An Update on the Geurinks

I am all settled in again working full time at Beautiful Gate. My heart is always wondering about my dear friend Kim, but I have to leave her in God's capable hands. Thanks again for your love and support as I headed to the states to see her.

I returned to BG the day before some of our volunteers were leaving and now all of our volunteers who were here for 3-5 months have left and 2 new volunteers have arrived. We also had a team when I got here and now a new team is here, so it is our busy time again. The winter months fly by because of all the teams and volunteers who come through BG. It is good for it to fly by because it is so cold. The only hard part is the late nights as tonight will be my first night eating at home with my family in 5 nights. I think they kinda miss me ;)

In family news, this is the last week of school and sadly it is also the last week ever of our beloved KCAL school (the tiny missionary school we started with another MAF family). It has been amazing to see how much my kids have grown through this time with this school. They have been stretched and have grown so much, and I am very grateful that we were able to have this opportunity. I am so thankful to those who have partnered with us to make this school a success. Teachers who gave up a regular salary and were living off donations of others so they could teach missionary kids.

Our family is also in the process of packing up our house. We are going to be house sitting (which is a win win because the house won't be empty for them and we are paying less rent than our current house) for 6 months for our friend Tyler while he goes to America and gets married to his beautiful fiance' Emily. We are hoping to move into a Beautiful Gardens home in January and then leave it fully furnished for the wonderful woman who is going to be taking over my role as operations manager. We have no idea how long we will be living at Beautiful Gardens, because it depends on the visa approval for my littlest sweeties. I think it will be super cool to live there and know that the rent we pay is actually going to bless Beautiful Gate!! All that to say, we will be moving twice in the next 6 months, and then again once the visas are approved so your prayers for sanity and peace over our family would be appreciated.

Next month is also the month where Bryan's sister Kristin is coming with her daughters, Paige and Kelly. My kids are beyond excited for their cousins and aunt to finally see this amazing ministry, and are counting down the days! We have so much happening this year, but we are doing our best to enjoy each moment and be fully present and not always worried about the next thing.

Praying for a miracle

Today I celebrated Mother's Day by sitting next to a very special friend. Thank you to all of you who made it possible for me to get here. Kimberly was so surprised to see me and it was a tearful reunion (yep, the tears were all mine as I am getting a little more emotional in my "over the hill" age), and it is amazing to be here and see her in person.
It is hard to believe that she left Lesotho at the end of January in relatively good health, and now she is dealing with cancer. Despite her pain and despite being stuck in a bed due to the pain, Kimberly has such a good attitude. She is grateful for every day that she has and seeks to suffer with an attitude of rejoicing. She is being so strong and courageous despite the diagnosis she has been given as she is told that her cancer is terminal.
Seeing her push aside pain to enjoy every second with her daughter, Lebo, is amazing. They read books together, snuggle and pray together when Lebo comes to visit. It was fun to surprise Lebo with my visit too because she seems pretty happy to have her "Aunt Anita" around.
Some of my thoughts are that really, I am totally unprepared for this kind of situation. I have never walked through a close friend's journey through cancer. Last night Kim's pain was well beyond manageable and she was in tears. All I could do was hug her and cry with her because I had already done everything I could to have the nursing staff increase her medication dose, but the doctor in charge could not be reached.  It was heartbreaking. The whole reason she is at the place she is at is for pain management, yet it wasn't even close to managed. Cancer is a horrible disease and seeing it's effects on a dear friend just broke me.
Today was a whole different story. Kim was able to get the medication changes she needs, and has been feeling much better tonight. I am so thankful that she has received some relief. She is scheduled for the gamma knife procedure on May 24th. We don't know if the oncology department at the hospital will contact her to start chemo and radiation before the gamma knife or if they will do it after, so we are in the waiting game.
Few prayer points:
Please pray that the brain tumor will not grow bigger while she has to wait for her appointment and also that it will not add any side effects to her, such as weakness of limbs.
Also that the pain management will continue to work. Once the pain gets too high, it takes a really long time to get it back under control.
Pray for a miracle and that God would heal her and show His glory by making the impossible, possible.
Thanks for your prayers!!!!

Help Needed

I am writing this post to share some really sad news. One of my dearest friends, Kimberly, who has become like a sister to me has been diagnosed with stage 4 cancer which is in many of her organs. She has been a part of our family for the last 6 years (she is a missionary through MAF) and comes over every Wednesday night for dinner. We have even taken multiple family vacations with her, we walked through the process of adoption at the same time (we were matched with our children at the same matching meeting and crazy enough, all 3 girls were raised by the same house mother at BG), she is on the board of BG and helped me pull off the best surprise ever when we had a Basotho blanket made for our handover ceremony this past January.
Kimberly waiting to go on her furlough until the day after Bryan and I had our handover ceremony so she could share in this special day with us. She was so excited to take her daughter Lebo home to meet her mother (who was just diagnosed at the end of last year with cancer and who is in treatments right now) and her sister, and nieces and all of her wonderful friends and family. She left Lesotho with every intention of coming back. We even made fun plans for August 12th....
But she is not coming back. She didn't even get to say good-bye and now she has been in the hospital for over a week and her situation looks pretty difficult. Not too impossible for God, but from an earthly perspective, it does not look good.
That being said, I have been feeling a need to go and see her and bring her some love from Lesotho. I am packing up a suitcase for her daughter and her of some of the things they may need since they are not coming back like they planned. I am bringing cards and videos of those who love her dearly and are not getting to see her again because they can't get to California. I am planning to go and spend time with her and hold her hand as she processes all of this life changing news. I am going to go see my little niece (Lebo calls me "Aunt Anita") and help her see a familiar face.
But I need a little help from others. Many of you have met her, and even if you haven't, I am asking you to pray for a miracle. Please pray that God would remove this cancer and allow her to be the mother she has always longed to be. I am also asking for anyone who has a little extra to give, to consider helping me pay for my plane tickets. This was not in our budget at all, but Bryan and I feel that this is what we should do, so if you are able to help, I would appreciate it very much. I have not told her that I am coming and plan to surprise her ,so if you are reading this and you know her, please don't share this with her. I am leaving this week so I can get there for her birthday!
You can give through our paypal button on this blog, but you need to select the down arrow where it says Bryan and Anita Geurink Fund or you can mail a check to:

AFBGI Ministries
Geurink Fund
100 Pine Street
Suite 107
Zeeland, MI 49464
Attn: Vern Meyaard

Thank you for your support and prayers. I look forward to sharing a little Lesotho with my friend!

Thankful to be a Friend

There is so much to say, but  I don't have the words. Sometimes God allows us to be the ones to carry burdens for our friends, but those burdens can be so great. A dear friend of mine shared some very heavy and  heartbreaking things with me that left me speechless. I knew I needed to be strong and encourage her, but controlling my emotions enough to pray for her was very hard.


I was hurting so much for her that I just needed to pray the entire day. I had no words, but the Holy Spirit gave me words. I was searching for words I could encourage her with, and God gave me scripture. I felt completely helpless, but then God reminded me that sometimes, all we need is a friend to walk through a difficult journey with us.


Proverbs 17:17 A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.


One thing that never changes here in Lesotho, or anywhere else for that matter, is the deep hurt and pain that people carry. They walk around with a smile on their face, but their heart is being shredded with deep hurt. I hope that I can always take the time to go beyond that smile because I want to be able to love people at all times.

A Little Play Time

Today, I decided to leave my desk and go for a little visit to the soft play room (room for the 6 month olds until they are walking). It was really nice to spend a little time playing with the children. I had a few that really loved being lifted into the air and then they would just giggle. However, there was one that thought that was pretty terrifying so it turned into cuddle time instead of playtime for her. There have been so many new children being brought in to BG in the last few weeks, and I was able to see a few of them this morning. They have adjusted so well to their new environment. It is hard to believe that only a few weeks have gone by since their little worlds have been turned upside down. Children are able to adapt and adjust in the most remarkable ways, and I can only say that it is because of the grace of God.

One of the other things that is sweet about the soft play room, is the comments and knowledge of our local and international volunteers. They really know the children in that room as if it were their own child. How they eat, whether or not they like tummy time, moods, preferred toys, and so much more. It is not an easy job to care for 16 little ones daily, but they really take the time to know each child and it is nice to see. I think I will have to make a point to get into the playgroup more often because it was a highlight for my morning. A great reminder that through the ups and downs of life and ministry, each little child on our campus makes it all worthwhile (so do our beautiful staff, but I was focusing on the children today!).

I Miss You

I miss your strong arms

Your dear voice describing trollocs and farms,

I miss your rough tickling

our laughter making the birds take wing,

I miss the flickering flame

of the fire of which you all made the same,

I miss sitting with you

wearing fuzzy socks and drinking stew,

Oh how much I miss you!

I miss the meals of Mac & Cheese

and teasing you when you sneeze,

I miss your uncontrollable laughs

right after my evening baths,

I miss your jokes

and the sparks of the fire your hand stokes,

I miss our games of Legendary

when we laughed and lost all merry,

Oh how I miss you!

But there is no need for me to fear

for you are right here,

I thank God for you.

By: Faith Geurink

Bryan returned from his 3 week trip to the US and UK. To say he was missed by his children would be a gross understatement, so I thought I would share this beautiful poem from his oldest daughter. With a sweet girl like her around, I am pretty sure that he will never feel forgotten or under appreciated. And in the nice words of his youngest daughter, "It is so nice to have a mom AND a dad around again!" We can just enjoy our time together as a family of 7 until August.

Getting By

Just thought I should let you all know that I am still alive ;) You are probably wondering what has happened since it has been so long since my last post. Well, Bryan and Lindiwe headed to Michigan, Mississippi and the UK so he can introduce her to some of our supporting churches and friends. They left on February 20th, so I have been trying to hold the fort at our home, KCAL (school) and help Peter at Beautiful Gate. They are due to return to Lesotho on March 14th so just over a week to go. Sounds like they have been extremely busy, but things are going well for them and we are so thankful for that.
I cannot even begin to describe all the things that have happened or gone wrong in the last week and a half, but God is carrying us all through. Please pray for Mercy's teacher who has gone back to the states for a few weeks due to the sickness of a beloved grandfather. I have been sick for a week and a half now, so prayers for that to go away would also be great. My children have really stepped up in a big way while I have been sick, but I am sure they are ready for their normal mommy to return especially since they are missing their dad. There are several situations at BG that I have been focusing on as well that could use some prayer support too. Things are not easy, but we are getting by.
I have to say that the blessing in all of this is my kids. They are really getting along very well and being helpful. Elijah has been reading a book to us and helped me a lot when our gate got broken and the two days I had a fever. Faith is spending more time being an awesome big sister and playing with her younger 3 sisters, even though she would rather be reading, and she has been supplying us with some yummy baked goods. Mercy is a rock star big sister and has been playing non stop with Polita and Nthabeleng. They seem to love every game she comes up with and that is helping her be a fun big sister. Polita is always offering to be helpful and does nice things for people without even being asked (yesterday she put all the dishes away after I washed them and I didn't even know she was doing that. She loves surprising me). Nthabeleng has been listening super well, and she is always willing to give a hug or make someone smile even when they are sick (and she should probably avoid them so she doesn't get sick, hahaha). I am blessed beyond measure with my 5 kids.
Another blessing is just the time I am getting to spend with them. The 3 weeks before Bryan left, I had started working full time at BG. I am now the operations manager which is the role Bryan originally came to BG to do. I worked at the school and BG before, but I finished my days when the kids got home from school. Now I was working till 5/5:30 and then coming home to cook dinner and spend time with the kids and Bryan. Thankfully my mother in law was there for the first few weeks (they were here until February 2 and it was a great visit) because she helped so much, especially with dinner prep and keeping the kids entertained. Once Bryan returns, I will have to adjust back into the role of full time work and he will be the one working at KCAL. It is helping BG transition better with him not being there daily because it is just too easy for people to ask him questions when they should be asking Peter and Lindiwe.
All that to say - I am alive and we are doing well. We are just in the middle of a lot of transitions, and we could use your prayers. Thanks everyone!