Looking back, moving ahead - by Kevin

The year of our Lord 2015 was full of challenges, but as always God had treasures for us to find.  I have gotten into the habit of reflecting back on the year and recording my top 10 memories in my journal so I can treasure them for years to come.  

My (Kevin's) absolute highlight of 2015 was getting to baptize my son Daniel in Carey Lake, Ellensburg.  We asked Daniel about baptism 2 years ago and he said something like, "OK I'll do it, so I can get it over with".  Sooo we decided to leave it, and a year later he pursued it completely on his own initiative.  I am so happy and proud he has chosen this path.

Another one of my highlights was a “Giving worship service” we had here in Worcester at the YWAM base.  Stefaan Hugo the former base leader was speaking at the Monday morning worship time and asked everyone to pray and ask God what to give and to whom, and then we would meet Thursday night at our weekly Community Meeting to see what God would do.  The act of giving - especially when it hurts - is an act of worship and also of power as it can break the mentality of poverty.  YWAM-ers tend not to be a very cash rich demographic group, but giving from the heart is a beautiful thing to witness.  It was amazing to watch how the spirit of God brought joy to the giver and receiver alike.  We saw at least 10 guitars trade hands.  One young man wept as he gave away his first guitar that he had for many years, then only 30 seconds later was given another one that had him weeping with joy.  Even though we were a bit tight on cash God put it on our hearts to give Khaya and Grace (a couple from South Africa and Nigeria) the money they needed to travel home to the Eastern Cape for Christmas for the first time in years.  They are devoted staff here on the base.  

When they received the gift and Khaya’s eyes filled with tears I was thankful to all our supporters that made this gift possible.  After they had returned to Worcester they reported that Khaya's entire family was there for Christmas and their 2 year old son Judah was able to meet everyone for the first time.

On Monday the Couples and Families Counseling School started here on the YWAM base, with both of us attending as students.  It was exciting to get to meet our fellow-students and staff members whom we will get to know very well over the next 3 months.  We are an international crowd of 9 students and 9 staff, from 9 nations:  South Africa, China, Japan, Togo, Brazil, Canada, Cameroon, the UK and USA.  It feels really, really good to be doing a school again.  It’s been 13 years since we’ve had any training, and we’re ready for it.  It’s also great to be a part of a group of like-minded people who all have a passion for families and for the freedom that Christ has for us.  The staff are all really qualified and have tons of experience so we’re very excited to learn as much as we can from them!

We will be learning about the systemic approach to counseling (which considers the individual's interpersonal relationships within their family system, as well as the generational patterns in their family) and about various methods of family therapy.  Especially with our return to serve as Chaplains on the ship later this year, we are happy to be able to learn some tools that we will be likely to use.  We are adjusting as a family to our new schedule, which is quite full with classes every morning and 3 afternoons as well.  There will be some juggling involved! 

On Friday we had a lovely day out in Cape Town with our fellow students and staff, getting to know them better as we wandered around the Waterfront and had an unforgettably delicious lunch experience at the vibrant and culturally intense Eastern Food Bazaar. (Best Indian food outside of India, to date.  Mmmmm.....)

My (Kevin's) Dad suffered a severe stroke in mid-January, which has left him unable to walk or feed himself.  He has just been moved from the hospital to a rehabilitation center in Yuma, Arizona.  It's hard to know at this point what his future holds.  

We are due to attend the On Boarding course at the Mercy Ships International Operations Center in Texas starting in early June.  As our Counseling School here will end in mid-April, we are considering bringing our departure date forward a little, so that we can be in the USA to see my dad briefly in May.  Of course we have no idea what his situation will be like by then, so we would appreciate prayers for wisdom to know what to do in terms of purchasing plane tickets and looking for accommodation etc.

The drought situation here has gotten quite severe.  On Monday the fire came close and turned our Worcester mountains into Mordor.  The winds were blowing Ellensburg style and got within 1/2 mile of a friend's house.  Their prayers were answered when the winds suddenly and unexplainable changed directions and the fire burned itself out almost completely.  South Africa sure could use some rain.  Please pray (and rain dance if you are being led).