My sister Anne’s sister in law, Tiemie, recently died after a sudden diabetic coma. What a shock! The two widows had been living together for years and Anne will surely miss her companion and cook and bottlewasher! Tiemie was such a friendly serving Martha – always willing to help others on the quiet.
The service was so positive: 2 Tim 4. “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith. Now there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, shall give me at that Day. Children of God always have hope. The departure is sad, but we are glad that she has finished the race Tiemie now has the victory that was bought by Christ on the cross. We can follow her example.
She was buried on the farm where she grew up – next to her mother’s grave and the other graves and memorial stones of her brother, her father and grandparents.
Most of the guests have already departed, but the family hangs around while Anne gathers the notes on the flowers.
On the way to Tiemie’s cousin’s house for tea. What a beautiful summer afternoon in the Free State!
Sterkte Anne en al die Frasers. Ek weet julle gaan haar baie mis.
I looked at the rest of the box: what would I do with them? Throw them all in the green waste bin or try to salvage them by cutting out the black spots? What a chore! Would it be worthwhile or would the avo’s turn black and unusable immediately, forcing me to throw them out anyway and without receiving any “fruit” from them?
It made me think…am I a “usable avo with clear spotless flesh” or am I dotted with black spots? Am I useful? Can’t be if I’m dotted with black spots!
God, please do not give up on me! Don’t throw me out – please cut out the rotten pieces. I cannot do it on my own: I need your grace! I want to glorify you!
Martelize was still asleep when the L’s arrived. As she already had had a very long nap, Thelwyn decided to wake her, but Sleepy Head did not want to wake up until she heard that Franco was here! Immediately she was wide awake and eager to see him!
It was a glorious spring afternoon and of course the best place to play was outside. Franco was climbing onto the braai stand (not an interesting climbing frame), so I suggested they climb on the rocks instead. (These are the rocks that emerged when the swimming pool was closed up and which the front end loader dumped on our lawn.)
As first the little ones were a little bit hesitant to stand up on the “high” rocks, but they soon gained confidence and made a game of moving from rock to rock!
Kyk waar staan ek! En kyk waar staan ek!
En kyk waar staan ek ook! Volgende jaar klim en klouter ek ook!
This year my childhood and young adulthood congregation, Universiteitsoord, celebrates it’s 50th year. Last Sunday was the one of the many celebration Sundays. Ds. Madder Steyn preached – he was one of the student preachers while I was at university. He preached about Phillipians 4:4 and that is when I remembered that there actually is a spiritual song starting with F in Afrikaans!
People who were at the corner stone unveiling 45 years ago, were invited to light a candle. (Soon invited anyone who wanted to, was invited to light a candle – sadly the church was not nearly as full as I remembered it!)
I was deeply moved when I lit a candle, remembering how much the church had meant to me in my growing years and what wonderful times we had there. I went to “kinderkrans” (a get together organisation for primary school children) in the big old house that was later demolished to make space for the church which was built there in the sixties. Our catechism class was the second group to be confirmed in the new church and we had our first communion there.
This picture of Universiteitsoord was taken circa 1967 – trees and plants have since grown high!
While we were dating, Jan and I went to church there: the church was always packed to capacity in the evenings – about 2000! (And during exam time, it was fuller than full!) After three years we were married there. The reception was in the church hall. Many songs, like Psalm 18 and the “Aandlied” (Aan U o God my dankgesange) , specifically remind me of that time and these songs are included in my list below.
After the celebration service, it was wonderful to talk to our previous (all old and retired now) ministers and their wives: Ds Kobus Potgieter and his wife Mercia, Ds Andrie du Toit, Ds Dirk Oosthuizen and Tannie Linda. My father was an active “ouderling” (elder) and all the ministers remembered him well and therefore us too!
My father always made notes of all the sermons he listened to. After more than a hundred sermons, he analysed them, finding that the church preached far too little about love. He wrote to the “Kerkbode” and spoke on the radio about it and the situation has since changed. Long after my father’s death, Ds. Madder wrote in his biography “Prof. Dirk, ons het jou soort so nodig vandag!” (Prof. Dirk we need your type urgently today!)
A while ago I wrote about how I play the ABC game to count lengths as I swim. This is my list of songs: More than one song for each letter, just in case! I am not 100 % sure of the words of all the songs (how sad is that!), but I know most and am inspired to learn all of them well.
| A | Aan U o God my dankgesange (562) Alle volke klap jul hande (547) |
| B | Besing die Lof van Jesus saam (215) Bring lof aan die Vader (205) |
| C | Christ the Lord is risen today |
| D | **Dank Vader dank vir die genade (562 :3) Diep, o God, diep neergeboë (232) |
| E | Eer aan die Vader wat alles gemaak het. **Ek het U hartlik lief, o Heer! (Psalm 18) |
| F | Fillipense 4 vers 4 sê verbly jou in die Heer Father we adore you. |
| G | ”God is liefde!”juig ons harte (334) Gees van God wat in my woon (442) |
| H | **Heil’ge Jesus wat my lewe (271) Heilig, Heilig, Heilig |
| I | In die stad van Koning Dawid Is dit, is dit my koning? |
| J | Juig al wat leef (Psalm 100) Jubel o nasies dis die koning wat aankom. |
| K | Jesus neem die kleine kinders (293) Kom dank nou almal God. ( 188) |
| L | Laat ons sing van ons Verlosser (219) Lei U ons, lig (511) |
| M | My enigste troos (292) Majesteit (175) |
| N | Neem my lewe, laat dit, Heer (308) Nader my God, by U (512) |
| O | Ons Vader wat woon in die hemel (266) Op Berge en in dale |
| P | Praat ek mense, eng’le tale (530) Prys die Heer met blye galme (Psalm 146) |
| Q (V) | Voel jy soms of die Here te ver is 518 ’n Vaste Burg is onse God (476) |
| R | **Here, Redder, groot en magtig (280) Ek roem U naam, ek wil graag sing. (Groen boekie 9) |
| S | Soek allereers die koninkryk van God (471) Soek in God jou sterkte, kry by Hom jou krag (513) |
| T | Twee ogies om Gods werk te sien. Loof Hom met die tromme. To God be the glory |
The songs marked with red, are the ones I “sang” this morning while training– some were not even on my list, or a favourite, but they’re the ones that came to my mind… I guess God wanted me to sing them! My favourites are masked with asterisks – and I did not even sing my favourite, favourite “Here, Redder, groot en magtig” (Guide my, O my great Redeemer)!
Do you have favourites? Would love to know what they are!
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