OCTOBER 2010

OCTOBER 2010

TRYING TO STAY RUNNING FIT
SIMON AND GARFUNKEL AT THE CENTERSTAGE (BOARDWALK)
EP RUGBY AT THE NEW STADIUM
START OF NIPPERS SEASON
KINGFISHER FM INTERVIEW
ADRIENNE WILSON JUDGING IN INDIA AT COMMONWEALTH GAMES
JENNY WILSON PLAYS HOCKEY AT COMMONWEALTH GAMES
FAMILY FELLOWSHIP BRAAI AT CRONJE AND CLAUDINE VAN ZYL.
BRIDGE AT CHARLES AND INGRID ALSO LOTS OF BRIDGE WITH MICHAEL & LENE
MEIRINGSPOORT HALF MARATHON
COCKSCOMB CLIMB
KINGS ARE BEATEN BY PUMAS AT NELSON MANDELA STADIUM
CURRIE CUP FINAL SHARKS BEAT WESTERN PROVINCE
NIPPERS CARNIVAL (COMBINED PRACTICE) AT KINGS BEACH

Last week I was not able to run very much due to lots of business travel. However on Thursday and Saturday this week I met up with Stuart Brown who is now back from his Bushmans River bridge building project. And we had a substantial run through town on Thursday and then we did a Moffet on Saturday. Stuart is a good influence on me as he is not as lazy as I am and pushes the pace a little. Saturday morning as we were running Moffet, Pat Lynch drove past and stopped for a chat. He is doing rowing and looking quite fit. He described how he had received a clock with all of his Comrades Medals as a memento from his 35 Comrades Runs that he had completed. Also running this morning were: Kobus, Andy, Sjani, Suzanne and Martin. They caught us up and we kind of ran together. We had a bit of a head start and that helps when they are running that much faster than us.

Friday evening Barbara, Michael, Stuart Brenda and I went to watch EP Rugby at the new stadium. I normally enjoy these outings and we were fortunate to see the U21 team beat the SWD team convincingly 70;12. But the senior team let us down big time. They had no energy for this game and went through the motions. The SWD team was coordinated and played excellent well planned and well drilled rugby. The EP fans were let down by the lack lustre efforts of their team.

Saturday 2.10.2010: After the Moffet run, Suzanne raved about the Simon & Garfunkel show that she had seen. I then booked a table for us for Friday Next week. Thereafter I drove to Kwa Nobuhle where we opened two new shops: Price and Josh. I took them some cake to celebrate the opening. And still had time to visit the Josh in Uitenhage.

Back home I tried to fix the roof of the Wendy house for Barbara's school. I am not much of a Handy Man. Builders Warehouse did not have the required capping so nothing was accomplished.

This evening Barbara & I collected a small group of Ally's Friends and dropped them off at Walmer Park where they had an unsuccesful attempt at going to Movies and ended up having a group supper at the Wimpy which I think they enjoyed more than they would have the movies.


Barbara and I were at Charles & Ingrid where we: Chatted; Played Bridge and had a delicous supper of Roast, Vegetables and rice. Then Ingrid dished up a mouth watering "Pastry World" Forest Cake. Not too late and after coffee we left to collect Ally and fall asleep.


Sunday 3.10.2010
This morning was a little overcast. We no longer attend the morning services at church as Ally tends to prefer the evening service. We started Nippers Training for the first time this season this morning. There was a good group of around 40 children on the beach including a number of newcomers.

This week's Nippers Newsletter:

We had a stunning first session on Sunday 3rd. For those 40 or so Nippers who braved the slight chill we had some good fun times together.

Please remember that Sunday 10th is opening of the NIPPERS season at Summerstrand.
I think that Liesl has arranged a Goody Bag for participating Nippers as well as those who come along for the first time.

If you are a first timer dont forget to bring a copy of your Birth Certificate / ID Book and to complete the documentation with Dianne.

Parents please assist us with some disciplines:

SHOWERS;
We find that Showers are being abused by the Nippers;
The following Rule applies regarding use of showers:
Nippers Practice runs from 11.00 to 13.00.
Nippers are allowed a short shower after 13.00.
Our city has a water shortage and the shower is to be used to rinse off.
No Nipper will be allowed to Shower before 13.00.

BOARDS ON THE BEACH.
As the Nipper completes the training they are to ensure that they carry Boards up to the Clubhouse. Boards are to be Rinsed off in the sea and carried up to the clubhouse free of sand. No Nipper may leave the beach while there are still boards on the beach. It is NOT the duty of coaches to carry boards around for Nippers.

Peter
5.10.2010

Monday starts off with a Run and I have my Cell Group in the evenings. Tuesday to Friday I am in Mthatha on a Business trip. The raods of Mthatha are deteriorating at a rapid rate. The traffic lights do not work and there is no sense of organisation or structure in the town as everthing is left to decay. JDG has introduced a new Self Control Assessment which we have been training in to the branches. I had a successful week training all 7 branches in Mthatha. Back home on Friday evening we had booked to see the "strike a chord" Simon and Garfunkel and Crosby Stills Nash & Young tribute.

The main two singers were Suzanne's Pharmacy boss; Roger and Michaels old teacher Neil Thomson. It was interesting to see who from PE was in the audience: Darryl and Avril Smith; Neil and Rene Calder; Fred Kohler; Suzanne Gendall and her pharmacy staff group; Neil Crawford (rector of Grey); Charles and Ingrid Du Toit; Stuart and Riana Brown; Brenda Hayward; Michael and Lene; Ron and Lynne Pask. The music was well presented and the show slick. The audience loved it and as I looked around I saw that everyone was Bobbing in their seats and most of us were mouthing the words that are so well known to us.

We switch on the TV and catch highlights of Jenny Wilson playing hockey at the Commonwealth Games (drew 1;1 against Australia) with Adrienne doing Diving Judging at the same games.

Saturday morning I met a small group at Hobie Beach for a run. Kathleen, Gerald, Pat, Ronel, Adrian Smith, Anne and Zulu Durandt, Sjani, Stuart and we did the familiar route up Walmer Boulevard, Strandfontien and Admiralty Way of around 14kays. I was quite tired at the end. Stuart was battling compared to his normal strong self. I then picked up Ally and we found the Studio of Radio Kingfisher. We had arranged an Interview to try to Promote Nippers.

Luzanne van der Walt was the presenter who interviewed us. Ally spoke very well and came across clearly over the radio. Gerald and Ronel had been listening and phoned to say how impressed they were with the whole interview. It may not be the most popular radio station in PE but we must surely have reached a number of people. Luzanne was really interested in Nippers and promised a follow up. There should be a live crossing to Deon Engelke on Sunday morning at Nippers.

This afternoon we went to Cronje and Claudine van Zyl for a Family Fellowship Braai. Bobby Stevenson with two children Lauren and James; Claudine's three; Teegan, Joshua and the littlest; Hannes and Jacqui with Amber there for a short while before leaving for home; Chris and Burt made up the group. Ally went to a party at the Badmington Hall in Walmer Downs. We had a really good relaxed evening; Cronje braaied and we all sat down to a delicious supper. They are doing alterations which has taken over 6 monhts and has been a frustrating time for them with builders in their face continually and living out of two bedrooms.

Michael and Lene went to watch the local rugby match at the stadium.


Sunday morning: Barbara has made a resolution to get fit again. She started off the morning with a walk with bear (The lassie dog).

Then I was at Nippers early to talk about the coaching set up. Liesl has great ideas and is a wonderful organiser. We had our open day. I took the U14's for a run a swim, body boarding and sprints. Then we had a chat to the Nippers and Parents and overall I do not think that I have ever seen such great orgaisation at the Open day as today. Eddie had food cooking. The back door opened us to the Braai area where there was an office set up. Liesl had arranged for Goodie Bags for all of the Nippers. She had 70 goodie bags and there were some of the U14 Nippers who did not receive so there must have been around 80 Nippers there today.

I received this response to my email regarding the Baviaanskloof from Richard and Robin Sherry:
Hi Peter, good to hear that you’re still running!

This was quite an epic, so well done! The Baviaans is hard country. I’ve driven the road down the length of it several times but never hiked/climbed (let alone run) there. Some Mountain Club (MCSA) friends with whom we’ve done some seriously hard-core other stuff did a six-day summer traverse in there last year; they found it so tough (lack of water, and heavy bushwhacking) that they doubt they’ll try it again!

After a ten-year break, I’ve had some physiotherapy to try to get back into running again, but I’m still pulling hamstrings and losing heart. Under pressure from some trail-running friends, Robin is running again - she’s done a couple of half-marathons, some short trail-runs, and seconded a friend on the last 27km of the Puffer in August. I’d love to do trail-runs with her, so I’ll keep trying.

We’ve done a fair bit of hiking and climbing since we saw you, the highlight being leading eight MCSA friends on the eight-day, 120-km trail in the Naukluft Mountains in Namibia in June. We first did it two years ago, and it’s quite magnificent. Hard country, with plenty of wildlife - mainly zebra, kudu, gemsbok and springbok, but this time we also had uncomfortably close encounters with two black rhino and three big black mambas (the biggest about five metres long!). I guess it keeps us out of the casino … J



We’d still like to see Wildcliff with you sometime, so do let us know when you’re going and we’ll try to fit in. Our next six months are looking hectic, though. Robin gets home next week after five weeks in UK, helping our daughter Sarah, her husband Andrew and son Arran pack up and move back to Cape Town for good, after five years in UK. They’ll be moving into our house at No5 with our son Jon (and his wife Di and their three kids), while Robin & I have moved next door, into her Mom’s smaller house at No3 (Mom has moved to a cottage in the Woodside retirement village a few blocks away). So we’ll be busy getting Sarah settled in, and Andrew’s new business started. Then the whole family (all four kids and their families, for the first time in several years) is coming to us for Christmas and New Year. And then our youngest daughter Ruth has decided to marry her Natal farmer Philip up in Estcourt in April, so we have a wedding to organize - Robin & I are going up there in November to help with planning, and we hope to get a few days in PE on the way - I’ll call you if there’s time.


So keep up the running, and I hope we’ll see you soon.

Kind regards,

Richard.

SILKY OAK / SILVER OAK
At this time of year the golden leaves of the Silver Oak are so prominent that it makes me want to remember the background of the tree once more. This is a copy of my investigation of last year. Oudtshoorn also has these trees lining the streets. They become noticeable at this time of year with their Golden Blossoms.

Silver Oak Trees
The silver Oak Trees in Walmer are now at their best with the golden blossoms flowering. I looked up this tree and found out that the tree is known as the Australian Silver-Oak or the Southern Silky Oak tree. Grevillea robusta: It is native to Eastern Australia but does well in South Africa. It is an evergreen, grows fast and suits the South African climate. I saw one of these trees in Jacqui Zeelie's house when I visited Joshua on Grandparents Day. She complains that it makes a big mess with the golden blossoms falling on the playground.

The South African Silver Oak Tree is more like a shrub or bush. It is a dense bush with leathery leaves which are green on the top but have silver coloured hairs on the bottom of the leave which give it a shiny appearance. The South African Silver Oak is also evergreen and fast growing. Brachylaena discolor: It is found in the Coastal Woodlands of the Eastern Cape. The name Discolour refers to the two colours of the leaf.

15th October 2010:
Barbara, Ally Julia and I went off to De Rust to run the Meiringspoort Half Marathon.

The following weekend Barbara flies to Cape Town for Christian's birthday and for Nicci's housewarming party. Ally and I climb the cockscomb with Ant Adler. We return on Saturday afternoon after we were not able to summit the last peak and spend most of the weekend indoors as it is cold and wet.

Monday morning I am off early to JHB for a two day meeting. We stay at the Riverside Sun. This is where we make movies to promote the various priorities and our group wins the activity and each receive a Microwave oven.

Julia has her friends: Sarah and Michael staying with us for the week. The old Merc finally packs in and I will now have to sell it. Friday evening Ron, Barbara, Ally and friend Nicola go to Rugby. EP play Puma's for relegation / promotion. But all to no avail as the EP team are simply outplayed. This will mean we continue to miss out on Currie Cup premier league rugby in PE. It was a great match and a sell out. At R30 adults and R10 children it was a real bargain. I had to run around searching for tickets before finally buying them at the Old Boet Erasmus stadium.


This evening was a bit of a classic. The stadium was as full as it was for any of the bigger World Cup Soccer matches. There were no special arrangements with Busses and closed off roads. The PE crowds ambled down to the stadium waited patiently in queues, found seats and everyone had a great evening. We sat two rows from the front on the try line where the first three EP tries were scored. It was a real treat to see the PE Public pouring into the stadium even into the very top rows to almost fill the stadium to capacity.


The rest of the week remains wet and I am only able to run once. Then Saturday 30th Morning we do the Beach front 10kay run and swim. What a pleasure to be able to do this little activity. After work I search for the papers for the Daewoo as it is due to be licenced. No luck. Then I go down to the beach to load the trailer with John and Dianne Nelson. Also Marius and Luke are there. I take the trailer home and then settle down to watch Western Province get beaten by a superior Sharks team. This evening Michael and Lene come over for a bit of supper and bridge. Julia, and friends Sarah and Michael watched at Dagwoods and then came home for some Curry Supper. Sarah has not been feeling well but looks quite perky this evening. For the second time in a row Michael and Lene beat us at Bridge.


Lene spent some time this month searching for alternative employment. While they love the home and the town they live in; they also feel that they can grow by some kind of a move. Lene has looked at moving to the Arab states as well as within South Africa. She flew to Trichard near to Secunda where she had a very good interview but the offer was not as it had seemed when she discussed the possibility on the phone. Michael has recently started working in the Russells Warehouse. He is acting as Second in charge as the present manager has left.

NIPPERS ON SUNDAY AT KINGS BEACH.

Hi all Nipper Parents.
Please don't forget that we are having an informal carnival with Kings Beach on Sunday.
It would be great if you could let me know if your child/children will be taking part so we can start drawing up the teams during the week.
Doesn't matter that level tests haven't been done - it's a fun day.
Everyone is welcome - even our little Micro's - they can do beach events.
It will be a great way for the new nippers/parents to see what we do in carnivals.
NB: I will have scull caps for the new kids to borrow. Please don't forget the sun cream, liquids and food moms and dads.

Venue: Kings Beach
Time: 11am to 2pm.
There will be no scoring.
KB will have tuckshop with hotdogs etc for you all and pub will be open for adults.

Coaches from each age group will run the events. We will have safety officers to look after the kids.

Events as I see them

1. Flags (snake system)

2. Beach relay

3. Surf swim

4. Malibu board

5. Body board

6. Long run

We keep going until 14h00 – see how it goes…
Di Nelson
Summerstrand Nippers


Kings Beach were due to host a Carnival this weekend. But for a number of reasons this was cancelled. Summies and KB got together and agreed to run a combined competition with no formalities, no level tests, no scoring and no cost. This would basically be a practice combining the two clubs. We also invited Hobie beach who were willing participants. Ally and I were again interviewed by Luzanne at Radio Kingfisher.

John's Family and I loaded the trailer on Saturday afternoon and I drove the trailer down to KB on Sunday. We quickly off loaded and set up our tent. The tent is a real bonus as it adds to the festivities and gives us a base. The morning consisted of: Each age group did some events. Swim, Body Board, Malibu board, Flags and Sprints. There was a small group of U14's but in the other age groups there was a healthy participation.

We also had a fair number of new Nippers joining in the fun. The water was warm. I had swum on Saturday after our run and the water had been much colder. Despite the overcast weather I was never cold during the mini carnival. I could see from looking at the faces of the children that they were having a whale of a time. The weather was not perfect. A gentle easterly wind made the water fairly choppy. There were also some Jelly Fish and Blue Bottles but no one was stung. The conditions provided good competition practice. Today was totally a participation day. There were no winning teams. Nippers had a good dose of Competition Conditions but without the pressure and formalities of the Carnival situation.

A number of parents commented on the success of the days activities. Well done to all the parents and Nippers who participated today. In particular well done to Kings Beach for hosting the morning. After the morning the Summies parents left while the host club parents stayed on for some fellowship.

This evening I attended a service where Tim Marshall was speaking. For me it was not only interesting but also inspirational:

Hi Peter.



Here are some notes: hope this helps.

Blessings

Tim





Halloween: celebrating or selling out?



Americans love Halloween. As a country they spend over $5 billion a year celebrating it.

Myriad questions surround Halloween. Should we participate? Accommodate? Or should we vigorously denounce Halloween? To answer such questions, it's helpful to view Halloween from the perspective of history.



Christians were persecuted.

During the first 300 years after Christ's death and resurrection, the Roman government set about on a campaign of extermination. Defenseless Christians became the target of the state's cruelest and most persistent crusade.



Amazing stories of devotion to Christ emerged during those dark days.

A young mother, Perpetua, refused to deny the name of Jesus. Ignoring the pleas of her unbelieving father and frantic appeals to think of her young baby, she chose death and the promise of eternal life.



A group of 40 Roman soldiers stood together in their refusal to offer sacrifices to the Roman gods. The furious Roman governor condemned them to be stripped and placed in the center of a frozen lake, surrounded by soldiers and tubs of hot water.

Taunted to deny Christ and climb into the warm tubs, only one of the forty weakened. When one of the guards saw this, he was grieved for that man's denial and he was converted on the spot. "I am a Christian," he shouted, stripping off his uniform and taking the man's place on the frozen lake to die with his new brothers.



Many hearts came to faith, not in spite of these stories, but because of them. Rome's plan was backfiring and the church, even under unspeakable horror, was growing. At last, by A.D. 311, there was no denying the supremacy of Christianity.



In AD 311, there was a call to end the persecution and protect Christians.



This was reinforced with the public conversion of Rome's emperor, Constantine, in the year A.D. 313.



Within a short time, Constantine would declare Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire, and thus the known world.



As the church stepped into a new position of worldly honour that she had never before known, these martyrs were officially recognized. There were not enough days on the calendar to set aside for each name, so eventually one day was set aside for remembrance of all.



In A.D. 610, the church dedicated May 13 as All Saints Day. The "holy day" was added to other Christian festivals already being celebrated, namely Christmas, Easter, and Pentecost. Also known as All Hallows, May 13 was the date the festival was celebrated for over 100 years.



Then in A.D. 741, All Hallows, or All Saints Day, found a new home on the calendar. At that time there were concerns about the growing popularity of a pagan festival held on November 1, known as Samhain (sow-en). The Druids believed that on the eve of Samhain the veil between the present world and the world beyond was pierced, releasing demons, witches, and hobgoblins en masse to harass the living.



In order to make themselves immune from attack, people disguised themselves as witches, devils, and ghouls; attempted to ward off evil spirits by carving grotesque faces on gourds illuminated with candles; and placated the spirits with a variety of treats.



With origins dating back to the days of the Celts and Druids, this pagan festival was beginning to have an influence even within the Christian community.



To counteract this influence, the church turned to a previously successful strategy of claiming the controversial date as their own.

This strategy had worked well in the case of Christmas. The celebration of Jesus birth was assigned December 25 on the calendar not because it was proved as the actual date He was born, but because pagans were celebrating the Winter Solstice at that time. The goal was to redeem the Winter Solstice season.



To that end, in A.D. 741 Samhain was challenged by moving the church's celebration of All Saints Day to November 1. Borrowing from the Jewish tradition of preparing for significant festivals, the Christian church reserved the day before the religious festival as a sacred time also. October 31, was then, set aside as the evening of preparation called "All Hallow ‘eve," or "the eve of the holy ones."

Together, they created a meaningful time for the church to remember the early martyrs.



All Hallow’s Eve literally means the eve, or day before, all hallows, or "holy ones." The Lord’s Prayer, used by many Christians, contains the phrase, “hallowed be thy name.” Medieval Christians hallowed, or honored, not only God, but also all the saints who worked for God’s work in the world and glorified the Church with their prayers and service.



Obeying Hebrews 13:7, the church fathers believed in the value of honouring faithful men and women: "Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith."



All Hallow’s Eve - halloween - was merged and confused with the pagan festival of ‘sow-en’ and the original Christian festival to remember the saints was blurred and lost.


That is what the night of Halloween was originally established to contemplate and celebrate.


Hebrews 11 – Heroes of faith…>>>> Called Saints: Moses, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Joseph, David, RAHAB [prostitute] …ordinary people…

Paul – wrote to ‘the SAINTS’: so we all saints [Christians].


THEN:

Hebrews 12
1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses (COWS), let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.



NOTICE: the COWS.

COWS = people, living or dead, that have influenced your walk with Jesus.

Who are your cows?


Imagine a stadium!

You’re on the field..living your life… and there are people in your stands, cheering you on…>>>


Who’s in your stands?

Think then thank.

Think: who?

Then

thank: sms, fb, call, speak, note, gift

THEN: Be a Cow.

Whose stands are you in?

Who are YOU cheering on?

Who do you inspire by your life?

Who do you think looks up to you?

Younger grades?

At school?

Especially if you in leadership.



· Brothers or sisters?

· Cousins?

· And their friends.

· Holiday club kids?



You’re teaching somebody.

You are being watched.

The question is: what are they learning?





You teach what you know, you reproduce who you are.

More than just your life: climb into someone’s stands. Cheer someone on!

Most people are in desperate need of affirmation…. Building up:


1 Thessalonians 5:11

11 So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing.(NLT)

So speak encouraging words to one another. (The Msg)

Hebrews 10:24 -25

24 Let us think about each other and help each other to show love and do good deeds.
25 You should not stay away from the church meetings, as some are doing, but you should meet together and encourage each other. Do this even more as you see the day coming.

Ephesians 4:29

29 Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.

God is your biggest fan.

Jesus – intercedes for us!

He longs for you to live for Him.. to live life to the full….as Max Lucado says:

[The Applause of Heaven - - Max Lucado]

You'll be home soon, too. You may not have noticed it, but you are closer to home than ever before.

Each moment is a step taken.

Each breath is a page turned.

Each day is a mile marked, a mountain climbed.

You are closer to home than you've ever been.


Before you know it, your appointed arrival time will come; you'll descend the ramp and enter the City.

You'll see faces that are waiting for you.
You'll hear your name spoken by those who love you.

And, maybe, just maybe--in the back, behind the crowds--the One who would rather die than live without you will remove his pierced hands from his heavenly robe and...applaud.


Rev Tim Marshall

Youth Director