Step by Step - Farewell

Six years ago, Wendy and I were preparing to leave for Lesotho, Africa.  It was to be a two year commitment.  For those who would be interested, we began to chronicle our journey, "Step by Step".  Six years  and some two hundred blog entries later, that step by step journey has us back in Lesotho.  Our initial two year plan became five, and now six years later we are back.  How did that happen?   

If you have been following our journey you will know most of what transpired in the first five years; until our return to Canada in September 2012.  That return was when we anticipated beginning to rebuild our lives in Canada, with periodic visits back to Lesotho, the first to be in February/March 2013.  But, we are learning anew that following God never stops being one step at a time.  His plans are not our plans. 

During our visit back in February/March we stayed at Beautiful Gate, the orphanage I volunteered at when we first came to Lesotho.  The Mustard Seed, where I would be working, rents office space from Beautiful Gate.  During this time we spent time with Bryan and Anita, the current directors at Beautiful Gate.  With their young family we retraced our steps of our favourite hike here in Lesotho.  As it turned out, those would not be the only steps we would be retracing.  Bryan and Anita invited us to consider supporting and leading the staff at Beautiful Gate while they returned to America for a six month break.

We returned home to Canada.  Our plan in September 2012 had been to resettle in Canada, and we sought the thoughts of family before making a final decision.  Our sense was that our step by step walk was leading us to retrace our steps back to Beautiful Gate.   So, after 200 plus entries we will start a new chapter, another beginning, and a new blog seems in order.  We will retire "Step by Step" with this entry.

However, for those of you who wish to continue to follow us on this next chapter, we have set up "Step by Step II", at www.bwsteps.blogspot.com .  You can check out our continuing story there, and if you are also interested in our periodic newsletters, just leave us a request in the comments.

Many are the plans in a person's heart, 

but it is the LORD's purpose that prevails.

Prov. 19:21 

~ Benno ~

Clouds, Witnesses, Friends, Family and Farewells

A week ago today, our last Saturday in Red Deer, we spent some time with a small group of friends,  catching up with them and sharing about this stage of our step-by-step journey, before heading back to Lesotho on Tuesday. As we gathered in a circle, held hands and prayed together, I got this image of being held and lifted up by these hands, and my mind instantly connected to a similar time spent with a gathering of friends just the week before, in Barrhead.

Interesting, it is, how images play in my mind, bringing together loosely linked concepts, because at that moment part of Hebrews 12:1 came to mind: the image of a 'cloud of witnesses', and somehow I just thought of these folks, and so many others we know, holding us up and sustaining us through their love and prayers.

New International Version

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and . . . let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us . . .

The 'therefore, since' refers to the previous verses in which are described all of those who form part of our rich Christian heritage of faith throughout history, but I am choosing to also include those who surround us in the here and now:

FRIENDS FROM OVER TWENTY YEARS AGO

Meeting with long-ago/ongoing friends in Barrhead it was pretty humbling to hear their continued interest in our lives after all these years, to hear Paul say, "Just keep writing those blogs..." Wow! And I wondered if anyone was even reading them ;-) It's been over twenty years since we lived in Barrhead, but Judy, Gary, Paul, Sally, Barb, Harold, Albert, Holdien, Jack, Gladys, Don and Carol, Merv, Trudy . . . others that we think of but weren't able to see, you continue to have such a special place in our hearts. How is it that a place can feel like HOME even when we've been away from it for over twenty years? Truly, HOME can be a heart place as much as it is a physical address. And over in Lesotho, I was feeling like we were becoming totally disconnected with 'life on the other side'. Thanks folks! Thanks for being part of our 'cloud of witnesses'. Thanks for this assurance that we ARE still connected in Canada!

FRIENDS FROM CROSSROADS

Thanks, too, CrossRoads, Red Deer and our faithful friends there. Thanks, especially to Esther and George, Alma, Dolores and Jim, Derek, Petra, Stephanie and Colton. Thanks for taking an interest in our lives. Thanks for being part of our 'cloud' formation.

OUR FAMILY MEMBERS

Thanks to all of our wonderful family who love us and support us unconditionally ;-)It's been so good to see most of you during this short almost two months in Canada.

Seeing so many and having this feeling of being uplifted by this cloud of witnesses is a very fitting culmination of this short visiting time we've had back in Canada. How wonderful and revitalizing this time has been, and thank you more than you can know to all the family and friends that have made time for us and shared their lives with us during our round of visiting in B.C., Alberta, and Saskatchewan. I do feel encouraged and energized for another stint back in Africa.

Wendy

Bloemfontein Field Trip

The Lonely Planet guide has this to say about Bloemfontein,"There’s no real reason to go out of your way to visit Bloem, although it has a few interesting sights if you are in the neighbourhood." 

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/south-africa/free-state/bloemfontein

Okay, not the greatest endorsement of a destination.  But our budget was limited, and I guess for us, Bloemfontein is "in the neighbourhood".  So while yet in Canada I had been pulling the pieces together of a field trip for four Mustard Seed girls who had done especially well in school the previous school year.

With the internet, the world truly is a smaller place, and the big pieces for the trip were mostly in place.  Unfortunately, one thing that had not gone well at the Mustard Seed was following the steps needed to apply for passports.  The best laid policies and procedures had not been enough for those entrusted with this task, and it appeared that all might be for naught.   With the whole trip seemingly imperilled our staff member asked for one more day to get things right, and with commitment and effort from the girls' caregivers they pulled it off.  We got the paperwork in, passport photos taken, the girls into the passport office and with a couple days to spare we had their passports.  I was again humbled as I witnesses the joy and delight of the girls to gain possession of this important document which opens doors and opportunities for them.

For me the trip began with with our stop at the National Museum, but for the girls it had started the moment we had crossed the border into South Africa.  Travel, something I take for granted, - a whole world of new experiene for them.  I worried that the girls might find the museum a bit boring but they pored over exhibits and were even taking notes regarding exhibits that related to topics they were studying in school.

Taking notes.

After the museum we made our way to our accommodation where the girls chaperone took charge.  They got unpacked and settled.  Then in very un-Basotho fashion they were into the pool of reasonably clear water, while I was off for a nap.  

Most Basotho fear water, not these girls.

The highlight of the trip for me, and for most of them I think, came late in the afternoon when we headed out to Boyden Observatory.  There we were shown around the site, were given information about the telescopes, and then, as the first stars came out, we took terms viewing the moon and then Jupiter though one of the telescopes.  Not only did we see Jupiter with its bands and great red spot, we could see actually see Jupitor's moons.  We topped off the night gazing into the darkened night, as our guide pointed out the constellations and stars of the southern sky.

One eye to the evening sky.

The next day observing and petting servals, cheetahs, and young leopards was okay, but it lacked the wonder of the previous evening's night sky.  

A meeting with the African serval.

The finale was a stop at the University of the Free State (UFS).  After a picnic lunch, one of Wendy's former students, now a medical student there, provided a tour of the campus.  It is my hope that maybe one or two of the girls might be inspired, and aspire to one day attending university also.  

The girls at UFS with their guide and chaperone.

~ Benno ~

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An "aside" that was part of my trip:  

I was out walking at one point during our time in Bloemfontien, and came across a beer container.  Beer from a cardboard carton?  I imagined it must be an inexpensive, low quality ale targeted to less then well healed customers.  The public service announcement on the side of the carton appears to confirm my thoughts.   

Back to Africa

The morning of 20 February 2013 we packed up the very last of my mother's house, completed the final inspection with the new owners, and closed a chapter in my mother's life and our own.  That afternoon we were on the highway to Calgary and a flight back to Africa.  It was time to see how the Mustard Seed, the organization in Lesotho I had been volunteering with, had managed during the previous five months.

Leaving winter in Canada to arrive to late summer in Lesotho was pleasant.  No snow to shovel, hot days, warm balmy evening, morning coffee sitting outside with the sounds of birds to welcome each new day.  

We were blessed to be able to rent a room at Beautiful Gate.  The space reserved for Beautiful Gate volunteers was not being fully utilized.  We had one room to ourselves as well as a kitchen and living area we shared with a delightful mother and daughter volunteering from the Netherlands.  It was a three minute walk to the Mustard Seed offices in another building on the Beautiful Gate property.  What a delight it was to also to reconnect with friends and contacts in Lesotho.  Many an evening there was someone visiting.  Wendy always had enough food for an extra plate at the table, and we enjoyed many hours catching up with our Basotho friends.

Catching up with the Mustard Seed was also a positive experience.  Not everything was perfect, but overall the board and our staff member were keeping things running well.  Before leaving back in September, I had not had the time I had wanted for training regarding the financial recording.  On this return trip we had ample opportunity to work in this area.  Receipts had to be found and errors corrected.  When all was tracked and recorded however, only about $50Cdn could not be accounted for from the five months I was away.  Not bad, I thought.  Time was spent with staff and board members in further training.  Additionally, I did what I could to come up with better tools to assist them in tracking and handling the Mustard Seed finances.

Another task I had set for this time was finalizing the trip to South Africa for the Mustard Seed girls who did well in school the previous school year.  This trip was again a success for the girls.  I will add a separate blog entry with pictures about our trip.

In late March, as we began preparation for returning home to Canada, Wendy's verse again became a point of reference, "Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails," (Prov. 19:2).  The current director at Beautiful Gate and his family were leaving on an extended awareness and fundraising trip/rest break.  They would be visiting supporters in Europe for a few weeks, and then returning home to America.  In total it would be six months before they would return to Lesotho.  Would Wendy and I, they asked, consider stepping in and supporting the staff at Beautiful Gate during their absence.  That had not been the plans of our heart ....  

~ Benno ~

Catching Up - September 2012 to February 2013

In late September 2013 Wendy and I returned to Canada from Lesotho.  It was great to be home.  Weddings, connecting with family and friends, and adapting to snow again.  Maybe it was the early snow, as another thing that happened was that I went into hibernation relative to our blog, Step by Step.  In an attempt to catch up a bit I will provide a brief overview of the past months; a summary of our journey and God's faithfulness to us and others during our time in Canada since September 2012.

First on our agenda upon returning to Canada was the wedding of our middle son, Dylan.  Wendy is especially delighted that there is another woman in the Fath family.  Me, I think I am finally over my slight disorientation at seeing the surname "Fath" appended to "Breanna", our daughter-in-law's name.  

The following weekend there was another wedding, one of Wendy's nieces.  This wedding included hosting Wendy's three sisters who were in Alberta for the wedding.  Ahh, God is so good.  About a week before our return to Canada a gracious woman from our church offered us her home to stay in while she was away for a few weeks.  I am not sure she anticipated her graciousness would extend to us hosting Wendy's sisters and husbands for about a week.  There was even one day when Wendy's brother and family visited, swelling the number of those present to over twenty for that day.  Thank-you to Shirley for her kindness and graciousness in providing her home, and thank-you to one of the sisters and her husband who were there to restore the house to the condition it was when we arrived. 

Our next stop was at my mother's, where we intended to stay briefly until we found a place of our own.  But, as Wendy so often quotes, "Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails," (Prov. 19:2).  My 81 year old mother promptly asked if we would stay and look after her house as she was thinking it was time to downsize her life and move into something smaller.  We looked into some options with her and she decided on an apartment, in a seniors complex.  There were vacancies in the complex, she had her choice of units, and within ten days she was getting settled in a new home.  

What worked so well for her in the transition was that she was able to wrap up her "old life" in a relaxed pace.  It was a early and cold winter, but seldom a day went by when we would hear her coming up the outside stairs, having walked the fifteen minutes from her new 'home'.  Each day is was this closet, that cupboard, or some corner that she worked through, setting aside what would join her in her new home, what would be offered to others, or what was  to go the thrift store or even to the rubbish pile.  There was also what to leave for the moment so that Wendy and I had what we needed to live in the house.  

Besides assisting my mother, Wendy and I (mostly Wendy) did what was needed to get the house prepared to sell.  Not all was clear sailing, but less than four months after moving into Mom's house, we moved out and new owners moved in.  The possession day was the very same day that Wendy and I left Canada for a return visit to Lesotho.  Could it have worked out any better?   

Wendy had felt we needed to reconnect with family in Canada, so we had left Lesotho.  Two weddings and my mother happily settled in a new home has confirmed that God had a purpose for us being back in Canada for that season.  The neighbor lady across the street from Mom's, for whom I shovelled snow, added her different perspective.  She told me that God knew she needed someone to help shovel the snow from her drive, and that God brought us back from Africa just for that purpose.  :-) 

Yes, we were still without a place of our own, but we had been in Canada for some things equally important.  In February we left on an eight week visit back to Lesotho.

~ Benno ~