Our first stop was in Bloemfontein, where we met with Brother Johannes Khanya (South Sotho translator). He met us and we followed him into Botshabelo (near Lesotho) where he lives.
Our road to Botshabelo was bumpy to say the least. Road conditions are terrible, but nevertheless, we arrived and were able to assess his workstation. As we had expected, the electricity connection at his home was not adequate to provide a stable supply of electricity to his computer. Brother Keith arranged for an electrician to check the connection and make the necessary adjustments.
After the work there, we then headed for Kimberly, where we spent the night with a local family. We were humbled by their hospitality and enjoyed every moment shared with them. We attended the Sunday morning service and spent the afternoon with Brother Timmy Skenette (VGR Kimberly office manager) and his wife, Sister Joylene.
We departed on Monday morning and headed for Polokwane, where we met with Brother Andries Mathe, our librarian there.
He was very happy to see us, but was also quite eager to go over some issues about the work at the Polokwane office. We had a lengthy conversation, and received some very important information and needs for the local work.
We spent the night at a lodge in Polokwane and left early the next morning for Louis Trichardt, where we met with Brother Isaiah (Tsonga translator) and Brother Mafolo (Tshivenda translator) at Brother Mafolo’s house. There is a reliable DSL broadband internet connection, but we replaced his laptop, which had a faulty fan, with a new desktop PC, fully loaded with the latest Translation Template and the latest version of the Table. He also had 10 boxes of translated books, which Brother Des (VGR Nelspruit office manager) had delivered on his recent trip to that area, which will soon be distributed to the local people.
We then headed for Brother Isaiah’s home, which is very rural. The road conditions are ok in some areas, and as bad as can be expected in others. His mom was so excited to see us that she even kissed our hands as we entered the yard.
Brother Isaiah does not have an internet connection and is dependent on the 3G USB modem that we provided for him. However, he is very resourceful and has been able to respond promptly to all electronic requests.
After the visit with Brother Isaiah, we then headed for Makopane, where we spent the night in fellowship with Brother Schalk van Schalkwyk. I had a wonderful time listening to two old friends catch up and fellowship around our Message from God (Brother Keith and Brother Schalk). I really felt blessed to be welcomed into such wonderful company and such a loving home.
We left the following morning and headed for Johannesburg to meet with Brother Solly (VGR Johannesburg office manager). We were unable to visit the office as there was some political unrest with protesters flooding the area.
We arranged to meet him at a fuel station, where we transferred all the material we had brought for him. This marked the end of our scheduled trip. All that was left now was to return to Brother Johannes to check the electrical installation and to install the new PC equipment. When we arrived there, everything was in order and we were issued an electrical certificate of compliance. We then headed for Kimberley again to visit Brother Timothy, and returned home the following day.
I've learned a lot from Brother Keith and gained some insight on some of the difficulties that our translators face in carrying out our requests.
May God bless you,
Brother Steven