Dean went to Patrick's funeral in Chris Nissen Park this morning. It was a moving service conducted by Donald, one of the community leaders. He did an excellent job and Francois our lead elder at church gave a short preach. This was great and has really helped our witness in the community. Patrick's family were deeply upset, but again Aunty Kuku barely registered any kind of emotion, we are really concerned for her.-
The Finnie family in Blighty, December 2021
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Dean and Paula pastor The Gathering together -
The Gathering -
Baptisms at The Gathering -
Preparing to serve at The Gathering's Soup Kitchen -
Soup Kitchen Welcome To 2022 lunch
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Serving hands - the heart of The Gatheirng -
Thankful Thursdays -
HOPE Home Based Care Team -
Gathering Ground -
Staying fit as a family -
The Helderberg - The prettiest of the mountains we face
Dean went to Patrick's funeral in Chris Nissen Park this morning. It was a moving service conducted by Donald, one of the community leaders. He did an excellent job and Francois our lead elder at church gave a short preach. This was great and has really helped our witness in the community. Patrick's family were deeply upset, but again Aunty Kuku barely registered any kind of emotion, we are really concerned for her.
Paula had another interesting and emotionally exhausting morning in Chris Nissen on Friday. She spent quite a while with Lorraine talking about her illness, general health and the various options that she now finds herself faced with , particularly with regard to her little daughter. She is very anxious and tearful about the future for Evidine, her daughter. Lorraine is not afraid to die, she said, but she is so afraid of what will happen to Evidine. This is such a common story and yet, thank God, she does at least have wider family who will care for her.
These photo's are of Joel at his friend Sean's Pirate Party. As you can see from the photos Joel had great fun even though he was significantly younger than the other children.The rain has been pretty relentless this weekend, don't be fooled by the sun in the photos below, the rain abated for Sean's party but kicked in again afterwards with a vengeance! The rain is desperately needed and the locals are quite excited about it but somehow, being English, we just can't get excited by rain!
Paula had an excellent morning in Chris Nissen on Friday. It was pouring with rain but she really wanted to go and visit some of the women. At last, after over 2 weeks of not seeing Dina, she found her curled up in bed recovering from a very nasty bout of gastric flu! Dina was so pleased to see her and they had a good chat. Many bridges were built and it was so good to hear from her why she has been so upset lately. It is amazing how easily an action or words can be misconstrued and misinterpreted so as to cause offense. Paula was also able to advise her about her diet, the drugs she was trying to take and her busy lifestyle. They prayed together and then Paula set about trying to catch up on Dina's busy 'visiting and caring' schedule that she had had to drop during her illness (typical Dina! always thinking of others).
We had an excellent bible study this morning, looking at baptism (see the material below). Unfortunately we were not able to use the container as there was some building work on the go but we managed to cram into Michael's house. as it turned out we had all been baptised as consenting believers which is excellent.
The last few weeks have been a bit of a strange time. CNP has been a bit of a frustration for Dean, particularly as Dina is not making herself available, we've not seen her for 3 weeks now. Dean has rung the ANC office but received no reply. Please pray for Dina as we know she was upset about the funeral arrangements for Michael's daughter and we think that her absence is related to this.
On Friday we had the privilege of going to the Face Down tour at Jubilee Christian Centre in Cape Town. Matt Redman was leading with support from Chris Tomlin. Wow! What an evening! Enjoy the photos below. The photos were taken by Tim one of our FYP volunteers this year. Above you can see some photos taken this afternoon in CNP. They are of some of our FYP volunteers playing with the kids in the community.
It's late as we write so this is a quick update.
Patrick was discharged and sent home today which is a bit of a shock. It's less than a week since the amputation and he is still in so much pain! Dean's main concern now that he's home is the level of care Patrick will receive and who is going to dress his wound each day. Patrick is staying with his daughter Mabel for a while and she has a drink problem and is not wholly reliable. Please pray about this, Patrick really needs tiptop care.
Patrick was discharged and sent home today which is a bit of a shock. It's less than a week since the amputation and he is still in so much pain! Dean's main concern now that he's home is the level of care Patrick will receive and who is going to dress his wound each day. Patrick is staying with his daughter Mabel for a while and she has a drink problem and is not wholly reliable. Please pray about this, Patrick really needs tiptop care.
Dean received a telephone call early this morning informing him that Michael's daughter -Michelle- had been raped and murdered. Unfortunately, Michael learnt of this from the news last night on E-TV. As the day progressed we gained more information and it transpires that Michelle was raped and murdered on the 1st May but the police say they were unable to locate any family so allowed the story to be broadcast in the hope of family coming forward. However, we also learnt from Michele's boyfriend that he approached the police soon after the incident and as such the police were fully aware of the family's whereabouts.
Dean didn't get to see Patrick over the weekend so will go tonight. However we did hear this morning that one of the women in CNP has died.
Dean has just returned from the hospital where he saw Patrick and Ben.
Patrick is in so much pain after the amputation. His leg was removed just below the knee, so he will be somewhat unbalanced when he has recovered. Dean has never seen anyone literally writhing in pain before and it was quite distressing to see him in this state. Aunty Kuku has agreed to visit tomorrow so Dean will take her in the afternoon to see Patrick. Unfortunately their grandson Enslen has been dumped on her again. Enslen is seriously disable having some form of palsy and having him in the home puts a huge burden on Aunty Kuku.
Patrick is in so much pain after the amputation. His leg was removed just below the knee, so he will be somewhat unbalanced when he has recovered. Dean has never seen anyone literally writhing in pain before and it was quite distressing to see him in this state. Aunty Kuku has agreed to visit tomorrow so Dean will take her in the afternoon to see Patrick. Unfortunately their grandson Enslen has been dumped on her again. Enslen is seriously disable having some form of palsy and having him in the home puts a huge burden on Aunty Kuku.
Dean went to Hospital today with our two medical electives (Jonathon & Rachel) to visit Patrick and Ben. Whilst there we also saw Annie who is being treated for severe chemical burns. She was working in the farms in Feb and was exposed to some chemicals which have left her quite badly disfigured and have burnt her throat and lungs. Dean didn't initially recognise her as she had lost so much weight.
Patrick is scheduled to have his leg removed tomorrow (12 May) and he is really upset about this. Whilst Dean was with Patrick, Paula arrived with Joel which appeared to brighten up Patrick's day.
Patrick is scheduled to have his leg removed tomorrow (12 May) and he is really upset about this. Whilst Dean was with Patrick, Paula arrived with Joel which appeared to brighten up Patrick's day.
Lorraine was taken to hospital last night as her stomach had swollen dramatically.
Ben collapsed in CNP this afternoon, Dean wasn't there but thankfully another volunteer was and he's a Dr so was able to help. The ambulance was called and Ben is now in hospital, so Dean will see him tomorrow.
The reality for Aunty Kuku (Patrick's wife) is that she's enjoying the break from him and is reluctant to visit the hospital (although this may in part be because she is not very well herself).
Please pray for Patrick, he's back in hospital this evening. Dean went to CNP as usual and called in to see Patrick and was alarmed to see that the blister which had appeared on Patrick's foot late last week is now the size of a tennis ball! Dean immediately arranged to take Patrick to hospital and they arrived there at 3pm this afternoon.
Patrick is in a lot of pain but doesn't want to stay in hospital - quite understandable! Please pray that Patrick will get a thorough 'MOT' and a very thorough bed bath. Unfortunately due to his amputation and stroke, Patrick finds washing and showering almost impossible. We're also left feeling that the health service here are only interested in addressing his symptoms and not the underlying problems, please pray into this.
Patrick is in a lot of pain but doesn't want to stay in hospital - quite understandable! Please pray that Patrick will get a thorough 'MOT' and a very thorough bed bath. Unfortunately due to his amputation and stroke, Patrick finds washing and showering almost impossible. We're also left feeling that the health service here are only interested in addressing his symptoms and not the underlying problems, please pray into this.
Joel is quite ill at the moment with another bout of bronchiolitis, the Dr gave him some drugs which have had a positive impact but he's coughing like mad and is really fed up with it.
We're both well and Dean is just about recovered from his bad back. He recently acquired a new mountain bike (see the piccy) and as he was getting used to the new seating position etc his back obviously stretched, no permanent damage but a bit sore for a few days.
We're both well and Dean is just about recovered from his bad back. He recently acquired a new mountain bike (see the piccy) and as he was getting used to the new seating position etc his back obviously stretched, no permanent damage but a bit sore for a few days.
Forgive our lack of communication since our last Blog, life has been hectic and will continue to be so until Monday when we set off on a 5 -6 hour drive for two weeks by the beach. That's Monday, before then we've got so much to do.
Last weekend we had Joel's birthday party at a little indoor play centre. Joel had about 8 friends there and they all had a ball. It was great too for the parents as we could sit and chat over coffee whilst the kids ran themselves ragged in a totally safe environment. We'll be back there again!
Last weekend we had Joel's birthday party at a little indoor play centre. Joel had about 8 friends there and they all had a ball. It was great too for the parents as we could sit and chat over coffee whilst the kids ran themselves ragged in a totally safe environment. We'll be back there again!
Life has been pretty hectic since our return from Bloemfontein. We celebrated Joel's 2nd birthday a couple of days late (we missed it whilst we were in Bloem) but he more than made up for it. He got a kiddies tent which he loves playing in. We gave him a toy microwave with lights and stuff which he enjoys and he was given a Barney DVD which he is glued to when he's allowed to watch the tv.
Below is a selection of photographs taken over the weekend at the NFI leaders conference in Bloemfontein.The photos are of friends from Zimbabwe whom we haven't seen since our departure in 2003. Some of these friends are still faithfully plugging away in Zimbabwe and a few have moved to Jo'burg to be a part of a new church plant there called God First.
This past week has been really hectic as we prepare to drive to Bloemfontein for the NFI Africa leaders conference. We've been quite stressed about the childcare arrangements or lack of them and after much discussion and negotiation have decided to leave Joel behind with some good friends. This is better in many ways as he won't have to endure the 10 hour drive (Bloem is just over 1000km's) and we'll be able to attend all the sessions without having to worry about him. Sadly however, we will miss his 2nd birthday on Saturday and needless to say feel quite gutted about this and just a little guilty! We'll have to make it up to him when we return on Monday.
Dean had a good morning with his Bible Study group, he and John (an FYP) took them to the local shopping mall for coffee and muffins. Unfortunately it was simply too cold to go to the beach (we won't get too much sympathy from you we know) as it had been raining overnight and was still overcast this morning. Patrick is struggling with the cold due to the lack of circulation in his leg which is looking very serious now. Dean will be taking Patrick to the Dr's again on Friday afternoon. Michael was amazed by the mall having never been there before, he loved gazing into the shop windows to see what they were selling.
Joel is recovering well from his recent bout of tonsillitus. His appetite and character are returning, thank goodness, and we are enjoying having our boy back again! It is nearly his birthday, just 10 days to go, and we are busy planning a little party for him with his friends! We are also off to the NFI Africa leaders conference in Bloemfontein with Joel from 17-21 March. We would really appreciate your prayers for safe travel (about 10 hours each way!) and that Joel doesn't get too tetchy in the car. He isn't at all used to long journeys.
Dean had a great day in CNP today and spent a long time with Patrick and his family. The photo of him is with his grandson Eugene. Patrick was far more lucid that he has been for a long time and we all had a really good laugh together! Dina arrived towards the end and was telling us that 3rd Degree (local version of Panorama) are to interview her on Friday in relation to some missing money from the CNP trust. We were pulling her leg saying that they wanted to see where she parks her Mercedes, poor Dina she was quite concerned but laughed a lot!
Over the last week or so Joel has been taking tentative steps in walking but hasn't really gone for it. Today Joel walked for ages in the local shopping mall surprising us and providing much amusement for many passers-by. We are so grateful to God that at last Joel is walking and h just looks so proud of himself!
Dean was invited by our neighbour Don to join him and three friends for an early morning prayer meeting. Dean really enjoyed meeting with a small group of men as this is something he is looking at starting in our church here. The only downside was that they met at 6.30 on Saturday morning, a bit of a shock for him!
This week seems to have been completely manic for both of us but probably more so for Paula, we don't feel that we've had a chance to catch our breath. The week culminated with our hard disk collapsing leaving us with a complete headache! We've lost lots of emails and a months worth of photos which is very frustrating! We were budgeting for a new laptop later in the year but have had to bring that forward to late Friday afternoon. On Friday we also had the dentist and as new patients the dentist wanted to do x-rays etc. This led to Paula getting a bit of bad news and has to go back for a few more appointments.
.This week has been a great week so far, not least because Joel has decided that standing unaided is actually a good thing and something he wants to do! We're rejoicing that he is making such major moves towards walking, and he certainly appears to be happy. Joel had his second day at nursery today and again he appears to be thriving on it, however he was so hyped up that he didn't have his lunchtime sleep so mum & dad are feeling a little frazzled!This afternoon we went to a braai with another English couple who are getting involved in a variety of social action projects and it looks like we may be able to develop some positive links and share resources which would be great.
Today has been an exciting day of new beginnings! Firstly, Joel started nursery - what a proud day for mum and dad! He seemed pretty pleased with himself too going off with his little tortoise shape bag packed with goodies and art T shirts etc etc. Paula stayed with him for about 2 minutes before one of the helpers had him engrossed in a puzzle on the floor - oh well, no time for "I'll really miss you mum"!! Apparently he was an absolute angel all morning and had a ball - particularly during wet play, when Joel took it literally and got completely soaked to the skin! The leader also noticed how much he loves music and said that he has a really infectious belly laugh which had them all laughing! Thank God for a flexible, friendly little boy!
We've just heard that the latest death toll for the tsunami is now 280,000 and rising. We've also heard many questioning the where's why's and how's of God and his role in the tsunami. We believe that the creator God needs no defending and we have no intention of defending him. However, we would like to offer some thoughts to those that would ask the questions; how could a loving God allow the tsunami to kill so many? or where was God whilst the tsunami was killing thousands.
However, let us make it clear that this is a personal perspective based on our faith in God.
Please pray for Michael and his daughter (we don't know her name and M was to upset to give it) as she has been attacked. She definitely has a broken arm and it appears that she has been raped, although we can't confirm this. Michael is really upset and feeling very angry, pray for grace as he comes to terms with his daughter's ordeal.
Dean had a good day in CNP today -if a little sad too- as he spent over an hour with Michael and his wife Joyce counseling them after a long weekend of rowing and domestic violence. This is an area Dean has been wanting to get involved with and so to have an opportunity to work with a family in this was really good. Michael was very receptive and appeared to be genuinely remorseful, whilst Joyce appeared to be glad that he had been open and honest with someone.
We've had a really good week, both in CNP and out and about, however Paula is really looking forward to this week as finally all the groups she and Joel attend restart after the summer holiday. Also, we should know in the next couple of weeks whether or not Joel has got a nursery place. Please pray that he will as this would free Paula up to commit more time to her role in the church and to the cell group she is starting later this month.
Below are two Blogs that for some reason weren't published.
Wheelchair at last!
Dean took Patrick and his 2nd daughter to the physiotherapist again today and the physio commented on how well Patrick is progressing. We then had a conversation about our attempts to acquire a wheelchair to no avail. Amazingly the physio said that we could take their brand new one (just had to fill in a few forms) and they would get another one for themselves, Brilliant!!! Patrick and his family are well chuffed! Now we need to find someone who could build him a ramp from the street to his front door.
Wheelchair at last!
Dean took Patrick and his 2nd daughter to the physiotherapist again today and the physio commented on how well Patrick is progressing. We then had a conversation about our attempts to acquire a wheelchair to no avail. Amazingly the physio said that we could take their brand new one (just had to fill in a few forms) and they would get another one for themselves, Brilliant!!! Patrick and his family are well chuffed! Now we need to find someone who could build him a ramp from the street to his front door.
What will this year have in store we wonder? If any of the previous years are anything to go by it should be time to buckle up and hang on for the rollercoaster is about to be launched....
Dean has been back in CNP since Tuesday (as well as visiting a bit during the Christmas break) and learnt that three folk died on Christmas day.
Once again we go into another week having failed dismally to keep our Blog upto date!
We had a good week. We met up with Maurice & Wendy (friends from Zim) and spent time catching up which was great. Then later in the week Pete & Ash came for tea with their 3 boys. Their youngest was born after we left Zim so we hadn't met him and Ash hadn't met Joel so it was a great afternoon catching up. Pete is now leading God First Christian Church in Jo'burg, well worth a visit if you're in that neck of the woods!
We had a good week. We met up with Maurice & Wendy (friends from Zim) and spent time catching up which was great. Then later in the week Pete & Ash came for tea with their 3 boys. Their youngest was born after we left Zim so we hadn't met him and Ash hadn't met Joel so it was a great afternoon catching up. Pete is now leading God First Christian Church in Jo'burg, well worth a visit if you're in that neck of the woods!
We've just enjoyed 2 nights away without Joel and it was brilliant! We missed him dearly but it was so nice to be able to do normal things without him. We ate lunch when we wanted, Paula could have a cappuccino without having to share the froth, we went to the cinema but best of all we got to lay in in the morning!!!! Joel was a star by all accounts and was a credit to us.
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