World Maths Day

My boys Joseph and Joshua are enjoying practising for the World Maths Day 2010. It takes them to competitors all over the world as they practice mental maths every day in anticipation of the big day. Each day they are ranked according to their age groups. Joseph is 12 so in the 9-13 age group, and Joshua 14 is in the 14-18 age group. Right at this moment Jo is ranking 7th in the world and Joshua 2nd. Of course it changes all the time and throughout the day as people wake up and go to sleep, take a break etc. We have figured out that the kid who won last year bearly got any sleep in 48 hours. As my kids are not allowed to do things like that it makes the competition stiffer. We figured out two boys were playing this morning at 1 AM their time and wondered if their parent knew they were awake and playing maths competitions! :-) It certainly can be quite addictive and I have Josh and Jo finishing school work in record time and with record excellence, in order to have time left over in the day to compete/practice. As it is very hot here in Brizzie at this time of the year and we do not have a pool, so it is a good way to spend time until the weather cools down again, as it is just far too hot to spend much time outside. Why don't you try it, World Maths Day might just make maths fun!

Jonathan has started his own blog!

http://profound-grace.blogspot.com/

Free colouring in pages for kids

http://www.coloring-pages-kids.com/index.php

Pampoen Sop/ Pumpkin Soup, serves at least 10!

Actually I call it "Goldilocks Soup" for my children and it cured then of not liking pumpkin. They know it is pumpkin now but still like it. Here is my recipe.


Wash and then bake a very large pumpkin in the oven on a tray. Do it well ahead of time so that you do not burn your fingers when you peal the skin off later. It should not be so well done that it collapses, rather just soft enough to eat but still fairly firm.


In the mean while peal 5 onions and 3 or more garlic cloves. Using a very big pot, start to fry your onion in olive oil alongside spices of your choice, use in generous quantities. I use something like 3 tablespoons of very mild curry, a teaspoon of ginger, three teaspoons of garlic salt ( I would not use as much ordinary salt) and then some mixed herbs ( about 3 tablespoons, fresh herbs would be nicer, but i am not that good in the garden, maybe one day!) Sometimes I use bay leaves (4-6)) and turmeric (1teaspoon) and Cinnamon (3 teaspoons) too. Don't let your spices burn! Add garlic and then 2 kg's of bacon. (We seldom eat bacon as it has preservative in so when we do it is a very special treat.) Cook until done.


Add a kettle of boiled water (about 1.7 litres) and all your pumpkin (minus pips and skin) and a bag of red lentils, 375 grams or double if you want extra protein. Cook until your lentils are soft, making sure there is enough liquid to prevent burning. (I don't usually need to add more for 375 grams of lentils) Also to prevent burning turn the temperature down once it is boiling and stir regularly.


We always burn our tongues in our eagerness to try it - so add a dash of fresh orange juice or a dash of milk to help cool it down. Of course cream would be nice but we never have it handy!


And yes, we can almost eat all of it in one meal, if my parents eat with us, it is all gone! Serve with a salad alongside it, if you like. But we usually just finish off with a lovely fresh fruit salad, for dessert. Yummy and healthy! Don't ask me how to do it in small quantities... just give some away to someone else if you want to try the recipe or save it for later. It does fine in the fridge, although I can only vouch for overnight as ours never lasts longer than breakfast the next day. I have tried to freeze it but personally prefer it fresh!
Enjoy!
Dis lekker, ne?
I have subsequently started a cooking blog, see http://quiverfullcooking.blogspot.com/

My Heart is Filled with Thankfulness 2

Jonathan's baptism was very moving. People kept congratulating me but I felt really embarrassed by this (perhaps it was just a cultural way of being happy for me that I did not understand, I still find I miss things along the way, so maybe?) Anyway one thought that has come of it was that, "you have no grandchildren in Christianity!" No credit should be mine, it is by God's good kindness and grace that my son, Jonathan, has this gift of eternal life and eternal peace. Life in all it's fullness right now as he enjoys the best of life with the greatest happiness possible and only possible through belief in Jesus Christ.

Baptism is a picture/symbol of the old life dead, in the grave ( under the water) and new life with Christ symbolised as you are raised up out of the water. In itself Baptism holds no power at all, it is just a symbolic act that Jesus of Nazareth who is God, asked his followers to do something like 2000 years ago.

You can see Jonathan's testimony at his new blog and I will give you a link as soon as he is ready! He had some friends from other churches join us for this service and some some people came for afternoon tea too. It was a very good day....thank you to all who came and participated in this special occasion!

A couple were also baptised. She was from a Catholic background but had not met Jesus and was introduced to the Lord by her husband to be, when she was about 13/14. Another young man was from the Middle East and has had his family cut ties since he has come to faith. Pray for his safety and God's provision for him as he has no financial support from family now as he studies in Australia.

Here is Jonathan being baptised. My heart is indeed filled with thankfulness!

My Heart is Filled with Thankfulness 1

In recent months we have seen Jonathan walking around with with sermons plugged into his brain in every spare moment he can get...being our computer /technology expert, he has figured out how to down load what he wants and has proceeded to listen to all of John Pipers sermons from last year, many of John MacArthur's, and some from Al Martin and some from Timothy Keller, NY. At one stage he was averaging 3 a day. Above he uses ear muffs to block out our noisy family sounds, as he listens to a sermon but he still manages to share chocolate biscuits with his littlest brother!

Jonathan has chosen without any direct influence from us, to profess his faith through baptism on Sunday, 14th February. He has written out the story of his faith on his own as well, and it has totally blown me away. He is thinking of starting his own blog, so maybe he will share it with the world one day. He has chosen the following to be his song of rejoicing on Sunday, it tells a lot of how he feels about life!

Success for me is measured by one's desire to love...how I rejoice to see this young man's heart full of love for God and others! And I pray my son would know God's peace and joy throughout his life!

My Heart Is Filled with thankfulness:By Stuart Townend and Keith Getty
(Here it is sung on utube for you!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5V9ypGcMt3M )

My heart is filled with thankfulness
To Him who bore my pain
Who plumbed the depths of my disgrace
And gave me life again
Who crushed my curse of sinfulness
And clothed me with His light
And wrote His law of righteousness
With pow'r upon my heart

My heart is filled with thankfulness
To Him who walks beside
Who floods my weaknesses with strength
And causes fears to fly
Whose every promise is enough
For every step I take
Sustaining me with arms of love
And crowning me with grace

My heart is filled with thankfulness
To Him who reigns above
Whose wisdom is my perfect peace
Whose every thought is love
For every day I have on earth
Is given by the King
So I will give my life my all
To love and follow Him

Invictus.

Douglas took me to see Invictus, a South African movie tonight. I realised half way through that the sides of my face were wet, I had my head tilted back and had been aching to death for my people, crying for the country I have not seen in nearly 16 years, my home. (I have loved New Zealand and now Australia and love these people too, but I think Kaapstad will always be home to me. ) As I left South Africa I prayed, " Lord let me never forget the mothers and children who hurt in this land." I have never forgotten them. And to see the heartaches again is enough to make me weep.

It is a brilliant movie in terms of giving you a feel for the country and what it has been through, a feel for who Mr Mandela is and what he did for the country. ( yes, he was a terrorist, and if you debate it, even America had him on their terrorist list until fairly recently, but he learnt to be gracious and kind and taught our land to forgive in a gentle sort of way. He certainly has dignity and poise and despite his suffering and hardship came through doing his best for all his countrymen. The movie may not be the best in terms of acting but I thoroughly enjoyed it. (Be warned ahead of time, they do unexpectedly use the f word once and the s word a few times, which was unnecessary and very disappointing, but no violence. Mandela also flirts with someone which seems to me, uncharacteristic.)

The movie is based on a poem that President Mandela (Tata, or father) supposedly loved, by William Ernest Henley, "Invictus", meaning unconquerable. What do you make of it? How is it different or the same as Elizabeth Elliot's quote I posted recently? (It isn't the problems which determine our destiny. It's how we respond.) I think it is trying to say the same sort of thing but from a humanistic point of view. I like the poem, as it gives understanding as to how others live. A question Mr Mandela asked Pienaar, the captain of the 'boks' rugby team is, 'what motivates you?' And the theme plays on through the movie. How good to know the one true living God, and to be motivated by my love for God! I pray He will use me to touch the lives of many people in many ways yet!

Here is the poem:

Invictus

by William Ernest Henley; 1849-1903

Out of the night that covers me,

Black as the Pit from pole to pole,

I thank whatever gods may be

For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance

I have not winced nor cried aloud.

Under the bludgeonings of chance

My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears

Looms but the horror of the shade,

And yet the menace of the years

Finds, and shall find me, unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,

How charged with punishments the scroll,

I am the master of my fate;

I am the captain of my soul.

This image is from the following web site, which makes interesting reading: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/features/3634426/How-Nelson-Mandela-won-the-rugby-World-Cup.html

Something that really struck me tonight was that Mandela was put into jail before I was born and released in the year my oldest daughter was born.