Puseletso Maria Karreebos

Puseletso Maria (meaning “Replacement for one who is dying” in Sesotho) came to us in November 2006. Prior to that she had been living in a small tin shack with her granny, cousins, and occasionally an aunt. The granny was HIV+ and in no physical condition to care for the 6 children. All six were orphans, as their mothers had died and their fathers were either dead, unable to be located, or unknown.

We found out about their situation through a sister organization, Morningstar. Morningstar is a daycare for poverty stricken, HIV+ children. They had been caring for two of Maria’s cousins. When we initially discovered what was happening we were unable to take the children, as the government had not yet approved our license as a children’s home.

While we couldn’t take them full time, the missionaries at The Pines still wanted to do everything they could to help. Each Saturday and Sunday morning they would pick up the children to spend the day here, returning them at night to sleep with their granny. This went on for a couple months as we worked to obtain the necessary approval to properly care for these kids.

In early November the situation began to get desperate. The granny was unable to even get out of bed, so Maria and her cousins were forced to fend for themselves. At this point she was only 5 years old. One Wednesday evening it rained heavily, causing some minor flooding in the area. We wanted to be sure the children were ok, so on Thursday morning we drove out to their township to check.

When we arrived we discovered they hadn’t eaten since we had left them on Sunday. They had run out of electricity and couldn’t cook anything. Even if they had been able to cook, there was only about 2 cups of corn meal in the bottom of a coffee can, so it wouldn’t have gone far. We took them into town and bought a couple months worth of electricity. Then we purchased some food-bread, potatoes, peanut butter, etc… so they would have proper nourishment.

On Saturday morning we returned to pick them up and found out they again hadn’t eaten since we left on Thursday. This time it was a different reason. Their aunt, who is a prostitute, had returned back to the shack due to the weather. When she discovered there was food in the house she told the children that if she caught any of them eating it, she would poison them. Of course, coming from the environment and background they were in, they had to believe she was telling the truth.

After we found out some of these issues, the process of legally obtaining rights to care for the children was kicked into high gear. Several alternative methods were discussed to expedite removal of the children from that home. Finally, about 10 days later the government took the children out and placed them with The Pines on a temporary basis. Here in South Africa they call it Place of Safety. This is when they determine living conditions are hazardous or threatening to the welfare of the child.

Maria and the other 5 children in her family have all been transferred from Place of Safety status to Foster Care status. In South Africa, the Foster Care status is typically permanent, unless the parents are alive and are later deemed able to again care for the children. You can imagine how often this happens.

When she came to live here she was behind what would be considered a normal level for a 5 year old. Since she has been here she has proven herself to be intelligent and quite resourceful. She still struggles with motivation to work hard in school, and she carries a mischievous streak. Her teachers tell us that sometimes she will tell them the correct answer, but then write the incorrect one just to see how they respond.

She definitely presents some unique challenges to us here at The Pines. According to her housemother, Mama Aggie, while their 4 mothers were still alive all 6 children lived together with them in one house. Apparently Maria was orphaned first, and because of that didn’t receive the same love and attention that her cousins had, even in those difficult conditions. It is obvious now that she craves individual attention and care, sometimes causing problems so that she can receive it.

Like all the kids here at The Pines, Maria has heard the message of Jesus Christ. Pray that she will understand that she personally must put her faith in Him and ask forgiveness for her sins. We trust that as she continues to be nurtured here at The Pines that the Holy Spirit will do a mighty work in and through her life.

The life & Times of Louis & Amber - Makhasi's Stabbing

In our last post I wrote about an unplanned event that served to remind us again that we need to be flexible at all times, not knowing what will happen next. Yesterday I got a phone call that made our interrupted evening on Sunday seem like an appealing scenario.

We were attending Liam Niehoff’s first birthday party when my phone rang. It was about 5:00 in the afternoon and initially I chose to ignore the call, planning to call back later. I could see from the caller ID that it was the phone of one of the boys from Thabong that I do Bible Study with and normally they would leave a message. It rang two more times so I figured I had best call them back right away.

When DJ picked up the phone he said “Uncle Louie, I have some bad news about MaCrazy.” MaCrazy’s real name is Makhasi, but his enchanting personality and vibrant storytelling prompted one of the teams from the US to nickname him MaCrazy. This is the same guy who claims to own an island somewhere in the Carribean or South Pacific, depending on the circumstances, and has spent hours regaling his friends with the wonders of his island (one of the wonders is that meat grows on trees planted from meat seeds). The name has stuck, with even some of the teachers from the school using the new moniker.

You can imagine that when you hear something like that you immediately wonder what that news could be. DJ told me that they had just been told Makhasi had been stabbed. We have grown to love these boys, and now I think I know a little how a parent would feel when they get a phone call like this. It’s a feeling hard to describe. The other boys didn’t really have any more details other than his room number at the hospital.

First thing I went and told Amber, then grabbed my Bible and a few treats to bring to the hospital and left. It took about 20 minutes to get to Thabong and pick of the other 4 boys. On the way to the hospital I learned that two of these guys had also received threatening phone calls the night before from the boy who stabbed Makhasi. Sam even has a text on his phone that says “I’m going to kill you.” Because of this they had all taken to carrying knives the next day. The scary thing for them is that they don’t even know who this boy is and at the time they received the calls they hadn’t heard about Makhasi, so for all they knew they had been selected to be killed as maybe some gang initiation rite or something.

Once we arrived at the hospital the sisters (nurses) asked us to wait in the hall because it wasn’t yet visiting hours. They went to fetch Makhasi, as he was well enough to walk. During the wait one of the boys seemed to be taking things pretty hard and when I sat down next to him he buried his head in my shoulder and began sobbing. Imagine the strain of knowing someone has attempted to kill your friend and has threatened to do the same to you and your cousins. Add to this the fact that these young men have been on their own for many years with no father figure or adult man in their lives, and it becomes clear how difficult a situation like this can be.

When Makhasi emerged from the ward he was hunched over and carrying a bottle filled with red liquid and attached by a tube to his side, about 6 inches below his armpit. It was then that we finally had some of the details filled in. Here is what happened according to what Makhasi told us.

On Thursday evening there was an ANC youth meeting – ANC is the main political party and the one that just won the national elections. The meeting ended about 7:30, which at this time of year is after dark. Also at this meeting was a girl with whom Makhasi had hung out with quite a bit 3-4 years ago. Flashback to Monday: Makhasi was approached by this girl’s boyfriend, who lives in the same neighborhood as the two of them. The boy began asking some questions.

Apparently the girl had told her new boyfriend how much fun Makhasi was and he grew a bit jealous. He came to Makhasi to ask if they still spent time together and to warn him to stay away. Makhasi told him that it had been several years since they had spent any time together. The boy didn’t believe him and wanted to talk to some “references”, so Makhasi gave him the phone numbers of Sam, JT, DJ and Alex. These 5 boys are inseparable and they would be able to vouch for him. This is how the boy knew how to contact them to threaten them. Fortunately, we’re pretty sure the boy has no idea who they are, where they live, or anything about them.

So this girl is at the same meeting that Makhasi was attending and since the meeting was over after dark she asked Makhasi if he would escort her first to the corner store to buy some items for her grandmother, then to her grandmother’s home where she lives. No girl should be walking alone after dark in Thabong. The boys tell me that murders happen on a weekly basis and rapes daily. In January one of our housemother’s neighbors was walking home from music practice at her church and was raped and murdered. She was in her early 20’s. Makhasi agreed to walk this girl home.

As they were walking down one of the dirt streets he sees a friend of this other guy approaching him. Then from behind he hears this boy call the girl’s name. Makhasi turned and as he was turning saw the guy spring toward him. He twisted and was able to block the blow slightly, deflecting the weapon from his chest into his shoulder. The weapon used was a sharpened screwdriver or something along those lines. It penetrated on his left pectoral just above where the pocket would be on a man’s shirt, where his shoulder meets his chest. It stabbed downward and toward the heart but fortunately only punctured his lung. He saw the friend of this guy was pulling out a long knife or short sword and he turned and ran.

He was able to get to his grandmother’s house where he lives and she instructed his brother to pour salt water into the wound to help prevent infection. Then they called the ambulance and he was taken to the hospital about 8:30. At the hospital X-rays were taken and showed that his lung was filling with blood from internal bleeding. The doctors then inserted a tube with a hypodermic needle about 4 inches below his left armpit into his lung to allow the blood and fluid to drain.

The doctors say his recovery looks good and he should be released this weekend. The only concern at this point is the possibility of infection. I spoke with him today and the nurses are giving him painkiller and antibiotic three times per day. He says the pain is very minimal. The biggest discomfort he is feeling is from spending so much time in bed. To quote “Uncle Louie, my buttocks are sore from so much time in bed.” That is encouraging to hear because that is the Makhasi we are all used to.

When we went to visit on Friday night we spent some time visiting and then read some passages from the Bible dealing with the question of why things like this are allowed to happen. I promised to return on Saturday with some KFC, which Makhasi was excited to hear. When I arrived today I told him next time he wants KFC he doesn’t need to get stabbed to get it. This is only the second time in his life that he’s had it. Earlier this year the other boys saved all their change for several months so they could give Makhasi a chance to taste KFC. He loved it so much he ate one piece, then put the other in his pocket to save for later. His family struggles greatly. In fact, even though the stabbing happened on Thursday night none of us found out until Friday afternoon because the family didn’t even have money for a payphone call. They haven’t yet called the police for the same reason.

One interesting thing that we've learned since coming to South Africa is that surgical experts and forensics specialists from all over the world are sent to South Africa to study stab wounds, since stabbings are so common here.

One difficult aspect of this situation is the fact that Makhasi was supposed to take a trip to Pretoria, the capital, for a conference where he would be able to apply for several scholarships. The principal of the school had arranged transport for him and a couple other boys and they were really looking forward to the trip. Because of the stabbing he was prevented from going and from applying for the scholarships which could allow him to continue education after graduation. Without assistance there is no way the family could afford school fees.

I spent some time alone with him today and asked how things were going – what he was thinking about. He said that this morning he had been reading in the Bible I had left for him. He read Matthew 6, and just after the Lord’s prayer he read “If you don’t forgive those who sin against you, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” These boys challenge and encourage me constantly, even though I’m supposed to be the one teaching them. In our last update I asked for prayer for the physical and spiritual safety of these boys. Little did I know how soon that would be put to the test. Again we ask for your prayer support as you think of the work here. It is clear that we are not fighting against flesh & blood but against spiritual forces of wickedness. This was made all the more clear from our conversation with the boys, and from something that happened at Bible Study this past week. Unfortunately this is running a bit long, so that will have to be a narrative for another day.

The Life & Times of Louis & Amber - Leaky Ceilings

In the interest of full disclosure, we attempt to be as candid as possible here on this website. At times a bit too candid in Amber’s opinion. She is now insisting that I add a disclaimer absolving her from any responsibility. So, please be advised that the opinions expressed are those of the host, guests, and callers and not necessarily those of Amber O’Tool.

With that bit of unpleasantness out of the way, I want to share with you some of the goings-on around The Pines. The weather in South Africa is generally fabulous, with normal daytime temps in the 70’s-80’s. The sun shines about 90% of the days, and there is typically a light breeze. Strong wind is rare. When it does rain, the clouds usually do their business and then move on and there is nary a hint of humidity afterward. In other words, think of the weather in Iowa and imagine the exact opposite.

Sunday night however was one of the exceptions. It started raining about 5:30ish and didn’t let up for several hours. It soaked everything then began to run off, as water is wont to do, along the path of least resistance. We held a Bible lesson for the kids and housemothers from 6:00-7:00, and ironically the lesson was on “Contentment”. There is a passage in James 3 that warns people about seeking offices of leadership because leaders will be held to a higher standard. It seems God decided that if I was to teach about contentment that He needed to do a bit of teaching to me.

After the lesson was over everyone went back to their flats. Mama Martha quickly returned to tell us there was a leak in the ceiling of her flat. Phil Carmichael, the missionary in charge of maintenance went to take a look. Leaks are not uncommon during really hard rains, and since this one was just dripping we put a bucket underneath and decided to look into it further during daylight hours. Phil and his family left soon after, leaving the O’Tool family as the only administration at The Pines. Brian’s parents are visiting here for a short time and they had taken last weekend as a chance to spend some time away. Seems like these things always happen when everyone else is away.

Therefore, when the mothers came back saying the leak had worsened, the task fell on Amber & me to check it out. When we arrived at the flat it became quickly apparent this job couldn’t wait until daylight hours. Water was pouring from the ceiling like a faucet, soaking one set of bunkbeds and other miscellaneous items. It took a veritable bucket brigade of mamas and children to keep empty buckets under the leaks.

While Amber took charge of rearranging everything down below went up into the attic crawlspace to have a peek. It didn’t take long to see that there was no actual leak in the roof but it wasn’t immediately apparent where the water was in fact coming from. What was immediately apparent was there was about 1.5 inches of water/muck covering about 25 square feet of attic space and subsequently filtering down into the living area. This building was built in the 50’s and while there is no insulation required due to the normally ideal weather, a fact for which we were quite thankful during this little episode, there has been a significant build-up of dirt, dust, and various types of droppings. These are normally dry, unless such a time arises where water is able to penetrate the buildings defenses and create a wonderful new variety of mud. Such was the case on Sunday night.

With the capable and willing help of 4 young boys we were able to get enough light in the attic to allow me to scrape out most of the water and muck using a dustpan and bucket. You can imagine the adventure of climbing around a wet attic when they were supposed to be in bed and it helps you understand how they were so eager to pitch in.

The next step involved an outside inspection to see if we could determine the source of the leak. The view from the ground wasn’t sufficient so we had to get the extension ladder and climb about 30 feet up to the gutters. Had we taken time to think about the situation we may have reevaluated the expediency of a 30’ aluminum ladder in the rain and lightening. It was all we could do to keep the boys from climbing the ladder themselves. It obviously didn’t take much coaxing to get 4 pre-teen boys outside in the pouring rain and mud puddles.

Once at the top of the ladder I discovered the problem was the condition of the gutters in this particular portion of the building. 50+ years of buildup had filled them to the top with the same aforementioned materials as had accumulated in the attic, although this time a greater percentage appeared to be pigeon droppings. I think we may actually try to market this gutter sludge as some type of fertilizer, as it appeared to be ideal growing conditions for a variety of weeds and even a couple watermelons. The problem originated when the water ran off the roof into the gutters and finding no place to go. It then ran back toward the building and up under the roof into the attic, eventually ending up in buckets placed strategically under the leaks.

It took about 20 minutes to clean the gutters in this section sufficiently to allow the water to escape on the exterior of the building. The process would have been more difficult if not for the fact that some of the gutter was so rusted that several holes caved out of the bottoms when I was pulling the muck out. This allowed Newton’s theory of gravity to be demonstrated firsthand and the water flowed directly off the roof, through the holes and down to the ground.

While this was the end of the 5 of us boys playing in the mud, the mamas still had some cleaning to do. Amber also had a bit of laundry to finish up from the wet and soiled bedding. And while we were anticipating a restful Sunday evening we learned that if you teach something God will make sure you learn it yourself. Hopefully our lesson in contentment has been learned and we have no need of additional lessons.

Thus ended a splendid evening. And somewhere in the distance a lone wolf bayed at the moon.

The Life & Times of Louis & Amber - David Jakuja Napo

As part of the Bible study I hold with the boys from Thabong I had given them a paper to fill out with several questions on it. They gave me permission to publish what they had written with only spelling and grammatical corrections. Here are the responses given by DJ.

David Jakuja Napo
I am 22 years of age, born in Lesotho but grew up in South Africa in a city called Welkom. I live with my three young sisters and a young brother, so that makes me the eldest. My father lives in Bloemfontein, that's where I've spent the other part of my life (3 years of my life), and 3 years in Lesotho, and 16 in Welkom raised by my mom alone as a single parent.
The good things about me include I am always laughing (I hope that is good), a great listener and respectful-that is what most people say. Bad things about me are I forgive quickly but take time to forget.

I grew up in a religious family so I have known about God all my life but the year 2008 in July I met a person called Louis O'Tool "Uncle Loui" through my cousins. That is when my life changed. He told me about God, taught me many things and fortunately he is still teaching me the Bible.

I know I am saved because I have asked Jesus to save me from my bad sins and that I know He died on a cross to pay for our sins, and I have asked Him to wash away my sins and to be my Father. Being saved means you have accepted Jesus to be your father and you are not just a person, now you are a saved person. It is a gift from God, we do not have to work for it - BELIEVE IN JESUS CHRIST. A person gets saved when he or she believes in Christ Jesus and you have to acknowledge that Jesus Christ died for you and me to save us.

Now that I am saved I should believe and have faith on my Lord and learn more about Christ and to always try walking on a good path and love Jesus.

We have been doing official Bible Study for only 3 months now and for us it is so encouraging to see the hunger and excitement these boys have for the Word of God. The last two weeks we didn't even get into the actual study because they have had so many questions. The first two weeks of April was school holiday in South Africa and all during that time they were making plans and strategies how they could teach the Bible to their classmates. We've had 6 more boys from the school express interest in joining the study, but it's possible their motivation is the cookies and soda.

I don't say or communicate any of these things to lift up our work here. None of this would be possible without the work of the Holy Spirit in the lives of these young men. I am writing this so everyone back home can be encouraged to hear how the Word is going out effectively all over the world. While the work here at times seems overwhelming we feel so privileged to be a part of it. Please pray for protection for these boys, both spiritually and physically, as they begin to take a stand for God. Pray that they will continue to learn and God would protect them from discouragement, temptation, and attacks as the enemy sees their changed lives. Praise God for their desire and efforts to tell others about Him and bring them to His Word.

The Pines Christian Care Centre for Children

The Pines is located in the city of Welkom, South Africa. Welkom is in the Free State, which is the central part of the country. The landscape around the Free State is very similar to the Panhandles of Oklahoma and Texas - typically very flat, grassy, and arid. The population is small and spread out.



Welkom itself was founded in the early 1950's due to the discovery of gold. Before that time it was just farmland. When the town was founded over 3 million trees were planted. Welkom is famous for it's traffic circles. In fact, before we moved to South Africa we met a few different South Africans that had moved to the US. When we would tell them we were moving to their country without fail they would respond with a list of how beautiful it is and all the places we need to visit. We would inform them we were moving to Welkom and without fail the response was "Oh...I've heard the traffic is really nice there." And they are right on both counts - South Africa has many beautiful places and Welkom has nice traffic. Amber at first was terrified to drive in the roundabouts; remember, in South Africa the steering wheel is on the right side of the car, you drive on the opposite side of the road, and everything is a manual transmission. She is getting quite adept but there is still a little trepidation. We are used to driving in Iowa where everything is nice and square, north and south. Here the roads wind and curve all over the place so it takes awhile to get familiar with the layout of the city. Northeast of Welkom proper is Thabong. During Apartheid the races had to live in separate areas and Thabong became the black township of Welkom.


The Pines is located almost straight south of the city center. We are on the edge of town but on the opposite side of the township. We do have people living nearby in old mine hostels and in informal settlements but the majority of the population is about 10km away. This has both advantages and disadvantages. On the one hand it would be much more convinient to be closer, and it would enable different aspects to the ministry, but on the other hand security would be a much greater concern. In addition, we would have even more people than we do now stopping to ask for help, handouts, or employment. All around are old mine buildings and closed mine shafts. These serve as a constant reminder of the struggles of the people here. At their peak, the mine companies employed about 200,000; now the number is down to 30,000. The unemployment rate in Thabong is about 80%. The HIV infection rate is estimated by local doctors to be 50%. The spread of HIV can be traced back to the employment policies and living conditions of the miners. No one is originally from Welkom - it is a melting pot of South African culture as people came from all over the country and even the continent seeking employment. Most of them would leave wives and families back home. The miners would be housed in tiny hostel rooms, with up to a dozen men per room. Prostitution was rampant which in turn became the vehicle for the spread of HIV and other diseases. These miners would then return to their families and it quickly turned into a pandemic infecting the continent and the world.


The Pines currently has 24 children, all housed within the main, "L"-shaped building. Eventually we hope to add an additional 4 flats in the second building and 1 more flat in the main building, allowing us to have 54 children. The goal is to have 5 flats of 6 girls each housed in the main building, and 4 flats of 6 boys each housed in the second building. To this point we have had about 5 teams come each year to help with projects. Many of these teams do fundraising before they come, allowing us to obtain the funds we need to complete those projects. Without these teams the work accomplished so far at The Pines would be impossible. I want to thank everyone who has made the effort to join a team and commit their time and resources to this work. We also want to encourage more people and churches to consider forming a team to serve here. It has a tremendous impact on the kids and ministry here, and to a person every team member says that they have left different than when they came. If you're interested in joining or forming a team contact me at louisotool@gmail.com.

The Life & Times of Louis & Amber - Helping out the Number Seven kids

The day after our bout with the stomach flu was our Grocery Day here at The Pines. Since we were still feeling some minor aftershocks we were hoping to catch some time off. With that in mind, we completed the shopping first thing in the morning and by 10:00 I thought there might be time for a nap.

Just as we were stashing away the foodstuffs we were told there was someone here to see us. We went outside and found a young girl named Susan. Susan is about 14 years old and lives in the informal settlement about a mile up the road from us. An informal settlement is, in effect, a squatter camp. There is no electricity, plumbing, or running water. It is just a collection of shacks that have been thrown together by these people who are looking for a place to live. It is a very transient community, as most of the inhabitants are immigrants from Lesotho and frequently the return there, move in with other family in the area, or find better housing somewhere else. The settlement is referred to as Number Seven, since it is located in the vicinity of the #7 mine shaft.

The children of #7 attend school at the same school The Pines kids initially attended. Since Brian & Lois moved here in May of 2006 we have been in contact with these children, and although it has lessened somewhat, we still attempt to help them when possible. Susan had come looking for us because the tin shack that was her home had burned down the night before. Susan lives with her aunt, Alice, and two younger cousins. When she arrived she said that Alice had been taken to the hospital with burns and that they had lost everything except the clothes on their backs.

Another new co-worker of ours - Phil Carmichael - and I got in The Pines van and drove back with Susan to inspect the damage and see how we could help. When we arrived at #7 we found her 8 year old cousin was only wearing a flimsy, worn-out dress that was a few sizes too small. Cold weather had just arrived in the Free State the previous day and temperatures were in the 50's with a strong wind making it feel cooler than that. Susan herself wasn't dressed much warmer.

We quickly went to the shack site and it was immediately obvious that everything had burned. We found remnants of clothing, cooking utensils, and a box spring amongst the smoldering rubble, but that was about it. Susan said the fire had started while they were cooking, and in the pile we found a pan half full of rice with the remaining rice scattered and burned on the ground. The pan itself and a metal teapot were half melted. The climate in Welkom is very dry, similar to the panhandle of Texas. The frames of these shacks are ancient wood scavenged off old mine buildings. The tin is tacked onto these using the old nails that have been saved and straightened. Often rooms are sectioned off using old blankets or sheets. When these structures catch fire they tend to burn very quickly and with intense heat, and the fact that the insulation in these homes consists of wadded up newspaper only exacerbates the problem.

Susan said Alice had been burned trying to save some of the items from the shack, but her English isn't terribly strong and we were pretty sure some of our communication wasn't completely accurate. We offered to allow Susan and the girls to stay at The Pines but they refused. They have another aunt that also lives at #7 and elected to live with her. We spoke with this aunt and she agreed that it would be ok. Seeing that the girls had no clothes or food we determined that The Pines could help in that way, at least until Alice was back and we could sort everything out.

The 3 girls got back in the van for the return trip to The Pines and the aunt came along to help. Once we arrived at The Pines Lois began searching the clothing storage for items that would fit the girls. I found Mama Irene and she agreed to help the girls bathe and warm up. I then began to put together a food parcel for the family. When we moved here we were able to obtain some old comforters from a hotel that was remodeling and since then they've been put to good use. They were used to wrap fragile items during shipment, some of them have been given as gifts to various individuals, and now we were able to use some of them to help keep these kids warm.

After a couple hours everything was ready and the girls were outfitted with new clothes, shoes, toothbrushes & soap, blankets, jackets, and food & sweets. Each girl also got a new stuffed animal. While they had just endured such a difficult trial it seemed from their faces that it was their Christmas morning. I'm sure that they've never been given so much in their lives, and these are things that we Americans have discarded in some way or another. Our ministry here isn't simply to relieve physical needs and suffering; that would quickly become overwhelming. The goal of our work is to reach souls with the love of Jesus Christ, and the message that "God loved the world so much that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but will have everlasting life". We give, not because it is heartbreaking to see such tremendous need, but because God has given so much to us. He asks us to share His love with a lost and dying world. It brings to life the truth of James 2:15-16. My question to you is, have you ever truly seen that God gave His Son to pay for your sins? Have you asked forgiveness for your sins and are you trusting only in the grace of God to take you to Heaven?

If not, why?

If yes, what are you doing about it?

Later that day we saw Alice and found that she hadn't been burned, or at least not in any serious way. She had been taken to the hospital as a precautionary measure, and because she had shown some symptoms of shock. She said that the fire had been started by a man at #7 who for some reason held a grudge against her or the family. He had disappeared after the fire, so it's safe to assume she's probably right.

As an interesting post script, I have a story about some kids who are doing something about their faith. The children of some family friends of the O'Tools back in Iowa had collected money to send to the work here. The total came to $20. We received it in our account at the end of last week. Susan and the next oldest girl attend school but their uniforms were lost in the fire. The $20 that this family sent is being used to purchase new uniforms for the two girls. Something that may seem so minor to many has become something so big to this family. We are thankful to the many back home who give so generously, and often sacrificially, to allow our ministry here at The Pines to exist and continue. You efforts are appreciated now and will be for eternity.

The Life & Times of Louis & Amber - African Revenge

Recently we experienced one of those "Oh, yeah. I forgot we live in Africa." moments. Since we've moved to South Africa, we've been asked several times by the locals if we intend to visit Africa while we are here. At first this made no sense to us, since it seemed rather obvious that by our presence here we clearly were intending to visit Africa. It was eventually revealed to us that since South Africa offers the possibility of so many modern conveniences many do not actually consider it a part of "Africa". I say "offers the possibility" because South Africa is truly a land of many dichotomies - within the same square mile you'll see modern office buildings with high-speed Internet, cell phones, and BMW's right alongside tin shacks without plumbing or electricity.

Amber & I had taken a Saturday afternoon trip to the hospital to visit one of the church members who had fallen down some stairs and shattered her leg above the ankle. On returning to The Pines, we noticed that all indications pointed to the fact that we had lost electricity. This is not an uncommon occurrence. The most telling evidence that we've begun adjusting to life here was our first reaction; she noticed that the sprinklers were still running and said "at least we still have water".

Usually when we lose either power or water it comes back within 12 hours. This time there was no such luck. We went from Saturday to Monday without electricity. Shockingly, it isn't really that big a deal. Brian was able to hook up a generator to keep the refrigerators going in the kid's flats, and there was enough power to run a light bulb in each flat as well. In our house, we transferred some of our food to the kid's freezer and lit things up with those old-fashioned Hurricane lamps.

I remember when I was a child the Des Moines area had a severe ice/snow storm in November. The power was knocked out for a couple days. Exactly nine months later there was an article in the Des Moines Register about the maternity wards at Methodist, Mercy, and Lutheran. Apparently there was such an influx of new deliveries 9 months after that blizzard that they were forced to call in reinforcement doctors and nurses from Omaha. I can assure you that won't be the case here. The Niehoffs are already expecting in August (a girl) and the O'Tools won't be expecting as a result of this power outage for a variety of reasons - not the least of which is mentioned in the title of this article.

About last night 2:00am Amber had the irresistible urge to make a visit to the loo. This I was blissfully unaware of. Unfortunately, by 5:00am it had struck Meredith and she was revisited by last night's supper herself, only from the other end. Amber decided to make a quick trip to town (remember, our power was out this whole time) to take advantage of the warm water at the local exercise place. While she was gone Drake woke up and I received a wonderful surprise when I lifted him out of bed. His diaper had leaked and he was covered from chin to knees. I quickly put water on to heat on the gas stove, then stripped him down and put him in the tub. Simultaneously Meredith had another episode on the bedroom floor and my hand learned that African paper towel isn't as high of quality as in the US. About that time Amber got back all refreshed. It was also about that time it hit me.

One side note, none of us ate the same food last night for supper, so we're certain it isn't food poisoning. All indications it is one of those 24 hour afflictions you hear tell of. We're all hoping so. African Revenge is a dish best served not at all.

Perspective

The following was read on the local Christian radio station. These are thoughts that we should take to heart.

Isn't it funny how a $10.00 bill looks so big when you take it to church and so small when you take it to the Mall?

Isn't it funny how big an hour serving God looks and how small when spent watching television, playing sports, sleeping or taking a lunch break?

Isn't it funny how long a couple of hours are spent at church but how short they are when watching a good movie?

Isnt' it funny how thrilled we get when a football game goes into overtime, but we complain when a sermon is longer than the regular time?

isn't it funny how laborious it is to read a chapter in the Bible and how easy it is to read a 200-300 page best-selling novel?

isn't it funny how we believe what newspapers say but question what the Bible says?

Isn't it funny how people scramble to get a front seat at a concert, but scramble to get a back seat at church?

Isn't it funny how we can't fit a special service into our schedule even with a yearly planner, but we can schedule for other events at a moments notice?

Isn't it funny how we look forward to that big date on Friday night, but complain about getting up for church on Sunday morning?

Isn't it funny how we are rarely late for work, but always late for church?

Isn't it funny how we call God our Father and Jesus our brother, but find it hard to introduce them to our family?

Isn't it funny how small our sins seem, but how big their sins are?

Isn't it funny how we demand justice for other people, but expect God to give us mercy?

Isn't it funny how much difficulty we have learning the gospel well enough to tell others, but how simple it is to understand and explain the latest gossip about someone else?

Isn't it funny how we can't think of anything to say when we pray, but don't have any difficulty thinking of things to talk about to a friend ?

Isn't is funny how we are so quick to take directions from a total stranger when we're lost, but are hesitant to take God's direction for our lives?

Isn't it funny how so many church goers sing "Standing On The Promises" but all they do is sit on the premises?

Isn't it funny how we sing about heaven, but live only for today?

Isn't it funny how people want God to answer their prayers, but refuse to listen to His counsel?

Isn't funny how people think they're going to heaven but don't think there's a Hell?

Isn't it funny how it is okay to blame God for evil and suffering in the world, but it is not necessary to thank His for what is good and pleasant?

Isn't if funny how when something goes wrong, we cry,"Lord, why me? but when something goes right, we think, "Hey, it must be me! ?

The Life & Times of Louis & Amber - Smothered with Love?

FYI

For those who were wondering, the post about cutting children's limbs open to count the rings... notice what day that was posted. I apologize for any confusion this may have caused. This is not an actual procedure. Children do actually go to the doctor who guesses the child's age and tells the court, who then makes the final determination. Knives, scalpels, or other cutting instruments are in no way involved in this process.