Update On Aunty Henna

I'm delighted to say that Aunty Henna is home again!

She had pneumonia and has high BP. I was thrilled to visit today and find family members buying her food and pouring over her Discharge form with a dictionary!! As usual, everyone was waiting for me (the non medic!) to explain the medication! So what have you been up to I ask her, "praying" she answers! She really is my very own Aunt Clara from The War Room!! Such fun also to see her face as she was blessed with a DVD player, one of her heart's desires

Thank you Lord!

Go-Kart A GoGo

Today is a public holiday and what better way to spend it than on servicing/upgrading the boys' Go-Kart.

First job was to replace the broken front axle, it was a bit of a swine to do given that it involved drilling right through the length of the wood, but the finished job looks and works a treat.

Next up I swapped the old crate seat for a scavenged school style seat which I'd seen on a building site whilst out walking Rosie.

Personally I'm really chuffed with how it's all turned out and the boys gave it their approval declaring it to be "cool".

Aunty Henna

Over the years many of you have visited our friends in Chris Nissen Park and will remember my dear friend Aunty Henna from the HOPE Home Based Care team. Please will you pray for her as she is now in hospital with a respiratory infection and the Dr is also querying a stroke. I have just been to see her and we talked, read the Bible and prayed together. As we might expect, she is in her usual great spirit, full of faith and can't wait to leave and go home! That I can understand as the conditions at the hospital are really not great.

The Teenager Has Landed

Wishing our big 13 year old a 
Very Happy Birthday.

We can't quite believe that we got here but we're so proud of you son!

As Paula said on Facebook: Joel you are an exceptional, unique young man and we are so excited to walk into this next stage of life with you! Praying that "you will grow in wisdom and stature and in favour with God and man" just as Jesus did here on earth. Love you loads!

Antlions

Some of you have been on safari and will have enjoyed looking at the Big 5, they are a truly spectacular group of animals.

What you may not know though, is that there is also a Little 5 of some equally amazing animals.

We have the Antlion or Lion Ant in our garden and as the drought intensifies so does their hunting activity.

Soup Kitchen

Recently we were at a Hillsong leaders lunch and were enjoying listening to a guy called Perry Noble (we had no clue as to who he was but he was very good. Read more about him here). He posed the question: "If your church closed its doors tomorrow would it be missed by the community?".  This got me to wondering whether or not The Gathering would be missed after just about a year in Firgrove.

Hand on heart I believe that we would be missed. We'd be missed for a few reasons but one of the main reasons is our weekly soup kitchen.

"Thier Latest Ploy"

ploy
Pronunciation: /plɔɪ/
Definition of ploy in English:
noun
1. A cunning plan or action designed to turn a situation to one’s own advantage: the president has dismissed the referendum as a ploy to buy time
More example sentences
1.1 An activity done for amusement: the eternal cross-stitch I was set to do before I could indulge my own ploys

Back To School

After what seems like the shortest summer holiday ever, our boys are back to school today for the beginning of the new school year.

Joel finally starts High School in full and is looking forward to all the challenges that will bring.

The Gathering's New Year's Braai

It was a pleasure and a joy to be able to Gather as a church for a braai (BBQ) knowing that we're together just for the sake of it, free from the nonsense we had to endure last year.

We had so much fun (as you'll see in the pics below) and it was great to get to know each other a bit better. For Paula and I it was great to see Joel and Eli playing with Yanko, I think they finally realised that girls aren't gross.

It was a great way to kick off 2016.

Happy Christmas

We would like to wish you all a very happy Christmas and a blessed New Year.

Thank you for all your prayers and support through 2015, we've had a mixed year but the blessings far outweigh the negatives and we're believing that 2016 is going to be a fantastic year with The Gathering as we rise up to be more than conquerors for His kingdom.

10th Birthday

We can't quite believe that this little bundle of joy is 10 today.

He's not so little now but he's still a bundle of immense joy.

Eli truly is a blessing, he's always ready for a laugh, a joke and a bit of teasing and life would be very dull without him.

Happy 10th birthday Eli
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