Email Updates -- Latest on Top, Older Ones Below

Current Year Email Updates

Latest Issue - January 2012

It’s been a busy month. Schools reopened in mid-January. Michael has gone back to doing his weekly devotions at the high school and we have been pleased to see that things seem to be going well there. The students are getting to school on time and seem to be listening attentively.   

We were able to get the day care center at Umzumbe Bible Institute started again. I wish I could say that it was smooth sailing, but it hasn’t been. Our helper from last year left at the end of November when she found another job. Several of our children went to primary school and we have a few new children, but so far there are only 14. The first few days there were fewer than 10 so Michael said the teacher had to take them on her own without a helper. When he paid them on the 25th January neither the teacher nor her helper was happy. We have had a couple of emergency meetings with our committee and are still in the process of trying to resolve the problems. We also have not been able to resolve the problems with the previous committee in spite of the fact that the Department of Social Development has been trying to help us. Pray that we will be able to resolve the issues and just get on with providing a needed service to our community!    

We went back to Eshowe earlier this month and were able to go to one of the outlying churches that we haven’t been able to visit since June last year. We were supposed to go there in November, but there was heavy rain and the road was impassable. We were encouraged by the warm welcome we got. They have asked us to try to come more often this year and to provide some teaching for them.    

Michael had an executive committee meeting last weekend. Fortunately, they met at a nearby church so he was able to come home at night. Six of the seven committee members were at this meeting, so that was encouraging.    

Next weekend he will be attending a meeting of church members and ministers from our province. They will be planning for the Easter weekend meetings and also discussing other church issues. That meeting will be held at a church about 3 hours away so he will be gone for the weekend.   

Rebecca and Gabriella are settling into their new school. Both of them are very happy and excited about this new experience. Dawn is getting acquainted with her new class, but she is finding it quite a challenge. Diane is still on maternity leave and really enjoying her time at home with Matthew. Everyone else is dThe weather has been extremely hot and humid. We have looked longingly at air conditioners, but so far we are just looking. We enjoy our drives in the VW Jetta, which has an air conditioner.

Caryl and Michael

Lucille Stanley dies January 2nd

Yesterday (2 January) we got the call we have been expecting. Mom Stanley passed away early in the morning. She had eaten her breakfast and passed away as they were taking her back to her room. She was 90 years and 4 months old. The past few years she has become more and more frail.   

We have spent much time since we learned of her death remembering a very special lady who had a huge impact on Michael and his brothers and sister, their spouses and the grandchildren. Since the news was made public we have been inundated with messages from people whose lives have been impacted by both Mom and Dad.

The memorial service for Lucille Stanley, Friday 6 January at 10 a.m. Thank you to all who have sent condolences and messages of encouragement. They are a blessing to us at Lynn and Lucille Stanley were married in September, 1942. They moved to Kimberley South Africa in late 1953, where Lynn established the Bible Training School for ministers. In 1958 the school was moved to Umzumbe and operated there until 1994. Lynn retired from mission work in 1989. He and Lucille later moved to an apartment in Port Shepstone and then to Mbango Valley Retirement Village.

They had six children. David was born in 1944, but lived for only a few weeks. Darrel was born in 1945 and was killed in a car accident in 1973. Lynn Stanley passed away in 1999. They are survived by sons Michael (and Caryl) of Umzumbe, South Africa, Duane (and Kathy) of Minneapolis, and Larry (and Marguerite) of Apple Valley, daughter Debbie (and Lynton) of Paddock, South Africa, 12 grandchildren, and 8 great grandchildren.

Caryl and Michael

2011 Email Updates

December 2011

I think November slipped past and I didn’t get an email off to you.

It is the end of the school year and the summer holidays begin in about a week. When students are writing exams, attendance at schools (especially rural schools) drops, but Michael continued to do devotions for the high school until the end of November - even though the attendance was pretty small most of the time. The last day we were there we took a cake to the teachers to thank them for what they do for the youth of the community. We also took a cake to the primary school teachers.

We are busy getting ready for the closing of the day care center for this year. There will be a party on Monday morning. We have been able to get gifts for the children which have been donated by a Christian organization and by the police services. The parents brought some extra money to pay for a meal which ladies from the community will prepare for the party. This weekend we were busy typing up the program and getting certificates ready. Our teachers were not trained to teach some of the things they should have so the children may have some catching up to do when they go to pre-school next year. Some of the parents did not send their children regularly, but they thought if they sent them for the last two months (or at least paid fees) they would get a certificate of achievement. The local primary school principal suggested that we just give attendance certificates this year. Hopefully, we will make some changes next year so the program is more in line with what other day care centers provide.

Next weekend we will travel to Kimberley for a very special wedding. When we go to Kimberley to teach, we always stay with Roy , a friend of Michael’s from primary school days. He had never married, but has now found the right lady. He and Jenny asked Michael to perform the ceremony.

From Kimberley we will travel to Uitenhage for the National Youth Seminar. Michael and I have been asked to teach classes and lead small groups. Michael is also on the schedule to preach. Because we are going early and not directly, we will not be transporting youth from KwaZulu-Natal this year. They will have to travel by public transport.

The family is all well. Dawn and the Thorncroft girls are looking forward to the school holidays. Dawn has had a busy time. She was on maternity leave for one term and the substitute didn’t get as much work done as she should have so Dawn was scrambling to finish some things up at the end.

Dina is working days now, which she prefers. However, it does make things awkward when the girls are not in school and she is not at home for them. When we get back from National Youth Seminar we will be able to have them stay with us. It is always a good time for us to bake the Christmas cookies!

JP has settled well into his new job. He enjoys the work and has had some really good comments on his work from others at VW/Audi.

Diane is enjoying her maternity leave and being able to spend time at home with Matthew. He is growing and doing well.

We wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a wonderful, happy, healthy 2012.

Caryl and Michael

October 2011

The Annual Conference is over. The last week before we went was hectic. We got the booklet materials to the printer on Tuesday afternoon and they printed, collated and bound the booklets on Wednesday so we could pick them up just before closing. We traveled on Thursday and the trip went well. We went a bit early in case Michael needed to take care of any issues as Treasurer with the host churches, but they were well organized so there wasn’t much to do.   

The Conference was a success with about 375 people attending. A highlight for many of us was a class each day taught by Steve Caulley, who is a teacher and administrator at South African Bible Institute. He taught on church planting and church growth.   

Michael had to make several trips to purchase food. He also had to oversee the collection of money which the churches bring to pay for their accommodation and food as well as for national projects. He has a very capable finance committee who also did a lot of that work. Money is used to help churches build their church buildings.   

The business meeting was long and involved. However, Michael gave his report on Thursday after lunch and the response was very good. There were some questions, but there were no problems. Everyone seemed very pleased with what he has accomplished over the past two years.   

Elections were held later on Thursday afternoon. The Executive Committee looks very similar to last year with the President, Deputy President, Treasurer, and Director of Buildings being re-elected. The Secretary and Deputy Secretary were also elected, but switched positions. A new position was established this year, Director of Evangelism. When it came time to elect the treasurer, one of the ladies stood up and wanted to support Michael for the position. However, they said they would continue as for other positions with three nominations. After Michael was nominated, the delegates and observers burst into applause. Another man was nominated, but declined. In the end nominations were closed and he was declared the winner unopposed.   

On the trip home we were once again reminded of God’s care for us. After meeting three ambulances, we came upon the scene of a very serious accident involving a semi and several cars. It took us about an hour to get past the accident scene. We couldn’t tell for sure how many cars were involved as there were car parts scattered over a large area.   

We may be contacting you again soon. Diane and John’s baby is due in about a week. They are also looking at a house to buy. It is not the best time to move, but they have found a house they really like and the sellers are very keen to sell to them.   

JP started a new job at the beginning of October. He got a call from the local VW/Audi dealer to be there IT specialist. He is still finding his feet, but seems very happy. Dawn has less than 2 weeks of maternity leave left and then will be going back to school. I will take care of Seanna for the first week until they get her into day care from the first of November.   

Sean and Dina took advantage of the school break and went to visit his parents and sister. They live on a farm so they really enjoyed themselves. They got to see cattle and sheep and also visited some sites in the area.

Michael and Caryl

September 2011

We are moving from winter to summer and the weather bounces back and forth between the two every day. One is never sure what clothes will be best for the day! It also means that there is a lot of flu and colds going around.   

Vehicle problems have plagued us for the past two months. After the fan belt and fuel pump wire problems, we also experienced a ball joint pulling out – fortunately it was in our driveway and not out on the road. Then the brake line came out of its bracket and rubbed against the chassis until it had a hole in it. Michael has been busy making the repairs himself – with help from me and sometimes a son-in-law or grandchild!    We are gearing up for the annual conference of the Church of Christ in South Africa . It will be held from the 2nd to 7th of October at a campsite just beyond Kimberley . As treasurer, Michael has to have his financial report and a written report explaining what he has done during the year. He has also been asked to prepare the booklets of reports again this year. That means getting the program and eight reports so he can get them photocopied and assembled into booklets. I think our work is cut out for us for the next week.   

Pray for the conference and for all who will be traveling to attend. Pray that the messages and lessons will be a blessing.   

This week Michael has been doing some repairs at Umzumbe Bible Institute. On Sunday night at about 10:45 we got a report that the alarm had gone off in the kitchen. We have had some false alarms so he decided not to drive out so late at night. He phoned a young man who helps us at Umzumbe Bible Institute and asked him to check on the buildings on Monday morning. He reported that one window in the kitchen had been broken. When Michael went out later in the day, he found that the burglar(s) had been into both the kitchen and office complex so there were two windows broken. It doesn’t seem that anything was stolen, but the damage requires a lot of work to repair.  In addition wind and weather has damaged the roof on the kitchen and since summer is our rainy season, he decided he needed to get it repaired. Two high school boys and I have been helping him with that.   

Although we continue going to do devotions at the high school, not much else is going on with our school ministry. The students are writing exams so they are busy studying. They are not coming for the extra lessons this month.   

The preschool is going well. We have certainly seen - and heard - results of the classes the teachers are attending.   

Diane has only a few weeks to go until their baby arrives. That is very exciting! She has been suffering with a cold and has been quite uncomfortable this month.   

Last weekend Dawn and JP had a rough time because three people they know well passed away: his grandmother (who had been ill), a teacher from Dawn’s school (who had cancer) and a friend of JP’s (who was on holiday and died from something he drank.)   

Dina still has a few more weeks of night duty. Sean and the girls are coping, but all are looking forward to the end of that.   

Mom Stanley “celebrated” her 90th birthday in August. Actually, when someone commented that day that it was her birthday, she told them that they were wrong and that her birthday was the week before. We think she just didn’t want anyone to know it was her birthday! She was very alert that day and even joked with us. Unfortunately, she seems to be less responsive recently.   

We would ask you to pray especially for the conference. Also pray that our vehicle will not give us any more expensive repairs!

Caryl and Michael

August 2011

Another month has passed.   

My apologies for not reporting back to you on Michael’s headache and doctor’s appointment. He had the MRI and the neurologist concluded that the headaches may be caused by pressure in his neck. He changed the cholesterol medication Michael was on and gave him a course of anti-inflammatory. The headaches are gone now so we are pleased about that. Thank you for the prayers on his behalf.   

We made the trip to Mtubatuba for the women’s conference. The men decided that since many of them also would be there (to transport the women), they would also meet. They discussed some church issues which included the future of the Umzumbe Bible Institute campus. As we look forward to retirement in a few years, they need to have a plan in place for care and use of the property. Michael came away feeling that real progress had been made.   

The trips over the last few weeks have not been without incident. On his way to camp, the pickup fan belt broke - on Sunday evening. There was no place to get a replacement at that time so friends in Empangeni arranged for him and his 10 passengers to stay overnight at the Baptist church. Two weeks later, on the way to Mtubatuba the pickup lost power and a friend towed us back to Empangeni. He then loaned us a car to continue on our journey. About two weeks later, on the way to Umzumbe Bible Institute, the pickup lost power again. Michael has now concluded that it is worn wires to the fuel pump. At least now he knows what to do when it happens!   

We have finally been able to organize training for our preschool teacher. The teacher, her helper and another mother have started a course that is run by a group of Christian ladies. They go every second Thursday for the morning. So far they have had only one lesson, but already we can see a change. The children are learning more rhymes and coloring pictures. All three of them are very excited about the course.   

We have been going to the high school again since school reopened. We have been encouraged by four girls who have come to ask for help with lessons. Michael helps with science and I help with math and English. We have loaned some books to them to help them improve their English.   

The family is all doing well. Dina is on night duty which she doesn’t really like, but has to do. Sean is great at taking care of the girls when she is gone or needs to sleep. Rebecca and Gabriella both participated in a cross county race at their school recently. Rebecca came third and Gabriella came first in their age groups. Erin is now almost 1 ½ and full of energy. She is a real cutie!   

Diane and John have moved into a cottage on his parents’ farm while they look for a house to buy. We are all looking forward to the arrival of their baby in October.   

Dawn is on maternity leave and enjoying being home with Seanna. Chayah goes to day care for half days while Dawn is home.   

Our weather has been really cold and rainy. We don’t usually get rain in the winter and it makes it feel even colder when it is so damp. There has been a lot of snow on the mountains. In fact, the main road between Johannesburg and Durban was closed for a few days because of the snow in the mountainous areas! Michael and I were given a weekend at a mountain resort the week before the snow came. It got down to 21 F while we were there and there was snow on the mountains near the resort. It was cold, but I think that if we had been there the next week, we would have been snowed in!

Caryl and Michael

July 2011

June 2011

I can’t believe it is June already. We have been staying quite close to home. The cost of fuel keeps going up and the Rands we get for our dollars keeps going down!!   

We did go to Eshowe in May. We visited one of the churches that is quite far out of town. The group was small, but the service was good.  We have attended the Umzumbe church quite a lot over the past few weeks. At times we become quite discouraged because the church seems to be stagnant. For the past couple of years we have been praying for the young ladies in the congregation. Many of them have made some bad choices in their lives and we have been praying that God would help them get back on track. On Sunday morning one of these young ladies came forward at the end of the service. The leader asked Michael to speak to her. She told him that she wanted to recommit her life to the Lord. After Michael and she had spoken, the leader asked another lady and me to come and pray for her. The tears of joy ran down my cheeks as I prayed for her to remain faithful to God. I have found some devotional materials to give to her and we will do follow-up with her. Praise the Lord!   

The family is doing quite well. Both Erin and Chayah have been sick recently – just colds and flu. They both go to the same day care center and I think they picked it up there. Since their parents had to go to work, Grandpa and Grandma baby-sat. We managed fine, but have decided we want to have them sometime when they aren’t sick!   

Dawn is getting very anxious for her new arrival. The doctor has moved her due date from mid-July to near the end of June. Schools close for the term break on June 24 and she is hoping to finish the term.   

Diane is still doing a lot of traveling. She hasn’t decided what she is going to do next year yet. She can’t keep the job she has after the baby comes. Diane and John are looking for a new place to live. Their landlords have sold the house where their apartment is and they have to move by the end of July.   

Michael saw the heart specialist today for a six-month check-up and the news was not so good. Recently our GP took him off his cholesterol medication because he was having headaches – and that is a known side-effect. The headaches have continued and the specialist was not happy to hear that he isn’t on the medication. He wants Michael to see neurologist in Durban as soon as possible to try to determine the cause of the headaches. We would ask you to pray for the specialists and for Michael during this time.   

Winter has arrived and we are in the midst of some pretty cold weather with rain. There is snow in the mountains and the weather forecast indicates more of the same for the next few days. We just add layers and appreciate the car that has a really good heater! Hopefully, we can also have a fire in the fireplace soon.    

Our sons-in-law came last Saturday and cut down a big tree in our yard. It was a nice, productive avocado tree a few years ago, but it had quit producing and was dying. We now have a big pile of fire wood – some of which needs to be made into smaller pieces to fit the fireplace – and a very open area in the yard!

Caryl and Michael

April 2011

April was busy and I didn’t get a note off to you. There were a lot of holidays during the month. Schools were closed for a term break from the 1st until the 11th.Then it was Easter weekend. Freedom Day was the 27th and Workers’ Day is the 1st of May so they closed schools on the 21st and will only open again on May2nd.   

Ministers’ Week went well. Steve Caulley, missionary from Kimberley , and Larry and Judy Niemeyer, missionaries from Kenya , came on Friday before Ministers’ Week started on Sunday and stayed a few nights with us. Larry and Judy spoke to the ministers and their wives on Sunday afternoon. We enjoyed getting to know them. When they left here they went to Kimberley to teach at South African Bible Institute for a few weeks before they go on a short furlough.   

We stayed at home during Ministers’ Week which meant we had to drive about 30 miles each morning and evening. Michael taught a series of lessons each morning on the faithfulness of God. We usually returned home in the afternoon or early in the evening. The spirit at the Ministers’ Week was very good and we enjoyed the fellowship.   

Easter meetings for KwaZulu Natal were held at Umzumbe from Friday morning until Sunday afternoon. The church arranged to use the hall and classrooms at Magog Primary School , which is near the church. They set up a large tent in the school yard for the main sessions and used classrooms for divided classes and meetings. People also slept in the classrooms. On Friday there were services all day. Michael did the devotions on Saturday morning and stressed the importance of keeping our eyes on the Lamb of God. Then there were divided classes for men, women and youth. The church ladies did a great job of cooking and providing for the crowd of nearly 500 people.   

We learned during the week after Easter that the bus transporting the people home from one of the congregations was involved in an accident. I think seven of the nearly sixty people on the bus were admitted to hospital with broken bones and other injuries. I understand they are all home now. We are just grateful to God that no one was killed.   

Winter seems to have arrived over the past few days. The temperatures have fallen and we have had to put a blanket on our bed and we have had to get out our jackets and sweaters for the cool evenings. It is quite pleasant!   

The family is all doing well. Both of the expected babies seem to be doing fine. We celebrated 4 birthdays in April – 3 on one day!   

Life should return to a more normal schedule in May.

Caryl and Michael

March 2011

Our classes at the South African Bible Institute went quite well. I had 6 men in my class. We had some good discussions while they were preparing Sunday School materials to take home with them. Michael had 2 students. He had to start classes late the first day while they waited for one of his students to be released from prison. This young man has made some bad decisions in his life, but while in prison he became a Christian and has embarked on an education program for ex-prisoners. He was very enthusiastic, but has a lot to learn. The other man was an older businessman who also did not have much Bible background.   

We enjoyed our stay in Kimberley . One evening we took our host and his friend out to dinner and a game of bowling. There are not many bowling alleys in South Africa , so we like to take advantage of it when we can. We had a really enjoyable evening. We also provided some food for the students at South African Bible Institute and the cook made the meals which we enjoyed with them.   

The Day Care center continues to operate. There are now 20 children registered. We have hired a helper for the teacher. For the last week of March we hired a baby-sitter for a 7-month-old who had no other place to go while his mother returned to school. This is a temporary measure unless we can enroll more babies so we can afford to hire someone to care for them as well. Pray for wisdom for us as we make decisions about this.   

This coming week (Sunday through Friday) will be the annual Ministers’ Week. It will be at Gcilima, which is only about 25 miles from here. We plan to stay at home and go to the meetings each day. Michael will be teaching a class each morning for everyone and I will teach a ladies’ class one day. Pray for us as we travel each day and as we are involved in teaching. Pray also for the others who will be traveling from all over the country and for those involved in preaching, teaching and leading.    

Our exciting family news is that Diane and John are expecting in October. Diane will have to make some changes in her job situation because her present position requires a lot of travel.    Dawn twisted her ankle a few weeks ago and ended up with pulled ligaments and had to use crutches for a while. She now walks with a “boot” specially made for such injuries. She missed a couple of days of school, but now is back and some of her fellow-teachers help with taking her children to the playground, etc.   

Our team, Joy of Life, participated in the Relay for Life from 5 p.m. until 5 a.m. last Saturday night/Sunday morning. It is the first Relay to be held in Port Shepstone and it was a great success. Our team was made up of the 8 adults in our family, three friends who are about the age of our children and our two oldest grandchildren. We had a great time and managed to have 2 or more members of our team on the track for the whole time. We ended up with rain from about 1 until 4 in the morning, but we just got out the umbrellas and continued. We are all planning to participate again next year.    

The heat and humidity right now are really draining all of our energy. We are looking forward to some cooler weather as fall comes.

Caryl and Michael

Late February 2011

We will be leaving for Kimberley at the end of the week for our two-week classes at South African Bible Institute. I decided I had better get a message off before we leave as we are never sure what internet connection we will have while we are away. Michael will be teaching Acts to first year student and I will be teaching Sunday School teaching to advanced students. We will stay with a friend who lives in Kimberley . Pray for our classes and for safety as we travel.   

The day care center at Umzumbe Bible Institute is in operation and the children seem to be happy. The meeting with Department of Social Welfare did not happen. Two of the committee members backed out the day of the meeting, so we are playing the “waiting game” again! Meanwhile we are collecting the fees the children pay (about $7 per month) and paying the teacher and helper. We have also bought a few toys and books for them.   

We went to visit one of the churches in Eshowe this past weekend. We went to Mphaphala, which is 25 miles out of Eshowe for the church service on Sunday. We had a small, but enthusiastic group.   

We got a very late start on Saturday. About 9 a.m. , as we were getting ready to leave, we got a call from S’phiwe to say there was a broken window at Umzumbe Bible Institute and that there was blood on the ground. We called the police and went out. This time the thieves stole an old computer and 5 old monitors. We aren’t sure if they even worked any more. It took a while to sort out a statement for the police and then we had to wait for the forensics man to come to take fingerprints and blood samples. That took another couple of hours. We finally left for Eshowe at 3 p.m. (after we had lunch.)   

Mom Stanley has recovered from the bronchial pneumonia and is back to normal. She is very quiet, but not in pain. We visit her and Michael tries to get her to respond to questions and to remember things, but she doesn’t talk much.   

The family is all doing well. Everyone is keeping busy and active. We are all excited about being involved in the first Relay for Life to be held in Port Shepstone. Our team is called Joy of Life and is made up of the adults in our family plus two couples who are friends. The Relay will be on the 26th and 27th of March.

 Caryl and Michael

February 2011

It is hard to believe that January is already gone!!   

We have had a lot of rain over the past two months. It made getting the lawns mowed impossible. Finally the rain stopped and the sun came out - which made the grass grow extremely quickly. Michael and S’phiwe, the high school boy we hire to help with maintenance at Umzumbe Bible Institute, have been kept busy trying to get the grass under control again.   

We went to Eshowe in January. We worshipped at the church in the area near town because the roads were too muddy to travel to the distant churches. At a meeting after the service, the men agreed that Michael should be allowed to have Power of Attorney for the elder whose health is not very good. We stayed an extra night in Eshowe so Michael and Brother Zulu could go to the bank to make the arrangements. The bank said that Michael could not have Power of Attorney, but could be added as a signatory if the other signatory agreed. Michael phoned him and he agreed to come to the bank. He was in town buying supplies and Michael offered to transport him and his goods home after they finished at the bank. Now if anything happens to Brother Zulu, Michael and the other elder will be able to conduct business for the churches there.   

Schools have reopened for the 2011 school year. We have gone back to the high school so Michael can lead them in devotions and prayers on Tuesdays before school starts. He also visited the Magog Primary School. We plan to hold the grade 7 youth camp again this year, but the group will be much smaller. There are only 38 students in grade 7 this year. For the past few years we have had from 60 to 70 students. The principal also asked for computer instruction and help with other subjects for her students.   

The day care center is open and there are 16 children registered. The teacher is not trained, but she is very willing to learn so we are trying to help and advise her. Another young lady has joined the staff as an aid. Fortunately, her English is better than the teacher’s English so she serves as an interpreter for us. We are hoping to have a meeting with the Department of Social Welfare and parents and interested community members this coming week. If we can get things in order, there should be some financial aid from the government for the day care center.   

We decided to have a security company install a security system at Umzumbe Bible Institute. Since it was installed we have not had any burglaries in that building. We did get a call in the middle of the night one night to say the alarm had gone off. Fortunately, when we arrived the next morning there had not been a burglary. Apparently, a gecko (lizard) or large insect had triggered the alarm. S’phiwe reports to us each night after he has made sure the lights are on and the doors and windows are secure.   

Please pray for Mom Stanley. We got a call from the nursing home this morning to say that she was not well. They requested antibiotics for her. We saw her briefly this afternoon and her breathing is very labored.

Caryl and Michael

January 2011

December was busy and it seems that I missed sending out a message to all of you.    We pray that you had a safe and happy Christmas celebration and we wish you all a happy and healthy 2011...!!   

We made the long trip to Wellington for the National Youth Seminar. We took two young people from KwaZuluNatal with us so we had to go to Durban to pick them up on our way. We traveled to Sada the first day and stayed with the Cekiso family. (Brother Cekiso is the chairman of the Finance committee with whom Michael works.) The next day we traveled on to Wellington. It was a long journey!   

The National Youth Seminar was smaller than it has been in previous years, probably because Wellington is quite a long distance for many of the people to travel. The lessons were excellent and the preaching, which was done by missionaries, ministers and youth, was really good. Some of the ministers’ wives came to do the cooking and they provided tasty meals for us. One day we traveled by bus to the beach for an outing. We were impressed with the youth this year. There were no behavior problems and they all participated well. The return trip was another two days on the road with another stop for the night with the Cekiso family. The only problem we faced was that one window of our canopy broke while we were driving. We don’t know if someone threw a stone at it or if it just popped.   

When the National Youth Seminar was over we went into Cape Town to attend the graduation ceremony of Monica Mvuna, who graduated as a doctor. Her mother and sister flew to Cape Town to attend the ceremony as well. Sadly, her brother, Mthokizisi, whom we have known since 1999, was killed in a car accident about a week before graduation.    We are still waiting to hear what will happen with the day care center. We finally had a meeting and one of the local young ladies volunteered to be the teacher. We will have to try to get some training for her, but she seems to be quite willing to help. One of the committee members was tasked with collecting names of potential students, but we haven’t heard how that is going. Continue to pray for the day care center.   

After doing some window repairs and getting really excited about having S’fiso back to serve as our security at Umzumbe Bible Institute, we were devastated when he found a good full-time job. He left after only one week! Michael has given a cell phone to a local high school boy who lives near the property and he reports to Michael every day. He makes sure lights are on and checks for any damage to the property. We had one break-in, but have had very little damage since S’fiso left.   

John started a new job at the beginning of December. He is settling in and enjoying it. Dawn gave us all a bit of a scare on Sunday. She suffered from severe heart palpitations and ended up in hospital for a couple of days for observation. (She comes by it quite naturally as my aunt, my sister and I also suffer from a similar condition.) All of the rest of the family are doing well.   

Over the past few months the exchange rate has continued to go against us. From May until December the exchange rate has caused us to lose about 15%. The extra travels in the last half of the year have taken a lot of our mission funds. We will have to curtail some of the travel this year.

Caryl and Michael

Continue back to earlier years...