Jesus is the reason for the season...



Christmas morn...

although not all men in the prison ward were excited, Nathan couldn't wait to share his enthusiasm of Jesus' birth with them. Walking down the hallways of their cells he invited each man in the "Awaiting Trial" ward to come, those who were hesitant ended up coming anyway when they recognized that Nathan's sound system was so loud they couldn't escape the singing!

Using his harmonica to lead, they sang "Joy To The World", "O Come Let Us Adore Him" and "Silent Night" if they didn't know the words in English, they hummed or sang in Afrikaans.

Speaking with authority and in the power of the Holy Spirit, Nathan described all the characters to whom God gave divine invitations (thru signs and wonders of angels and star)... Mary, Joseph, the wise men, the shepherds... each was personally accountable to respond. God also speaks to us and we are responsible for our response. The angels rejoiced this Christmas like on the first one as 3 men made first time commitments and one shy man gave Nathan a note and invitation to come back and speak to him individually.

By the end it was clear all 30 were happy that they attended the service and even the prison warden expressed appreciation for the message! Thank you Lord for inviting us to celebrate the birth of Your Son!


After the prison



Nathan picked up 7 chickens, rolls and apple juice (looked like wine, but was juice) from the local supermarket with help of anonymous donor to feed a group of homeless.

One man still drunk from night of drinking, shed tears in unbelief that a complete stranger would come give him food while his own family chased him away...

After praying, some of them served while Nathan took pictures.

Having 2nds and 3rds, about 16 homeless ate 'til they couldn't eat any more.

Thank you Jesus, for coming to give us abundant life...

A celebration of Jesus day of birth that these children will not forget!

Wow, we had a tremendous day today.There were 20 kids at the party today. My helpers were so organized. After I opened in prayer we joined in song - "Oh Come Lets us Adore Him". The children sang with such vigor and passion, offering up true praise and adoration.

With much action and animation the nativity story unfoldeded with something that occurs months before the birth of Jesus it was a huge bright star, high in the sky... a sign leading three wisemen to find him. They tirelessly followed that sign (Star). There were also some shepherds in the field that God revealed another amazing wonder, they saw hundreds of choirs of angels in the night sky, like the millions of stars in the sky so was the sky filled with bright and beautiful angels singing about the glory of God and peace on earth. This must have been a sight to behold.

Getting both indidvidual response and group participation at one stage I got them to close their eyes and  asked them to tell me what all was in the stable. Wow, they name the animals... they visualised Mary and Joseph... the straw, the shepherds but one little fellow smelt the animal poop and straw because he has a pony and "the straw smells great!" When asked "why are we having a party today?" the sweetest little girl a visitor from Joburg, responded by saying "because Friday is Jesus birthday and I have to go somewhere else that day." Another piped up said "yes, we've got family coming and it better to have cakes today otherwise they'll just eat too much and we will get nothing" Then little Sheldon asked, "so how old is Jesus exactly?"
 
As we got to the part of the three wise men and the gift they brought I pulled out the "I KNOW" braclets and they almost asked in unison "I KNOW ...WHAT?" And Joshua shout at the top of his voice "JESUS !! stupid, why do you think we here?" We then chanted "I know" and they responded "JESUS" and we were loud!



We then served Juice and a huge plate of cupcakes, popcorn, crunchy and mash mallows. After telling them what the gift were they were each given a balloon. they ate and ate and ate, with popcorn all over, I then told them the story of the wine that ran out at the wedding and Jesus was called to come to the rescue which he did by get them to fill vats with water and by the time it was brought forth for the host to test it was wine , wow that was a miracle.
 
At this stage I had to leave to take JP to the bus station, by the time I returned they had finished eating and where watching the movie Sunday School Musical. Not all the kids were intersted in the movie so we played a few games and took lots of photos. I had lots of helpers Robert, Strawn, Marilugh, Mercy, Shade, Dylan and Simone. All the cupcakes and cookies muffins and crunchies were abundantly supplied by many of the moms and even from some of single ladies.

Hey Sweetheart,
(email from Nathan)
 
I just remembered I didn't send you a photo of Jean Paul Solomon, we attended Cornerstone Christian Collegue together. I moved to Knysna while JP visited and worked abroad for three years. Just having him visit to catchup and him have an opportunity to have some rest and relaxation. We did some fishing together, we cycled, did a short beach hike and also circumvented Liesure Island, visited a local pub to enjoy a hearty beer together, watched a couple of dvd's together and cooked some great and gourmet meals together. We took in some of the local sites like The Knysna Heads and The Knysna Water Front.

JP holds down three jobs, but next year he will be attending UCT University of Cape Town. Besides catching up we took the odd opportunity to pray and encourage one another. I truly believe that as I shared our home with JP the Holy Spirit was doing his thing. God is at work in this young man's life. I pray God's peace over his life, and desire every success for his journey of life.

Wow, its good to know that I still have friends that still allows me the privilege to speak into his life.
 

This one didn't get away!
(email from Nathan)

2,2kg

I think the scientific name is Pomadasys argenteus (Fine-Spotted Grunter-Bream) . It was my shortest fishing trip. Extreme windy conditions, even kept our neighbor Aldo from going out with his boat.

Two casts - one bite - the fight of a lifetime!!

Adreniline landed the fish, it nearly flip flopped back into the water.

The date 12:12:09. I am a novice fisherman and have seen fishermen pull out fish to the left of me and to the right of me. But perseverance goes a long way.

I know God provided the fish because it will make the perfect meal for my friend from Cape Town.

"Who are,
Who are,
Who are we?"

"YELLOW BUCKS!!"

This chant could be heard through out the forest as Nathan and 6 other adults guided 62 children from Lhalane on a treasure hunt.

Meandering through the forest, broken up in to five groups, they followed a prescribed trail to find clues. Kids ranging from 2-12 yrs enjoyed the walk looking at various flora and fauna... birds chirping and monkeys watching from tree tops, giant ferns, yellow wood trees, as the path crossed over a river a number of times.



Deciding to use an army drill call, Nathan would call out "Who are, who are, who are we?" and the kids respond "YELLOW BUCKS, YELLOW BUCKS, ARE WE!" The kids tackled various obstacles with real passion and gusto. Once a clue was found Nathan would chant "Yellow Bucks" and they responded "MOVE ALONG!"

At the completion of the trail the groups gathered for cool drink and cake followed by hot dogs and ice cream. Feeding 62 highly energetic children was most challenging (I can only imagine if the cake and Coke was first!). The adult helpers were from The Island Church and YFC, they included Penny, Lois, Sue, Nico, Stella, Cynthia and Nathan.

Playing Mother Christmas, Sue handed out beautifully wrapped gifts for every child. The expression on each face was reward enough.

5:30 pm came all too soon for the kids (I am sure it wasn't soon enough for the helpers!), and after a double checked head count all were loaded up for the ride home. Nathan's micro bus was filled to the brim with bodies (22 kid) and full of noise as excitement and song provided a loud trip back.

There is no doubt that this was one of the highlights for Nathan this year as it is every year. To God be the glory for the privilege of hanging out with these under privileged kids who because of our relationship with them are getting to know and experience the love of Jesus in a practical way.

Wow! Friend, what an awesome privilege to officiate at the Baptism; a most solomn and special occasion. We first enjoyed an outstanding morning service, with an anointed and very obvious Holy Spirit presence filled praise and worship time. The Spirit was heavy in our meeting, almost like a thick cloud. It was one of those days when the spirit was manifested through many prophetic ways where words such as "Victoria Falls" ushered in a greater meaning, "Rivers of living
water", a cleansing and restoration. A word on angelic visitation. The spirit was also manifested in laughter, the joy was like a healing balm.

Once again the message reiterated the LOVE OF THE FATHER. Our anchore text was from 2 Chron. 16 :9 (For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.) After a time of prayer ministry, (and to save time) no coffee was served, we all proceded to the home of the Loveley's in the picturique setting of Belvedere. An awesome setting (with a tranquil garden and huge pool)it was ideal for a corporate baptism.

Pastor Brian Long opened in prayer and set the scene for the baptism, whilst Nathan fully immersed each candidate





The names were as follows (1)Jim Abinethy, (2)Sue Abinethy, (3)Zimkita Ngamlana, (4) Clive Kemp, (5) Wendy Kemp, (6)Simone Du Plesis, (7)Margot Green, (8)Jennifer Peen, (9)Maurene Rouse, (10)Lee Rosewarne, (11)Kerryn Rosewarne, (12)James Rousewarne, (13)Martha Mhlanli, (14)Marilugh Campher. So the number of candidates were 14 ,however, please be informed that two weeks ago, we also baptised Monique Howard, Katie Saunders and Elaine Young giving us a grand total of 17 baptism.

There were numerous witnesses of this solomn event of true obedience. We had prayed for good weather and God gave us a perfect day, with excellent water temperature. The witnesses were asked to participate by giving the candidates prophetic words or just scriptures to encourage and confirm God's work. It was so evident that as the candidate came up out of the water there was a new creation emerginging. Our pre-baptism class on Monday truly evoked an anticipation of the infilling of the Holy Spirit, and a clear understanding of death to the old self and birth to a new creation in Christ Jesus.I thank God for the privilege of using me to baptism these awesome folk. A few candidates have walked this walk many years however, chose to be baptised in obedience to the scriptures, even though they were priviously been baptised as infants in a more tradition type church. We also had the privilege of seeing 3 generations being baptised Tim and Sue, Lee as their daughter and Kerryn and James as their grand children.


Once all the formalities were concluded, The Island Church enjoyed a time of fellowship, and our "bring and share" was excellent. The tables were overflowing as usual with delightful snacks, cold meats, salids and drinks galore.

This was a great way to conclude our year.

Directing Vision Daily...



As part of our vision to equip parents to direct their children in the way they should go, Nathan conducted a parenting workshop at the Island Church last weekend. Most of the 21 people in attendance on Friday evening were parents from the Hornlee community.

At registration each parent received a small notebook with key handout notes relating to the content, a bottle of still water and a 'Book of Hope' (see blog dated 22 Oct 09) together with a pen for the making of notes.

Putting the group at ease Nathan opened with a side splitting icebreaker followed by scripture reading and opening prayer.

Using the DVD material "Directing Vision Daily" by Danny Silk of the Bethel Church (Redding CA, USA), a total of six sessions were facilitated. To overcome a challenge we incurred (most of these folk are Afrikaans speaking and all the material is in English) small group discussions, group feedback, prayer time for their children, and writing a letter to their children were means to review and apply learning.

The general feed back was that the content was excellent material, simplistic enough and very relevant; a must in our tool box of parenting tools. They assured me that if we ran this same workshop they would recommend it to other parents in their
community.

The harsh reality is that it requires practice, practice and more practice.

Thank you to The Island Church (venue) and Youth For Christ Knysna (transport) for contributing to empowering parents in the Knysna area!

(This is an email from Nathan to his most precious wife... me!)

Its great when sometimes we just casually say to a new aquaintance "Hope to see you again!" and God actually makes that happen! The crazy thing is we then say "Wow! Amazing! I never really thought we'll ever see each other again!"

I (Nathan) was given that privilege today.

When I was in Mozambique I met a young Dutch man from YFC Lesotho he was considering helping in the position of National Director, his name is Gert Van Den  Bos, well it just so happened that he and his family came to visit YFC Knysna and George especially to see how Options Ministry is working, also YFC SA has offered to partner with Lesotho hence the visit. We had the privilege to have them as guests at our home, He wrote in our guest book from the "BIG 5"... its Gert and his wife Brenda and two daughters Arwen and Nore (4/5 yrs) and a baby boy Ruan (1yr who took to me immediately). As they visited we had an awesome time praying for each other and sharing ministry experiences. You (Julianna) of course were quite a big part of our conversation, they were also at GA so they were trying to remember out of 100's of people who you were. I gave you all the credit for the Prayer Chapel. The kids enjoyed the games but unfortunately the tortoise was hiding. While the kids played... I saluted Brenda, its tough being a Mom to 3 kids.  I shared a prophetic word with her; how pleased God was with her and she need not feel as though she is not contributing to the ministry because she is 'ONLY LOOKING AFTER THE KIDS'. God sees her heart and he loves her and he is pleased with her. She was so overcome by emotion her husband just went to her put his arms around her and hugged her gave his handkerchief and smiled. They have invited us to visit their ministry in Lesotho.
 
I went to YFC centre this morning for devotions and Gert shared a message, dealing with the importance of REST as seen during the creation of the earth, light, waters, birds/ fish, plants, animals and man. It was indeed a blessed time. They are a wonderful couple.


 

Thanksgiving with my family!
Around the table... My sister Debbie, Tiffany and Johnny, Brian and Ciara, Kirsten and me!

YES!!

Brian does know how to smile!!











Debbie and her 'bo' Sam all the way from Denver











Still hard to believe Tiffany only has 7 weeks left!! Such a tiny little bump on that belly!

After some communication via email, Nathan was able to show off our house and the town of Knysna to Karsten from Athletes In Action Netherlands.

We are trusting God for 10 Dutch students to reside with us from the 25 July - 3 Aug 2010 (in conjunction with the World Cup Soccer in South Africa) promoting the gospel of Jesus Christ thru sport minstry and visiting various communities where this type of ministry could become a permanent and lasting model. We pray that all plans come to fruition as their 2 representatives came to visit our home to see the viability of the Athlets in Actions team actual staying in Knysna with us. Karsten was most happy with the potential accommodation and minstry opportunity happens.

Please continue to lift this opportunity up in prayer with us!

While I (Julianna) am busy visiting friends in the US...

Nathan has been extending hospitality to friends in South Africa... his words below:

Alton Fisher and Royston Bennett, Ex Pastor and friends of mine from Cape Town, took advantage of the availability of space in between guests coming and going from our home. It was a huge honor and privilege to braai (bbq) some huge Texian steak, break bread and fellowship. After supper we prayed and Alton brought forth a much needed prophetic word, in essence refering to a "Daniel anointing", and the importance of the secular powers to called upon "the Man of God "to read what the divine writings on the wall are about" giving prophetic direction and sharing words of wisdom and knowledge in order for the city to be run more effectively and the people in general will prosper.
 
Alton is very much in favour of market place ministry, whilst Royston a recovered drug addict walks in God's grace as he has opened himself to minister to affect families, offering holistic ministry including parenting workshops and lifeskill equipping to become overcomers in their plight and at the same time offer Jeus Christ by life style and example.
 
I was so privileged to help with an assignment they had, part of their portfolio of activities they do vehicle recovery for various banks, these recoveries are as a result of people unable to repay loans and defaulting on payment agreements. Never-the -less they needed some help on a recovery, by Gods grace He gave me a word of knowledge and led us directly to the vehicle in the heart of Hornlee, It was most encouraging to see how God would use gifts that we have been practicing via The Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry here in Knysna become a reality and showing how we can live naturally in the supernatural.

I am trusting that Allton and Royston will once again make use of our hospitality on their way back home.


 

In the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit...

A profound prophetic word by Cheryl over each gave a beautiful start to the public commitment to follow Christ for three ladies of the Island Church. Having repented and accepted Jesus as their Saviour and Lord, as a symbolic act, Katie, Elaine, and Monique made a public profession to follow Christ Sunday after the church service in the Knysna River.

Understanding the meaning of what they were doing, they agreed that they identify with the burial of Christ (as Nathan took them under the water) and have now risen with Him (up out of the water) to newness of life.

With delightful weather and water temperature many stayed to enjoy a picnic lunch and fellowship after the baptism. So Nathan continues ministry in South Africa...

me... I drove in the snow for the first time in 3 years (figure if I can drive on the left side of the road, what is a little bit of snow?!) Today I am Thankful for new life in Christ and God's protection and provision in the US!

YFC Knysna together with Child Welfare Knysna embarked on an initiative to hold a parenting camp for 20 parents from the low income and informal segment of the Knysna community. Using the materials from"Focus on the Family" by Dr. James Dobson we ran a very successful camp called "Parenting with Assurance".

Each letter of the word ASSURANCE was used as follows: Acceptance, Spiritual grounding, Setting Boundaries, Unconditional Love, Responsibility, Affirmation, Nearness, Character,and Emotional Security.

Nathan together with some ladies of the Options Crisis Pregnancy Centre Facilitated the weekend camp at a beautiful site
in Plettenberg Bay called Ingwe; an ideal venue to allow the parents just to focus on their commitment to their children.

Like most YFC camps it was filled with numerous interactive games, as well as the sharing of relevant topics by a most passionate bunch of facilitators. The group was lead into both discussions and debates that challenged many of their old parenting methods.

There is no doubt paradigm shifts occurred and most definitely seeds planted for transformation and change in parenting techniques.

The biggest conclusion... "it is absolutely imperative that we be praying for our children daily!"

Both YFC and Child Welfare have undertaken to have follow up sessions and the success of this camp will undoubtedly be
passed on by word of mouth to the rest of the community.

WOW! What a privilege to be change agents for this little community.

BABY SHOWER!!

Check out the little bump on this girl. Can you believe that she only has 9 weeks left... where is that baby!!

I know that Tiffany is a petite girl, but she must be hiding the whole baby inside of her.

Friends and family gathered to celebrate the coming birth of Ella McKenzie Saraceno. It was a delight for me to have both of my sisters, the silly 'Great Aunties' in this picture, here to share some of our latest antics. Laughing til it hurt, I think that Deb's (on the left) life could be written into a Seinfeld episode.


Bottom picture is Great Grandma Bernice... Ella will be her first great grand child! Like all pregnant mom's Tiffany can't wait for Ella to just arrive!!

While I am safe and sound after 36 hours of traveling from Cape Town to Spokane WA, Nathan is hard at work with the matriculants (High School Seniors).

As part of our ministry at the Knysna High School Hostel, Nathan was asked to ingivilate for the matric exams. For those of our American friends... that means that the Seniors take final exams that cover EVERYTHING they have learned in 12 years of school. This is kind of like our SAT's. Nathan's job is to make sure that the exams process is followed according to protocol and that the students are not cheating. These exams last every school day for the month of November, and into the first week of December. (one exam for every single subject)

Below are his comments:

"At Knysna High School 95 students are almost a third of the way thru. The papers generally have been pretty fair. I have the privilege of opening every exam in prayer, and whilst invigilating I am also interceding for each and everyone of them. I wear a happy face every day as an encouragement to them, and often go the extra mile to find a ruler, pencil or calculator.
I have developed a great repore with the students."

As exhausting as it is for the students to take the exams, I know that poor Nathan has been pooped when he gets home, with 2 exams a day, and each one lasting 3-4 hours... it makes for a loooong day. I am proud of you honey... you are the bestest and I know that the students appreciate and love you!!

Settled at the top of the hill, the Dorothy Broster Youth Center serves as temporary home for children with families in crisis.
Over the past 3 weeks, Nathan and I have enjoyed bringing them encourage- ment & hope. Excited to learn (and receive a chocolate as reward) all 14 finished their "Book of Hope" in just one week! Our time with them has been filled with messages of their uniqueness, as God created them as they are for a purpose, and He wants to fulfill that purpose!


(unable to show children's faces)