Bulgaria Here I come!!

 In the last week of school, we had the privilege of hosting two boys form KZN , Felixton College in our home. It was a good experience and a great time. The College was in Cape Town playing hockey against many school sides. Sweet Valley Primary school was one of them.

 The truth is, all this hockey and all this art is a welcome distraction from Friday. On Friday our first born son will board a plane to travel to Bulgaria . He is going to be well looked after and he will, no doubt have an absolute ball. As a mother, I will not lie  and at this point , I am beginning feel those mom feelings.

 You know the ones I mean? The ones that ask all those questions. Will James be ok, Will he eat , will he remember to........ Will he get lost?

 I am confident in the preparations thus far and in the excellent planning from Elkanna House. We are so thrilled to have partnered with this school in this endeavour.  James is excited!!

 These photos are from the Media team hike at the weekend . The Sweet Valley Media Team hiked up Table Mountain. Great fun!!

So, as Friday dawns, I pray and thank God for his provision for James to travel to Bulgaria. I pray for his safety and all the children who are to travel. I ask our great God to be kind and generous with these travellers. Thanks you Lord for their maths thinking and for your goodness to each  child in affording them this opportunity.

The Deep Hope of Madiba Magic

I remember the very first time I saw Nelson Mandela. It was shortly after he was released on February 11 , 1990. We had been to see a movie in the Rose bank Shopping Centre in Johannesburg. The mall was pretty quiet. As we walked out , in he walked , surrounded by a body Guard or two. One might actually have missed seeing him. We greeted him from the short distance although I longed and latter wished I had rushed and greeted him personally. The thing that struck me most was that he was very tall. he walked with a gentle but authoritative manner. He held respect in his hand but held it humbly.

I latter saw in from a great distance, on the day he was inaugurated as our first democratically elected president. Doug and I journeyed to Pretoria to experience the exuberance and excitement first hand, along with many, many other South Africans. It was a glorious and emotional time for us all.

Now, I fast forward to the year 2013. Hour beloved country has been through so, so much and more. As I look back to those days of heady liberation from the tyranny of Apartheid and now, look forward to our future, I know it was all worth it. Yes, we have enormous obstacles to smooth running government. Yes we have problems that loom so big that it feels as if would suffocate. But in the words of The Lorax by Seuss, UNLESS..... unless we cling to that which is true and good and unless we look to those who fought for liberation and all they stood for in that fight.... unless we ourselves take up courage and get involved on a practicle level. Unless we pray and ask God to have mercy on us. UNLESS.

Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela had enormous courage and stood up for what was good in a time where that action might and did cost a great deal. Spending 27 years in prison was no trivial thing. I pray that many in our Government will have that sort of courage. The kind that does the unfashionable thing; the dangerous thing; the right thing despite popular views.

As our beloved Madiba lies dying in a Pretoria hospital, we, the nation, who loves him, waits. Each morning I turn on the news and wait...... is it today. I feel sad already for his impending loss. He symbolises so much for us as a country with a young and fragile democracy. He is our symbol.

and so we all wait.......

I wonder though if this lifting up of this great man. This man who could forgive in the face of real hardness and hardship and struggle. I wonder if we, the people of this beloved country of mine, long for someone else. There is a space in our hearts and we long for a perfect, kind, loving, sincere, all knowing, truthful and loyal man or woman. We long for such a person. The truth is that even Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela is not perfect. There will be things he did that we would not agree with ; things he thought that were wrong. But I know someone who is perfect in every way. Who is totally trustworthy and real.

Jesus!!

I wonder if when we love and lift up people up high to a place of almost worship, I wonder if we are simply and rightly longing for the Lord Jesus Christ.

Yet, as I wonder these things and think these thoughts, I continue to pray a good and right pray for Madiba

Lord Jesus, will you in your mercy, be gracious tho Nelson Mandela as he lies so ill. Please would you call out to him and save him because no matter how great he is and has been to us, he needs you to save him. Have mercy oh Lord. Thank you for his life and love given for us as a country. Thanks you for your mercy to us through him in giving him as our first Democratic president. Thanks you Jesus. Bless us as we travel further without him with us. I pray in your name. Amen

Words with meaning

http://thegreenmarine.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/422309_432441206799382_96385464_n.jpg

I love these kinds of pithy sayings. Things that make one think about life in general and the things that really matter. I particularly like the one that says .... Be kind to unkind people, they need it the most.

The bible has a great deal to say about kindness. We have just finished a series in Ruth where God's kindness towards Naomi and Ruth is displayed in his povidence for them. God says a great deal about our words and I have written about words here before.

http://carenfalconer-petal.blogspot.com/2011/10/words-we-use.html

I love that God is so clear about the way we are to treat each other. At the moment I am doing a study in Esther with a marvelous bunch of women who I am getting to know. We are doing a Beth Moore study. One of the interesting themes that has emerged is what Beth calles " meanness" but what I have called unkindness. She explores the root of Hamans hatred and hence deep unkindness towards the Jews. We discovered that Haman and Mordecai have a history that threads all the way back to the days of King Saul. Unkindness often has a history. One of the more disturbing thoughts about unkindess is that unkindess towards me often brings out the unkindness IN me. That is why I love these words.... Be kind to unkind people, they need it most. 

If you are honest with yourself, you will know that sometimes it is very difficult to be kind, really kind, to the unkind ; the unlovley ; the mean. And yet Jesus compels us to Love even our enemy. I know that these are very big asks from our Lord but I know that with his very real and minute by minute help, we can.

The life stories of people like Corrie ten Boom  and Dietrich Bonhoffer 

reflect that in times of extreme pressure , Jesus' help is real and his motivationfor life is true.

I know so many everyday people, who just through everyday living, reveal and ehibit the love of God towards others in many , many acts of kindness. 

All are real pictures of our Great God and his ultimate kindness towards us in giving Jesus to die on the cross. May these words that seem so good become the very fibres of our being and the very heart beat of our exsistance.