FRIENDS, FOOD, FUN

Matthew 7:9-11
"Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone?  Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent?  If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!"

God gives good gifts to His children.  It seems that many of the times, the gifts that lift my heart aren't items or things, but people, circumstances and encouragement.


This past week was one of those "gifts".

We traveled through to Durban (2 hours south) on Saturday.  Spent the night with the Pastor and his family (7 kids + our 3= lots of fun!).  Great conversation, lots of laughs, and most importantly- went to bed encouraged by the Christian fellowship and time spent with brothers and sisters in Christ.

These two were inseparable!

Sunday morning, we drove 45 minutes to the north side of Durban to be at a celebration service.  30 years of ministry at Fellowship Baptist Church started by ABWE missionaries.  What a wonderful time to look back on God's faithfulness and His incredible work.

That evening we stayed with Vic and Nicci Willis- the Pastor of Fellowship Baptist Chruch.  They will always hold a special place in my heart.  We stayed with them on our survey trip back in 2005.  They taught us so much about the country, helped us laugh at the things we didn't understand, and pushed us to brainstorm about the future.  After arriving here to live, they continued to help us adjust, cried with me while we missed family and always had hugs available for our girls.  

Nicci Willis and me

Monday morning, we packed our stuff up again.  Piled in the car and headed into Durban city center to work on Kyle's passport at the US Consulate.  Then rushed north 45 minutes for Abby's orthodontist appointment.  Thankfully, we rolled back into Richards Bay just in time for Emily to head to rhythmic gymnastics practice.  

But, it doesn't end there . . . 

Wednesday was a public holiday- Heritage Day.  So back to Durban we drove for a fellowship time with all the other missionaries and pastors.  The kids played so hard and loved every part of the day.  Definitely worth the 5 hours in the car :) 

Lots of time in the car!