365 Days and Rejoicing!

Looking back...
It hardly seems possible that 365 days ago to the hour (1 pm, 13th Nov 2006), we were walking alongside a gurney, watching our 6 year old son being wheeled into the waiting room where he would wait for 30 minutes before being wheeled into the operating theatre for brain surgery to remove a tumor. Our thoughts were flooded with "What if...?" questions and all we could think of was the worst. Praise the Lord we can now look back and see God's hand of love, mercy and healing! Today, Jean Marc is alive and well, he's grown nearly two and a half inches taller in the past year, he runs, plays, and even gets into trouble believe it or not?! Just the other night at his school awards ceremony, we sat and watched him receive a "Merit Award for Numeracy" and also the "Best Reader Award" in his class level at Maranatha Christian School. Nicole is doing great, enjoys school and really looks up to her older brother. Fortunately they both get along really well most of the time and she loves the fact that Jean Marc reads so well because she loves listening to stories being read. Do we have reason to rejoice? Absolutely!

Looking forward...
Giving glory to God should be paramount in all we do, so I just wanted to remind those who have prayed for us, and especially for Jean Marc over the past 365 days, that God deserves all the praise and we hope that in the months to come, that the rejoicing will only continue for the things He has done and will continue to do.

In The Bag!

South Africa - 2007 Rugby World Champions!

2007 Rugby World Cup Champions! What an incredible day! Two days after the South African "Springbok" rugby team defeated England in the Rugby World Cup Final on Saturday the 20th October, the country is still soaring in the clouds. After waiting from 1995 when they last won the World Cup, South Africa finally has the trophy in the bag. Pretty awesome! It's great to be here to experience such jubilation and also to see how much the public has rallied together in a country where there seems to be no end to backbiting and negative news. Hopefully South Africa will get it right come the FIFA Soccer World Cup in 2010. If anyone wants to come camp out in our back yard in 2010, let us know now as we are already getting request from interested parties.

Something new in the bag...Saturday was also the first day that Jean Marc rode his bicycle on his own with no one helping him. It took us awhile to buy a bike, and after last years brain surgery, the doctor wasn't too eager for him to start learning right away. But, with enough time gone by and his head well protected by his bicycle helmet, we can confidently say there will be no stopping him now. His feet barely touch the ground, and the bike being heavy, tends to fall over when he stops on uneven ground. Nevertheless, he gets right back on and perseveres which is something we are truly grateful for in his life. Nicole also has a new "used" bicycle but still needs training wheels as she doesn't quite have it in the bag yet. When we head accross the street to the park, she carries the water bottles in her basket so she feels pretty important playing the roll of water carrier.

On the ministry front, last week I was involved in a CCM Conference where we had a number of people from accross South Africa who are engaged in similar ministries to ours. The conference was a great success and more new people attended this year than we have had in many years. Praise the Lord! Next year there are three Orality Conferences planned for Africa and John is helping with the planning of at least two of these. As a result John is headed to the USA on the 28th November to attend the ION (International Orality Network) Conference happening in Orlando, FL. Pray that during this time John will be able to meet with the key people who would be a part of the forthcoming Africa Orality conferences scheduled for 2008. Though this trip takes John away just as Jean Marc's holiday begins, the kids are thrilled to imagine what Christmas gifts might make their back from "America" in dad's suitcase.

In conclusion, some of y'all might wonder where we came up with a name like "Rags Bag". A long time friend by the name of Allan Ballard from the ancient past who I grew up with at boarding school in Cote d'Ivoire, gave me that as a nickname that has stuck to this day. Therefore, I need to give credit where credit is due. So there you have the rest of the story...! Well, enough rambling for one day, hopefully the next time we post a blog it will be a little sooner than it has taken us this time. Have a great day!

The Rags Bag!

Taking the Plunge!

It’s rainy, wet and overcast in the beautiful land of South Africa. Sitting here with a cup of hot Kenya AA medium roasted coffee is about as good as it gets in this part of the world. It’s a good thing I have this coffee, because for the first time, I am taking the plunge into the wacky world of the Blog, which I never thought I’d ever bring myself to do.

Random musings...

South Africa’s incredible Springbok team are through to the quarterfinals of the Rugby World Cup after having defeated the Americans 64 to 15, and now we hope they will hold on to their winning streak and go all the way.

Family news...

Jean Marc is back in school after a two week break and ever so looking forward to the end of the school year as he is excited more than ever to move on to the 2nd grade in January. Nicole is eager as well to get into school, but will have to wait a little longer as she is just a little too young.

In over our heads...

Speaking of taking the plunge, Carol and I are well, but trying our best to keep our heads above a water bill that the water company seems to be trying to hit us with that makes us look like we have an Olympic size pool in our back yard that we would have to fill every month to come to the kilolitre’s they are saying we use. Needless to say, due to the confusion between the meter readers and the municipality, we were hit with a water bill last month that was well over $1000., leaving us with that sinking feeling. Pray for us that all will be resolved.

Well, I bring this to a close in hopes that someone out there someday will actually take some time to read this thing, and maybe from time to time, even pray for the Ragsdale family as we go about our God given responsibilities here in the beautiful land of Africa.