Equippers International
Cliff & Stephanie Canipe P.O. Box 291130 Kerrville, TX 78029

Dear Friends,
We have hit the ground in South Africa and we want to catch you up to speed with all that is going on since our departure from Fort Worth just before Christmas. We enjoyed a wonderful Christmas in Arkansas with Stephanie's family at their beautiful river cabin (a family tradition that we will greatly miss next year). Goodbyes were especially hard. From there we began our trek cross-country with our final destination Disney World! What a wonderful, magical time for the family before departing for South Africa. We had perfect weather and a spectacular time with the kids. We are not sure who had more fun, us or the kids! If you have never gone, we strongly recommend it. There is something for the kid in all of us. Cliff's mom and step-dad were able to join us for part of our time at Disney which was also very special. The whole trip was a gift from God.

From there we traveled to Atlanta where we met Jennifer and Shannon and departed for Cape Town the following morning. The flight was good and the kids did great. (Wesley got sick right before landing! Probably just the motion and altitude changes.) Other than that, it was a great flight. By then everyone was exhausted and glad to be in Africa. We were met at the airport by several of our close friends who whisked us away to Worcester. They had prepared our home with a special South Africa flare of welcome paraphernalia and we felt right at home. The next two weeks were filled with lots of logistics and we have been overwhelmed by God's faithfulness during it all.

One of the biggest blessings was that God had spoken to one couple, Robert and Erika, about serving us during this time to help us get settled. When we arrived we found that they had already donated the use of a freezer and refrigerator that they had already placed in our home! They have given so much time to guide us in the right direction regarding where to shop for the best deals, the best brands, etc. We have been humbled by the way the Lord has sent them to serve us.

We have almost finished with all the details of settling into the house and it has quickly become a home for us. The kids are very happy and love being here. Natalie said in the car one day the first week we were here, "I don't ever want to go back to America." They have already made friends with the kids next door and feel right at home tracking back and forth through the bushes separating our houses. We are so thankful that they have taken the transition well. They will begin school on Wednesday, Jan. 22nd and they are excited to make new friends. We know that this is an huge answer to prayer and one we really thank Father for.

As far as ministry goes, we know that we are to rest and wait on God to open doors. He has confirmed over and over again that this is His desire for us and we want to be obedient. We have already seen Him working in so many ways through our being here. Cliff preached in Last Days Family Church on the 12th. We were blessed to have a woman in our home on Friday who prayed to receive Jesus. Stephanie and Jennifer were able to minister to her and pray with her. This was a real encouragement. She will be discipled by some of the women here in the town. We have already met new friends involved in ministry in different regions of South Africa and we believe that God has purposes for us in these relationships. A man named Kobe who ministers in the northern part of the country was in our home to meet with Cliff and a couple of other pastors from Worcester. We also had a great visit with Anton and Charlotte, a couple ministering in Ceres on a large fruit farm about an hour away. They have an exciting vision and it was good to sit and hear what was in their hearts. We are excited about seeing how God works through old relationships as well as these new ones.
We are spending the next few weeks to rest and spend time with family. We are also visiting around to several of the fellowships we have been ministering with over the past several years. It is good to see old friends! It has been neat to be in town shopping or doing bank business and recognize people and be recognized by people we have ministered to over the years. God has given us a lot of favor here.

We are truly blessed to be here. We feel right at home and know that we are exactly where God wants us to be. We miss so many of you and we know that you are praying for us. We have already seen so many miracles on our behalf. Here are some of the neat things God has done.
- Provided a VW van in excellent condition and at a great price. They are really hard to come by here. We had prayed specifically for one of these and He has provided perfectly for our needs.
- Providing people who have really served and blessed us during all our transition. We could not have done it without them.
- The man we are leasing the house from is involved in an import/export business. He was able to arrange all the details necessary for us to receive our shipment from America. This was a huge blessing because we have since learned that it can be nearly impossible to jump through the right hoops if you don't have the right connections. We claimed our shipment the day after it arrived in perfect condition.

The couple who has helped so much has also been the source of blessing in two specific ways. Stephanie has been praying that the kids could take dance while we were here. Erika has two dance studios and the moment she saw Camille and Natalie for the first time, she said the Lord spoke clearly to her that she must teach them to dance. Stephanie has also prayed that we would have horses to ride! Erika's husband, Robert, has three horses and the first day we were at their home he invited us to ride anytime we wanted. God is so good about providing in specific ways!

Miscellaneous personal notes:
Lots of you have asked about Cliff’s back. It is holding up really good. Actually his foot and leg feel better than they have since the surgery. He has not been able to get into a routine of exercise yet but plans on doing that as soon as the kids start school this week. We are enjoying not having a TV in the home. It makes for a much more peaceful environment. The kids miss videos, but they are staying busy with other things. We are enjoying our patio. We eat most of our meals outside because it is cooler and there are less flies than in the kitchen. We have learned quickly how to prepare a proper tea for guests when they visit our home. This is a very big part of the culture and Stephanie makes a beautiful presentation! The wind BLOWS a lot. Today it is blowing so hard it sounds almost like thunder at times. This is very common in this part of the county. The sun is very potent here so we have to be careful with the kids because the are out doors most of the day. We don’t have a dishwasher, so we spend plenty of time relaxing and washing dishes. Ha! Stephanie really enjoys drying the clothes on the line on the patio. Stephanie is getting used to the different shopping habits here with foods and household items. It will take us a little while to learn all the ropes, but she is doing a great job. We are not going hungry! The fruits and veggies are very cheap and wonderfully fresh and tasty. That’s about it for the more personal stuff.
To wrap up, things are going really great. Thanks so much for yours prayers and support. You all have been so supportive and it means so much to us. We praise God for friends and family who believe in us during this exciting time in our lives.

Cliff, Stephanie, Camille, Natalie and Wesley