Diesel Only!

Three weeks ago we landed in South Africa, and several notable things have transpired since then…

DIESEL ONLY!

First of all, three weeks ago I asked the fuel station attendant to pour petrol into the diesel tank of our Pajero (as I explained in our previous post)!  Please allow me to warn any of you diesel driving gentleman/ladies that a necessity for your vehicle is a strategically placed DIESEL ONLY sticker!  Coming back to our story… after we drained the tank, replaced the diesel filter, and bled the diesel system, the Pajero started up and seemed to be fine.  We went on our way – very thankful!  Fast forward about 600 miles… and the picture below comes into the story line.  With the occurrence of some very cold mornings in Ladybrand, we begin to realize our “little” petrol experience left its mark.  In this picture, our brother/brother-in-law was preparing to pull the Pajero to an acquaintance who is a diesel pump/injector specialist.  It did not take a specialist, however, to understand that there was a problem – the clouds of white smoke coming out the tail pipe and the engine sputtering was quite noticeable.  Well, long story – short, we are “stranded" in Ladybrand, while the diesel pump is rebuilt and the injectors changed… 

APPLICATION FOR PERMANENT RESIDENCE

In the mean time, we have visited several dear Brothers and Sisters-in-Christ along the way, and now are enjoying some time visiting with our family while we wait on the Pajero to come back to life.  One of the things that I had on my “to do” list for our time in Ladybrand, was to submit an application for South African permanent residence.  We praise the Lord that after gathering the remaining necessary documents, we were able to submit the application and supporting documents at the Visa Facilitation Service on June 8th.  It has now been forwarded to the South African Department of Home Affairs for evaluation and we pray – approval.  That process, however, takes about eight to ten months, so now we rest in the Lord’s timing and will.

BEEF BILTONG & BROTH

One of the blessings that has come our way over the last few weeks, required some work, but will be enjoyed for a long time!  When I married my dear bride almost ten years ago, I did not follow the traditional African way and pay a bride price with cows… In fact, just the opposite happened - I was blessed to marry a wife who had some cows!  When we planned to return to South Africa this time, we thought to turn one of our cattle into eatable form, but alas, we did not have any steers, only cows and young calves.  Well, just a few days after arriving in Ladybrand, our family informed us that a young heifer was unable to calve her first calf, and would have to be slaughtered.  You guessed it!  The option was given to us to take the heifer in exchange for one of our little herd.  We are very thankful!  After it was processed and the meat was in the freezer, my dear wife and mother-in-law (pictured below) cooked the bones and then froze quite a few containers of delicious and nutritious beef broth for use in the bush.  Oh, yes!  What is that word “biltong” in the above title?  Have you ever heard of beef jerky?  Well, this is the South African version, and there is some out in a little outside room busy drying right now!

Piano Player in the Making!

While I compile these few thoughts, music is ringing in my ear… played by my wife and son.  That’s right!  Just yesterday (Thursday), Antonie started with piano lessons.  He is excited and doing well.

In Him We Live and Move and Have Our Being!

We are so thankful that the Lord continues to work in our hearts and lives.  He is so faithful!  I believe the greatest revelation we can receive from the Lord is the revelation of Himself.  When that happens, truth – that which corresponds with reality - becomes more clear.  We see the Lord as He really is – holy, loving, faithful, awesome, sovereign, eternal, and the list goes on and on.  We also will see the truth about ourselves… The Apostle Paul understood this when he penned the words, “For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells…” (Romans 7:18)  Oh, when we see through the eyes of faith the truth regarding ourselves and our God, what a blessing!  When we realize we have nothing in which to be proud of in ourselves, nothing on which to rely, and we are cast on Him in whom “we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28), oh, the abundant life that springs forth in us!  Praise the Lord for the revelation of Himself!

On African Soil!

This information is slightly old, but will connect the dots with the post to come...

May 26th

Bullet Shells in Qatar!

We praise the Lord that our flights went smoothly, and for the most part from US soil to South African soil we did not have too much trouble.  We did experience a little glitch in Doha, Qatar, when with only a 45 minute layover, Antonie’s backpack was flagged at the security checkpoint.  So the officer asked us to join him, and then he started digging through the backpack… something we should have done prior to the trip, but in the rush, that was one aspect that was neglected.  Well, soon the officer fished out a couple of empty shotgun shells… which seemed to be a problem… :)  We explained to him that Antonie was a little boy, and had picked them up while playing.  Thankfully, he seemed to understand, but then my passport and boarding pass were taken somewhere… I presume to be reported and cleared.  Long story – short, thankfully we slipped through the door of the Boeing 777-300ER that would take us to South Africa – just in time.

PETROL OR DIESEL?

A dear brother-in-the Lord, Pierre Le Roux, fetched us at the airport.  (We are so thankful that all our luggage came through with no problems.)  We then went to visit for a little while at his house, prior to traveling on to his mother’s place where we are currently staying.  After a little visit, we climbed into our Mitsubishi Pajero and started following Pierre and his family.  I then noticed that the fuel gauge was on empty, so we called Pierre, and he led us to a fuel station.  I climbed out of the vehicle and asked the attendant to give us 500.00 Rand’s worth of Petrol (gas), made the payment, and then we headed on our way.  We just had a few kilometers to go, but as we got closer, I started to notice that the vehicle was losing power.   All of a sudden, in my very weary condition – after a +30 hour trip, a light went on in my head… and I realized I had just asked the fuel attendant to put about 35 liters of gas into a diesel vehicle!  Since then, the Pajero has just been sitting in one place, and we have been resting…  Today (Saturday), a mechanic friend of Pierre came to drain the diesel/petrol :)  tank, take off the diesel filter, and he is now gone to buy diesel, filter, etc.  We trust that the little we drove did not damage the diesel pump, etc.  After two nights of some rest, I believe I am thinking a little more clearly now… ;)

Lord willing, we plan to be up in the Pretoria area until around the middle of next week, and then we will head to Ladybrand to visit family and to submit an application for Phil’s permanent residence.  Hopefully, after a week or so, we will be ready to travel to Mangusi once again.