Time

There was a time when I thought my children would always be little. A time when my life was crowded with diapers, prams, sleepless nights and never ending unfinished projects. But that time in my life is part of history now.

Our family has experienced many ups and down, trials and troubles. We have had our share of health issues and times when we were just not sure if we would survive the year, the month or even the day. But through all of these times, God has been faithful. He has been just, loving, kind and caring. His sovereign plan for our family has unfolded before our very eyes, and I am ashamed now, at how often I despaired, or did not trust Him.

Our first born child, Andrea, seemed to spend very little time being young. I always say to her 'you were born old'. It has been a saying in our family for years. She has always been level headed, mature and able to handle life's challenges. Six months ago, she and her 'significant other' came down to Cape Town for our Biblical Worldview Summit, for the Great Commission Course, and ultimately for an internship with Frontline Fellowship. Hunter asked for Andrea's hand in marriage and it was granted. So for the last few months, time has taken on new adventures and tasks that have been at times overwhelming and filled with challenges, but at other times have demonstrated God's provision for us so very clearly.

Planning the wedding for Hunter Combs and our daughter Andrea has been, by far, the most challenging project I have ever undertaken, but also the most rewarding. What a beautiful event a wedding is. On our morning walks, Andrea and I spent time planning each and every detail of her big day. From the dress, to the flowers, the cake, the theme and all the decor, every aspect was a reflection of her personality and taste. We were aided by Sonja van Wyk's able decorating skills and her husband Charl was the MC for the day. Peter preached a very moving sermon titled 'A Great Love Story'.

So December 17th was a testimony to the faith Hunter and Andrea have in our Lord and Saviour. It was a day to enter into the covenant of marriage in front of family and friends. Andrea was composed and altogether calm! It was a day blessed with great weather, a beautiful venue (which God had provided at no charge), great friends, good food and vibrant fellowship. Andrea was the first baby born into Frontline Fellowship and is the first to get married as well.

Thank you to all of you who prayed, supported, invested your talents and time and just generally encouraged us along the way. We are privileged to have added a son to our family and rejoice in the family formed.

Andrea still has two years left of studies at ACU before she finishes, so they are both back Stateside now. Hunter will be looking for a job, and will hopefully be taking some classes at Phoenix Seminary. Both of them want to return to the Mission field.....starting as early as June 1012 if the Lord sees fit.

As we have come through the time when we celebrate His Incarnation and as we count down the days to a New Year, may His blessings be upon you and yours. And may we always be conscious of the time He has blessed us with, to use it wisely and in His service.

With love and appreciation,

Lenora Hammond

Preparations, Plans and Patterns

The wedding preparations are in full swing. The girls recently chose the pattern for the Bridesmaid dresses, and these will be made by a friend. We have had such a fun time designing the wedding invitations and these should be winging their way across the ocean in a few days time. Hardly a week goes by when Andrea and I don't discuss the covenant of marriage and how it is the second most important decision you make in life. Andrea and I walk every morning and it has been a great time for us to catch up on things and to discuss the various new things she will be encountering in this next chapter of her life. This time with her has been an unexpected blessing.

I am discovering that the key to planning a wedding is in the balance of it all. How to make it beautiful, but meaningful; tasteful, but not extravagant; a testimony to all witnessing the wows; a declaration of their commitment to the Lord and each other; and an expression of thanks giving to all concerned. God has provided so many aspects of the wedding already and things we did not think we would be able to do are falling in to place. People are helping with contacts, flowers, the venue and many other aspects. God is good.

I hosted Andrea's wedding shower last week, and we had a lovely Vintage Tea party. Our home was filled to the brim, but an enjoyable time was had by all.

I participated in a 10km walk in aid of Cancer awareness last week as well, and it was quite overwhelming to walk amongst thousands of others who either have had cancer themselves or have family members battling the disease.

Our Team is still in Southern Sudan and the reports of opportunities they have had are wonderful to read. There is so much more that needs to be done in this needy area and we pray that we will be able to send more Teams soon.

Christopher and Calvin have been involved in their respective sports, winning medals at competitions. Christopher has been invited to join the team for Worlds which will be taking place in July next year.

This busy time of the year makes it even more important for us to pause and consider God's word. Slowing down enough to be able to hear Him speak to us is what keeps us keeping on.

Thank you for your support and encouragement. We are grateful to the Lord for His provisions just when we need them.

May His rich blessings be upon you and yours,


Lenora Hammond

Opportunities

The Continent of Africa gives a Missionary a platform upon which to serve the Lord in so many ways. Virtually in every one of the Countries on this vast Continent, there are opportunities to teach, bless, disciple, replenish and encourage. Southern Sudan has received its independance, and we have more invitations and requests for help than we can cope with. It is our fervent desire to send out three teams, but at this moment the resources for such an undertaking are not available.

We are trusting the Lord to supply us with everything we need to send out at least one Team. The cost of fuel is the most expensive aspect of this adventure, and we are in faith preparing for the first team to leave within days.

Pray with us please, that we would be faithful, fervent in our prayers and diligent in the many preparations. We trust He is sovereign and that He will bring this about if it is His will.

In the meantime......the wedding plans are taking shape. Peter and I are meeting this after noon with the owner of a possible venue for us to use. She is willing to help us in whatever way possible. The venue is in the midst of wine farms and has a Chapel on the site as well. Truly, a beautiful place. Andrea and I are finalizing decisions on a dress, we are looking at patterns for the Brides maid dresses, and the invitations will be forthcoming soon.

I am so grateful that we can trust God for every detail of our lives, and that nothing comes as a surprise to Him. When I feel overwhelmed, I look to Him for comfort and focus.

Thank you for your friendship and prayers in all of this. May God bless you and yours,

Lenora and family

A Growing Family

Dear Friends!

Our July training Camps, the Biblical World View Summit and the Great Commission Course have come and gone. We had a dedicated group of people for both courses and it was good to see people motivated to serve the Lord in full time Missions.

One of the attendees was a young man by the name of Hunter Combs. Hunter and Andrea have been good friends at Arizona Christian University for quite some time now, and he graduated with highest honours in May this year. Following the GCC, Hunter joined one of our Teams and headed for his first African Mission trip to Zambia. Upon his return, Peter asked if he would like to be a part of several Teams traveling up to Sudan and Hunter now finds himself getting ready for a very complicated and intense overland Mission to Southern Sudan. The journey begins this week.

In the midst of these courses, camps and travels, Hunter requested permission to ask for Andrea's hand in marriage, and Peter said 'yes'. Hunter had already fullfilled all the many application forms, book reviews, questionaires and now Camps that Peter had required of him. Andrea said 'yes', and so Lord willing, it looks as if we will be having a wedding in December here in Cape Town!!

Andrea is taking off a Semester from ACU , to join her dad on a South African Mission tour, to prepare for the wedding all the while Hunter will be on his Mission to Sudan. So the plan is to have the weding in December, and then for them to spend Christmas here. They will both then return to Arizona and Andrea will commence her studies at ACU. She still has two years left. Hunter plans to take classes at Phoenix Seminary while working and raising support to continue coming out to Southern Africa for missions.

We know you will be glad to join us in prayer as this young couple plans for a life together, dedicated to Missions in Africa. We are very proud to have Andrea being the third generation of Missionaries in our family!

Needless to say, we have never planned a wedding and I stand amazed at all the things that are involved. Wow. There is no end to the things you can hire, purchase, plan, arrange for and pay for! There seems to be a plethora of things you 'need' in order to get married. It is our earnest desire to plan a wedding that is God honoring and yet celebrates the union of a young couple desiring to serve the Lord.

Cape Town is a premier wedding destination and December is peak season! It is therefore quite difficult to secure wedding venues, but we trust the Lord for just the right place, the right date and that all the other things will fall into place.

We earnestly seek your prayers as we embark on, not only a 2 month Mission to Sudan, but also as we prepare for the wedding of our oldest daughter. Thank you for your good wishes and for blessing us with emails and encouraging letters.

We are grateful to be serving the Lord and for your part in this journey!


Lenora Hammond

Change of Season

Dearest friends!

What a blessing it is to know that God's will for us is not a mystery. My very wise mother gave me my first copy of "My Utmost for His Highest" by Oswald Chambers when I was in College. This devotional has been one I have returned to over and over again. He writes 'The disciple who abides in Jesus is the will of God, and his apparently free choices are God's fore-ordained decrees.'

Peter and I have home schooled our children for 10 years now. What a blessing this has been. Andrea has just finished her Sophomore year at Arizona Christian University with four A's and two B's (the two B's were for Science and maths!, not our strength)! Daniela hopes to finish High School by the middle of next year and is doing very well in her chosen path in Fine Art. Christopher and Calvin are our two children who have embarked upon a new educational journey. We started the school year by placing Christopher into a Christian based independent School within walking distance from our home. This has been very successful and he has adjusted well. After much prayer and deliberation, I have met with the Principal of the Primary school and we have now enrolled Calvin into grade six there. There are 12 children in his class and offers so much variety that Calvin is kept challenged constantly. At the end of each day he is exhausted, but by morning he is ready for more.

My stamina is still at quite a low level, and my increasing fear was that I was not able to offer Calvin the instruction and guidance he needed academically. Both boys are very involved in sports as well, and Calvin continues to enjoy Scouts each week. I am so grateful to have been able to share our educational responsibility with this fine institution. I am confident of God's guidance and trust Him for His provision for school fees.

Peter has had a very productive time of ministry in Zambia as well as in America, but we are grateful to have him home for a while now. We are gearing up for the Summit starting June 24th, followed by the Great Commission Course for potential Missionaries. We expect people from far and wide. Andrea will be joining us for this, and in fact all of our children look forward to these Camps and Courses every year.

Christopher is doing well physically. His body seems to have adjusted to life with a graft kidney. Being immunosuppressed and now being at a school means he picks up colds and flu much more readily. He has been to the Doctor twice in the last few weeks.

Daniela has her Learner's licence now and is gaining more and more confidence on the road. She skates with the Senior Synchronized Skating Team now, and they are preparing for the World Championships next year in Sweden.

I look forward to a new Season of good health and vitality. I continue to paddle with the Dragon Boat Team, which keeps me fit and each time we paddle out into the Harbour I am reminded of what a beautiful City we live in.

Thank you to all of you who pray so regularly for us. We appreciate so much hearing from you and knowing that we are not in this alone. May God grant you many blessings as you faithfully serve Him.

Love and hugs,

Lenora

Refreshment, Renewal and Reunions

What a blessing it was to spend three weeks with my dear parents. We were afforded the pleasure of uninterrupted fellowship and time together. This is unusual in our family, in that most visits are interrupted by travel, meetings or other items of business that need attending to while Stateside. I know it had been hard on my mom not to be a part of Christopher's Renal Transplant and my Cancer operation, so it was wonderfully meaningful to have the time to relate the stories and experiences.

The 50th Anniversary Celebrations for ACU were an incredible opportunity and I was so pleased to be able to witness Andrea singing in such a large Choir. President Bush was a moving speaker and the whole of the evening was reflective of what a Christ centered education should be all about.

Our dear friends Jan Gilbert, Susan Parks and Tammie Combs pulled off a delightful Birthday Celebration for my mother's 80th Birthday. It was a mini-reunion, as we had not seen so many of these people in so many years. God blessed us with good food, great fellowship and we are grateful to all who made this event such a success. Thank you!

My participation in a Dragon Boat Festival was an exhilarating experience. Watching so many Teams participate allowed me to realize how popular the sport it. There were 7 Cancer Survivor Teams, and a special Flower Tribute was made to us as 'survivors'. Needles to say, this was very moving and emotional. Mom and Dad blessed me with my very own paddle, which I was able to safely transport back home to Cape Town. Dragon Boat racing is the only organized sport for Breast Cancer survivors, and enjoys world wide support.

So far, there have been no serious side effects while on the Tamoxiphen. I am regaining strength, and am in the process of trying to lighten my load in other areas of my life.

Peter is on a two week ministry tour in Zambia right now. Shortly after his return home, he will be preparing for a trip to the US. Several Book projects are in the pipeline right now, and as always, we would covet your prayers as we continue the search for a publisher.

As always, thank you for your prayers, support and encouragement. You all are a treasured part of our lives.

With love, Lenora and family

Travel and Celebrations

Amazingly, March is already in full swing, and I am in the throws of preparing to visit my parents in Arizona. My dear mother is celebrating her 80th Birthday, and Peter thought this was a great reason to go for a much overdue visit.

In all the years mom and dad travelled back and forth to South Africa, they used British Airways, and so I am able to use their miles to travel to Arizona. I am blessed with a three week visit, and look forward to catching up with my folks, Andrea and with good friends.

Andrea's Christian College has had a name change to 'Arizona Christian University', and with the name change has come an increase in the majors they can offer. So Andrea is now able to study Journalism, which is what she had wanted to study all along. She is really thrilled about this. To celebrate the 50th Anniversary of this College, President Bush has been invited as the speaker and this celebration takes place while I am in Arizona. Andrea will be singing in a massed choir for this occasion, and she will have very proud grandparents and an equally proud mom sitting in the congregation.

I checked to see if there were any Dragon Boat Teams in Arizona for Cancer Survivors, and sure enough, there is a Team. And, they are having a festival while I am there, so I will be able to paddle with them! It will be great to experience another Team and see how they do things.

I am very grateful to the Lord for the chance to have this break away from my responsibilities here. I would be grateful to all of you for your prayers for my family here in Cape Town. Peter will be on his own with the children and their many varied activities.

I have started the Tamoxiphen medication and pray that the side effects will not be dramatic. I have been grateful for a six week break free of treatment or drugs.

Peter and Calvin are away at the moment, taking meetings in South Africa. Among them are the Africa School of Missions, Kwa Sizabantu Ministers Conference and Jivanadi Mission in Natal. It has been a while since Calvin has had the chance to travel with Dad, and I know he has benefitted greatly from this time. Home schooling provides wonderful opportunities for this.

Christopher is really enjoying his school experience, and we are pleased with the school and the stand it takes. Daniela is faithfully plodding through her school work, and hopes to finish early next year. We were blessed by a visit from Olivia Lederle, herself an ACE home school graduate. She has been instrumental in helping us with the set up of the administration of ACE. She has also helped Daniela with planning out her year so that she can finish High School early to mid next year.

God is good, and blesses us with friends that can help us in areas we are weak. I am encouraged to know that I do not need to be able to handle it all on my own. Thank you to all of you, who pray, encourage, write letters, emails and just generally support us with love and care.

Gratefully,

Lenora

A New Chapter

Dear Friends!

As the year 2011 gains momentum, I am in need of updating you on what I hope will be the last chapter in my cancer story. My last chemo treatment was at the end of January, and at that appointment we were relieved to hear that no radiation would be necessary in my case. We discussed terms like 'cancer survivor', 'in remission' and being 'cancer free'! All of these terms apply to me.

After my surgery in August,I was cancer free in a very real sense. All the chemo treatments have been prophylactic in that it served to locate any rogue cells that may be in my body and kill them. This, we trust has happened. I am given a few weeks break now, and then will need to start on hormone therapy for the next five years.

One of the first things I did after my last chemo infusion on Monday, was join the 'Cancer Survivors Dragonboat Racing Team'. They are called the 'amabele Belles' and I will be taking part in my first Regatta this Saturday (tomorrow). It is very exhilarating to sit in a Boat with other Cancer Survivors in arguably one of the most beautiful Harbours in the World. Our back drop is Table Mountain with its never ceasing 'Table Cloth' pouring over the top of it. We paddle amongst the Seals, and our coach takes no prisoners. My first rowing experience left my whole body aching for days. I enjoy staying in shape, and am so grateful to be a part of this experience.

So the year 2011 brings for me a fresh hope and comfort. I know God is Sovereign and in control. He knows the days I am to serve Him on this earth, and I trust Him fully for my 100% recovery.

I pray; your 2011 will be equally filled with hope in our Lord and Saviour for your future and for your part in His over-all plan.

With love and gratitude to all of you for your prayers and friendship,


Lenora

A New Year....

brings so many new possibilities. It brings a chance to reflect and evaluate, to look ahead and plan, to seek God's guidance afresh for what His plans are for us. We pray you and your families had a wonderful Christmas celebration and that your New Year too, brings God's direction and blessing into your lives.

I tell my children on a regular basis that each day, they are given a new opportunity to do better, to make that apology, to focus more, to be more diligent in their work and praise Him more. So with a new year, we have even more of a chance to try and overcome obstacles that may have plagued us the previous year.

Most of you know of our obstacles, particularly with my health. Well I am pleased to say that I only have 2 more Chemo sessions left. The side effects are mild, and I have learned to pace myself so that I don't get so tired. My hair is about 2mm long now, and I look forward to the day when I don't have to wear scarves and hats anymore - especially during our hot summer days. My Oncologist says radiation may not be necessary in my case. She will discuss this with her panel and let us know what they think. We pray I will be exempt from this. I will however, be on medication for the next 5 years.

My oldest sister Debbie spent just over two weeks with us for Christmas. What a blessing this was. Her culinary skills were celebrated daily with relish and her support and encouragement to me on so many fronts was cherished. It is one of my greatest struggles that my family lives on three different Continents and that our lives seem to be filled with so many 'good-byes'. So I am ever grateful when we do have an opportunity to visit. Debbie's expertise in the field of education was tapped into by me, and I hope to put her advice into practice this year.

Peter, Daniela and Christopher are presently at our Biblical Worldview Summit Camp. We have a record number of teens attending this year and are grateful to be able to have a platform for Reformation Teaching to these future leaders. Our subjects cover everything from Courtship and Modesty to Honoring your parents, Creation Science, World Religions, the New Age and Evangelism.

Calvin completed his first Scout Camp today and will have an official Scout name now. He joins us at the Summit for the rest of the Camp. After an all too short, three week visit for Christmas, Andrea flew back to Arizona to carry on with her studies at South Western College. What a privilege it is to have her there, and we give thanks to God for the Scholarships and Sponsors that make this possible.

Thank you for your many Christmas greetings, and for the encouragement as we run the race God sets before us. May the New Year be filled with His grace and sufficiency.

With Love,

Lenora and family