed L-A warmly, and Johann Leroux prayed earnestly for her, and a second time in the middle of the service. He told her God had already healed her. I was a little skeptical, and went after him and asked if he was suggesting she throw away her pills and cancel chemo. He said 'no,' God heals through medicines. Later I realized this was a question of confirmation. If the pain in her breast disappears, then such action would be justified. As soon as worship started the three girls were flagging, and I got photos and a video. Johan's sermon was about Sampson (Simpson in Afrikaans which confused me for a while). He was a bad man much of his life but had received an anointing at birth. His mother was told that he would be a Nazarite, and must not take wine or cut his hair, and he would have superhuman strength. Delilah cut his hair and he lost his strength but not the anointing, and when his hair grew back he regained his strength to kill hundreds of Phillistine leaders by bringing down the temple on them. Parts of this I will also add to my Homeless Church talk. TKOG. I went to McDonalds drive through for burgers and a shared coke and brought it back to the church for the three girls. Then we dropped L-A at cell group and went to Homeless Church, which was very late starting. Mella turned up expecting to lead the singing. Instead we led the music jointly, as we had the very first time I came. The girls sat in the front row. I had the key points of my talk on the Holy Spirit on my phone to prompt me, which has become my preferred mode of public speaking. They listened. The talk ended by explaining baptism in the Holy Spirit. Outside, afterwards, the girls obeyed me and waited till all the homeless were fed before joining the line for sandwiches. I took them back to OVD and then joined cell group by about 1:15. Laurie-Ann had by then told them of her illness, so there was plenty to pray for. In the evening we had just one guest for Soaking Prayer - but it was still a special time and we did talk about how to handle healing prayer that calls for instant healing when nothing apparently happens. Our quorum decided to continue with Soaking prayer despite the small numbers.

Sat Aug 24
It was to be 'How can I be filled with the Holy Spirit?" at Brandvlei. I forgot the anointing oil and the 'Why Jesus?' books. As we entered, Mr Williams was taking out a bunch of men for sports, including some of our Alpha attenders. We did get into 'A' Section, but with only 5 men (including Lee-Wade). We decided to go ahead with the planned video; after all these were keen. After the worship, we gave them the talk on the gifts of the Spirit. Interestingly, YWAM hadn't taught Soraya these, so she was using her common sense and I was augmenting for her. Then we ran the video, and at the end I led them all together in the sinners prayer. At the time it crossed my mind that speaking it from my heart rather than reading from Why Jesus may have been preferable. They were all pretty focused, with a few tears in eyes. As we left I forgot to tell them that we won't be there next Saturday because I'll be in Yzerfontein. Laurie-Ann was ready to tell our girls about the cancer, so I brought them up to our house, plus two of Chantelle's young cousins, one named Anatasia. I told them not to hug L-A tightly. After sandwiches and worship, we sat them at the table, and L-A told them about her cancer. There was a gasp of concern when she mentioned the word. She explained about losing her hair. Chantelle was wearing a 'doek' hair covering, and I thought one of those could look very fine on L-A. The girls were quite well behaved for the afternoon, perhaps so as not to stress L-A. One of Chantelle's cousins was doing a fine job of colouring, and I let her complete it before taking them all home; and Chantelle to OVD. She reminded me that I was taking her to church tomorrow; OVD is much closer to WCC than Avian Park.

Fri Aug 23
I dropped the car at MMJ and walked the ~50M to school (in Mella's house). After school returned to MMJ, and asked Brian to do an oil change as well. A nice man called Willem drove me home. Jan called to say that it was more important to get the new bank signatories, Kevin and me, to FNB than for us to have a board meeting, since she will be leaving with Joy for Australia on Tuesday. We agreed to meet at the bank at 2:30. Willem was knocking on our door by 1pm to take me back to the garage. Unfortunatley when I turned on the ignition the engine light was still on. Also the right hand front indicator bulb had blown. The oil change was done and that was the bulk of the bill. I didn't go back to the garage at that time because of the meeting at FNB. At 2:30 I rendezvous'd there with Jan and Kevin. It took 30 minutes of form-filling by the consultant to get Kevin and my signatures registered. (Kevin commented this was why he didn't like being on boards.) I returned to MMJ but they had gone home for the weekend. I collected Jamelia for wifi/homework at about 3:30, and she had a boerwors supper with us (which I cooked). Received an email from Case Management at Allianz asking for more reports from medical tests since the cancer diagnosis. I messaged Dr Smith for any reports he might have available.

Thu Aug 22
Still my favourite day of the week. Starts with a shower. After school, paid a bill at Pathcare. The expenses for cancer treatment are mounting up, and we don't yet have a response from Allianz indicating that when we make a claim it will be paid - in theory they could deny it on the basis that they would have repatriated her if we had told them sooner. The financial hurdle I must manage is that there is enough headroom in our All-in-One to pay my Mastercard on the 1st of the month. I checked, and it looks as if there will be, even though we have run up ~$6,500 on the card this month. It's working out because of the donations from the home visit. Next month may not be so pretty, particularly with the chemotherapy bills. Picked up Anthonica and took her to the Hospice. Again, it cheered up the patients to see a teenage girl who wanted to pray for them. Anthonica wasn't as comfortable in the role as Jamelia and I had to push with encouragement to get her going, but she did pray. She had told me when I picked her up that she hadn't eaten today, so on the way back I got her some biltong and a Fanta. She also asked for R50 to allow her to join a school function, whicn I also supplied. I thanked her for running a class on Monday. When I dropped her off, Chantelle appeared and persuaded me to take her home for homework. She got to stay for dinner, and I dropped her off at OVD.

Wed Aug 21
L-A has now been on Oxynorm for several days but with little reduction in pain. What does that tell you about her pain threshol? She still takes Gen-Payne. While we were preparing to leave for CapeGate to meet the oncologist, the letter came through from Arnold Smith recommending she not return to Canada for treatment, and I forwarded it to Case Management at Allianz. I also emailed Dianne, Neesa, Philip and James telling them of L-A's diagnosis. As we left home the engine light was on in the car. We prayed that it would not stop us reaching CapeGate. I also noticed a significant reduction in acceleration. I breathed normally after we were through the tunnel. The staff at the CapeGate Oncology Centre were universally helpful. Dr Hanlie Du Toit inspired us with the preparation she had made for the meeting, giving a precise diagnosis. She explained that Laurie-Ann is in Stage 3 cancer, which means localized. The plan is to shrink the cancer cell area and localize it even more with chemotherapy, before surgery. This will greatly increase the effectiveness of the surgery (mastectomy). Chemo should start as soon as possible. We can take our short break in Yzerfontein next week, and then start the following Thursday at Cape Gate. It's a one hour drive, and it will be once every 3 weeks fo 3 months. Her hair will fall our around day 10. This will be more traumatic for L-A than her mastectomy. She was given an attractive 'hat,' and recommended to have her hair shaved in two stages before that 10th day, and she wants to buy a wig. In our presence, Dr Du Toit dictated a letter for Allianz recommending she not be repatriated. We were introduced to her emotional supporter, Caron Majewski, who will be the go-to person throughout the chemo should she need information or anything else. We drove home, and even though the car laboured on the long incline before the tunnel, we made it. I bought chicken schnitzels at OK. There was a message from Bella saying she desperately needed help with a CV (I think her sister's) and could I pick her up at 4 at the Traffic Department. I ate my schnitzel quickly before driving to pick up Mella and go to Riverview. Mella told me that she wasn't using her car to reduce her carbon footprint. Kevin was at Riverview and gave the message after the praise and worship. After dropping Mella at home, I drove to the Traffic Department but Bella wasn't there. I drove to MMJ Motors and Brian said he recognized the fault on the car from my description. He booked it in for Friday. I went home but there was no message from Bella. There was more dialog with her later, and we know she got home, but not what happened about the CV. I called Pastor Jan Van Rooyen and arranged to interview him tomorrow at 7. It turns out he lives near us. I received a Whatsapp from Adam asking me to bring the message at Homeless Church on Sunday. In the evening I broadcast the GNiTM archive. The first program was really good, and I considered using it for The Worcester Report tomorrow, but now had agreed to interview Jan Van Rooyen, so that won't happen. Laurie-Ann was in bed by 10, most unusual for her, but Oxynom makes one drowsy. She was having a troubled evening, with feelings of confusion. She communicated with several close friends about how she was. She is getting some really helpful wishes from a number of people, showering her with the love of God. I can't imagine how a non-believer gets through this. She would be a living disaster without faith, and so would I.

Tue Aug 20
We set an alarm for 4 am for L-A to take meds a sufficient time before her X-Ray. Legacy Relay was fun as usual. In the science segment I showed them how solar and lunar eclipses work. L-A had them colouring one of her recent prophetic drawings. During part of this I played from my phone 'This little light of mine' and the whole two classes started singing! For Science at MasterPeace I took in 10 pencils, the leads of most of which broke in the first lesson, but at least they weren't fighting over scarce pensils. Right after class I went home to get L-A to her chest XRay and ultrasound at Worcester Radiology. While she was there, I attended the memorial service for Werne Boshoff, Leoni's husband who had died from cancer the previous Thursday. It was well attended, and all in Afrikaans, but I felt I needed to be there. I left a few minutes before the end to collect L-A and take her to school for the art class. She was feeling weak and hungry. I had told the children to be gentle with her - no hard hugs, and they behaved. Adreneline brought her through. Afterwards we were both hungry and went to Starpark for chow mein. An appointment came through for L-A to see an oncologist tomorrow in Cape Gate, about an hour's drive. I called Mella and told her I would miss science and music. I selected appropriate parts from Cosmos that could be shown to the science class in my absence, and also sent the music syllabus. Then I worked hard on the report for Case Manageent at Allianz to confirm (hopefully) we can make a claim. At 7, Eugéne Walker Walker came to pray for Laurie Ann - for instant healing of all her ills. He has extensive personal experience in God's complete healing of some serious issues, both for himself, and people he has prayed for. He has credibility with me. He prayed for me in the dark days of my hip and leg pain, and now all is well, though I do take pills evry day. He prayed for complete healing for Laurie-Ann. It was very comforting, and we will see if it was effective I got a fleeting thought that she should cancel any future treatment if she felt stromgly enough that the divine healing was hers. I said nothing. God uses human means as well as his powers. I finished the report for Allianz at 11pm and sent it. It included a blow-by-blow account of the consultations and expenses since the term mastitis was used, written by L-A, which will form the beginning of a blog she is writing to document the disease.

Mon Aug 19
I called Dr Smith's office and got an appointment for L-A at 10:45. The first 10 minutes of the science class was spent quietening down Sinegugu, who had taken Paula's pencil, after I gave it back to Sinegugu. There are only two reasonable length pencils left; I will buy more. I tell them that the pencils are individually owned, but they still claim ownership and will literally fight for it. Drove home; picked up L-A; drove to Dr Smith's office. After hearing about the severe pain, he prescribed Oxynorm, like Oxycontin. I asked him for a letter saying that L-A shold not be repatriated considering the advanced state of her cancer and the urgency to continue treatment. Fairbairn Pharmacy didn't have the right strength, so we got it at Quenets. They didn't have the number on the prescription, but said they would order them. At home, L-A took her first Oxynorm. Four mailboxes were in operation in the afternoon: Anthonica, Chantelle, Jamelia and Bella. When I got there Bella had no kids, but as I drove away I found a group of 8 boys hanging about. I stopped the car and got out and asked them if they would be interested in going to a class about Jesus. They all said 'yes.' I went back to Bella and told her and she said to send them in. They turned out to be the very boys she had taught some weeks ago! Before leaving the Park I drove back to see them and had a great time singing, including being video'd by Bella. Chantelle got me to take her to our house for homework, and Anthonica get me to drop her off downtown. I was able to find the last error in the My Father's House expenses spreadsheet which had been baffling me for a few days. I set up a Gmail account for Chantelle so she was able e-mail her project to her school. She had tuna rice with us before we took her and Anthonica home on the way to the My Father's House AGM at Toevlug. It was a good crowd, including Louis Le Grange, whom I had invited. Jan ran a tight meeting. I presented the treasurer's report and then the children's ministry report. Jan van Rooyen said he was still interested in doing a CWCP broadcast. Theresa was the perfect hospitality host. Back home I called Allianz to tell them of the cancer diagnosis. The first girl I spoke to couldn't get her head around the pronounciation of Worcester. She told me that the company was now allowing staff from a wider number of insurance offices to handle travel insurance, and their training had recently been completed. She allocated me a case number. Soon she realized this was a major claim, and passed me on to a colleague, whe realised it would have to be escalated to Case Management. Finally I was talking to someone who knew more than I. He said that in order to get this claim approved, I must send in a statement of the expenses since the cancer was being treated - even though at the beginning noone knew it was cancer.

Sun Aug 18
I remembered that I hadn't posted the GNiTM podcast, so did it first thing. I got breakfasts, and we were on our way to pick up Soraya by 8:35. The friend Soraya had wanted to bring turned out to be her fiance, Celui! (?) We had no idea of this new relationship! He is a missionary from Angola, and has been on staff at YWAM for some time, but their relationship had blossomed in the last couple of months. He is a perfect match for her. They converse in English. We dropped them off at her parent's house in Heideberg, and then drove on to Somerset West. It was a good service and Jamelia like it a lot, from the way she was joining in. Afterwards we went to Woolworths for 2 bottles of goat's milk and some lunch pies and a wrap. Then back to Heideberg so Soraya and Celui. From the look of the happy family faces who saw them off, the intro to a future father-in-law must have gone well. We broke our journey home by taking our guests to The Spice Route for coffee and ice cream. I bought 4 more bars of De Villiers chocolate. Although Laurie-Ann had managed the day out very well, and really enjoyed it, her breast pain is worsening. I will call Dr. Smith's office tomorrow morning for an appointment for stronger pain meds.

Sat Aug 17
soraya and I went to Brandvlei as usual. On the journey, after a prayer, I explained how we would handle the process of some being filled with the Holy Sirit. She was OK with everything, except the name 'Sinner's Prayer." I agreed not to call it that. Actually, 'Why Jesus' doesn't call it the sinner's prayer. When we reached A Section it appeared we wouldn't be able to use our regular room. Mamali (6 months pregnant and in mufti) took control and wheeled us over the the corridor to another section. The problem with that was that we would be unlikely to have the same group of men, and this was to be Holy Spirit day. And so it proved. We got 10 men, only 2 of whom we knew: Lee-Wade and Ali. Before starting, for fun I led them in 'Can you feel the love tonight.' and several knew it. Instead of the HS session we ran the introductory session. Lee-Wade and Ali asked to testify to the 8 newcomers and Lee-Wade did it very well. A guard hinted to Soraya that the problem in A Section was that one or more of the guards there sensed that we were becoming too much of a draw, and didn't like that. Soraya also spoke with one of the new men who seemed unhappy, who told her he had been wrongly accused of steeling some hairdressing equipment, and a guard had threatened to take away his privileges. On our way home I again bought Soraya 5 samosas, one of which she ate immediately. Jamelia phoned to say that there were 7 relatives from Rawsonville coming to stay in her house tonight. Her father told her to go and say with someone else they know, but Jamelia said 'no' because they are into drugs. Her father got angry, So she called us and asked if she could come here. We agreed. Since we are also planning to go to Hillsong tomorrow, she could come too. We again would be unable to have the girls in our house for ministry, so I prepared sandwiches, cake and naartjies and took them down. I told Jamelia she could come for the night and agreed to pick her up at 6. I managed to distribute sandwiches to the other 5 girls, though not to all personally. I took Anthonica to a place in town to see if they had mended her pants; they hadn't, and I took her home again. At 6 I was back to pick up Jamelia, and got a signature from her mother with agreement for her to come for the night, and with us to Cape Town tomorrow. I prepared tomorrow's GNiTM podcast, but didn't post it yet. I called Soraya to say we would be able to take her to see her father tomorrow, and she asked if she could bring a friend.

Fri Aug 16
I came home after school to hear some news we hadn't wanted. Dr Arnold Smith called and told Laurie-Ann the results of the biopsies. Three of the five had shown malignant cells. She has inflamatory breast cancer, a rare strain which is very aggressive. L-A volunteered to say to him that if a masectomy were needed she was OK with that. I seemed to be more shaken by the news than she. She took it in her stride and I felt not only proud but so grateful for her attitude, which will surely carry her through. We don't yet have the mammogram reports but they may show if it has spread to the left lumph node, which we expect. L-A has believed in her healing for a long time now, but it appears as if the Lord was waiting until there is something really big to heal. We drew up a list of family and friends who we should call sooner rather than later, bearing in mind that we don't know the answers yet to the questions they may ask. L-A is learning a lot from
Breast Cancer.org I prepped for "How can I be filled with the Holy Spirit" tomorrow morning. We can select only those who are ready and then each of us take a line of men and lead them through the sinners prayer.

Thu Aug 15
L-A asked me for 3 Solpadeine during the night and 2 more when she woke in the morning. This is in addition to Gen-Payne, Stilpane, and the powerful painkillers for her knees. I pray that her doctors will diagnose her breast problem before she hits the absolute limit on painkillers. Last night I had searched for songs about the kindness of God (TKOG) to go with Ways to Grow in God on tonight's Worcester Report. One of them that came up was Karen Drucker's 'Loving kindness.' But on another of her albums on Spotify was Here I Stand. I was drawn to it because the title is the same as a track on 'Blessings and Journeys.' But this different song was my second confirmation not to be phased with whether I am 'producing the goods' in ministry and in the school, but to stand in my power, which comes from God, and be confident. This has been a challenge for me in the past, but around 15 years ago I quit worrying about needing human confirmations, and in many areas I have done this. But there are still a few strands of doubt out there, and I believe Holy Spirit was helping me out - TKOG - by giving me this song, and Mella's positive comment yesterday. At the end of today's science class Mella told me that Leeroy was leaving (had left) the school. His mother has persuaded his previous Worcester school to take him back, even though he is still seriously behind his peers. At 3 I took Jamelia and Chantelle to the hospice, at Chantelle's request 10 days ago. When I stopped at Jamelia's house, she asked me to go inside. Her mother and (step?)father were there and very soon I realized they were asking financial help to do with her schooling, though it was hard for them to explain it in English. When Jamelia was in the car, she told me the details. There is a hostel associated with the school where learners may stay during the week rather than commuting. This would make a tremendous difference to Jamelia, saving travelling time and providing a learning-friendly environment. They have a source of funds for the cost of boarding, but R200 is necessary with the application, which is due by Monday. We picked up Chantelle and soon arrived at the hospice. and they prayed for all the patients, one by one. Both patients and staff responded very positively to them. It touched the hearts of the patients to see two teenagers who cared enough about them to be there. On the way home (of course) they persuaded me to let them come to our house for an hour to do homework that they couldn't do in their overcrowded homes. This ties in with Jamelia's wish to board weekly at school. L-A didn't see them; she was resting. I was preparing tonight's Worcester Report and they didn't get in the way of that. I took them home about 5:30, deliberately dropping Chantelle off first. When she was gone I asked Jamelia if there was a letter from the school asking for the money for the application for the hostel. There was, and when we reached her home she brought it and I photographed it. I then gave her the R200, plus instructions that it could only be used for the application. I trust Jamelia, and if this will significantly help her education, I have peace with it and it was an easy decision. Back home I cooked ostrich burgers, sautéed cabbage and onions and mashed potatoes, and then we listened to Trevor Daly on the CWCP transmission, with an Amoretto or two.

Wed Aug 14
Here is the lesson report following today's music lesson at MasterPeace academy.
More about jazz – making up music as you play it. Learning from the tunes we made up 2 weeks ago. Listen here. Impressive! Trying to stop them dancing and playing air guitars was hard but necessary since they needed to listen. The importance of keeping time when playing with other people. We just had treble and bass keyboard notes in those recordings, but in a band there is a rhythm section and lead instruments/ voice. If there is a vocal, you don’t need an instrument playing the tune. Then they heard examples of three jazz musicians making up tunes, with a rhythm section to keep the song structure: 1. Monty Sunshine: Petite Fleur. 2. George Shearing: San Francisco scene. 3. John Lewis (MJQ), from Pyramid. Each learner then had their chance on the keyboard to make up tunes, firstly one RH finger, and after adding a LH finger, after hearing the professionals. Special mentions are due to Sinegugu, Seth and Deliverance for what they delivered.
Then they all sang along with ‘Can you feel the love tonight,’ from last week. This had an encore request. We ended allowing them to dance to ‘This little light of mine.’ As we finished, Sinegugo said to me “That was a good lesson.” Thank you Sinegugu for helping me feel this is worth the effort. You may not realize how rare it is to have positive feedback. Not receiving any comments from Mella about whether I am doing a good job as a teacher has been a problem for me, not because I need praise, but because I have no yardstick to measure my performance. I have considered asking Mella why she doesn't encourage people, including the children. I considered including a comment in the lesson report you have just read, but thought better of it. Then two things happened in the next 24 hours that showed me that this isn't an issue I should raise. Mella asked me to pick her up for Riverview this afternoon. In the car she confirmed she would like me to give the message. I still have my notes on my phone. It wasn't a huge group, but the weather was sunny without wind, and someone had cleared the place up since last week's storm, so the ambience was nice. After some praise songs, I gave my talk on the history and significance of the Bible, and was listened to - except by about 5 of them who don't understand English. The subject was new to them even though the Bible is referred to frequently in these sessions. The Holy Spirit prompted me with additional verbal detours that weren't planned but were right for this group. After I finished, Mella took over and asked a series of questions based on my talk, and every question was answered correctly. That was gratifying. They then had some simple refreshments. As we left Mella sid that it had been a good talk. This was helpful feedback for me and the first of two confirmations not to concern myself about whether I was on track. The second came tomorrow.

Tue Aug 13
Although Laurie-Ann probably shouldn't have gone to Legacy Relay (she has a 'no work' certificate from Mediclinic!), she was determined, and really loves the children. So we went and it was excellent. Music, science (sun and planets), geography, flag competition, maple candies. As we arrived home Tertius's men were already working on the leaky irrigation system. An hour later it was mended for R400 incl tip. No more large water bills! In school I used the same visual aids as in Worcester Primary and showed our kids the relative sizes of the planets. At 12:15 L-A came with me to give the art lesson; I had half expected she would ask me to fill in, but again, she was missing the kids. We showed them the video of Suda the elephant painting and signing her name. After school we went to Dr Smith's office. I came in with her. He examined her and then took 5 biopsies from her breast after a local anaesthetic. I thought she might freak out but she was totally brave and even laughing. Dr Smith had a small ultrasound machine which again showed no sign of an abscess. We decided the next stage in this process would be a mammogram, and his staff arranged it right away in Worcester Radiology. He said that if it turned out to be painful she could pull the plug. As it turned out I don't think it was anything like she had imagined from a story her mother had told her, and the technician was very sensitive and helpful and got the scans. Then she had another ultrasound! Angelique, from 19th Hole Golf Villa, our first Worcester residence was waiting for an X-Ray when we arrived, so we had a very pleasant reunion. She has bunnions and is seeking a solution to the pain. When we got home, she was pretty tired and decided she shouldn't come the the church dinner for foreigners, so she went for a very early night. I attended the dinner, taking Mella, and it was very special, Johan telling us how proud he was that WCC attracted folk from all over the world. We had boeriewors (hotdogs), and then communion and then small group prayers, including for L-A. I am very glad to have been there. Laurie-Ann was still suffering when I got home and stayed in bed, so after I had prepared tomorrow's CWCP and some of the science class, I watched The Good Wife and it was a strange but thought-provoking episode. Alicia is level in the polls for State's Attorney, and before a big grilling session with 'experts,' and suffering from laringitis, she does a vast amount of soul searching. In the visions she has, we realize that she does have the (spiritual) gift of goodness, and that doing the right thing in decision-making is her character.

Mon Aug 12
At 8:30 and 8:45 was unable to get Dr Smith's phone to ring. Decided to go to his office after school. There had been only 2 lessons last week due to the Lion King outing and a holiday on Friday. Those lessons (50 and 51) were about the solar system. The children have huge difficulty learning the earth rotates once a day, goes round the sun once a year, and the moon goes round the Earth approximately once a month (actually once every 29 ˝ days). Sinegugu seems to find these facts harder to remember than the others, and Paula remembers them the best. In Lesson 51 we learned that the outer planets are huge distances from Earth, as we laid out a ‘toilet paper solar system’ on the floor. After this revision we watched Episode 1 of Carl Sagan’s ‘Cosmos’, from minute 22 to 40. Which simulates a visitor from space arriving at the solar system, past the outer planets, asteroids, Mars (in some detail), Venus, and finally the beautiful reality of Earth. Hopefully it cemented some of what we have been learning the past 2 weeks. It was quite well received by the kids, so I'll dip into Cosmos occasionally in the future. These revision sessions are essential, particularly in view of how little the children have been told by their parents about earth, moon, sun and stars. The inclusion of Cosmos was positive though parts of it would be boring to this age group – so it needs to be carefully selected. Note, my admiration for Carl Sagan goes back to when I watched Cosmos on TV in 1978. My son named his daughter Sagan. See also Cosmos: A Personal Voyage-Wiki. I was driving past Grondbeurs on my way to Radiology and I decided to go in and ask Yolande about our irrigation system. She said to check our meter to confirm the leak, and that it was our responsibility, not the owner's. She gave me the name Tertius, 084-433-2336 who could fix it. At Radiology they confirmed they did handle mammograms and breast MRIs. Back in our driveway I opened the grating and yes, the meter was running when we had no taps on. I called Tertius and he asked me to Whatsapp him with the details. In Avian Park in the afternoon, Jamelia and Chantelle were running Mailbox Clubs. Jan had left the ingredients for hearty soup at Jamelia's and Bella's yesterday, but neither of them were cooked up because they had no power. I gave them R10 each so they could have soup tonight. I don't know why both families are at a very low point financially, but there seemed to be several extra adults staying in Jamelia's, and a couple of those were begging from me. I took Jamelia and Chantelle to our house after the clubs to do their homework. Then I drove to Jan's to go through the minutes of the last board meeting with her and see if any actions were being taken. It turned out that there were - quite good progress. Jan asked me to prepare a financial report, as I had a year ago, for the AGM coming up. I returned home, but J and C were not ready to return to their homes. So I went in search of Trevor Daly, the founder of Daly Bread, our favourite bread. Trevor is the brother of Kevin and lives is a corrugated iron-roofed shack near Kevin's large dwelling. His helper Arnold was there when I arrived, who said he hadn't gone far. It turned out he had taken his dog for a walk. We sat outside as the sun went down and I interviewed him about the bread business. It was quite the most unusual interview setting yet, and Trevor was very willing to tell his story. Afterwards I returned home, took the girls home, and prepared for a big day tomorrow.

Sun Aug 11
We spent the whole day in delightful isolation! I had a streaming cold, and L-A has - well we don't yet know but I am very concerned. So it was for me good just being alone with her today. It also reinforced a feeling I had recently that I wasn't doing enough to guide her in managing her illnesses. She is in pain and stress most of the time and cannot necessarily be in a good state to make health decisions. So I decided to get an appointment for her with Dr. Smith asap.

Sat Aug 10
By morning my sore throat was gone! To Brandvlei with Soraya to be with 32 young offenders who clapped every song and every short talk by us. We were met by a new spiritual care officer, Nicolene, replacing Malali. One more glorious day in prison! I wish L-A could be here with us instead of being being cooped up all day suffering, but at least she did experience it once. I bought Soraya samosas on the way home and she ate one immediately. She is always hungry like the children. As last week, we didn't have the children to our house, but I took six of them sanwiches, cake and a naartjie. I drove Chatelle and her mother to Mountain Mill Mall, and home again after waiting for them 30 minutes after the agreed time. I was a little surprized when, as we got to their house, mother asked to borrow some Rand - quite a lot - after having just gone shopping. I didn't oblige. L-A's pain in her breast, and its inflamation, had slightly reduced, and the redness was less, so we didn't call to see Dr Eric or Dr Gina on Monday - she has an appointment booked for Thursday. From about tea time my nose needed blowing every few minutes, The sore throat had re-invented itself. I had Linctagon C mid evening, and we decided to stay away from church tomorrow. The two invalids!

Fri Aug 9
One of my tasks for the long weekend was to work through my inbox and make sure there was nothing lurking there that I had overlooked. Women's day in South Africa, a bank and school holiday, though many stores were open. The early morning prayer group took a break, which was OK by me after the long day yesterday. I slept in an extra hour and needed it. My hip pain is getting worse, and once or twice recently I have taken an extra two Tramacet. Today I tried taking two Aleve but there was no effect. In the morning I drove to Q-Square, got the hot/cold pack from Quinette's and a loaf from Daly Bread. Janey phoned to say she was cooking hearty soup for us since she realized L-A was not doing much cooking. At 4:30 I collected it from her - lots of it! I also ground some more coffee from the bag of beans I had bought by mistake in May, and left them with the rest of the beans, in thanks for their kindness. Later, Chantelle called to see if I would take her + kids to OVD, which I did. Then we cooked up one of Janey's soups and really enjoyed it, together with slices of Day Bread slightly heated. During today I have been working though my emails to make sure nothing has dropped through any cracks. I wrote a Nu Skin testimonial for Joan Lajeunesse, and completed an Amazon review of Born a Crime by Trevor Noah. I tweeted a very recent Daily Show of his focussing on the US/Trump's reaction to the mass killings in El Paso, which may have been triggered by anti-immigration remarks by Trump, who visted there yesterday. Trevor hasn't lost his perceptive skills, and there seem to be as many random Killings in America as in Avian Park. I think its easier to understand Avian Park killings. Lynn called on Whatsapp and set her visit to Worcester as 5 - 8 November. We had thought she might be here longer than that. While watching The Good Wife this evening my heart rate increased - and I realized this has happened before. This is way more scary than disaster movies. By the evening I had developed a bad sore throat, so made up a toddy (brandy, honey, lemon juice) before I turned in. I had another few sipps during the night.

Thu Aug 8
I woke up with a thought on my mind about my recent MRI, and the fact that Dr Bruwer had been able to see problems with both my hips, even though the technician had said the MRI would not extend beyond the prostate. So I sent the following e-mail to Dr Bruwer: "Dear Dr Bruwer, Thank you (very much) for taking the trouble to call me personally to explain the results of my recent MRI. Here's something interesting. I had jokingly asked the technician if she would extend the scan to my lower back (L3) so a comparison could be made with my previous MRI. She said "no," the prostate was the only part they could target. However, you were able to tell me that there were potential problems around both my right leg hip replacement, and even my left hip. Is it possible that she did indeed extend the scan, and if so, does it by any chance show my L3, where the cartilage had been protruding in August 2018? That would be really helpful, though I understand you are a urologist, not an orthopaedic specialist! But I could take the scan to an orthopaedist, possibly the one you mentioned." Laurie-Ann asked me to heat up her hot/cold pack in the microwave for a minute and it burst! Half a minute is recommended. I looked for another one that didn't become rock solid in the cold, and Quinette's pharmacy offered to order one. A couple of hours later they called to say it was in.

Wed Aug 7
LION KING TODAY - with 5 of our MasterPeace Academy kids, in 3D and great sound at Nu Metro. It is beyond me why everyone is not rushing to see it. They'll never get the full experience again. Long after the children have forgotten much of what they learn in school, they'll remember the Lion King. And so it turned out to be. The children were excited on the way there. They all had a little money, and Paula went and bought a large ice cream cone while I was getting the tickets for 5 children and a senior. They rode the fairground-style cars till I called them towards the cinema, where Paula was not allowed to take her ice cream. Amazingly she accepted that she must throw it away, without crying. Soon we were seated in the almost empty cinema, and wearing 3D glasses. The movie was wonderful, even better than I had expected. I feel sorry for the majority of the world who will watch it on phones and iPads. The 3D cinema experience was spectacular and audio-tacular. The childen were almost quiet throughout, except they joined in with 'The lion sleeps tonight.' In the middle of the film Maggie arrived to get the house keys. I didn't know she was coming to see L-A. I went into the foyer, called L-A and guided her how to open the garage door. After the film we went to McDonald Mountain Mill (my first visit there) for burgers and cones. They also got balloons, and kept the other guests entertained. It was very windy outside, and Paula let go her balloon, then chased it half way back to the mall entrance. On the way back to school, I took them to Hooggelegen to see L-A (and Maggie). Getting back into the car, Paula again lost her balloon in the wind, this time for good. The music class ran as I had envisioned it, teaching them to sing 'Can you feel the love tonight.' which I managed without tears. Rain started shortly after class. Mella didn't want to go in the rain but asked if I would, and I did, but no children turned up. So I didn't get to teach them about the Bible. Went home, slept 90 minutes, watched the news, watched The Good Wife, and now I'm typing this before preparing tonight's CWCP Radio. L-A is back on cabbage leaves and her regular meds, and she seemed to come through today OK.

Tue Aug 6
This day didn't start so well. I woke up at 2 am and 4 am believing it was morning. In my repetitive dream I was taking a group of children to a place, but couldn't remember what place or what children. By the real morning I had realized that I was going to Worcester Primary School for Legacy Relay (on my own), and that my troubled sleep may have been caused by 'Sleep support and renewal.' My body is asking to return to 'Insomnia,' which I have taken for years, a homeopathic remedy that is not too easy to find, but I did buy at NutriChem in Ottawa a few weeks ago. It wasn't raining, for the first Tuesday in three weeks. I parked outside the Worcester Primary School gates at 7:25 and was in the classroom by 7:30, where the children had already been told that Laurie-Ann was in hospital. They are writing cards for her. I began with a longer-then-usual praise and worship starting with Rock Star. After the singing I played them L-A's message, and then I emphasised the part about not to be disappointed if they didn't receive images from the Holy Spirit during soaking prayer. Then I taught them about the sun, Earth and the moon - homing in on key aspects from what I had taught the previous week in MasterPeace Academy. Just like the MasterPeace kids, none of them knew how long it took for the Earth to revolve once, or to go round the sun, or how long for the moon to go round the Earth. But they enjoyed learning these things. When that was done, they - or 35 of them - completed their get-well-soon cards for Aunt Laurie-Ann, and they were beautiful. We did the science experiment at MasterPeace in the front room because it was dark enough for Janey's lamp (the sun) to shine on the planets (the children) as they spun round and round and moved round the sun. During this I got a phone call from Dr Bruwer to tell me personally about the MRI result. The cancer is insignificant and no cause for alarm or surgery. However, the flesh around my right hip replacement is showing some malfunction. He asked if it is painful - I said "yes." He said there was also a sign of it on my left hip. He recommended a specialist in post-hip-replacement surgery. I said "no," because it wouldn't be covered by insurance. I should wait till I am back in Canada. So this accounts for the pain, even though the other symptoms of the problem with my L3 have reduced considerably. The fact that he was able to see the hip situation on the MRI may be a TKOG, considering that the MRI technician had said it wouldn't extend to other areas. And even if the technician had done so, it was my lower back (L3) that I had asked her to include in the scan, not my hips. I took the cards from the Worcester Primary School children to Mediclinic and Laurie-Ann read every one. Then we talked about her health, and apparently Dr Smith felt that, since the second untrasound had confirmed the first, with no abscess, there wasn't much more he could do on that front. But then, a TKOG, a swab was needed - Louis linde had told me that last Friday, and Mediclinic agreed. But you need pus from a boil, and she has no active boils now. When she was in Paarl, Dr Bronn had taken a swab, and sent it to Pathcare there. It turned out that the Worcester Pathcare can access the report. The local Pathcare head met with Dr Smith and agreed to get the swab results for him. This would allow him to pursue a new avenue of investigation, and for this reason there was no need for her to remain in Mediclinic at R4.000 a night. She had one last bottle of painkiller on the drip, half her lunch, and got dressed and out of her room before 12:30. I then left to teach her art lesson at school. We watched for the second time her study on texture. The children were asking for their surprize - Herschey kisses - and I had left them at home. I sat them down on opposite sides of the class table, gave them a PaperMate Ink Joy each, and set them drawing a portrate of the one opposite them. Ronel watched over them while I drove home to get the chocolate. The class ended with happy children and some nice drawings, except Seth, who did the best drawings but was disappointed with himself because they didn't look enough like Sinegugu. I returned to Mediclinic where L-A was still waiting in the ward for pharmacy paperwork. The Pathcare lady came by and L-A introduced her to me as the one who had saved the day. Eventually the pharmacy paperwork came, and I wheeled her to the front reception, and asked for the bill. It turned out we had a credit, since the original R7,000 had been an overestimate. Instead of driving straight home, I felt she had something to celebrate, so we went to the Teacup. Guess who our waitress was? Portia! So we had a lovely time with her, butternut soup for me, scone for L-A with jam and whipped real cream and tea/coffee. That put smiles back on our faces. I had an idea for music class tomorrow. They will have just seen The Lion King. How about I teach them "Can you see the love tonight?" I can accompany them on guitar. So I Googled for the guitar tabs and printed them. That's when my problem happened. The music is easy enough to play straight off on guitar if you you know the tune, which I do. I have always loved this tune, but now I was reading the words as well - verses as well as the well-known chorus. When I got to 'Can you feel the love tonight, it is where we are' I just broke down sobbing at the shear beauty of the tune. That particular sequence of notes is emotional beauty to my brain - even without the words. My tears stopped me reading the chords, so I couldn't continue. I persevered, and after playing it 5 times, I could get through it. But it happened again just now as I typed that lyric. Tears on the keyboard. What if this happens tomorrow when I try and teach them to sing it? How embarrassing. L-A had joined in the search for our Equator coffee when she first arrived home. No luck. I checked a number of places that I might have overlooked, but would have been very unlikely to have yielded anything. We actually wondered out loud whethe one of the teens had walked off with it. Half an hour later, I checked one of the kitchen cupboards for the 4th or 5th time - and there was the coffee, at the back, where I had put it. It's hard for me to understand how I could have looked in there, searching specifically for it, and not seen it.

Mon Aug 5
No coffee at breakfast for me. I had plenty of time before school and was well prepared. After class, I went to Blindiana Barrista for a coffee. Then I made a couple of shop visits I went to Mediclinic to be with L-A. She is looking just fine, but is still in severe pian in her breast. Dr Smith wants her to have a repeat ultrasound to see if they missed something the first time. I picked up naartjies and two batches of ingredients for hearty soup from Jan that she said were for Jamelia and Bella. Jamelia had a group going and I gave the vegetables to her mother, and the second batch to Bella's mother although Bella wasn't there yet. Chantelle also had a small group but there was no sign of Anthonica. I found Marsha in her house, saying she was sick. Bella then appeared on her way home form school to I took her home. Chantelle asked me if I would take her to our house to copy some documents, including her birth certificate and her mothers social grant form. When we got there the scanner wouldn't work - but now I knew how to fix it, having bought 5 spare fuses at Telefonica. Problem was, I have lost the Phillips screwdiver that would be needed to open up the transformer. However, I managed to do it with our small kitchen scissors (TKOG). Soon I had the scanner running, and had printed her forms. I gave her a samosa and some other food before taking her to Mediclinic as a surprize for L-A at about 7:30, finding her still in pain, and with her doctor somewhat baffled. Louis Linde had visited her again - he had a patient in the Mediclinic. L-A and Chanelle had a great time going through historic photos on the iPad including L-A as a child. We recorded a greeting for me to play at Legacy Relay tomorrow. Before sleeping I again squirted Laurie-Ann's Isagenix 'Sleep support and renewal' spray into my mouth.

Sun Aug 4
During the night, the vein in L-A's hand with the drip feeding into it collapsed. Anti-biotic fluid blew up her hand like a balloon. Thank God (TKOG) there was a nurse with her room-mate at the time, who realized what had happened, and re-set the drip into her left arm. I turned on Foobar for more Killers as I washed and dressed. At 7:35 I switched to E.TV but there was no Brian Houston! What's happened? So went back to Vineyard till it was time for church, while cooking a fried breakfast. Johan gave a brilliant sermon to encourage us that having bad stuff in our past will never exclude us from TKOG. He sited Abraham, David, Peter - none of them lost their closeness with God after their missdeeds. Johan invited people with words of knowledge arising to speak them after the sermon. I thought about my contention that in the commercial world the exact opposite happens; people work 20 years without a word of encouragement, or indication if they are doing a good job or not, then make a mistake and are fired. See Running on Autopilot. After church I decided to get a coffee at Milk & Honey instead of going home for half an hour before Homeless Church. I sat down at a table where the sun was shining and struck up an interesting conversation with a couple I hadn't previously met. I got to Homeless Church in good time and set up my guitar. Lovejoy came soon, but Adam had been held up getting a vehicle, so we started late with about 30 people in the room. Adam introduced me, said a prayer, and I was on. I plugged in and led them in 3 songs, including 'Open the Eyes of my Heart Lord.' Then I spoke to them about the Bible, its popularity, importance, its authors. To explain the influence from the Holy Spirit on its authors, I said that God was like the architect for the church, but he didn't lay a single brick. The human authors opened the eyes of their hearts to hear His instructions/inspiration for their writing. People listened with more attention than I had expected. They really were homeless, sleeping rough, but they wanted to hear about the Bible. After church they all got sandwiches. I then went to see L-A and she showed me her hand which was still enlarged after the vein that her drip went into collapsed, pumping antibiotics all over the place in her hand and arm. This had happened in the night, but luckily there was a nurse with the other parient in her room, Marina. Janey had invited me for lunch, so I arrived about 2 and enjoyed food and conversation with them. I had another search for our Equator coffee, but couldn't find it anywhere.

Sat Aug 3
I slept quite well and the bed didn't look like an earthquake in the morning. I put on some Vineyard praise music while getting up and breakfasting, and got to YWAM before Soraya came out. At Brandvlei Youth Centre, they weren't expecting us but they were friendly enough. A pastor was having a 1-on-1 with an inmate in the room we use. While we waited around, an inmate called Ali came and chatted. He was serious about his faith. He was in the 8th year of a 10 year sentence and lived in Rawsonville, not far away. Finally men started to come and we set up. In fact 30 arrived, nearly as many as last wwek. Because we were late, we began with the video - 'Who is the Holy Spirit.' At the end I led them in the song 'We are One in the Spirit,' before a short discussion time. It was excellent. Instead of having the teens up to our house, I intended to drive round and tell them about L-A's being in hospital, and give them the sandwiches, cake and fruit I had already bought. So I prepared the food and was at Jamelia's shortly after 3. She understood. Bella wasn't home but I left her food with her mother. Also left food for Chantelle, Britney, and Marsha. I prepared my talk on the Bible for the Homeless Church tomorrow and loaded it to my phone. It was based on the Alpha talk on the Bible. In the evening I spent an hour or so with L-A. She was still smiling, but not hearing any useful diagnosis from Dr Smith yet. I remembered to upload tomorrow's Good news in the Morning podcast, after being late the last two weeks. In the process I noted that there have been 5 hits on gnitm.wma for the July 21 and 28 programs so far. Although we always post .wma and .mp3 versions, I would have expected the majority to use .mp3. I finished the last of the ground coffee, and looked for our store of Equator coffee which we brought from Canada. Couldn't find it. Searched every cupboard, shelf, among clothing. It's a mystery! In the evening I reorganized the top of L-A's chest of drawers so that it looked like a cared for spot rather than earthquake rubble. Lots of earthquakes, I know. Among the rubble I found a sleep spray, so I'll finish what's left before returning to the Insomnia tabs I got in Ottawa. I listened to The Killers' Hot Fuss for the first time. L-A had bought it when she was at Live 88.5 with lots of other good alt-rock. Recently I have been listening to their more recent albums. I don't think Hot Fuss is as good, but won't be sure till I have listened to it a few more times.

Fri Aug 2
Took L-A for an 11am appointment with Dr Gina Eloff. Mella had asked me to stay in school till she returned from the bank, because Nicky our drama teacher is nervous about being in the house with the children but no other adults. Mella was late back so I phoned the surgery to advise them L-A would probably be late. They said not to worry. This turned out to be TKOG because postponing this appointment might have had serious consequences for L-A's health. We got there 15 minutes late. Gina saw the state of L-A's breast, which was giving her heavy pain, and called the specialist at Mediclinic, Dr Smith, and was able to arrange for him to slot L-A into his schedule that afternoon. We drove the short distance to Mediclinic and the excellent reception staffer was able to bring her in right then. I went home to interview Louis Le Grange for CWCP about Legacy Relay, and then returned to the hospital with various essentials should L-A be kept in - the iPad, her phone charger, a toothbrush and a nightgown. It turned out she would be staying the night. The ultrasound showed there was no abscess, but they couldn't see what was causing the pain and red colouration, and would need to find out before she could leave. I left for something to eat, and returned later with other necessities for a possibly longer stay.

Thu Aug 1
The science lesson was on how sunrises, sunsets and the sky get their beautiful colours. The experiment required a non-LED torch to shine through a glass of water with 1/8 of a teaspoon of milk. We have only one small torch with a regular bulb, and I had been concerned it wouldn't be bright enough, but it was. After the class I tried unsuccessfully to buy a torch that doesn't use LEDs in Game (a store). My mention to a sales girl of why I couldn't use LEDs resulted in my explaining the lesson I had given that morning to the class! We had expected Johan around 5, but both Fouries and Jen, a long-termer who had helped staff the recent school, arrived about 5:30, with three bottles of Fourie wine and a bag of rusks! Luckily the dinner we had prepared was expansible from 3 to 5 portions. Before we ate, I lead Johan and Marie on a basic teach-in on Internet radio broadcasting; they are considering setting up an Internet station of their own. Then, still part of the teaching, I had him, and them Marie, record a message to Kaysha and Alex. We then edited it and inserted into the Adobe Audition mix I had prepared earlier with Alex's and Kaysha's answers to my questions that they had made in Rwanda. While the mixdown was being generated, we had dinner - cabbage soup followed by the rest of the paella I had cooked under L-A's direction for yesterday's supper. After supper we all listened to the broadcast as it went out. Johan's and Marie's inserts were exactly what was needed to lift the program, and then came the interview with Alex and Kaysha. After that, Ways to grow in God - through legacy. I decided to push my luck and have them listen to most of Chapter 5 of 'Legacy' by Jasper Cloete, just so they would get a feel for the book. The evening had succeeded beyond my expectations.

Wed Jul 31
After science at school I drove the 80 minute trip to Mediclinic Panorama, and specifically the MRI unit. The free carpark was full, so I parked in the closer, paying, carpark. The attendant was a charming black girl who said she'd see me whan I came back for the car and charge me then. Before going in for the scan, I semi-seriously asked the technician if she could extend her scanning to my lower back so that a comparison could be made with the previous MRI, since the referred pain from L3 to my leg has significantly reduced. The MRI took 35 minutes, a long time to be cooped up. Although MRIs are painless, my right hip started hurting about half way through. I really wanted to move my knees up as I do when this happens in bed, but of course I couldn't. After a while an annoucement came through my headphones/ear defenders that there was just 7 minutes to go. I think they saw I was writhing a bit. After 7 minutes I was relieved to get out. and walked somewhat unsteadily to the restaurant for a sandwich and coffee. I couldn't open the sandwich, and neither could another customer who saw my plight. Finally a waiter opened it with some difficulty! Ultra packaging. While sipping coffee I remembered that I should get a disk of the MRI scan. I returned to the unit and 15 minutes later had my free disk. I just plugged the disk into my laptop while writing these notes and saw hundreds of scans of my prostate. The nice parking attendant saw me before I saw her, and charged me the huge fee of R8. I told her that in any Canadian hospital 2 hours would have cost me R200. I drove to the local shops and was unable to buy goat's milk for L-A's Annique shakes in Woolworths. Another customer had bought the last one, and complained to the staff that they never had enough to satisfy demand. I stopped in Paarl on the way home and found one bottle of non-longlife in Woolworths there. It is the cheapest of all the non-cow milks. When I arrived home I received an idea - as part of my teach-in to Johan on Internet broadcasting tomorrow, I should have him record a greeting to Kaysha.

Tue Jul 30
The wind howled all night, and brought rain with it. L-A woke in great pain in her breast from HS. She asked me what she should do. We prayed. I suggested Ibuprofen gel, and it just increased the pain in the short term. Not a good idea. But she was determined to do Legacy Relay, despite the pain - and rain. Louis was there and I asked him for an interview, which he agreed to. After praise singing I used a protea from our living room vase to explain phototropism and gravitropism. Then, as the children were given paper and pencils, L-A explained about prophetic art. I played soaking music from my phone into the Blackstar, and they began to draw and colour. After a while, some of them seemed to have received inspiration, and I asked those children to be sure to put their names on the drawings. In school, Mella had lost most of her voice, not good for a teacher, and teach she must now Helena has gone. In science class we have reached the fourth day of creation - sun, moon, stars - and it's interesting to speculate where the light came from on the first day - clearly not the sun. But when you think it through, though photons were probably the first products of the Big Bang, the Sun and stars came a lot later, one more example of the Bible's being scientifically correct. The experiment included standing a match in modelling clay and marking where the end of its shadow fell at the beginning and end of the lesson. I was confused - the shadow moved the wrong way! Later that day the penny dropped. We are in the southern hemisphere. Bella texted L-A to say she was stranded in her friend's car and they needed petrol desperately. I drove to the Durban Street Shell station. They were prepared to loan a petrol can for a returnable R60 deposit. I took R60 worth of petrol to Bella's friend's car. It turned out she had been in one of our Saturday afternoon ministries at our house. A young man was helping her, and he now thought the problem was not petrol but two spark plugs that needed to be replaced. The young man and I drove into town and bought the plugs for R40 each. He fitted the plugs, but the engine still wouldn't start. Maybe the fuel pump? There wasn't much more I could do except advise them to get a mechanic. No-one offered to reimburse me. I just don't see how I could have refused to help unless they paid. I then ran 3 more trips to and from town, including Anthonica and Tersia to a parents meeting. Anthonica got me to give her R50 for a rain jacket. Back home I put together the interview by Kaysha, who had responded to my request for some personal words addressed to her friends and family in the US. By bed time. L-A was still in pain from her breast, and though she had hoped to join me on tomorrow's drive to Panorama, it seemed unlikely to happen.

Mon Jul 29
Mella had asked me if we had some honey she could use to make tea for the children. Picked up a large box of oranges from Jan. Went to OVD first but no sign of Chantelle. Jamelia had kids already. I gave our oranges to them, and led them in singing. It was rather cosy in her 'garage' with wind and rain outside. No sign of Bella. Jamelia had asked if she could come to our house afterwards to complete a school project. In Maniken Street, guess what? Chantelle was there with kids. She and Anthonica both asked if I would take them to the library after Mailbox Clubs. I played some tunes for their children - just three - and gave out oranges. Then I drove to Marsha's house; no Marsha but a bunch of kids and Marsha's sister, who got the rest of the oranges and the box. Then back to collect Jamelia, Chantelle and Anthonica. The library would close at 5:30 so I said I'd be back by then, and in unison they asked if I would bring food. I bought Anthonica back to our place and she busied herself immendiatley with her project. She wasn't done by 5:30, so I went to collect the others after getting burgers and chips for them at McDonald's. Chantelle had told me earlier that her school bagg was ripped, and she asked if I would fund her a new one. Now she told me that they cost about R100, which was about a third of what I expected. I took a risk on her honesty and gave her R100. I impressed on her that it was for a school bag, and not to be used for anything else. Back home, Jamelia was still working. A while later she came to me and said she was hungry. We had previously decided to give her dinner, so I cooked her chicken legs and potatoes. After dinner she was then watching dance videos and dancing to them, but eventually she was ready to leave - it was about 7:30 - but she had had a good time here and I was glad about that. I decided to push through on the reply to the Co-operator's/Allianz letter asking for more information before they would pay out on my claim which began with sudden iron loss in my blood, but is now focussed on my enlarged prostate. This took less time than I had expected. I phoned Allianz to alert them that I will be having an MRI this Wednesday. Lucky I did, because they like their clients to get a pre-approval for the larger expenses. They put me on to a man called Josh at casemanagementca@allianz-assistance.ca, who was hepful and efficient. He asked me for some of the same information that I had prepared for the letter mentioned above, so I suggested copying him on my reply. His main concern was not the MRI, but the possible subsequent need for an operstion.

Sun Jul 28
No WCG today because we were to witness the 11th graduation from the Father's House school, Iris Western Cape. We arrived in good time at 10 as the students were gathering. Johan said he was keen to get a lesson on Internet broadcasting, so I invited him for Thursday at 5:30, and he will hear Alex's & Kaysha's program going out. There were 13 on the course and 5 leaders making this a good crowd. As the proceedings proceeded it was clear they had all learned a lot and were enthusiastic for the missionary life ahead. They had certainly bonded into a loving family. Graduation certificates were presented, a second handing out of fun certificates followed, then an excellent lunch, and the all-important skit. I took loads of photos, but only those with photographic merit are posted on our
Iris Graduation Flickr album. Today was Soaking Prayer in Action Sunday, but only one turned up, Heather. For 90 minutes we three had a fine time of opening the eyes of our hearts, and praying for some key matters: the local pastors' initiative to support the police, Boris Johnson newly elected PM of UK, L-A's HS, the Mailbox clubs, and Mogoeng Mogoeng, SA Chief Justice, who was interviewed on SAFM two days earlier.

Sat Jul 27
Picked up Soraya at 8:15 and we drove to Brandvlei. She likes to listen to worship music on her phone, particularly 'I exalt thee.' We arrived in very good time, and had a smooth run into 'A' Section. Soon lots of men arrived - 35 of them. This was after just 10 last week. I have no idea what happened! I tried out 'Rock Star' on them, and most of them knew it. We had some good worship. There were 11 first timers, and I got all their names. The men at the back took the initiative to put benches on benches so they could see the TV better. The all watched "How does God Guide Us," with rapt attention. Then we had some discussion where Soraya and I reinforced some of the ways He guides us. She spoke in English and they were all following, just as they had followed the video. Before a final prayer, I asked if anyone had a last question. There was one, and he asked how he could forgive his enemies. I dropped Soraya off at YWAM, and returned down town to the pharmacy to pick up L-A's new prescriptions from Dr Bronn. At 2:40 I left home and stopped off at Janey's to collect three beautiful proteas and a vase that she was giving L-A for her recent birthday. In Avian Park there were 3 new girls, all interested in learning how to lead Mailbox clubs. With Jo-Marie that makes 4, and so we had 9 in the house. Britney's grandfather had died of a heart attack the day before, and her mother had reacted by getting solidly drunk. Apparently his body was found on the dump near Jan's land. They all had a good time and there was just enough bread. Britney changed the small photo on my Facebook, which annoyed me a lot but I didn't want to be hard on her. I discovered later that one of my Facebook passwords had changed, and maybe that was also one of the girls, but I can't prove it. They don't understand that if they borrow a smart phone or laptop, they can damage our software. I showed them the great video of Casting Crowns and 'Nobody' and then attempted to teach them the chorus, but kept forgetting it. At 5 pm I drove Jamelia, and Marsha as a companion, to the Mall, gave her R100 to buy a birthday present (since she didn't want a basic talk n text phone). I returned to the house, picked up a bunch of girls, and took them to their homes. Returning to the mall, I spent a stressful 30 minutes searching for Jamelia and Marsha, eventually finding them waiting at the car. We drove to Hooggelegen to get Chantelle and Anthonica, and then to OVD to drop off Chantelle, and then on to Avian Park. Back home I received a call from Chantelle's father asking where she was. At OVD she must have gone to see one of her many friends. Imagine the situation if I hadn't found Jamelia earlier and it was her mother calling. Never again will I leave the teens on their own to go shopping. It's far too stressful. Back home I watched 'The Good Wife' for the fist time in 4 days. This is an indicator of busy-ness.

Fri Jul 26
Helena's last day - though I don't think she did much teaching this week. Her absence will put quite a strain on Ronel and Mella, but helping get the school through the move while we and Mella were away was her real legacy. After science we drove to Paarl, primarily for L-A to have an appointment with Dr L Bronn, MBChB FC Derm SA, as referred by Dr Gina Eloff. She confirmed the disgnosic of Hidradentitis Suppurativa. It has taken 7 months - but according to on-line information, others have taken years to be diagnosed. TKOG. L-A has a new batch of prescriptions. Fitting her medications into her day requires talent, since some cannot be taken within a few hours of others. From now on in this journal I will call the disease HS. While L-A was with the doctor, I was walking along Main Street looking for a cell phone shop. I found one, and they told me that the R100 basic talk and text phones have no wifi capability for hard wired apps like FaceBook or Whatsapp. This wasn't a surprise, but I just need to be sure before giving up on finding Jamelia a new phone. I had some difficulty finding the Dr's office again, and actually walked past it twice without noticing it or our car parked outside. I had remembered the place as a small road off Main Street, and found no such road, and so few of the businesses in the street have numbers displayed. After we finally met up, we wanted to go to the Spice Route, which was nowhere to be found on the GPS. L-A felt we should aim for the main mall and ask, and as we got out of the downtown area we were able to get a sense of direction; we needed to get round to the other side of Paarl Rock. When we felt we were headed in the right direction, I stopped at a dental surgery and they confirmed the way. Once we were actually at the Spice Route, it had a sign. See our photos here. We had a great time at De Villiers chocolate and CBC craft beer tastings. CBC is my favourite beer here, but I hadn't realized the company is based in Paarl. After arriving home I felt really tired so I set my alarm for 7:15 pm and fell fast asleep. When the alarm went off, I assumed it must be 7:15 am, the time it rings every morning. I wantered into the living room to find L-A already up! I asked her why she had got up so early. Then I looked at the clock and saw it was 7:15 pm, not am! I was 12 hours early. Did numbers of important things that evening in my 'found' 12 hours.

Thu Jul 25
After science we drove to our Iris base near Robertson to speak to the latest class of The Father's House. There were about 12 on the course and they made us very welcome. L-A delivered her latest 'Ways to Grow in God' which included some strong positive comments on Iris Western Cape leadership. I spoke on key things we had learned about long term ministry after our 18 month experience.
We took many questions and enjoyed chicken pie with the students. The day before, Johan Schoonraad had spoken there. I heard in our early morning prayer group (tomorrow) that apparently someone in the group had given Johan a word of knowledge that he would be working supportively in Worcester with the police - exactly as he had spoken about during last Sunday's service. On our way home we picked up Jamelia, Bella, and Bella's friend Joy who wanted to do school work in our house. When I took them home I discovered that Joy lives in the area of Avian Park on the way to Folla's ministry. At 8 we transmitted The Worcester Report featuring Louis Linde, but there were no on-line listeners, suprizingly since I had promoted it to the early morning prayer group that Louis and I are members of.

Wed Jul 24
The TV worked this morning. For the last 2 days we had no reception, probably related to the heavy rain. This is the day Boris Johnson becomes PM of UK so I was able to watch the beginning of the action. Outside the sun is shining - we haven't see it for two days. Seth was away from school today and I missed him. Paula and Delivenance had evidently survived their walk home in the storm yesterday, which was a relief. The science experiment involved testing for starch, using iodine, but the iodine in Mellas' medicine cupboard didn't turn blue or black, probably because it was a low dilution. I continued with the lesson, but after class went to Quinettes's pharmacy to buy some regular tincture of iodine. When I returned for the music class, I re-did the the dropping of iodine onto bread, potato, etc, and saw them rapidly turn dark blue and black. For music I had three unruly kids to deal with, two of whom had lost possessions and one, Delivenance, said his mother would beat him if he didn't find his hat. We started with singing scales, and again, the only one who could sing on pitch is Deliverance. Then I had them each try and make up a one finger tune on the keyboard. It was hard for them. But when I played a harmony accompaniment to their tune with their right hand, they got the hang of it and were able to play - and enjoy playing - for some time, extemporizing all the way, and I have the evidence on my phone voicenotes. Maybe I have a class of budding jazz musicians. While I worked with each in turn, the other two were incapable of sitting and listening; they threw cushions, wrestled, laughed and ignored my requests to quieten down. I am sure Mella thought I was totally our of control with the class, but I was very happy with the progress being made on instant composition. We joined Mella and Kevin for the Riverview kids club. After yesterday's rain, we rearranged things, with music coming from the only dry corner. Before kenin spoke, I asked him to give 4 Canadian flags to children who answered his questions correctly, which added to the fun. L-A gave maple candies to all present. Mella had brought a cake which apparently was excellent. It was good to see the children again. There was a message on my phone from Marie; she wanted me to pick up two wifi phones from Telkom since their landlines had stopped working more than a year ago as a result of cable theft, and apparently Telcom had decided that wifi phones were a better answer than replacing land lines. While I was being served, Roman's Pizza were cooking up a chicken pizza for us which we enjoyed as soon as we got home (I hadn't had lunch). Thank you Marie. I received a message from Soraya Volkwyn that she was back, and looking forward to Brandvlei on Saturday.

Tue Jul 23
Heavy rain day, and cold, but we carried on regardless, not too easy for L-A. Tv won't work - rain often does this. During L-A's art class, I spoke to Paula to encourage her that she would need to be tough and brave on her walk home from the taxi in the rain to her house, 15 minutes off road, looking after Delivelance. The art class went well, on the subject of texture and tone. She used her computer to go through her latest art teaching powerpoint. I took L-A to Dr Eloff, who diagnosed Hidradentitis Suppurativa, see also this on her breast and gave her an introduction to a dermatologist who we will see in Paarl on Friday. Maybe this has caused all her boils. Google found a medication for it, Emuaid. Heard back from Roy Ngoma that he indeed out of jail and living in a community residence in Capa Town. I told him we will visit him on one of our Cape Town trips.

Mon Jul 22
Mella is back! Good to see her in school (in her own house) this morning. She asked me to put up some curtains to help keep the cold out. Helena told me she would be leaving on Friday to rejoin her family somewhere East. I went to see Dr Gawie Brower, urologist, in Durbanville, referred by Dr Eric. This was a second opinion on the results of the various ...oscopies I had on April 4. He says I shouldn't worry about the trace of cancer, statistically at my age it's irrelevant. That was the same view as Dr Marais. But he measured my prostate on a live untrasound, and when he saw it was enlarged, recommended a PSA test and an MRI. When those results come through he will decide on possible surgery, or a less invasive option I don't remember the details of. I felt comfortable with his expertise and recommendations. and had the PSA immediately next door. I have a feeling I didn't pay for the PSA. They will surely contact me. I called Mella and asked her if she really needs me to send in science lesson reports again, now I am in new territory in 'Creation - In the beginning.' She said yes, and I spent about 2 1/2 hours doing the reports since we returned. I discovered that the 'Roy' who had been contacting me on Whatsapp was Roy Ngoma who we ministered to in the Medium in Brandvlei. Maybe he is out of jail now! We will know soon.

Sun Jul 21
To church, where Johan started by asking people to arrive on time - fair enough. His sermon was from Zechariah 1:18, a Vision of Horns and Craftsmen, where we learned that the horns represent the enemy's attempts to make us believe we have limitations that will stall our ministry. The first horn represents the spirit of lack - similar to orphan spirit. While we were in Canada I had received a divine nudge not to chicken out from opportunities to share the Word, and that the Homeless Church was just such an opportunity. So today I went to the Homeless Church, which takes place in Worcester United Church, @WhereChristisWorshipped. Pastoe Adam led the service and gave the message. Talking to him afterwards with Lovejoy, Lovejoy volunteered me to give the message two weeks from today. It seems my nudge was bearing fruit. I e-mailed Glenda Fredericks to find a way to set up a file for me, so that next Saturday I can enter Brandvlei with the right paperwork. Chantelle called mid afternoon asking if I could ferry her plus family members from Avian Park to OVD. As I was approaching, L-A called to say Jamelia's family needed R20 for bread. Chantelle loaded my trunk with some of her things to me moved to OVD. Her family members got in. I asked if they minded my listening to a press conference on SAFM where Cyril Ramaphosa was responding to charges laid by the public prosecutor that he had wrongly allocated a large donation from African Global Operations (AGO) - previously called Bosasa - to his 2017 campaign for the presidency. This is a big deal for Ramaphosa, and for South Africa. When we got to OVD, Chantelle asked me for R20 for groceries, but I gave her R50 (since I had no R20 notes) and I wanted to bless her for the leadership she shows in her family. Back home we dined on mashed potato and poached eggs, and then listened to Trevor Noah's 'Born a Crime," which we had started in November 2017. I re-dressed the boil on my stomach, which had been itching, and it has developed somewhat larger in the same way as Laurie-Ann's boils. It seems that Patricia's colloidal silver concoction for sniffing hasn't had a preventative effect for boils.

Sat Jul 20
When I woke at the alarm, L-A aso woke, still in great pain. I suggested that she take Tramacet, which has been so effective for me. She did. She is at the point where she will try anything. I went to Brandvlei Youth Centre alone. It was initially hard to get through the reception because they always ask for my file, and I don't have one, and they let me in anyway. Mamali was here however and she escorted me to A block. After last week's attendance of 28, it was disappointing that only 10 came in this week, but this may be due to the fact that the attendance list that Mr Williams constructed was not available since he wasn't here today. The 10 who were here were very attentive and will definitely learned a lot more abut the Bible than they knew before. On my way home I stopped by one of the hundreds of Protea plants and stole three blooms, a felony I admitted to the guard on the main gate who let me go with a smile. These may make up slightly for the fact that I failed to find a king protea for L-A's birthday. I gave a lift into town to a man who comes in to teach inmates ways of finding employment. I went to the cell repair firm on Stockenstrom and gave Jamelia's phone to Than to take to Cape Town for a new charging unit. Then I picked up the laundry before returning home for coffee and birthday cake. Sadly, the tramacet had not relieved L-A's pain - but it was a long shot so I wasn't surprised. We had 7 for our girls ministry, including Jo-Marie but excluding Chrizelle and Macayla. I hope we haven't seen the last of them. I gave a short talk on the Bible from notes I had made form Alpha in the prison. We got some nice pictures of Laurie-Ann + girls with her birthday cake (1 candle) which tasted fine despite having been 50% off. I took them home but was delayed by taking Chantelle and her relatives to OVD, so when I got home, Louis Linde had arrived just before me for his CWCP interview. We had birthday cake and tea, and then got down to it. He is the first doctor I have interviewed, and it was a powerful reflection of a noble career led by the Holy Spirit. As I cooked tuna rice for our evening meal, I put on the 'Yesterday' soundtrack, playing from Spotify. It was remarkably entertaining. As we ate, I played Across the Universe, staying in the genre of exceptional Beatles covers. Something about the atmosphere was very special and I felt very in love with my Beatles fan wife. It was a magical 2 hours for me. I just felt very happy.

Fri Jul 19
No school today because Mella needs her house to herself to clear the jet lag. At 10 am dropped off laundry, picked up Moses, put his wheelchair in the car and took him to Capitek Bank. Then we went to Checkers. He wanted snacks for the journey tomorrow, and a cake to give to the staff at the Hospice. We found two R80 Black Forest Gateaus at 50%, so he bought one. I then bought the other one for L-A's birthday party with the girls tomorrow. When I got home, L-A was in severe pain from what may be a new carbuncle on her left breast around the nipple. I called the Dr's office and they were able to fit her in within 20 minutes to see Dr Gina Eloff (Dr Erik not in today). L-A gt on well with her, recounting the boils history. She prescribed an extra strong penicillin, and a recommendation that she come back Monday and depending on any change, goes to see a dermatologist. There is a limit to how many antibiotics L-A should have used for this problem, and she's at the limit. Dr Eloff gave her a shot - high dose antibiotic. This may have helped enable her to come to a My Father's House board meeting with a rather important agenda. Things are coming to a head for the installation of temporary buildings on Jan's land. Furthermore, Shoprite is interested in opening a small store there. We took several decisions. Kevin, Jan van Rooyen and Theresa Rousseau were all there. This a strong board. Thank goodness L-A was there to take the minutes. I forgot to pick up the laundry. L-A was still suffering a lot from the possible new carbuncle, despite all the painkillers. She felt it unlikely she would accompany me to Brandvlei in the morning.

Thu Jul 18
Science included transplanting seedlings from the paper towel jar. I must admit I was confused because Dr Jay Wile says the cotyledons come out of the soil on the stem, but the cotyledons are the original seed/bean and they were certainly all below the ground surface. Wikipedia suggests both versions can apply with different plants. Helena told me that Mella had said there was no Riverview kids' ministry today. Mella flew in to Cape Town today from Dubai. At the hospice, Loretta and Christo were not at all well. I fed Christo, who could hardly hold his head up. Loretta loves to see me but then talks in gibberish, and the nurses don't know what she's trying to say. I took Moses some bananas and naartjies and he told me he would be going home to Towesrivier on Saturday, and asked if I would take him to Capitek Bank tomorrow. CWCP featuring Dave Kemp went out and we both listened to the Leak speaker, but there were no other listeners live. Diane Blenkiron called L-A on Skype as she does every 2 weeks. I have been feeling a little more capable with just about all tasks since returning from Canada. Maybe a change was as good as a rest. I e-mailed Dianne and Neesa and Phil to tell them we were back in SA, since Neesa and Phil don't have Facebook and Diane has it but doesn't seem to use it.

Wed Jul 17 - Laurie-Ann is 58!
At 8:40, Carica knocked on the door with flowers for L-A, including proteas! Science was good as we continued with the subject of germination, then music was particularly good in Mella's front room. They all sang Cmajor accompanied by piano. Then each of them in turn sang solo. Delivenance was best at this. Ditto for Dmaj, Emaj, Fmaj. After each scale I wrote it out on manuscript paper showing where sharps and flats came. Ditto for Dminor, Emin. Each learner then played Cmaj, and Dmaj while the others provided timing by drumming on djembes. Sinegugu has difficulty singing in tune, but she was the best at playing the scales. Delivenance was best for his age. L-A had arranged her birthday dinner at the Hussar Grill, bordering Church Square, new to us but operating since 1964. We had an enthusiastic waiter called Edward, and the decor and atmosphere were charming. L-A ordered an appetizer of beef balls which we shared (far to much for one person). Springbok steak for me and ostrich steak for L-A and large portions. A very nice bottle of red wine made specially for the Hussar Grill. The owner came round and introduced himself - he also owns Fowler's where we went for our 19th anniversary. Half way through her steak, L-A asked for a box to take it home - she had eaten more than was comfortable. We had crčme brűlées for dessert. Shortly after she started to look ill. Edward knew it was her birthday and he brought complimentary chocolate liqueurs, but shortly after L-A was very sick, vomiting on the table and her clothes. We paid our bill (+ R100 tip) and left as quickly as we could. Driving along High Street she wanted to be sick again so I pulled over and she managed to get most of it in the storm gutter. Finally getting home she was very sick a third time into a bucket before going to bed. She was worried she had spoiled my evening, but I had enjoyed my food and eaten it all without repercussions. At 9pm we fired up the Raspberry Pi for CWCP - GNiTM archives, and I listened to both programs. Noone else in the world listened, but that didn't reduce the impact. CWCP is back!

Tue Jul 16
To Worcester Primary School by 7:30 for Legacy Relay, a repeat of our first visit here 21 May with the same children. I added a short talk based around the bean seedling from MasterPeace science class after the praise songs. A teacher asked me if we would be willing to pray with individual children, particularly one with autism. I said 'of course,' thinking it is interesting that the teachers are willing for us to include God in our session as much as we wish, but stop short of praying for individuals. She also mentioned that one of the children was a JW. Science at school was good - I opened by saying that either I would talk, and they listen, or the other way round. Their choice. Maybe my lesson was more interesting to them than yesterday, or maybe they listened to my opening comment, but they were better behaved. Art with L-A was an opportunity for photos since she brought the Canadian flags we had bought in Kanata, and we gave them a set of Papermate colour pens each. Helena thinks we gave them too many gifts at once and this caused some behaviour problems. We both slept several hours when we got home. In the evening I watched The Good Wife for the first time since May since Showmax is only available in South Africa - an excellent episode - Dear God - with Christian content, and a trial where the laywers were so aggressive with their constant objections that the protagonists opted for Christian arbitration. The mediator basically disallowed objections, and eventually the protagonists agreed on a solution between the two of them. What a breath of fresh air! And a loud call on the state of legal negotiation to return to seeking truth rather than winning, at all costs, regardless of the truth.

Mon Jul 15
Today I took no chances - Exineff and Tramacet, plus Overdrive and Life Essentials, and I felt great all day. Because the Worcester City Church needed the rooms that MasterPeace Academy had been using rent free since its inception for other more luctrative purposes, we were now housed temporarily in the 'Mission House,' - Mella's house - in fact her sun room. It was wonderful to see and hug Sinegugu, Seth, Paula and Delivenance after 6 weeks. We'd all missed one another. I gave each of them a Canada pencil. Helena had been runnning the school in Mella's absence in USA with Ronel. The children seemed well and happy with the change. I had brought a set of photos from Canada/US on a memory stick, and ran through them on Helena's computer to give them a feel for what we'd been up to. Mella's schedule had given me a full hour today starting 9:30, and now it was 9:55. Instead of jumping right into the science syllabus where we had left off, I spent the rest of the time giving my talk on nutrition. Maybe some of the practical advice may help Sinegugu not become obese like many South African women from eating the wrong foods and sugar-laced drinks. The children were somewhat noisy and argumentative, and I realized I must do something about this, right from the beginning of term. I had suggested that Jan come to our house to meet the Maibox Club executives visiting Avial Park, before we all go there together. The team from The Mailbox Club Africa arrived at 2: John Eager, son of The Mailbox Club International, John Mark Eager, Louis Foord and Carel Strydom of The Mailbox Club Africa, which I now see from their website is based in Somerset West. Jan and I recounted the story so far with our clubs in Avian Park. At 2:50 we all climbed into the Mailbox Club van, plus my guitar, and went down to Jamelia's. She had about 8 children. I led them in a couple of songs they knew, and then the visitors talked with Jamelia and the children. Then they watched as Jamelia got on with the Storytime 1 lesson 5 that I had given her on Saturday. We moved on to Bella's house where she had her own group (which I hadn't expected), and was right into teaching. She didn't stop just because she had spectators. At an appropriate time I led them in "Jesus het my mooi gemark." Then we drove on to Manikin, but Chantelle was nowhere to be seen. Anthonica was in her house so I brought her out and introduced her, and they asked her questions. We then drove on to Marsha's but there were no children there. Driving back towards Manikin again we saw Marsha and Bridney on the street, and had them come up to the back of the truck for a chat. Then Marco appeared and he had a good talk with the team. He said that he was now concentrating on children's ministry. This excited Carol and Louis, because Marco could take The Mailbox club into the more informal parts of Avian Park eg the squatter camp. Going back to see if Chantalle had turned up, I was very pleased to see that Anthonica had five children in her front garden and was teaching them, so we stopped there for a while and I took several photos as John greeted them and told them that he had done the very same lessons when he was a child. Then he prayed over them. Chantelle was still AWOL, probably in OVD, so we all drove back to our house. Carel and Louis told us of the plans they have for Mailbox Club events later in the year, and suggested we have them back to do a training for current and future leaders. It seems to me that what we also need is more people like me to supervise more clubs. We all parted on very good terms, and John particularly seemed impressed by what he had seen. I felt intensely proud of Jamelia, Bella and Anthonica, who had taken up the challenge and delivered teachings just as we had asked them.

Sun Jul 14
I take Celebrex and Tramacet around 5 pm when woken by pain, but today I did an experiment, taking instead one Aleve at 5 and another when I got up. Getting up wasn't too easy. It was cold, we were tired, and I had changed my medication for one day. However, once we were up and about we felt better. I dropped off L-A at church, then fetched Jamelia. Got her there 5 minutes early. Lots of hugs from people glad to see us back. The translation equipment wasn't working (for the first time I can remember) and Johan announced that he would be speaking the sermon in English, and that Translation Row needn't worry; then he saw us and announced to the whole church that the Copples were back. After church I got Jamelia coffee, cup cake and crisps. As I turned to come out of Milk and Honey I walked straight into the large closed glass door, spreading half a cup of coffee over it. The coffee saved me from trying to walk bodily through the door (which I once did in someone's house decades ago). It wasn't too serious (TKOG), but it showed me that I was under par. We went on to Connect Group, something I had been looking forward to, but again it was a struggle for me. We were both feeling tired. As we arrived home, L-A noticed a message from Ricardo Abrahams (whom we had got to know in Brandvlei) saying he was in town, and might we be available. I replied that after 5 would be good (because we really needed to sleep a couple of hours). I woke at 4 and checked the correspondence, but he had had to return to Cape Town because his companion needed to pick up his daughter. For me the rest of the day was draggy, so I used it to clean up loose ends and other things not needing too much energy. The experiment replacing my drugs with Aleve had not worked very well. Although I could handle the increased pain, which was only a problem when I was walking, I had just not felt myself, possibly because of the small amounts of opiates in Tramacet, so I do need to get off it.

Sat Jul 13
I came to this day with some trepidation - the day we would resume two key ministries. It was the first time Laurie-Ann would come into Brandvlei Youth Centre, replacing Soraya who was on a YMAM outreach. After rising quite early we arrived in the Youth Centre about 8:45, but noone was expecting us. Probably Glenda hadn't allerted them. But they fetched Mr Williams, and he soon had us in the A Section room after clearing some people from what looked like a gymnastics session. There was a barber cutting hair using the wall socket that I normally use. I did the set up, using the closer, but less reliable socket. The TV arrived and there were about 12 men present when we got started with worship - but maybe others heard it, because by the end of worship there were 30! They all sang loudly, this time with a bunch of them adding percussion with our eggs and castanets, and L-A on bodhran. I asked them how many were new to this course, and about 8 raised their hands. Instead of the Youth Alpha videos that we had used thus far in the course, I had decided that the regular Alpha Film Series would be preferable, and the first one would be on 'Prayer.' It went down quite well, though about 6 men left during the showing. We had about 7 minutes after it ended, and I went over, with questions and answers, the key messages from the film. The atmosphere in the room was good throughout and I felt we were being encouraged by the Holy Spirit. As always after prison Alpha, we drove home feeling great. At 2:45 I drove to Avian Park to collect our girls. Only Bella and Jamelia were in their homes, but we were able to find Chantelle, Marsha, Britney and Anthonica around the streets. Rens told me that Chrizelle was in Roodeval, and noone knew where Macayla was. 6 out of 8 after a six weeks break is pretty good. At our home they had a great time. Praise, eating, learning about prayer (the same talk I had given in the prison), and watching our pictures from Canada. But the most important part was preparing the 3 Mailbox Clubs whose leaders were here to be ready for the visit from Carel Strydom and the son of the President of The Mailbox Clubs on Monday afternoon. There were all quite excited to hear of this, and I felt they would gather in their children and be in a good state for the visit. I gave them all new resources for teaching on Monday. Before I dropped her off at home, Jamelia asked if she could come to church tomorrow. In the evening we went for dinner with Andre and Janey. It was great to be with them again and the dinner was excellent: chicken pie and a special dessert. We took along a bottle of white wine, and Andre got out the Amarula and Nachtmusic. I felt very sleepy, probably from jet lag. We were quite late to bed.

Fri Jul 12
I got up at 7:45 intending to go to school to give a science class. But when I got in the car, it wouldn't start. Clearly this battery is untrustworthy. If we would need another before we sell the car, better to get it now. I called Helena at the school to say I wouldn't be coming after all, and then I called AA, and about 45 minutes later they arrived and gave me a boost. First order of business, without turning off the engine, was to replace the battery, so I drove to The Battery Centre. They had a battery for R2,200 and I drove in. Then I mentioned that I would be selling the car in 17 months and that a 2nd hand battery would be ideal - and much to my surprize they had one for R1,190. So they fitted it. Their service was very good. Then I went to Salon Joan. I didn't have enough cash, and she only takes cash, but she said I could bring the money later! She gave me a nice cut with some nice Christian conversation. I drove to ABSA Bank on Stockenstrom and drew out R4,000, and then took Joan R100. The next hour was shopping (there's a lot to buy when you've been away 6 weeks). In the afternoon I visited the hospice and saw Moses and others, many quite ill. Loretta was very happy to see me, and made laughing noises, but is unable to speak (was she always so?) I told her her photo had been seen in Canada. Back home I noticed an itchy place on my stomach, and when I examined it found a small boil, which I dressed with colloidal silver and plaster. In the evening we had the second half of the wors and chicken, and I edited my speeded up movie of the assistance vehicles we had ridden in Toronto andd Amsterdam. L-A worked diligently to send out our newsletter covering our home visit. I prepared for Prison Alpha tomorrow, deciding to switch from the Youth version to the Alpha Film series. My callouses are soft - haven't played guitar for too long.

Thu Jul 11
Worked on recent photos, Facebook, email. Sent Whatsapps to let people know we had arrived safely. Bought some boerwors and chicken for dinner. L-A did more work on the costs and revenue of the home visit, concluding that we should view it as a reverse mission, sowing some of our experiences and enthusiasm into the people who had come out to see us or been in congregations we had spoken to. It may turn out that the income will exceed the costs, providing a net sum for use in mission work here. Her family's generosity in paying the cost of the car rental will have been a crucial part of the equation if that is to be the case. Worcester is quite cold in the mornings so I got the heating system working - which it did after a couple of hiccoughs. Quite a large segment of our expenses went towards medications and nutrition products that will keep us going for months. But we both agree that our priority was to spend time with her parents, and to take a break - hardly a holiday - from our routine. The fact that we did this without any major unexpected costs - eg rental car damage - is also commendable. we think we lost some things: tools, a sweater, a magnifying glass, a calculator and two bendy lights, but that was always a risk from staying in 12 locations and all the packing and unpacking.

Wed Jul 10
We slept in. I knew there were two urgent challenges - no water in the taps, and whether the car would start. It was chilly but I couldn't find my grey sweater. I searched for a main water cock without success. I saw two neighbours talking, so went to ask their advice. Soon they found our main water cock under a metal grating, closer to next door than to us. When they turned it on, the water flowed in our house. Perhaps that house resident had turned it off when working on his own irrigation system. What I had thought was the main cock was just for the front garden irrigation system. It was fed at both ends! I had disconnected the pipe from the tap at one end before we left for Canada. Next priority, the car. I turned on the ignition but there was nothing. I measured the battery: 2.4 volts. I drove the rental car up the garage slope, opened the trunk of the Mercedes where the battery is, hooked up the cables, turned on the rental car, and was then able to start the Mercedes. I drove it for about 45 minutes, including highway driving, and then came back to the house beside the rental car, and turned it off. I was able to start it, so I went shopping for a few urgent items, mainly something for us to eat today. We drobe downtown in the two cars. I filled up the VW (only R81 spent on petrol getting us from the airport) and then returned it to Janette at Bidvest. I walked to Stockenstrom where L-A had parked the Mercedes. We went back to the Durban Esso station and filled up the Mercedes and had all the tyres checked. They were in pretty good state for 6 weeks. Our attendant, Joseph, from Malawi, asked me if I know any place he could get work, because he feared for his safety in that part of town. He is Catholic. I took his name and number and prayed for him. The next few hours was spent unpacking. I needed to find L-A's South African plug for her computer, and an adapter to allow our Canadian power bar to work, which powered my two computers and the Pyle audio amplifier. The necessary plug was in the far corner of the last of the 5 suitcaes I unpacked. Now we could function on new electricity rather than batteries charged with Canadian power. L-A had been busy completing the accounting for our 6 weeks away. She has done all the financial tracking, a great saving of my time.and she's good at it. The rest of the day was filled with deciding where to put things, and watching my first BBC World news in 6 weeks. Shocking to see that Britain was despatching a second destroyer to the Gulf to protect oil tankers from Iranian aggression. Strange though that this military decision was on the news. Maybe they have no intention of using any force; they just want the world and particularly Iran to know that they are annoyed, and this is a propaganda battle. Let's hope they also sent a nuclear sub to the area, or better still have one there already. But please don't announce that on the news!

Tue Jul 9
Departure day. In our final packing we used the red back pack for the maple candies, my car cushion, and other items, saving re-opening the suitcases - which were all at 23KG. We left Rideau Heights about 9 am and checked in at YOW. A very helpful Muslim lady helped us get boarding passes for checking our 6 items, and also got us a wheel chair. We had eggs for breakfast at Tim Hortons. Soon we were Westjetting towards Toronto, and L-A spotted Mississippi Lake from the sky and took a photo which I sent to Dave Kemp. 'Assistance' met us as we deplaned, and got us to gate C34 for Amsterdam where the gate is approached via restaurant tables with iPads for ordering from nearby reataurants. She found a sandwich she wanted but I couldn't at first find the restaurant - eventually doing so when their staff member pointed out the name - not easy to see. On the way back I found small Canadian made chocolate bars with maple filling suitable for giving to our girls. Back at her table L-A saw a gate change of Flight KL0692 to B26 as a message posting on the menu iPad, but by now her Assistance person was long gone. We heard no audible announcements about this gate change. I managed to obtain a wheel chair and pushed her towards B26, but when we got there it turned out to be a bus stop for another terminal. There is a bus service across several runways which we then took. I suspect there are no longer enough gates for the amount of air traffic. Finally we and hundreds of other bus travellers boarded KLM flight KL0597 at about 16:25. As we took our seets we notived that leg room to the seat ahead was very restricted. During the flight when the person in the seat ahead of L-A had his seat fully reclining, it was very hard for her to get out of her aisle seat to walk to the washroom. The screens on the backs of the chairs ahead of us were almost too close for comfort. It was a 7-hour flight but it was a most uncomfortable 7 hours. I watched 'At Eternity's Gate,' a film about Van Gogh's many life struggles, but the visual quality on the rather old screen was very poor. At AMS we bought Stoopwafels, and a meal while waiting in a holding space for disabled passengers. We boarded KLM KL0597 for the 11 hour marathon to Cape Town, and immedietely saw that the leg room was much wider than the previous KLM flight. In fact the whole flight was less tiring, even than the shorter flight across the Atlantic. I watched 'Vice,' a film about Dick Cheney and how powerful he became. I also watched film of an unplugged Adele concert in California shortly after her '21' release, accompanied only by keyboard and guitar. Finally I sampled a Coldplay concert from Sao Paulo, recommended by L-A. We got into Cape Town about 9:30. Two nice assistance staff got us through immigration, baggage, and to Bidvest and I gave them R200. We just got our 5 cases plus other luggage into a VW, and drove to Worcester, arriving about 12:20 am, and getting to bed an our later. There was a problem: no water in the taps. Apart from that everything seemed OK.

Mon Jul 8
I spent several very busy hours packing for Worcester, and keeping what we might need for tonight in one suitcase. We met with Carlos, Janet and Katrina at IG to sign additional i-Profile documentation, and Carlos and Katrina also presented the results of a PFP analysis, which suggests that in 2021, back in Canada, we need to earn $1300 pm to support our lifestyle. Dr Esguerra saw us both together. He had no suggestions for a replacement for Tramacet for me that would be covered under the Ontario drug program for seniors, saying that I should ask the pharmacist for a generic equivalent. He recommended I keep the second opinion urologist appointment in South Africa following the colonoscopy. He didn't apologise to L-A for prescribing Fucidin fro her underarm rash, which she was allergic to, but accepted Dr Sanduhu's recommedation for Mupirocin and Lamisil. Leaving L-A in McDonald's drinking coffee, I went to the Superstore for a Tramacet replacement. The pharmasist said that there was no generic equivalent, and if I wanted to switch to a totally different drug I would need a prescription. No time. I decided to order one box of Tramacet, $56. During the half hour waiting time however, I realized that I would be better off ordering in SA where I should still be covered inde travel insurance. So I asked him to cancel the order. We then went to RBC to send our donations to Iris, then to BMO to confirm the debit card on which I had reset the PIN when we arrived had been activated (it had) and then to CIBC to deposit moneys that weren't to IMC. Rideau Heights Inn was our next destination, close to the airport, and our 12th home away from home. Being frequented by business people it had a desk. Only Powhatan among our other hotels and guest houses had had a desk. Our evening meal at Panera Bread was shared with our most ardent supporter Diane Blenkiron, who had met us at the airport 6 weeks ago. On this occasion she also had gifts for Laurie-Ann.

Sun Jul 7
Terry Orchard of Britannia Baptist Church had asked L-A to give the message this morning, but it turned out he wanted us both to speak. Although hers was prepared and mine wasn't, mine was longer. Here's a poor quality recording of both in the dreadful acoustics of the school gym. Afterwards they took a love offering for us, and the small congregation gave us a large gift. Chris Chapman from Kingdom Culture took the trouble to come out, bless him. The only other person to come to one of our sharings in a church was Gerry Hogan at St. Pauls. After the service we stayed for an hour, the highlight of which was to be present when a local youth, Victory, gave his heart to the Lord, coached by Steve, a church elder and ex-con. We then drove to Catch the Fire where I dropped off Laurie-Ann, and I went for coffee with John Whelan at Bridgehead, since the Beachcomber Coffee House was altogether too busy on this fine summer Sunday. We talked about Emma Stevens, recent Beatle books, the OBS, and John's pacemaker which had almost failed him. In the evening we decided to have a little time for ourselves, only for the second time in 6 weeks, and went to see 'Yesterday.' In this slightly fantasy story, the hero wakes up after a road accident to discover that no-one has ever heard of the Beatles, and when he starts playing Beatles songs, he rapidly becomes a singing sensation. This is not due to his looks! It's the shear brilliance of Beatle songs that hits his listeners, and us in the audience. There is a major guest appearance by Ed Sheeran, who realizes that these songs are greater than anything he has written, and he is a top draw in the world today. One hopes this film will educate a whole generation of younger music lovers to discover and appreciate the Beatles. Entering the guest house still feeling happy from the movie, I noticed something on the floor and bent down. When I bent up again I hit the top of my head hard on the open corner of the lock box. A few minutes later blood was coming down to my eyebrows. I doused it with cold water on a wash cloth, and soon the bleeding stopped. Although it took a few days to heal, there was no more bleeding or any other consequences. TKOG. It reminded me of the time I had fallen in the Fourie's coffee shop, and needed stitches 11 April 2018.

Sat Jul 6
Dave Kemp had promised me an interview for CWCP and today at 10 was the time. I arrived promptly, and we chatted for a while with coffee before starting. My interview plan had been drafted the last day in Dave's cottage, but he hadn't been around then. This was much better, as I asked him about his life running a sales training company serving the big names in the auto industry. Then we got on to his Christian conversion, the 2008 Anglican church split and his founding of what is now Eternal Hope Christian Fellowship. I ended with inviting him to assess the effect of his earlier business career on his career as a priest. Richard Bendall had invited me to his home to give me more OGF, which indeed he did. Then he took me to lunch in a Carleton Place restaurant. John Whelan not there when I knocked on his door, but he emailed me later to say he had visited his daughter in hospital on her birthday. I did some shopping, then took home a Bridgehead latte for L-A since she'd been cooped up all day. Then I noticed Nutrichem, which had moved, and they had some Insomnia! This will last me till Louise's pills arrive.

Fri Jul 5
Picked up the rest of L-A's prescription from Shoppers, and set the controls for a remote home in Coburg. Unfortunately the contols lost satelite contact as we approached Coburg, but I had anticipated this and drawn a simple map from Google Maps. Barrie and Stephanie Davies live in an Eden-like spot and though retired still work in supporting Coburg's poor. It was a wonderful reunion for us, having once stayed in their house, and having seen Barrie in Ottawa shortly before we left for South Africa. There had been a possibility that we would call on Ron Piggott as we passed Belville, but he wasn't answering communications. His physical situation is very serious. So we continued on to Ottawa, arriving at our 11th digs in early evening, Pine Trees Bungalow basement apartment, a guest house just across the road from Bourk's garage in Kanata.

Thu Jul 4
We drove to Dynacare for L-A to have a B12 test. The results will be sent to Dr Esguerra. Then round the corner was a walk in clinic, where a very good doctor, Dr Sanduhu, realized that L-A's serious rash under her right arm was an allergic reaction to the Fucidin that Esguerra had prescribed. It contains suphur, and he really should have realized this. Dr Sanduhu prescibed Mupirocin and Lamisil ointments. We took the prescription to Shoppers and picked up most of the prescrition; the rest will be ready tomorrow. Then we drive for half an hour to North York Municipal Centre to negotiate the parking ticket. My fine was reduced from $60 to $20, $10 of which was because I am a senior. They had the streetview vids of eveything, and I had indeed parked in a no-parking area, but the nice lady had compassion. Claudia Cassels has been a close friend of Laurie-Ann since 1990, and she hadn't seen her or her husand John since 1997, despite several attempts. I had never met either of them. So meeting them and their son Matthew for dinner this evening was much anticipated. We ate in Perkins restaurant, and L-A caught up on 22 years. John is a campaigner against human trafficking, heading a dedicated segment of SIM to this purpose. His ministry is one of two that we continue to support even though we ourselves are partially dependent on financial support from friends. The other is the McCullochs. Back 'home' I needed my larger magnifying glass, but couldn't find it.

Wed Jul 3
Angie Steyn began work at Iris Ministries Canada 2 months ago; a great help to Janis Chevreau. We had communicated with Angie a number of times, not least because she previously lived in Durban, South Africa. We rendezvoused with her at Artisano restaurant in Oakville, and clicked immediately. Conversation flowed with ease and the three of us felt at home with one another. She even treated us to the coffee etc. We then went on to Florence Meats, also in Oakville, and bought chicken boerwors and some other South African fare that we have been missing. Approaching Louise-Marie Longhairs salon on Yonge Street, we passed a Salvation Army building with three homeless natives bedding down. We walked past so L-A could sit somewhere, and she asked me if I had locked the car. That of course made me worry that I might not have done, so I went back. It was locked. This time when I got to the homeless natives I went up to them and asked if I could pray for them. One said: "No, we don't pray." One was a woman , and she said "Yes - I would like a prayer." So she got one, short and to the point. Louise Pidwerbecki was at school with L-A and has managed her hair ever since. We went to her salon on Yonge Street, which seemed to me like something out of Charles Dickens' London plus a hoarding problem. She gave us a talk for the first 90 minutes about the state of the American nation and the vital contribution Trump is making. Some of what she said probably had elements of truth, but for us it was like drinking from a fire hose. Finally we got onto shampoo and healthy living. Apparently L-A needs to change her diet drastically, peel and pit all tomatoes, drink goat's milk and distilled water, eat cabbage rather than other veg, and sit on the edge of the bathtub and let water run down her legs. These are just some things I remember - there was much more. She sold L-A some nutrition items, without labels. L-A had asked her if she could formulate some sleeping pills for me. Louise thought they were for L-A. I told her that I have no difficulty sleeping, but that noctura/insomnia/sedatif homeopathic remedies have stopped me sleepwalking. She had no idea of this, but some pills she had given L-A to help her sleep better during the original transition to South Africa had also worked for me. In answer to a question about whether she had actually prepared my pills, she launched into a long drama about the difficulty of getting couriers to deliver to her door. It was about 10:30 when she finally started adding various products to her list, and I bagged them. There didn't seem to be any sleeping pills, but I said nothing, hoping she would forget about them. She didn't forget to add them to the bill, but she forgot to give us the pills. I checked after we had left the house. I suggested (via L-A) that we she just reduces our bill, and keep the pills. She also never told us the price - when we got home and L-A checked the item on line, they were $100 for 2 months supply! When we got back to the car, parked on the street, we had a $60 parking fine. Louise will be sending my sleeping pills by mail. No way was she going to cancel a $100 order. They won't arrive for 2 - 3 months so I need to get something for the interim. It had not been the best day of our home visit!

Tue Jul 2
In the morning we drove to Scarborough to see Tara (who had taken a half day off work) and Kennedy. We had a box of gifts for Kennedy. She was a little shy and didn't want to come down and meet these relatives whom sh hadn't seen for 2 years, and couldn't remember. But with the incentive of Peppa Pig on the TV (British educational production), and her many Peppa Pig toys on the floor, she came and joined us. Tara and us had good conversations and eventually Kennedy was more comfortable with having us around, though she wouldn't look at her box of gifts till after we had left - later we saw video of her playing with an ostrich toy we had brought from the Cape Agulhas (?) We rendezvoused with Julia Loewen at Oliver & Bonicini restaurant in Bayview Village. Tom Tom had failed to sinch with more than 2 satellites, so we were 10 minutes late, but Julia had called and the phone had worked. It was a total joy to unite with her after nearly 3 years when she used to come to Ottawa-Carleton Detention Centre and sing for the men. She is still visiting Toronto jails every week to tell her harrowing story, and sing. It must be good for her health - she was blooming! She is passionate for Christ but surrounded by atheists in her family. She is a beacon of light and hope for her grand children in blended families.

Mon Jul 1 Canada Day Neesa's birthday.
Today was our scheduled drive to Etobicoke, to stay with Steve and Carol Zachar, L-A's parents. This would be our 10th accommodation on this trip. L-A elected to drive - which was fine with me! En-route we connected with Bonnie Miller Whaley at her Trenton home. She is Laurie-Ann Copple's first cousin once removed and she had contacted L-A through Ancestry.ca, which had matched up their DNA. Also present in our very special meeting, her husband Bill, Bonnie's cousin Linda, and Linda's husband Jack. All lovely people! I added $15 to phone but did not pay another $30 contract. Not sure how well this will work. Got a notification that Neesa's card had been delivered by Jacquie Lawson. We reached 28 Alanmeade about 8pm, after a slow run on the 401 for the previous 2 hours. Steve was on the porch smoking as we parked in the driveway. He seemed thinner than I expected. Chatting with him he revealed that life was very hard, as he responded to Carol's continual calls for assistance. We went in and Carol had got up to meet us (she goes to bed at 7). She looked really thin, everything she did accompanied by pain. Not too many smiles. I bought in 2 of the 5 suitcases hoping they would be the ones we really needed. We had brough them Carol's favourite wine from Magnotta in Kingston, where we had stopped for that reason. Steve washed my glasses - a family ritual - and the whole world looked brighter.

Sun Jun 30
First church: Kingdom Culture. We were in the Scotiabank Cineplex by 9 and delivered Shawn Gabie's favourite coffee via one of his leaders. As we took our seats in the cinema, I was again impressed by the A/V technology, and took photos of it. Soon the praise and worship was under way, but the keyboard was in the hands of Daniel (as I later discovered) instead of John Awali. The worship was excellent. Shawn preached on not giving up because you had a bad day, and this I felt spoke to me, saying that event of the listeners to Good News in the Morning were very small in number, and even if few on the board seemed to care, I should continue to post the podcasts, at least for a while, in this post-CFRA phase. As he preached, I noticed that John Awali was now on the keyboard with a very sensitive accompaniment. When the sermon ended, Daniel took over again seamlessly from John, who walked round the auditorium, past us, and to the drum kit. Shortly after, Shawn had some words of encouragement for Daniel. After the service, we went to say goodbye to Shawn, and he called his treasurer and wrote us a cheque for $400! We had a light bite in Starbucks and went on to our second church of the day, Blackburn Hamlet Community Church. This was my first meeting with Arnold Mayorga, who had taken over from Karen and Pat. I immediately felt comfortable with him, particularly since he had given up his pulpit for me today. We had displayed L-A's art work at the front, and Mollie asked to buy a print of 'Jesus Makes All Things New.' When the time came for
me to preach, everyone was very attentive, even though I went on for 25 minutes, longer than he had suggested. Pierre then announced that we would be receiving an increased gift from the church compared with a year ago. Heather Vos and Sydney also blessed us with financial gifts. After church we enjoyed a picnic in the park, and Sydney, true to her word, had brought lunches for us. This was a good opportunity to talk more with Arnold, Doug, Pierre, Sydney and others. Back at Diane's, I got talking with Patricia and took up her offer for some coloidal silver nose spray, which she then started to manufacture. She also tested me for Voxxlife socks and insoles, one of her small businesses. She used a before and after strength test, between the tests having me stand on her Voxxlife insoles. I seemed to be stronger afterwards - or was it my imagination?

Sat Jun 29
We slept in peacefully, L-A longer than I, and I worked on my talk for BHCCh for tomorrow. It needs to be a sermon, but illustrated by our experiences. For breakfast we finished our bread and eggs. For lunch I had the rest of the pork roast from Calabogie, and L-A had nothing because we had left too little time before driving to Jiri Soukup's house. We were a little early there, and he was out shopping, but we chatted with a girl called Susan who cuts Jiri's grass and watches over the fish and the house when he is away. Soon he arrived and we sat around the table I have sat many many times since 2000 as I advised Jiri and Hana with their financial planning. Hana died a couple of years ago, but Jiri has kept busy with projects and travel and is even dating. Good for him. He told us about his future book of short true stories about people he has encountered in his varied life. We sketched out some of our activities on the mission field. He served us delicious bread and honey, both home made. We left about 5:15 feeling very glad we had seen him. Back in Diane's house L-A drew, and I uploaded the latest batch of Sagan's pictures, including the family's recent trip to Okinawa. Diane cooked us a late dinner - roast beef and roast lamb, asparagus, baked potatoes, and lots of good conversation (including about VoxxLife) which continued for some time after I retired.

Fri Jun 28
We got away from Calabogie at 10:30. First stop Equator Coffee in Arnprior to load up with L-A's favourite. Then on to St.Paul's when Lorna had a cheque for us from the Ripleys. They had already bought a USB. While L-A was inside, Dave Kemp called to discuss the email I had sent to GNCM, but my phone ran out of air time after half a minute, even though it was a local call. John Bridges arrived in the parking lot at that moment, and when I told him my pay-as-you-go sob story he said I should come ito the church and call on the land line. Dave had been concerned that we hadn't had a GNCM board meeting while I was here, but that didn't bother me. I said I would continue posting the podcasts at least until all the bills were paid. We drove on to Richmond and Diane's house. She wasn't home when we arrived, so we went for an early supper at Tim Hortons. She was home when we got back, so after warm greetings and thanks from us we took in the one suitcase which should have everything we will need for three days here. We had been given her own bedroom. I set up my computer in an office and brought this journal up to date.

Thu Jun 27
A day without appointments or events! Was able to get onto our original Rogers.com/myaccount, and add the white phone. Called Rogers and they added my Mastercard to the account, but it will take 3 days to come into effect. Till then I will pay a lot for any calls I make. They took pity on me and gave me $10 worth of air time. There was a freak short thunderstorm, followed by sunshine. Lynn called to see if she could change the time and day for a dinner we wanted to give her. She wants to attend the funeral of Marg Anthony's mother, and Daisy also has to be considered after her operation (reasonable). It was non-trivial for us to find an alternative, but after 15 minutes when we hadn't yet solved the problem, the white phone ran out of air time (even though Lynn had called me). That was an expensive call. I called her back on Whatsapp, which I should have suggested 15 minutes earlier, and we agreed on dinner tomorrow. A problem remaining with this is that we won't be able to have her over to 'our place' and cook her a meal, which would be a reasonable expense, but it would be a restaurant meal, twice the price in Canada compared with South Africa. I was frank with Lynn and she sensed the issue, and I suspect we will go dutch or she may even treat us, which wasn't the idea at all with the original invitation. Spending some time with her is actually more important than the business of who pays. I mention this in detail because it is representative of our life going forward, when we absolutely have to reduce our expenses or risk coming home earlier with tails between our legs. After her call I finally got outside to take a token swim in the lake, from the little beach. The water near the shore was actually quite warm, but as I got to the raft it had cooled a lot. The beach was very rocky in parts and sore on my feet. I wished I had my beach shoes, but can't remember if I actually brought them from SA. The depth around the raft as only about four feet, so I didn't risk any jumping or diving, with my legs and toes. L-A had bought a pasta stir fry from M&M and we enjoyed it for supper. I sent an email to all the GNCM preachers and board members: "Laurie-Ann and I have been been in Canada for a few weeks on a home visit from South Africa, where we return 9 July. The switch from CFRA has put me back in the line of fire each week, posting our podcasts to the world. We have the tools and wifi to do this as we travel around (currently in our 8th location) or from South Africa. I doubt any of you are tuning in, so this is just so you will know that from the point of view of on-line listeners, nothing changed. CFRA did finally broadcast an announcement 16 June which I recorded live directing would be listeners to our website. How long I will be prepared to do this podcasting depends on 2 factors. 1. What sort of interest/encouragement I receive from you all (so far almost none) and 2. an accurate assessment of the size of our audience. My experience with CWCP Radio has taught me how to do this. So far the results I am seeing are way below what I hoped for. I am pretty busy on the mission field - almost zero time for anything other than mission work. The remaining and past schedule for our home visit is here: https://www.coppleswesterncape.ca/events.html. We have two more public appearances and would love to see any of you at either. Laurie-Ann has also posted photos, videos and audios from the events so far. We have greatly enjoyed spending time with Dave, Richard and Sandy in the past few weeks. Our internet radio station has been quiet since we left South Africa, but will broadcast again from ~mid July, including 2 archived programs of GNiTM every Wednesday. We are up to 2007. Blessings to you all for the incredible achievement of keeping GNiTM on air at CFRA for 20 years, resulting in an enormous body of accessible resources, dedicated to the glory of God." For our next few days we'll be staying with dear friend and supporter Diane Blenkiron. She and L-A have skyped every 2 weeks throughout our mission. He house is not large and she is putting us into her bed! So we will pack all the things we'll need for the next 3 days into one suitcase, and leave the others in the car. As I packed I listened to The Killers' Battle Born - latest album on my phone through the Blackstar, and every track glistened with quality, on this 3rd or 4th time of listening. Around now I became aware that I no longer had my bag of tools that I had selected for Canada, screwdrivers and a variable wrench, but I did still have the voltmeter that was with them.

Wed Jun 26
The Redners were originally due at 11, but arrived about 11:45. As we sat down, two animated conversations sprang up, Mark and I, and Kiwanda and L-A. It was a pouring out, and some was very special indeed when Mark told me of his vision experiences at TACF, which shaped his future life. Eventually I broke in and suggested coffee. They were interested to hear there was a hot tub here. They are going through transition after leaving The Oasis and discerning what The Lord has next for them. Around 1 I made the egg sandwiches and they were enjoyed. Then, strawberry shortcake. At 4, all except L-A did go to the hot tub. Clearly that is something Mark really likes. They left about 4:30. We both really enjoyed their visit, and I think they did. At 5:30 we drove to CHRI for the second time this week for a TBN Canada get-together to welcome L-A into their midst, if only for an hour. It was a spirited time, with Melissa, Sandra, Bill and Bron. Lots of nice things to each, some of which, a nice brie, we took home afterwards. Melissa had the new web page on display, and dshe said they expect to be rebroadcasting materials from other TBN regions within a few weeks. Another fun meeting.

Tue Jun 25
Took Exinef and Celebrex about 4:30; got up when I felt ready and found it was only 6:45! Had several hours before L-A awoke. Posted our remastered wedding film, the CBC TV Love-on-line special, and our 10-year anniversary movie to Facebook as a comment after our 20th anniversary celebration a week before. I called Dr Esguerra's office and managed to get an appointment for 1:45 on 8 July. I need a replacement for Tramacet that I can buy in quantity before we leave for SA and is covered under the Ontario drug program. I also need his opinion on the blood tests - why am I anaemic? Cindy and Jill Jeffrey were both delayed a little but by 3 were both here, mainly hearing about Cindy's second visit to Ghana, from which she had arrived back a couple of days before. She gave me two attractive bracelets, to replace the two previous ones she had given me. She has been engaging in super-networking, with a prince and his father, a king. Her vision was to link up NGO's and other groups for the benefit of the poor. Jill has been quite heavily involved in music activity. We ate a slice each of the cake I had bought for the One-Way Ministries event, and drank pomegranate tea. Jill had had a collision in her car a while ago and bought a sporty coupe with the insurance pay-out. Cindy was driving a Prius, and has her own office property, while her boys and the dogs stay on in her Carp house. I thought afterwards we really should have gone for a walk around the resort, and drunk some wine - but the conversation never stopped for long enough! In the evening I boiled 6 eggs for sandwiches tomorrow with Mark and Kiwanda Redner.

Mon Jun 24
I am realizing that I need to see if there is a subsitute for my painkiller Tramacet, which is not listed on the Ontario seniors drug benefit program, and costs $50+ for a month's supply. Today I took 2 of L-A's Tylenol 1 instead of Tramacet to see if it might be a possible substitute. We drove from Calabogie to the Prison Network Group meeting at Jericho Road on Walkley. There were only a few there: Carl, Dwight, the Powels, Hope. After the regular reports they asked us to share. First I told them how PNG had been the way we found our renters, the Murtas, and how this Godincidence had been the best financial gift we could ever have hoped for, since they are still there and seem happy to stay. PNG minutes had been circulated and Dick Hudson receives them. He is a friend of Jack Murta, and know that Jack's son Liam needed rental accommodation. I then told them about our ministry in Brandvlei Correctional Centre. It was a warm social gathering, and we (I) had mushroom soup and tuna sandwiches. We went on from PNG to meet with Anne-Carol Herzig at our Poulin condo. I went up to her room, opposite ours in the 5th floor, and then we drove the short distance to Beachcomber Coffee House for a very pleasant hour of conversation and coffee. Cathleen Reid was our next appointment, at the Brew Table in the days in Hotel. L-A knows her better, though I have known her just as long, but this was the first time I have spent time with her 1-on-2. Very good conversation. Lastly in this busy day we went to the far east of Ottawa for Connect group with Teti and Stacy, even more pregnant. Just the four of us but some excellent discussion. Then the long drive back to Calabogie, but L-A did the driving, bless her. By now I knew for sure that Tylenol 1 wouldn't substitute for Tramacet. I had been fighting fatigue and leg pain all day.

Sun Jun 23
We set alarms for 5:30 am to get to St. Paul's for the 8 am service (and 10 am). To give myself a boost I took Exinef and Tramacet - the best combo as prescribed by Dr Eric. We actually arrived at 7 so sat outside Tim's on Hazeldean for half an hour. Once inside, Father John demonstrated how to bring up our 8 pictures on the big screen using his iPad. We set up a station in the Narthex for L-A's art. At the appropriate time we both shared from the lectern, introducing the congregation to our teen Mailbox Club leaders and their groups of children. I recorded it on my phone, knowing that the acoustics would be poor. The congregation seemed very interested to hear what we had to say, particularly Bill Ranger who had a broad smile - so encouraging to a speaker. We managed to keep it to about 11 minutes. The order of the slides was not exactly as they had been on the e-mail I had sent to John, so we had to compensate. Between the services, Laurie-Ann sat at the art station greeting old friends. For the 10 am service, we were given the children's segment and there were 20 of them sitting up front. I borrowed a very nice guitar from a member of the worship team, and attempted unsuccessfully to play it through the Blackstar. So I played 'I don't wanna be a rock star' acoustically, teaching it to the children. By the end most people in the congregation were joining in. Then we gave the same presentation as at 8 am, but I attempted to engage the children with questions, particularly at the start when discussing 'Who actually cares?' I had selected pictures of our teen evangelists and their Mailbox clubs, so the kids here were able to relate. Father John was warm in his intro and extro, even promoting the memory sticks. After the service L-A sold three of the memory sticks with 57 Way's to Grow and the colouring books. We joined everyone for an excellent BBQ lunch, and Ken Miller mentioned to us that both services would be going up on YouTube. Back home, L-A found the YouTube channel where the morning's services were up in full. The sound track was way better than my phone recordings, except for about 2 minutes after I had taken off a mic that John had given me while singing, in order to take off the guitar. I should have put it back on again but didn't. After 2 minutes John brought me another mic. So I replaced just that segment with the recording off my phone, and posted the edited audio on Facebook.

Sat Jun 22
Chilled out and unpacked, reorganizing what was randomly placed in the suitcaes. Took photos and didn't rush. It wasn't warm enough for swimming.

Fri Jun 21
I packed and loaded the car with our suitcases. This took talent and energy! It would have been very easy to forget some of our things, since they were mixed in with the cottage stuff, but even more important I wanted to leave the cottage in at least as good a state as we had found it. We drove to Perth for a charming lunch Lunch at Crossroads Tea Room, a favourite of ours. Then we drove the 511 North to Calabogie, stopping in Baldertone for some medium cheddar and peanut brittle. We rolled into Calabogie Lodge Resort about 3. It looked as good as ever. We had a coffee in the restaurant to put off the time of unpacking. This is only the second time we have stayed here, in Unit A108. We noticed that each room has a modem, but we got better results using A109 modem. We took photos and didn't rush. It wasn't warm enough for swimming.

Thu Jun 20
Laurie-Ann had beem invited as the guest for the Christ Church Ashton prayer group. There were about 8 ladies + Jennifer and Henry and they listened with interest to L-A's talk on 'The reason for our hope' in the Narthex where Kenosis used to play for the services. After the prayer group we went downstairs for refreshments and discussion. Jasper offered me a contract for producing an audiobook version of 'Legacy.' We had been booked for the BHHop mission night long before BHHOp changed their routine to the new prayer room where folks can individually move from station to station for a variety of prayer activities. The worship leaders were shared between us and a Bible study so we had a full room for that (when I took some photos), but fewer who remained in the room for our presentation. Those who did however include Fred Milnes, Nahia Haddad, Nano da Silva, Mabel Sampson, and Ada Lai who had recently attened the Alpha world event in the Albert Hall!

Wed Jun 19
L-A met with Dr Esguerra, and she found it extremely helpful. The blood test revealed serious vitamin B12 deficiency, and he prescribed appropriate medications, though she may need shots. While waiting, I asked for feedback from my X-Ray and blood tests, and was given a written report by a nurse. The really good news was that my hip replacement is in fine condition. The degeneration in the spine was noted but not considered serious. We had a little time before meeting John Bridges, so spent it in Macdonalds on their wifi. Then over to Tim Hortons on Hazeldean, and had a most pleasant welcome from John, who treated us with coffees. We discussed our contribution to the two services on Sunday. Heard from Carlos that our move to iProfile had been approved by IG compliance! This is actually huge news and may benefit us the rest or our lives, as has the All-in-One home equity line of credit that I arranged for myself when I still had the qualifying income. Dinner with Jennifer and Henry at 38 Coldstream, Munster that evening was tasty and the conversation excellent.

Tue Jun 18
Our 20th Wedding Anniversary! L-A slept in while I went to a musical-social gathering that happens each Tuesday morning 8-12 at Ashton United Church. It had been launched some years ago by Richard and Dorothea Bendall. Richard had suggested I be ready to sing a couple of songs. Before the music started there was sumptuous breakfast and conversation. There were about 30 people. One of them was Jill Jeffery! She had a second guitar in her car which she lent to me, and I did indeed sing a couple of songs: 'Rock Star' and 'I like the way you smile,' which was video'd by Richard. After Rock Star, I felt unusually out of breath. At the end, returning to the breakfast room, I met a lady called Roseline MacAngus, who had been in the diplomatic team that got Mandela released from jail. She is from Mauritious. Around noon, Richard took me to his home and gave me 6 bottles of Original Glutathione Formula, which encourages the body to make more Glutathione, an important aspect of cancer prevention. He had recovered from serious cancer a few years ago, and had researched the whole matter, concluding that chemotherapy does more harm than good. His book will be published soon. He also gave me a bottle of Soulera anti stress formula. At One-Way Ministries we celebrated with 10 dear friends and supporters of our mission, including Wayne Webster, the Carsons, the McDougalls, Diane Blenkiron, Godfrey and Gisele Msimango, Peter Harterink and Gary Bielert. Gary was my best man and the only one present who had attended the wedding, bless him. We had brought in strawberry shortcake and a chocolate cake, juice, coffee and fruit tray. My main concern was getting the powerpoint that L-A had skillfully prepared up on the big screen, but it worked. We chatted and ate first, and then gave the presentation, firstly each of us sharing a story of God's blessing on our marriage, and then His blessings on our mission. Godfrey and Gisele were the last to leave - he wanted to talk about his ministry. While he did that with me, Diane was really helpful clearing up. We finally got back to the lake about 11:30. It had been a great evening.

Mon Jun 17
Collected L-A's blood test prescription from Palladium Medical, and went straight to the CMA Bio-Test Lab for her to have a blood test. Paid $800 on TD Visa. This hadn't been too easy. Bank transactions now sometimes need 2-stage verification, and the phone numbers they send them to are in South Africa. We called Simplii and they told us of a work-around that involded setting up a new e-mail account with Proton Mail, that the bank feels is secure, unlike Gmail and Hotmail. The reason I only paid $800 was that we need to keep enough headroon on the AiO to cover the end-of-month payment of our Solutions Banking Mastercard, and I had used up most of the headroom with the transfer to allow us to reach the magic figure of $250K, the threshold for iProfile. Connect group with Teti and Stacey in Gloucester proved spiritually rewarding and socially enjoyable, even though we were their only guests. The questions set by the church that follow up on the Subject of the Sunday sermon are excellent. Stacey is now very pregnant.

Sun Jun 16
I slept well and woke about 6, and went to my computer. The penultimate batch of 'Legacy' recordings was successfully sent. I set the AR Wizzard to record CFRA to see if they would broadcast a notice at 6:30 referring would-be listeners to 'Good News in the Morning' that all future programs would be podcasts on line, and no longer to be heard on CFRA. Dave and Richard had asked them to do this every week since the broadcasts stopped on CFRA, to no effect. I returned for another hour's sleep, then checked the recording of CFRA. Yes, they had actually included a 1 minute announcement, using the wording Dave had sent them. Success! Maybe this will increase our listenership from its current paltry low levels. I edited the recording to include just the initial announcement and emailed it to Dave and Richard. I dressed in my retirement suit and shirt, and tie. Dave was generous with giving us breakfast. I set We Transfer to send the final batch of Legacy. Dave left for Eternal Hope and we followed 10 minutes later. There were about 15 in the church when we arrived and another 10 came before the service started. After the Gospel Dave asked me up and gave a very warm introduction to me. I started with an idea that had come to me as I had driven there: use Parter Folla's rousing "Do you love the Lord? "I love the Lord." This worked well with what I know was a fairly quiet congregation.

Sat Jun 15
We woke about 8 feeling refreshed. The bed had been very comfortable. I wanted to get tomorrow morning's edition of Good News in the Morning produced and uploaded. I did. Though we were late for breakfast, a very friendly lady cooked us fresh scrambled egg and breakfast sausage. We were on our way by about 10:30, first to the Three Brother's winery, and then on towards Syracuse. The journey was uneventful, and we arrived at Dave Kemp's house near Carleton Place about 5 pm as planned with him. He had returned two days before from a holiday all over Ireland. He suggested we stay in the house tonight, and go to the cottage tomorrow, since he hadn't checked out the state of the cottage, and the weather has not been kind. I put the finishing touches on my sermon to his congregation at Eternal Hope in Carleton Place tomorrow. Being with excellent wifi for one more night allowed me to send Jasper the rest of the Legacy chapters.

Fri Jun 14
During the night I transferred more files in batches, up to Ch 8. And during this day Jasper acknowledged receipt. We rose early and were packed and on the road by 9:30. It was to be a long journey. From Williamsburg to west of Baltimore we were in very slow moving traffic. L-A had never see the like of it. We were spooked about getting into toll system in northern Virginia, and only planned routes on GPS that avoided tolls. L-A drove across Pennsylvania, stopping for an excellent indian meal en route, and got us to New York, but was concerned that Tom Tom recommended going via Syracuse to Seneca Falls, our destination for the night. She pulled in about 11.15 to a rest area and said she didn't know what to do. I took the iPad into the building and there was an excellent map on the wall that showed that via Syracuse was, in fact, the fastest route. I checked for wifi and there is was, free. I called the Quality Inn and told them we would be very late. No problem, he said. I then drove the next two hours at pretty high speed, and after searching the Seneca environs we found the hotel about 1:30 am. The address on their sheet had not been helpful. I had been driving for 11 hours, the most I have ever done in a day. The receptionist, Zac, was helpful and friendly. Both of us felt he was transgender trying to move from male to femail.

Wed Jun 12
Went for a dip in the Pohwatan hot tab, at the outdoor swimming pool. Although the sun barely shone, it was pleasant. No coffeee at the poolside bar, so we went on to the coffee shop wher the same girl was serving as the last time we had been there. She told us how she compiled the background music, from Spotify playlists. We drove to the home that Dennis and Cindy had just moved into the previous day, very close to Pohwatan. It was full of boxes of all their worldly possessions. L-A gave them colouring books that they may be able to use with any families they serve (as long as they photocopy the originals!). We spent half an hour with them in prayer and conversation. The man who had cut the grass around their prefab unit came in and turned out to be a believer welcoming prayer, which he got. In the afternoon and evening we packed so that we could leave early the next day.

Wed Jun 12
First thing on waking - see if We Transfer had gone through. Saddly, the answer was 'no.' Something had gone wrong with the ~1GB that should have become accessible to Jasper. Probably this was caused by the Powhatan wifi. Maybe they even switch it off for the small hours. I sent a message to Jasper to ask if he received any of the files. I also e-mailed James to get permission to use part of a track from Chronological Disorder by TPO as theme music for the audio recording. He and Kathy are currently in Okinawa. Later in the day he OK'd this. We spent the morning on computers (it never ends). At 2 pm we arrived at the Panera Bread in New Town to see Dennis Grannan and Cindy Layman. They were already there eating free, since Panera effectively sponsors their Loaves and Fishes ministry to the hungry. We ordered coffee and bagels. Dennis had not heard about our ministry although Cindy was up to date. Dennis announced that he wanted to help us financially (though to me this seemed unlikely from a practical point of view; they have given up almost all worldly things to do the Lord's bidding). We had a lovely time with them, discussing all manner of matters. We will deliver them some of L-A's colouring sheets tomorrow. Back home we investigated the logistics of receiving sponsorships from Americans without credit cards. I e-mailed them as follows: "It was so kind and generous of you to even think of supporting us. But it may turn out that you aren't meant to do so - if the mechanism to do so is just too complex. That may be the Holy Spirit at work too. Here's what we have found out from Iris. There is no standard form to set this up for non-Canadian donors. Without a credit card, there is really only one way that can work: Paypal. If you haven't got Paypal yet, it is free to set up on a laptop, tablet, or even a phone. Then you can either go to Canada Helps on our ministry website, and state Paypal as the method of payment, This is the best method for setting a monthly payment. Here's the link: https://www.canadahelps.org/en/dn/2555, then click the dropdown menu under the word 'Fund' to find us. Or you can send it direct to my personal Paypal. This would be easier if you wanted to send individual payments when you happened to have cash available. There's a link on this page: http://web.ncf.ca/aj624/internet.html." I wanted to give them an easy way out if in the cold light of dawn it didn't sound such a good idea, Back home, L-A worked on the rest of the Legacy files. I received an urgent message to phone Carlos about our transfer to iProfile. It seems that Compliancy want to know more about our residence status before they will approve it. (I still don't understand how they figured out we are not in Canada living at 5 Coulson Court.) Carlos wasn't there when I Skyped him, so I replied to his message laying out our exact situation, and cc'd it direct to Compliance. Frankly I wanted to be the one to do the explaining rather than Carlos. We did speak a little later and he was annoyed that I would have linked the e-mail correspondance into Compliance. Carlos thinks he could be censured for discussing investments with someone with a foreign address. I still think all should be well, since all the discussions took place in canada. Tomorrow we will find out, but the fact is the whole plan to move to iProfile is at risk, and we won't have anouter chance because from now on we will be redeeming investments faster than they can grow, and the $250k qualifier will fade ever further out of reach. Around midnight I We-Transferred the rest of the Legacy files to Jasper, and in our prayers I did ask that our financial tactics would in fact proceed as planned. We need TKOG.

Tue Jun 11
Before L-A got up, I resolved to do the editing to 'Legacy' which required re-recording. In the course of this I discovered that the acoustics in Hooggelegen 48 had been somewhat superior to here, so I replaced the bare minumum of wrongly recorded words. 90 minutes later I had completed chapters 10 and 11, jut as L-A emerged from the bedroom. Only one more short chapter to go and I can send it all to Jasper, which I must do while we have wifi. Messages on Whatsapp from the ladies who have been running the school in our absence - Debora, Helena, Janey and Ronel suggest all has gone very well. The exams are done (Paula got 100% on Afrikaans) and the children will be on holiday soon. I hope to send the .wav files of Legacy to Jasper overnight tonight, so in preparation I asked L-A to work her broadcasting school magic on one of the chapters. Yes, there was an improvement in signal to noise ratio, and no reduction in quality, so I asked her if she would process all of the files. As the Legacy work is coming to an end I have more time for preparing my talk to Eternal Hope on sunday. I will still use TKOG theme but want to talk about people who have touched our lives with their pictures on the screen, so I began selecting candidates. I called Dennis and arranged that we will see Cindy and him tomorrow. At 3:30 we drove to Sentara Hospital to see Danny and Brenda Corey. Danny had a knee operation yesterday. We weren't sure if he would even be unsedated enough to chat. Brenda was there with him. He was dozing when we came in but soon woke up and over the next hour I had a good conversation with him, while Brenda and L-A caught up with their news. He will be discharged tomorrow, and he is ready, though acknowledging our healing God's help in making this happen. We were there for a couple of hours, and it was good. Back in Powhatan, L-A worked on my audio recordings, applying professional filters to reduce sibillance, hiss, pops, and increase resonance, making it sound more professional. By 11 she had done the first seven chapters. I fired up We Transfer and sent them off to Jasper, It would take 8 hours.

Mon Jun 10
Leisurely breakfast. Called Melissa from check-in and asked if I could go to the sales pitch (normal timeshare routine, for which she had offered me $125 to attend) and asked if I could go alone, since L-A is disabled, and she said 'no,' it must be both of us. I then asked her how Americans make tea, since there are no kettles in the rooms, and she said most only drink coffee, and the others heat water in a microwave! She will send us round a kettle. Called Allianz Travel Insurance about their letter. The agent realized quite soon that the problem was to do with the policy number. Although I had correctly stated the policy number for my 2019 policy, someone in Allianz had looked me up by name and used my 2018 policy number! They had then written to me to say that I couldn't claim against an out of date policy! This company seems to employ people with questionable basic ability, but while they pay out our claims in full I won't say a word against them! At least not in public. After that good news I rewarded myself by making a coffee pouring filter, with similar capability to the two that I had left in the kitchen in Worcester. I'd bought some aluminium plates, and moulded one of them into the right shape, after first making a round hole in the middle. A few hours later I made coffee with it and it tasted great. I took photos during the manufacturing process. I think this was the first non-ministry activities I have engaged in for a long time other than the BC World Service News and Showmax (Downton Abbey and The Good Wife), which by the way we can't get in North America. About noon we drove towards Richmond, and Christie. It was a hard drive weatherwise. Just before leaving I changed into shorts because it was warm in Williamsburg. L-A thought she knew the way to the New Kent Winery, but soon realized we were going the wrong way, so we fired up Tom Tom. Because it takes a while to settle down with the sattelites, we again found ourselves going the wrong way down the 199 and the I64. Having turned back, the weather suddenly changed from warm and dry to torrential rain, and driving safely was quite tough. But we pressed on, got 2 bottles of L-A's favourite Virginia wine at New Kent, and arrived at Christie's about 1:30. We chatted with her for a while, and then Pastor Favor Anthony turned up, Christie's house-mate. She is a Nigerian missionary who has stared her own ministry to local women, and Christie is her first white member. We all have much in common and the converstion was brisk. But it all came alive when Favor got busy praying for the health of L-A and me with oil annointing. Mellisa had been expected but didn't show. After we left, L-A went shopping for pants and other plus-size clothes in Catherine's. Then we had coffee and bagels in Panera bread (excellent value compared with Starbucks and just as nice). We drove back to Williamsburg and then had supper from the BBQ leftovers from yesterday.

Sun Jun 9
Up fairly early so L-A had time to wash her hair before we drove the 30 minutes to The River Church, Toano. The Dwelling Place is meeting just once a month (see comment yesterday), and our friend Christie Adams from Iris and Williamsburg recommended this church. We were not disappointed. We, strangers to most, were warmly welcomed by several of the congregation as we arrived, and more at the end of the service after pastor Ron Vaught had spoken about us. Before that he had come and prayed for us in the middle of the service, saying that the Lord told him we were carrying a heavy weight, and asking us to pray for him. Interestingly I had just done that a few minutes earlier so I was quite ready. There is a really good worship band led by Josh, with second guitar Craig, bass, drums and keyboards. Ron preached on the blessings of tithing that flow to the cheerful giver. We were pleasantly accosted by numbers of Godly people before we left. The vague plan was to meet up with Christie and friends for lunch at the 2 Drummers restaurant close at hand. She was indeed there, as was Melissa, who had been in church, a local charity food distributor, with her son Benjamin. We shared a BBQ mixture of meats, very nice, and were told that we weren't allowed to pay. These are the warm-hearted people of Williamsburg to whom L-A has been attracted for years, and it good for me to get to know them. We went to Target on the way home, where L-A bought supplies of Tylenol, and other goods.

Sat Jun 8
I read the letter from Allianz, and soon relaized it referred to only one of the three claims we had mailed in; the second claim I had made for leg/hip pain for ongoing medications. I resolved to call them on Monday. 1:30, rendezvoused with Brian Britton at the same coffee shop (in Barnes and Noble) that we had fist met him 1-on-1 several years before. He greatly encouraged us, and shared the significant changes in his life as he passes pastorship of The Dwelling Place to another couple, and he concentrates on encouraging missionaries (not just Iris) around the world. He will be flying to Portugal on Monday. Then we went shopping for groceries. In the evening I edited Chapter 10 of Legacy, only discovering at completion that I had edited the .mp3 version rather than the .wav. I listened very carefully on headphones to detect any deterioration on .mp3 and couldn't so I will probably keep it after 90 minutes hard effort. Before turning in I watched Fox News and a sharp woman, Judge Jeannine Pirro, explaining some of Trump's immigration policies.

Fri Jun 7
We sampled the Country Inn breakfast (since it was included), and found it similar to Best Western. Soon we were on our way. We came to a fork where the 295 and 495 split, and chose the 495 thinking it might by pass more of Washington, but it would take us on toll roads. We accepted this, but these tolls that we ran into half an hour later were tolls from hell. It was like a maze, and more tolls up ahead, but we had very limited US cash. At one point I was backing up a slip road to try and avoid getting stuck on another toll road. By now we had set Tom Tom to avoid tolls, but this was asking a lot since we were already in the toll complex. Finally, asking someone was our only option, and he told us we could get back on the 295 by taking a right turn a few minutes further along, even though the signs said that all routes were toll routes. This strategy worked and we were soon free. We later discussed our experience with local Viginians, one of whom told us she had moved away from North Virginia for that very reason. The municipality had introduced the tolls and Hov lanes years ago to alleviate gridlock. As I drove on the toll problem was gone but the traffic density wasn't and we crawled along for more than an hour. The weather was steadily worsening. We searched for a place to eat in Woodbridge, and ended in Chuys, a Tex-Mex restaurant with a friendly waiter called Charles, who gave us a sauce tasting before we settled on chicken enchiladas. We drove on. I was feeling pretty tired by now, so we stopped at a gas'n'food place and switched drivers for the last 90 minutes, arriving at the Historic Powhatan Resort in Williamsburg as the rain came in quite heavily. It was quite chilly, not as we had imagined it as the winter arrived in South Africa.

Thu Jun 6 - D-Day 75th Anniversry
I am a three cell-phone man these days. Since we put a new sim card into the white Blackberry Q10 (L-A's), that is our phone communications with the world when in Canada. My black Q10 has my Google calendar, but only works with wifi here. I was unable to get the Google calendar up on the white phone, because verification codes had to go to text numbers in South Africa. The Black Q10 is the only phone that seems to work with to our car Blue Tooth, and then to the car radio which will provide entertainment on the long drive from Ottawa. The Mozambique phone also only works on wifi, allowing me to run WhatsApp Web, so all my Whatsapp communications can be done on my laptop, a real blessing. Having these three phones is pretty essential to me on this trip. We were breaking our journey to Virginia in York, PA, so we packed the things we would need overnight in a large plastic bag, and would leave all the suitcases in the car. I uploaded our trip photos so far to Flickr. I haven't used Prevident toothpaste since my first two ran out in South Africa, but I was delighted to discover that Walmart sells it, and the local Walmart superstore had some in stock. I went to Walmart and got two Previdents, and then to President's Choice Superstore to collect my meds that Dr E had authorized. Tramacet is not part of the seniors drug program, but Celebrex (like Exinef but not opoid) and Sandoz-Tamsulosin (to replace Uromax) are, so I now will get them very cheaply. However, the program has a $100 deductible per year so I paid that. As I did so, it crossed my mind that I now have plenty of drugs on hand, while my pain is reducing, either naturally, or by God's grace (actually the same thing). I can't wait to hear the X-Ray results, but I will have to wait till we are back in Ottawa. Back to 38 Polo Lane to finish packing and triple check we had left nothing lying around, and we were on our way South. The first leg of the journey took us to York, PA, and I drove the whole way without any difficulty. Tom Tom was temperamental, at times losing the satelites, but it found them for the final part of the journey in built up areas where we really needed the help. L-A discovered she could get it going by a hard shut-down. Around 8:30 pm we arrived at Country Inn and Suites, the first time we had used it rather than Best Western, because it advertised a hot tub, but this turned out not to be the case. Country Inn was otherwise fine. I watched a little of the coverage of D-Day from France before turning in. I am glad to see these celebrations of an event when I was 3, and they can bring international powers and leaders closer.

Wed Jun 5
10 am to Jiffy Print to pick up the colouring books. Some will be given to churches we visit for their Sunday schools, and others we may be able to sell towards our mission budget. We bought a stack of Canadiana from Dolarama - flags, buttons, pencils - for giving out in South Africa. Received a call from Hai Truong at In Home TV Repair to say that our Insignia screen needed a new screen at $100+. I asked him to recycle the device. We can manage without it, and the whole exercise with his was just to see if it was a simple problem. He later e-mailed back to say he would refund our diagnostic fee of $39 if we wanted to buy a replacement TV from him, but I feel we can manage fine in the future with just one monitor. At 1 pm we were in Investors Group to sign all the paperwork for i-Profile. This has used up all the room on our All-in-One Heloc, but going forward it should provide a boost to our assets, from higher quality investment performance and lower fees. Carlos was away doing his CFP, but Janet and Katrina made us feel very welcome. Several old friends from IG popped by to say 'hello.' I had provided a cheque from All-in-One to bring our investments to the iProfile qualifying amount. But a little later we had a call from Janet recommending that instead we redeem that amount from AiO to our Simplii bank accout, and they will pull the money from there. This will cover the possibility should a little more be required due to market fluctuations. At 3 we met with Jennifer Chen from Catch the Fire, in Starbucks in Bridlewood; long term supporter and woman of God. Lynn called and told us that our Nu Skin and L-A's 50 2GB memory sticks from Amazon had arrived. She also said that there was a letter from Allianz Travel Insurance saying they weren't paying any of our recent three claims! This was something to worry about. We thought she might have left these items in her mailbox for us, but they weren't there when we drove round. After that it was time for dinner with Lorna and Ray. We spent some quality time with them: quality food and quality conversation. Ray brews wine and beer, and it was good. We also watched the D-Day 75th anniversary ceremony from Southsea earlier in the day, attended by President Trump sitting next to the Queen - definitely on his bucket list.

Tue Jun 4
8:30 am I was at Bio-Test Laboratory. In 20 minutes I had received both the blood test and the X-Ray, all done with tender loving care and respect. I resolved to give them social media publicity. 10:00 am we arrived at Sandy and Gayle Davisdon's on Island Park. Coffee, bagels and salmon spread, plus great conversation. This was the first time I have spoken at any length with Gayle. A very pleasant time for us, and I hope, for them. We then drove to In Home TV Repair in Overbrook with the Insignia TV/monitor that had stopped working when we first turned it on at our arrival in South Africa 17 months before. No-one seemed to be home, but the door was unlocked, so I left it on his table with a note. Then we drove to Bayshore to meet with Matthew McCulloch in the 2nd floor food court. Matthew was accompanied by his three daughters Rachel, Miriam and Rebekah. Nary and their newly adopted Cambodian son Jonathan had been unable to join them on this home visit due to immigration problems. It was very special for us three missionaries, who mutually financially support each another, to meet and share experiences. Went to Jiffy Photo and Print to give Mark files of L-A's drawings to be turned into colouring books. At 7 I dropped L-A off at Lorna's. I returned home and updated our budgetting spreadsheet for 2021 so Carlos could run PFP projections, and e-mailed it to him. He is taking the CFP exam for the third time, and will be pretty busy the next few days. I had left a message on Gerry Hogan's phone, and she called about 8, and I then drove over to visit her - very pleasant. I left about 9:45 and picked up L-A at Lorna's on the way home.

Mon Jun 3
1 pm: met with Carlos and his replacement for me, Katrina, who was his rep at Co-operators. He had studied my budget spd and noticed a numerical typo. We soon got to the key business of switching to iProfile, now that we are within reach, but we must act. Carlos and Janet will prepare all the paperwork for L-A and me to sign on Wednesday. 2:45 - Dr E. He started - even before saying hello - by admonishing me for allegedly raising my voice to his receptionist on Skype-out when she had said I couldn't communicate with them by e-mail. This was a couple of months ago when I needed to set up this meeting and wanted to give him a heads up of why it was needed. Turned out he had read the e-mail but of course never replied. I said his receptionist was exaggerating, and expressed again my surpise that e-mail was not used by his office for communications with patients abroad. He said no-one needs it. I said 'I did.' Then I said 'let's get on with the meeting.' I covered the apparent new problem with my hip replacement, and the anemia. He gave me requisitions for blood tests and X-rays, and asked me to have my pharmacist fax him with the equivalents to my South African prescriptions. Then I went to the place where the X-Ray lab used to be and it was no longer, but nearby was a company called Bio-Test Laboratory, with CMA logos all around. Turned out they were newly launched, and I arranged to come in the next morning. L-A wants to buy bulk 2GB memory sticks for loading up with colouring books and Ways to Grow in God, but had been unable to source them until she tried Amazon. Not only were they available, but they could deliver in 2 days! She ordered them. 7:00 pm we drove across town to a KC connect group headed by Teti and Stacy Kabetu. We were the only guests, so we have a great time of discussion in the normal format used for KC groups. Stacy is a dental hygienist and had cleaned L-A's teeth before we went to SA.

Sun Jun 2
6:30 alarm ... 7:30 on the road to CKCU ...7:40 hit total 417 jam near Greenbank. What to do? 8:05 L-A called Dave Leibold on the studio line, and we then did some broadcasting via the white phone. By 8:15 the jam was moving and I said we expected to be in studio in 15 minutes. We were, despite major construction in Carleton U/V, parking right outside the building. Well, it was Sunday. TKOG. Upstairs in CKCU we had part 2 of our interview and it was good. Listen. We drove from CKCU (taking Dave home in the rain) to Kingdom Culture, now operating in a movie theatre in Gloucester. Scotiabank Cineplex. Lots of welcomes for L-A. Good service, making use of the big screen. After a sandwich in Starbucks, we went to the 1 pm service at Blackburn Hamlet Community Church. More warm welcomes and a sermon from Pat Coulombe, since Arnold Mayorga was on holiday. Then on to Source of Life Church and a big welcome from Bishop Godfrey Msimango and wife Gisele - and all the others present. After worship and praise, I was given the floor to preach on the subject of God's kindness. L-A came up towards the end with a warm segment. Then Godrey spoke to the small congregation - 20? - and exhorted them to support workers in the mission field, and this group of members in a small black church gave us more than $300! I was amazed. We chatted for a while before going home. Soon L-A received a message that the service was up on Facebook Live. I hadn't realized it was being filmed. Watch here. One of my actions when in Canada was to buy our regular Nu Skin nutrition - Overdrive and Life Essentials - plus Enhancer which is not available at Nu Skin South Africa, and balancing shampoo. I can get the shampoo in SA, but had run out an been using the cheap shampoo with the dispensers we had bought. Recently I had noticed my hair receeding at the temples. It turned out the nutrition products are cheaper here than in SA, so I ordered four of each for delivery to Lynn's. We had planned to go to Lynn's to see the Downton Abbey special, but it turned out that the Watertown PBS channel was not showing it, so we had a relatively early night. It had been an excellent day. TKOG.

Sat Jun 1
Shopped for trousers at Value Village to replace the faithful off-white pair that took me through bush bush. I found a few OK pairs and tried them on, selecting one that was comfortable but not much to look at. When I returned to the rack I saw a pair of beige slacks perfectly ironed an my style. They were quite different from everything else in the rack. They fitted very well and I bought them - $11. They were now my smartest pair of pants and I used them the next day for meetings and my talk in Source of Life. TKOG (The kindness of God). L-A got bras at Penningtons. Unable to buy a British to Canadian adapter for our main power bar. Went to the funeral of Brian Wilkie's son/daughter Robert/Ember, 29, Don Hutchinson and Brian led the service with dignity and love. We had a great chat with Don - he is a kind of Andrew White reconciler, working particularly in China. Posted tomorrow's GNiTM. Prepared my talk for Source of Life Church tomorrow.

Fri May 31
At noon went to pick up our old Tom Tom GPS which we are borrowing back from Terry Orchard. Heard about serious corruption in his churches in Malawi. 3 pm to see Lynn, and weed out all the paperwork that has come through her mailbox for us. 5 pm dinner with Rob and Chrstine Burr, and picked up the colour pens for MasterPeace from Susan Williams. Really special night - L-A gave an excellent theological talk.

Thu May 30
We rose at 5, and got the 7 am shuttle to Schipol airport. I wore sandals on this leg. Took off for Toronto at 9:45. I watched the new Mary Poppins (enjoyed it) and then the Judy Garland/James Mason 'A Star is born.' Still prefer Cooper/Gaga. At 3 pm left for YOW. Diane Blenkiron came to meet us! Helped push our luggage to Budget rental. They had a new Kia for us at the exact price I had pre-paid. We arrived at 38 Polo Lane, Bridlewood about 5. Landlady Saliha welcomed us. My feet had been killing me all day, and when I took of my sandals I saw why. I had failed to put in my orthotics from my running shoes that I wore yesterday. She turned out to be a computer scientist with the Fed Gov. At 8:30 I rendezvous'd with Alan Herbert and gave him Laurie-Ann's art piece that he is buying.

Wed May 29
My computer came on line with full connectability. I went to MacDonalds for an egg mcmuffin and latter for L-A, and an egg mcmuffin for me. Tasted good. Sent a 'thank you' e-mail to Schipol airport for the excellent service yesterday by Freek and Ganashu.

Tue May 28
Around midnight they served us a rather large dinner. We were pretty cramped. L-A had ordered a special meal. Then L-A watched 'Collette' and I wathed 'A Star is Born,' (Bradley Cooper) which I enjoyed. By the end of the film my tail bone area was somehat unconsolable, and I tried sitting on 3 pillows. We dosed for a while but neither of us slept. The gentleman on my right had put his blanket over his head and his long legs in my foot space. Around 3 am L-A got really worried that she had left the iPad in the gate area, and asked if I would look in her back pack. By now I really needed to walk around the plane, so I stepped over my seatmate, and started walking. Stopped for a pee, and then back to the overhead luggage rack above L-A. The iPad was of course there, but L-A was highly relieved to hear it. I still couldn't sleep so I watched 'Johnny English' with Rowan Atkinson. L-A saw some of the scenes on my screen and started to watch it too. Then I watch some short films and enjoyed them, and listened to Exile on Main Street in excellent quality audio. Around 5 am the cabin lights came on, followed by an anouncement that they couldn't switch them off. A large and not-nice breakfast was served about 7. After that I sampled the 1976 version of 'A Star is Born,' and I can say I preferred Lady Gaga's and Cooper's acting. As it ended, we touched down. We had got though the night and the longest and least comfortable flight I have ever been on. Freek, from passenger assistance, who wheeled L-A in a well-designed wheel chair to baggage reclaim, where he was joined by Ganashu, and the two of them took us to the Bureau de Change. I got some Euro and offered them, but neither would take them, saying it was against airport rules. We have their names because we said we would like to e-mail a customer satisfaction report. Then they took us to the hotel shuttle area, and the minibus from Best Western was right there. Soon we were in our hotel room, and very tired. I returned to the airport to buy a dutch power socket so we could get our stuff running. We slept 3 hours and then I was actually able to log into the on-line Gig meeting with Bruno and Jan - but noone else. Although we could do that, I wasn't able to reach other on-line destinations; the wifi was too weak, probably because in the evenings in hotels, so many people are using the internet.

Mon May 27
Our planning had paid off, and it was not a rush to be ready to leave. Breakfast of scrambled eggs (cooked in olive oil instead of butter) and dry toast and salami - we had finished the butter. At 12:30 we drove to Bidvest. L-A returned driving the car home - rare event. I collected an almost new Toyota from Jeanette. She had falled the day before and really shouldn't have come to work, but I'm glad she did, I prayed for her. We had a few items left in the fridge, before I turned it off, which I took over to Yanni, our new neighbour opposite. Soup for lunch, still dealing with a few on-line actions, and we were ready to leave by shortly after 5 pm. Just ourside the gate I felt for my wallet and it wasn't there. We went back for it. Imagine our situation had I not realized till we got to Cape Town International Airport. We checked in 5 suitcases, though one was empty - it would be full on the return trip. A nice lady appeared with a wheel chair and accompanied us through immigration and on to the gate. We had 2 hours to wait, and I edited archived music files. We boarded about 10:35. I hadn't realized it but we had a flight of nearly 12 hours ahead of us. Our seats were in the middle of the plane and neither of us had an aisle seat. Soon the plain filled up completely. We studied the KLM in-flight entertainment; good.

Sun May 26
Some (eg Johan) were surprised to see us in church, after our send off last Sunday. Many were very warm to us, particularly Johann. We attended cell group although arriving late, and Hector (son of Annamarie) and Cornelia were there. Andre had spoken of Hector a number of times. The group prayed for us and I am glad we didn't skip it. I backed up our main back-up disk to the back-up back-up disk. It would take 6 hours to copy. Our final semi-official event took place at 6 - soaking prayer in action. I collected Heather - and Godfrey, his first time. Lovejoy came on his motorbike. The five of us soaked and prayed, and some words and pictures were received. Godfrey had an image of a tree, and it reminded me of the Lonely Tree, so I showed them the pictures. Since we wanted to empty our fridge, we served them soup and the rest of the cake, and then we gave them the rest of the perishables from the fridge. This again was a good event to have done, just before leaving. When I was back after taking them home I watched an episode of the Good Wife, so I must have felt we were on track to be ready tomorrow. Shortly after it ended the disk back up was complete, and I printed the boarding passes that L-A had downloaded earlier when she was checking of plane seats.

Sat May 25
Brandvlei - no guards around - couldn't get in - but eventually did because other staff called out the relevant people. It's funny being locked out of a jail. There were 21 there including 4 new. And there was a remote with the TV, for the first time! That meant we could pause for discussion during the video. It was thought that the power socket which had been unserviceable had now been repaired, so I wouldn't have to use Jan's long cable. But the TV died before the end. Actually the Youth film series on 'Faith' is not the greatest. Instead of rebooting the TV, I received the idea that for the first time in a prison Alpha we should split into small groups. The men couldn't at first get the idea of moving into three areas, but once they were there, Soraya and I kick-started them and they got the hang of it. In one of the discussions I mentioned that Christians were persecuted in many countries by atheists, and one of the men could not comprehend how the world without God could possibly work. How else could creation come? They had not heard of atheism! What a blessed country is South Africa! After the groups, Soraya brought to the front those who would be released by the next time I (and L-A?) would be there with them, 13 July. We had the rest of the men stretch out arms as Soraya and I prayed for those who we won't see again. It was a special time. We had planned to take girls to the Lonely Tree in the afternoon, but it took some organizing. I collected Jamelia and delivered her to Hooggelegen 48. Then I collected the other girls, starting with Chantelle from OVD. Marsha chose not to come since I wasn't prepared to take Jo-Marie. Chrizelle and Macayla were nowhere to be found, but Britney appeared. Since she had already been to the Lonely Tree with Jamelia, I dropped her at Hooggelegen 48, and took the other three - Chantelle, Anthonica and Bella to the tree. Everything went well including
photography. When we were down from the hill I drove them to McDonald's and left them with ice creams and fries. Then I went home and picked up L-A, Jamelia and Britney and brought them to McDonald's, resulting in an amusing event when Anthonica ate ice cream with ketchup on it. I took them home while L-A stayed in McDonald's drinkinf lattes, and it was a noisy ride, but they were very vocal in making it clear they had had a great time. I am very glad we did this, on the eve of our departure. L-A made an olive oil cake with citrus and chutney, made with incredients we wanted to use up before we left. It was yummy.

Fri May 24
In Science I decided to let them do the simplified exam just to give exam experience. Henena and I supervised each of them, explaining questions and writing answers where they couldn't. We got through about half the questions in the time available. My gut feel was that this would not substantially change the percentage marks already awarded, so I didn't include them in the totals, and announced the marks already collected at the end of the class. We had an Afrikaans lesson at 3, and said goodbye to Janey, Andre and Nixon. I realized that I wouldn't have time to record and edit the last three chapters of 'Legacy,' But there was time to do the recordings. I sent the unedited files to Jasper just in case for some reason I was unable to complete the exercise (eg terrorist attack!) he could edit them and publish the audiobook.

Thu May 23
Collected the final marks for the science exam. Sinegugu and Paula had been neck-and-neck, but in the end Sinegugu pipped her at the post. Seth could have done better but wasn't giving it his attention. At 3 picked up both Jamelia and Bella to come to the house for the wifi. Moses had texted that he wondered if I could afford to bring him roll-on and spray. Spray turned out to be a spay-on body deodorant. After dropping off the girls I went to the mall to get the deodorants for Moses, and then on to the Hospice. I told some staff that this was my last time till July. Chatted with Moses and he was happy to have the deodorants and some bananas. Back home I completed 'The Worcester Report' for tonight, where we were 'co-guests' reviewing the first half of out mission, and looking forward to our furlough. The final product sounded better than I had expected, and is a worthwhile reminder of our feelings and attitudes at this stage.

Wed May 22
My cold was considerably better. Thank you Septogard! Music - Helena entertained S, P and D while I examined Paula. Then we rejoined the others and I coved the subjects of music appreciation, and protest songs with the example of The Killers' "Land of the Free." L-A came with me for the next three items: Riverview kids, Vink Rivier kids club, and a presentaion on Open Doors by Natasha, at 114 Stockenstrom.

Tue May 21
I woke with a streaming cold. But I also had slept though the night and my leg wasn't hurting. I decided not to take my Tramacet and Exineff and see if I could get through the day without it. We had been invited by Clarica to come to Worcester Primary School this morning at 7:30 as a practice run for a new program she and her husband Louis Le Grange have devised. She had mentioned to me weeks ago in Fairbairn Paharmacy where she works and I am a regular customer that she wanted to bring seniors with skills into primary schools to share their knowledge with young minds. The felt there was so much potential not being used. This appealed to use both, and we had given her lists of those areas we might be able to excite children. We didn't know what to expect this morning, but soon found ourselves in a classroom with about 35 7 year olds. Unlike the MasterPeace children, these seemed quite happy being unaggressive and quiet. So we had some praise singing (good thing I brought my guitar) and then L-A introduced them to the world of art and colouring. These children still retained a sense of wonder when they heard something new. Although we won't see them again till July, their teacher now has some art pieces that she can duplicate and let the kids colour, and that could even give them pleasure till we get back. Louis and Clarica have set up an NGO called The Legacy Relay with the potential to replicate this in other schools and other towns, and we were the first guinea pigs. In art at MasterPeace I examined Sinegugu, while L-A examined Paula and Helena entertained the others. Shopping in Dis-Chem I tried to remember a cold remedy that Janey had highly recommended. And then I recognized it in the shelves: Septogard. It wasn't cheap (good) so I bought it, and started on it as soon as I got home. In the evening I took money Mella had given me to Janey (wages), ground some more coffee beans, and collected Andre's HP Laser printer that they have replaced because it was incompatible with Windows 10. He thought it would be no use to anyone, but when I said we are Win 7 people he offered it to us and I gladly accepted. After supper we recorded a conversation about being half way through our mission, and looking forward to home visit. This will become the interview for the last Worcester Report for 6 weeks. One reason I wanted us to do this was it can be a sort of practice for talking to people during our home visit. I spent some serious thinking and calculating time completing the pfr for Carlos, including giving him all the figures for our situation in 2019 without any AVP. I had reached the end of the day without Tramacet and Exinef. I had felt a little under the weather, but the pain was easily bearable. Maybe my healing is happening! Interesting, having just bought extra supplies of the stuff yesterday.

Mon May 20
After school (where I quizzed them on the whiteboard slides, adding marks for their exam) I went to the pharmacy and bought enough meds to last me through our home trip. We'll see Carica at Worcester Primary School tomorrow at 7:30 am. I then went to Joan's Salon for a haircut to last me through our time in Canada. About 3:20 I arrived in Avian Park to see if Jamelia really had gathered children to start a new mailbox club in her home. She had - 7 - all new. (Remember she had been running a club in another location some distance from her home.) I gave Jamelia enough Mailbox club materials to last until we return. I believe she intends to keep it going while we are away - wonderful! I led the kids in music, and then gave them naartjies. Bella asked me if instead of co-leading the club with Jamelia, she could start a new one in her home. She already and several children. I agreed, and gave her some of the materials I had previously given Jamelia. She will actually start next week. This is a double blessing. These two are our most consistent leaders, and I believe they truly love bringing Jesus into the children's lives. Both Jamelia and Bella asked me for R20 for electricity. It is dark when they get up for school at 6. I was very happy to oblige. I didn't drive round any other clubs because I really didn't expect any activity there.

Sun May 19
At church this morning we and Mella were given a lovely send-off prior to her departure this week and ours next Monay. With we three seated in the front row, Johan spoke soothingly and encouragingly as the congregation stretched our hands in prayer support. I have an audio recording. We stayed at the front for worship, and I took the opportunity to make an extended video, since I had such a good view. Laurie-Ann received a word of knowledge, and went to offer it, but there must have been a mix-up because she wasn't asked to give it. There was drama very near the end of the worship set, as all the power went off. We don't think this was Eskom up to their tricks, but a more local cause. Then we watched and listened as Johan handled the situation, preaching a sermon in the vastness of God's love. At 1 pm we were at Moksh Indian restaurant for a goodbye lunch for Samantha Jones. It was a fine meal, and free glasses of good wine with it. Enjoyed by Mella, Helena, Samantha and us. Back home (after a rest) I finalized the science exam and sent it to Mella at her request. It revolved around the photographs of the whiteboard diagrams I had made while teaching, plus a few photos for good measure. I am assessing the children by giving them a mark for anything sensible they off about the image they are looking at. Also today I started work completing the pfr data for Carlos when we him soon at Investors Group. We are in reach of iProfile, and I think I know how to get there. Maybe I'll let Carlos figure it out so he thinks its his idea.

Sat May 18
We had been asked by Glenda to get to Brandvlei 15 minutes earlier to give more time to getting the men out, and to finish by 10 when the other young convicts had already been playing sports and other games for a while. This time we had 25 men. Following last week's session on 'Why did Jesus die,' I had brought 'The passion of the Christ' and our portable DVD. The technology worked, an achievement since there is no remote for the TV. We watch the last 40 minutes of the film and of course it was shocking and left them somewhat stunned. Without a word I sang "Were you there when they crucified my Lord? - basicly me singing to them solo. It was approprate. We discussed forgiveness and redemption. At teen ministry there were 9 girls + one boy, Waylan, who I think is a boyfriend of Chrizelle's, who spent the whole time listening to music on his phone using our best headphones. L-A and some of the girls made some scrumptuous brownies which were cool enough to be devoured before they went home. Dinner with Maggie as a good by treat, as we three go back to our countries, at Bourbon Street restaurant, Robertson. Nice waitress: Marilyn, whom we prayed for.

Fri May 17
Early morning prayer , just Louis, Carlo and I. We prayed for Bella. I gave thanks, tentatively that my leg pain seems less than previously, and that, for example, this morming I put my right sock on in the normal way, rather than seated on the bed with my right leg on the bedside table bent at the knee. I also reported on chatting with Godfrey and concluding that his only recourse was indeed to return to Zimbabwe - R40,000 needed. Afrikaans at 3. For me this has become more of a social visit than serious language study. But my pronounciation is improving.

Thu May 16
Dental cleaning at noon, delivering one of L-A's colouring book pieces to the hygienist, which made her very happy. She noticed I needed two small fillings, so I made an appointment for next Thursday. Dental treatment is half the price than it is in Canada so it was good we should be fine for the next few months. Hospice. Trainee nurse - nice lady. Bcause I had texted the link to his CWCP program (even though he has a basic phone) he passed it to his daughter, who passed it on further, including to the staff at the hospice, making his program our second most heard after Kaysha and Alex. The Worcester Report had 5 live listeners (a record?) who clearly wanted to hear Kenneth's story. But why it wasn't 50 or more after extensive advertising on social media and Whatsapp groups, I cannot fathom.

Wed May 15
7:30 - googled 'Intruments of the orchestra, and found this wonderful program. This gave me insight into how to handle a dilemma: getting the children examined for music, while not having kidney beans that were prerequisite for the next science exam. I resolved to teach music in the 9:25 am slot, as well as at 12:30. I drew up a schedule for what would happen in each music class. Basically, after recording the bodhran track for the song "I am here in school," I would give then enough revision that they would be ready to be examined in the afternoon. I then wrote an exam which wouldn't need any questions to be read or answered in writing. But I would need someone to occupy them in the afternoon, while I examined as many of them as there was time for. The deal person for that role would be Laurie-Ann, and she agreed to do it. The execution of this risky plan was just fine. My morning science lesson turned music was busy, but we got through it. Each of them played the bodhran while listening on earbuds to the mixdown, and I held the SM58 mic inside the bodhran. We worked through the questions on the written exam. After the class I drove home, picked up L-A, and took her to the dental hygienist. They struck up a chord and L-A promised her a copy of a drawing for her children to colour. I wnt shopping while she was there. We were 10 minutes late returning to school which generated a Whatsapp reprimand from Mella, since she had some YWAM students looking in and apparently their program was really tight. I was able to examine all except Paula, and they did averagely well for their ages; however I lost track of time, and Seth's mother came into the classrooom to see where her child was. Each examinee got to hear their song in it's final state on my headphones. L-A entertained them with the 'Instruments of the Orchestra teaching video, and after that, with singing along to YouTubes. Between us, we made it. In the afternoon, L-A returned to the Riverview ministry for the first time in months. From there we drove straight to Avian Park to bring Jamelia here for homework with our wifi. It is exam season so we are happy to oblige. GNiTM went our as per usual, ie no-one litening except me, and what a blessing it always is. I finished recording and editing the long Chapter 9 of Legacy, and sent it off to Jasper, who was as usual very happy to see the project was on track and thanked me warmly.

Tue May 14
L-A examined Seth on the art he had learned, and I supervised the other three as they first meditated to soaking music, and them drew pictures of Jesus. Sinegugu was the first to say she had an image she wanted to draw. As she did so, Delivenance I interviewed Kenneth Schultz at WCC - and had a nice chat with Johan.

Mon May 13
A pop up popped up on my screen when I turned on this morning; a post from a young girl on Reddit that she had been to a concert in Dallas to see The Killers and had had a really great experience. I had heard of this band but never made any effort to listen to them because of their name. I listened on Spotify to their latest song, 'Land of the Free,' and loved it - excellent protest against guns and mistreatment of would-be immigrants on the southern US boaders. I watched the video, produced by Spike Lee, and posted it to FB. Before this day was done I was to check out several of their excellent albums. We even have one, Hot Fuss, in our alt rock collection that L-A had assembled at Live 88.5. You can hear every word they sing. The sad part of today was Mailbox Clubs. None ran. The girls don't seem to know why their children have not been turning up. In the early days they would be waiting half an hour early. The leaders' enthusiasm is evaporating. Marsha had told me on Saturday that she would definitely be there to teach the club, but she was nowhere to be found. Maybe she didn't want to face me because she had taken about R7 from the car right after I had spoken to them about obeying the 10 commandments. Even Chantelle was not at her home at 3 pm. I must fire them up again on Saturday with the importance of the work they are doing, and get them to encourage their children to come, or this ministry is going to crumble. Jamelia can't do that because her club is in Geraldo's house, but as I dropped her off she agreed to start a new club in her wendy house, and there are 5 or 6 in her immediate family and friends who would come.

Sun May 12
Church good; cell very good. I shared that I felt there was some wrong thinking in the idea of praying for something long and often, and not making plans and searching for solutions in the event that the prayer may not be answered. It reminds me of the helicopter story. I believe that the act of praying is not only a communication with God, but also a stimulant to our own brains to work out the answer. This generated an interesting discussion. After cell we picked up Godfrey and brought him to our house for a chat. In a recent early morning prayer group someone had mentioned that (since Godfrey had been away for a couple of weeks) we shouldn't be leaving him with only his prayers for a financial breakthrough. Anyway he and I talked about all aspects of his challenge, and I learned a lot. Zimbabwe has strong gun legislation, whereas he feels very vulnerable to violence here were he to be try to compete with other jewelers. Xenophobia is not limited to the east of the country. In the end he convinved me that returning to Zimbabwe was his best course. Turns out that not only gun laws are better there than here. The challenge is the import duty on his jewelry making tools. If he tried to smuggle them in (which he wouldn't do) the police could come at any time and if he couldn't produce import papers for them, they would seize them. He needs about R40,000 to move his stuff to Harare, where he would be back with his wife and sons. We even talked about crowdfunding.

Sat May 11
Soraya and I got into the Brandvlei Youth Centre, but only 9 of the 14 attenders had attended earlier classes. The new spiritual care officer, Mamali, seemed unable to find the 25 or so others who had enthusiastically embraced the first session. We did have some excellent discussion on sin, forgiveness and the cross. 5 girls joined us for Saturday ministry. After praising the Lord, I condensed the Bible into a 15 minute talk on the really really key events of the last 14B years. It included a runover the 10 commandments, which unfortunatley didn't prevent Marsha and Joe-Marie (new girl) from rifling the small change drawer in the car. I uploaded the Good News in the Morning talk on this first occasion when it was no longer broadcast by CFRA. I had produced it from one of George's sermons, adding in the thanks to the WoodSource that he had given the last time he broadcast.

Fri May 10
My science class was different. I took in a computer with the images of all the material I had put up on the whiteboard for each session these children had been at. I sat them at a round table where they could see the screen. As each image came up, I asked them what it was about, and then several other questions, awarding one mark to each child who had anything relevant to contribute. By the end of the esson, Sinegugu and Paula had 6 marks, Seth 4, and Delivenance 3 - though he had been given only the easiest questions. It all went well enough. I will do this several more times, working through all the images, and at the end the cummulative marks can be their exam results. We had Afrikaans at 11. At 3 we attended the My Father's House board meeting, designed to meet new board members, but only Kevin (Daley) was there. He hasn't finally decided. I spent a fair amount of time recording chapter 9 of Legacy, and scrubbed L-A legs after soaking in the big bucket, to try and soften the skin.

Thu May 9
After school got some med refils at the pharmacy, including the Chela-Fer chelated iron that both of us use, and is available over the counter. At 11:30 had an appointment with Dr Eric who wrote me a prescription for Uromax, and Exinef. I now have enough refils of meds to see me through our Canadian visit. Jan messaged me saying that on of the people she thiught would make a good MFH director had turned us down because of business, so could I phone the next on on my list. I was lucky enough to reach Theresa Rossouw from Toeflug, who seems always full of energy, and she expressed significant interest, but wasn't able to join us for tomorrow's board meeting. Mario's interview was easy to produce; hardly any editing necessary for the program. There was enough room to play one of the songs off the new Hillsong disk, and I chose 'Might sound wild' which may be my favourite on the album. The program went out smoothly, and we had 4 listeners live, more than usual, for Mario's interview. I had alerted his YWAM colleagues.

Wed May 8
National/provincial election day in South Africa, and a bank (and school) holiday to ensure no impedance for the people getting out and voting. The govenment had warned against employers not facilitating people's capability to vote, but some stores like OK Food's still opened. I asked a counter clerk there if she would be voting, and she said she never voted! Apparently voting by township dwellers is not high, probably because of the effort of having to register, and lack of any education about the importance of voting in a democracy. Macayla had asked to come to our home to use our wifi for her school work, but the word got around. At 3 I left the Riverview group and drove to Avian Park, soon filling the car with 6 girls. It was a bit of a circus, and we have now decided to limit numbers on their schoolwork visits to 2 or 3. Jamelia messaged L-A to ask why she hadn't been picked up. I had stopped outside her house but she didn't come out. So we told her we would bring her when we took the others home. I did that, and her younger brother came too, and they were no trouble at all. I am working on recording the massive Chapter 9 of Legacy, and Part 1, 45 minutes and the first third of the chapter had turned out blank. I must have plugged the mic into the phones socket on the Marantz. So I recorded it again. When this chapter is done, we are close to the end and I would love to achieve that before we go to Canada.

Tue May 7
After school, and taking Janey to the pharmacy and then back to school, I drove to Mario Milhomem's home and interviewed him. He has been a missionary all his life, and has strengths in administration, leadership, and strategic planning. I wanted to know more, and he obliged. I think that he also appreciated the chance to talk about these things. He's not your typical missionary, but is a significant mover and shaker for God. He's not all talk and no action; rather leaning towards the oposite. After art class, we took Seth and his mother home at their request, since she didn't want to be late for work. Then we delivered the books to Changemakers/Boa Boa - personally into the hands of Aubin. Then on to Nuy for lunch and a largish consignment of wine. Jamelia messaged L-A asking if we had any stale bread that we might not need that we could give them, since they clearly had no food in the house. I was touched, and decided to get some proper food (meat stew and macaroni cheese) from Pick n Pay, and drove it to her house at about 7 pm. Part of my thinking was that she was recovering from whatever took her into the hospital, and needed nourishment. It was enough for the ~six of them to have some sustenance. Later, she messaged me and said that her mother was very grateful. Rui called me on Whatsapp to confirm he had received the money via Paypal and his friend Bacar, and asked me if I can send some more now that Paypal works for us. I listened to the DVD disk of 'People' by Hillsong United and was blown away with the visuals and the sound quality on L-A's headphones. It is presented as one concert and the production quality is amazing considering the energy and enthusiasm of these very talented and passionate musicians. The subtlety of the tunes was now working its way into my aural receptors - every one a gem.

Mon May 6
Only one Mailbox Club ran this afternoon: Chrizelle and Macayla, and I led the kids in praise. Macayla asked if she could come to our house during the week and use wifi for her homework. Jamelia had been taken to hospital from school with stomach ache. I visited Geraldo's house where about 8 kids were waiting. I told them the news and gave them pears. Marsha and Chantelle were at Marsha's, but no children had turned up. Marsha was also feeling unwell. Several of the girls had been at a sports event on Sunday, and maybe they had picked up something. Chantelle said her children had been told they must find other children to take over from them. I told Chantelle to take anyone rather than noone. Chantelle said she was hungry and asked if I would give her food. I invited her to come and see if we could find Jamelia in the hospital. We went, but she wasn't in emergency, or the main hospital, but we were told she had been taken to the day clinic (Worcester Health Centre.) We went there to hear that she had just gone home. I went through McDonald's drive-thru to get a burger for Chantelle, and then we drove to Jamelia's house, and she was indeed there, though not looking too good. At home I watched the DVD of 'People,' listening on headphones. This was stunning compared with the audio CD experience - but from now on I will recapture it with the audio CD. I called Pastor Mario Milhomem for i/v on CWCP, and he agreed - tomorrow morning at 10:30. I Skyped Dr Esguerra's receptionist and got an appointment for a few days after we arrive in Canada, mainly to decide about my hip pain that came back in January, and to see if more surgery would be necessary. L-A finished the Boa Boa books! Moment for great joy! She had completed Changemaker a week or so ago. She has worked so long and hard on this for months, particularly recently. I discovered I had recorded nothing on Ch. 9 Pt 1 of Legacy, a 45 minute section. I must have put the mic into the phones socket. Oh well, I'll have to do it again. I had sent Chapter 8 to Jasper earlier today, and he was happy to get it. Rui messaged to see if I could send money by 'Paypel' (!) [if having difficulty with Mukuru]. I asked if he knew someone with an e-mail address who uses Paypal. He said yes, Bacar Mussagy: bacarussene.62@gmail.com. So I sent about $US 14 (Paypay won't deliver in Mets) and he got it!

Sun May 5
To Hillsong in Somerset West. Excellent service as usual, and with communion, which they do on the first Sunday of the month. We emerged from church at 12:50, ten minutes before the end of the final Good News in the Morning broadcast by CFRA. I was able to listen in on the Priv, and felt Brian Wilkie's ending words were perfect for this sad occasion, though he recorded it some time before we knew the end was at hand. I e-mailed him a message of appreciation, and Dave circulated it. L-A bought the latest Hillsong CD, 'People,' which we played on our drive home, though it didn't catch our attention too much on first hearing. In the afternoon I recorded a long chunk of 'Legacy,' and in the evening e-mailed John Schmidt, thanking him for his outstanding service to GNCM, and asking him if listening to 1000 shows had given him faith. I hope he answers; it's a good question.

Sat May 4
I selected music for Alpha that the younf offenders probably would be familiar with so that I wouldn't need to make lots of photocopies. I prayed with Soraya on the way, thanking God for arranging everything so well; ie assumng He had it in hand. That took faith after the last two Saturdays of not getting in. Soon we were in the room that we had used the first time, and the same young men started coming in. Not quite as many, but 26, of which 7 were there for the first time. The TV was brought in, but the wall socket was still dicey. I had brought Jan's extension cable, but it turned out the socket outside the door was known to be defective. However, there was one more socket in the room, within range of the cable, that did work. When I started to lead in praise, they sang 'This is the day' louder than my guitar in their enthusiasm! We did 'Amazing grace my chains are gone,' and then had a request for 'Open the eyes of my heart, Lord,' which I was about to play anyway! South Africa loves that song by Paul Baloche. The TV has no remote, and without a helpful and capable member of the group who was able to set it up from (to me) invisible keys on the border of the screen, we would have had no video. Before the video, I got the names of 7 attenders who had not been there for the previous session. I then introduced Alpha and the first video after the Intro: Who is Jesus. Without a remote we would not be able to pause for discussion points, so I told them that we would have all the discussion questions at the end. We started the video. For the next half hour they listened intently. Now, this is significant, because our experience with our girls suggests that very little that they see on a screen will hold their attention. In their homes, most fitted with a TV that is running continuously, there is very little sense of wonder left for any program being broadcast. The girls are 6 - 10 years younger than the young offenders, and maybe it is just in the last 10 years that children have become used to (and therefore not respectful of) day to night TV. Back to the young inmates: even though most of them speak only halting English, they were able to follow the video pretty well. At the end I gave all of them the opportunity to contribute to the conversation by asking their comments on (a) What would you like to be famous for? (b) Why do you think Jesus is so famous? (c) Who do people think Jesus is? Their answers suggested two things. They love sports (most wanted to become famous sports stars), and most of them already have a good initial knowledge of basic things about Jesus. I brought Soraya into the discussion as much as possible even though they were answering the questions in English. She took the opportunity to explain some of the finer points in Afrikaans. I encouraged them to talk to any friends who might not know as much as they do about Christianity and invite them to come to our next session. Based on what I now knew of them, I ended the session with singing "I have decided to follow Jesus,' which only a few of them knew. Soraya and I drove home very happy with how things had gone. For the teen ministry, after hearing of my experience walking to The Lonely Tree, L-A suggested I take them on a hike up there. The weather is still warm enough, but won't be in a few weeks. This plan would not have worked if there had been more girls than I could fit in the car - ie 5. The first one I saw was Britney. I told her I could only take her if only a few others were coming. As it turned out, only Jamelia was there. So Britney joined us. While just 2 was disappointing, it also was much more manageable for me, and better than if there had been more than 5. We drove to the golf club. I had naartjies and juice boxes, so they had one of each and we carried some with us as we started the hike. The pictures are here. We sang "I have decided to follow Jesus' beside the tree, and I prayed over them. A man in a Land Rover drove up (!) with his two daughters, and he and I had a good chat. After walking down back to the car, we drove to Hooggelegen to pick up Laurie-Ann and then the four of us had burgers at McDonald's. The girls had a good time; enjoyed it all judging by their happy dispositions. It was nice to do something for Britney, who is now back living with Veronica her mother in their house, but has missed out on recent Mailbox Club activity. And if she hadn't appeared at the right time, I could hardly have taken Jamelia alone.

Fri May 3
Early morning prayer at Louis' home (across the street). Sean came so I was able to give him the audio CD of his CWCP broadcast. After science class the prospect of a nice long day for catching up with my ever lengthening 'do' list - except for Afrikaans. Andre called and asked if I could pick Janey up after school and take her to the mall for shopping. At 1:30 I picked her up and took her home. At 3:45 we were both back there for Afrikaans. L-A had a lot to discuss and was still going after two hours. At that point I suggested we skip my session (which was just more of what I have been doing the last few times), since I felt Janey had given enough of her time, and we weren't paying her today because she owed me for driving her to the dyslexia seminar. L-A has been working flat out on the Boa Boa books, yet also managed to do the research on car rental for our Canada trip, and booked it. We needed to buy full insurance with the rental booking because the cover from our Integro policy does not cover driving outside South Africa. Rui Vasco in Mozambique messaged me to say that he and family were starving in Pemba after the cyclone. I tried to get on Mukuru but couldn't get on - maybe many others are sending money right now. Frog also came through with a less desperate message to say he had arrived back in Pemba from the bush bush where he had buried his nephew to find his lodging house flattened. I heaved a sigh of relief that at least he is safe.

Thu May 2
At 3:30 I arrived at the hospice, with tonight's Worcester Report on my phone. Moses' phone is basic, without Internet or Blue Tooth, so I let him listen on mine using my ear buds. I then did my rounds, praying for some pretty ill people. At the end of that I returned to Moses who had heard his interview. Coloured people have a tendancy to mumble and not enunciate well, and the interview had been done on my phone, but I suspect Moses heard every syllable. I had also messaged Alida Theron with the news of the interview, but haven't heard back from her. Driving home, I suddenly got the idea of walking up to the Lonely Tree from the golf course. Since I still had the ear buds in my pocket, and the Worcester Report on the phone, I listened to Ways to Grow in God on the way up, and L-A speaks about having a 'secret place' for prayer. You can sense from the pictures that it was a pretty special activity for me; one that I had promised myself since we lived in Fairway Heights. Being beside the beautiful tree was a fine 'secret place' in which to pray. On my way down I listened to the rest of the program and got thoroughly caught up with the recording of our girls singing songs of praise in our living room a few weeks ago. This will be our 60th broadcast, and all-in-all, for those few who may take the trouble to listen, it is appropriate for the special occasion. In the evening the program went out without a hitch, although a couple of listeners at the start dropped out during the interview. I had wanted to hear it in the best possible conditions, so I plugged my phone and the big speakers into the Pyle, and located them either side of the TV. I was pleasantly surprized my the relatively good acoustics. I Whatsapped Thandeka Mbolekwa to hear whether they were prepared for us in the Youth Centre, and she replied that she had been transferred to Worcester prison. So I Whatsapped Glenda with the same question, and she replied that yes, we should come in.

Wed May 1
This was Workers' Day and a bank holiday, so no school or Riverview. I found out that The Vink Rivier kid's club would still be on, after getting Inge-Lize's telephone number from Maggie, so I resolved to be there. Maggie is taking a break from it. I arrived in good time plus guitar, and when the time came for singing some songs, I started playing, and then led them in four songs that many of them were familiar with. Flip and Inge-Lize led the club with almost military precision and the kids responded with no hint of the bad behaviour that we had come to expect when everything was in English. The younger children couloured Biblical scenes, and the older boys played soccer. I took pictures. It finished at 6 after an hour, and Flip drove the kids to their homes in his truck.

Tue Apr 30
Picked up Chantelle and Marsha at 3, and brought them home. For the next two hours they were no inconvenience to us as they worked on school projects. They used Pink Dell for internet access, and didn't need help from me in that area. The only sustenance I gave them was a cookie as they left. I needed to be sure that these happenings were not just an excuse to claim food. Our original plan was to see the movie 'Breakthrough' at Nu Metro, but L-A wasn't up to it, and I didn't want to go alone. After dinner (the rest of the macaroni and gouda, fine by me), I prayed for clarity with my income tax, and then rechecked my Notice of assessment line by line with my U-File tax return. Every line tallied up ... until one line at the bottom: 'Previous account balance: $2,093. Then it hit me. This was the exact amount of my additional tax owing from 2017, which I have already paid, and they had added to 2018! So all was well! Talk about prayer answered. Not only is my tax now sorted out, and less to pay than I had thought, but my method of calculating it with U-File's help is sound. This is important because it means I have correctly figured out how to report my AVP. Furthermore I didn't, as I had thought, need hours to sort out the problem; just 15 minutes. I'm a happy tax boy. At 8 I 'Zoomed' into a GIG webinar by Bruno Guntelach. It tuyned out to be his first on-line GIG Club (and possible one of the first anywhere). In virtual attendance were people in Hawaii, Zimbabwe, Europe and South Africa. I found it all very interesting from an international viewpoint, since it is possible I could continue GIGing back in Canada. The free membership GIG journey - primarily financial literacy - is available now worldwide. The paid membership journey requires a South African bank account. All of the people in Bruno's group are paid membership people. It was a good meeting.

Mon Apr 29
The experiment was smashing rocks, which is always fun. I could have written it all up, but they learn more when I spread it over 2 days, concentrating on a good diagram on the white board for them to copy on day 2. This way they hear most things twice. There were only 2 mailbox clubs operating in Avian Park: Jamelia/Bella's, and Macayla in Chrizelle's house, where I led music. I ran into Chantelle and Marsha on Pelikan. No children had arrived for them. There have been two incidences of violence in the last 2 days, one where a 10 year old girl in a car died in crossfire, and the other where two policemen were shot and are in hospital. This may be the reason the children were scarce today. Jan had given us oranges, so they were still given out and much appreciated. Marsha's sister asked to be taken to Pick n Pay, and kids came too, but didn't ask me for money or food. I found out later they were looking for safety. On that trip we saw two emergency vehicles speeding towards Avian Park as a result of the child shooting. As I dropped her off, Chantelle asked if I would bring her to our house to do school work the following day at 3, and I agreed. CRA sent our notices of assessment and I was shocked to see they wanted an additional $2,093. I will go through it line by line ... L-A cooked macaroni cheese for dinner, but she didn't like the way it turned out, although I liked it fine. She thinks Innovation for the Blind may have packaged gooda instead of cheddar. After dinner I enjoyed The Good Wife as I do each night. These are the days of cyclone Kenneth making landfall near Pemba, and we are getting messages from boys there that we knew. We haven't heard from Frog in a while and I worry if he is still stuck in the bush.

Sun Apr 28
Church was pretty full, and Johan preached (mainly in English) on the man whose neighbour knocked on his door at midnight asking for bread for relatives who had arrived unexpectedly, as told in Luke 11. Johan pointed out that the main character in the story was not the door knocker, but the children in bed with the householder. Here is
Johan's script. We, God's children are the children in bed with their father, and he prefers to spent intimate time with us than serve the neighbour. It is a powerful illustration of our identity in the family of God. We held Soaking Prayer at home at 6. It was a great joy to pray and listen with our regular attenders last night. We based some of the time on Johan's sermon, and some on how best to pray for the elections. Lovejoy, Heather and Chris came. You might ask why bother, but I have come to look forward to and enjoy these sessions where I do sometimes hear from the Lord, as do the others. I e-mailed Glenda and told her of our attempt to get into Brandvlei on Saturday. We received Whatsapps from Rui in Pemba with reports on Cyclone Kenneth, and from Carlos showing pictures of flooding in Britannia. A little close to home - but I think the 5th floor will be cosy warm and dry.

Sat Apr 27
Went to Brandvlei with Soraya, and we got almost to our destination. But it turned out a fire had been set in nearby cells last night and the same room could not be used. If we used a different room they would have to bring us a completely new set of attenders. With plenty of cooperation from management we decided to leave it till next week, and leave them with our lists. I though Soraya would be upset, but she handled it well. This all meant that I would be able to join the Jesus March. After dropping off Soraya at YWAM, and getting a coffee at home, I was on the Square in good time. There were about 80 who had responded to the call, mostly wearing white, as I was, and Mario van Zyl, Pastor at Worcester United Church was taking the lead. Sean and Portia were there, but noone else I knew. I thought it was excellent and it reflected well on the churches of Worcester. At the end I found myself in a small group praying for a team of about 6 who would be attending the Burning Man event for the weekend and injecting some Christian content in opposition the the satanic nature of Burning Man. Walking back to the car, Veronica (Britney's mum) came towards me. She was looking well. She had been released from the House of Hope and was back in her house in Avian Park. She was talking in English quite well. In the past she appeared to have no English. I gave her R20 for bread. Our teen ministry in the afternoon went well. I presented 15 results of being a Christian. I want to re-motivate those who are a little hesitant to dive into the pool (Alpha-ese). Then they did some colouring of 'Jesus makes all things new.' They love colouring and the results were quite pleasing.

Fri Apr 26
Only four of us at early morning prayer. Carlo's father had died yesterday. At times like that it's good to have praying friends. Nu Skin came in about 11. I took Overdrive and Life Essentials immediately. Within an hour I noticed an improvement in my state. By the evening I was feeling normal again. Thank God for Overdrive and Life Essentials! My Father's House extra board meeting to discuss potential new board members was held in the afternoon. Mario, Jan, L-A and I discussed candidates. I had a list of 14 and Jan had 6. Quite a few of mine were people I had interviewed. Jan's were chosen more for their business experience. I gave them marks out of 10, and at the end agreed I call the one who had given 10 out of 10, Kevin Daley, and Jan would call a 10er and a 9er. We reset the next meeting to 10 May, to which we would invite the top 3 people who agreed to serve. I called Kevin later that evening, and he said he would call me back when he had considered it from all angles. I heard that there would be a Jesus March for the election on Church Square tomorrow morning at 10, and publicized it on FaceBook.

Thu Apr 25
Healthwide this was something of a draggy day. Things seemed to take twice as much energy and with no sense of enthusiasm for the task. But a bigger issue was that L-A had been struggling with tiredness for several days. Although I had been surprized last weekend not to have been laid low by lack of my supplements, it seemed that it had caught up with both of us. Keen Mind had helped for a while, but it's no match for Overdrive. Jamelia came over from 3 - 6 to do more English homework using our wifi. I went to the hospice taking a bunch of bananas from home, and then sensing that I should get fresh ones, so dropped into OK on the way. I handed them to Moses when I got there and then began my rounds. The boy with water on the brain was there whom I had seen last week. In the individual wards it sometimes means they are not expected to survive. I took a picture of him while he was looking away. Back with Moses, he told me he thought they may be sending him home soon. I seized my opportunity and asked if I could interview him for CWCP. He said yes and we went into the garden. I used the Q10 and he spoke for 20 minutes, prompted not much by me. He particularly praised the staff of the hospice and their dedicated care. He was gracious in appreciating our friendship. His talk is an eloquent reflection on sudden disability, and the necessity of leaning on God. So glad I took the opportunity. At 7 I joined a webinar with a small group of GIG's top people, outlining the latest developments. Not sure how I qualified for this, other than my work on the audiobook recording. After half an hour I started The Worcester Report, hoping that our modem would handle the load. It did. The upgraded GIG web site that hosts these new facilities is pretty spectacular. At the end of the presentation we were each asked for comments. I was amazed how matter-of-factly people answered, and at least one had nothing to say. I wanted them to know how special this was so I praised Gavin very highly, who had much of the vision and had done all of the programming. When the webinar ended I listened to the back end of the Worcester report. L-A had not had the time to prepare Ways to Grow in God, so I had replaced it with a rebroadcast of the Over My Head from CKCU in August 2017 when Joel Bernard interviewed me about our (then) forthcoming mission in SA. Finally I ran Part 2 of Chapter 4 of Legacy.

Wed Apr 24
My music class was a bit roudy. At last we had all four learners there to record the words for Sine-Paul-De-Seth. Before starting on the recording, we sang scales. Only Delivenance was able to sing the scale of C in tune with the keyboard! I set up the equipment, turned on the Marantz, and started a line-by-line sequence. Firstly the treble keyboard tune (played on my phone through the Blackstar), then I sang the words and music without the piano, and then they sang the words and music without me, but watching my lips. We did this for quite a while, completing the tune, and I should be able to make use of the recordings. We were done with 20 minutes of the lesson to spare, so I got out the recorders and after a while marched round the room, Pied Piper style, with them following and playing their recorders to accompany Willie en die Wengspan tunes. Of course, they all blew as loud as possible so the recorders all played at the same high pitch with deafening volume. Delivenance was having such a good time his spit was dripping right out of the far end of his recorder, and over the floor. Eventually I called a halt before someone slipped on it. After they had all departed to their homes I thoroughly washed the 5 recorders. Checked Nu Skin web site and found that my order had been cancelled. They must have tried to deliver twice when we weren't in. I ordered again. Hopefully it will arrive before the weekend. At Riverview there was no Mella, just uncles Kevin and Tony and 15 kids. We did quite well. Mella had asked me to take photos. Bhile there the anser to ack home, now the scanner was working, I sent my claim to Allianz for additional recent expenses relating to my back pain. I Whatsapped Maggie to say I wouldn't be at kids club, again. At 6 pm I attended a special multi-church prayer event at the town hall aiming for Godly interference in the selection of politicians at the forthcoming elections. While I was at this excellent event, I realized the answer to my question to Christian Consensus in SA, and later I posted this there: Time for me to answer my own question (18 April). It came to me as I attended a prayer meeting for the election in Worcester town hall this evening (see photo). I think God wants us to pray that He can then arrange for good women and men in any party and in federal, provincial and municipal government to be elected to positions of influence where they will first discern God's plan and then work for it to happen. Government is not just about law making and spending tax money. It is also a place where ideas are discussed and the best compromise followed. Every member of parliament has potential influence over those decisions. Only God is knowledge able enough to know who those good people are, and how many votes are needed to get them elected. This is a 'from the bottom up' revolution and the future leaders of the country will be from among these people. So pray that God will work through his angels to strengthen and encourage those who will make a difference, and get them elected as a result of our votes. [end of post]. This is garnering some approval. I came home from the meeting shortly before it ended to join a GIG webinar, but then discovered the webinar is tomorrow. L-A had cooked an excellent Russian vegetable paella. After dinner I prepared for CWCP GNiTM. As it broadcast, I found I had included the same original broadcast twice, with different names. I will fix that for the mixdown archive.

Tue Apr 23
I got thinking that CRA may have overcharged me for the reassessment from 2017. When I went back into the tax software and added in the $6,024 UK State Pension, and it only increased our tax payable by $993. But the CRA had charged me $2,092. I resolved to investigate. After school I drove to Tellyfonics and spoke with the son of the owner, Anton. He unscrewed it and looked for a fuse. He phoned a colleague who found another identical transformer in the shop. I was quite ready to buy it - about R300 - but Anton still thought he could replace the main unit that seemed not to be working in mine. He asked for the input power spec of the scanner. I went home, leaving him my transformer and checked the specs. There should be pleanty of power to drive the scanner. On the other hand I had been scanning and rescanning L-A's medical insurance claim for nearly 2 hours last Friday, and it had got quite warm. I phoned him to tell him the spec, and the lady answering the phone said that he had replaced a fuse, and it was now working! We jointly ran the art class at school, separating the boys and girls in an effort to make the more productive with the drawings needed for their own colouring books. After school we took Seth home, but on the way picked up my Shanken transformer. Anton had found that it used very modern tiny fuses costing R5 which is all he wanted. I gave him R10. I have had nothing but excellent products and service from Tellyfonics.

Mon Apr 22
Received my final AVP 'pension' from IG. Used $2092.58 of it to pay the amount owing on our 2017 taxes. At 9 am we picked up Mella and Samantha and set out on our day trip to Cape L'Agulhas, the southernmost point in Africa, where the two oceans meet. No worries about holiday traffic on this drive, without a freeway anywhere near. We stopped on the way for coffee and scones at a lovely road house. They had three mead-like rooibos liqueurs for free tasting and we bought small bottles of all three. I had set Garmin for L'Agulhas, but the town turned out to be half an hour's drive short of the Cape. We pressed on, targetting the Cape Agulhas lighthouse. Mella, Samantha and I scaled the lighthouse, climbing several steep ladders to reach a very windy observation deck. They then walked the kilometer to the actual meeting of Atlantic and Indian oceans, while I went back for the car and drove there with L-A. She of course wasn't going to miss the chance of being photographed standing right on the dividing line, though took energy and courage to get there. We drove from there to a restaurant that had been recommended to Mella, the Sea S..... Beach Hut, right on the beach (literally) in Struisbaai, where I had mussles and the ladies had hake. During our return journey, L-A reminded me that it might be nice to interview Samantha for CWCP, so I asked her, and made a date for that very evening. We got home about 6, and at 7:30 I picked her up and we did the interview. She grew up as a methodist, but was drawn to the Jewish tradition, and now worships with a Messianic Jewish Synagogue.

Sun Apr 21
Relatively relaxed rising' I wanted to put up an Easter message, but the folks I thought I might share one from - the Queen, the Archbishop of Canterbury - weren't up yet. But I found an excellent short video on Archbishop Foley Beach's FB and bot only shared it but posted on a number of Whatsapp groups and friends. To church to find it 1/3 full. Easter and Christmas are not seen as important days to go to church in SA. All the congregation were moved to the RHS, leaving us in translation row very remote. Johan (back after his time in Namibia) commented that we had all be told to sit in the corner for not learning Afrikaans. Rest of the day just working through my do list and L-A progressing on the Changemakers accounts. My first order of biz was to scan the receipts for medications for my back pain subsequent to sending in the first claim. But when I plugged the scanner into the step down Shanken transformer, nothing happened. I put the voltmenter onto to female input plug to the scanner, and saw voltage. This suggested the scanner was at fault. I was certainly unable to get it to switch on whatever I did. I started researching Epson service facilities in SA. I called Epson not expecting them to answer, but just needing to know if I had the right number from their web site. But they did answer on this Easter Monday! A lady listened told me the address and phone number of my nearest Epson maintenance facility. Then another thought came to me, and I tested the transformer by trying to plug into it two other devices that need 120v. Neither L-A's electric toothbrush, not our iron (dual voltage) would work. This strongly suggested that it was the transformer, not the scanner, that had a fault. Relief for both of us.

Sat Apr 20
Error message in my inbox saying the e-mail was too big to be received by Allianz. After splitting it into two, which was still to big, I sent it with WeTransfer. I picked up Soraya at 8:15 and we drove to Brandvlei. There was no list of names anywhere. We asked everyone. But we went ahead anyway, and the officer on duty found 32 youth who came to the class. As I led them in praise, two staff battled to get the TV working. The power socket had an intermittent problem, cutting power to the set repeatedly. I fetched pink Dell, my back-up system from the car, but had failed to bring the cable to play it through the Blackstar. But as I arrived back in the room, they had figured out a solution. From that moment the session was very successful. Soraya did a wonderful job explaining and translating. They were able to follow the video well enough even though it is in English. This version is specially made for the South African market, with many South Africans taking part in 'streeters.' The questions asked in the video produced some excellent answers - and more questions - from the group. And at the end I asked all those who would like to come next week to write their names on a list. All 32 added their names! When we drove home we both thanked the Lord for his goodness in orchestrating this better than I had ever imagined. Next challenge in our day: ministry for the girls. Two of them wanted to bring friends, and since I was still on a high from the prison I said yes please bring them. We ended up with 8, only missing Britney and Macayla. After singing and planning, I played them a series of Holy Week short videos selected from a variety of feature films. After about 15 minutes Bella came over to tell me she needed to return home for a movie night. This was a surprize, but Laurie-Ann came to the rescue suggesting she drive them, leaving me to continue with the films. The girls were quite surprized, having never seen L-A drive before. After she left they asked me how long she had been driving for! Another result of this was that the early leavers missed out on some food. We had fresh pineapple, more bread if they wanted it. And pičce de résistance, a Lindt Easter bunny which I broke into 8 pieces, one of them for L-A since I had bought it as a surprize for her but knowing she wouldn't eat more than a sample. The girls were quite demanding, and when I started up the Holy Week movie clips most of them ignored them. When I took them home, Marsha tried incredibly hard to get me to give her a rand from the drawer in the car, but I refused because I knew she had stolen from there in the past. In the end she got out in a huff. Yet throughout all this my good humour stayed with me, as it would do for the rest of the day, all a demonstration of the joy I had had from the prison that morning.

Fri Apr 19
Good Friday. No early morning prayer group, but instead went to an 8am prayer service at WCC. I knew it would be in Afrikaans without translation, but I just wanted to be with the 180 or do who showed up. At the entrance Johan was greeting people after his Namibia trip, including me. I noticed Kenneth Schultz was operating the slides for the music by a couple I couldn't remember seeing before leading worship. I spent much of the day on the travel insurance claim for L-A's boils and carbuncles. The full claim was about 17MB, and although I e-mailed it to Allianz, it didn't make it. With Downton Abbey now history (except for the movie in September) I felt I would like another daily date with drama and opted for The Good Wife, also available on Showmax. I had watched seasons 1-4 on L-A's DVD set, so today I started at Season 5. Faster paced than Downton! Glenda called to say there would be a list of attenders for Alpha at the gate when we arrived the next morning. In the evening we had tickets for Mar Vel, a rocking praise and worship evening at the mall. We had attended last year and enjoyed it. Sadly, L-A was feeling under par, and had a fever, so I went on my own. The evening was very good indeed; a credit to Kenneth Shultz' vision and and organizing skills. Two members of the band were the couple who had played at the prayer service at church that morning. There were another couple frontlining the musicians, plus bass, two lead guitarists and drums. The sound was uniformly tight and the sound engineering did them credit. There was a number of songs I haven't heard before which I really enjoyed. The audience was between 200 and 250 I would say. Kenneth gave two spirited talks in Afrikaans but the crowd certainly responded to him enthusiastically.

Thu Apr 18
We have run out of NuSkin Overdrive and Life Essentials. I ordered last weekend and am surprised it hasn't arrived yet. I rely on this for my health! (It didn't arrive by Thursday night so we won't see it before Tuesday. Can we survive?) This was the last school day till next Tuesday, after the Easter break. But only Paula and Delivelance were there. I had brought in the props to make a simple thermometer, but didn't want the older children to miss that so instead I did basic revision with the younger ones. I went to the hospice in the afternoon, and then took Janey to take her to an abacus lesson; she plans to become a registered abacus teacher as an additional income stream. At 6:30 we watched the final show in the 6th season of Downton Abbey. It was one more powerful experience, but all the loose ends were tied up happily, and I must admit to having a happy feeling for the rest of the night! The Worcester Report with Jan Oberholzer went out hitchless. I missed the beginning because there was 10 minutes overlap with Downton. The CRA sent me a revised NoA reflecting the UK State Pension for 2017, asking for an additional R2092.58. I decided to pay it after my final pay cheque arrives from IG.

Wed Apr 17
Ah, Wednesday, the big day. Today's experiment, making wind, usually fails, so I found the video of the one time it had worked, sending a whisp of burning teabag into the air, and used that. After school I went to Faibairn Pharmacy to collent the detailed invoices of medications where they had only given me a till receipt. I arrived at the De La Bat Scool for the Deaf at 10:55 and saw the church immendiately. Soon I was chatting with Jan Oberholzer, co-pastor with Andri Eloff. We had a wonderful time, him giving me all sorts of information about how deaf people worship that I hadn't expected. Andri never showed, but no problem from the point of view of the broadcast, though I would still like to meet him. Music class was interesting. Here's the report of it I did for Mella: "Teacher had planned a singing session which depended on all four children. But when he walked in to take the class one of them, Seth, was away. Shades of last week. A change in plan was needed, since Seth may well be the best singer. We started by singing scales with the keyboard: doh re me fa so la ted oh. Something was wrong. I played individual notes and asked the three of them to take turns to sing that note. Both the girls were way off. What they sang was several notes out in pitch. I turned to Delivelance (the youngest, 5). I played a note, he sang it immediately pitch perfect. I played 5 more diverse notes and he repeated them all exactly on pitch. I set up the backing track and the Marantz recorder. I sang each line of the song along with the keyboard recording and then stopped the playback, and repeated the line, and then they copied me, sort of. I turned on the recorder, and repeated the process a number of times, as they gradually improved. While I intend to wait until Seth is a member of the vocal group, these recordings may suffice in case of emergency. At any rate they learned some patience as we tried, then tried again." In the afternoon I was in Riverview, but did not go to Vinkrivier. The reason was I don't think they need me as much as I need me for work here. L-A is working all hours on Changemakers, but I sense she sees the end of the tunnel in the distance.

Tue Apr 16
L-A wanted me to edit this week's Ways to grow in God, but when I sat down at the computer at 7:30 I just wanted to file our tax. After fixing one more small issue to do with electing not to pay CPP premiums, everything was clean and ready to file. It took 10 minutes to file both our taxes, and then pay the amounts owing on line. It was done, and I have never filed so early before. Next I checked the subdirectory where I have been saving the photos I take of every science teaching on the whiteboard at school. I took my computer to school, and instead of an experiment we did revision. I brought up the whiteboard images they had watched me draw in the last few months - we are up to lesson 28. Then I quizzed them about what we had learned. I was pleasantly surprized about how much they seem to have retained, as I reinforced the messages. I can use this as the basis of their science exam which will be happening after we leave for Canada, and Mella or someone else can equally (well partially as) well ask the questions. I saw Dr Eric at 10:30. He thinks I should get a second opinion to compare with Dr Marais findings. Essentially he thinks that we should fight the small amount of cancer, and not risk it festering. He doesn't recommed an X-Ray her to look at my hip replacement, feeling that it needs an MRI, better done in Canada. He have me a prescription for iron, this time chelated: Chela-fer. I called Andri Eloff at the Deaf Family Church to try and secure an appointment. It was 4pm, and apparently they had expected me at 2:30. I must have failed to put it in my calendar. However he graciously agreed to reset to 11 am tomorrow. I went shopping for a leg of lamb for Sunday with Andre and Janey and bought it at the butcher on De La Bat street - first time I've been there. Nice meat. In the afternoon I filed our 2018 income taxes, paying the about owing on line. I have never before filed so early, and techically I still have two extra months because my business income consists of the IG AVP. That done, I reported on line to the CRA that I had failed to include my UK State Pension in my 2017 income tax filing. On the "My Account" facility for reporting previous errors, I could find a way to list the $6,024 of UK pension, so instead I siad that my line 115 should be increased my that amount. In the evening I finally started on the first health insurance claim for L-A's boils. There were 33 invoices with a total bill R15,470 (around $1,500). Yet the one medication not on the list that may have given the most benefit was colloidal silver, which Diane Blenkiron had recommended, and which is available over the counter here, though not sold in Canada. By 11 pm I had printed the list. Enough work for one session. It had been a good day as far as getting things done was concerned. But very sadly the day that Notre Dame burned.

Mon Apr 15
Picked up 5 bags of naartjies from Jan before driving to Avian Park. First stop as always: Jamelia's. Bella not home yet. Took Jamelia to Geraldo's house, but there were no other children there yet. I found children in Chantelle's club, and in Chrizelle's. I gave out naartjies, and certificates, and showed them how to fill them in. They are on the last lesson of Best Friends. I would like all those with certificates to find other children to replace them before starting the series again with Storytime 1. Then I walked to Anthonica's and gave her naartjies, even though she is effectively opting out. Bella was still not home. I drove to Marsha's and found no evidence of her. So I went to Chantelle's house and led them in worship songs. Chantelle video'd a short version of 'I don't wand to be a rock star.' At 4 I was back at Geraldo's to find Bella there - she had walked, and called for me when she saw me drive past her, but I hadn't seen her. All the naartjies were gone. I drove them to Anthonica's, and asked her to give back 4 naartjies for Bella and Jamelia, which she did reluctantly. I think she and her mother may have already eaten the rest, about 15! I took Jamelia and Bella to the store at the end of their street to buy some snacks before dropping them off at their homes. In the evening I had a fright with our income tax. After clearing some issues that were preventing netfiling, the outstanding tax bill was more than $16,000! This could cripple us, using up much of our All-in-one credit line which would be needed to fund our ministry after my IG pension ends this month. That is unless significant donors come to our rescue. Furthermore I still must pay the tax on last year's UK pension, around $2,000. What to do now? I checked and rechecked, comparing figures with last year's return. I sent a help message to U-File, but all I got back were suggestions to check out solutions to problems of other users. None of them had the same problem. Then I noticed something. The business income was exactly twice the amount on my T4A. This could be caused by the system double counting my commission income - adding the amount on the T4A to the amount on the T2025. I got on the phone to U-File. As it rang and rang I once again perused the data entry dialogue on u-File, and I prayed for help. I was pretty scared. Then I saw it. Somehow I had managed to duplicate the Business income file T2025. So it was naturally counting my income twice! Wow, what a relief. I deleted one of them, anf rechecked my amount owing: just $1,605. A week ago I had been very sad not to have a rebate. Now I was elated. That much we can handle.

Sun Apr 14
Brought Chantelle and Jamelia to church. Gave them McDonald's cheeseburgers on the way home and they din't ask for more. Spent a couple of hours writing My Father's House board meeting minutes. At 3:30 we left for Brackenfell to see Brian Jourden bring the message on the final night of a revival event at Sunday night at Lofdal International Church, Brackenfell, where Brian Jourden was the guest speaker. Founder Dr Gustav du Toit. If you watch the Complete podcast carefully, you'll see Brian welcome us, and at the end in the line-up for blessing and personal prayer you can see him gently putting me on the ground. I asked him to prayed for me to bring many more souls to Jesus. He asked for boldness like a lion, and we both roared. At the very end of the service we three prayed together, including for his forthcoming trip to Zimbabwe to help the devastated people after typhoon Idai, and when Laurie-Ann prayed for him he went down in the spirit, much to our surprize. Brian is afraid of nothing, and his Iris heritage shines through every word and deed.

Sat Apr 13
Second successive morning to rise at 5:15, this time to take Janey to a course 'Shedding light on Dyslexia' in Somerset West. She had paid, but she got me permission to audit the course. Finding the location was interesting because it was on a new estate that didn't show up on our GPS, but luckily did show on Janey's i-Phone. The course was good, led by Nokkie Hartman, and I took notes because Mella had asked me for a briefing. I discovered that I do several things that are symptoms of dyslexia, and at least two of the children in MasterPeace show even more traits than I. For example, Paula sharpens pencils when they don't need it. We were home in time for me to collect three of our girls for Saturday ministry. We did some soaking/listening/drawing, and then I asked each of us to describe what we had drawn, and then to pray for the group. It was special. Getting them to come with me to their homes took a while. They asked if I would bring them to church tomorrow. In the evening I worked on this journal, then my tax return, and one of the medical claims, so no time for Downton.

Fri Apr 12
Early morning prayer at Carlos; just four of us. Still good, though Sean wasn't there so I was unable to give him the disk of his interview. I looked at the results of the diagnostic test run on the computer. No problems identified. I went to FaceBook. It ran normally. I tried other programs. Everything seemed OK. What was going on? Whenever I have been through this before I ended up having to replace the disk. I took pink dell back to the TV table and began using the main computer normally. The science experiment was to show air has weight, by hanging an inflated balloon at one end of a ruler, a coin on the other, and then balancing the ruler on a broom handle, and then popping the balloon and seeing if that end of the ruler then went up due to the weight of the coin. Paula took a video on my phone, and later I watched it frame-by-frame, and indeed that end of the ruler did go up. The jet thrust from the balloon will often nullify the validity of this experiment, and I suspect that's what happens everytime, since the ruler moves very fast. After school I paid Dr Marais' bill at his office. At 3 pm we went to Jan's house for a My Father's House board meeting. Mario was there. After the problems Jan has suffered from him recently I was prepared for some difficult moments, particularly when we reviewed the minutes of the previous meeting when I had stated that his possible vice presidency had not been ratified. But in fact he was on good behaviour throughout. Before we could read the minutes, it transpired that Jan had never circulated them. We found them in her inbox after I had sent them as a draft for her to edit and distribute. She had assumed I had distributed them. The meeting covered some key issues to do with the proposed new building on her land, and the proposed sale of her wendy house. I offered to try and fundraise for the shortfall, when we go to Canada, that is currently preventing this project moving ahead. My computer carried on running just fine throughout the day. I re-produced the original part of Travelling Light, when I replaced the soundtrack that Home Video Studio had given me with a hum-reduced version that James had made from it. There was definitely an improvement. However it was still more jerky than the original. However, the computer has continued running normally. I am writing this on the following Monday morning. So what has happened? There are three possibilities. 1. The priginal problem was caused by an abberation in memory that was temporary. This is hard to imagine with computer technology. 2. The diagnostics have an ability to shut out bad sectors on the disk. If so this is news to me, but would make sense. 3. It was miraculously cured by the Holy Spirit as one more act of protection, and not the first we have experienced since we began our mission.

Thu Apr 11
I was able to load a copy of the Wavepad sound editor onto pink dell, vital to audio production. This would help greatly with tonight's show. In science I documented yesterday's experiment. There were a few sentences as well as diagrams for the kids to put in their books. After writing a few words, Paula asked me if I would complete the sentences for her. She is capable, but lazy, like many of us! I didn't do it. Somehow they must learn that life is often doing things we don't feel like doing. I visited the hospice in the afternoon. Moses and his opposite bed number recovering from athsma were in the courtyard chatting so I joined them.The In preparation for dinner I bought bean sprouts, lentils, and added to this cellery and squash seeds and sautéed them. These were added to rice, squash, brocolli and excellent chicken for a meal that L-A didn't have to give me direstions for. It tasted quite nice. The Worcester Report with Sean and Portia went out hitchless, and after it I spent a while cutting an audio CD for Sean that I might be able to give him at the prayer group tomorrow. I also planned to take the main computer to PC Partz for a new disk, but then decided to run all the diagnostics to save them the time of doing so. I searched on Google to remind me that as it came up from 'off' I must repeatedly press F12 (with this particular machine). I ran the quick test, and nothing showed up. So overnight I ran the detailed test.

Wed Apr 10
In science we completed the model of the solar system, and did the next experiment: showing hot air expanding in a bottle and inflating a balloon. I managed to figure out how to fix the model solar system on the wall. I was at Dr Marais' office at 11:30 for a follow-up meeting after my procedures last Thursday. The colonoscopy had shown very early signs of moving towards cancer. In the prostate they had taken 7 biopsies and one of them was cancerous. In all, 16 biopsies were done. (Did all of these come out via my penis? No wonder it bled a little!) Dr Marais felt that cancer in only one of 16 biopsies at my age does not justify treatment. My PSA is a little high: 9.46, but again he stressed ther is low cancer risk. He suggested that in Canada I should have an MR scan of the prostate to confirm these results. I now need a further discussion with Dr. Eric to see where we should next seek a cause for my anaemia. While the iron supplements meake me feel fine, there may be a problem elsewhere, eg my stomach. Back at school for music I found to my dismay that Paula and Delivenance had been taken home early. I had planned to record the voice track for our song, with all four of then singing. Now I could not do this. So instead I used the time to discover the best way of recording voice. Seth can sing on pitch with a pure tone; Sinegugu not so much. We kept at it for half an hour but never achieved a good recording. By the end neither of them were co-operating. However, I figured out that the way to do it whan I have all four of them will be for me to sing each line and then they repeat, without trying to sync with the backing track. At Riverview there were two visiting missionaries, and Kevin, who translated for Mella. At 4 I left and drove to Vinkrivier, stopping at the Fourie cafe for a delicious coffee and muffin. They have had zero enquiries about L-A's four framed art pieces, but they suggested leaving them there at least till June when there is some kind of a festival that brings in visitors. Because of the problems with my main computer I produced CWCP GNiTM on Pink Dell. Our CWCP-GNITM program was a bust; the .mp3 stream stopped after 10 minutes and the .ogg stream was not playing. I reported this to John Clark. I hope it works better tomorrow. I worked on editing Sean and Portia's interview, using Adobe Audition on Pink Dell because the Wavepad sound editor is another early casualty of the suspect disk drive.

Tue Apr 9
First thing I tested the produced version of Travelling Light now that the computer was defragmented. It was still jerky. I tried running the latest produced version on our other computers. Still made no difference, Then I had difficulty with both FaceBook and Twitter. The screen kept on wanting to slide down fast before I could update anything. This was looking more and more like a disk failure. I began to back up key files. The children seemed to be in a better frame of mind today, both for science and art. I broke from the regular sequence of 'Science - in the beginning' to introduce them to the solar system. Mella had produced a solar system kit, so after work on the white board, we constructed a polystyrene model of the sun and the planets. In art, L-A commenced on the plan for them to produce their own colouring books, and had drawn two elephants for them to copy. It proved hard for most of them mainly because L-A's excellent elephant drawing was not as representational as it might have been for this purpose. Paula started drawing on the white board, and Delivenance noticed and followed suit. He has difficulty in drawing on paper, and cannot write, but what he did on the board was amazing, and fast. I photographed his work so it could be used in his colouring book. In the evening I worked on L-A's feet. Moisturizing with the Simply Bee products was followed by toenail cutting, returning the favour she had done for me. Throughout the day my main computer had been behaving weirdly, consistent with an approaching total disk failure. I continued backing up all key files, and moved pink dell into the offive from the living room and started working on it. In my head I was planning to take the computer into PC Partz and aske them to install a solid state memory to replace the disk, as I had done with L-A's HP computer a few years ago with great results.

Mon Apr 8
Four of the five mailbox clubs were in progress when I toured Avian Park! Prayers answered! There was time to play music only once, in Jamelia's club. Naartjies were given out to all the children, and there were enough also for Britney's grandfather and extra ones for Bella and Jamelia. The only club without children was Anthonica's. I again remined her to speak with any of her children when she saw them in the street. I told her I was not pleased with her for telling me it was her birthday when it wasn't, just to get me to buy clothes for her. I did not give her a rand when she asked for it, as she always does. It may be that Anthonica is edging her own way out of Mailbox Club. I had the idea to do some more work on the Travelling Light home movie from ~1979. It seemed somewhat jerky in Power Director. After I had done some intricate work on the soundtrack for the hovercraft journey and the French holiday I produced it so far to see if the jerkiness persisted in the produced version. It did. Further tests suggested that the jerkiness originated in the first stages when I replace the soundtrack with hum with a reduced hum version that James had done for me. What to do about this. First I defragged the computer overnight.

Sun Apr 7
Cell group, where we prayed for the return of the children to their mailbox clubs after the school break. Jan suggested getting me oranges or naartjies for the mailbox clubs to encourage them and show how pleased we were that/if they had returned after the school break. At 2 pm I interviewed Sean and Portia Waite for CWCP. They told of his missionary work, and the very romantic story of how they met and married. They also covered their current major issue getting her emmigration papers from Harare so she can stay permanently in SA. I cooked the dinner - stir fry veg and beef - with verbal instructions from L-A, probably my most ambitious meal so far as she gradually turns me into a cook. My toenails were getting long. I was able to cut my left foot, but the stiffness in my hip joint had got so bad I couldn't reach my right toes. So L-A came to my rescue and for the first time she trimmed my nails. It won't be the last time. Even getting my right sock on has been hard, but I have developed a method that worked quite well, placing my foot on the bedside table and then bending the knee to the maximum.

Sat Apr 6
My parents' wedding anniversary and the 32nd anniversary of the day I emmigrated to Canada, seen off at the airport by ex con turned street evangelist John Macer, and Emma Dupigny RIP, from Sierra Leone. Only one of our teens was there for our Saturday ministry, Jamelia. So she came and ate sandwiches and cake and listened to her phone music using my headphones for 2 1/2 hours, quite happy, while I workd on our income tax return. By 11 pm, I had discovered that we owed about $2,000 in tax for 2018, and that somehow I hadn't reported my UK state pension in 2017. With My Account, I reported it, and expect another NOA with an additional tax bill of $2,000. The Lord gives - my additional allowable claims for Allianz - and he takes away.

Fri Apr 5
Early morning prayer at Louis'. Just Sean, Carlo, Louis and I. Prayed for the Great Awakening and for more ethics among the leaders of countries. After school, picked up mail. Among it was a notice to pick up a package at the post office. I couldn't remember what it was but I had ordered something from Amazon about three months ago. Later in the morning I drove to the post office. As I opened the car door a child of about 9 was there calling me by name and asking for money. I asked him about his parents. His father had been killed (he pulled a finger across his throat) and his mother had no money. I gave him R20. After picking up the package and shopping for groceries I returned home. The package was a Hav Splint, a device to correct bunions. I wondered if it would actually work on mine, which are advanced. Glenda phoned very apologetic to say that Mbolekwa had still failed to arrange for a list of candidates for Alpha, and that we shouldn't therefore come in tomorrow. I said it would be 2 more weeks, because next Saturday I will be taking Janey to a Dyslexia course near Somerset West, and I will be auditing the course. Glenda suggested I visit her to discuss the situation next Thursday, and I suggested I call Mbolekwa and see if there is any misunderstanding that I can help with. I decided to see if I could get Adobe Audition running again on my main computer. I grabbed the .exe file from the downloads on pink dell and transferred it to the E6530. The first time it didn't work. The second time I did not select the option to keep previous run time options, and it loaded and ran correctly! I was very proud of myself. We had a day at home together, and after OK Foods takeout listened to some great music while we both computed.

Thu Apr 4
It was a bad night for me. Every 90 minutes or so I was in the toilet, but whenever I tried to pee, something started to come out of my bum, and not much would come out of my penis. My pee stream after waking had been getting slower, but tonight it was the slowest. Around 3 am I realized I should use the mini enema, otherwise why did they give it to me, even though the instruction sheet said it was for the hospital when I got there. It was relatively easy to use. At 4:45 I got L-A a shake so she could take her meds, and then move. I got in the shower with Bioscrub again. I packed a small bag with things I might need, but the only important things turned out to be the admission card and my ear buds. L-A hadn't driven the car for months and her licence had expired but she drove me to Mediclinic with no trouble. We arrived at 6. From that moment everything happened in military precision with a smile. L-A came right in to the prep room and sat in a chair by my bed on her donut (she was fighting a new boil and a retiring carbuncle on her butt.) At one point I had 4 nurses attending to my needs for the preparation for the procedures. See pics. Dr Marais and Dr Britz the anaesthetist visted. Dr Britz confirmed I would have a general anaesthetic, as Dr Marais had promised. When the time came for the enema, I suggested doing it myself since I was such an expert from last night (and I had given an enema to Laurie-Ann, so I knew the drill from both angles). L-A sensed that the nurse who had been assigned the task was visibly relieved. I went into the toilet, used the lubucation and inserted the thing. A few minutes later I came out proudly showing the nurse that the fluid level in the plastic bottle was lower. "Oh no," said she, you must use all the fludi! So back I went, and this time, with the full load of fluid injected, it soon all came back, down the toilet, which hardly changed colour. I had succeeded in the task at hand. The bowel was ready for that little light and camera and anything else they decide to stick into me. We waied another half hour, and they came for me, wheeling my bed to the theatre. At one point Dr Marais did the wheeling (not very well; he nearly hit a wall). Humble man. Soon I was in the theatre, and moved myself from the bed onto another less comfortable structure. Soon the anaesthetist was asking me to make a fist, and he gave me a needle. I knew what it was, but I didn't seem to fall asleep. I looked round the room. I opened my eyes and saw Laurie-Ann. It was done: colonoscopy, gastroscopy, and cystoscopy. Some of these were done by inserting a fibre optic cable plus a camera and scraper into my penis. The scraper was used for a biopsy of my prostate and to remove a small growth. Thank God it was a general anaesthetic. Now see this in the Canadian press very recently. From City news on OHIP - In total, 28 medical services are on the list for potential savings including sedation offered during colonoscopies which would save $16 million. According to the documents, anesthesiologist-assisted colonoscopies have increased five-fold over the past decade and the government has questions about the appropriateness of this usage. Eric Thompson from Crohn’s and Colitis Canada says the proposal is not realistic. “It is unthinkable to have a colonoscopy without sedation,” he says. “It's a very uncomfortable, invasive procedure, so its extremely critical that patients are very comfortable when they are having this procedure.” He adds that not having sedation would discourage patients from choosing to have a colonoscopy. “Any barrier to access would ensure that some patients would opt out of the procedure,” says Thompson. “Patients are going for colonoscopies to detect disease worsening, to see if they have any precancerous lesions, polyps … so its extremely critical that there’s no barrier to access for colonoscopies.” Goodness I am glad to be in South Africa. I went back to sleep for a while as L-A took some picture of me post op. I woke up again feeling wonderfully relaxed and we chatted about my experience. A nurse brought me tea and a toasted sandwich. I would stay relaxing for 90 minutes or so. I was given an a post-op anti-biotic, Cifloc 500, and 30 Uromaz .4 Mg capsules to help my pee stream. They did. I asked L-A to fetch my phone and ear buds and listened to both Goodluck albums straight, just being happy. After that L-A was in pain from the boils and we really needed to be going. Finally the paperwork was all done, they disconnected my drip, I got dressed and we left. L-A drove us home. I still felt good and worked on The Worcester report. We rebroadcast Mella's February talk on Valley FM. I hadn't actually listened to it and assumed it was about the problems suffered by teenage girls here, falling pregnant at school. As I listened to the live broadcast it turned out to be focussed on the temptations faced by girls entering colleges and universities, and how to handle them. These problems are not unique to South Africa. So after the show I re-recorded my introduction for the podcast. It is a broadcast full of wisdom and knowledge. Listen here. If only a few more people would listen in!

Wed Apr 3
This was the day before I would be in Mediclinic for several procedures. Toast and tea breakfast would be my last solid meal. I had all the preparation instruction and followed them closely. Three doses of Picoprep wasn't much fun. All was aimed at making the inside of my bowel like a sterile empty bag before the fible optic light would see it tomorrow. With all that in mind I tried to have a normal Wednesday: Science, music, Riverview. Music was interesting as we recorded percussion tracks for the song Sine-Paul-De-Seth. We had the treble and bass notes of the tune Sine-Paul-De-Seth that we wrote last week. During the school break, I had recorded it on a virtual piano. This took him some time (quite a lot). I had brought my main computer and the Blackstar amp to play the recording of the tune with treble and bass notes. The tune was shown on the computer screen using Adobe Audition and they could see the sound waveforms as they listened to the tune. I had also brought some ear buds and the Marantz digital recorder. We had some percussion instruments – tambourines, and triangles. We learned a little about playing them. As each learner in turn listened to the tune played on the computer, through ear buds, they played one percussion instrument, and I made recordings on the Marantz. About 25 recordings were made altogether. I said I would choose the best ones to add on additional channels on Audio Audition. Initially the children tend to play a rhythm that matches all the notes in the tune. They learned that what is required at this stage is just accentuating the key beats in the bar. The children are learning about composition and audio recording. They are also seeing sound waves on the computer screen while hearing them. This will help in science classes. At the end of the class I was pleasantly surprized to discover that I was no longer taking Paula and Delivenance home; they went with Sinegugu. I went home but not for lunch! I took the computer to Riverview. This was Tanya's final appearance and photos were taken of her with the kids. At the end of the ministry I played the Bainskloof video to them. I needn't have had a sound track at all for them; they yelped and laughed so much seeing themselves and their friends on the screen. Mella hadn't seen the film yet - she couldn't get it to run on her phone. I tried to produce the CWCP - GNITM program for tonight, but in the process Adobe Audition crashed. This could be serious. I use the free version of Adobe Audition 3 and have successfully reloaded it in the past. There is a special serial number needed for it, and a lot of posts on line from people trying to load it. There were some suggested serial numbers there but none worked. By now I was worried; this could seriously hurt all our broadcasting. I searched on my 'Allstream' file and Hallelujah the serial number was there. I keyed it in, and Audition loaded and ran correctly. I got the program ready well before broadcast time. I tried to drink lots of fluids, not my favourite occupation. L-A made me broth, and I could eat yellow jelly and drink Energade. I had a shower with Bioscrub. We went to bed early - I set the alarm for 4:45 - but I was up several times more before midnight as nature and a mini enema worked their magic.

Tue Apr 2
Back to school. I have missed the kids and was glad to see them. Tanya (but not Mella) there when I arrived. Science went fine. I had an idea. I should make a file of all the photos I take of the notes I put up on the whiteboard, and use them for revision and exam purposes. L-A and I returned for art class at 1 and they were very happy to see her. I was happy to see her there after the vicious medical issues she has experienced since we were last in school. During the class she had a brainwave. She would replicate her ideas for a colouring book and show the children that they too can create a colouring book each. This would give them a specific objective that they are capable of and which in the future they could repeat as their skills developed. It is now 3 months since we started the claim with Allianz for L-A's boils, and I should now do so. I called them and got some good news; since the problem is continuing, I can feed in further invoices after the 3 month initial period. Furthermore, I can also feed in the receipts for my anti-inflamatories and painkillers even though I have received payment for the initial 3 month claim. This is good news.

Mon Apr 1
Instead of supervising mailbox clubs, it still being school break, I took Bella and her sister to get Bella's birthday present. After much searching in the mall it turned out to be a jean jacket - the version from the store window with fashionable rips all over it. The price was much higher than I had paid for other girl's birthdays, but her sister had given her R90, and I agreed if that was put towards the jacket. Bella told me that Anthonica had lied about her birthday just to get clothes from me. I will need Soloman's wisdom to deal with this. My initial indication is to cancel future birthday trips, but I don't want Anthonica targeted by the others.

Sun Mar 31
Every so often the Iris Western Cape group of missionaries and friends gets together for fellowship, praise and worship, and food. Maggie had organized such a day today. We took Tanya with us, and my guitar. Good that I took the guitar because first item on the agenda was praise. Gavin was visiting from Cape Town, and had his guitar, and we played together. Seemed to go down well. Then we had a time of testimony, words of knowledge and stories from the mission field. We had all brought food along - we had the left over tuna pasta from Bainskloof, and we ate most of it. I guess it tasted nicer than it looked!
See pics. Back home at 6 we hosted the monthy soaking prayer in action meeting for WCC. Lovejoy and Heather came. We prayed for the Great Awakening, and listened for God's voice. I always find spiritual value in these meetings, and I try not to fret that so few others do.

Sat Mar 30
At 7:30 Thandeka Mbolekwa called to say that a key person on the prison staff had been sick this week, so the list of attenders for Alpha had not been done. We should wait another week. I called Soraya who said she was happy to go back to bed. This gave me some time I hadn't expected, so I made a start on our income tax return. We had six girls attend ministry in our house, including Bella. After leading them through lesson 8 of 'Best Friends' I asked them to tell me which drugs they had heard of. There were about 8. I added cocaine and heroin. Then I asked them when it would be easier to give up drugs: after a few years using, or before starting. I think they got my message. I told them about Debbie, so they knew I had knowledge of the subject. There was some sort of altercation between Anthonica and the others. I think what was going on was that one of them nade fun of her because of her period. I said to Bella that I would be happy to take her shopping for a birthday gift on Monday at 3.

Fri Mar 29
I didn't want to miss the hospice so I could confirm Moses had the same understanding as Andre, so I repeated to him what Andre had said in his e-mail. Ww had a good chat - as usual - and then I had another very good chat with Kenneth. Apparently the Proxera Keratoff had helped with his itchy back. We talked about many things for quite a while - the best conversation I think I have had in the hospice. I was leaving when the evening meal arrived, and asked one of the servers why it was served cold. She said that if any of the patients wanted it hot, they could ask. I wonder if they know that. I received an e-mail from Glenda to say that it would be fine for us to come in tomorrow, but that I should contact Thendeka Mbolekwa - Youth Centre. I had her number so I sent her a Whatsapp.

Thu Mar 28
I had been invited to a 12:30 meeting at Child Welfare to discuss the Steenkamp family: Veronica, Britney et al. This after pestering them to let me tell them what I knew. Veronica had been brought to the meeting from the House of Hope and was looking much better. Britney was also present, and Janine, the carer at the Roodeval safe house. Completing the group were 2 staff from Child Welfare. My objective had always been to get the family back together in their home on Manniken, Avian Park. I soon found out why that hadn't happened yet. Although Veronica was making good progress, she would still need 2 month's more recuperation and 3 months in rehab. For some reason they didn't want her to go to Toevlug, but to one of two out-of-town rehabs that they mentioned. This explained why the children would have to stay in care for another 5 months. It also transpired that Britney had stolen money from her grandfather - probably one of the reasons she had been walking over to Avian Park so often. So now I knew the situation, and they suggested I should leave at that point. I was impressed with Child Welfare. At 3:30 I arrived for a consultation with urologist Dr Marais. One of the things I mentioned was that my pee stream in the morning was quite slow, but recovered to normal after I had been up for 30 minutes. He checked me out looking for why my iron was low, and from his examiniation said that it was unlikely I had prostate cancer. Nevertheless he arranged for me to have a colonoscopy and gastroscopy at the Mediclinic next Thursday, to make sure. Andre Viljoen and I traded e-mails; he will need to know when Moses has the money in his account, and how much, before they go to the next step. In prepararion for the Worcester Report, I added part 1 of Chapter 4 of Legacy to the mix, since L-A had not had any time to prepare WTGIG. The program - with Frikkie Boeter went out smoothly.

Wed Mar 27
We were woken about 6:45 by Mella needing her Apple watch and her i-Phone which we were charging for her. She came in and took them from the window sill, knocking my alarm clock to the floor in the process. We got up. I led worship at 7:45, followed by Mella giving a devotion. Then breakfast - porridge with raisins from Kevin - quite nice. While the kids tidied their rooms, Mella and a helper made toasted egg sandwiches for the hike. We left the house at 10:45 for a waterfall. I had always intended to come, but didn't do any research, so I had little idea what I was in for. L-A and I brough our walkie-talkie set into service. The beginning of the walk was downhill via some steep steps to a very stony riverbed, and I called L-A before the final descent. At the bottom of the steps was a very inviting pool, but this was not our destination. The plan was to walk up the riverbed as it rose to a large rockpool said to me 20 minutes walk away. The children and Kevin, and Mella, found this easy enough, but I was bringing up the rear from the start. It was effectively mountaineering, which with my aches and pains and anemia proved very hard on me. To help me, one of the boys took my plastic bag with my towel, trunks, folded chair and the walkie-talkie. After about 35 minutes of the 20 minute estimate, Kevin took pity and came back for me, lending me a helping hand when necessary. He was very considerate. However, I was becoming extremely tired, as if I had been shovelling snow for an hour. I know this could be dangerous for the heart, but I was also very aware that if I fell and damaged any part of me, I would be a serious problem for Kevin to solve. So I opted out of going all the way. I lay down on a smooth rock and fell asleep. Half an hour later I felt some energy had returned and made it to a cave mouth that Kevin had suggested as a good place to wait for them to come down. I felt very thirsty, so went down to the small stream of water that consituted this river, and drank. I considered continuing on to the destination, but I could no children's voices, so that suggested at least 30 minutes at my pace. I decided on discretion rather than valour, and slept on the rock for about an hour. Eventally Kevin came back with one of Mella's sandwiches for me. We chatted a wile. He returned to the group. I was disappointed because I had wanted to get movie shots of the kids swimming in the pool at the destination. Another 45 minutes and Kevin was back with one of the boys. They had decided that they would start back with me, and Mella would bring the rest, with the expectation of us arriving together at the steps. I managed the final leg reasonably well after my rests and was happy to see the children who had beaten me on the downstretch frolicking happily on the pool. I called L-A by walkie-talkie to let her know we would be back soon. I was surprized to have reception - the signal must have bounced on the mountainsides. At last I had a chance to get some movie footage of them swimming, but the Flip video refused to turn on. The batteries had been new that morning, but I thought they must have drained extra fast, so I used my Blackberry for these shots. The last to get back was Mella, not looking too happy. Eventually we were all back in the cottage, though bringing up the rear I took a wrong turning and found myself in people's back gardens till I got back on track, very weary. Packing up for us was next, but I got it done. By 4 pm we were on our way with the same four we had brought. The car seemed to run normally.

Tue Mar 26
We arrived at Riverview about 9:45 with a trunk almost full of what we might need for the next 2 days in Bainskloof. Mella allocated 4 children for our car: Al Romano, Zito, Sita and Kinwell. Their bags filled the rest of the trunk and most of the space on their knees. It was cosy. En route when I was passing a long truck with the accelerator down, I saw a pall of black smoke through my rear view mirror. Did it come from the Mercedes, or the truck. I noticed that we didn't have much acceleration after that, but the car was fully loaded. I was concerned at first that we might have problems climbing the pass. It took about 90 minutes to reach Coaton Cottage, the second last house on the left on the south west end of the village of Bainskloof, the highest point of the pass. Mella arrived 30 minutes later, and Kevin 15 minutes after that, with the keys. Everyone took in their stuff to their beds. We had a room with 2 beds. We had a lunch of chicken cooked by Kevin. In the afternoon everyone except us went for a hike to a beauty spot, and we were fully engaged preparing the dinner of tuna pasta followed by banana custard. There was no pan large enough for the tuna, so we decided to make two tuna pastas and bake them one after the other. This worked - except that it tuned out there was plenty for everybody in one pan. I had brought 16 bananas because I thought there were 16 people, but there were actually 19. Al Romano sliced the bananas. I guessed the amount of milk, and heated it in two pans. I prepared the custed powder and sugar, and at the time I judged was right added milk to the custard powder, stired it up, poured some of the hot milk in, and then poured the the mixture back into the heated milk pan, the way my mother taught me. The problem was that it wouldn't thicken. There was too much milk for the amount of custard powder. So I prepared a third bowl of custard powder and sugar. With this added, the custard finally decided to set. I poured it into the 16 bowls and took it into the dining room. I was the first to try it - it tasted fine! Towards the end, Kevin asked if I had some for the three who were washing up. I handn't. One of them didn't want it, and the other two shared Kevin's, which had been augmented by someone elses. In the evening L-A gave a class on prophetic art, which was well received, and they were all colouring some of her drawings before long. She had long wanted to do this for the Riverview kids, but the windy spot by the dry swimming pool where the Wednesday ministry meets is unsuitable for an art class. During the evening Mella discovered she had lost her drivers licence, R 400 and some cosmetics. Syrita had carried one of her bags at some point during the day which contained the licence and the money, and she thought it might have fallen out of the bag. This episode cast a pall over the event.

Mon Mar 25
Looked up John Flynn on line, after having played his 'Hope Sleeps' last Thursday on CWCP. He has about 8 albums and is still very active. One of the Alpbums is all Christian content, but his view of religion, based on song titles, seems to be that all religions are valid. Found his FaceBook and messaged him with the link from CWCP. Got a message back 2 days later - 'Honored.' At 3 picked up Anthonica for her birthday shopping. Cay-Lene came too. In the end she got some pyjamas, and instead of a small cake preferred donuts. Spent the evening packing for the outing to Bainskloof.

Sun Mar 24
When I got up the We Transfer was only 75% complete. I had arranged with Nicky Rabie that she would bring a memory stuck to church so I could give her recordings from Legacy. By 8:45 the transfer was done and I packed up the computer. L-A was not up to churchgoing this morning. I went to Avian Park to pick up the girls for church, and came back with Jamelia, Anthonica, Cay-Lene and Sherick. I am excited to have a boy, Sherick, among them. Unfortunately, since it is school break, there was no kinderkerk. I couldn't see Nicky Rabie. After worship, the leader felt called to bring all the children to the front of the church. There were many from the Over Hex church plant. Our group joined them. Then most of the congregation came forward and laid hands either on them or stretched towards them. This will have been special for our four. The preacher was 'Ziggie,' an evangelist originally from East Germany. She held an alter call at the end for those wanting prayer. Only Jamelia stayed for the sermon. The others went out and presumably sat in Milk & Honey. I bought them pies from Shoprite on the way back to their homes. At 3 pm I arrived at Ebrahim's house for a filming session. He wants to make a documentary taking a look back at his years as a gangster. We went to locations where he and his gangster friends used to plan their exploits, and where he had stabbed someone for the first time at the age of 12. We will record his narration later. He knows many people there, but seems not to have enemies, considering his abandoning of the life of crime. Nicky sent me a Whatsapp apologizing for forgetting our date in church to give her the 'legacy' files. Although it was a lot of effort to get chapter 7 done last night, I probably wouldn't have made the effort if I wouldn't have been expecting to give charper 7 (and the rest) to Nicky.

Sat Mar 23
Glenda had not got back to me yet. But getting back is not her strong suit so I went in with Soraya anyway. We arrived at the Youth Centre about 8:55. The men were having a great game of soccer and other outdoor activities were taking place. We were totally unexpected, but the guards were welcoming. Pieter Beukes told us there was no one there from Spiritual Care, so we wouldn't be able to go in today. He recommended I speak with Glenda. We would need a list of inmates to be called out before we could run a course. So we were escorted back to the gate. Soraya's comment: "That was a waste of her time. I could have spent it with my boys." I said nothing. I didn't feel it was a waste of time, and it had allowed us some orientation. I took Soraya home to YWAM. At 3 pm I was in Avian Park to tell the girls that we wouldn't be able to have them up to our place today because L-A was not well enough. Britney, Sherick and Cay-Lene were with Anthonica. They asked it they could go to church tomorrow. I drove on to Jamelia's and told her. Then returned home. At the Hooggelegen gate I stopped for mail and spoke to Ebrahim. He told me he wanted to make a documentary video, going back to the Avian Park locations where his miss-spent youth had rolled out. After some discussion I said I would help him. We agreed to start the project Sunday afternoon at 3, and I would bring my filming equipment. For dinner, L-A cooked a wonderful stir fry. We communicated with Kevin on details for the Bains Kloof outing next week. I completed the editing of chapters 6 and 7 of Legacy, and sent them off to Jasper. Overnight I sent the second half of 'Compelled by Love' by We Transfer to Lise in Cape Town. It would take 7 hours.

Fri Mar 22
Went to the mall. L-A had said Clicks sells Body Shop products, but load was being shed and Clicks was shut. Dis-Chem has a generator so I asked advice at their skin care counter. She recommended Proxera Keratoff. Its claim to fame was no colorings, alergens etc, could be used on the whole body, and the price was reasonable - R 110. I photograped the box in the store. Then went to Pick n Pay for some bananas and peaches for Moses. I went to the hospice and delivered the goods. Kenneth and Moses were happy! It was only when I got home and showed the photograph to L-A that we found that mineral oil was the #1 ingredient in Proxera. It would be hardly better than the Vaseline Kenneth had been given. As a long term moisturizer, it would fail. Hope that in the short term ir takes away his back itch.

Thu Mar 21
We slept till 9 - 13 hours! Now that's being on holiday. During the day, feeling fresh, I recorded chapter 6 of Legacy. We didn't wait till the load shedding ridden evening to see what would happen next on Downton Abbey. What brilliant storytelling. I went to the hospice in the afternoon to hear wonderful news from Moses. He had sat in the hospice garden the day before with Andre Viljoen, who had won his confidence, and mapped out the path ahead for him. This was what I had hoped for but hardly dared expect. It should put Moses in a good position for many years. I also spoke with a new arrival, Kenneth Gordon, with severe osteo arthritis who had been given vaseline to reduce itching in his back, I told him I will get him something better. I e-mailed Glenda Fredericks to ask if we were all set to go into the Youth Centre on saturday. She said she would get back to me. At home I completed the production of the Worcester Report, part 2 of Ebramim's story of redemption, and including two songs from Josiah Milnes. Because of load shedding it will go out an hour late. WTGIG is on 'hope, Part 2,' and I added a favourite song, Hope Sleeps, by John Flynn, the words of which fitted perfectly with WTGIG.

Wed Mar 20
With Franchoek off the agenda we hoped for a more relaxing day. The carbuncle needed perodic attention, and soon I was right back into busi-ness, wondering how we could ever have taken a day off! I picked up the Stilpane at the Dr's office, and while driving had a call from Johan to say he was planning to buy a kit to make hydrogen water. This I believe is for general health. A US company was offering an extra discount if he could find two other buyers. I agreed to investigate. Sounds a bit like the water ionizer L-A used for a while in Kanata. Making matapa was the main event of the day so I was chopping onions. While the dinner cooked we watched the final episode of Downton Abbey season 3 - with its shocking ending. It reminded me that not only is the darkest hour before the dawn, but also sometimes after the greatest happiness. We had everything on schedule when we had a call from Tanya saying they would be held up. Maggie had taken a wrong turning and they had gone a very long way round on the return trip from Hermanus. So we had small helpings of matapa. Then at 6:30 another call to say they would be at least an hour more because of road delays in Ashton. We again said 'no problem.' Around 7 I remembered that Tanya was probably using this trip to move to Robertson and stay with Maggie for a while, so there was no need for them to drive on to Worcester just for supper. We called them again and they were at Maggie's home, and were quite relieved I think at not taking a further hour's drive after their heavy day. If they had come, their arrival would have been 20 minutes before load shedding. So instead, after L-A had a little more matapa, we had a really early night, from 8, as the power went out. I just didn't feel like hitting the keyboard during the blackout.

Tue Mar 19
I slept though the night, not being woken between 4 and 5 by leg pain, and getting up to take my meds, as I have been for the last month. Maybe it was the Sedatif. I was initially pleased about this because it might indicate a reduction in pain and that might suggest healing. However, the medication takes an hour or so to become effective, so the first hour of my day was less pleasant than normal; some leg pain and slight nausea reducing my appetite and joie de vivre. L-A woke in great pain from her new boil on her backside, a headache and a temperature of 100 °C. I saw Dr Eric at 10 and he prescribed two anti-biotics, more powerful than she had had previously. He also said he would give me, but, forgot, a kit for taking a sample from the carbuncle, for that's what it is, and a prescription for Stilpane. L-A continued having a really tough time all day from the carbuncle on her bottom, but at least it is in a place where the latex 'doughnut' that we bought is quite effective, so she is able to work at the computer and sit on the couch. I took a sample of the fluid from her carbuncle using a Q-tip and putting it in a small drug bottle and dropped it off at the Dr's office later when I also collected the missing Stiplane prescription. At 2 I picked up Frikkie Boeter from outsite Innovation for the Blind, plus his guitar. As we chatted on arrival at home I discovered the E string on his guitar has snapped, which would have been very embarrassing next time he tried to play in public. There was a spare string in his guitar case that I was able to fit. He tried my guitar, but his fingers are fat and my strings are closer than his. In the end we used his with his soft pick. I haven't seen one before. Over the next 90 minutes we recorded 4 of his songs, one with a backing track - Blueberry Hill - plus a good interview, a story like mine, of losing faith but having it restored. Throughout we got on really well and I believe it will make an excellent program for next week. During the recording I had two phone calls, one from Chantelle, and one from Dr Eric's office. So after dropping Frikkie at Innovation, I went to the surgery and was given the correct kit for taking a sample of fluid from the carbuncle. Then I went to OVD, finding it on the second attempt after phoning Chantelle. She told me she needed a lift to Avian Park. Two children came with her. Once we were on our way she said she was going to Avian Park to collect her clothes because she was moving to OVD to stay with her blind grandmother! She also said she would like to run a Mailbox Club there. She was brought up there and has many friends. This has potential. Unfortunatley she would not be able to come for Saturday ministry at our place. But if I can get copies of Storytime 1 - if it exists - she could use that and wouldn't need too much help from us. It this point my phone rang and I turned on the bluetooth. Laurie-Ann was not happy. Our power had run out. I had failed to add more to the meter. We continued on. Chantelle picked up her clothes and I took them back to OVD, ignoring their pleas for food on the way. At home I tried to buy power from Powertime on my phone, but for some reason it wouldn't accept my password. So I drove to OK Foods. They asked for my meter number. I didn't have it, so I drove home again and wrote it down from the meter. Back to OK, and got the power voucher, then bought more food so we could have a decent meal. We ate chicken kebabs (very good), cauliflower salad, noodles, leeks, potatoes, and filled our bellies, managing this before load shedding. L-A had had a terrible day, and wasn't up to our planned drive to Franchoek tomorrow with Marggie and Tanya. She had looked forward to it for months. So she called them. They decided they would drive to Hermanus and meet us for matapa in the evening. We are in Stage 3 load shedding, with twice a day power stoppages at the same times. The evening outage is from 8 - 10:30. This evening I edited L-A's 'Ways to Grow in God' recording by candlelight and battery back-up, and she worked at her computer also by candlelight till we retired about 10.

Mon Mar 18
It's always nice to wake up on the first Monday of school breaks. I didn't busy myself too much during the morning, but since load shedding was due at noon, went out before that to Rodlyn's to get copies of Mailbox lessons, and to ComPro to get 15 copies of L-A's drawing of Southerland for use with the Riverview children at our hiking trip / retreat with them next week in Bains Kloof. I made an appointment with Dr Eric for tomorrow to get more medications for L-A. At 3pm picked up Jamelia , but when we got to Geraldo's home, there were no children waiting. On to Marsha's, and again no children. Jamelia was of the opinion that they had been taken places on this first Monday of school break. The roads were virtually empty of children. It is normal for ministries to take breaks when schools do, to give the teachers a break. At Anthonica's, she asked me to take her shopping. I dropped off Jamelia and returned. Cay-Lene's uncle ws having a wedding anniversary party in Rawsonville on Saturday, and had invited Cay-Lene, with permission to bring friends. This in Anthonica's mind justified asking me to get her something to wear. At the same time she introduced me to a boy who had been in her club, called Sherick, whom she felt had leadership potential. I liked the look of him. I agreed to take Anthonica, Cay-Lene and Sherick to town after Cay-lene and Sherick got signatures from their mothers giving me permission. However, the shopping trip was not successful. Anthonica couldn't find what she wanted at a price I would agree to. I had given her R 200 a few days before. I ended up getting them all burgers and ice cream from McDonald's as a consolation. It was worth it to build the start of a relationship with Sherick, if he is indeed to join the teen's team. I have long wanted some male content, since they are more at risk for gang recruitment. On the way home I went To Dis-Chem for more Sedatif, and some items for L-A. Tonight the load shedding started at 8 again, and again we lost the last five minutes of Downton.

Sun Mar 17
We were en-route for Hillsong by 9:30. Done the trip often so didn't use Garmin. As we approached the R 44 turnoff we were passing a large truck that obscured the sign, so I missed the turning. We continued on and took the next route East, but we had lost some time and got to church 10 minutes before the service would start, with many from the previous service lined up for coffee, so L-A went without her latte. At about noon, the power went off from scheduled load shedding. The leaders and the worship team were not phased at all. The pastor gave his talk unamplified, standing among us in the crowd + iPad. It was not a blackout because they opened large curtains on the right of the room. After the sermon came what I was really looking forward to: Hillsong music unplugged. The main song they had oped with at the start of the service was 'Be Still,' and now they sang it with one acoustic guitar, a sit-on drum and six voices. I have video to prove it was real. As the service closed we were suprized by Lise Lourens, there in the sanctuary. We were going to spend time with her today but she had said she wouldn't make it to Hillsong. Laurie-Ann had met her on-line since she follows Darren Canning, and they had long been trying to make this meeting happen. She drove us in her Jeep to the Verselegen Estate, winery and restaurant. A historic place. We were lucky to get in, but were given a wonderful location at an outdoor table sitting on couches, which was good for L-A. We all decided on chicken ceasar salads. For the next couple of hours we talked and talked. So much in common for previous strangers, and brother and sisters in Christ. I wasn't expecting it, but the meal was her treat. Finally she took us back to our car. We then went on to Loop Street, Cape Town, where I had dropped Tanya and Samantha two days before. They were waiting for us. The drive home was uneventful. I was relieved that the hastily organized trip for Samantha had proceded without a hitch. I don't know how much Samantha enjoyed it; she was mum on the subject. Neither did she thank me for making it possible, or offer any petrol money. Maybe being vocally thankful is not part of Afro-American culture. By 7:10 pm we were settled down watching Downton Abbey, but the power went off before the end of the program. I went to bed, and L-A soon followed. I had set my alarm for 10:30 pm, when the load shedding was meant to end, and sent the first half of Compelled by Love to Lise by WeTransfer, which I had promised earlier in the day. After starting the 6-hour transfer, I didn't feel tired enough to sleep, and L-A appeared. We watched the final part of Downton Abbey which we had missed earlier, and then decided to watch another episode, before retiring again.

Sat Mar 16
Had an hour's lie in, and relaxed in the morning editing audio files of music from reel-to-reel tapes. I have a lot more work before that project is done. In preparation for ministry with the teens I realized I must help them understand the value and power of the ministries they were all running. Six came, including Cay-Lene, but excluding Chantelle, Chrizelle and Mackayla. Spoke to Marco. At our gate said Hi to Ebrahim - two reformed gangsters in 20 minutes. After the girls had their sandwiches we had an extended praise session, where they chose the songs (they still love their old favourites most like 'Open the eyes of my heart Lord.') I set the Marantz to record it all. For the teaching, I started by having them update the attendance sheets, mainly so I would know which lessons they were up to, in case I should have extra copies made. Then I spent 15 minutes on our vision. I started by telling them that what they were doing was incredibly important. They were chosen by the Holy Spirit to bring the Word to the children of Avian Park, and they were doing it. Nothing could be more powerful for changing the atmosphere from gangsterism to the Kingdom of God. Since this is so vital, it is really important that they show up for their learners on Monday afternoons. They can't just be doing something else if they don't particularly feel like teaching that day. At the end of the sessions they will feel the joy of having sowed into the children's lives. Our vision is an Avian Park where many children would have been through the Mailbox materials, Storytime and Best Friends, and where Mailbox Clubs will have multiplied as more and more leaders are identified and trained. The gangsters are angry when we take possible future recruits from under their noses and show them a better way. But this can save their lives, giving them self respect and friendship so they don't need to seek it in the gangs. [These things I learned from my recent interview of Ebrahim Samboe.] We will soon have reached the end of our second course, Best Friends, and we will provide a certificate for each learner, but to keep the certificate they need to find another 8 - 12 year old to replace them in the Club. Then we will begin again with Storytime. After laying out this vision for the future, L-A and I then taught them lesson 7, for which we have English versions available. The subject was "Five wonderful things that happened when I took the Lord Jesus as my saviour." This was an excellent faith strengthener for the leaders at this stage.

Fri Mar 15
My science lesson heralded the school break for me. Back in two weeks, with time to to catch up, and attempt our income tax returns. Tanya called to say she had been trying to reach me by text to confirm that not only would Samantha like to go the Cape Town, but that she, Tanya, would accompany her. I wasn't sure if this would work out; I didn't know where I was going with Soraya. So I called Soraya. The triangular trip was doable. At 3:15 I picked up Soraya, who half filled the trunk. At 3:30 we picked up Samantha and Tanya, with, luckily, not many bags, and drove to their B & B near Table Mountain. Then the 40 minute trip to the house where Soraya had grown up to pick up her boys. On the return trip I treated them to an edition of Good News in the Morning with Jonathan Griffiths. Not sure what they made of it. We were home by 5:30 and Soraya gave me R200.

Thu Mar 14
At 11 I picked up Soraya and we drove to Brandvlei to see Glenda for a briefing on the Youth Centre. She started out by saying the Alrico Cupido was none too pleased about losing us from the Medium unit. Glenda would like us to cover both the medium and Youth, and wondered if this could be achieved by Soraya working solo. We drove there in convoy; it is further down the road after the Medium. We were shown around, introduced, and saw the room we would be in. We will have a large TV with USB input. They are not ready for us this Saturday. There are few staff on weekends and it's a stretch for them not to have us on a weekday morning, which would clash with teaching duties not only for me but also for Soraya at WYAM. Glenda asked for a desciption of Youth Alpha and our vision (which I was able to send by Saturday morning). Then she took us to see Brandvlei Radio. It was jumping with activity. I met Ridwaan Addams, who i had corresponded with, and his colleague JP Lennert, a radio enthusiast. We discussed several possibilities for us to get involved in the station. He was keen to listen to our broadcast tonight. In the afternoon I visited the hospice, and of course was happy to see Moses. We discussed his financials, and I said I would introduce him to a professional planner, which I did with a phone call to Andre Viljoen the next morning. By 6, The Worcester Report was mixing down, with part 1 of Ebrahim Samboe's gangster reminiscences. At 10 pm the lights abruptly went out from an unannounced load shed, and I took pictures of us working at our computers by candlelight.

Wed Mar 13
For music class we built on the momentum of last week, adding a bass clef to the manuscript. The kids took turns to come up with a bass line by disagreeing with dischords and OK'ing what sounded nice. By the end we had our tune with harmony. I took Delivenance and Paula home as usual, but when I got them there I locked the car and walked with them to their home. It took more than 15 minutes. They live near the edge of the informal settlement where there are no road than a car can run on. Finally we got there - a sturdy and quite large metal building; the front a shop and the rear the living quarters. Paula's elder sister greeted them as I took photos. Walking back on my own was not straightforward. I knew the general direction but must have missed a turning because I was soon walking through people's back yards hoping no one would challenge me and demand my phone and wallet. They didn't. They said "Middag" in a friendly maner and waved as we passed. My route got me back to the road where I had parked but 100 metres to the north. The car was untouched. I drove home relieved - but happy to have shown the children I cared about them to walk with them. At Riverview I introduced "I Raise a Hallelujah," and Mella thought well of it to ask that we play it a second time as she got all the kids joining in with rhythmic motions. Tanya and I went on to Vinkrivier - she had brought a parcel of food for Jenny's family, who received it gracefully. Flip and one of the mothers led the kids club expertly, showing that last week was not a flash in the pan. Inge-Lise was not present. I tried to make myself useful without much success, but it was good to be there, since most of the children know my name. We drove home about 6:30, and Tanya asked me if I had seen a message from Mella asking it I were driving to Cape Town any time, and might take Samantha so she could see the sights. I hadn't seen her message, but I suggested to Tanya it might be possible to take her on Friday and bring her back on Sunday. When we arrived in Worcester, stopped at Jan's to collest the parcel of food for Britney's grandfather, I dropped off Tanya and took it to him. He was clearly very grateful. I doubt he had had a proper meal in weeks. Then home to my sweetheart, and the GNiTM archive broadcast.

Tue Mar 12
At 10:15 I saw Dr. Eric so he could report on the blood tests. I started by showing him the letter from Western Cape Blood Service, but he already had that data from Pathcare. I am confirmed anaemic, but as he explained, that is a symptom of something else, such as a prostate problem. He arranged an appointment with a urologist on 19 April. For the floater in my left eye, he arranged an appointment with an eye specialist, Dr. Marais. He gave me a prescription for chewable iron tablets. After L-A's art lesson at school, we were both hungry and went for Chinese. On our way back from Star Park, we saw a group of young people walking up Deon Britz street, and I spotted Chantelle at the head of them. We continued home. 10 minutes later one of the guards called and asked if I would come and pick them up. There were three of our girls plus a friend of Britney, and about 10 teenage boys. It turned out the boys had tagged along with our girls. Chantelle's story was that she had missed two Saturday trainings and wanted to catch up. I sent away the boys and brought the four girls (Chantelle, Marsha, Britney and friend) to #48. After a discussion they suggested working through several of the key points in lessons they are currently giving in their clubs. Since I have an English copy of the lessons, I was able to do this. My surpize came when the subject matter was focused on the process of becomming a Christian, and changes it makes to one's life. It was perfect for the girls at this stage; they were refilled through the sinner's prayer with the Holy Spirit. We taught them the three words: Sorry, Thank you, Please as a memory jogger to lead people to Christ. I felt humbled that something I had nothing to do with setting up had yielded such fruit. The combination of Chantelle's enthusiasm and my initially unwilling cooperation had worked for the Kingdom. It also allowed Marsha to apologise for failing to run her club yesterday, just with her presence today. After they had gone home I found that several of them had drawn illustrations based on Sorry Thank you Please. Bella's particularly deserves a wider audience: see below. Moses texted me to say he was back in the hospice. Soraya called to ask if I would drive her to cape Town on Friday to bring back Nathan and Josiah for the school holidays. I hinted it would cost me, and she said she would contribute.

Mon Mar 11
I had some concerns about the Mailbox Clubs since We had cancelled last week's Saturday ministry, and not brought any of the girls to church last Sunday. This week, Jamelia's club was moving from the hut in her yard to the home of one of her members, Geraldo. I picked up Jamelia, and then picked up the kids at Tinktinkie, and finally we drove to Geraldo's house. It was a good venue and located within a short walk for all of these children. We had a good session of praise. Next, I drove to Marsha's but noone was there. Then on to Chantelle's where there were several children but there wasn't any teaching going on. Chantelle wanted to go to the library with Anthonica and Cay-Lene, and I agreed to take them after 4pm. I drove on to Chrizelle's but there was no sign of her or Macayla. I began to wonder if things were falling apart because we hadn't seen them on Saturday. There were a bunch of girls I didn't know walking down the street and I asked them if they knew where Marsha was. They said they did, so I bundled them into the car. We drove along Mockingbird then down a side street, and one of them caught a glimpse of Marsha. I think she was hiding from me. Then, who should turn up but Britney! She asked if I would take her back to Roodeval. She got in the car, and I dropped the other girls back where I had picked them up. I asked Britney if her mother's boyfriend was called Christopher Breeze, and she confirmed it. We drove to Chantelle's, who said they wanted to say a prayer. She told me to come into the house. There were about 9 of them, and as they stretched out their hands to me Chantelle said a longish prayer in Afrikaans and she was praying for me. This was a special time. After that we drove to the Worcester library and offloaded Chantelle, Anthonica and Cay-Lene. I asked Britney if she would like a McDonald's burger, and she said she would really like a Hungry Lion, so we went there and got her the big mac equvalent, and three cheeseburger equivalents, plus a large Sprite. On the drive to Roodeval, she ate the burger. She must have been extremely hungry because in the past she would have shared it with her brother and sister. On the way in to Hooggelegen I stopped and checked our mailbox. Halleluja! My credit card renewals had arrived from Lynn after 3 months. This is a great relief, meaning that we don't need to get the bank to courier replacements. In the evening I skyped Solutions Banking and after about 45 minutes they had activated the regular card and the expense card. I gave L-A back her TD Visa which I had used for a couple of months, pumping up her Aeroplan points. We watched the Christmas edition (double feature) of Downton Abbey. I am hooked.

Sun Mar 10
First Sunday for 6 weeks or so that we didn't pick up children and bring them to church. I hope they won't think we are abandoning them. For us it was necessary to take a break from the routine. Instead we took Tanya to church, gave Mella the neclace for her 51st birthday today, had a good chat with them and Willem Grobelaar in Milk and Honey, and then went on to cell group. After that, three hours at home working on Legacy audio book recording of chapter 5. Mella's birthday party was at 5, and she called me to pick up Janey for it. At 4 there was a serious rainstorm, which will have made the people of Worcester very happy. It made Laurie-Ann scared of walking on the wet tiles of our stoep, and she decided she couldn't come to the party. I picked up Andre, Janey and Nixon, wondering how this would work, because I assumed there would be large numbers at the party as there were last year, but it turned out it was a much smaller, more intimate gathering of about 8, so we all had seats to enjoy a pleasant buffet and company. Mella was in great form and read us a draft children's story she has written based on soft toy characters made by Samantha. One of the characters is Sinegugu the hippopotamus. I took a group photo. It broke up about 8 and I took home food for L-A which she ate immediately as her supper. We then watched today's Downton Abbey from Season 2, after the first world war, where I was dissapointed to see Lord Grantham kissing one of the servant girls, who was then forced to leave service at Downton. What was he thinking! Admitedly he was unhinged because his wife nearly died of Spanish 'Flu.

Sat Mar 9
We had cancelled the Saturday afternoon ministry with the kids because of the ChangeMakers books, and now prison had been cancelled, so we had a Saturday off! I slept in till 10, had bacon and eggs, and spent the day doing things I enjoy, including recording more of 'legacy' and posting some recent videos, including the new regime in Vinkrivier with Inge-Lise and Flip. Outside Pick n Pay downtown, a blind busker opeates on Saturdays. I have seen him often, but today something pleasant in the tone of his voice prompted me to ask him if he would like me to record him and put him on radio. He readily agreed and gave me his number. Went shopping in the mall for a birthday gift for Mella, and in Woolworths found an African style wooden neclace that I think she'll like. Made some progress on editing 'Travelling Light,' my home movie from 1978. Jason Campbell called - wants to give us $100! He was earning big money until he was injured recently. Had nice chat (after all these years), and showed him how to do it on Canada Helps. I told him I have two of his sweaters here. I thoroughly enjoyed the whole day.

Fri Mar 8
5:54 to prayer meeting where there were only four of us, so more time for each I couldn't have coffee or a rusk, but it didn't matter, I was feeling fantastic (the chicken liver?). Then to Pathcare for my blood test. When you get in their waiting room you can't tell who is next in line so you sit there and when nobody else moves you get up and go to the reception. Out the back an expert blood letter got 5 phials before I realized she had started. Cost a lot though: R 2,434, which I am not sure I can claim unless one or more of the tests indicates I have something new wrong with my body. I messaged Glenda Fredericks to remind her about Alpha for the juvenile wing tomorrow, but she replied that the supervisor there was away sick (?) so we must start a week later. Meanwhile she asked if Soraya and I could visit next week for a briefing, which we arranged for Thursday. Tanya joined us for dinner - a South African special: Waterblommetjiebredie. Laurie-Ann had made this with lamb see the set and it was excellent, and will do us for two more meals each. After that we'll have to wait again for the Waterblommetjiebredie season - they only grow in this part of the world. After dinner we had a good time of praise and prayer - I played a song, then we all prayed, then another song, etc.

Thu Mar 7
At 10:45 collected Ebrahim Samboe from Avian Park and brought him home to do a CWCP interview. Born a Muslim, by his age 6 his mother had converted to Christianity, and brought him with her. But by age 14 they had moved to Worcester from Cape Town and he was selling drugs in Avian Park, leading to crime as a gangster. Today at 23 he is a security guard. He may seem an odd choice for a security agency, but a reformed gangster has skills ideal for a security officer. I did not go to the hospice today. We did two interviews, because after the first one he felt he could do a better job. At 2 pm I went to Dr Eric's office and read out my current list of ailments: large black floater in my left eye, hearing loss, right knee can only come half way up to my chest, weight loss 3.5 Kg since the beginning of the year. He gave me a requisition for a comprehensive blood test. Also got prescriptions for Laurie-Ann, whose rash on the stomach has returned. Dr Eric looked at a photo on my phone and prescribed. I went straight to Fairbairn Pharmacy for the prescriptions, and then to Pathcare to arrange my blood test for tomorrow morning. I stopped eating and drinking about 8:30, after an excellent dinner of chicken liver. By 7:45 I had completed producing tonight's Worcester report, with the second part of the Toevlug interview, which went out till near the end (when there were no listeners) when the .mp3 stream stopped in its tracks.

Wed Mar 6
Picked up Tanya at 8 am and took her to dentist Hofmeyr, whom we had recommended. Apparently his advice was to change her toothpaste to Sensodyne. After school, I visited the police station, then on to the 'other' police buiding to provide info on the whereabouts of Veronica's assailant on 5 Feb, but instead discovered that he had been arrested 12 Feb. The detective was very cooperative to a walk-in stranger, and I saw the screens about the case. The perpetrator on the police file was named Christopher Breeze, so if Veronica's boyfriend was Christopher Breeze, this is the same case. I reported this to Child Welfare by e-mail, with the name and number of the detective in clarge of the case, Sgt. Wehr, 023-348-6100. and they said they would pass it on to the case worker. In the afternoon to Riverview, and then Vinkrivier, by myself for the first time in a few weeks. Was amazed to discover a transformation in Vinkrivier wrought by Inge-Lise and Flip, thanks to their facility with Afrikaans and many other youth ministry skills.

Tue Mar 5
Art class at school. Pulled the plug on the GIG recruiting meeting scheduled for tomorrow, but without Bruno and Danielia. Sent e-mail to Glenda Fredericks to say the meeting was cancelled. She would have been the only guest,

Mon Mar 4
Monday afternoon ministry started, as last week, with picking up children in Tinktinkie and taking them to Jamelia's. Pretty full house. Chrizelle wasn't well but Macayla ran her group in her house. Marsha also had good numbers. Anthonica had none, and Chantelle about 7. when I had returned the first bunch, I then picked up Chantelle for her birthday treat, taking her to Mr Price where she found nice white jeans without holes in the knees. On the way home, she told me that she had seen Veronica's assailant, whose name is Christopher, at #5 OVD. Glenda Fredericks called to confirm she was available to attend the GIG meeting on Wednesday. One of the guards on our gate, Ebrahim, asked if he could tell me his story. Turned out he had seen one of the little fiers I had left in the guard's office, and he had heard from other guards that I did missionary work in Avian Park. In a brief conversation, he said he had been a gangster in Avian Park in his teens, but had been rescued by the Lord and felt a need to tell his testimony. I offered him an interview on CWCP and he readily agreed, and we arranged that I would pick him up at his home on Thursday, his day off. A letter came through local mail telling me that Western Cape Blood services were confirming the local blood clinic's test that I am anaemic, and giving the results of a number of tests. Although the letter was dated 20 February, I am not rigourous at checking the mailbox, and am not certain which day I saw this letter, but it was around this time.

Sun Mar 3
We had told the teens we wouldn't be taking them to church more than once a month. We picked up Tanya. I half expected Chantelle and friends to have walked there but they hadn't. This afternoon's praise and worship in Avian Park was strongly promoted. When the time was approaching for that, Tanya wasn't feeling up to it, so we drove to the safe house in Roodeval to collect Britney. She was ready, but when she was in the car I saw she was crying. She said that Jamilie (?), Janine's son, 13, had hit her in the face and chest and she was in pain, and didn't want to go back there. Unfortunatly we didn't take that seriously. We were 20 minutes early for the start of the event. Once we had a place near the front for our chairs, Britney asked if she could go and get her friend Marsha. I said yes. I shouldn't have. We watched and enjoyed the music and prayer from Marius and friends, and he twice mentioned 'the Canadians.' Near the beginning he sang his song "The Time Has Come," which is the theme song of The Worcester Reports. You can see some of it here. The program continued till about 5:20. It had only attracted about 150 people, though 10 of them had come on motorbikes (but they left early). Britney never did return with Marsha, leaving us with a problem. We drove to her house and spoke to her grandfather, who had seen her earlier. We found several of the teens including Marsha, some of whom had seen her earlier but insisted they didn't know where she was now. Some of them looked sheepish. We did two circuits of the area where she might have been, recruiting Chantelle to help us. She asked if her blind grandmother and some children could come with us to get them home to OVD. I decided we should do that. We drove to OVD to drop off Chatelle's Ouma, who seemed a good soul, and pretty old by her body language. When Chantelle returned from seeing her to her door, we drove to Hooggelegen so L-A at least could get something to drink and eat, and Chantelle and I fortified ourselves with an apple. We considered the possibility that Britney didn't want to return to the safe house, where the boy had hurt her. On the way to Avian Park, Chantelle mentioned that her grandmother was only 51! (this prompted us later to check longevity stats for SA - they are some of the worst in the world). As we once again drove slowly down Mockingbird Street, Chantelle suddenly saw Bridney and Marsha in the distance surrounded by friends. I can only assume that when we had driven off earlier, they thought we were gone for the night so they could relax. News travels fast among the youth of Avian Park, so 20 or 30 of them by now were wanting to save Bridney from going back to Roodeval. Despite this, she got into the car, Chatelle got out, and I drove once again to the Roodeval safe house. On the way out of Avian Park I phoned L-A to tell her the lost lamb was found. Bridney wasn't talkative, but she didn't deny giving us the slip because she didn't want to go to the safe house, even though her young sister and younger brother were there. Anyway, I was mighty relieved, and didn't give her a hard time, other than saying we were very worried about her and had been searching. When we arrived at the safe house, I told Janine that we had temporarily lost Britney, and how, and that her son Jamilee had hurt her so that she didn't want to return. Her response was that Britney had been teasing him, which I am prepared to believe, although only in fun. When I got home I much enjoyed my chicken and matapa dinner, after which we watched Downton Abbey - a World War 1 episode.

Sat Mar 2
I woke again at about 2:00 am. for a pee, but half an hour later was very restless. Couldn't keep still for long enough to fall asleep. It's a strange sensation, and I have had it once before. Normally I can fall asleep in seconds, but with this condition I had the distinct feeling that I would toss and turn till morning. It was still too early to take my meds - anti-inflamatory and pain-killing - so I got up, pee'd, splashed water on my face, ate an apple and the rest of the lemon cheesecake ice cream, then a cup of tea and a ginger biscuit, sitting in an arm chair not feeling very tired, but worried that this day was going to be tough. I went back to bed, promptly falling asleep, and woke at 5, just the time to take the meds. The final stretch was uneventful and I woke at the regular 7:15 alarm feeling quite fine. I guess that though I hadn't slept through, I had rested through. A possible cause of the bad night was that yesterday I only took two Tramacet painkillers, whereas for the last week or so I have taken an extra two during the day. I will return to that. I was very happy that L-A soon got up; this meant she really did want to come to to the prison for the final Alpha session with this group. We arrived about 10 past 9 after dropping off the copy of Soraya's clearance certificate at the reception in the main office building. There were many men crowded into the area we walk through, all awaiting a sports day. There were only 6 at Alpha, including one first-timer. I had included extra music and extra jokes for this last day of the course. The message on video was powerful as usual, and when it was over I encouraged them to consider starting Alpha courses if they ever have the opportunity. The men and the staff were very sorry to be seeing us possibly for the last time as we move on to the young offenders wing. It was particularly sad to say goodbye to Thandeka, and I asked for her e-mail. On the way home I mailed the main copy of Soraya's clearance at the central post office and then went grocery shopping. Saturday in Worcester is always crowded, but today it was worse than usual (as I found out later from Britney) because not only was it pay day yesterday, it had also been child grants payment day. There were queues for every ATM. We got home at 12:30 pretty desperate for a coffee. I left early to pick up the girls because I wanted to have time to take Britney to get some flip flops. Luckily she was watching out for me, and we drove to Tekkie Town where she found a nice pair for R200. Then on to Avian Park for the other girls, just three of them. The afternoon ministry went really quite well. L-A had been nudged by Holy Spirit that we should teach about love looking like something, which I did. The others were happy to be with Britney. It was a good afternoon. After dropping off Jamelia, Chrizelle and Anthonica, I took Britney to her mother's house to see her grandfather. She gave him the left over half loaf of white bread from their sandwiches. She told me he was doing OK, and was very happy to see her and hear that her younger sister and brother were fine. She told me he loves them dearly (and more than he loves her). I took her back to the safe house in Roodeval. When I got home L-A was at an advanced stage of cooking a beef stir-fry, which we both enjoyed half an hour later, before the first Downton Abbey episode we had had time for in four days.

Fri Mar 1
No Afrikaans today because we had a My Father's House board meeting. Nik Wullschleger and Claire Slingers joined us to educate us on their initiative to improve the lot of Avian Park residents, and to see if there would be benefit from some sort of cooperation. There is R500,000 already allocated by the Municipality, but no one with the clout to push through Nik's plan, or any other, so there is a risk that the money will not be spent - or will be spent on someone else's pet project. Nik explained that the Municipality is reluctant to spend on a pioneer project, but more willing to add funding to a demonstrably successful project. Claire is chair of the Avian Park Community Association, an umbrella group for distributing funding rather than expecting donors to select their own small projects for support. Nik knows that half of Jan's land could be used for something like this, and is already zoned for it. A matter of relevance is a local chool which could fold due to issues between the board and the parents. If it did, their portable (?) classrooms might become available and would suit Jan admirably for her building plan. We may know more after a meeting next Thursday. There was an e-mail from Glena Fredericks confirming that we could switch to the Young Offenders wing next week, and that I should mail Soraya's police clearance to her. Glenda's message was not very precise, so I also scanned the clearance and e-mailed it to her, and put a colour copy in an envelope in the hope of leaving it for her at Brandvlei tomorrow morning. Since I had been up since 5:15 (prayer meeting) I had an early night, but it wasn't a good night. Before midnight when L-A joined me I was woken by a combination of needing a pee and my leg pain.

Thu Feb 28
To the hospice with Tanya, but not Matheus, so no hair cuts. Spent some hours editing and producing the Worcester Report with Theresa Rossouw and colleagues at Toevlug. It was 45 minutes, so I decided to keep 15 minutes for next week. The program went out without a hitch, although for the first time, Laurie-Ann was too busy with her ChaneMakers accounts to be able to listen. She (and you) can
listen here. She is spending many hours trying to find out what a series of donations from Rope were actually spent on.

Wed Feb 27
The music lesson went as planned, but with almost too much enthusiasm. I played each format for about 3 minutes so they had a chance to really listen. The formats illustrated were: Symphony, Concerto, Opera, Ballet, Song (2 songs both from Africa), Arabian, Chinese, Indian. In most examples the children couldn’t help themselves; they just had to get up and move to the music or dance. Paula and Seth danced together ballroom style. I had been asked to provide the drink and crisps for the Riverview kids, and there was plenty of cake from both Mella and Kevin. I invited Tanya to join me for the rest of the afternoon at Vinkrivier. We stopped at the Fourie cafe, just at the time when Johan and Marie came through - this was the first chance for them to see Tanya on this trip. The cafe still had the jar of lime marmalade I had bought but left on the counter. No one had enquired about L-A's artwork, hung there on the walls. The regular kids who have been taking Alpha were nowhere to be seen when Maggie arrived with a refugee from DRC (?) called Grace. We decided to visit the homes of Carmen and Jenny. Carmen's house was locked up, but Jenny and her family were in residence and we chatted for some time. Jenny has been accepted in a school in Nicobela - good news. Her mother was knocking back the wine when we arrived, but sobered up a little to join the conversation. Her father was most hospitable, cutting a bunch of roses for Grace. I dropped Tanya at Mella's and then remembered I was to collect the R150 I had lent to Anthonica's step father Henry. I drove to the house. Anthonica found Henry. He had the money but it was in the Capitek bank. Four girls and I then drove to four ATMs to try and retrieve it, eventually doing so at a grocery store on Durban Street. We returned to Manniken Street, where I received my R150. While it was good news to be actually paid back in Avian Park after lending money, I hope I am not now to be seen as a payday loan shop at zero interest. For the first time in three weeks the GNiTM archive went out without a bandwidth problem.

Tue Feb 26
Science and art went quite well. Got a haircut from Joan. Spent some time preparing tomorrow's music lesson, settling on listening to various musical formats, such as symphonies and concerti. Visited Toevlug Centre for Alcohol and Drug Dependence to interview the manager Theresa Rossouw. As I walked from the car towards the main gate I heard my name called. It was Chantelle, shouting from a window in her school next door. The grounds are lovely with well kept grass and chickens with their chicks running free. Theresa brought in social worker Louise, and therapist Chrisme, so I used the intermal mics in the Marantz in stereo with automatic volume control. Instead of focussing on describing the facilities, I had decided to encourage them to give their personal opinions about the scourge of drug dependency, starting with prevention. They obliged, and the interview is helpful, though punctuated regularly with the chickens outside the window.

Mon Feb 25
The YWAMers have finished their month of joining me for outreach, and I'll miss them! So will the teens. So I was on my own for Mailbox Club supervision. This was the first time for Jamelia's/Bella's club to meet at Jamelia's, so I drove first to the house on Tinktinkie that Danelia had lived in till a few days ago. Good as gold, the 6 or 7 children were waiting for me outside. They had remembered! They were also excited to see me and bundle into the car. This would have been a lot less comfortable if Matheus and Regiane had been there. Jamelia had a largish wendy house in her garden that I hadn't noticed before, and there was already another bunch of kids there - in total she had 10 children, with a few from her own family including one young one who danced to the music, as I opened their session in praise and worship. Jamelia filled in my copies of the attendance sheets and I gave her the Mailbox Club materials she needed. Next stop Chrizelle and Macayla, were the numbers were lower, and I also played. Anthonica and Chantelle had no children in their clubs this week. I must get them to do more recruiting. They wanted me to take them to the library, so they got in the car. Then on to Marsha, who again had about 10 in the lovely setting behind her house. I brought Chatelle and Anthonica to see them (and to see what they should have been achieving!) Chantelle announced herself as being from YWAM! I asked her and Anthonica to pray for Marsha and her group, and they enthusiastically did so - a special moment, and a photo-op. Marsha updated the attendance sheet. When we left and drove towards the Avian Park library, Chantelle and Anthonica said "No," it was the main library in Worcester they needed to visit. They had books to return and wanted to apply to be able to use the library computers. Of course I was happy to hear this. I didn't even know where the library was. They began asking me to get them some food for the night. I decided to oblige. While they went in I drove to OK and got spaghetti bolognese and juice boxes. Had they chosen, it would have been sugar-heavy processed food and pop. They were a little late coming out, so I went in and admired the facility. When they got in the car they exclaimed "Spaghetti - I'm allergic." I said I would take it home and we will eat it. At this they unwrapped it and tucked in. A few minutes later they were saying how good it was. I suspect they hadn't had it before, but wholesome food is unusual for them.

Sun Feb 24
Today was less invigorating than yesterday. I brought four girls to church - Britney from Roodeval, Anthonica from Riverview, Chantelle and Jamelia from Avian Park. Chantelle and Britney joined a kinderkerk group that went to Church Square and prayed for even poorer people. In Milk & Honey my order of 5 cup cakes was hijacked by someone in the line-up behind me so the girls got half a cup cake each. We all piled into the car, dropping L-A and Tanya at cell group. The girls wanted to go to OK for more food and I wasn't feeling stong minded so I took them. They spent 15 minutes in the store arguing about what they wanted, ending up with koeksisters and blackcurrent juice. There was a shouting match in the car as we drove on: Britney wanted to be dropped of last, and I and the others wanted her to go first. Britney's focus was probably on a pair of flip-flops I had said I would buy her, so she wanted me on her own to make it happen, but I knew the shops would be shut. So I drove to the end of her street and asked her to get out. Very reluctantly she did, slamming the car door in her frustration. I wonder if this behavious is part of a delayed reaction to the violence against her mother, and the danger the whole family is in. Next stop Riverview, where we waited 15 minutes for Tersia to appear. Chantelle told me I must drive back to town rather than short cut through the rest of Riverview because the gansters would recognise her. While accepting there could be some truth in this, I nevertheless took the short route and Chantelle didn't squeal. At Anthonica's house, Tersia started one of her regular speeches about she was sorry not to have repaid previous moneys, but could I lend her and Henry R100 till next Wednesday. I decided to do so as a test. Should I not get it back I could forever to use this as a reason not to lend more. I again offered financial planning help but wasn't taken up on it, probably because she buys wine and doesn't want me to know. (I buy wine too). I then dropped off the other girls, and drove to cell group, where in a condition of a certain frustration with myself I told the story of my last 45 minutes. Several well-meaning friends reminded me that the missionary life should be restful and not cram full of taxi-driving and solving the population's food problems. Erick was there and I asked him about his wife Saphra who had called me. Turned out she is his girl friend, not wife (he says). They await a court hearing when witnesses will hopefully demolish the Namibian's case. L-A had been in touch with Leonie to find out if the church would be open tonight for us to host soaking prayer. She said it wouldn't. So she posted that on the Soaking Prayer Whatsapp, and invited anyone interested in joining us to come to our house. When we got home, we both rested for a while since noone had responded, but we were both up by 6 pm, and Chris Maartens knocked on the door! I later posted on the group Whatsapp: "Chris arrived for our session tonight and for the next 90 minutes we had a great conversation about the local community, and prayer. Let's hope that the necessary arrangements can be made in the church for our next soaking prayer on 31 March. Why not put it in your calendars now?"

Sat Feb 23
One of the very special days. L-A needed time for preparation for the teens' party this afternoon, so didn't come to the prison. At the prison gate I was stopped to sign a form. Alrico Cupido had an assessment form which he wanted me to sign, and he said he would fill it in. Because I have no complaints about how we are treated, I complied. It was healing day. I started with my first public playing of 'I Raise a Hallellujah.' After the video I annointed them all, then asked each in turn if we could pray for their healing. Abdullah insisted he needed nothing healed but all the others had laying on on hands by all and prayer by me. There were two people waiting at the gate when I left and I took them into town: a guard in the max and his wife. When I had dropped them off, I bought food for the teens at Pick n Pay, and then collected 'Annie' from the video store. At 12:45 I was outside Anthonica's house, and by 1:00 pm her mother Tersia and boyfriend Henry were ready to be taken to their relatives in Riverview. Both Anthonica and Marsha decided to come with us. After dropping off the parents, we drove to the Mall to pick up Tanya after a massage, and then took all three to our house. I immediately drove to Roodeval to get Britney at the safe house, then to Avian Park to get Jamelia and Macayla, getting them to our place by 2. Marsha and Anthonica were by now making brownies under L-A's supervision, and the other three soon joined them, making for some photo-ops. Soon, Davi and Courtney arrived from YWAM ready to counsel. I briefed them on Marsha and Britney. Juliana and her baby arrived, driven by Matheus in their Jeep, bought yesterday, saving me from driving them. When the brownie-making was complete, Marsha and Courtney went into our office for the counselling for the next 45 minutes, and Britney and Davi went into our bedroom. Anthonica asked if she would receive counselling and I said I didn't know if there would be time. I started the movie. It captured their attention, particularly Macayla's, who had recommended it, since aspects of it mirrored our girls' situations, and also inspired them that a young person could be very significant. I served the brownies when they were ready and there were enough for everyone. They were delicious! Britney came out of the counselling session first, and I asked Courtney if she was up to seeing Anthonica. She was hesitant at first, but agreed, so they got started. When Davi had finished counselling Marsha, she asked me to join them, and then asked Marsha to recount the day she had taken a handful of sleeping pills that landed her in hospital for four days. It was all to do with an ex-gangster Raymond, and a gangster Ortolo (?) who had pulled a gun on Raymond in Marsha's house in front of her eyes. It was all too stressful for Marsha, who grabbed the pills. This diversion may have saved Raymond's life, because he is still around, and rejoined ChangeMakers. Ortollo is in jail. My phone rang. It was Chantelle, asking if there had been any cake. I told her about the brownies. She asked if I would bring her one. When Annie ended, the girls found a YouTube movie they wanted to watch, and we got through about half of it before it was time for everyone to go home, which I managed in 4 stages: Davi and Courtney (allowing me a further debriefing), Juliana and child, then the girls, and finally Tanya. I asked one of the girls which part she had enjoyed most, and she said "The movie." As I dropped off the girls I also delivered brownies to Bella, Chrizelle and Chantelle. The most successful part of the day for me had been enabling the counselling. It was a great bonus on top of the relaxation that the girls and the adults had enjoyed. Laurie-Ann's plan had worked out.

Fri Feb 22
I was on the road by 5:50, listening to George Sinclair's GNiTM talk "Did God Really Say," a masterly exposure of how peoples' ears and brains are often closed to even consider looking into a Gospel they have never heard. This kept me company till the tunnel. I arrived at the airport about 7:20 and made my way to International Arrivals, where I waited with my Smantha Jones notice for 2 hours, when she finally appeared. The plane had been an hour late, and then her luggage had been left in Canada. She had been diverted via Toronto due to the severe weather in North America, and had been put up in a hotel for a night. For one who had never travelled outside USA before, she was remarkably self contained; just pleased to have finally arrived. I drove her to Worcester, and MasterPeace Academy, and then Mella got in and we took her to Napier Street to sleep it off. Erick Ambuta's wife called. I hadn't realized he was married. This resulted in my posting the following on the church cell Whatsapp: "I am sorry to be the bearer of bad news but our friend and cell-group member Erick Ambuta is in police custody awaiting a court hearing tomorrow at 9 am. The key points as told to me by his wife Saphra, a nurse in the Worcester Hospital are as follows. They had taken into their home a recent immigrant from Namibia a few weeks ago. Recently Erick notice hairdressing equipment was missing from his salon. He kept his eyes open and say enough to convince him that the Namibian had taken them. Erick, in the presence of witnesses accused him of the theft and a scuffle broke out. The Namibian later reported to the police that Erick had threatened him and Erick was arrested. It is likely that the case will be set for a future hearing to allow witnesses to be called, although Saphra will be in court tomorrow and conceivably might be asked to tell her story. Where you all have a part to play is to pray that Erick will be treated fairly tomorrow, and released. It would be very distressing for them both if he remains in custody awaiting a further hearing. Let's leave this one at the foot of the cross." Within a short period of time Erick posted that he was now out of custody ... Miraculous fast answer to prayer? or what? In the evening I drove the Roodeval - Avian Park circuit to take girls to the Friday youth event, only to be told by Chantelle that it was a bi-weekly affair, and this was the 'off' week. So I made us of being down there to remind as many girls as I could find that I would be picking them up an hour earlier tomorrow for our Saturday teach-in, because it would be party-time with a movie and extra food. Anthonica asked if I would take her mother and stepfather to their relatives in Riverview tomorrow, since they believed it would be too dangerous for them to walk there. She gave me a bag of President's Choice grapes! I didn't know this Canadian brand was in South Africa (where the grapes came from). This was the first gift we have received from anyone in Avian Park. The grapes were huge and delicious. Cristine Reurink, who coordnates the YWAM trainee counsellors, called to confirm that they would be available to join us tomorrow.

Thu Feb 21
I advertised tonight's Worcester Report on several FaceBooks, and about 10 Whatsapps and Whatsapp groups. At least 50 people will be aware of the program tonight. Spent much of the day expecting to drive to Cape Town airport to pick up Samantha Jones. In the end, she'll be coming in tomorrow after battling North American extreme conditions. I had switched the Hospice visit to Friday, and then back to Thursday, and Matheus and I went up and cut hair / prayed respectively. Back home I had everything ready for our 50th broadcast of The Worcester Reports in good time. The last time I conducted a financial planning meeting was nearly 3 years ago, and I have never conducted one with a microphone recording it. However, my myelin was still good and things went well. The terrible situation of so many in the struggle phase of their financial journey (to borrow from 'Legacy') is well illustrated by the interview. David's contribution emphasised those aspects that need to be heard, from one who is living it. See what you think. During the program we had 3 live listeners. In the next 2 days there were only 2 hits on the podcast. I try hard not to let this depress me, since many of those who can't be bothered to tune in (though they know about it) are our personal friends and relatives. But we will carry on doing this week by week because the one trying to depress me about it is evil and comes to destroy everything good in the world. I have a talent for explaining how people can plan their lives not to be poor, and I intend to use it. Over time I know that there is potential for these podcasts to reach people who need to hear them.

Around 9 pm Mella called to say she had heard from Samantha, and she would be touching down in Cape Town at 7:15 am tomorrow morning, in 10 hours time. I posted a note on the early morning prayer group Whatsapp group to say I would be getting up at the same time as on every Friday, 5:15 am, but instead of walking across the road to Louis' house I would be driving to Cape Town.

Wed Feb 20
I was listing to Finance Minister Tito Mboweni start his budget speech on SAFM as I drove home after taking the two children to Zweletemba, and was delighted when he quoted Zechariah 8:12 - 'For there shall be a sowing of peace. The vine shall give its fruit, and the ground shall give its produce, and the heavens shall give their dew. And I will cause the remnant of this people to possess all these things.' How amazing that a senior politician would express his (and our) dependence on God. Not amazing at all in South Africa, where being a believer is not a career killer. When I got home I immediately turned on SABC 2 and watched live. It was so enthralling I quite forgot about Riverview kids club. That is until Mella called and asked if I would soon be picking up Tobia, who is making a film about YWAM ministries. I leaped up drove to YWAM, picked up him, Matheus and Regiane and had them at Riverview by 2:53. The session was just fine. At 6:15 I was at Jan's for a GIG recruiting meeting. I had invited Hilton, Glenda Fredericks and Nicky Rabie. Nicky was already there but had no idea what the meeting was about. If she had known it was financial planning, I think she would have left. Hilton and Glenda both forgot to come. Bruno gave a great presentation, by the end of which Nicky was eating out of his hand! As she described her needs, they were congruent with the GIG mission. Yet had I explained more about it, she wouldn't have come. Go figure! The group scheduled another meeting for two weeks later. Back home I edited David and Sylvia's (Bob and Mary's) interview and recorded a suitably passionate introduction which explained why I felt this interview important enough for our 50th program. Jan Whatsapped to say that trainee counsellors from YWAM would like to interview some of our girls who have gone through trauma. I explained that finding them in Avian Park would be very difficult, but it might work if they came to our house on Saturday, when we would be having 'the party,' and we might be able to schedule time with Britney, Marsha and Anthonica.

Tue Feb 19
At 10:30 went to pick up Janey, who told me Andre was stuck in Q-Square with Nixon and needed to be rescued. Janey's gate key wouldn't open the gate so she got a neighbout to do it. When I dropped her off at the school I asked her for her key. At 11:00 I met Andre Viljoen, brother of Philip, our insurance broker, and a financial planner. We hit it off immediately. If I am asked for financiual planning help other than common sense that I can supply, I will refer to him. Hilton Aries was the trigger for this. I sent an e-mail invitation to Hilton for the GIG meeting tomorrow. I messaged Maggie to say I wouldn't be there tomorrow for the Vinkkrivier Alpha.

Mon Feb 18
4 healthy mailbox clubs - only Anthonica had no children. Marsha continues to do well with about 10. This was the last time Regiane will come round with me. It had made it more fun having the YWAMers, and the children love them. L-A's boils continue painful and need regular treatment. I am feeling under par. My appetite has been low for some time, and my right leg has got worse; putting on a sock is painful, so I generally go sockless. There are only 2 days to the GIG presentation so I posted some reminders on the Whatsapp group. Bruno will give the presentation. As we continue to experience load-shedding - though less than a couple of weeks ago, I decided to replace my useless battery on this computer. Amazon won't ship this item to South Africa, so I went to Computer Mania, and was pleased to discover that they could get me the right battery for a price not much higher than Amazon's. My productivity should improve once I can continue working when Eskom turns off the power.

Sun Feb 17
We went to Somerset West Hillsong, and took Tanya with us for her excellent company. We enjoyed the Vision Sunday service, which was shared in 279 Hillsong services world wide (our Hillsong has 3 of them), including those in Ottawa and Toronto. After the service we lunched in Ocean Basket in Strand. The restaurant is on the Beach Road. Tanya and I put on bathing things in the restaurant washrooms, and then we walked over the road and directly on to a lovely beach with very few people in sight - this was some way from the popular beaches. I swam; Tanya paddled; L-A photographed. We stayed sunbathing for about an hour and it was very pleasant and relaxing. On the drive home we passed a wild fire on a hillside, where there were flames right down to the road side. We played the music CD sampler that Tanya had given me for my birthday.

Sat Feb 16
For the first time in weeks, L-A was well enough to join me in prison ministry. There were only 6 attenders, the smallest number yet, but they were happy to see her again as we learned about telling others about our faith. Alrico, our friendly and devout supervising guard, confided that he wasn't being treated very well by his management. Thandeka had come in, but went home sick before we arrived. At 2:30 I picked up Juliana and Regiane from WYAM for our home ministry, and then went out again to get 4 teens. Juliana gave an excellent talk to them on prayer. After milk tart we watched some more of the Jesus film, though only Macayla seemed interested, and the DVD crashed after about 15 minutes. The girls had asked if they could visit Britney at Moriah House on the way home, but Mia had replied to my question saying that none of them was there, so I took them straight home. An hour later, Chantelle called me to say Britney was with her, and could I come and take her - where(?). So I went, and they were together, and wanted me to take Britney (and Chantelle) to a location in Roodeval. On the way we picked up Veronica's comb and pom pom (and toothpaste) at her house, and two of Britney's friends from Roodeval who had walked over with her. They all asked for (and received) suckers from OK Foods on the way. Soon we arrived at a house in Roodeval, which I now know to be a safe house belonging to Child Welfare, so I told Britney I would be back at 7 to take her to the hospital to see her mother. I then drove Chantelle back, and the most direct route would have taken us through Riverview, but Chantelle absolutely refused to go that way. She said there were gangs there who could attack her. Further discussion revealed that her brother used to be in a gang, but had become one of Kevin's boys, and not only was he in some danger for leaving the gang, but so would his sister be. Chantelle is no wimp, so I took her seriously, and went round the longer way. After dropping her home I called L-A not to expect me any time soon for supper. I returned to the house in Roodeval. Britney was not there at first, and I had a chance to talk to the supervisor, Janine. She doesn't want Britney to go to Avian Park for a while - probably until her step father has been arrested. She suggested I take Coren, Britney's sister to the hospital with us. Britney turned up soon, and we drove to the hospital, 5 minutes away. At first we three went to Emergency. At 7:15, when visiting started, nothing happened. After a few minutes I asked an orderly if we could go in. He said the girls could but not me - a limit of two visitors. They went in, but came out again 2 minutes later. The guard explained something - in Afrikaans. At this point we were tescued by another waiting visitor, who said that Coren was too young and more susceptible to contagion. So we took Coren back to the car, and then Britney and I went in. We couldn't find Veronica. We asked at a nursing station, and were told she was now in ward C2. Progress! We went out of Emerg and into the other entrance, and got through without being stopped. We then searched out ward C2, and very soon were with Veronica. She was pleased to see us - no longer in shock, and Britney gave her her comb, pom pom and toothpaste. She gave Britney two juice boxes - I think because she was more concerned about her children than herself. Her unappetizing-looking dinner was on a tray and she had hardly touched it. She asked if next time we came we could bring some food. What a waste of public funds, serving food so unpalatable that a very poor township dweller wouldn't touch it. However, everything else that we saw inside this hospital seemed reasonable quality, and it was clean. After a while, Britney hugged and kissed her mum, and we left. Coren was fine in the car. I was impressed with her behaviour throughout. I returned them to the safe house and went home for some belated sweet corn and meat balls - delicious! It had been another long day.

Fri Feb 15
I am 78! The day started at 5:15, waking for the early morning prayer group. I told them of my joy in having given some basic financial advice to David and Sylvia. Also mentioned the interview with them for next Thursday's Worceester Report. As we were leaving, Hilton mentioned he would like to see me for some financial advice. As I entered the school, the children emerged from hiding places shouting happy birthday and holding home-made birthday cards. I think Tanya had organized all this! She has been the teaching assistant and often the teacher this week. Mella gave me a cushion. At first I said that we really needed extra cushions at home, but then she said it was to put behind my back in the car. I thanked her again - but not with much expectation of benefit. After science (studying the human eye) I brought Janey to the school, and we all had a birthday party, with brownies, crisps and soft drinks. I went home till 12:30, when I returned with L-A to pick up Delivenance and Paula and take them home. The map reference I had setup on Garmin worked, and took us to to their front door. We were earlier than last week, and their parents were not there, but I judged it safe to leave them. Then we went on the the birthday lunch at Nuy, our favourite restaurant. It was once again a relaxing and memorable time, as at previous celebrations. I had sirloin steak and creme brule. L-A had a special cheese salad and no creme brule. From there we picked up Janey at the mall and took her home for our Afrikaans lesson. It was around now that I relized I wasn't in any pain from driving the car, now I had Mella's cushion behind my lower back! Hallelujah! Jan and Joy came over about 5:45 to discuss My Father's House, and I skipped part of it to take three of our girls to the youth evening at church. I am unsure where Britney and her siblings are. Since some of our teens had said she was at Moriah House, I Whatsapp'd Mia. I also texted Mella and told her that the cushion was amazing and could make a major difference. It would have been nice to watch Downton Abbey, but there were several other thngs I had to do in the evening - paying the TD Visa etc, finalizing our latest newsletter - that even on my birthday we both worked till nearly midnight. It had been a long but good day.

Thu Feb 14
A certain amount of Valentine's Day activities at school. Tanya is doing good work as teacher's assistant. Science and music went well. From my lesson report: Teacher played examples of 16 genres of music. The learner’s names were on the whiteboard. Whenever they liked the genre played, a checkmark was put against their name. At the end of the session when 16 genres had been played, discussed and commented on, every one of them had a tick for every learner. A skeptic could infer that they just wanted points on the board. However, the skeptic would have also noticed the genuine enjoyment on their faces as the music played, and they played air violins and trumpets, and, when there were drums, got up and danced. The reason Mella rushes off every morning as I arrive is that she is going to the gym, according to Tanya. At 11 I met with David and Sylvia Delille at Maranatha Church to help them in their financial planning. David had given me some figures for a month's expenses and income, and I had prepared a simple spreadsheet, which I updated with more information now I was with them. Their monthly expenses exceeded their income by ~R1,000 (`CAD 100). He gets a R500 payday loan each month at 30% interest, and the interest is deducted at source from his disability grant. This is a dreadful drain on their cash flow. I outlined their options. This is the kind of work I had envisaged I might be able to do in planning our mission, and now it was happening! When David and Sylvia had heard my initial recommendations, I suggested to them that their situation was extremely common, and they migh be able to help others with a radio interview. I had brought the Marantz and microphone. They readily agreed. When I said we wouldn't use their real names, David said he would be quite happy to do so, but I insisted for privacy reasons, so in the interview they are Bob and Mary. The interview should air 21 February, and is a worthy candidate for our 50th edition. The Worcester Report tonight was a repeat of 15 March 2018 - Interview with Andre van Deventer, Ways to Grow in God 4 with Laurie-Ann, music (trains, rain), and starting with clips from Worcester Unite Corporate Intercession for rain. There just hadn't been a chance to find an interviewee, L-A's boils had taken away her time for preparing WTGIG, and the threat of Load shedding meant that even if we had put a new program together, it may not have gone out on time. Ironically, the repeat program was 20 minutes late in starting because we were engrossed in watching Downton Abbey. This was only the second time we had repeated a show, and the first time we failed to start one on time.

Wed Feb 13
I called the hospital. Veronica was still there and unlikely to be leaving any time soon. I spoke to Veronica and told her not to worry about the children, She told me that she needed her hairbrush and pom pom hat. Without contacting Britney, there wasn't much I could do about that.

Tue Feb 12
Woken up at 6 by Britney playing videos on L-A's phone, so took it from her. For the girls, our fast wifi is like magic. At 7:15 she had found my Mozambican phone and her aunt's (?) Facebook, and she asked if she could use messenger to tell her what had been going on. I gave her a plate of porridge. We were about to leave for her school when she announced she didn't have her socks, so we went to her home. Sadly, her grandfather insisted she not go to school, but look after her siblings. Back home I allerted Jan to the situation. Jan told Child Welfare, and they called me about 11, suggesting we meet in Avian Park at Britney's house, prior to my taking the three children back to our house. L-A was horrified when I told her this, because of her health situation, so I called back Child Welfare and told them we couldn't take them. In Mannikin Street they located Coren (7) and renito (4), Britney's sister and brother, but neither they nor I could find Britney. They found places with Avian Park families for Coren and Renito.
This week we are being hit by serious load shedding right across the country. Ramaphosa publicly criticized Eskom, while other organizations criticized him for suggesting in his SONA that Eskom would be split into 3 separate entities. The unions freak out if there is any suggestion that Eskom solve its problems by retrenchment (lay-offs). Around 4 I went to Western Cape Blood Services. It was now just over 3 months (the required interval) from my last donation. I filled in the complete medical form - this has to be done on every visit. They took a tiny blood sample from my finger. A few minutes later they told me I would not be able to donate because my iron level suggested I am anaemic. I was shocked. I have had good iron in my blood always, and I would have been OK 3 months ago. They offered to take a sample from my arm and have it analysed in depth and I readily agreed.

Mon Feb 11
5 am: 13 year old Britney's mother's boyfriend attacked the mother (Veronica) with a knife, putting her into the emergency ward, but not life threatening. Britney heard the scream, found a neighbour who called the police (didn't come). and then called an ambulance.
After school I picked up L-A for her (our) appointment with Dr Eric. He prescribed another blood test for L-A to establish for certain that she does not have diabetes. I asked Eric about the new pain in my butt and leg whenever I was driving, and the fact that I can no longer pull my right knee up to my chest, or put on my right sock without pain. He got me on the couch and tested my leg strenght in various directions. His verdict was that this was more likely associated with my hip replacement than my back problem. I told him I would get X-Rays in Canada in June. Meantime, my anti-inflamatories and pain killers will have to suffice. A hip operation in South Africa would bankrupt us - no travel insurance for pre-existing conditions.
Took 3 YWAMers and Soraya to the Mailbox Clubs. They only saw 3 in action, but I later saw Marsha's with about 10 students again! It was at Chantelle's group where Britney told us about her mother. I said I would return at 4:30 and take her to see her mother. This I did and Chantelle and Anthonica tagged along for moral support, but we didn't arrive during visiting hours, so they wouldn't let us in. So we went to McDonald's for 5 cheeseburgers (two for Britney's sister, Coren (7), and brother, Renito (4)). At 7 I returned to pick up Britney and take her to see her mum in the Worcester hospital. Coren and Renito had been taken in by neighbours. We found Veronica wandering outside, between locations, carrying two bags of blood, and I didn't recognise her - in shock and gaunt. We were told to come back in 15 minutes, when we saw her in her bed in the emergency ward. She was withdrawn and uncommunicative. We left after 20 minutes and I took Britney to our house for the night. She got a hot bath, a fish dinner and as much TV as she wanted before she turned in on the sofa bed.

Sun Feb 10
3 girls to church Cell group - Tanya came L-A sent our newsletter

Sat Feb 9
L-A had been constipated three days and very early this morning we used a micro enema to loosen things. She has also developed new boils on her upper body, which is concerning. I called Dr Eric's office and made an appointment for Monday morning. I went to Brandvlei and conducted the session on evil. On the way home I went to the water refilling shop, and in addition to our regular water bottle, brought back two bottles of their apple juice. At 2:30 I picked up Juliana at YWAM (Regiane unable to join us) and brought her home. Then I picked up 5 of the girls and brought them home. Soon they were tucking into ham or peanut butter sandwiches, washed down by the new apple juice, which they like. Laurie-Ann taught them on praying for the sick (her in this instance, which we did), and I taught them some of the things the Bible says about money. As they were having snowball cake and fruit, I put on the Jesus Film, and it captured their attention. We watched for about 25 minutes - to be continued. The whole session went well. We all got into the car, and one of the girls asked about Soraya. So when we reached YWAM, Juliana went to fetch her. It was a happy reunion, and she may be joining us on Monday to see how her proteges are getting on in the field.

Fri Feb 8
Second day this week to get up at 5:15, this time for the pleasure of the early morning prayer group, and it was. Louis had a box of grapes for everyone. Yesterday I had bought four higher quality mechanical pencils for the learners and I gave them out at the beginning of class. Some of the previous ones were functional, but most were nasty (and they had been cheap). The kids were very happy. The science experiment was popular - seeing what happens when you focus the sun's rays on newspaper with a magnifying glass. Back in the classroom they were eager to use their new pencils, so we wrote up the experiment this morning instead of taking two days. Took Paula and Delivenance home into a remote part of Zweletemba. Couldn't be found on GPS, so their mum and dad rendezvous'd with us at Shoprite and showed us the way. This is a new routine for Wednesdays and Fridays since Atwell's father pulled him out of school when he fully understood the fees, and he had been transporting Paula and Delivenance as well as Atwell. We should be able to find the way there next Wednesday.

Thu Feb 7
It turned out that because I wasn't able to bring Janey to school yesterday, she never got there, and Mella stood in for her. It also turned out that the children's transport was an hour late. Mella had persuaded the church to let the children wait, without one of us teachers, but they were still waiting when the school needed to close. These two events galvanized me into doing something about the problem of school transport. First I confirmed the updates to the school timetable with Mella now that Janey was teaching Maths, Afrikaans and some Abacus. I updated the timetable and will post a paper copy in colour in the school tomorrow. I called Janey and offered to transport her on a regular basis for about half of her trips. She has a friend called Catherine who will share this load. In the case of Mon - Wed and Fri I will collect her each day after science. Since Mella has asked me to take Paula and Delivelance home to darkest Zweletemba on Wednesdays and Fridays, the Mercedes will be feeling like a taxi, except it won't get paid! Heinrich arrived at 3 as agreed and he and I chatted about the kind of mission work we have been doing. At 4 we picked up Matheus with his barber kit, and Regiane. In the Hospice reception, a nurse took Matheus to one of the men who needed a haircut, and the rest of us got started in the women's ward. Half way round it I asked Regiane and Heinrich to take over and went to the men's ward and took some pictures of Matheus at work. It may be a side job for him but he looked every bit the professional. I returned to the women's ward. Soon thee three of us were back in the men's and Matheus was working on another patient. After that, a third - with two nurses in attendance since this one had tubes up his nose. We reached the last of the patients as they were being served supper, and we spoonfed one of them who couldn't feed himself. I took more photos of this special day in the hospice Our Worcester report with Maretha Hofmeyr came together well, with music she would like, and a good picture of her for the podcast.

Wed Feb 6
Rang our alarms for 5:15 and were on the road by 6 to pick up Tanya at Cape Town International Airport. So good that L-A was well enough to come, because my leg pain might have needed another driver. I took a couple of extra Tramacet before we left, but they didn't cut in till we reached the tunnel. Up till then I grimmaced and bore it. Andre called and asked if I could take Janey to school; I told him I was in Cape Town. Tanya was at the rendezvous, Woolworths, as pre-arranged. It was great to be reunited with her after several months. We stopped for a nice breakfast at DuKloof Lodge. Dropped her off at Mella's where she will be staying. I had no pain on the return trip, or for the rest of the day. Although I could have joined in our Wednesday ministries, I had made arrangements to be covered, so I left them in place and and enjoyed the luxury of having plenty of time for do-list tasks at home. After having prepared the GNiTM archive broadcast yesterday, I managed to forget to run it till 9:10, when L-A rmeminded me. This was the first time I had forgotten one of our programs, and hopefully the last time.

Tue Feb 5
It was sunny for the first time for some days, so at last I could do the experiment showing radiant energy absorbed more by a piece of black plastic than a piece of white plastic, which I had put off from last week. Mella mentioned casually she had delegated Ronel to teach science the next morning. As I showed the kit to Ronel she admitted she had never in her life played with a construction toy. She said she would take it home and practise tonight. L-A and I were back at school for art at 1. As I set up the audio-visuals I noticed that the adapter Mella was using to allow the US standard projector to be plugged into South African sockets was very loose, with the possibility that one of the children could kick the power cord and the projector would lose power instantly, which is very hard on projector bulbs. So we were extra careful. The lesson went well, learning about and drawing shapes like ovals and rhombi. At the end I was diligent in following Mella's intruction, which I had stuck on the wall, for doing various actions before going home. One of them was taking the garbage down to the kitchen. Unfortunately Gary had not done anything about my suggestion for getting more black garbage bags, the previous supply having been used up. I couldn't take the garbage to the main bins outside because the church back door was locked and none of the staff was around. So I emptied our bin into a container out on the street. In clearing up I found the Meccano kit lying on the floor some distance from where I had left it, and certainly not taken home by Ronel. It did not appear to have been opened. I wondered how science would go the next morning, but I didn't worry because it wasn't my problem. Eventually the various tasks were done and the classroom was tidy. When the children had been collected, I took L-A home. After a quick bite, I went out shopping. I found the right kind of electical adapter in 'Computer Mania,' and black garbage bags in Pick n Pay. I delivered these to the school before closing time because I wouldn't be there tomorrow. We went to bed quite early because we would have to leave for Capetown by 6 am.

Mon Feb 4
Lois was in class when I arrived, and so was a new lady, Ronel. Now we have two teaching assistants! In preparation for Mella building a Meccano car on Wednesday, science this morning consisted of breaking down the race car I had built on Saturday, and then putting it together. The boys had more aptitude than the girls, particularly Seth. My motive in this is to spot potential engineering talent. Delivenance and Paula had never unscrewed anything, but they learned. Sinegugu announced this was a boring game. Paula was more interested in the magnifying glass which I needed to read the instructions on the box, some of which were right. By the end of the lesson we had built the front of the car. I left it and all the parts in the box for Mella. She arrived shortly after and I expressed surprize she hadn't been there to see how to do it. I picked up Matheus and Regiane from WYAM and we were at Jamelia's house by 10 to 3. Bella wasn't able to come. At Tinktinkie there were about 8 children already waiting. Matheus and Regiane took photos. After a prayer we moved on to 82 Pelikan St where I hoped Marsha would be premiering our brand new Club, #5. She was indeed, under a tree in her back yard. She had the attitude of an experienced teacher - and I could see that the children had been taking in her every word. She had found these children and invited them to come to learn about Jesus. She had no food to offer then as an enticement. I played some songs for them and they enjoyed that. We moved on to the other groups. All 5 groups had children being taught by their youthful teachers. Our friends from WYAM were seeing the potential offered by The Mailbox Club, with children teaching children. And I was happy to show them what the Holy Spirit had been up to. We went home via Marsha's, and she now had 10 children of 8 or older plus a few younger siblings. It was awesome. Thank you Jesus - from the bottom of my heart. Who would have thought that Marsha, who came to us half way through the training, probably stole some bottles of wine from our house, and probably stole some money from our car the previous Saturday, had taken up the challenge to spread the Gospel. It taught me not to exclude people because of bad habits. I had not forgotten the time a few months ago that Marsha rescued a young girl hit by a bicycle on the sidewalk and made sure I took her to her home. On our way home Matheus and Regiane came to our house, and he signed a voluteer form for the hospice so that he (an amateur berber and a professional professor of theology in Brazil) could cut a patient's hair when we go to the hospice on Thursday. Back home dropping them at YWAM I noticed I couldn't read the key parts of the form he had signed because it was in cursive scrawl with no redundancy. I Whatsapped him for his surname. Strange how bright people don't understand that there is a reason why things like names should be written in capitals. Well, all this will be dealt with when I write my book on redundancy.

Sun Feb 3
L-A had set her alarm for about 7, because she truly wanted to get to church this morning. Unfortunately she was very tired and didn't get up then. When she did get up she couldn't find her hairbrush. It was in a drawer where she had hidden it from prying children. These delays meant that she wasn't ready in time for me also to pick up the girls who wanted to come to church, so in the end I went alone, as in the last few weeks when she was in too much pain. There were 3 of our girls, plus Cay-Lene, who had come to our house once for a training, and one of Jamelia's brothers, Germaine, who came. I sent them in ahead of me while I parked the car on the north side of Russell. When I arrived, they had found a parental consent form to allow them to join a Kinderkerk visit to a care centre. Chantelle knew my phone number (it took me several months to remember it) but not my signature, so I was necessary. I was impressed that they had found all this out. As we reached our seats, they near the front on the LHS and I in translation row, Johan and Marie arrived, and introduced me to Heinrich Neufeld. He is a young missionary friend of Patrick Pilorz, our Harvest School 24 friend. Johan Schoonrad passed by and welcomed Johan and Marie warmly. After the praise and worship, the girls and boy went on their trip. Next in the service is a time when people who have received words of knowledge go to the front and give them. Among 4 word-givers were Johan and Marie, exhorting us not just to sit on our backsides, but actively participate in the fight for the Kingdom. Johan (Schoonraad) then preached on grace, and the suggestion that we think of grace as a person. It was quite intellectual stuff, and he preached in English. Towards the end he asked the church's main prayer leaders to come to the front, and specifically invited Johan and Marie. So they had quite a role in the service. Heinrich and I spoke about ministry opportunities we could offer him, and settled on 3pm Thursday when he would come and chat with me at home, after which he would come to the hospice. He was happy with this, and would be using one of the Father's House vehicles to get here. They were still ministering at the end when I needed to go and look for the children. I was hovering near the gate when Germaine appeared and took me to them, gathered around the car, which they must have spotted when they were on their trip. They had all clearly enjoyed talking with the elderly folk in the care centre. I was feeling generous so although they were five I said we would go to McDonald's for burgers. They asked for cool drinks and I agreed to that but I made it clear there wouldn't be anything else. So they each got a cheeseburger and a small Fanta. When they were finished I asked if they would like to go our to the pay structure at the back, and they were very keen. They had a great time - though I read a notice that said it was only for children up to 12. Then they started bugging me for ice cream cones, and I firmly said 'No.' At one point I was waiting in the car and all of them except Germaine were sitting by the McDondalds entrance refusing to move. But I was determined, having spent R162 on them, and eventually they came. They tried to get me to buy them R2 suckers (ice lollies) but I needed them to understand that I will say 'No' and mean it from time to time. When I got home I checked the McDonald's bill and noticed that the burgers had been R90 but the Fanta had been R60! I won't be getting pop at McDonald's in quantity again. In the evening it came to me why they had demanded the ice cream. In their family cultures to have money in your pocket means you must spend it. What else would you do with it? They assume I would feel the same. The idea of not spending what you have in your pocket seems crazy to them. At no time have they ever heard of the idea of saving the money so you have it available another day when your needs may be more acute. The concept of saving it for the medium or long term future has never been suggested to them. One result of this is that you will often see them walking down the street eating crisps/chips or other unhealthy foods in small packages. No one in Avian Park buys anything in large pachages. I called Maretha Hofmeyr, the most well known of Hooggelegen residents, and asked if I could interview her. She said yes, Monday at 8. In the evening L-A invited me to watch Downton Abbey, starting at the beginning. It was surprisingly enjoyable, even after Victoria. We have a new way to relax together. She has seen it all before, but I haven't seen any of it.

Sat Feb 2
In Brandvlei, in addition to Alpha, I showed the men my video of Alex and Kaysha's wedding. I like to give them a taste of normal life outside jail. The were very attentive. The video was 'How to make the best of the rest of my life.' Thandeka seemed down, so I prayed for her when everyone was gone. Some colleagues had been less than friendly and she felt humiliated. It seems bullying is not limited to children in school. At 2:30 I picked up Juliana and Regiane at YWAM and brought them to our house, and then went and fetched the children. Only Bella was unable to come, and the other 7 all squeezed in. They were glad to be coming back to Hooggelegen. They made friends instantly with Juliana and Regiane. We had the best praise singing yet from them as L-A cut the sandwiches. The main thing I covered off was that we were starting Club #5 on Monday at Marsha's house with Britney helping. I also reviewed the 2 commandments not to steal and not to covet. At the latter there was some verbal commotion and embarrassment from Anthonca, relating to a boy called Wilbur Classen. I am going to guess that he was now Anthonica's boyfriend, but had been someone else's. Later I checked him out on FaceBook, and he looked OK (ie not like a gangster in the making.) The afternoon was a success. I think our YWAM friends liked what they saw. I have an unterior motive: introducing them to the Mailbox Club and its excellent materials. Mella asked me what she should teach in science next Wednesday when I was picking up Tanya at the airport. After I had listed several options, she chose building a racing car with Meccano. So tonight, for practice, I got out the box I had bought before Christmas and set to work making Meccano for the first time in 65 years. It took me about 90 minutes. Would have been less if some of the instructions on the box had not been plain wrong.

Fri Feb 1
Early morning prayer was good as usual, and I only had to walk a few yards to Louis' house. Back home after I did some significant catching up before school. Mella was there but didn't bring up the subject of my misdemeanour yesterday.

Thu Jan 31
During the science lesson this morning, Seth, who was sitting next to me mentioned quietly in an almost casual tone "I wish I had never been born." Ponder that for a moment, in a 6 year old. I quietly replied, "Seth, why on earth would you say that?" His reply was even more shocking: "Because I'm boring." Now Seth is anything but boring. He always has a smile, and he's a young 'life and soul of the party' type. One can only imagine that either a parent has told him that, or another child, and it has landed on him like a curse. Bullying. This reinforces the fact that parents must encourage their children, and teachers must be super-vigilant against verbal bullying by children, which I have always felt is an expression of original sin. Sadly, in the township communities, parent are more likey to curse their children, scarring them for life. At my age 78 (in two weeks) I can remember similar things told to me by my father, imprinted on my memory. I had told Mella that I needed to leave school at 10:05 in order to get L-A to her colonoscopy by 10:30. Mella had said she would be in by 10:15, so I left at 10:05, and we were at Dr Botha's clinic in time. L-A had her gastroscopy and colonoscopy performed by some very caring nurses + Dr B. She was done in about an hour. I settled the hefty bill, which should be covered by insurance. I got down to recording a talk about
shower plumbing and shampoo for the Worcester Report. At 3:46 I picked up Matheus and Regiane - a third YWAMer seeking practical experience - and we drove to the hospice. The visit went well, though Matheus was reticent to pray. At first they prayed in Portuguese, but by the end were in English. As we went home, Matheus said that he was a barber and could cut the patients' hair as they ley in bed. At home I called the hospice, and they seemed OK with it, and e-mailed me a volunteer form for him. Mella e-mailed very annoyed that I had left the children unattended at the school, 'placing their lives in danger.' and Nicky Rabin the drama teacher had found them alone. I countered by offsetting some of the blame to her for not being explicit when I had said I would leave at 10:05. The Worcester Report had a max of 6 other than us listening live until my rant about showers when it dropped down to us only. I checked Whatsapp and saw that Carlo had left a message in Afrikaans about tomorrow's meeting. Using Google Translate I decyphered his message - could the meeting be somewhere other than his house because he was called away. So I used Google translate and said, "Ja, ek sal graag gasheer wees solank ek nie eers die eerste plek moet skoonmaak nie!" However, Louis replied shortly after offering his house.

Wed Jan 30
Today L-A must fast from most things including all her meds in preparation for a colonoscopy and gastroscopy tomorrow morning. So it was very tough for her, not so much from hunger but from pain all over. At 11:30 I visited Pastor Mario Milhomem from YWAM at his home near OK Foods to be introduced to Matheus and Juliana and their two children, recent DTS graduates on outreach looking for experience. We agreed they could join us in several ministries, beginning with the hospice. My music class was teaching a second scale, D major, and ending with making a recording of piano, glockenspiel and 3 tamborines playing C major. Mella had asked me to clear the second room for Nicky to do her drama class tomorrow morning, but I did it today after music. To make room for the furniture from that room, I decided to do what I had asked Gary to do months ago, remove the broken cupboard beside the stairs. Basicly I tossed it down the stairs which broke it into four pieces of chipboard, and these I dumped in the corridor plus the contents of the cupboard, All Gary would have to do now would be carry it out to the garbage. Janey sat with Sinegugu waiting for her transport while I did that, and I finished before Sinegugu's ride turned up. He hadn't been told that school ends at 1:30 on Wednesday. So after dropping off Janey I didn't have time for any lunch before going down to Riverview. Kevin was there, and I said to him I wished it was the last time I had seen him (which was in Yzerfontein) but he laughed because the meaning could be interpreted as that I hoped not to see him again! After praise songs, Kevin gave the children a talk. Lois from Ywam cut up a loaf from Daly Bread with Kevin's pen knife, and made peanut butter and banana sandwiches. Apparently this is a delicacy in the US, but many of the children didn't like the look of it here. I ended up giving some of the sandwiches to some labourers across the street. David Delisle Whatsapped L-A to say he wanted to postpone the meeting with me this afternoon until Sylvia could be present, and she was currently in Cape Town. In the late afternoon, L-A offered to edit the interview we had recorded yesterday. Unfortunately she was unable to suck the file into Adobe Audition. We have had this problem before - the Marantz makes files that are corruped and can't be edited, but will still play. So I set it playing, re-recording it with the AR Wizzard. I finally had time to get down to CWCP-GNiTM, but had to do the whole job on the LH computer while the RH computer was busy. It worked out. Turning briefly to my own health, I've had less pain in the last 24 hours and I think it is since I switched back to Exinef. But on the negative side, I have been getting pain when driving, which I never had before. In the past, driving was something I could do confidently and it would take away pain! Is this pain caused by the out of position cartilage in my lower spine, or is it even possibly from my hip replacement? My only recourse is to take more Exinef if I will be driving for any length of time, such as next Wednesday when I'll be picking up Tanya at the airport.

Tue Jan 29
This was Laurie-Ann's first day back at school, teaching art, and it went very well. She introduced them to a fundamental art concept: line. So they drew many varieties of line. Delivenance, the youngest, who can't read or write, was able to participate fully. Janey, who had taught Afrikaans before lunch waited thoughout the class so I could take her home afterwards. We went to the police department security office and had our fingerprints taken and signed the Brandvlei forms to renew our security clearance for another year. I called the Mayor's office and reached Neil Mercuur, the Speaker at Breede Valley Municipality. he was friendly enough and asked me for an outline of an interview with Mayor Antoinette Steyn. I spent quite a lot of time putting this together, and sent it. I went to Western Cape Blood Services to be told that it was not yet 3 months since my previpus donation. In Canada the interval is only one month. We were relaxing at home about 4 pm, I with a full cup of coffee on the arm of the chair, when there was a knock on the front door. I looked up, then sprang up sending my coffee flying, when I saw that three of our Mailbox Club girls and one of the boys in a class were outside the door. They had come to see how Laurie-Ann was, and had sweet-talked Cosmos into letting them in the gate! After the initial surprise, it became a very nice 40 minutes, and they did cheer her up. I gave them water but no food. I drove them home, and at the gate they all got out and prayed for Cosmos! This was special. On the drive home I said 'No' to a request for food. This was hard to do, but I don't want them to believe that they can walk here any time and be fed. It could turn into a regular stream from Avian Park. L-A suggested that in view of the uncertainty of this week's CWCP interviewee, I should interview her about teaching art to children, which I did. I put all the data David Delisle had given me on his finances onto a simple income and expenses spreadsheet. His expenses exceeded income by more than R1000 in that month. I thought it might be possible, after going through the figures with David, to interview him anonymously for CWCP and produce a cautionary tale for many local people whose expenses are more than their income, introducing them to the concept of tracking both on a daily basis, which in itself will reduce those expenses.

Mon Jan 28
At 2pm L-A had a follow up appointment with Dr Eric, and I accompanied her into his office. No sign if diabetes, some anemia, slightly high cholesterol. He prescribed iron supplementation. He was very pleased with her for losing ~15 Kg, and insisted that continuing progress here would reap great benefits over the long term. In the pharmacy I noticed that he had prescribed regular iron, but at my request they switched it to chelated iron. I didn't spend all those NuSkin trainings for nothing. I like it that the parmacicts here have the option to make minor changes to prescriptions. I also got Exinef for my self instead of Spec Etoricoxin, but this had been agreed with Dr Eric when I was in there. The good news was that neither those nor Tramacet have to be accompanied by food. Since I am being woken up between 4 and 5 am by pain, and that's when I take the meds, this is convenient. We have no interviewee for this week's Worcester Report. I called Sean Waite and he agreed byt said Portia was struggling with dental pain. Nevertheless I went to their house at 5:30 to find no Sean, but Portia clearly in distress from toothache. She invited me to wait for Sean, who had gone out to get food. She went to lie down and I waited. When Sean came, he was suffering form allergies. Clearly this was not a good time for a radio interview, so we will try again when Portia had recovered. As we chatted, Sean gave me pesonal numbers for Mayor Antoinette Steyn, and for Theresa Rossouw at Toeflug. He is very well connected through his Breaking Chains Ministry.

Sun Jan 27
Brought four children to church, including, for the first time, Marsha. Britney's mother was nowhere to be seen, despite what she had said yesterday. I saw David (Delisle) and he gave me a rough list of what he had received and what he had spent in the last month. I told him that I have decided that when adults ask me for money in future, I will only help out after they have given me basic information on their finances, so I can see if there is anything obvious they are wasting money on. Then I gave him R 100, and made an appointment to see him on Wednesday at 4:30. Another great sermon from Johan about Jesus' arrest in the garden. Because we had cell group, I gave the girls cup cakes and crisps with their coffee in Milk and Honey so they wouldn't clamour for more food. After dropping them home I was at 74 Stockenstrom by shortly after noon, and much enjoyed a spirited time with good friends. They all wanted to know how L-A was doing. Spent the afternoon working on Legacy - my audio recording. The process is mentally draining. L-A was writing the next 'Ways to grow in God.' and had me proofread it. I like it a lot when we are together in this cosy house doing our things but being strengthened by the other's presence.

Sat Jan 26
When I arrived at Brandvlei there was no one on duty at the gate, so I went to the other gate and was let in. There was no one in the chaplaincy room, so I tuned my guitar and set up the technology. 20 minutes later Isaak turned up. At first I wasn't sure what he was tying to tell me, but then things clicked into place and I realised they were short staffed and we wouldn't be able to do Alpha. This was clearly quite a big deal for him, but I explained that it was amazing that we had been coming in seven months and this was the first time we were shut out of ministry. He told me that there was a funeral for someone's child, and that would have drawn many staff members. Driving home I detoured to Avian Park to confirm arrangements for this afternoon. First person I saw was Marco (Ruiters), outside the house where he used to live, so he spoke to his mother-in-law and all was arranged. We continued to chat, me the missionary, and he the forgiven murderer. He would love to come into Brandvlei and talk to the men, and he may even have a security clearence. He is going to search around. He is now teaching children in a De Doors school from time to time; the Lord seems to be moving him more towards children's ministry. On the way out I saw some of the other girls, and Britney's mother, who said she was looking forward to coming to church tomorrow. When I got home I realized I needed more copies of the MailBox Club 'Best Friends' Lesson 2 to give out this afternoon. So I drove to Rodlyn's which was shut. The opening hours were clearly marked and they should have been open. I rang the bell. After a while a window in the house opened and a man told me they were closed - it was Saturday! Somehow this undeniable fact had not entered my mind when I decided to come here! Then he asked me what I wanted, and I said 11 copies of two A4 sheets. He said he would ask his wife if she would do them. Soon she came to the door and let me in. She is the Lynn in Rodlyn's, and he is the Rod. I noticed Christian materials on the office wall. He asked me what it was that she was copying. When I said it was the Mailbox Club material, she then told us that several years ago she had been a Mailbox Club mentor! What had started as an interruption to their Saturday off had turned into a communion between Christians. This also meant that a little later when I got to Avian Park I was able to distribute 6 copies of Lesson 2 to each of the four group leaders. If I had remembered it was Saturday, this wouldn't have happened! Mysterious ways again. Getting to Avian Park was a bit of an adventure. Chantelle had called to say she was not in the Park, and that Anthonica knew where she was - would I come and get her. So I picked up Anthonica and Britney, and we drove to OVD, where I had previously dropped off Chantelle on a church day. The girls went in to find her, and I called Chantelle again. She had got a taxi back to Avian Park! So we had wasted our time (and petrol). I asked her to walk to Chrizelle's and tell them we would be late. When we got to Chrizelle's at 3:15 there was no sign of her. So I got started with those present. One thing I told them was the story of Greta Thunberg, 16 year old Swedish campaigner who has mobilized youth in publicity for climate change, and had soken at Davos the day before. (see my Twitter). I want to show the girls how they too could develop a voice to be heard in the world. I had brought extra nice cakes (Gerda's) and they enjoyed them, plus real orange juice instead of concentrate. There was one cake left after 2-each for the girls and one for the others living in the house for their hospitality. I took it with me and gave it to Chantelle with her copies of lesson 2 on my way home. Dr Eric wants to see L-A on Monday. Is this good news or bad? Hopefully it will confirm she is not diabetic, which would add an unknown dimension to her health situation. Together we cooked red beans, russians and rice for dinner. I sent another Whatsapp to David Delisle. I have an idea in mind that I can help him do a simple income and spending chart. I asked him to list his income and spending for the last month. He said he would see me in church tomorrow. I noticed that I have a small boil on my wrist of a similar type to those that L-A had now recovered from. After a major search I found the Traxa ointment, about a minute after L-A had prayed for its whereabouts to be revealed. I had never taken it out of a plastic bag that I had packed it in when I might have been taking L-A to hospital on 18 January. We ate our dinner with a glass of wine, throughout which I was feeling extremely tired. After dinner I forced myself to do the washing up, and then we watched the final episode of Victoria. Very moving indeed. Probably my favourite TV series ever, and that includes Bergen, The Planemakers, The Power Game and Sandbaggers. But it hadn't cured my weariness so I went to bed at 9:30.

Fri Jan 25
I got to early morning prayer about five minutes early, ie 5:40, as did Louis, both of us bearing rusks. I had really been looking forward to it, and as usual it didn't disappoint. How good to commune with men whose faith is rock solid and care so much about the world. Also good to get home and have an hour before the time I normally set my alarm to get busy on various projects. In science we split white light into colours and I illustrated it with the diagram on the cover of 'Dark side of the Moon.' It's coincidental that on the dark side of the moon the Chinese now have an operational presence, with two rovers. I have been posting their progress on Twitter. I designed a flier for the GIG recruiting seminar 20 February using Word, and it looked quite good. I sent it to Bruno with Whatsapp, but since he uses Mac, the formatting was jumbled. However, he could see the content was OK so he suggested I distribute it to the Club as a .pdf, which I did. In the evening we much enjoyed the penultimate edition of Victoria in season 2. L-A feels she won't be well enough to have the children at our house tomorrow. I went to the Hospice around four. What struck me was the several people there close to death. One lady in particular who always manages a smile is now only skin and bones. Several amputees. I contacted most of the children by Messenger to arrange that we meet in Chrizelle's house, as we have for the last two weeks. There was a message on our early morning prayer group Whatsapp asking if someone could bring rusks.

Thurs Jan 24
This was our first opportunity for Laurie-Ann to get the blood test prescribed by Dr. Eric. This must be done after fasting so L-A took no food, drink or medication, making it extra hard to move, but she made it into the car. We were at Pathcare by 7:50, but so were about 7 others. They don't have a 'take a ticket' system, so we couldn't be sure if there would be time. I read my current book, Geoffrey Lay's 'Seeking signs and missing wonders,' about some of the excesses of the 'signs and wonders' churches back in 1998, a detailed study of healing ministry and what one can really expect. The book suggests healing miracles are extremely rare, yet the experience of Iris worldwide would contradict that. There is an analogy with climate change and how much of it is the result of human activity, and how much would have happened anyway. With healing miracles, how much would have happened anyway even if people had not prayed for it. It turned out L-A could have had a coffee without spoiling the test. There was still time for us to drop off the laundry (including three badly soiled sheets), take her home, and get to school. Today in science they would write up yesterday's experiment in their notebooks. But not all of them had notebooks. I gave sheets of paper to Atwell and Delivanance, but after a fairly short while it became clear that neither of them could write or read. Worse, they couldn't draw, so the relevance of notetaking for them would be nil. Seth is actually writing, but very slowly. This was an advance on last term. Both the girls Sinegugu and Paula wrote up reasonable notes with diagrams. Back home, L-A still had diarrhoea, and headaches. This is going to take longer than we had hoped or prayed for. Thank goodness her spirit and determination are strong. Thank goodness also for her i-Pad that provides everlasting mental stimulous as she sits on the couch. One of her friends, Gaets from Ottawa, whom she had met as a MAP volunteer years ago had read on L-A's Facebook that Andrea Bocelli would be performing in Paarl in April. L-A had bemoaned the prices, way out of reach. But Gaets had offered to pay for L-A's ticket, to give her a real night out! At 5 pm I went to Pierre Rogers' house, next door to the 19th Hole Golf Villa to pick up a Breede Chem wall-mounted perspex bracket, two dispensers, and 1 litre bottles of shampoo and body wash. This is the best shower dispenser I have ever seen, with labels in large letters that one can read in the shower without glasses. It is more than a year since we had used one of these when we stayed in the 19th Hole Golf Villa. I spent some hours on producing The Worcester Report, and ended up including the wedding vows from last Saturday. L-A had done 'Ways to Grow in God,' so we were back on track. And Riana's interview was exellent. There were 4 people listening live when the show aired, plus us, and they stayed listening till the end. Usually there is only one other listener. I started the broadcast exhorting our listeners to tell others about the show.

Wed Jan 23
I started Science with Day one of Creation, from Dr Jay L Wile's excellent book, Science - in the beginning. This is my third time starting the course. I love this book because it unashamedly ascribes to God the credit for His creations. It would be banned in most state schools in the West. I asked if anyone was afraid of the dark. No one admitted it. We went to the small kitchen and I turned off the lights. They started to howl. When they were quiet, I spoke the opening words from Genesis in a sonorous voice, and as I said "Let there be light" I turned on the light. They enjoyed that and asked for it a second time. Then with a torch and my shaving mirror I showed how a light beam can be reflected. Back upstairs we spent the rest of the lesson talking about light and reflection. I took home one of the hula hoops and glued it, leaving it to dry jammed in front of the 'fridge. I recorded Chaper 4 of Legacy. I was in competition with some workers on a neighbour's roof with something sounding like a chain saw. I was back at school for the music class at 12:30, armed with 'instruments' capable of making musical sounds. I started by drawing a sound source on the whiteboard, with a sound wave flowing from it to an ear. I put various things as sound sources: a bell, the marimba, two Appletizer bottles with different amounts of water in them, the yellow sports whistle. In each case I added different frequency sound waves to the whiteboard. Then, my piece-de-resistance, a string bass constructed from our oldest suitcase, our broom handle, and yellow cord. I got Sinegugu to film several learners playing the bass. Finally I introduced the keyboard, and as Sinegugu played the scale of 'C" I added sound waves. The purpose of all this is to teach them both science and music, and why we have different instruments. For the third time I heard a car alarm, and worried it was mine, went downstairs, where I saw outside Atwell's father, come at 1 pm as I had asked him. Mella hadn't told him it was 1:30. However I had already covered the key material, so I brought down Paula, Atwell and Delivelance so he could take them home. We need a written chart for parent showing them the time school ends each day. it confuses me so no wonder they roll up at the wrong times. I then continued with Sinegugu and Seth, introducing them to the idea of composition. At 1:30 we were waiting in the school lobby, but their parents didn't show up till 2, reinforcing my point made above. I went home and had about 20 minutes before leaving for Riverview. The group was more of less the same as last term, except (big exception) the thee rasta-style boys who we all enjoyed so much had gone to Cape Town. There were two recent YWAMers, Lois and ?, who was making a video with a GoPro camera. Mella summarized her teachings on the armour of God, asking everyone to remember them all if they wanted a treat at 4 pm. Shoes of peace, belt of truth, helmet of salvation, breastplate of righteousness, sword of the spirit, shield of faith, and all of these covered in prayer. I made a very determined effort, and there, I can remember them! This kind of thing I find incredibly difficult, as do some of the children, so I relate. At 10 to 4, the special treat, some Korean food, had not turned up and I excused myself. David Delisle is Whatsapping L-A and saying he needs help. She replied that he should contact me. When he didn't, I whatsapped him. He says he is in dire financial straights and would I come. I said it wasn't possible today. At 6 pm we had a long-awaited GIG meeting for the Worcester #1 Club at Jan's. There were only five of us. We need more members so the first thing we will do is have a recruiting seminar at our next meeting Wednesday 20 February, and I offered to design a flier.

Tue Jan 22
At school we had 5 children - Sinegugu (8), Paula. (8), Atwell (6), Seth (6), and Delivelance (5). Seth is the only one who was here before. I gave them a mechanical pencil each, and pinned name tabs on them. After the class I went shopping for additional school supplies, fruit, etc, and wound up at Janey's at 11:30 to take her to school to teach Afrikaans. Janey gave me a small and simple marimba, thinking it might be helpful in music class. I was back at school at 12:20 to deliver L-A's art class. Janey congratulated me on my way of teaching. So nice to receive encouragement! I wanted to find out what art skills, if any, they had. First I asked them to draw and colour either a coke can, or our toy Pakistani taxi, or anything else they would prefer to draw. Both girls showed talent. The boys just wanted to play with the Pakistani taxi. Wary that 'play with' in their culture actually would mean destructive testing, I watched very carefully, and it survived. I brought all the art home for L-A to examine. Powertime replied to my query re data packages on MTN that there were no recurring data packages, so I bought R10 of phone data for Jamelia and Bella, and R20 for Moses, who was also asking. I spent quite a while uploading my photos of Alex's and Kaysha's wedding to Flickr, and added some of Marie Fourie's photos to my album. I processed the audios from the reception speaches and added them. They are well worth a listen. I posted the album to FaceBook. I prepared tomorrow's Good News in the Morning production. L-A was up for much of the day, but her carbuncle is still producing liquid (not puss), so she is limited in what she can do. However, she did record 'Ways to grow in God,' so she will be back on air on Thursday after a break of two weeks. I phoned Jan to comfort her for the loss of one of her German Shepherds, Isabel, who had suddenly died of Tick bite fever on Sunday morning. I had fed her each day last week, and had not noticed any symptoms. Now Jan only has the older German Shepherd, Ben, as her trusty guard dog, though Silky's yapping is also a deterrent.

Mon Jan 21
Mella had scheduled a get together at the school prior to the first day of term tomorrow. I had it down for 9 am and was there by then. Thobeka came by and asked when Mella would be in. Tawana's father came in to say that their family was moving to Cape Town tomorrow, so we wouldn't be seeing him again. The idea of giving people a head's up ahead of an event hasn't yet blossomed in the brains of some South Africans! Everything happens in the present. By 9:30 Mella hadn't arrived, and I couldn't reach her on my phone, so I drove to her house and tried phoning again. I must have pushed the wrong button because I reached a stranger. Tried again and reached her loud and clear: the meeting was actually at 10:30. However it was providential I had been there early to see Thobeka and Tawana's dad. At 10:30 I was back at the school for a good discussion with Mella and updates on everything. We are expecting five children tomorrow, only one of whom, Seth, was here last term. He and one other, Delivelance, are only 6, so my teaching style will be changing. Mella had brought back various teaching aids from the States, several of which are relevant to science. She annotated the school timetable I had drawn up last term with changes for this term. On my way home afterwards I went into Vodacom to investigate the long delay on getting me onto a contract. Turned out they needed yet more proof that I would be likely to pay the monthly bill, including the ID of my employer. This mindset reflects the fact that township people here who don't pay in advance, the normal way of funding phone usage, just don't pay, and incur debt which they still don't pay. So Vodacom must go to extraordinary lengths before accepting a contract application, particularly from foreigners. Back home, L-A was up and she made a good point; since we would be out of country for 6 weeks starting 30 May, perhaps it was not a good idea to be paying a phone contract at that time and the likelihood of successfully suspending it was not high. So maybe I should put this project on ice till July.

In the afternoon I visited the Mailbox Clubs. Jamelia and Bella had a good group at Danielia's. Macayla and Chrizelle had split their kids into two and seemed to be getting on well. I led them in praise songs for quite a while; they kept on asking for more. Chantelle was not at her house. Anthonica was there but with no students. She got me to sponsor her R5 in support of her school. Jamelia and Bella asked me for R10 worth of phone data and I said I would send it from my computer using Powertime. I got their phone company, MTN, and numbers. At home I wasn't sure enough of the MTN data packages to go ahead and order at that time; I sent a help message to Powertime. Shortly after 5 I was at Carlo and Riana's home to interview Riana. It went well. In the evening I got down to timetabling, making the changes Mella had indicated. Some things we don't know, such as whether Janey will teach maths. So I printed it in monochrome.

Sun Jan 20
Our nights are definitely more restful than a week ago, though L-A was still not strong enough to come to church. After waking up however comes an increasing challenge: putting on my right sock and sandal (yes I wear sandals with socks having never found a logical reason not to). Even when my pain meds are kicking in, this is becoming harder. I picked up Jamelia, Chantelle and Anthonica - who kept me waiting. I managed to collect signatures from all their parents giving consent for me to drive them for ministry purposes. We got to church a little late. None of them had had any food. They found good seats though the church was pretty full. Pieter-Louis came and asked how L-A was, as did many others. Johan preached on the love of God, using Hosea as a text - unusual. After church I took the three girls for Big Macs without being asked by them. I don't like to think of them being hungry all day. At home I edited my video of the wedding and posted it. I called Riana Van Wyk and thanked her for telling us about 'I raise a hallelujah' which had given L-A a boost when she really needed it. I then asked if I might interview her, mainly about Kinderkerk; she agreed, and we set a date for 5 pm tomorrow. We watched an episode of Victoria, where she and Albert strayed deliberately from their protection squad in Scotland and ended up lost, and staying in a peasant cottage for the night. Very sweet.

Sat Jan 19
My routine of the last few mornings remained - wake between 3 and 5 and take my pills. This morning not only did I feel good, L-A had enjoyed a restful night and was in good spirits. I was on my way to Brandvlei by 8:35. When I got to the chaplaincy room Thandeka was around but the men were delayed for 20 minutes. I gave Ebrahima his attendance certificate. I gave Isaak the film stick with The Shack and Raise a Hallelujah, the Bethel song I showed them last week on it. The men asked after L-A and when I brought them up to date one of them suggested they could write a well-wishing letter to her, which they then did. I introduced the session, and we sang two Holy Spirit songs. Then I gave out copies of my page listing the gifts and fruits of the Spirit, and led a teach-in on them. The one needing most explanation was discernment. Then we watched the video. After that I anointed them all with oil in the sign of the cross, and then led the whole group through the sinner's prayer and some subsequent material relating to what happens next. During this time the presence of the Holy Spirit with us was very strong. All the men, including two for whom this was their first experience of Alpha, were touched by the Holy Spirit giving me the words. Although it would have been impractical to pray with them individually, the normal Alpha way, the group approach worked well here. Thandeka gave me forms to renew our security clearances with the police. This is an annual requirement.

At home L-A had conserved energy by sleeping in, but now she got up. She felt strong enough. She put on her back/red dress and I wore my light grey suit with one of my two ties. We were on our way to a certain field in the middle of nowhere by 2:45. Normally at this time on a Saturday I or we would be meeting out teenage Bible class leaders for taining, and we hoped they had all remembered this wouldn't happen today. When we arrived, there were already quite a few present including a contingent from local farm cottages. There was wind, and a white sheet pinned over the bamboo gate threatened to sail away, but Alesha continually re-fixed it in place. Greg had decided to use his own guitar after all, but my guitar cord, guitar strap, music stand, guitar stand and tuner were all useful. Guitar tuning is not too easy in such conditions. Gradually more and more showed up until the white plastic chairs were mostly occupied. The groom arrived about 4:40, and his bride five minutes later. The ceremony began with a good word from Johan. Greg sang 'You are Worthy of it all' and another song few people knew. Pastor Chris clearly knew the couple really well either from his personal experience or from being briefed. He referred to Alex's traumatic childhood in the Rwandan genocide when he lost many family members. The vows were a lot different from the prayer book, reflecting this couple, and I was able to catch most of them on video. They spoke to some specific characteristics of the bride and groom. The atmosphere of the whole event was unforgettable, and at the end during a laying on of hands by close friends, Johan spoke again, addressing the now-married couple and the congregation with some thoughts on the significance of this day for the community here and in Rwanda.

When people were leaving, L-A told me that she wouldn't have the stamina for the remainder of the wedding day program, so I drove her home. It was great that she had been here for the wedding itself, and nothing had happened that would have required me to take her home immediately. I had parked in the field in case of such an eventuality. We gave a lift back to the road to Greg, and Cheeks who had been taking video, and turned out to be the one who had called me yesterday to see if I could bring the pizza. L-A got home still in a good state. There was a message from Frog thanking us - he had received the money. I took my tie off. and returned, this time to Pomegranate, for the evening reception. I had missed the afternoon reception for the farm kids and families at Vinkrivier. The scene was a magical display of lights as I walked towards the guests in the barn. The evening consisted of dinner with wine, and then some speeches. Alex spoke very well with touches of humour. He handed out gifts to the Fouries and others. People were there from many parts of the world. Because I had arrived a little late, I found myself in a good spot for hearing the speeches, but the lighting was too much of a challenge for my Blackberry flash, so I got few pictures. At the end of the formal procedings, Alesha announced that dancing might be on the agenda. I helped a little with clearing dinner plates, putting quite a large number into a plastic box and then carrying it into the house. This was not such a good idea, since my back is not that strong any more, but I managed it. However, at that point I decided to leave since I shouldn't carry more loads, and I felt a preferance to get back to be with Laurie-Ann. So I don't know if dancing happened. On my way home I listened to Arcade Fire and the Beach Boys with the RPO at a good volume level, and by the time I arrived was invigorated again. L-A was OK.

Fri Jan 18
This morning there was improvement. She was a far more agile getting out of bed, and when she did, the carbuncle had not produced puss overnight! For the first time in two weeks she put on underwear with pads in case of puss. Unfortunately she had a sudden bout of diarrhoea. It was now 9 am and I had an appointment with Dr Eric at 10. Instead of taking her to emergency it made more sense to have her in the car with her suitcase packed for hospital, and for me to talk to the doctor. When he had heard the latest situation he said he didn't think being in hospital was the best thing for her. He said diarrhoea was seasonal here and this is the season. Now that she can get out of bed, she should do so and return to spending her time on the couch, which has never caused her muscle pain. He felt she did not need to continue on penicillin. He prescribed more Stilpane (for pain) and Smecta for diarrhoea. He wrote a prescription for comprehensive blood tests to establish beyond doubt the bacteria that had caused the boils and carbuncle, and also to be sure she has not developed any diabetes. He also wants to be kept up to date with progress (or the lack of it). He also gave me a new prescription for Tramacet, saying that if my pain persists I should take more than the two pills a day I have managed on. I picked up the meds from the pharmacy next door (so convenient) and returned to her in the car. She must go to Pathcare for the blood test, but not today because I must get to school. A passing pedestrian had noticed our rear nearside tyre was half deflated. We drove to Caltex and they pumped it up, then we went home. After a coffee I drove to Tiger Wheel & Tyre and they repaired it while I sipped a coffee. They had done this before to the same tyre. Frog Whatsapped to say he couldn't get the money because his brother Carlitos' name had been spelt wrong by Mukuru. Carlitos has the necessary ID for receipt of money. I went on the Mukuru site to the chat line, and after five minutes they a corrected message to Carlitos. At 2:45 I left for the wedding rehearsal. When I arrived at the wine cellar on the Fourie farm where I had thought the wedding was being held, I saw no sign of it. I went back to the gate where I had turned right, and were some men were doing road works. They were able to tell me that the wedding was in a field a little further up the road beyond the wine cellar. I found it, and drove several minutes along a very rough trail designed for 4 x 4 vehicles. The field was surrounded by vines, pregnant with wine grapes, with a bamboo 'gateway' erected where presumambly the couple would stand. No-one else was there. My phone had no signal. I waited 15 minutes and drive back to the Iris mission house were there were a few people. Maggie told me Alex was still in Robertson having a hair cut. Two hours later I returned to the field where about 15 were gathered, including Greg, the guitarist from Hermanus. We compared the sound of his guitar and mine plugged in, and both of us thought his sounded just fine. I said that maybe Kaysha's concept of an electic guitar was a hard rock sound like AC/DC. The two radio microphones that had been provided with the speaker worked fine. Greg usually played seated and had no guitar strap, so he used mine. The betrothed never did turn up for the rehearsal, and Chris, the pastor who would conduct the service tomorrow informed us that the rehearsal would now take place tommorrow at 9:30. I drove home and was relieved to find L-A was continuing to improve. In fact, she felt she might be able to make it to the wedding. I prepared what would be needed in the prison tomorrow for the Alpha session 'How can I be filled with the Holy Spirit.'

Thu Jan 17
Jan Buchanan phoned at about 5 to say she was 20 minutes from home, returning from East London. I said I would go to her house immediately, feed the animals, and be ready to let her in, which I did. Shortly after the beginning of tonight's CWCP broadcast, featuring Godfrey, L-A needed to pee. She had been lying on her front on the bed pretty constantly for two weeks, and because she wasn't moving much had made a unilateral decision not to take her Arthrotec. For the last couple of days, muscles in her back had been very painful when she slowly worked her way off the bed and into the toilet. This evening when she tried to get out of bed to use the toilet, the muscles round her rib cage and in her back put her in unbearable pain. Amid some screaming she did eventually make it. This was very concering to me because I hadn't realized she had stopped taking Arthrotec, and I thought this was a serious new development that was beyond my capabilities to deal with. I believed she should go into the Mediclinic emergency as soon as possible. We posted a message on her prayer supporters page to see if they had any advice and they all recommended hospital. I packed the things she would need into a suitcase. I placed a Tena pad to cover the carbuncle. Then I called Mediclinic. It was about 9 pm. They said that if she came in she would probably lie in a bed till morning and then would see a doctor. Furthermore, if she needed an ambulance I would need to arrange that separately and they gave me the number - 084124. L-A and I discussed this and decided that there was no benefit to her sleeping in a strange bed without expert treatment, and that we would take her in in the morning. She took Arthrotec. In fact she slept through. I posted on the prayer group Whatsapp group that I wouldn't be with them in the morning, and asked for their prayers.

Wed Jan 16
I awoke around 4:30 with my right hip and leg in some pain. I decided that I would take my regular pills now instead of after breakfast, so that firstly I would sleep better for the rest of the night and second I would be more comfortable starting the day. I had an apple and then took the pills. Frog called from Pemba to say that he was out of hospital. However he has a major challenge to pay his school fees in a lump sum for the coming year and buy school uniform items. He is 19 but had returned to school. He has two more years there to earn an education certificate which is pre-requisite to getting any kind of real job. The total amount he needed was about 1400 MZN, or equivalent to $37; not a huge amount for us, but way out of his reach. It didn't take us very long to decide to send the money, so I re-acquainted mystelf with the not-user-friendly Mukuru, and was able to take the money from my on-line FNB account. He has other challenges after his mother's death. She had been renting the house where they lived (which L-A and I had visited in Pemba), so now he is homeless. He will have to scrounge around for accommodation and money for food. The fact that he placed his education as more important that these things endeared me to him, and I knew we should help.

Tue Jan 15
It's one week before regular school starts. I have enjoyed being less driven by my calendar, but something in me wants to get back to a more vigourous routine. I have been able to catch up on many outstanding actions. We had a great holiday trip, thanks entirely to Laurie-Ann who as organized every holiday we have ever had. The only blight has been L-A's health; primarily severe allergic reactions to something in the environment, and her personal plague of boils and the carbuncle, something I wouldn't wish on an enemy, if I have one. For her today was same new, same new, as between us we battled the seemingly endless stream of puss from her carbuncle. At 1:30 I left for Cape Town airport to pick up Andre and Janey. I had concerns about leaving L-A for several hours. Beside her she had our emergency button that would bring medical staff to her aid, and she also had a powerpack for her phone. Their flight was a half hour late. They had had a great time, particularly Nixon, who had swum every day. They were glad to be back in the better air quality and lower humidity of the Western Cape. When I went to pay for my parking, the machines wouldn't read my ticket. I called the parking number and was advised to press the help button on the pay console if the ticket wouldn't work there either. It didn't, but the help botton allowed us out without paying, saving about $15 since we had been there a while. We stopped at the Engen station for chocolate milks, which the Deventers swear is the best thirst quencher, and then proceded home, battling some rush-hour trafic. I was home shortly after seven. L-A had managed to 'hold it in' throughout. After getting her comfortable I went to Jan's to feed the animals. Kaysha phoned to see if the guitarist who was going to play at her wedding on Saturday could use my guitar, because she prefered an acoustic sound to an electric sound, and his acoustic guitar has no pick-up. She had ordered a battery powered amplifier-speaker for the wedding. She invited me to attend the wedding rehearsal on Friday to make sure the technical details were fully checked out. It's Lynn's birthday tomorrow, so I selected a Jacquie Lawson card intending have it ddelivered tomorrow, but I must have missed something because it went out immediately, so I sent an e-mail apologizing for the premature delivery.

Mon Jan 14
I don't feel too good these mornings, but I feel a lot better than L-A. I usually take my pain meds and vitamins (NuSkin Life Essentials and Overdrive) as soon as I have some food in my body, but I sense the benefits are taking several hours to be apparent, instead of 15 minutes. During those hours I have felt 'flu symptoms and lethargy. Today I felt fine by about 1 pm, which is good because I was in Avian Park by 3. L-A needs my help to get to the toilet from the bed, because when she takes an upright position after being horizontal, the puss in her carbuncle tends to spurt out due to gravity. What we hope for but haven't yet seen is a time when there is no more puss to come out. I confirmed with Danielia that her house would be available for the Mailbox Club. At 3 I was taking Jamelia and Bella to Danielia's, and when we got there there were 9 children ready for their class! I decided to have some praise singing at the beginning of their class, and set up my guitar and amp while the new attendance sheet was being completed. The children - learners and teachers - all loved the singing and sang lustily. They then got started on 'Best Friends' I then left and drove to Mannikin. It was now around 3:30 and Chantelle had joined forces with Anthonica with about 9 kids. Again I led them all in music and they too had a great time singing. Chantelle and Anthonica told me they needed school supplies and had the Walton's discount forms offering 25% off. They thought the forms meant the supplies were free. I told them I would come back around 4, and went on to see how Chrizelle and Macayla were getting on. Macayla was teaching about seven children, who were clearly engaged. There wouldn't be time for music, so I prayed with them and returned to Mannikin. Neither Chantelle now Anthonica had their signed parental consent forms, and I could have used this as a reason not to take them out of the Park. But I didn't, and soon we were at Waltons. I realized this would cost us, but I felt that it could give them both a good start in school, so it was like an investment in their education, which both of them take seriously. So I let them gather up what they wanted. They were very happy and grateful, and we did get the discount. After returning them to their homes, I got back to L-A to make sure she was OK before going out to feed Jan's animals.

Sun Jan 13
L-A unable to come to church. I watched Brian Houston, then drove down to Avian Park. Picked up Jamelia, Anthonica, and for the first time Veronica, Britney's mother. First thing she did was tell me they had no food in the house. Chantelle and a friend with a baby wanted a lift to OVD, a housing complex where they have relatives. The church was full and I couldn't even see where my guests were. After worship, Jamelia and Anthonica went to the Sunday school, and Veronica stayed to listen to the sermon. It was a unique (to my memory) study of the similarities between the life of King David and the life of Jesus. Watch it here. It ended with a plea to us all not to wait till we are perfect to spread the Gospel. You may be divorced, bankrupt, but you can still tell others about Jesus. After coffee and quiche in Milk and Honey, where I gave Veronica R30, I took them home. They wanted iced lollies, which at OK turned out to be chock ices, and chips for Veronica. In the afternoon L-A suggested watching an episode of 'Victoria' lying on the bed. After 15 mins my back wasn't in good shape, and I wondered how she was able to lie like that all day reading her iPad. We did watch, and appreciate Victoria, which was focussed on the Irish potato famine, and the objections of parliament to giving them relief, since most of them were papists. This was most upsetting to the queen, who strongly advised her prime minister to be charitable, and he was.

Sat Jan 12
After helping L-A with what she needed while I would be out, and just managing to download the YouTube of Raise a Hallelujah, I drove to Brandvlei, on the way picking up a hitchhiker. Typical conversation: "Hello I can't take you all the way because I'm going to Brandvlei to tell the inmates how much Jesus loves them." Reply from middle aged man with tools - "Jesus must have arranged for you to pick me up. He is so good to me." Honestly, it's hard to find anyone here who doesn't either know the Lord well, or is quite happy to talk about him. People love to be prayed for, and we love praying for them. In the jail, Alrico was on duty making me very welcome. We had been moved next door, where there is more space, and Isaac had made sure I had the A/V techology I am used to. My guitar sounded great plugged into their audio amp and their singing was awesome. After the first two songs I showed them 'Raise a Hallelujah' and they loved it. Then we sang 'Father could you mend me.' 'What does the Holy Spirit do?' was today's video, which talks to our being adopted sons of God. At the end I told them the story of Jan's adoption of Joy. On the way home I stopped off at Avian Park and was able to confirm that we could use Chrizelle's house for our meeting in the afternoon, and was also able to find almost all the girls and tell them. At home I spent the intervening few hours before that meeting being a little stressed about it. How best to deal with the envy? And then I had a nudge from the Holy Spirit to talk about the ten commandments. I found a kid's version of them and printed it off. I arrived at 49 Nightingale where three girls were waiting. They bundled into the car and we went in search of the others, finding four of them. Back in No 49 I began the program with prayer for L-A, and them, then did the paperwork with my copies of the attendance sheets to switch from 'Storytime' to 'Best Friends.' Each club leader got 5 photocopies of Best Friends. At this point Chantelle arrived, so now we had all 8 leaders, which included Marsha and Britney, who I reminded them would start a new club when they have had a little more training. When the admin was done I taught on the Ten Commandments. Saving the best till last, Do not Covet, I explained what coveting was and how some of them had a problem with it; how it included being jealous when something nice happened to someone else. I pointed to my paper and told them that was a sin, carefully not looking at Chantelle. They were all paying close attention, and not even playing with cell phones. I then gave out the (cold) hot cross buns I had buttered (Macayla scraped off her butter) and Pine drink. Then I took some pictures using flash which came out very well, and they of course wanted to see them. Bella is a little camera-shy after losing her front teeth. I foolishly mentioned that two of my favourite pictures were of her when she still had them. When we went outside for some group photos - the first with the whole group - she stood in the background looking away. Strangely this enhanced the overall shape of the composition. Apart from that faux pas by me, I was much encouraged by the meeting and the cooperation they had given me.

Fri Jan 11
I was back at the early morning prayer meeting at Carlo's house, and happy to be there, though only Marius and Hilton showed up. Good prayer; good company. I mentioned colloidal silver when telling them a little about L-A's condition, and Carlo said that it was marvellous stuff, either applied topically or injested. Apparently it was used in the first world war for quick healing of burns and wounds in the days before antibiotics. I am glad I listened to Dis-Chem and Carlo rather than taking too much notice of on-line information about colloidal silver, which is universally negative. It reminded me of on-line information about apple cider vinegar, which Laurie-Ann wouldn't be without. 10 years ago it was said to have no medical benefit whatsoever. Today it is promoted positively on line with multiple benefits. Go figure! Around 9:30 the carbuncle was oozing large amounts of water, puss and some blood, to the extent I had to hold a cloth on it when she walked to the toilet. I put colloidal silver on the carbuncle. Two hours later new smooth skin was in evidence in the central area, and there was no oozing! So at the next opportunity I also put it on the boils on her abdomen, one of which had started to bleed, probably as a result of rubbing on the bed sheet when she painfully got herself down from the bed. We now had two sheets badly soiled, plus all our towels, so I took them to the laundry. I also took a copy of 'Best Friends' to Rodlyn's, and they made 20 copies for R40 while I waited. I had a rest beside L-A from 2 - 3 pm, and then drove to Avian Park to try and organize our Saturday meeting to be in Chrizelle's hour like last Saturday, but her house was locked. The wind was blowing really hard so there weren't too many people on the street, but I spotted Macayla. I told her about L-A and asked if she would speak to Chrizelle to allow us to use her house. A little later I found Anthonica and told her. Apparently her opening days as a prefect at school had gone well. I didn't see any more of our girls so I decided to come by after prison tomorrow. Maggie called L-A and wanted to come over and bring food, but I asked her not to. It would need too much activity (eg dressing) for L-A at this time. So they had a good chat. Chantelle sent a FB message to L-A complaining that I had bought shoes for (her friend) Anthonica. This doesn't bode well for tomorrow's meeting. I replied using L-A's phone and posing as her, ignoring her comment and reminding her about the meeting.

Thu Jan 10
I was in a town somewhere in the South of France on a project with a colleague. The car got stuck in a cul de sac and I walked around to see if there was a way out - yes, but on a long narrow bridge across the bay. I returned to the car to put a large piece of art in the trunk. Scene shifts to several more men in the car and I wasn't driving. Instead of the narrow bridge they find a good road across the bay. We drive until we see the sea shore ahead, and they park on the beach, then walk towards the sea. Who are these men? One by one they turn and walk towards me. I feel nervous. Did they drive down here to kill me? I must take the initiative. I launch myself at the man in front. Next thing I know is a bang as my body lands on the floor beside my bed. But unlike the last time this happened, the cushions I had placed on my bedside table do their job and my head or face are not hit. The dream was very coherent and detailed, like my previous two dreams that knocked me out of bed. I will take a Sedatif PC homeopathic sleeping pill every night instead of every second or third. Don't get me wrong - I have no difficulty sleeping, but these pills, like Noctura in UK and Insomnia in Canada stop me sleepwalking. One result of this episode was that L-A took the opportunity to have a pee (it was about 4:30), which meant she didn't need to at normal waking up time, and was able to stay on her front until mid morning. Riana rang her to find our how she was, and L-A was comforted very much by her care and their conversation. She mentioned that she found worship to be a good antidote to times of difficulty. She had seen a new video from Bethel Music with a song that was inspired by a life-threatening medical issue for a young boy called Jackson, and how the worship leader had experienced a 'giant of unbelief' in his path as they prayed for Jackson, but then the Lord gave him this powerful song, 'Raise a Hallelujah.' Jackson recovered! I immediately decided to play the song as the finale for tonight's Worcester Report, and completed the mixdown. The last few days Cindy and I have returned to communicating, this time on Whatsapp. Apparently she is planning to visit Ghana, so needs to know things like the power supplies there. It's nice to be back in touch. We used to text a lot a couple of years ago and it taught me that texting has some advantages over other forms of communications, particuarly with a good friend. In the afternoon I visited the hospice. I don't remember seeing so many people just clinging on to life. One 37 year old with cancer looked like a skeleton. I prayed that either Jesus take him home, or totally cure him, but the status quo is unnacceptable. His sister was keeping watch in the same private room, and I chatted and comforted and prayed for her. I had messaged Gerhart Strydom yesterday about the next course, 'Best Friends' for the clubs, and he replied saying he had the materials just at 8 pm when The Worcester Report was starting. So I drove down to his school and brought them back. I will need to do some photocopying. The program went out fine, ending with the new Bethel song, Raise a Hallelujah. L-A complimented me on the reading of 'Legacy.'

Wed Jan 9
The pain from the carbuncle means that L-A is spending most of the day on the bed on her front. She can't use the computer for Ways to Grow in God, or for the accounts, and receipts are piling up. Instead of Ways to Grow tomorrow night, I had the idea to broadcast my readings of the start of 'Legacy,' by Jasper Cloete, and he was OK with it. I went to Vinkrivier, arriving about 4:30 before anyone else. Maggie arrived around 5, and the couple whom Kaysha thinks may take over the leadership of the kids' club, Flip and Inge-Lize arrived shortly after, so I had the chance to meet them. Flip went to run a soccer game for the boys, and I joined Maggie for the Alpha course. There were 3 guests including Jenny. Maggie set up the very sophisticated equipment, loaned by Mike. Battery powered everything, projector about the size of 2 cell phones with the video file on an SD card. The loudspeaker was a megaphone style piece of sh*t from a sound quality standpoint, connected with a proprietary mini 3-pin plug, so it would not be easy to substitute a better speaker. We ran 'How can I be sure of my faith?' and I think Lydia and Minmarie caught some of the concepts even if the voice track was very hard to distinguish. Afterwards we drove over to Francolin's (?) house to meet up with Kaysha. Now I have seen two of the farm cottages close up. Frog called from Pemba. He was in hospital with diarrhoea and vomiting, and his mother had died of D & V on Christmas Day. We had met her when we invited them to have a meal with us just outside the base main gate. I comforted him. Later I posted this news with pictures of him and his mother with us on the HS 24 FaceBook. I worked on the Worcester Report, finding a piece of music I had written for the intro and outro of the 'Legacy' segment. It was the beginning of Amptude #1 which I had extemporized on the keyboard back in 1991. If this by any chance winds up on the 'Legacy' audiobook, we won't have to worry about copyright. There's just 7 minutes left to complete the program, which I will do tomorrow. In the evening we watched 'Victoria' with L-A sitting partly on the 'donut' and with our one piece of plastic postioned to stop puss and blood oozing onto the couch. Every time she gets off the bed, pressure increases withing the carbuncle, forcing out more puss and blood. This is a good thing.

Tue Jan 8
Thank goodness I can be home most of the time because L-A needs me. She sometimes comes into the living room, but that is more and more difficult as the carbuncle flexes its muscles. I went to the doctor's office around 10 to collect the new prescriptions, and also got a 'Donut' from Boshoff Orthopedics which in theory should allow L-A to sit down without bad pain. Unfortunately the carbuncle is too close to the bottom of her back for this to work well. I drove to Rodlyn's and found that they do much more than refill ink cartridges, including photocopying. The CRA had sent me an e-mail yesterday suggesting I check my messages on 'My Account.' This is usually a chore and inconsequential so I didn't get round to doing it till this evening. Bear in mind my work on the small amount of my tax rebate on New Year's Day. Imagine my surprize and delight therefore when the message informed me that they had reassessed my return, and had sent an additional $861.98 tax rebate! Lord, thank you. I shared the good news with L-A. Interestingly this is very close to the $846.65 that was due before the end of the year for our Calabogie maintenance fee. Seems like the Lord wanted to soften the blow.

Mon Jan 7
The mornings are bad. Getting out of bed for a pee involves L-A in major pain. The carbuncle is getting worse, and the boils are oozing puss and some water. So getting to the floor from the bed will either hurt her tummy or her backside. I am talking screaming-level pain. The Propolis from Simply Bee that we had bought yesterday was effective in treating the open boils, drawing out puss and watery blood. The doctor had said he would phone when he received the lab repot on the swab from one of her boils. L-A had the good idea that I should interview Jan about the story of Joy for this Thursday. I called Jan and arranged it for this evening after 5. She mentioned that there had been violence near the library in Avian Park, and recommended I call Danielia to see if she thought it safe to hold a Mailbox club there this afternoon. I tried but failed to reach Danielia, so left a message. At 5 to 3 I was at Chrizelle's house, delighted to find that she and Macayla already had about 7 children being taught outside her house. I drove down the street to Jamelia's and Bella's amd neither of them was there. The people who were there didn't know their whereabouts. I called Danielia and left a message that my earlier message was now mute, since we had no teachers for her Club. In Mannikin Street, Chantelle was not at home. Anthonica was there on her own but with no children. What she had was a nicely written letter to me begging for school clothes: shows, socks and a tie. She was now a prefect and on Wednesday school would start. She also needed R30 relating to the first day back. I noticed cigarette butts in the room suggesting that her mother was still smoking, although Anthonica said they were old. I felt for her because she had achieved the prefect status, and clearly had come to me as a last resort. I told her I would be back. I returned to Chrizelle's and got out the travel guitar (it was hot) and led the children in 4 songs. They loved it, and so did their teachers. This was the peak moment of my day. I went back to get Anthonica, and on the way Chantelle saw me and told me she had finished the Mailbox Storytime course with her children. Since she has been the first club to start, this is possible. I drove to Anthonica's house, and of course Chantelle wanted to come. I said no. Anthonica had not, or course, yet had her mother sign the parental permission slip, so I could have refused to take her. I decided to take the risk because the chance of her mother calling the police when she got home from work was small. I drove Anthonica to various stores and bought her the shoes, socks and tie she needed. She wanted a rucksack as well but I refused. I gave her R50. She bought a meat roll and a drink and still had R30 for school. She was actually pretty happy with the shopping trip. The problem will come later where the other girls expect the same. When I got home, Dr van der Merwe had called L-A with the results of the lab test. He prescribed Cloxin, a different penecillin, and I would be be able to collect it tomorrow morning. L-A had also discovered from Diane Blenkiron that colloidal silver could help with carbuncles, and that Dis-Chem sold it. I drove to Jan's with the mic and Marantz and soon Jan was telling the full story of Joy over the last 10 years. I had hoped that Joy herself would answer a few questions at the end, and Jan was able to persuade her! Jan asked if I could feed her dogs, cats, and garden vegetables next week when they are going to Port Elizabeth. Finally I brought her up to date with the Mailbox Clubs including today's shopping trip with Anthonica. Jan mentioned that I shouldn't have been out alone with her according to YWAM guidelines. We relaxed with Victoria.

Sun Jan 6
My alarm was set to 4:45. L-A was determined to make this trip and subjugated her pain. She managed to get out of bed and wash herself with my help. We had something to eat - mainly to allow us to take morning medications. Chantelle had confirmed that she was with Vodacom. I say she, but it is almost certainly her mothers phone that needs data. I sent her about 300 MB from Powertime. By 5:50 we were on our way to Andre and Janey's house. At 6, Nixon, Andre's guide dog, came out to welcome us. We embarked passengers, filled up with petrol at the Durbon Street Shell station (the subsidized petrol prices had kicked in), and Garmin told us we would arrive at the airport by 7:20. It was a gorgeous day and the trip went well. Amazingly. L-A wasn't complaining of pain. We arrived at the airport parking lot by 7:45 and they said their goodbyes to L-A as they left for their holiday in Margate. I accompanied them to help with luggage. They wanted to check 3 bags, but were only allowed 2, so Nixon's bag went in the cabin with them. Once they had their boarding passes, a disability helper took over my role and one of their bags, and I concentrated on getting a few photos as they went through the security gate. From the airport, L-A and I drove to our rendezvous with Kerleed X. He had been introduced to us a year ago via Nahia Haddad in Ottawa after he had approached Pastor Andrew, who has a ministry to Somalians who have converted to Christianity. At last we were to meet him. We found his temporary lodging on Athena Street easily enough. When I stopped the car, a man got up from working on the road and asked if we had come to visit someone. He then went inside the house and brought Kerleed out. It was an emotional meeting. We drove out of the township, a dangerous area, to a more open area the other side of the N1 highway and chatted. It had to be brief because he was depending on a lift back to Uppington sometime this day to see his wife and children. He said I was the the first Christian in South Africa that he had had contact from. A local church in Cape Town has offered to sponsor him in theological studies! He plans to bring his family here from Uppington. He also says he'll be able to visit us in Worcester. If he does, he has agreed to be interviewed for CWCP. He has always wanted to tell the story of his conversion. After half an hour we took him back, and got on our way to the Somerset West mall, where there is a store - Wellness Warehouse - that stocks Simply Bee products, and L-A believed that their Propolis can sooth her boils. I got their last bottle. Then we went for coffee at Hillsong before enjoying the 11:30 service. The original plan was to bring Kerleed here. Maybe later in the year. As we got back to Worcester it was clear that for whatever reason L-A had been spared the extreme discomfort she might have expected on this trip today. But the relief wasn't to last. Once we were home the pain and suffering returned. She had discovered that the thing on her butt was a carbuncle. The way to treat it is with hot compresses to draw out the poison, so we got busy. We weren't even able to squeeze in an episode of Victoria. During the night we were up several times attending to the boils and trying to help her get a little sleep.

Sat Jan 5
Although she had a better night than the previous night, L-A was too sore to come to Brandvlei. I brought a couple of hitch-hikers to the Brandvlei corner. I was able to plug my guitar into their amp again, so from now on I don't need to take the Blackstar. After music and jokes (which they loved), I explained how the Alpha Weekend is done outside jails, and then We had the Intro to the Weekend, and 'Who is the Holy Spirit.' This is one of my favourite pieces of Christian video. At home I prepared what I would be teaching the Mailbox leaders in the afternoon. L-A is a little better, but will she be well enough to come to Cape Town tomorrow when I (we?) take Andre and Janey to the airport? Following the altercation with police last Sunday evening on Mockingbird Street, I prepared some permission notes for Avian Park parents to sign if they were entrusting their children to me. Becuase of L-A's indisposition I had told our girls that we wouldn't be bringing them to our house this afternoon. Instead I met them as planned in Chrizelle's house. Actually I had to collect Chantelle, Britney and Anthonica who hadn't got the message. Everyone was there except Jamelia. I had brought little cakes and a large fizzy orange. I first handed out the permission notes for their parents to sign. They all appreciated the need. Then I reinforced our mission with Mailbox Clubs, and I believe they took it in and appreciated the importance. The group was paying serious attention. Then I ran over the key parts of each Mailbox Club session. I confirmed that the clubs would re-start this coming Monday, and suggested that if they saw any of their learners in the streets they should remind them. I left them at about 3:45 - it had been a very good meeting. I decided to try again to install Whatsapp Web on my laptop computer. Many months ago I had tried and got the impression ir wasn't supported on my not-the-latest system software. But Phil Adewumi had said that wasn't the case. So I followed the simple intructions, and not too long after it was working. What a difference in my efficiency compared with the Mozambique phone's tiny on screen characters. It was shortly after this that I received a message from Cindy saying she had reloaded Whatsapp on her phone. So I sent her a message, and soon after got a reply. The reason this is important is that I have had great difficulty e-mailing her since she left investors Group. In the evening we watched another episode on 'Victoria' while I worked on L-A's feet as I do periodically. Chantelle messaged L-A about 9:45 and asked for some phone data. This was a first! I had L-A reply and ask how much she needed, and to say this one one emergency response; not the beginning of a regular source of supply. She needed R20 worth of data - somewhat less than I had envisaged. L-A then asked her which company had given her phone number. We went to bed about 10:30 after setting the alarm for 4:45, having not heard back from Chantelle. I still wasn't confident that L-A would be coming on tomorrow's trip to Cape Town with Andre and Janey ...

Fri Jan 4
L-A had a dreadful night with the painful boils, which do respond to Ibuprofen gel, of which, thank goodness, we have plenty. Around 9 am I called the doctor's office, and was put through direct to Dr van der Merwe. I told him she had a temperature of 103, and the boils were very painful. He assured me that the anti-biotic should have done its job by tomorrow and she'll feel better. L-A cancelled our Afrikaans lesson. There had been no reponse from Mella about Mpho's end of term report. Around 12:30 I drove to Zweletemba to Mandisa's house and gave her Mpho's report. He and Khanyo (and Mandisa) were very happy to see me and we spent some quality time. Kanyo did very well at Worcester Primary last term and has fitted in with the other students. Mpho thinks he will be going there this coming term. Mandisa had been suffering recently from the same boils as L-A, but after taking the anti-biotic she had recovered quickly and was fine now. She says it is caused by the heat. I went on to Kleinplasie to see Heather and pick up from her 3 more purses, one for Jamelia who has broken her phone screen. Back home there was a FaceBook message from Bella saying she was home if I wanted to bring her Christmas presents. So I took the Afrikaans Bible and the purse made by Heather and went to her house. She was very happy with the gifts. I told her and Jamelia I was planning to have our Saturday meeing in Chrizelle's house since l-A was unwell. I then went to Chriszelle's and she said we could indeed meet there. Shortly after I saw Anthonica and Chantelle and told them the same. This had been a good visit. In the evening we watched the second program in the second season of Victoria.

Thu Jan 3
We were in Dr van der Merwe's office, together, at 10:30. He examined her, and said that it was a blood condition, and may have originated by an infection in her nose (she has no pain there). He prescribed penicillin, Stilpane, and Naseptin for the nose. He took a swab of pus from one of the boils to send to the lab. After collecting the prescriptions (and more Tramacet for me) from Fairbain Pharmacy, we went to the Traffic Department, and successfully renewed the car licence disc in about 3 minutes, far less time that I had expected after my experiences a year ago. I spent the afternoon completing the editing of Alex and Kaysha's interview, and then working on the 20 minutes of time left to fill. My plan was to use a series of historical audio recordings from Tape B1, but when I plugges in the red disk, B1 was nowhere to be found. Either I had failed to digitize it, or it was misfiled. The time was now 6:30 and I needed a new plan, and fast. I searched for New Year's Day songs (there aren't many) and found Abba's from 1980, a nice tune. When I had done a back-up a few days ago, I had come across a recording made by L-A of me speaking to the children in Avian park library about what it means to be a Christian. I checked it out and felt it would do nicely, showing our audience exactly what is involved in preaching the Gospel in the townships. So I got the recording from the red disk and rapidly made three 'tonytalk' continuity pieces, and was soon doing the final mix-down. We were 15 minutes late in starting the prelude music, but that's OK. L-A got up around then, and we both listened to the show as it went out. Sounded good to me. During the Alex/Kaysha interview there were a peak of 6 people listening live, more than for any other program. Sadly all of them tuned out immediately the interview was done. Why do people do that? It's good quality radio. After the show I got the podcast ready and decided to put a link to my Falling in Love radio program from CKCU four years ago. We watched the first program in the second season of Victoria on the iPad.

Wed Jan 2
Laurie-Ann's rash is responding to the Quadriderm, but the boils - if that's what they are - are getting worse and multiplying. And they are painful. She has one on her backside that makes getting into bed very hard for her. We tried painting them with baking powder paste this morning. It is meant to draw out the pus. It did seem to give some relief. I picked up Janey about 1:30 and brought her to our home where she spent the afternoon praying with L-A and watching 'Loving Vincent.' My larger ink cartridge had run out yesterday, so I was using the emergency cartridge. My ink refilling company had been closed over the holiday season, and I called the number today to hear that he had shut up shop. However the lady who answered the phone told me about Rodlyn's in Fairy Glen who also refil cartridges. And that's closer to Hooggelegen. At about 3:00 I set out direction Robertson with L-A's four framed art pieces - Sintra among them - plus the three from Doxa. I wasn't expecting to be able to hang them this afternoon in the Fourie Vignerons cafe, but in fact it turned out successful. There was a wooden batten which Sintra went on with two picture hanging hooks, and is pretty secure. The other locations all were on hard plaster, but much to my surprize the small nails in the little hooks all went in well enough to take the weight. I gave the list of prices and commissions for the cafe to Rita, the lady who has served us coffee so many times as we went on to the Vinkrivier kids' club. I then joined Kaysha, Maggie and newly arrived from USA Karrie, and we discussed the future for the club when Kaysha has gone to Rwanda. We know that we need an Afrikaans speaking preferably male leader for the club to flourish, and we prayed for God to provide one. Neither Maggie nor I feel called to that role, but we would be happy to continue in supporting roles. Kaysha, Karrie and I then drove to club member Jenny's home to encourage her following her month in a Cape Town psychiatric ward. She looked and sounded fine. It was very interesting to visit this farmworkers home, with mother and original father (!) still present, plus 4 or 5 younger kids, including Keenan, whom we know from kids' club. They have a stone house on a hillside, reachable by climbing a dirt path from the road. The idea surfaced that Jenny could assume more of a leadership role. She is about 22 and speaks Aftikaans and English fluently. I was home by 7 and took Janey home. L-A and I dined at about 8 on turducken - very nice - then I started working on The Worcester Report.

New Year's Day
L-A asked if I would do some on-line searching for the rash she is experiencing. I faily soon found a condition called Hidradentitis Suppurativa with photos very like her rash. Commercial holiday here, which I forgot when I went out to the chemist - so came home again. Have to be careful driving because my licence is out of date, so the less driving the better. For some months one of the more important items on my do-list has been to re-examine my income tax return and figure out why my rebate was a lot lower than UFile had predicted. I haven't tried to do this till now because I felt it would be a detailed forensic exercise and take much time. But when I looked at my notice of assessment and compared it with my tax return I saw immediately where the problem may be. The total income on the NoA was $9K more than on my return - which would translate into the lower tax rebate. I checked each figure carefully and finally it dawned on me that I hadn't included my CPP and OAS in the income that I had reported. So I checked the scans of T-forms that had been sent by Janet at IG, and there was no sign of a T4-CPP or T4-OAS. That was why I hadn't reported it. But I did know the exact amounts from my expenses and income spreadsheet, and the total exactly matched the discrepancy. QED. What is very interesting is that the CRA had corrected the error, since they would have had access to the T-forms. Strangely, though, they said nothng about the cause of the error in the NoA letter - just that there were errors in the income. The bad news is that I can't claim another $3,000 rebate, but the good news is that I don't have to claim another $3,000 rebate, which will save me a lot of time. I have been putting on L-A's prescription ointment three times a day, and I think that the rash is improving. However she is developing boils on her stomach, and today she has one on her finger. Are these connected with the Hidradentitis Suppurativa? I called the doctor's office and they were able to book her in for 10:30 on Thursday with Dr van der Merwe. Mandisa Whatsapped me asking if she could have Mpho's end-of-term report, and I Whatsapped Mella. I prepared the GNiTM archive broadcast for tomorrow, and the computer battery indicator was flashing oddly. The battery is shot, but could still cause problems. So I did a back up in case I am in trouble.


Copples in Western Cape