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Hello From The Hornes
October 31, 2004
BACK IN THE SADDLE AGAIN: Any of you who have done any fund-raising
know that it's a never-ending job. As the official fund-raiser for Southern
Africa Bible School, Al can testify to this. There never seems to be enough
money to meet the needs. As they say, "There is too much month left at the end
of the money". Besides the usual expenses to be met in the running of a Bible
College, in January we will be getting a new crop of students. Typically,
African students never come to the college with resources of their own, so SABC
has to find funding for their room and board and for their class books and
necessities. A few weeks ago we landed in Houston to begin another fund-raising
tour. What a blessing to be given access again to the Dodge Caravan…and that
reminds us of some Trivia for the Road. They say that every 23 years, the
average American drives to the moon! (Put 10,300 miles on your car every year
and every 23 years, you'll drive a distance equal to a trip from here to the
moon!). That certainly is incentive for Al because every SABC find-raising tour,
he puts over 10,000 miles on the van. This means that when he does reach the
moon, he can at least ask “the man in the moon” for a generous contribution of
green cheese to SABC. The chef will be ever so pleased to have it.
A WORLD APART: Everywhere we go, people ask us how long it takes to fly
from Africa to America. The answer is "roughly 20 actual flying hours." No
wonder that, with such distance in between, while America is experiencing autumn
rains and fall leaves, South Africa is into its most beautiful season of the
year -- springtime. The fruit trees are budding and blossoming and there is an
abundance of wild flowers. Fortunately "The National Flower," as the government
dubbed used plastic bags a few years ago, is disappearing from tree branches and
the landscape. There was a time not too long ago when the South African
population, uneducated in the matter of ecology, generously littered the streets
with used plastic bags. That led to the government's ruling that businesses and
shops would no longer be allowed to give shoppers plastic bags. We had to supply
our own! It has its nuisance value, as you would imagine, but it did solve the
problem of unsightly plastic bags replacing South Africa's genuine national
flower, the Protea.
WEIRD GIRAFFE TRIVIA: Interest has been high in the African animals
reported on in our last newsletter, so, in this letter, we are featuring the
giraffe. Some take one look at a giraffe and say "It must have been put together
by a committee", but we know that it is just another marvelous evidence of God's
creation. When a baby giraffe is born, for instance, it falls from a height of
5'7", usually without being hurt. Before long, a giraffe can clean its ears with
its 20-inch-long tongue. It has the highest blood pressure of any animal and can
go without water longer than a camel. Giraffes are unable to cough (which is a
good thing because imagine if they could, how much cough syrup they'd have to
down for just one cough!). An adult giraffe's heart weighs about 20 pounds! And
last but not least, it is illegal to tie a giraffe to a telephone pole in
Atlanta, Georgia.
MEETING IN MESQUITE: On a more serious note, Al was privileged this past
weekend to preach a gospel meeting at the congregation at the Christian Care
Center in Mesquite, where Bryan Teagle serves. (Bryan has been an ardent SABC
supporter all these years and he and Al have been close friends for fifty
years). On a Sunday morning, there were around 200 present and the other
services were well supported by some of the area congregations as well. This is
undoubtedly one of Bryan Teagle's best ministries. Al found it to be an
endearing congregation, reminding him of his preaching days in Desdemona, TX,
while in college. He came away from this meeting with a package of kolaches,
another of apricot pies, a handful of appreciation cards and a whole lot of
love! All of this in addition to Elmer Morgan's invitation to eat out: "Al", he
said, "I want to introduce you to a big Texas steak!". And he did! Wow!
WINDING DOWN AT SABC: The end of any school year at the Bible College is
bittersweet. It's always a joy to look over the graduating class and share their
pride at having completed the 3-year course. But it is also sad to realize that
they will be leaving us to return to their home villages and countries to begin
their work for the Lord. One student we will especially hate to see go is
Leonard Magaya. From Zimbabwe, with the responsibilities of his young family and
his SABC studies, he has always found ways and time to reach out to lost souls
around him. By now, the Benoni congregation is quite used to his walking down
the aisle with two or three who want to be baptized at the end of the service.
What a blessing he has been to the congregation and to the college! Many, many
souls who otherwise would not have gained the prize of eternal life, now know
the joys of being a Christian…and all because of Leonard. We salute him for his
evangelistic heart. At the same time, we see all kinds of weird things going on
in the denominational world around us in South Africa. For one thing, last
Sunday at 10:06 a.m., "a horse was baptized for church funds in South Africa".
If you don't believe it, you can read all about it on the internet! Needless to
say, we are also desperately seeking church funds but we would never stoop to
such bizarre methods of fund-raising! Of course, the diminished value of the
dollar on international currency markets has left a sizable impact on our
operational funds. We have lost about 50% of our income which just has to be
made up. If you can help, please make out a check to
Memorial Church of Christ (SABC Fund), 900 Echo Lane, Houston TX, 77024. We
are also still short by $170,000 of the funding required to build the
SABC library which is an integral part of our
maintaining our accreditation with the
Department of Education. We need you! Please help us.
HERE'S HOW YOU CAN HELP: "Networking" is a term we hear a lot these days
and It is another way you can help us! If your congregation or another you know
might be able to help us, please introduce Al and the SABC work to them. Or
perhaps you know of some interested individual you could put us into contact
with. That way, we can make new contacts for the Bible College. We have got to
have more help with funding. "Who knows but what you have come to the kingdom
for such a time as this?" Please phone Al at (830)
896-5358 or contact us on email at alhorne@ktc.com He is willing to go
wherever necessary to make an appeal. We look forward to hearing from you.
With love and appreciation in Christ,
Al and Donna Horne,
Your Missionaries to South Africa.
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