The Symbol of our Faith

Readers of our blog, might remember this photo of a disgruntled Martelize on the koppie....

And this photo of Jan on the stoep with a "Watch this space." Well here is that space....

Jan painted the heavy (and I mean heavy) planks and joined them together to make a...

You guessed it! A huge 6 m tall cross. Here Jan and Hendrik have a trial run with the pulley to hoist it up the tree.

Sorting out of the bolts and chains to fasten it to the tower.

The cross was dismantled again and eary one Friday morning, before work and before the grooms official work hours started, it was carried up the koppie.

Bundu bashing... not really. Hendrik had opened up the footpath properly before this occassion.

At the radio/ internet tower, the cross was reassembled. Not so easy between all the bushes and rocks.

Two ropelights were attached.

The hoisting up began, but there were several glitches.

Jan climbing up the 12 m high tower - and he is afraid of heights...!

Martelize and Thelwyn came up with me: I to take photos and they for the "fun." It turned out not to be the greatest fun for Martelize. She doesn't like to stand on soil - her feet have always been very, very sensitive to touch. It was also nearly lunch time and I had to go and fetch her Purity.


Pull, pull....



After more glitches and Jan nearly fainting of dehydration, the grooms offered to climb up. They were as nimble as monkeys.

Ice water for Jan and a biscuit for Martelize. I had run down to fetch her Purity, but in my haste I had left her spoon behind. She did not relish eating Purity from my finger, but she loved being fed tiny pieces of a cookie! She is 8 months old.

Of course Jakkie and Farao (Pharaoh) were also there...


Well the pulley couldn't pull it up as high as we had hoped it would - we really should have had a block and tackle... maybe another day? But at this point, it was decided the cross is high enough and it was fastened with chains. (Note the "royal we...")

The tough team.

The end result as seen from the road by day...

And by night....

With this cross we want to proclaim to the whole world that we believe in our Saviour Jesus Christ. It cost a lot of sweat, determination (and inflamed shoulder muscles) to bring this project to fruition, but think of what it cost our Lord to save us.

"Go then to the whole world and make them my disciples, baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit and teach them to do everything I have told you to do. And remember I will be with you always."
May this cross be a constant reminder of who and what Jesus is and who and what we are in Him.