47 Years
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47 Years
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HELLO FROM THE HORNES:30 June, 2006CALENDAR CHECK: A peep at our calendar this month shows it brimming with activity! First and foremost, we had two Baptisms -- that of teenager Jason Summers, which makes him a third-generation Christian, and Rene Herbst who has been attending services since the beginning of the year. Both were buried with Christ in immersion. We had a burial of another kind, too -- a Church Funeral for Jopie Ackerman, an Afrikaans gentleman who died just one week short of his 90th birthday. It was an unusual funeral because both the deceased and his widow have always been deaf and speech impaired. This meant that the majority at the memorial were from that community. In fact, after the funeral, our fellowship hall always buzzes with sounds of family and friends visiting with one another. But not that day! It was strangely quiet as those who remained for refreshments could visit with one another only by signing. Other activities: we've had four Monday Night Bible Studies so far in the Ainsworth home so watch this space -- we are hoping and praying that the only non-Christian in that family, the young father, will soon obey the gospel. We're also had four weekly sessions of Tuesday Night Marriage Enrichment in our home. It's very popular with our young couples and last week twenty were present. Donna's weekly Thursday Night Bible Class in our home for SABC Ladies has just finished the first semester. It's an interesting class because the students are from so many different countries in Africa. One of them is a lawyer, but along with her husband she is a refugee from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Last week, Donna called on that Congolese student to pray. Because she is not proficient in English, Donna suggested she could pray in her home language. So...that black woman from the CONGO prayed in FRENCH in this AMERICAN woman's living room, which was "GREEK" to the rest of the ladies! MORE OF THE SAME: This month of June was also our customary time to Cook for Hospice. For several years, the ladies of the Benoni congregation cook the main meal on Wednesdays. This is so the two dozen or so out-patients and staff who gather there can have a hot, nourishing meal. At the same time, another Benevolence Outreach is The Siphomelele Home (for black street children) which the church here assists with donated groceries and supplies. We have a personal interest in that home because one of our young SABC graduates, Wayne Pohorille, takes his own "Gospel Chariot" and regularly picks up some of the children for church. And speaking of children, our annual Benoni VBS concluded today with around 150 cookie-munchers present each day. In a year or two, there will be another two little girls joining them as we also hosted two Baby Showers at church this month -- one for Phoebe Jane Elizabeth Markotter (a long name for a little girl!) and one for Murango Thilshi Ramagwede. One is a little white baby and the other a little black baby. But in the new South Africa, dubbed "The Rainbow Nation" because we have such a multiplicity of nationalities, we are color-blind. We also had Overseas Guests this month -- Terry Brown, Hillcrest minister from Abilene, Texas, and his daughter, Talley. Come to find out, the Browns and the Hornes have a lot in common. For one thing, each of us has a daughter married to a New Zealand-born Christian. Also, the Browns used to be missionaries in New Zealand and, in fact, helped to train our son-in-law, John Staiger, when he was a student at South Pacific Bible College! Talk about a small world! PLEASE PARDON OUR PROGRESS: Suggested by Milton Wilson, who is a good friend of SABC in Austin, Texas, the new SABC library will have an African decor -- with an "Out of Africa" flavor. By now, floor tiles are in place in the entrance with some featuring "The Big Five". Also, large sheet-metal animal profiles from Zimbabwe have been obtained to adorn the inside walls once all the finishing is completed. We also plan to purchase several huge clay pots so greenery can feature in the library. Although a shortage of steel has caused some delay in construction, we are still hopeful that there will be a September opening of a completed library. DON'T "THROW MAMA OFF THE TRAIN": A few years ago, Danny de Vito was featured in a movie with this title. Little did we know that one day, throwing people off the train would occur in South Africa. Thirty men, one or two at a time, have met their untimely deaths in this way. All of them were security guards who refused to participate in a union-organized strike for wage increases. In these mindless acts of violence and intimidation, the "scabs" who chose to work were summarily tossed off speeding commuter trains transporting them to work. Another victim was discovered hanging from a tree in a neighboring town. We are not sure that we want "our security" placed in the hands of such unscrupulous detractors, would you? CRIME DOUBLES UP: In March, an international flight arriving at the Johannesburg International Airport was there to transport $16 million U.S. dollars. Cunning criminals masterminded an ambitious cash heist. In this land where few criminals are actually apprehended, it was amazing that the Serious and Violent Crimes Unit announced that they had recovered a portion of the sixteen million dollars that had been stolen. They alleged that ten million of that amount had been placed for safe-keeping in a vault on the second floor of the Benoni Police Station. Next thing we knew, there was a break-in and that money was stolen. It has been a very embarrassing situation for our local police force because it was obviously an inside job. Red-faced Benoni policemen are resolved, "We...will...catch...them!" They are also on the lookout for thieves responsible for multiple missing manhole covers! We cannot imagine why anyone would want to steal a manhole cover, but it's serious. A massive effort has been undertaken to prevent injuries or fatalities from someone suddenly disappearing into the earth! Which reminds us, The Great North Road (on which the Benoni Church of Christ is located) linking Cape Town to Cairo has the ignoble distinction of being the worst main road in Africa. Apart from erosion and its impossibly pitted stone surface in countries to the north of us, this 6,000 mile long road is bandit territory. Even missionaries aren't spared from attack. ENCOURAGEMENT FROM AFAR: Every now and then, someone writes us an encouraging word. This time, it was a young boy, a 5th grader, who worships at Memorial, our sponsoring congregation in Houston. "Dear Mr. Horne", it said, "Thank you so much for your courage to create a new Bible College in South Africa. It's a wonderful job as a Christian for you to go all the way to South Africa to preach the glorious word. You're following the exact words of the Great Commission in Matthew 18:18-20: 'Therefore, go into all the world making disciples and baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit." Then Bradley Maddox added, "P.S. How's the weather?" Brad, this next paragraph is especially for you. WITH LAYERS OF LOVE: It's hard to realize that you are in the midst of a "melt-down" as you experience a sizzling summer in America. Meanwhile, here in South Africa, it's a case of "the big chill." Daily temperatures drop down into the 30's. In fact, on most winter mornings, we notice that there is a thick layer of ice floating in the dog's water bowl in the back yard. (We didn't realize that he had ordered ice with his drink, ha). It wouldn't all be so bad if we had central heating in our mile-high environs. Warm homes are only in our dreams, so we try to cope by using electrical space heaters one room at a time and rely on layers of heavy clothing. Guess that qualifies us to end this letter to all of you, our generous and warm-hearted SABC donors, with layers of love! MILES APART BUT CLOSE IN HEART, P.S. In the 47 years we have been writing these monthly newsletters,
we have tried to avoid asking for personal favors. This letter is different. Our
50th wedding anniversary celebration is scheduled in Texas over the Thanksgiving
weekend this year. When our four children asked how we wanted to celebrate it,
our only answer was, "We just want all our children to be there together with
us." As you may know, one of our four, Lynda Staiger, is a missionary in New
Zealand for the past ten years. We need $7,720 (round-trip) to fly Lynda, John,
and their three children to the anniversary celebration. We have established a
travel fund for them for this once-in-a-lifetime event. Donna has contributed
all of a small inheritance received from a deceased aunt for this occasion. We
need a further $4,000 to make this dream come true. Could you or your
congregation please help us old veteran missionaries to make it happen? A check
made out to the "Memorial Church of Christ"
and labelled "50th Anniversary Travel Fund" would warm our hearts and leave us
ever grateful to you for your generosity. The church address is: 900 Echo Lane,
Houston, TX 77024. Kindly address the envelope to the attention of "Bro.
Cecil Rix". |
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