March 2004 Update

We greet you all in the wonderful name of Jesus and we want to remind you all that HE IS RISEN! What a powerful truth for us all to remember. Jesus is alive. I don't think there is any other more comforting thought than to know that we worship a risen, living God. I am thankful that we don't practice a dead religion, but enjoy the freedom of an intimate relationship with a personal Savior. I pray with all my heart that everyone who reads this update has the wonderful assurance of this type of relationship with Jesus and if you don't that you will take that simple step of inviting Jesus to be your Lord and put what faith you have on Him as the One who has paid it all so that you can know God as your Father.

March was a busy month for us as we hosted Stephanie's parents, Scokkie and Judy Gibson from America for two and a half weeks. We had special family time, introduced them to some of our South African friends, and toured our beautiful country. Scokkie couldn't imagine coming to Africa without seeing some game, so we traveled up north to the Kruger National Park. The park is one of the largest natural game reserves in the world. In case you are wondering how large, how about over 5 million square acres. Needless to say we didn't see it all, but we did see some wonderful animals in their natural habitat. We've included some pictures. We thought you might enjoy seeing some real African game. We had so much fun and played so hard we actually wore ourselves out. Judy and Cliff battled some sickness, but the Lord strengthened us all and we had a wonderful visit. It was so good to be together again with family after 14 months and for Scokkie and Judy to see where we live and have quality time with the kids. During their time here they were able to watch Camille's class lead their school assembly and they also went to see Natalie swim in her regional school competition.

We continue to be encouraged at what we see God doing here as we make ourselves available to Him day by day. Cliff is building several strong relationships with men and has been able to mentor and encourage them as they seek to hear and obey the Lord. This is the most satisfying area for Cliff and he really enjoys spending one on one time with folks.

We are also continuing to spend lots of time with the kids and working with them in regards to their occupational therapy. They are all growing and developing wonderfully. They are such a huge blessing and we are so grateful for all that God is doing in their lives. You can pray for Wesley, he will be having tubes put in his ears this Friday. We don't have any idea how long he has needed them, but we really believe that the tubes are going to make a huge difference in his speech development. The doctor said that his hearing is significantly impaired and that he will be able to tell a marked difference immediately following surgery. Perhaps this is why Wesley yells all the time!

We want to thank you all for your prayers and support for us as a family. We know that it makes a huge difference to have folks praying for us. You are a blessing to us.

May God richly bless you today with an awareness of His closeness and faithfulness to you.

Cliff, Stephanie and the kids