Finally the man that kept us waiting is born!
We decided on the name Joshua Gilead.
Joshua means 'God is my salvation'. For months we've been praying about the name and the children's favorite was Joshua. A few days after the birth Daddy decided it would be Joshua because Joshua 1:7-9 is our favorite verse which is the only sure inheritance we can ever give our children. Houses, land and possessions will become a zero in one day but the LORD and His promises will never fail us, no never, never, never! And because of Joshua's famous words, "Choose you this day whom ye will serve; but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD!" Joshua 24:15
Gilead means "hill or monument of testimony". It was in Gilead that Joshua told the people to erect a monument to remind their children of the great works the LORD had done.
Jos 4:3 "And command ye them, saying, Take you hence out of the midst of Jordan, out of the place where the priests' feet stood firm,
twelve stones, and ye shall carry them over with you, and leave them in the lodging place, where ye shall lodge this night.
21 And he spake unto the children of Israel, saying, When your children shall ask their fathers in time to come, saying, What mean these stones?
22 Then ye shall let your children know, saying, Israel came over this Jordan on dry land.
23 For the LORD your God dried up the waters of Jordan from before you, until ye were passed over, as the LORD your God did to the Red sea, which he dried up from before us, until we were gone over:
24 That all the people of the earth might know the hand of the LORD, that it is mighty: that ye might fear the LORD your God for ever."
It was also the name of a monument which Jacob built. Gen 31:44 Now therefore come thou, let us make a covenant, I and thou; and let it be for a witness between me and thee.
45 And Jacob took a stone, and set it up for a pillar.
46 And Jacob said unto his brethren, Gather stones; and they took stones, and made an heap: and they did eat there upon the heap.
47 And Laban called it Jegarsahadutha: but Jacob called it Galeed.
48 And Laban said, This heap is a witness between me and thee this day. Therefore was the name of it called Galeed;
49 And Mizpah; for he said, The LORD watch between me and thee, when we are absent one from another.
Gilead was the grandson of Manasseh and the great-grandson of Joseph. It was also Gilead's
greatgranddaughters that came to Joshua to give them an inheritance because their father had no sons. For this the Lord commended them.
Then there is also "The balm of Gilead". Gilead was known for a specific tree that was used for a healing balm all throughout the land. Jesus Christ is also called "the balm of Gilead".
He was born Aug 16 at 8:05 pm at the hospital in Mangusi, South Africa, 25 km from Kosi Bay.
Our date for his birth was quite a bit out so we didn't know when to expect the newcomer. The sonar said the end of August. The clinic nurse said the end of July. And with all the traveling we had been doing, Rose felt like it would be in the beginning or middle of July. So for over a month we were waiting on the tips of our toes thinking, "Any day now". We should've called him Lindani, a zulu name which means 'wait'. But as soon as he was born our Zulu brothers and sisters named him Melusi which means 'shepherd'. So I guess his Zulu name is Melusi Lindani.
But finally we rejoice. The shepherd that made us wait is here.
Rose's water broke the Monday morning Aug 15 but there were not many contractions so the doctor said to wait until they started or if nothing happens to come the next morning to check if the baby is not stressed in any way. There were some contractions during the night but as soon as we got up to go into the hospital they stopped. So Tuesday morning we went in anyway so they could check on the baby. The baby was fine but the nurses were stressed because it was our ninth baby and so they kept us there to monitor the situation. They asked us if we were going to do family planning after this one. So we responded, "No, we are only planning for a family." She laughed catching the humor in it.
During the day we walked over 5 km on the outside walkways at the hospital trying to get the patient baby in gear. But nothing much happened. Towards the end a few stronger contractions came but they did not continue. Then Stephanus left to check on the children who were staying with some friends while Rose took a nap. Finally around 6:00 pm regular contractions started. Stephanus called to cancel the Bible study that was scheduled for that evening. At this time she was 4 cm dilated and at 7:30 she was 5 cm dilated. Then we did some more walking right in the ward and squatts. In half an hour at 8:05 the baby was born! It surprised us that the dilation from 5 cm to 10 only took half an hour. The midwife nurse's name was Elisabeth and she was wonderfully understanding and encouraging. They took very good care of Rose.
Rose says it was a very good birth. One of the quickest and easiest so far. Especially the recovery time was very good.
So much praying was done from all our friends that we undoubtedly know this was the reason for a wonderful delivery. We thank the LORD for His goodness.
Rose stayed in the hospital that night and Stephanus and the children went to fetch her at 10:00 the next morning.
We thank the LORD for His wonderful care which He showed us in so many ways.
The Monday morning when her water broke we moved out of the house we used to stay in. Stephanus and the children had to do all the packing very hastily. The owners came back and informed us that they had lost their job without getting paid because of fraud committed in the management offices and they needed their house.
So we moved out and stayed at a friends house while we looked for other housing. Louwrens and Jeanne van der Westhuisen are also missionaries here in Mangusi and they opened their house to us so generously. After looking for a suitable place for a week we decided to move to a camping spot and pitch up tent. We figured if Abraham could live in tents we could too! Many people wanted to slaughter Stephanus for that but we figured if tents were good for Abraham in which Isaac was born, then it's good enough for us and Joshua too. The children were especially in their element.
Christian friends and brothers and sisters from church came to help us pitch the tents. My brother Lindani, Bro. and Sis. Gumede, Brother Happy, Sister Josephine were all a big help.
There was a dilapidated little building that we used for a kitchen.
Then a lady, who we later got to know as Mrs. Elsie, who Louwrens knew and contacted about a place to stay came back from Durban a week early and she was delighted to offer us a place to stay. She has a very big property and offered us one of the houses. So this week Stephanus worked on the house putting the toilet in and reconnecting and laying the pipes for the sewer, fixing the electric connections, hanging curtain rods, etc. We still need to put up fencing and a water tank because Mangusi doesn't have town water. If there is ever any available it is only in the business area. Otherwise you must have a well or buy water with a tank and a trailer.
Then the third night we were here, some thieves came and stole all our spare tires while we were sleeping. This is quite a loss. We are now trying to get the word out to see if anybody knows anything about it. People say it very often happens that you will get your things back through the community. Pray with us that the LORD would help us to get these spare tires back.
We hope to put a fence up soon to have it a little more safe. If any of our friends here in South Africa know about some good dogs, friendly to children but scary to thieves, please let us know! People here say that it is the only thing that will work. The children have been asking for a long time for pets. Maybe this is a good time for that.
So far all indications from the LORD seem to be that we should make Mangusi, Kosi Bay our permanent base. Please do continue praying that the LORD will open all the right doors and close anything that is not from Him. We are now in the process with the Chief Induna Masinga for some land. This specifically is a concern that it should be at the right place. Please pray specifically that the LORD will open the right place for us leading the chief and us together. He became born again a short while ago from holding a very important position in the Zionist church. He is very positive about us being here and as far as ministry there is a big open door for us because of him. Pray also that the LORD will lead us right in ministry.
Thank you for your continuous prayers. We are in great need in this time to hear clearly from
the LORD and see what He wants done. We are putting our trust in Him that He will direct our footsteps.
Joshua at 9 days old.
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