Participant Blogs

Slices of Life - Dini Esterhuizen 

This faith thing...

Once we had three members on the same outreach team that stuttered. Driving to Mozambique, all three were in the same Land Rover.  Piet, deeply Afrikaans,  was sitting next to English speaking Martin. Piet spoke in English for Martin’s sake and Martin, out of politeness, insisted on Afrikaans for Piet’s sake. With the language challenge plus the stuttering, it took from Pretoria to Witbank to tell the first story.

Two families living in our valley were very interesting and probably eccentric. But as it is with true eccentrics, they would be the last to realize that. The children of these families attended the same farm school where we were, four lovely girls of the one brother and four cousins, the sons of the other brother. At some stage our parents took us out of the farm school and sent us to the city, probably concerned about the level of our education. This was where I first noticed that when I told people about the ordinary life where we grew up, they gave one another a knowing look. As if I was exaggerating.

Hey friends.

When we think of you and pray for you, we cannot imagine the adventure or the hardship, the number of mosquito bites or the smelly clothes that won’t dry, the endless hours on questionable  transport or the stuff that you have to eat and still smile politely. Yet know that you are loved. And build that house of your heart upon a Rock and it shall stand. (Even though it is actually a mobile home), but you know what I mean… (Math 7: 24)

Trevor, the photographer I worked with for years, only wore khaki, the green version of khaki. This was his brand, his style. And to finish off the colonial era explorer's look, he brandished a pith helmet in the same colour. We were in Gent, Belgium, reporting on a flower show for the magazine Garden and Home. People would look, point, and comment: "...Meester Leevingston..." Our editor asked explicitly for close ups of the Belgian King and Queen, the patrons of the flower show. I said ‘yes', as was my natural inclination. To find out later that that is easier said...

Slices of life - by Dini Esterhuizen

The Van Gas family living in our valley had six beautiful daughters,  when they probably called a halt to the dream of a son. Van then focused on his film career as producer of his first and only movie. A South African cowboy production. Oom van Niekerk of the farm shop was the villain and he and Tannie Dot, our Sunday school teacher, got shot in the story. Our dad took us to watch the shooting on the set one afternoon, and I remember  Oom van Niekerk and Tannie Dot lying on the floor covered in tomato juice from the shop.