An Update from South Africa
Merry Christmas to all our friends and family across the world! The first week of December we held our third Christmas program here in the Garden Route. Three weeks before the program, with much excitement on our part, we started designing our invitations and practicing our songs nightly. Within the first day of sending out the invitations we received around six positive replies—then 10, then 20, then 30. Before we knew it, we had 100 people wanting to attend the program!
Given the Covid-19 restrictions and a crowd that size, our cafe/fellowship hall was not nearly large enough. The Christmas program would need to be an outdoor event. The only problem was that every weather forecast showed rain at the time the event was to start. But a weather forecast was not going to hold us back—we prayed and prayed.
On the day of the program everyone was readily lending a hand wherever they could. Six-year-old Emily Macfarlane carried plastic chairs from one end of the garden to the other, placing each one in direct sunlight to dry after some of the sisters had washed them. Sisters Sherry, Disney and Fay (our dearest grannies) cooked and cleaned and made hundreds of snacks to help feed the throng of people who were to arrive soon. Everyone had a part to play. The awe in our hearts resonated together with one another as we shared with others what The Great Composer is orchestrating in our lives.
As the program began, the wind that had been blowing hard throughout the day quieted into a gentle, cool breeze. It stayed that way until the last few chords of our last song rang out. Then the gentle breeze again picked up into a rushing wind accompanied by rain drops. Everyone scurried inside to enjoy a warm cup of coffee and delicious snacks. One guest told us that next year we best prepare to cater for 500 people!
Our Busy Season
December was everything we expected and more: our hectic, but very blessed, season! We started off each Saturday with our market stalls absolutely filled to capacity with warm baked breads and fresh groceries. We just about sold out within the first few hours of the market being opened! All of our accommodation units were fully booked until after New Year. And with each passing day, the cafe got busier and busier! Sometimes as we get to the end of the day, close the doors and switch off the lights, someone says something like, “If we had any more meal orders or customers come in than we had today, I do not think we would be able to manage.” But sure enough the next day comes with more meal orders and customers with it, and by God’s grace we are able to manage!
On December 23 we had a special Christmas farmer’s market for which we baked over 100 loaves of bread. We also took 50 processed chickens, fresh eggs, a trailer of fresh produce and a trailer of craft items. We are very grateful for the Lord’s provision!
A Time to Plant, a Time to Reap
We took on the exciting task of harvesting and threshing our own tiny wheat patch in mid November! The patch of wheat amounted to nothing very impressive in quantity, but it certainly served as a good lesson on harvesting. We look forward to planting a much larger crop someday to harvest enough wheat to supply the needs of each family.
We have also planted a large crop of mealies (corn) that are to be used as feed for our ducks and chickens and for us to enjoy deliciously roasted corn on the cob! Along with the mealies, we planted 1,000 runner beans and 800 bush beans. The summer heat is playing its part very well to help all the fruit and vegetables ripen.
Merry Christmas to all our friends and family across the world! The first week of December we held our third Christmas program here in the Garden Route.