Met an angel this week, who blessed us with a car that we can use for a week or two. Now … to two people who have seen nothing beyond the set of hills which surround Dundee, this is a mighty big blessing!

This area of KwazuluNatal is grassland – a huge plateau at 3500 feet – with hills rising out of the plain up to about 5000 feet. Dundee is in one of the flat areas, with hills all round it … so that means that we haven’t seen more than about 5 miles in any direction since we arrived. To be able to get in a car and see beyond one of the hills was a treat – and the surrounding countryside is beautiful.

The angel was called Jurie. He leads our cell group and he’s brill. … always moving, always looking for ways to bless people, runs his own transport business, he has about the same amount of energy as 3 ‘normal’ people. Cell group happens when it happens; our recent venues have been Jurie’s house, my house and a transport depot. So exciting! – I wonder where next?

The flickers weren’t working on the car, so one of our Residents (being an auto electrician) fixed them. [Flickers?? … indicators to you and me!]

It’s been a hectic week; Marion didn’t know how she was going to cope. But then the new house wasn’t finished so she couldn’t put up curtains, make the place look welcoming, etc. Then the Saturday afternoon Kids Club was cancelled. It has just created a little bit of space towards the end of the week (but she still had me helping her until 8pm on Friday evening!!)

Grace, the South Korean girl has been out on Thursdays giving out food with Marion’s team. She is very straight and challenges the folk in the township. Are you going to church? Are you reading your Bible? Is it a real Bible or does it let you worship other gods and ancestors? Many of the folk think that’s ok. Anyway this week one of the houses where it has felt really dark ever since I started going out to give out food, was so different. The furniture had been moved, no weird looking neighbours were inside and the whole atmosphere was lighter. The lady had gone back to church!

We have been able to encourage Grace as she tries to build church in Kwasithole.

She has great vision and works hard with the young people, teaching and training them, mostly on her own. She wants to build a library where the teens can do their homework. And a church too.

This week she had talks with the education bod who said she could have a building in the new school grounds! We don’t know if this is just electioneering, or God’s hand at work.

Please pray for Grace. She is a real missionary and the leaders allow her get on with what she believes God is leading her to do. I am making Korean curry. Every time she comes to visit she brings something her friends have sent her.

We have been learning new games. The German family have invited us on Saturday evenings for board games, which they love. They are very patient when they have to explain, they always win! Their children came to the creche at Kwasithole with dad twice last week. To begin with the Zulu girls were all over Elisa – Joy and she was very shy, but by Thursday she was happily doing the threading and colouring, leaving daddy to help others. It is amazing to see the way the Zulu children(28 of them) are so absorbed with their work. They can mess about in the games and when we arrive, but when they are colouring or matching shapes or cutting and sticking it is so quiet. Wonderful!

Remember the lady who was lying on the floor in her round mud hut, sick with Aids?

She has never been to the care centre,her father would not give permission. We continued to visit and take food, but we can’t get to the bottom of the situation . This week I was called into an adjoining house where she was on a bed, to pray for her. So I did and then I asked if I could pray for the 5 or 6 children who were looking on tearfully, which I did. When I came out the team asked if I had seen the man under the bed! What man??!

Nic (daughter) and Sam are coming out to visit us at the end of our stay. They will be here at Melusi from April 8th – 10th, then we will become tourists for the next week before returning home. Tourism and home are likely to be shocks to the system.