AUGUST 2015

St Kiaran'sSt Kiaran's Chronicle Chronicle

Beautiful Fact by Ruth Harms CalkinLord, there are countless things in my life that are inexcusable, There are things unaccountable, and things unexplainable, There are things irrefutable and things irresponsible. But it comes to me with unutterable relief, that because of your amazing love, that nothing in my life is unforgivable.

The Holy Alphabet This is Beautiful, whoever came up with this one must have had some Divine guidance! Although things are not perfect Because of trial or pain Continue in thanksgiving Do not begin to blame Even when the times are hard Fierce winds are bound to blow God is forever able Hold on to what you knowImagine life without His love Joy would cease to be Keep thanking Him for all the things Love imparts to thee Move out of "Camp Complaining" No weapon that is known On earth can yield the power Praise can do alone Quit looking at the future Redeem the time at hand Start every day with worship To "thank" is a command Until we see Him coming Victorious in the sky We'll run the race with gratitude Xalting God most high Yes, there'll be good times and yes, some will be bad, But... Zion waits in glory...where none are ever sad!

Contributed by Lesley Stoll

Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, and whose hope is the Lord. For he shall be

like a tree planted by the waters, which spreads out its roots by the river, and will not fear when heat comes; but her leaf will be green, and will not be anxious in the year of drought, nor will cease from yielding fruit. (Jeremiah 17:5)

Dear family and friends of St Kiarans

Its been one whole year since I arrived at St Kiarans with Louise, Jethro and Jessica, give or take a day! Wow! How quickly the time has passed! I know that I speak for us all as a family when I say that we have been truly blessed by the Lord to be part of the life of our new congregation. We look forward to sharing in many more God-blessed times with you.

How wonderful to enjoy the depth and richness of many years of experience and fully lived lives as are found at St Kiarans. I am often saddened by a mentality which, over the years, has played down the role of older generations in the life and aggregated faith of a community such as ours. This is out of step with how God has intended his church to exist. When folk believe thatsomeone older than themselves no longer has anything to contribute, they miss the point entirely andsimply perpetuate a way thinking that they will someday become victims of. Strangely, or conveniently they forget that they too will someday grow old.

Ancient Israelite households were often made up of families to the third and fourth generation.Children interacted with their elders. The elders were story-tellers of the things that God had done in the distant past. The parents would tell of Gods interaction with them as well. This is not unlike rural African life, the difference being that the Israelites lived with Jehovah as the one God who reigned over his covenant people.

Of course, every church will have elderly folk who find it difficult to relate to younger folk. Often the common point of departure is music. But this should not be a deal-breaker for anybody. Instead it is an opportunity for fresh expressions of praise and adoration of God in the overall context of a time when we worship together.

That said, we are called to understand ourselves, young and old as a community, a large family under Jesus Christ. The term community implies Gods family in fellowship with one another for the purpose of achieving Gods mission together under God. Lets continue to strive toward being acongregation in Fish Hoek which welcomes people from all walks of life, every age group and every nationality.

With much love Mike

Church Family News God's richest

blessingsarewished for Mike and Louise Muller who celebrated their Silver

Wedding on 23rd of June

Mark Liprini was asked to bring us up to date on how the family is doing and this is his response:Lorraine: Not sure how she does it, but she just seems to get more and more lovely as the days pass ...

I on the other hand almost have a heart attack when I see the old grey haired man staring at me when I shave! Seriously though, Lorraine is still loving the work she does at our church. She has beenextremely busy on the care ministry side; we have had a lot of older folk in our church with some veryserious health problems, so Lorraine has been very lovingly sitting for hours on end with them at various hospitals, including Joburg Gen, while they see doctors, pharmacists, specialists etc. She has been doing a lot of transporting of these dear folk in and out and running around these monstrous places collecting files and folders and generally being their hands and feet while they receive state health care.

Although our church does certainly refund us the fuel money - and it really adds up - they cant refund her the energy she spends, so please pray for her health. She is getting quite tired sometimes. She has been struggling with some pretty nasty sinus headaches for a while now, sometimes lasting a few days at a time.

David and Marehette.:Are both doing tremendously well. Marehette is working hard on her PhD as well as working

hard in the lab at the company she does research for. David is going flat out still with Cassie Carstensand the World Needs a Father Ministry work. They both came up here a few weekends ago under their own steam to spend time counselling some friends of theirs who were going thru some intense marriage issues. I was so proud of them for doing that. Unfortunately the couple in trouble had left it way too late to call for help, and the marriage wasnt able to be rescued despite the huge input from David and Marehette.

Ruth:Also working flat out at the Thinkroom. She is finding some tasks harder than others, and

some of the work is not particularly challenging or exciting at times, but is sticking it out because she knows that trials produce character and perseverance, and she does have a fantastic crowd she workswith and recognises that she is building a CV and a career, so one has to take the rough with the smooth.

Mark: I have been back from Nepal for a few weeks now, and return there again on the 9th August getting home in the first week of September. While I am home here I have been visiting MAF donors, and the like. My feet are slowly recovering. For me the emphasis is on the slowly bit, but the doctor isvery happy with what he has seen and both he and Lorraine tell me I am being impatient .. I guess majority rules here, so I need to be more patient .

Much love and kind regards to all at St Kiarans - Shalom Mark

St Kiaran's Women's Fellowship

invites you to attend their meeting on 26 August when they will welcome Alet Prinsloo who will address them on

A Christian's Walk in Emergency Services

Contact Wilma Woodburn at 0217870320

Pray for South Africa That skilful and Godly wisdom will enter into the hearts of our leaders as they perform the duties of their office, while submitting to the authority of your Word.

That you will surround them with men and women who make their hearts and ears attentive to godly counsel and who do what is right in Your sight.

That the bonds of wickedness be loosed from our nation, and for the binding of the spirits of lawlessness, injustice, prejudice, racialism, materialism, humanism and atheism that have influenced our nation.

That You will release the power of Your love to surround our nation and heal the wounds of the people.

Thank You for the spirit of unity where it is found among leaders and among all peoples of South Africa.

Let Your peace and righteousness prevail against confusion and strife in our land.

Thank You for all You are doing in South Africa; I commit to do my part. I will pray and follow the guidance of Your Spirit, in Jesus' name.

Contributed by Hubert and Jill Stoll

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SOMETIMES I SITS AND THINKS ......

The saying, Sometimes I sits and thinks, and sometimes I just sitsbrings to mind people sitting on the benches on Jager Walk on a sunny day. Asfar as Im concerned, yes, I sit and think and I also walk and think. Lately Ivebeen cogitating on two subjects in particular. Firstly the church, and secondlythe church. Let me unpack this.

Firstly, our St. Ks Chronicle. Should I go on writing for it? The problem is that I hardly everget any feed back. In the April edition the subject was Sea Otters and how they supported eachother. I posed a question which no-one answered. (How do you think we are doing at St Ks? Whatabout the One & Onlys?) At the same time as writing for the church magazine I write a regularcolumn for Points of View our Peers Village monthly. People here often comment on the latestoffering so I know its being read.

Secondly, the Presbyterian Church. Is it dying? I look around and see all the grey hairs. Dontmisunderstand me: I love grey-haired people, Im one myself. The number of senior citizens faroutstrips the younger generation who flock to more modern churches. And bless these churches theydo their best to be relevant to the modern world and are doing a great job in preaching the Gospel,albeit with very high decibels. But there is one flaw, and I dont know when the adherents will realisethis: they are not up-to-date on the role of women in the life and ministry of the church.

To be specific: the Presbyterian church has moved with the times: women are able to serve aselders and full-time ministers. Many of the new churches leaders (our equivalent of elders) aremarried couples. When I asked what happens when one of the partners dies, I was told that shouldthe wife die, the widower would continue to be a leader. But if the husband dies, the widow would beasked to step down. It is very seldom that an unmarried man is made a leader, it sometimes doeshappen but an unmarried woman is never considered suitable. So what is the future for these newchurches as they are not really up-to-date in todays world?

Personally, Im so glad to belong to a denomination that recognises and encourages the role ofwomen. What does the future hold: maybe a swing back to the so-called traditional denominations?

Lucy Centlivres

Meet the SmithsSandy and Irene were both born and raised inScotland, Sandy in Perthshire and Irene inStirlingshire. Irene has one sister living inEngland. Sandys only sister (who is older thanSandy) and her husband, a dentist, had comeout to then Rhodesia, to work for the RhodesianGovernment, thereafter he had his own dentalpractice. They were then followed by Sandy in1955 and then by his parents, who lived inUmtali. Sandy was employed as a FarmManager living in Bindura and Odzi.

Later he worked as a Sales Representative for afirm in Zambia selling chemicals to the mines, asubsidiary of Sentrachem - (a South Africancompany with Head Offices in Johannesburg).When the Zambian border with South Africa wasclosed in 1973, the Zambian company was eventually closed down, and he was involved in the closingdown operations.

Irenes first job was with a firm of Chartered Accountants in Glasgow as a secretary and bookkeeper where she stayed for about six years. She then emigrated to Canada as a young girl of 23 and spent over three years there working as a secretary in an Insurance Company. On her return to Scotland she was employed in the Civil Service in Glasgow, working as a secretary in the Scottish Courts, where she stayed for about 10 years, then going to work in Edinburgh in the Crown Office, the administrative arm of the Procurator Fiscal Service, in an administrative post. Thereafter Irene transferred to London to work for the Customs and Excise, and came out from London, England, in October 1970, to South Africa for a holiday to visit a Scottish friend in South Africa on a working holiday visiting her sister. They went down to Durban for a holiday from Johannesburg and met Sandythere. Sandy had come down from Zambia on holiday at that time. Irene returned to London after herholiday and thereafter corresponded with Sandy. After a few more trips back and forth they were married in Lusaka, Zambia in March 1973, when Sandy was 41 years old and Irene 38.

After spending about two years in Zambia, the company there was closed down and Sandy was transferred to Cape Town where he worked as a Sales Representative with the Cape Town Branch of NCP Chemicals, a Division of Sentrachem. After about four years in Cape Town, living in Durbanville, during which time their son, also Sandy, was born, in 1975, they were transferred to East London, Sandy as Area Manager for NCP Chemicals. Their daughter, Shona, was born in East London in 1979. After about two years there, he was again transferred to Johannesburg, and promoted to National Sales Manager of NCP Yeast Ltd (another subsidiary of Sentrachem). They lived in Johannesburg for about fourteen years till 1994 and again were fortunate to return to Cape Town where they settled in Fish Hoek. He worked for the same company till he retired in 1996.

They attended the Presbyterian/Congregational Church in Bryanston during their time in Johannesburg, and in their time in Scotland, the Church of Scotland in their respective communities.

At present their son is in England working there, and daughter Shona runs a travel business in Cape Town. Shona is married to Neil and they have two children, Keira aged four and Aria aged one year and nine months, and they now live in Sun Valley. They both attended Fish Hoek High School.

Sandy Snr has been an avid golfer all his life and is still playing when he gets the chance. His sister and family emigrated to Australia from Zimbabwe some years ago and are still there. Irene has alwaysenjoyed travel and over the years here has visited various countries in Africa. She also plays bridge regularly most weeks and likes reading biographies and trying to keep up with computer technology.

Eugene & Tina

News from the WesselsDear friends & missions supporters,

So much has happened recently that the best we can do is try and give you a brief summary of life in the fast lane. To recap for those who have been out of touch for a while. I was robbed in Moambique, losing all of my personal documents, causing a somewhat early exodus out of the country to replace everything before we were due to head out to Thailand for the WOI global Missions conference. Prayer was answered in a somewhat miraculous way and all documentation was replaced before the flight out to the land of Smiles.

The global conference was incredible to say the least. Over 300 missionaries from around the world all gathered together in one place, sharing stories and hearing what God is doing amongst the nations left us fired up,encouraged and profoundly motivated to keep on doing what God has called us to do.

The country and its people created in us widely disparate emotions. We loved their ordered, gentle, respectful culture, but I was personally brought to the edge of tears and sadness when I saw how deeply lost a nation could become when we were confronted on a daily basis with people bowing in dedicated obeisance before wooden and clay idols made by the hands of men and lacking completely in power.

While we were away in Thailand, I was once again robbed, not there, but back in S.A. As a result of the corruption in government organizations, someone at the home office gave/sold a copy of my I.D. document to a person who then further falsified the copy by pasting their own photo onto the page and then used the stolen document to purchase a very expensive mobile phone. I discovered that my identity had been stolen when my bank suddenly began to deduct a huge sum of money off my personal account.

Returning to S.A. we have spent the last week or two in playing detective, tracing down the agency that accepted the false documentation, followed by police reports, visits to the bank and at the time of writing the matter is still in process.

After completing final repairs to our vehicle I then began the long drive back to Moambique, only to have an accident after covering less than 150km. One wheel of the vehicle came off and went bounding 1km down the road ahead. I almost lost control of the vehicle as it bounced and attempted to roll. By the grace of God I regained control and managed to bring it to a literal grinding halt at the side of the road, having destroyed the various components that contribute toward a functional wheel. 11 hours later I rode back into JHB in the cab of a flatbed trailer with our fully laden, crippled vehicle sitting behind me. Tina is still waiting for her new passport to be sent back from the U.K. and so we have decided to simply wait together until everything has been completed and then return to Moambique together.

In the meantime, the work continues to grow. Back in Moz, the food aid project is beginning toslow down, but some of the later crops are slowly beginning to come in and the levels of starvation are less now than earlier in the year. The church continues to extend the love of Christ to those who are suffering. The widows and the orphans are cared for. The Nicoadala church has managed to obtaina larger piece of ground to build a new meeting place for the expanding number of church members. The new church plant in Quelimane has begun looking for another area to do the same thing. The small church that began with just 3 Godly women has now expanded to more than 100 and they needa place to meet together.

A wonderful team of 2 African missionaries has just returned to S.A. from their short term outreach into Moambique, where they linked up with some of my sons-in-the-faith. A number of districts, towns and rural areas were visited, where they ran outreaches specifically for children and did some discipleship and leadership training with the various groups from each area. Training pamphlets and Bibles were also given out and the report-back meeting we had with them last night was hugely encouraging. A new generation is being raised up, the flame of the Gospel is being strongly fanned and people are responding well.

We have so much to give thanks for and for those partners who spend so much time in prayer for the work in Moz, take some time simply to return praise and thanks for all that the Lord is continuing to do.

Last, but certainly by no means least, a quick word of personal thanks and appreciation to all those who are financially supporting this work. Without you.. there simply would be no mission, no outreach, no new souls won into the kingdom. The Lord has used you in no small way to bring about much of what is happening. Know that through your investment you are laying up for yourselves treasure in heaven. We are just adding our voice of appreciation for all that you are doing. May the Lord continue to bless all that you have set your hand to do for Him.

Keep Shiny, Yours in His Service

Trust Godin the Difficult Times of Life

In these uncertain times in which we are assailed by so many problematic things, both personal death, health impairments, loss of jobs, work and financial pressures - as well as political

and social upheaval, it is good to be remembering the great blessing of being a child of God. In His word He says - In this world you will have trouble, but be not afraid for I have overcome the world. In selecting a theme for this magazine it seemed good to choose TRUST GOD as the focus, for we arereminded that for those of us who believe we are to: Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him,and He shall bring it to pass Ps. 37:5.

If you ever would like to read an inspiring book about great trust in God it should be The Hiding Place by Corrie ten Boom. Corrie was born into a deeply Christian Dutch family who did amazing things during WW2.

These are some extracts from her story:

During 1943 and into 1944, there were usually as many as seven people illegally living in the ten Boom home - Jews and members of the Dutch underground. Corrie became a ringleader within the network of the Haarlem underground. Corrie and "the Beje group" would search for courageous Dutch families who would take in refugees, and much of Corrie's time was spent caring for these people once they were in hiding. Through these activities, the ten Boom family and their many friendssaved the lives of an estimated 800 Jews, and protected many Dutch underground workers.

On February 28, 1944, Casper's (her father) family was betrayed, and the Gestapo raided their home. The Gestapo set a trap and waited throughout the day, seizing everyone who came to the house. By evening, over 20 people had been taken into custody! Casper, Corrie, and Betsie (sister) were all arrested.

Although the Gestapo systematically searched the house, they could not find the two Jewish men, two Jewish women, and two members of the Dutch underground who were safely hidden behind a false wall in Corrie's bedroom though without food and water.liberate the refugees two days later.

Corrie and Betsie spent 10 months in three different prisons, the last being the infamous Ravensbruck concentration camp located near Berlin. Life in the camp was almost unbearable, but Corrie and Betsie spent their time sharing Jesus' love with their fellow prisoners. Many women becameChristians in that terrible place because of Corrie and Betsie's witness to them. Betsie (59) died in Ravensbruck, but Corrie survived. (She was released because of a clerical error!)

Corrie wrote - "But as the rest of the world grew stranger, one thing became increasingly clear.And that was the reason the two of us were here. Why others should suffer we were not shown. As forus, from morning until lights-out, whenever we were not in ranks for roll call, our Bible was the centreof an ever-widening circle of health and hope.

"Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, orfamine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us." Romans 38:5

My personal recollection from her outstanding story is that she and her sister were so thankfulfor the myriads of fleas in their cells because the guards refused to come any closer than the door intotheir area.

Mary Suter Editor

Never be afraid to trustan unknown future to a

known God.Corrie ten Boom

Correction - Please note that Arie and Naomi deKoning's Home Cell meets in the mornings on

Thursdays at various homes and not as recorded inthe last magazine.

Phone 021 7824973

Mission Sundayon 9th August 2015: at both services we will highlight these excellent Christian works:

at 9.30am

and at 7pm the mission of the

St Kiaran's Presbyterian ChurchCnr. Central Circle and Recreation Road

P.O.Box 22146, Fish Hoek, 7974 Church Phone: 021 782 6118

Minister: Rev. Mike Muller

All are welcome at our Regular Sunday Services

Sunday Worship Services at 9.30a.m. & 7p.m.Holy Communion is served on the 1st Sunday of the month at both services

CHURCH PRAYER MEETINGS

Tuesdays: 11.45 a.m. in the Craig Room Prayer is offered after services for healing or other needs, by members of our

Prayer Ministry Prayers with our young people: as arranged .... or whenever you wish to

arrange times with fellow Christians.