Jo'burg Journal

Southeast Africa Cluster Prayer Letter - July 08

2008-06-26T17:29:00.003+02:00

Basotho Evangelism Team: The Word of God is powerful and changes lives. Since attending the “salvation church” and hearing the truth of God’s Word, a young mother of four in the village of Ha Tsilonyane has made the decision to no longer pray to the ancestors. The witchdoctor in her village is taunting her and mocking her belief in the One True God, saying that she will return to her old life when problems arise. Pray that this mother, along with others who are choosing to follow Christ in her village, will stand firm in their new found faith and that God will glorify Himself in their lives. http://www.basotho.org/ Deaf Evangelism Team So many are living and dying without Jesus. A few Deaf believers are trying to reach out to them. This is not an easy task as many are unemployed and struggling to live the way God desires for them. Pray that God will raise up more believers with passion for Christ and a burden for the Deaf of Johannesburg. fsmoran@iafrica.com Durban Evangelism Team: During the month of July Westville Baptist, Phoenix Baptist, Highway Baptist, and many other local churches from the Durban area will send teams of church members to the areas of Southern Mozambique on mission outreach trips. They work with the smaller Mozambiquan churches in evangelism, outreach, medical and feeding schemes to bring the love of Jesus to people in tangible ways. Ask God for wisdom for the many leaders of these groups as well as for safety as they travel. Pray that they may bring Him glory as they spread His word and seek to do His work among the various peoples living in Southern Mozambique. Eastern Gauteng Evangelism Team: Please pray for the new “hands on” teams that will be coming out in August. Pray for them as they prepare to come and for their loved ones they’ll be leaving. Pray for the areas they will be working in for God to prepare the peoples’ hearts to hear His good news. Pray that accommodations will be found for the team going to inner city Johannesburg. cabarrett@iafrica.com Eastern Metropolitan Evangelism Team: Please be in prayer for the many displaced people who have had to flee their homes due to the racial violence due to xenophobia. Pray for our missionaries in and around these families as they seek to know how to meet their immediate needs, and how to best “represent Christ” to them. Pray also the SA government will know how to best deal with this situation. mmnaude@gmail.com KwaZulu Natal Evangelism Team: Another article appeared in the paper of Pietermaritzburg telling of another baby dumped in the bushes of a township. Many babies are born to very young girls and they do not want to keep them so many are killed or dumped somewhere where hopefully someone will find them. Tabitha Ministries has a Moses box in one area and do school presentations telling girls to leave their babies in the box and the ministry will care for them. Currently they have thirty orphans most of whom are HIV positive. Pray as these volunteers raise these children God will provide for their needs. Pray for them to continue to receive antiretroviral drugs so they may remain as healthy as possible for as long as possible. CRT5@telkomsa.net Mpumalanga Evangelism Team: The Mpumalanga Evangelism Team received a new team member last month. Micah Quarterson was born on the 4th of June. Pray for the Quarterson family as they continue to minister in the White River community in South Africa. Pray Micah will grow to be a strong and healthy child. http://members.aol.com/mpumalangateam/index/htm Swazi Evangelism Team: July 17-29, a volunteer team from the Canton/Tyler area of Texas arrives in Swaziland to minister in the Shiselweni region. Ministries include dental clinics, evangelistic ministries that especially targets youth including a youth revival and retreat and speaking in schools. Pray these ministries will lead to many Swazis committing their lives totally to Jesus. Pray the youth in Swazi Baptist churches of the Shiselweni region will seek the Lord’s face and will allow Him to control every area of their lives. http://www.swazimissions.org/ Tshwane Evangelism Team: Please pray in 2008 the Tshwane Team will be blessed with more personnel to help reach the many in the Pretoria area who do not know Jesus as their Savior. cvick@pobox.com Western Gauteng Evangelism Team: As Alan and Beth Locke shared the gospel with a lady in Thulane, Soweto two men came into the yard, one with a gun and robbed them. No one was injured and only a few items were taken. Recently, career missionary Kurt Holiday had 8 people in a Bible study that was started the same morning as the robbery took place. Although there is crime, there is also hope in Thulane! Please pray for the missionaries’ safety, but also pray for the hearts of the people in Thulane. Pray God will speak mightily to them through His Word and the 3 Bible studies in that part of Soweto. Also, the missionaries have been encouraging members of churches outside Soweto to go with them into Soweto and witness. Pray that the members of these churches will not be afraid to continue ministry in Thulani. http://www.missionaryteams.com/ 2008 Spiritual Retreat : “He is Worthy of Worship” is this year’s theme for the Southeastern Africa Cluster (SEAC) Spiritual Retreat August 22-25. The schedule includes worship through preaching and study of God’s Word led by SEAC missionaries, prayer triplets, silent retreat and testimonies. Pray for the volunteer team that has committed to lead in the teaching of missionary youth and children as well as music for the worship time. Pray also each missionary planning to attend will begin now to receive many blessings. LMCO: Thank you for your contribution to the 2007 Lottie Moon Christmas Offering. You have helped a lost world have a chance to know Jesus, the Savior of the world. *************************** HELLO J **The Durban Urban Evangelism Team welcomes new team members in July! Pray for J and J as they work alongside another DUET couple seeking to reach out to 100,000 Indian Ms in Durban. Pray for their adjustment to go smoothly, and pray that God will open doors for them to build life-changing relationships with those in their people group that He is calling to Himself. **The Eastern Gauteng Evangelism Team welcomes Sarah Maddox, journeyman coming to help in the Guest House Office. Pray for her family as she prepares to come, especially for her father who has cancer. Pray that she will have quality time with her family before coming to South Africa. **Thank you for your prayer support this last month. Things are beginning to quiet down in Johannesburg. The refugees have all been moved to refugee camps for the time being. Many are still afraid to leave the camps, so they just stay there. The government is busy trying to make a plan to get them back into the formal settlements, but they are still meeting with much resistance from some of the local people. Pray the displaced people will try to find a way to get on with their lives. Pray for healing to begin for the country of South Africa. Central, Eastern and Southern Africa: http://www.cesafrica.org/; www.imb.org/cesa International Mission Board: http://www.imb.org/ To receive a daily list of prayer needs of IMB missionaries around the world subscribe to http://www.subscribe.imb.org/ or imb@imb.org.

Coker Chronicles - July 08

2008-06-26T17:10:00.005+02:00

Coker Chronicles July, 2008 Vol. 1 No. 2 Hello to you, after a long silence... You probably thought we fell off a cliff, but in reality it feels more like we’ve gotten on a rollercoaster and don’t often get off. When we do get off, we stand around trying to catch our breath and regain our strength! (Thanks to a true friend who jokingly chided us for our lack of updates – You know who you are.) Up to Now Besides the regular hustle and bustle of living and having a school-age child in a mega-city, here are some of the highlights over the past several months. *Weekly Mom’s prayer group at Nathan’s school. *Central, Eastern & Southern Africa Leadership Training *Drew in Music at university and enjoying work at Baptist camp with after-school kids. *Orientating new missionaries as they arrive. *Michelle plays soccer and Dee goes to help at her Junior Banquet in Kenya *Hosting guests in our home for fellowship, meals, and accommodation. *Wade and admin team work through, adjust & approve 35+ individual missionary budgets *Nathan’s guitar lessons and concert. *Dee Ann formulates a budget, orders books for the BIMS homeschool resource room, gets approval to renovate a space for the resource center and waits, waits, waits…it’s finally complete! ( well, just a few things to go) *Southern Section Annual Missionary Training Meeting- Wade speaks on urgan church planting, Dee Ann offers a homeschool workshop *Westview volunteers in Tukoza, Soweto, and Limpopo with the Shangaan people. *Wade travels to Durban, Nelspruit, Limpopo, Pretoria, Petermeiritzeburg, Margate to work with our missionaries. *Dee Ann’s mentoring meetings. *Michelle’s dorm parents and best friend visit us in Jo’burg during April school break. *Exit interviews with missionaries as they depart for their stateside assignments. *Attending & leading in Wednesday night worship at BIMS guesthouse. *Women’s Bible study *Michelle plays varsity volleyball. *Xenophobia crisis flares. Help given to victims. *Drew arrived June 6th! Will stay through mid-August. Today’s News ~Drew’s BACK! You can only imagine the JOY of our having Drew back with us after 1 ½ years. Nathan is making up for lost time, joking, laughing, wrestling and just doing stuff together. Pray our 2 ½ months together will be RICH in quality. ~Drew is helping lead a Baptist Day Camp for 200+ South African children and youth this week at Baptist Union camp about an hour away. He’s enjoying small group times, recreation and craft activities. Pray for him to have meaningful one-on-one conversations and for many to trust in Jesus as their Savior and Lord. ~Wade is helping to lead some of the sessions in the 3-week Strategy Leader Training Course in the West Rand area of Jo’burg. Pray that many will receive the training, seeing fresh, helpful approaches to reach more people for Christ. ~Pray for new missionaries arriving next week to reach out to people of another major world religion living within our country. ~Nathan’s in the midst of mid-year exams. Pray for continued motivation & quick progress in Afrikaans language lessons. ~Pray as Michelle will be taking end-of-term exams next week. ~Pray for safety & meaningful moments as Drew travels to Kenya to attend his high-school alumni weekend, enjoy a few days with friends at the beach, as well as graduation ceremonies. ~As the Homeschool Resource room is ready, pray that we’ll be able to quickly and efficiently organize, set up and catalog all our resources. CLUSTER PRAYER ITEMS – We’ve attached our Southeast Cluster July Prayer Guide. If you like, this guide will help you get a closer look at the missionaries in our area of responibility and their respective ministries. If you see particular items of interest and want to know more, we can put you in touch with that missionary for further updates on those items.

Michelle's Junior Banquet

2008-02-28T21:15:00.004+02:00

February 11 found me flying through the air to be a part of one of the most exciting events at Rift Valley Academy in Kijabe, Kenya. "What's that?" you may ask. Junior/Senior Banquet, of course! Michelle is a Junior this year, so it was her class's responsibility to plan and prepare every detail. They've raised money over the last several years and separated into committees to plan everything from theme to drama to dinner to table decorations. The theme was Morroco and the hall was transformed with sand dunes, camels, fountains, palm trees, a market place and a palace! Michelle was in charge of all the entertainment (music - singing & instrumental pieces) for the times in between the drama acts. She was also chosen to sing. Banquet day finally arrived, with Michelle's dorm lounge becoming a beauty parlor for manicures, pedicures and hair styling. It was a night to remember!

Vision Trip #2

2008-02-28T20:49:00.002+02:00

We were very pleased to recently have 6 volunteer missionaries with us from Westview Baptist Church, Opp, Alabama. One year ago, a Westview team came on their 1st vision trip...to Zambia. And then guess what happened? WE MOVED! Praise the Lord, they decided to move with us and came for vision trip #2 to see how God would have them be on mission for Him in South Africa.

This team of 3 men and 3 ladies worshiped in a shanty town church with one missionary and also visited a small local preschool. The next day they walked with two missionaries around a section of the huge Soweto area witnessing to folks. Finally they traveled a few hours to Limpopo province, to meet with local mission personnel and look around the area where the unreached Tsonga-Shangaan people live.

For a short trip, these guys experienced a lot. Pray that as they've now returned to the U.S, that they can decide specifically how Westview should partner with South Africa.

MK Camp

2007-12-31T09:07:00.000+02:00

It's that time of year again. Time for MK Camp! Missionary families from across Central, Eastern, & Southern Africa have traveled down to South Africa to attend this annual highlight. These kids know that there's nothing like being with people like themselves, who understand what it's like to live in a different culture, among people who are so different from them. Pray they are enjoying reconnecting with friends. Pray also that this will be a spiritually uplifting time, with many making commitments to the Lord and strengthening their walk. Pray for them as they leave camp and return with families to their "normal" lives.

Family Fun

2007-12-31T08:53:00.000+02:00

During the school breaks, we try our best to get away for a little R & R, as well as enjoy family fun at home. Here are some pics from fun on the South coast, Christmas candy making, Risk playing, and maybe some more.

50th Anniversary

2007-12-31T08:39:00.000+02:00

Dee Ann had the great privilege of travelling back to the U.S. for 12 days to celebrate her parents' 50th wedding anniversary! WOW - it was a very special time culminating with a family celebration lunch at a seafood restaurant. Family came, as well as some friends, and even the two witnesses from their wedding. We talked about their journey from meeting, to dating, to marriage, to kids, to 50 years together. They gave testimony of the secret to their 50 year success story, which was mainly the Lord and lots of flexibility with one another. My brother and I also gave them surprise Shotgun Wedding, since of course, their 50 year license had expired! :-) I've been very blessed by my parents and was thankful for the opportunity to honor them.

6th grade done!

2007-12-31T08:26:00.000+02:00

Nathan is shouting "YEA!!! I'm finally done with 6th grade!" The first week in December, Nathan's school completed their school year (January - December!) and received a good report on his work. Fortunately for him, he adjusted quite well to his new school and learned to understand teachers' English with a South African accent (most of the time). Every school situation has their own way of working, as well as their own set of expectations. Of course, they also fail to recognize how much they assume is "understood" by everyone, making life interesting for us new folks... Well, enough about that. Nate has acquired several new friends and gets to be in a big school environment. Remember to pray for him as he begins 7th grade in January and must really focus on learning the Afrikaans language with afternoon classes. Pray also for Nathan to be strong in his Christian walk in the face of a very secular group of kids.

Prayerwalking

2007-10-07T18:07:00.000+02:00

Recently, I (Dee Ann) had the opportunity to visit Daveyton. This is another large high-density township where two of our colleagues work regularly with a small church. We traveled through the winding roads and similar-looking government-built housing, trying to identify the right one. We met in one woman's home for Bible study. It was great to again be in an African home, which felt much like some in Zambia. Di spoke about prayerwalking, explaining how to pray for God to : Open the Heavens (& pour out his blessings) Isaiah 64:1, Open the Hearts (of the people to Jesus) Acts 2:17-21, Open Homes (for Bible studies) Acts 2:46-47, Open the Highways (to accept His truth) Isaiah 40:3-5, & Open our Hands (to make a difference for His glory) Mt.10:7-8. Then, we hit the streets, walking and praying as we went. Pray for the small Daveyton Grace church that it would grow in strength & number.

Getting older

2007-10-07T17:53:00.000+02:00

When she was with us in Joburg on school break, we asked if Michelle wanted to have an early birthday party. She replied, "What I'd really like, and never get to have, is a party with all my friends at RVA." So, we sent up some decorations, microwave popcorn, & gifts, with a note to her roommate. A week before her birthday, she walks into a decorated room, wondering who's having a birthday, when suddenly all her friends shout "Happy Birthday!!!!" and pull their firecracker poppers & confetti flew! YEA! Michelle got her wish. October 5, she turned 17!

Guitar Lessons

2007-09-24T17:13:00.000+02:00

We've always served in places where little opportunity was available for our children to be involved in much. Now, we feel very thankful to have the opportunity to allow Nathan to follow his desire for guitar lessons! Nathan's enjoyed his first lesson and looks forward to more.

Spiritual Retreat

2007-09-24T17:06:00.000+02:00

Spiritual Retreat is one of the two times per year that we look forward to as a group. Most of us live far apart, among people different from ourselves and a culture different from our own. So, you can surely imagine the pleasure we derive from singing, listening & sharing in our own language with others who understand us. Hearing the music team and speakers are special, but times of simple talking and playing games are certainly a highlight as well.

Cheerleaders for Jesus

2007-08-29T22:12:00.000+02:00

What are you doing so others can hear that Jesus loves them? You imagination is the limit when it comes to ways to support world missions. Westview Baptist Church just raised $2,278.16 in one week! Yes, that’s a chunk of money, but what if I told you it came from children! That’s right – the Vacation Bible School decided to raise money for printing a special tract to tell a major world religion people group about Jesus Christ. This was more than enough to print 2000 of these booklets. To help raise excitement & money for the project, church leaders promised to dress in cheerleader outfits if they passed the goal. Well, it caused quite an uproar (of laughter) I imagine. Jesus died for the sin of all people. They deserve to hear about it. What it comes down to is how much we want others to come to Jesus? What about you and your church?

Can you READ?

2007-08-29T22:02:00.000+02:00

Can you read these words? Many people cannot! South Africa is a country full of people from around the continent and world. People from Swaziland, Lesotho, neighboring Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique and far-away Zambia & Congo transplant themselves, looking for a better life. They have overcome great obstacles to arrive here, only to find they cannot get work, especially without knowing English or how to read and write. This is why programs like English as a Second Language are important here. Vera Miller is a Master’s program missionary living in Jo’burg. She is teaching women to speak, read & write English so they can have a better life. Part of the program is simply getting close enough so relationships grow to develop a true trust level. Pray that these women will read God’s Word and realize what it means to have abundant life in Jesus Christ.

R&R

2007-08-22T21:59:00.000+02:00

Yes, that's right. We were able to get away for 2 nights and enjoy a little rest and relaxation away from the big city. Just 1 1/2 hours away, we felt we were in a different world, with lots of trees, wide open valleys, cows & horses. We could breathe deeply again. We had fun taking a canopy tour - zipping across long cables over the tall treetop canopy. What a blast! The next day, Michelle & Dee Ann rode horses and Nathan & Wade played in the games room and on the mini-putt course. It was a wonderful mini-holiday.

Hutchinson James Adair

2007-08-17T11:50:00.000+02:00

Hooray! James & Mary Margaret Adair were on our team in Zambia, living in Kaputa, near the DRC border. We’ve been blessed to be near them these past few weeks as they are in Joburg to have a baby. Little Hutch decided he’d had enough and was ready to come a few days early. Mary Margaret gave birth on August 16 at 2:35 pm in Sunninghill Hospital. Hutch was 7lbs.6oz. and handsome! James was able to be there for the whole thing.

The Hospital

2007-08-17T11:37:00.001+02:00

It may be difficult to get over walls, through gates & past dogs here in Joburg. But one place you’re always assured to find people is at the hospital. Dee Ann recently had the opportunity to visit a local hospital with several ladies. These missionaries & church ladies received permission to visit weekly giving out a small gift of peanuts & raisins to adults and small stuffed teddy bears or other small toys to the children. Beside these items, we offered a Four Spiritual Laws tract in their preferred language to read while lying in the hospital. (There must be ~10 different languages in the box!) After visiting briefly and giving our gifts, we prayed with most patients and continued on. Pray for ministry to bring glory to God and give credibility to Baptists. Pray the God will use His Word in the tracts to bring people to Himself.

Ice Skating

2007-08-08T20:34:00.000+02:00

Michelle's home from RVA! YEA! She just finished 10th grade and we're enjoying her for 6 whole weeks. She can hardly believe we really live in a big city with so much more to do than there was in Kasama. Anyway, here she and Nathan we're ice skating with friends. It was Nathan's first time on the ice! They had a great time.

Tsietst Township

2007-08-08T20:20:00.000+02:00

Wade had the privilege of joining Chuck Barrett, a Baptist missionary church planter, to Tsietsi settlement recently. Tsietsi means “problems” in the Sotho language, and is descriptive of life there. It is an “informal settlement” of ~16,000 Basotho people. These people live in shacks made of whatever can be found and do not enjoy the luxuries of electricity or running water. Chuck began this work about 1 year ago and continues to lead them on Wednesdays and Sundays, as they have no trained leadership. He uses scripture and stories they can remember to train them in basic discipleship, encouraging them to go out and tell others they meet. During Wade’s visit, Chuck told the story of the Ark of the Covenant, as a symbol of our life in Christ. He explained that we, as believers, are safe & secure in Christ and have His presence & power to live a victorious Christian life. The squatter camps and informal settlements like Tsietsi are huge in the Joburg area. Pray specifically for Chuck Barrett and the Tsietsi church. Pray for these believers to boldly share with other Basotho around them about the hope that can be found in Jesus Christ. Pray also for many more leaders to start groups like this in these townships, so more may learn of God’s love for them.

Nathan's School

2007-07-18T10:27:00.000+02:00

Nathan's enjoying his new school with so many boys, good teachers, and sports! He looks like a business man in his school uniform with dress slacks, white shirt, tie and blazer. On Sport days (P.E.) he wears the track suit to school all day. Besides the normal English & Math, some of the subjects he has are Afrikaans & Zulu languages, Design & Tech, Music, and Religious Education. Nathan's really enjoying the chance to play field hockey as a winter sport now. You can pray for Nathan to have good friends and to be a Christian example to all the boys in his words & actions.

Holiday Bible Clubs

2007-07-18T10:03:00.001+02:00

Many of you have attended or helped with Vacation Bible Schools in your churches. Holiday Bible Clubs are the same thing! Recently, two of our Baptist churches in Johannesburg held these clubs during the public school breaks here. Grace Baptist Church wrote their own material for the club. Two weeks later, 3 local churches combined to send a team of 40+ adults/youth on a mission trip using the same material in another province. Lyndhurst Baptist church also held a Holiday Bible Club. A youth volunteer team from America came to train the youth of Lyndhurst how to lead the club and to assist. They had a good week with 30+ youth working, 25 children attending, with 3 salvation decisions. The volunteer youth team was able to spend quality time counseling the youth as well. It was an awesome time as the Lyndhurst youth realized they could actually serve the Lord in this way! Pray for all these young people in Grace and Lyndhurst churches to walk daily with the Lord, growing and serving in many ways.

Drew's birthday

2007-07-10T15:53:00.000+02:00

"Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday dear Drew, Happy Birthday to you!!!" You have certainly grown since we brought you home from the hospital 20 years ago. How can you be 20??? Aren't you still that little 3 year old with a grin from ear to ear? Or that 10 year old who collected chameleons from his Zambian friends? Wasn't it yesterday that you were 15 and going off to boarding school? I guess we must face the truth...our little boy has grown into a young man. We love you & are proud of you, Drew! Happy Birthday!

South Africa maps

2007-07-10T14:02:00.000+02:00

This is South Africa. Can you find Johannesburg? Hopefully this will give you a better idea of our new country. To give you a practical idea of the size, after finding Jo'burg, find Durban on the coast. It took us ~7-8 hours to drive this on good roads.

Over The Top!

2007-07-10T09:55:00.000+02:00

Wow! You guys went OVER THE TOP! Thanks! You set a new giving record. 6/25/2007 IMB President Jerry Rankins thanks you for giving more than $150 milion to the 2007 Lottie Moon Christmas Offering. You surpassed the goal and set a new record for giving to support more than 5,000 international missionaries around the world. This year you, as Southern Baptists, responded to the need of the whole world to hear the name of Jesus Christ and the truth of His love for each one of them. Go to www.imb.org and click on the headline archives at the left to listen to Jerry Rankin's report & word of "Thanks."

Coker Chronicles.July 07

2007-07-10T09:47:00.000+02:00

Coker Chronicles July 2007 Vol. 1 No. 2 Wade, Dee Ann, Drew, Michelle, & Nathan ***NEW EMAIL ADDRESS- Please take time to update our address to wadeanddeeann@gmail.com ***NEW BLOG - Just click on this link for our new blog Jo'burg Journal Hello Family, Friends and Prayer Partners, Thanks to each of you who faithfully lift us up to the Father. We appreciate every prayer, as well as the notes you send our way to let us know your thinking of us. Now that we’re getting a little more settled, you can expect to be hearing more from us, especially on our new blog listed above. Check it out every week for informal info, pictures, thoughts, events, and fun. WHAT’S HAPPENING? Ø SOUTHEAST CLUSTER - NEW MISSIONARIES Wade’s had the opportunity to work with two new missionaries coming into the cluster. Julia Tarr has come to join the Swazi Team in Swaziland. Julia will work with youth and students . Denise Dunscomb is joining the work as Medical Coordinator in our office here in Johannesburg. Hundreds of missionaries come here for the quality medical treatment they cannot receive in their place of service. Denise will help connect them with appropriate physicians and help them on their way to recovery. Pray for Julia & Denise to grow accustomed to living in new places and to learn ways to bring God glory in their work. Ø GLEN VALLEY - Dee Ann was able to have tea with Nic & Dina. Thanks for praying. They’re a friendly Greek couple who are the caretakers (managers) of our enclosed community. We spoke of our homelands, families and life in South Africa. Other folks go quickly past my kitchen window, in cars, strolling babies, walking dogs. Another contact made was Rexton, one of the security watchmen. These guys sit in their tiny building at the electronic entrance gate, seldom noticed by most folks, zooming in and out. Continue to ask God to grant opportunities to meet people around our home. Ø COKER KIDS - Thanks again for your prayers. Nathan took a 2-hour entrance exam a couple of weeks ago and was accepted for entrance to this private boys school. Since their calendar runs from January - December, Nathan is entering in the middle of the 6th grade year. He’ll need to learn a totally new system, a new language (Afrikaans), new teachers, & new boys. Lots of prayer is needed here. Michelle will begin final exams next Wednesday to complete 10th grade at Rift Valley Academy. Drew is enjoying his summertime, especially beginning lawn maintenance work by 6 a.m.!!! Ø LET IT SNOW, LET IT SNOW, LET IT SNOW! - What’s wrong with this picture…IT”S JUNE, isn’t it? We all enjoyed the carpet of white outside our patio window last Wednesday morning. The Star reports, “Yesterday, snow blanketed much of (a Jo’burg district) for the first time in 26 year, causing excitement & bringing traffic to a halt as motorists stopped to take photos.“ We have indeed learned the meaning of layering our clothes. Nathan has recovered from a bout with tonsillitis and says one layer is fine; Wade thinks two is pretty good; Dee Ann says 3 or 4 is just right! Unfortunately, the cold has a down side as well. The Star also writes, “Body No. 1266/07. While snow fell, police found the man lying dead on the corner of Noord and Wanderers streets in downtown Joburg. He had frozen to death.” While the electric company reports record power consumption, many of the poor have no access to such luxuries. Pray for the poor & homeless during this South African wintertime. Ø CIVIL WORKERS STRIKE: For weeks now, civil workers such as teachers, hospital workers and nurses have been striking to demand better wages and benefits. This seems to be the normal proceedure for such issues here. Unfortunately, public schools are closed and hospital care has sometimes come to a halt as teachers & nurses are threatened with death if they break the strike. This is serious, as seniors cannot take matriculation exams and patients die from lack of attention. Pray for speedy resolutions. Ø QUIZ TIME: Last, but not least, we’d like to see how many of you kids can answer this month’s quiz question. Just write with your answers by July 15 and we’ll list your first name on our blog, Jo‘burg Journal. (wadeanddeeann@gmail.com) WHAT ARE ALL THE COLORS ON SOUTH AFRICA’S FLAG?

Let It SNOW!

2007-06-29T17:04:00.001+02:00

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!!! Hooray! The last several days the temps have really dropped, like below 0 degrees, Celsius, that is. Even down to 28F. We awoke Wednesday morning to a glorious site and praised God for His beauty. The newspapers say it was the first accumulation of snow here in 26 years - and WE got to enjoy it! God is good. Nathan has never enjoyed snow until now. He and a friend played at Wade's workplace. He made a snowman named ELVIS! Fun, fun, fun!

Nathan's 12

2007-06-29T16:33:00.000+02:00

Hey - there's a birthday in the house! Nathan Alexander Coker has just crossed another milemarker. On June 22, 2007, several folks showed up to celebrate Nathan living 12 years! As you can see in the pics, Nathan requested birthday fudge! We played balloon volleyball, as well as enjoying contests and just relaxing.

Our House

2007-06-29T16:15:00.001+02:00

We've moved! #5 Glen Valley is now where we hang our hat, let our hair down, and lay our heads. In other words, we've got a new home, crib, shack... From the lightly populated Northern Province of Zambia, we've moved to densely populated Johannesburg, South Africa! There are gated communities like ours everywhere here. Where enjoying Glen Valley and looking for opportunities to meet our neighbors. So, now when you think of us, perhaps these pictures will help.

Welcome!

2007-06-10T17:52:00.000+02:00

Welcome! We're happy you found our new site and hope you keep visiting us in the future. We'll be using this format to share more informally about day to day happenings, thoughts, and events and prayer items. You can expect to learn about various types of missionaries, the country of South Africa, various people groups, and mission events. Feel free to reply to us or use postings to share with others. We'll try to be regular in posting and sharing pictures of our new South African life. Blessings!