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Hello From The Hornes - 2003:
December 31, 2003
DEARLY BELOVED BRETHREN:
This month Donna and Al write from America with “Reflections from Africa.” Lady
Africa has a way of crawling into your heart and making her presence felt with
vivid images flashing on the screen of your memory! Even our old fashioned
telephone answering machine here replies for Al, when he is away from his desk
in Kerrville, by declaring, "This is the HORNE of Africa…please leave a
message…” Here, once again, is the “Horne of Africa” and the “Hornette”
reporting from Kerrville, Texas.
NEW LAWS: Here’s a question for you. “What would you do if a rhino
came after you at 60 miles per hour?” The answer is, “I don’t know about you,
but I’d do 70!” And, by the way, a few weeks ago, the South African Radio
newscast declared that the speed limit on some 3-lane roads in the country would
be changed from 120 kph per hour to 150 (which is 92 mph)! They added that “in
bad weather it would be 110 kph (67 mph)!” And now, here are some other
interesting rules published in South African’s Sunday Times Newspaper earlier
this year for “life” (?) in Johannesburg:
- No person may trade close to a church or a public monument, ATM machine
or a government building.
- Traders may not litter. (Our comment is, “Yeah, right!”).
- They must make sure no smoke, odors or pollution are caused by their
business.
- Profane songs or insults shouted in public are now prohibited.
- Road rage is forbidden.
- Dogs are free to enter Joburg’s parks, but their owners must clean up
after them. (“I was my doggie’s valet.”)
- Cars may not be washed or repaired on a public road. (“Better never
break down!”)
- No taxi passenger may refuse to pay a fare. (“You mean, you have to
pay?”)
- A taxi driver may refuse to carry a “filthy” person or one who has a
contagious disease. (“Where’s the disinfectant spray?”)
- No littering on public roads. (“Guess they intend for us to take this
last one LITTER-ally?”)
TAKE MORE SO I”LL MAKE MORE: Have we told you yet about Takemore? He
is a young man from Zim who has been selling curios in front of our house on a
busy road in Benoni. Al befriended him and he was baptized a few weeks ago. To
use an old expression, “There are no flies on him.” He hit up our
African-American visiting preacher, Brother Redd from Memphis, asking him for
the US $7,000 he needed to get to America and was also seeking a sponsor there.
Then he pounced on another lectureship guest, Tom Baird of Kerrville, and
pleaded his case. So, see what we mean? There’s no grass growing under
Takemore’s feet. Meanwhile, we have renamed him “Talkmore” because that is that
he does. Could it be a coincidence that, 28 years ago, an African mother named
her little baby boy Takemore, because that little boy grew up to be a vendor of
Zimbabwean curios in front of our house? And what better name could a salesman
have as folks stop to see his ware… “Take more, Take more” he cries! (Another
interesting name we discovered…a Benoni sister has a dog whom her son named “Tuckshop,”
which is what we call a kiosk that mainly sells candy on a school campus. Then
there is the cute name we discovered on the cleaner’s list on the back door of
the ladies’ restroom at the Glynnwood Hospital. The list had to be signed daily
and the latest entry was “REJOICE!,” WHICH MAKES ONE THINK THAT IF IT WERE MY
JOB TO CLEAN NASTY OLE TOILETS, WOULD I EVEN BE ABLE TO REJOICE, MUCH LESS BE
NAMED THAT? Ha! So rejoice in the Lord always and again I say rejoice… but avoid
“Takemore” or his taking more will turn your joy into poverty!!
SHADES OF CALIFORNIA IN BENONI: Donna and I peered through the windows of
the gutted town house. The fire damage was incredible. We would never have
predicted that such devastation would follow in its wake. Where a
“do-it-yourself” grandfather clock once stood proudly chiming out the hours,
there was only the melted down and unrecognizable mechanism that once powered
the hapless time piece. The sewing machines that had been instrumental in giving
form to the seamstress’ creative genius were wrecked beyond repair. Huge chunks
of plaster became heat propelled projectiles. Silhouetted against the blue sky
were the mis-shapen, charred and gutted rafters rescued from total extinction by
the efficiency of the emergency fire services. Glass windows had exploded. Soot
blackened everything without regard for the object covered. I felt a deep
sadness for the occupants… for Veronique and Bev Hirst… when I considered that a
huge pack of memories (photographs and momentos) were obliterated and would no
longer jog the volatile memories of the two human survivors. Then we looked on
the bright side of the fire. Our gracious God had intervened and lifted these
two precious souls from the midst of the blaze. How different it could have
been! They lost much of their material possessions, but not their lives. Fumes
from the fire and the concomitant heat usually kill before the flames devour the
victims. These flames were denied their objective by divine intervention. We
praise our Protector and Preserver…the one and only God, the Father of our Lord
Jesus Christ. The recent fires that ravaged the California landscape became very
real to us as we noted the stark reality of what uncontrolled fire can do! The
irony of it was that, the following Sunday, Al was speaking at a lectureship
organized by our African brethren at Vosloorus, and his assigned topic was,
“Hell is Real!” Perhaps when one sleeps in a house that has ignited, there is a
sense of unreality about it. As panic drives sleep from the weary one, perhaps
his first thoughts might be… “Have I died? Am I in hell? Is this the beginning
of eternal torment? Will I ever taste cool refreshing water again? Oh God, why
did I have to wait so long? The die is cast! What a fool I have been!! Where is
Jesus?”
THE SHRINKING DOLLAR: Help! The dollar is shrinking back from its
obligations! Seriously, with an ever-increasing drop in the value of the US
dollar… now down to 50%... we are seriously impacted in our work of training and
outreach. To maintain our training program and outreach, we will need brethren
and congregations to help us weather this financial earthquake by rescuing us
with prayers and extra funds. We have already downsized staff and students. We
are disappointed but not in despair. We trust our wonderful God to deliver us
from this present crisis and we are certain that He will use YOU to make it
happen. May we count on you for new or increased funds? Sometimes, just the
crumbs that fall from the rich man’s table will feed hungry souls looking for
the Saviour, Who is the Bread of Life! Help us to FEED the WORLD with the WORD!
WITH ALL OUR LOVE AND APPRECIATION,
Al and Donna Horne
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