Tough Times

The month of January it normally a quiet month for DSTV installers, this month is a bit bad and all. Hope it livens up soon - So we are taking it easy and Tilly will go back to Roodepoort this Saturday. It is also a difficult month for me as a minister. Life goes on and I have to preach and prepare. Need a month vacation I do.

The Maid and the Missies

My Mother (Helen) who is old and infirm and cannot stand and do kitchen work, usually empties the dishwasher for Elizabeth whenever it needs doing. The maid has often been present when Mom is doing the job. Below is a picture of Mom doing the job the geriatric way.

This Saturday Elizabeth asks the maid if she knows how to empty the dishwasher. She says yes, no problem. Elizabeth passes the kitchen and sees the following.














Do you see the humour?

The Funeral

16-01-2010
We buried the Dad today. What a grand funeral, what a great reaffirmation of God's goodness and purposes. I preached from Luke 16 the passage about Lazarus and the Rich Man dying and going to heaven and hell respectivley. There were a number of unsaved people there and it was good to be able to tell them what Dad would have said if he were able to come back from the dead. You see, we discussed this before he died. Dad was particularly concerned to tell his youngest son (Andrew) to repent and turn to God. Unfortunatley I do not have all the photo's to choose from, I will update the photo's when I get them - I do have a few of the Men of the family filling in the hole.

AVBOB - the undertakers

This was a real trial for me - they wanted to charge R8000.00 for a plain wodden coffin unvarnised and with rope handles - their cheapest one was R5000.00 plus - I explained the we Christians do not engage in ancestor worship and require a simple and cheap event and service. My self and Lawrence Dargie decided we will price and build our own coffin. We can make one for well under R1000.00 but Lawrence made some enquiries from a friend or 2 and consequently we managed to get them to admit that they actually have a R900.00 coffin for over the counter coffin sales only. They eventually did the funeral for Dad's funeral policy PLUS R1500.00 - Made me feel cheap and dirty bargaining for a cheaper funeral for the Dad
Dad for all his working life paid AVBOB faithfully - never missing a payment - so that his family will have no problems when he died, then he dies and they tell us the policy cannot even provide him a coffin, let alone their services. How on earth do really poor families manage?

The Dad's Passing

On Sunday 10-01-2010 at about 4pm My dad died in hospital. He had been ill and very frail for som 3 to 6 months prior to this. On Sunday morning Dad asked to see a doctor. He was in great pain and suffering with diahreah and vomiting. Elizabeth took him to hospital while I went to church. Elizabeth stayed with him till he was restfull. They struggled to deal with his pain and eventually gave him pethadine. He slept then and Elizabeth left him and came home. At about 3 pm he awoke and called for help to go to the loo, at the end of the gastric event the nurse helped him back to bed and went to fetch him some pain medication. When she returned he was strugling to breath despite the oxygen. And then he died.

We rejoice that Father God promoted him to glory, gave Dad total recovery from all his suffering and pain, Praise God from whom all blessings flow.

We mourn because we love him and miss him, but we do not mourn as those who have no hope. We look to the ressurection of the dead with the sure knowledge that one day, "yet in my flesh shall I see the Lord" and my Dad.