Volume 12 Issue 1
HELLO FROM THE HORNES: December 31, 2003
SUMMARIZING OUR USA STAY: Now that Christmas is behind us and Africa is before us, we thought it would be a good idea to let you know our activities over these past few months in America. Arriving in Houston on October 22nd, it was a joy to be with Memorial, (our supporting congregation) that very evening for midweek Bible Study. The following day, we drove on up to headquarters in Kerrville where we were united with Donna's mother and brother, Mike. After setting up an office in our home there, A1 doubled back to Houston to meet with the Memorial elders to give them a preliminary report on his proposed activities. In the following weeks, A1 traveled to the following Texas cities where he reported on Southern Africa Bible College and raised funds for a new library on the campus: San Antonio (Jefferson Street), Bandera, Fort Worth, Grandview, Houston (Memorial), Kerrville, Hamilton, Rosebud, Desdemona, Saginaw, and Mesquite (Christian Care Center). He also spoke at Lakewood Village, a retirement congregation in Fort Worth. In addition, A1 flew to Tennessee for ten days where he spoke to congregations in Nashville (Crieve Hall), Karns, and Knoxville (West End). Also, in the towns of Chatanooga (Eastside congregation) and Celina, A1 was the keynote speaker at SABC fundraising dinners. He also addressed the students at East Tennessee School of Preaching in Karns. The rest of the time, he telephoned, wrote to, and approached individual contributors to SABC. Another facet of Al's work in America this time was to travel to interview prospective workers at SABC: Roy Deaver from Rhome, TX; Stephen Sheasby of Segoville, TX; Edward and Elsie Nkosi of Abilene, TX; and Glen and Gloria Morgan of Karns, TN. He also touched base with the keynote speakers for the 2004 SABC Annual Lectureship.
BOOKS AND MORE BOOKS: You will remember that, when we returned to South Africa last year, A1 had collected a large shipment of religious books for the Bible College. He had also managed to have some library furniture donated and sent by ship. Therefore, it was natural that, again this time, he put out an appeal for the donation of religious books. Finally, the day came to box them up and drive them on down to a warehouse in Katy, TX to await departure. Did we say, the "day " came? We should have said the "days " came! What a big job. One night, when we had returned home from evening service, we even worked out in the garage till 1:15 a.m.! It sounds easy, but each of those 43 boxes had to be packed just so and taped securely. Each box also had to have its box number written on each side along with its destination... Southern Africa Bible College. Finally, a list of the contents of each of those boxes had to be prepared to be submitted with the shipment. Imagine Al's surprise and pleasure when he arrived at Memorial to discover another 6 boxes of books all packed and ready to go. They had come from the church in South Yukon! Further, we understand that the church in Durant are also collecting books for us, along with a brother in Sunray, TX. It's a special blessing when we find individuals like brother Robert Bankes, in Fort Worth, who is in the process of retiring and wants to donate his personal library to SABC. A1 also traveled to McKinney to collect a particular valuable set of religious encyclopedias, along with many other useful books, from brother Marshall McClurg. Another wonderful contributor was a former ACC classmate of ours, Rudine Smith.
YOUR HOME IS AS BIG AS YOUR HEART: Thanks to Donna's mom for making her house available, not only to us, but to our children and grandchildren. It was a joy to host a big crowd, both over Thanksgiving and Christmas. In fact, there were 16 of us crammed into this 3-bedroom house. Of course, it helped to turn the living room into a dormitory for the grandchildren. We made many memories over those few days with our family to take back to Africa with us. Though we really love the work that God has given us to do in Africa, it's painful to be away from our children and grandchildren for such extended periods of time. Those of you who are parents of grown-up children and, especially, those of you who are grandparents will identify with this. It will also be harder than ever to leave behind Donna's Mom when we go back to Africa on January 14th. It's always difficult to walk away from her on that last day of our visit, but especially this time because she has been struggling with walking pneumonia this last week.
IT'S NOT TOO LATE: We hope that your own holiday period was joyful and that you even got what you wanted for Christmas. Not everybody did, you know. Like the little girl who had refused to sit on Santa's lap at the mall. When she didn't get what she wanted on Christmas morning, she stared at her parents, open mouthed and horrified for a moment, and then gasped, "Didn't he get my e-mail?" Well, dear readers, you have just gotten our e-mail, not to tell you what we want for ourselves, but to tell you what we want for Southern Africa Bible College ...a new library, not only to meet the government requirements, but also to have resources available for the inquiring young minds of our future church leaders in Africa and around the world. If you have contributed during the time we have been here, thank you! If we've missed you, it's not too late to have a part in the new library to be built at SABC. Please send in your contribution to Memorial Church of Christ, 900 Echo Lane, Houston, TX 77024, and mark it "SABC LIB RARYBUILDING FUND."
OUR PRAYER FOR YOU: How better could we express it than the words of Numbers 6:2425: "The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you; and the Lord lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace" during the new year. May your spirit soar in two thousand and four!
ONWARD AND UPWARD,
AL AND DONNA HORNE
YOUR MISSIONARIES TO SOUTH AFRICA