Bezaleel Newsletter September 2009

Dear friends

Jacob at Bezaleel

Spring at last. What joy! We’ve had what seems like a long, cold winter especially at night and the early mornings, with heavy frost. Even though it is not my favourite season, winter is necessary and teaches us many things. Psalm147 reminds us that God created the seasons and this gives us pause to worship Him.

He sends forth His command to the earth; His word runs very swiftly.

He gives snow like wool; He scatters the frost like ashes.

He casts forth His ice as fragments; Who can stand before His cold?

He sends forth His word and melts them; He causes His wind to blow and the waters to flow. Vs.15-18.NASB.

A few weeks ago Rosie became very ill with what was suspected to be swine flu. She had a 39+ fever for over a week. She was weak, had stomach pain, loss of appetite, body aches, headache and a bad cough. She spent a week in bed and another week to recover after our pead prescribed cortisone for her cough. During that time Ruth and I fell ill and we spent two days in bed. We are thankful to the Lord for keeping us well and for those of us who were ill, full recovery, during the winter months.

The moment by moment, day by day life of a busy household with twelve children and the care of our two month old granddaughter during the day in our one room schoolhouse (the dining room) has been peaceful with not much to report on, so I will share some anecdotes from their lives with you.

The other day I went to pick up our three month supply of ARV’s and took Benjamin (six years old) and Ruth (nine years old) with me. The two of them were talking in the backseat or to rephrase that, Ben was talking and Ruth was grunting in reply. He can go on, leaving the listener little opportunity to give an intelligent response. He was telling Ruth that Dad was going to put lasers around the house to prevent robbers from coming in to steal at night. (Dad knew nothing of this) According to Ben when the robbers touched the lasers an alarm would go off at the police station and then the police would come and catch the robbers because, as he proceeded to tell Ruth, the police never sleep. Armed robbery of vehicle and home is a constant reality in South Africa and we are not always aware of how it affects the children. As I listened to Ben tell Ruth his solution to the problem, I was reminded that our God and Father who keeps Israel neither slumbers nor sleeps. Psalm 121 continues to tell us that the Lord will protect us from evil and keep our soul. What peace we have in knowing we are His children.

With the advent of spring and the children older and more capable, I allocated a piece of ground to each of them and an old tyre filled with sand to the younger ones to prepare for planting. We had been reading from Matt 13, Mark 4 and Luke 8 about the parable of the sower and applied what we were doing to the lesson taught in these passages. We spoke of the necessity to prepare the ground for planting and the need to prepare the seedbed of our hearts (honest and good) to receive (hold it fast) the word of God and bear much fruit with perseverance for Him. We spoke of our need to persevere by watering and protecting the plants from their enemies, like weeds and insects and being patient to bring the harvest in. We have planted cabbage, spinach, lettuce, cherry and normal tomatoes, spring onion, bush beans, chilli, green pepper, jalapeno, paprika and parsley. Needless to say the children are very excited to see the fruit of their labour.

Among other things I have been rereading For The Family’s Sake by Susan Schaeffer Macaulay and would like to share a quote with you from the book. “That everyday, ordinary life lived faithfully is where the glory of God is best reflected- in our homes, communities, jobs, our art, charitable enterprises, and so on. Of course, truth is told and believed first (truth has content), but after that comes the actual living, being, and doing. Ordinary home life matters for everyone. How we arrange for children’s lives matters terribly.”

Whether you are single, married, young or old, with or without children, may your life be filled with joy and your homes a testimony to His goodness. Thank you for the love, prayer and kindness you demonstrate to us.

We deeply appreciate you all and may the Lord bless you. Allen and Sue Wells.
bezaleel@saol.com