Bezaleel – June 2009
Events that have happened in our lives since we last wrote in March brought Ecc.3:1-8 to mind for me in a very personal way.
There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven-
A time to give birth, and a time to die;
A time to plant, and a time to uproot what is planted.
A time to kill, and a time to heal;
A time to tear down, and a time to build up.
A time to weep, and a time to laugh;
A time to mourn, and a time to dance.
A time to throw stones, and a time to gather stones;
A time to embrace, and a time to shun embracing.
A time to search, and a time to give up as lost;
A time to keep, and a time to throw away.
A time to tear apart, and a time to sew together;
A time to be silent, and a time to speak.
A time to love, and a time to hate;
A time for war, and a time for peace. NASB.
A few days after celebrating Passover together with God’s people and our family, and praying for Salvador and Dianne, they left for Kwa Zulu Natal to begin the work God has called them to among the Zulu people. For them both it is a time to plant and build up, a time to search out those who are lost, a time to speak the word of God and to demonstrate His love to those He has sent them to. For us all there is sadness because we will miss them and the Sunday nights of bible study and fellowship, and joy as we look to what the Lord will do in and through their lives.
If you recall in our last newsletter I spoke of a little boy Herman who was looked after by his grandmother and coming to us for homeschool. At the time I was concerned whether his grandmother would cope in the long term and as it turned out she didn’t. She progressively began to complain about Herman not cooperating at medicine time and numerous small things that are part and parcel of raising a child. He constantly wore the same clothes even though he had numerous outfits, was unwashed and poorly fed. Then one morning she literally dumped him at our door and said she no longer wanted him, and this sentiment pronounced in front of the child with no explanation or farewell. I told her to bring his things and I contacted his social worker. He stayed with us for the weekend and on the Monday she came to fetch Herman to take him back to the home he had come from. I was reassured by the fact that his social worker cared about him and promised to see to the urgency of having his tonsils removed that were so enlarged they obstructed his throat. (I had taken him to an ear, nose and throat specialist who had recommended surgery immediately.) She would also ensure that he would be enrolled in an ARV rollout programme in their area and I gave her enough meds for about two months. When she contacted me later on his tonsils had been removed and in the process they discovered a heart condition that will probably need operating on. I find it difficult to come to terms with the fact that a mother would abandon her own daughter’s child who in her early twenties had died of AIDS. The grandmother belongs to the ZCC (Zionist) church which is a mixture of Christian and ancestral belief which according to what she said to one of my staff forbids their people to use ARV’s. Even though we were unable to take Herman into our home, I was somewhat comforted by the fact that we had enough presence in his life to intervene and speak out on his behalf because he certainly would not have survived with his grandmother.
You may also recall that at the end of last year we were unable to locate Little Themba after he had gone for a visit with his dad. When he eventually came home, he had been off his meds for three weeks. We resumed treatment and the wonderful news is that when we did blood tests recently his results came back with an undetectable viral load, normal CD4 count, and with height and weight gain. We are deeply grateful to the Lord for this and for all your prayers. The downside of our news is regarding David, Little Themba’s dad. About the end of March we received a call from David saying that he had been arrested for carrying a forged South African identity document.
It turns out he is Malawian which we were unaware of as Little Themba has a SA birth certificate. He faces deportation as well as criminal charges and we’ve had no contact with him since soon after his arrest when he was taken to a prison in Pretoria. When he spoke to me his concern was for Little Themba and I assured him we would take care of him. We are grateful that Little Themba was not with him at the time of his arrest as who knows what would have become of him.
We also had a visit from Masesi’s social worker questioning the validity of our homeschooling her. According to South African law if a child is not in school the grant can be withheld from the foster parents. According to the South African constitution it is within our rights to homeschool Masesi with her foster mother’s permission. Anne her foster mother, said to the social worker that if they wished to withhold the grant, the Lord would take care of them as she would not move Masesi from our homeschool. That took tremendous love and courage from a woman in her fifties who lives in a shack in an informal settlement with no toilet, tap or electricity of their own and who runs a small crèche to provide care to her neighbours little ones. Please pray that she may find favour with her social worker and that her grant will not be stopped. Since Salvi and Di have left, Masesi is dropped off at us on a Monday and stays with us during the week and I take her home on a Friday. If any of you work with children and education and are looking for ideas on how to reach them I would highly recommend Susan Schaeffer Macaulay’s book For the Children’s sake. We have also included Masesi on the ARV programme we’re on with our pediatrician. Speaking of which, all our children had excellent results from their blood tests with good weight and height gain, normal CD4 counts and undetectable viral loads. God is so good to us.
During the last week of April, my dad died suddenly after a short illness. He was not a believer and I spoke to him of the Lord on the day he died. Although I have no assurance of my dad’s salvation, my Heavenly Father comforted me in my sorrow. Although Clayton, Salvador and Dianne had so recently left Springs, they returned to be with us from the UK and Natal of which we were so grateful.
Just three weeks later a very dear friend of ours died of cancer just diagnosed less than two weeks previously. Neale and his wife Lilian have been involved with Bezaleel since its inception and when God laid it on our hearts to begin this work I asked Neale to help me find a name for our home that would reflect the heart of what we wished to do and I also wanted it to be a Hebrew name. In due time, Neale came back with the name Bezaleel, which means under the shadow of His wing. It was perfect because it embodied the truth that foremost God is the Father, shelter and provider of our home and in the fullest sense our children would find their home in Him. We were to look to Him for everything pertaining to life and Godliness.
Psalm 91:4 He will cover you with His pinions, And under His wings you may seek refuge; His faithfulness is a shield and bulwark. NASB.
Neale loved the word, was a faithful and constant friend and we spent countless hours together with Lilian poring over the scriptures. Lilian is on the board of Bezaleel and we cherish her friendship and faithfulness.
Needless to say, I hit a low, or as Jacob so correctly put it, the end of the road as my head dropped and my eyes cast downwards, as the events of the last few months overwhelmed me, my concerns regarding the need for Dave and Lyn to sell their house we live in through their generosity so they may receive what is rightfully theirs and the need for a shelter for our children. Then by God’s grace His precious words came to remembrance.
Psalm 121:1&2 I will lift my eyes to the mountains; From whence shall my help come?
My help comes from the Lord, Who made heaven and earth.
Psalm 145:14 The Lord sustains all who fall,
And raises up all who are bowed down.
His word gives us courage and strength to move forward into the future, unknown to us but known by Him to whom we belong and have to do.
We thank God for you, your love, prayer and support and may the Lord bless you all.
Allen and Sue
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