16 days and counting...

Here we are 16 days and counting. How am I going to be able to get it all done in 16 days? I don't know! I am sure it will all come together when we have 2 days left to go! For now I will try not to panic.

Wednesday evening we went out of town to visit some friends we hadn't seen in quite a while, Wayne and Chris Friesen. It was nice to sit and visit for the evening, no distractions, just peace and quiet, way up in the hills with no neighbours! Thanks for the visit Freezies! We will look forward to you coming to Angola to help us build!

Yesterday Lorena S. came to my house and seeing my need for a sanity break, took Trevor and Meagan to her house for the day, and they ended up staying until 11 PM! What a HUGE help! Thank You, Thank You, Thank You... she will never know what a blessing that was (until she is moving to Africa on missions... hehe). Tavis went to his friend Reid's for the night (thanks for keeping him overnight), and Talitha spent the evening visiting neighbours.

Pete and I were invited out to a fantastic dinner/musical production put on by Rocky Mountain Railtour (www.tworiverjunction.com). Thank you Jim for treating us! It is called Two River Junction and it is a musical based on the legendary train-robber Billy Miner! They serve an amazing dinner, and your server is someone who is in the production (we happened to have someone we knew, Matt B.). Jim Boomer (one of Pete's co-workers) was one of the robbers, and we had a great laugh at the role he had to play... I will never look at him the same again!!! (nice dress!!!) We were happy to spend the evening with friends, Glen and Florriann Fehr (Glen works with Pete also). We also shared our table with a couple of ladies from Kamloops, a couple from Calgary and a couple from Japan (who are here to run in a marathon in Vancouver). The singing and musical instrument talent was just incredible, especially Tina Moore, she is a very gifted singer with a melodious jazz voice! TV7 was there filming the evening (they taped Florriann and I loading up on dessert... ) so if you live in Kamloops and you are watching the news today, you may see us... hehe!

Well, it is time to get back to the packing. I am also doing a slideshow presentation at our kids old school (George Hilliard) this afternoon, so I need to be sure that I am ready for that! If any of you out there know of someone with a club cab/crew cab diesel 4x4 pick-up for sale (for a good price), PLEASE, get in touch with us! We are seriously looking now, since we have 16 days to find one!

Keeping you UP-TO-DATE,
Charlene

Project Needs!

This is a letter that I just emailed everyone... I have taken out our account information, if you are interested in supporting the project, please email me at knightvision6@gmail.com and I will give instructions as to how to send funds.

Dear Friends and Family,

I am writing today to let you know of some needs of the farm that we are going to help develop into an orphanage. The name of the farm is Agro-Sul, and it is located on the Giraul River. This river runs underground most of the year. There is an abundance of water flowing and at present they use water pumps to draw the water up out of the ground.

They have 2 very old pumps, a large and a small one, and they are constantly breaking down and in need of repair. They are also in need of a generator on the farm, and we personally could use a smaller one for charging batteries and things like that. The wiring in Angola is 220v, so we will not be taking many things that run on 110v; however there are some things we would rather not replace (i.e. computer, table saw, drills, battery chargers, etc).

In saying all this, I am sending this email as a request for those interested in helping with a project that will go directly to the needs of the farm (we will eventually benefit from this personally, once we move onto the farm, however this is for helping out the UIEA... Uniao de Igrejas Evangelical de Angola... in Portuguese...Union of Evangelical Churches of Angola... in English). Since we are shipping a container and we will have space to send things like this I felt I should send this email to inform those of you who are interested in helping (financially) the farm get up and running efficiently.

Our church has not yet set up a way to send funds for the orphanage project, so if you donate it will have to be directly to our account without a receipt, however, you can be assured that we will use this money for project needs, and it will free us up to use our own personal funds from selling the house for things like our airline tickets, shipping container and a truck (unless you would like to donate towards those things as well). If you do chose to donate, please send an email saying WHAT you would like to see that money go toward (water pumps, generators, water filtration systems, mosquito netting for those working on the farm, etc...).

We appreciate all of you who are prayerfully supporting our journey, and also for those who have been able to contribute financially. You have all been a blessing to us! I am including an account we have that is not being used at the moment at the Royal Bank, please be sure to send us an email if you deposit money letting us know to what you would like to see that money go to, as we desire to be faithful with anything that is given to us for this project!


Please do not feel pressured, this is not what I am intending, I just really wanted to share one of the burdens on our heart, for how we would like to help the Angolan Church with the project being that we will ship a container, we personally have limited resources and we do not want to waste space!

Thank you for your love and prayers at this time, we have 17 days until we leave Kamloops and head to Toronto to ship our container. Then we will go on to NB to spend some time with family and then on to South Africa for perhaps a couple of weeks, just to give that container some time to arrive so we won't be TOO much ahead of it. We will keep you posted in the days ahead on how all of this is coming together!

God Bless and Thank You,
Charlene

MINO'S

Mino's
There is a little Greek Restaurant located on the North Shore of Kamloops, nestled between Surplus Herby's and Mommy & Me on Tranquille Road. Just driving by you wouldn't necessarily notice it, but speak to anyone who has been in to experience the warmth and hospitality of George and they will tell you it is amazing! Not only is it the BEST Greek food I have tasted, but I have also experienced many great memories that I will cherish forever. I am going to miss George, Donna (my favourite daytime server, hostess and friend), and Tom (my favourite nighttime server, host and friend). Pete and I have celebrated many different occasions at Mino's, anniversaries, birthdays, mothers days, etc... and we have never been disappointed in the food or the atmosphere. I have also had many great times out with my girlfriends in this place. Some will NEVER be forgotten (Karen, Amy and Jackie for three will vouch for that, although there are many others I could mention here!!!)

Last night our whole family was treated to an amazing meal at MINO'S Greek Restaurant!
ON A GEORGE!

George whipped up Chicken, and Prawn Souvlaki for the boys, Chicken Parmesan for the girls, the usual (Kalamari dinner) for Jackie (who joined us for the evening), and Paella Vallencienne (if you LOVE seafood, you will LOVE this dish) for Pete and I. Jackie, Pete and I also enjoyed a couple of rounds of George's "Special" Coffee! When we were all completely STUFFED, he then sent out Baklava and Chocolate Mousse Cake. It was a fabulous evening and of course our server was Tom! "THANK YOU'S" to ALL the staff who made one of our last 18 days here in Kamloops a gloriously memorable one!!! We have been blessed by God to have such great friends put in our path along this journey called life.

After spending time at Mino's we then made our way over to the Full Gospel Church for a dessert night (we couldn't eat any) in honour of the grade 10's who went to Guatemala this year. It was so nice to see many dear friends and it may be the last time we see many of them! It was a very emotional evening to say the least, I am wondering how I am going to hold up for the final 18 days!

We'll keep you posted as this JOURNEY TO ANGOLA continues on!
God Bless,
Charlene

Subject's have been REMOVED!

What does that mean? It means the house is SOLD, barring any unforeseen misfortunes, (i.e. death, terminal illness, etc)!! Nothing is ever for sure in this world, so I won't count the chickens before they hatch, however, it looks like we can finish packing. We have 3 weeks (May 14th is possession date), and then we are on our way across Canada to ship that container... Of course between now and then, we must pack, purchase a truck (anyone with any leads on that can call us), and of course find the many other things (generator, etc). If anyone is interested in helping with things for the farm (as noted in Letter from Angola), please contact us as soon as possible. Anyone wanting to make a trip to Ontario with a truck full of stuff to ship to Angola, you can contact us via email... :0) Ha Ha!!!

Well, thank you everyone for your prayers and love through this time of waiting, we are truly thankful for all of the friends God has given us during this lifetime! We also look forward to the many more we will come to know as we follow along on this journey! It is so encouraging!

The kids are excited and ready to go, they were disappointed with how things turned out the last time with the house, and they are ready to get going now!

I will keep you posted as things unfold in these next few weeks. Send us emails... We LOVE to hear from you... Just a reminder, starting now... Send in plain text, and if you want to send any pictures do it now before we go to NO SPEED internet in Angola!!! No such thing as HIGH speed internet where we are going! We look forward to hearing from you. Be sure to keep us posted on HOW and WHAT you are doing in your life as well!!!

Keep PRAYING!!!
Love,
Charlene for the GANG!!!

AIRMILES NUMBER

Anyone wishing to put their purchases on our airmiles card can do so by printing this out and using it when they shop at Safeway, Shell, Reitman's, etc...! We will save them up in case one of the kids want to fly home one day.

Hand Out with contact information

This side of the hand out details times you can commit to pray for us (which is very much appreciated) and contact information. If you are sending support to the church, be SURE to designate it for the Hillcrest Mission Fund/Pete and Charlene Knightly, if you do not designate it, the money will go in the general fund.

Hand Out with list of various needs!

This is a list of various needs we will have as we prepare to go to Angola AND ongoing needs when we arrive. The equity on our house will help toward some of these needs, however we have also told the UIEA that we would keep a sum of money in the bank for emergency purposes for their peace of mind. We do not wish to be a burden to them in the future.

Anyone wishing to help with any of these needs please let us know, and we will be happy to send out the contact information and who to make your cheques payable to. Those not interested in receipts please let us know and we will deposit directly in our account. I can also email a larger file of this handout, if you would like to print it out. You can email me at knightvision6@gmail.com.

Thank you for all your prayers and financial help!
God Bless,
Charlene

Map of Language divisions in Angola

This may be hard to see, but it gives a list of the different tribal languages in Angola. The official language is Portuguese, but there are MANY Bantu languages.

Map of ANGOLA

Look UP... on the coast NAMIBE... that will be our new home! SOON! Keep watching the BLOG!!! More news coming up!

Map of AFRICA

Letter from Angola!

I thought I would update today on the blog with an excerpt from a letter that we received from the family (the Jouberts, they are from South Africa and their first language is Afrikaans) we will be working with at Agro-Sul. These are some of the practical ways that people can help when we ship a container to Angola:


The river in the Giraul valley has been flowing now for more that a month and it is beautiful. It also brings a lot of mosquitoes and many people have been ill and in the past three weeks 7 small children died here around the farm. It is so sad and one keep on asking what can we do. Some of the things we have been thinking about are to get a proper water well (via UNICEF) for the people and some sponsors for water filters and maybe mosquito nets to try and help in a practical way. The needs everywhere seem so overwhelming and I just constantly remind myself that it is better to light one candle than to curse the darkness.

The farm is doing better every month with production picking up. The expenses of fuel and insecticide and breaking of the water pumps keeps us on our knees however.
Pete, we are sure that you will see a big difference once you get here.
Since of last week we also have now running water and flushing toilets!! Praise the Lord!
Some Germans came visiting and two of them are professional plumbers. God is so good.


If any of you would like to donate water filters, water pumps, diesel generator, irrigation equipment, farm equipment, mosquito netting, insecticide (for plants and people), or if you have something you think we may need for the farm, please email us at knightvision6@gmail.com and we will be happy to discuss it with you. There are several families employed and living on the farm at present, and our desire is to help them in terms of not only sharing the gospel, but in practical ways such as health and hygiene.

We continue to wait on the Lord to sell the house. The kids are getting anxious to get on the road, but we must be patient and wait on God for His timing, some days it is harder to do than others. Especially when I get a letter like the one above, we would really like to be there to help, however perhaps now we have a better idea of how to help! There are always two ways (at least) to look at things, and we have to be open and willing for God to do His work in His time! So continue to pray with us and those interested in helping in a material way(with regards to equipment), please let us know!

God Bless,
Charlene; for the rest of the gang!

What is TRUE RELIGION?

I thought I would write out the devotion that I read this morning in John Piper's book called A Godward Life. It is our heart and may help you to understand why we desire to do what God has called us to.

Does It Pay To Visit Vermin?
Meditation on James 1:27

Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this:
to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.

Local businessmen in Brazil call them "vermin." Garbage. "If we let them grow up, they will be criminals, a blight on our society." There are an estimated twelve million homeless children on the streets of Brazil. Their parents lost them in the crowds, put them out, died. However they got there, they are there. They beg, they steal, they sell their bodies. They eat garbage. They start scared and end scarred, hard, and dead.

Some policemen and others moonlight by contracting to kill street children so that they will not menace the city. In 1992 an average of four hundred of these children were killed monthly in Brazil.

It's the same in other big cities. The Philippine government estimates that there are fifteen thousand child prostitutes in Manila between the ages of 9 and 12. One estimate suggests that in Thailand there are eight hundred thousand girls between 12 and 16 years old involved in prostitution.

Is your first thought merely human? Like, "If I can barely rear my own children to walk worthy of the gospel, what hope would there be to change the lives of these street kids?" Or, "If it takes ten thousand dollars' worth of Christian counseling to stabilize a mature American Christian who was sexually abused, what in the world would we do with thousands of adolescents who knew nothing but abuse and lawlessness and violence on the streets?"

Do you find yourself looking (in good American fashion) at the bottom line and saying "The turnaround on this investment would not be good?" Or, "The growth potential in planting churches among street kids is not very great. There are too many obstacles."

Shift your thinking a minute (or a lifetime). What about the widow who put in her last two pennies? Jesus said she gave more than anyone (Luke 21:3). What about John the Baptist who lost his head on a dancer's whim and never did a miracle? Jesus said, "Among those born of women there has arisen no one greater than John" (Matthew 11:11). What about the poor in spirit? Theirs is the kingdom of heaven. What about the meek? They will inherit the earth. What about those who receive one child in the name of Jesus? At that moment they receive God (Mark 9:37).

What effect does it have on your longings when you think that God says true religion is to visit orphans (James 1:27)?

The effect it has on me is to make me want to love like Jesus loved and not always be thinking of the earthly payoff. Face it. A few kids are cute, but most street kids will be thankless, rude, dirty, diseased, scar-faced, shifty-eyed, lice-infested, suspicious, smelly, and have rotten teeth. If we minister mainly for the earthly payoff, we will burn out in a year.

Jesus did not say, "True religion is converting orphans." He did not say, "True religion is making orphans mature and successful adults." He said, " True religion is visiting orphans." results are God's business alone. Obedience is ours by His grace. More specifically, by faith in future grace. Perhaps when we grasp this, we will be freed from our earthbound way of thinking and released to minister to the ones who are least likely to thank us.

I hope this encourages you. This life is a shadow, a breath, it isn't going to last more than 100 years... I just want to know that I did something that will count for eternity, and for me being shaken out of my North American mindset of being born, growing up, getting married, having children, making money, retiring, dying, leaving and inheritance... Is just not enough, I need more. I daily need to give my head a shake, and ask God to set my mind on true reality...
Life is a breath and ONLY what I do for Him will last!

God Bless,
Charlene

SPEED BUMP!

Well, there has been a speed bump in the road! The deal has fallen through. We found out this morning, and we are not sure why, except to say that God has something else in store for us. We will just continue to lean of God for all of our strength to make it through the coming days. Pastor Zach came over this afternoon to encourage us... He read this portion of scripture which has reminded us again that He is faithful and compassionate, and we need to trust Him for all things:
Psalm 25
To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul. O my God, in you I trust; let me not be put to shame; let not my enemies exult over me. Indeed, none who wait for you shall be put to shame; they shall be ashamed who are wantonly treacherous. Make me to know your ways, O LORD; teach me your paths. Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all the day long. Remember your mercy, O LORD, and your steadfast love, for they have been from old. Remember not the sins of my youth or my transgressions; according to your steadfast love remember me, for the sake of your goodness, O LORD! Good and upright is the LORD; therefore he instructs sinners in the way. He leads the humble in what is right, and teaches the humble his way. All the paths of the Lord are steadfast love and faithfulness, for those who keep his covenant and his testimonies. For your name's sake, O LORD, pardon my guilt, for it is great. Who is the man who fears the LORD? Him will he instruct in the way that he should choose. His soul shall abide in well-being, and his offspring shall inherit the land. The friendship of the LORD is for those who fear him, and he makes know to them his covenant. My eyes are ever toward the LORD, for he will pluck my feet out of the net. Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted. The troubles of my heart are enlarged; bring me out of my distresses. Consider my affliction and my trouble, and forgive all my sins. Consider how many are my foes, and with what violent hatred they hate me. Oh, guard my soul, and deliver me! Let me not be put to shame, for I take refuge in you. May integrity and uprightness preserve me, for I wait for you. Redeem Israel, O God, out of all his troubles.

This is our prayer! That we will remain faithful to God in all that we do and that HE will show steadfast love, compassion, mercy and kindness toward us! Please continue to pray for us, not only for the sale of the house, but for patience to endure! Psalm 121:8 "The LORD will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore." We must believe His word, and trust it! This doesn't mean there won't be SPEED BUMPS, but He will nurse our whiplash!

Continuing to TRUST in the LORD,
Charlene and the rest of the GANG!