What a busy few months we have had!
We have now been comfortably back in Johannesburg for seven
months. The time has really flown by. Harmony loves her school and even wakes
up on Saturdays asking if it’s a school day! Although the lessons are taught in
English, her teachers are multi-lingual, so we often hear her “disciplining”
either her younger brother or her imaginary friends in different languages! She
continues to grow in her exceptional memory, love for Jesus and praying, and
interest in the world around her.
Lesedi is now 17 months and is really starting to show his
personality. He is a real boy who loves to “fix” things with Dad, be outside, climb,
take walks, explore, do everything his sister does and learn everything there
is to learn about life. He says quite a number of words and has started
communicating really well.
Our non-profit organization, Oketsa, has been officially
registered with the South African government and it is only a few short steps
away from receiving PBO status (Public Benefit Organization), which will allow
local corporations to make donations and receive a tax deductible receipt. We
have had two successful Board Meetings here and our
first US board meeting (via Skype) this last weekend! In the Tswana language, “Oketsa”
means “increase”; we hope to give our students an increase in knowledge, faith,
and hope.
Over the Easter break, we took them for burgers and bowling
at a local entertainment venue and they had a blast! They had never been there
before and were taking in all the sights and sounds and taking endless selfies
;). We also had the students at our house
for a movie and discussion afternoon. We talked about many different teen
issues such as suicide, peer pressure and teen pregnancy. We then set short
term and long term educational goals and personal goals with them. And finally, we brought them with us to help paint the roof of a children's home that is supported by our church here in Johannesburg. It is not often that you find Africans serving other Africans, so this was very 
meaningful to both them and us. Also, we praise God that two of our students recently accepted Jesus!
At the end of April, Piet was invited to speak in another
province of South Africa (KZN), about 5 hours away. He helped facilitate
business training exactly like what we used to do in Lesotho. We traveled to
the “headquarters” of the business training program for five days and Piet
taught people from South Africa, Swaziland, and even several of our friends
from Lesotho who traveled up to the training center. It was a nice change of
pace and of course great to connect with our previous Lesotho church friends.
The Bakers four have begun a new adventure in that we have
taken over managing the coffee shop "Holy Ground Cafe" at our local church. Luckily, it is only
open three days a week at the moment, so it does not conflict with our
after school ministry. The coffee shop definitely adds a new dynamic and
challenge to our family. I can truly say that Piet is thriving as he is living
out his love for business and is becoming an excellent barista!
You may remember that last month I shared that we were
struggling and feeling quite down. Thank you for praying for us and encouraging
us. We are so blessed to have so many standing beside us. We are doing a lot
better, but life is an endless battlefield. We covet your prayers for our
marriage, our ministry, and our family.
Love you all,
Loving Africa
The Bakers Four
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