Welcome Terp and Grace!

Today, Anita and I had the pleasure of doing something a little different from our normal day at Beautiful Gate.  We were able to take the day "off" and drive to Johanesburg Airport to fetch our two newest volunteers, Christina Terpstra and Grace Boersma.  We left at 8AM this morning and arrived back shortly before midnight.  While this may not sound like a "day off" to most people, it was a pleasant change of pace for us.  And, Kristen Mann, my "right hand" lady in the office was able to watch our children for the day.  So, Anita and I were able to get some really good quality time with each other while we were driving for about 6 hours to the airport.

Arrival in South Africa!

After the ladies came out of the baggage claim area, they looked a bit exhausted.  But, they were both very strong and made it most of the way home without falling asleep.  That is one of the best ways to get on this time zone.  The conversation in the 6 hour drive back was great!  And, we became aware that Grace had been dreaming of coming to Beautiful Gate for about 5-6 years.  That is some amazing commitment!  In our world of instantaneous reactions, twitter and other social media and trying to keep up with everyday life, we sometimes give up on the dreams that we may have had only a few weeks ago.  But, God's timing does not always match with ours.  It reminds me of the passage in Hebrews 12:1b, "And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us."  Yes, we are running toward our goal, but there will be trials, or delays during our race.  But, we are not to give up on them and continue on. 

Terp and Bryan back at their shenanigans!

We look forward to seeing the Lord work through them here at Beautiful Gate.  We know that they will see the face of God in the children and will be amazingly blessed.  Thanks for coming to Beautiful Gate!
Bryan