We thought we would use these next few 
weeks that we are in South Africa as an opportunity to share with you some of the areas that we tend to give less attention to because of the exciting things that are happening every week on the island. We thought we would use this time to highlight some of our teammates. We mention them in passing a lot, but we’ve not really taken the time to introduce you to the people we serve with and who really are a big part of our lives.
So this week we present our team leaders. Their names are Chris and Beka. They have been living on the islands for more than seven years and are something of island celebrities. Chris, who stands a tall 6’3” among many short islanders, is known everywhere he goes. Partially this is because ‘Christoph’ is so personable and great with names. He remembers everyone. Partially it’s because he’s 6’3” white guy who speaks the local language so well (hardly something you see everyday). And partially it’s because Chris drives around in our old beat-up Toyota truck and gives anyone who wants one a ride. ‘Papa Levi’ is well loved around the island and his truck is known almost as well as he is.
Chris has lead two other teams on the island and is a wealth of ideas, experience and enthusiasm. Chris is also a fantastic storyteller. When he tells a story he gets his whole body into it. Long arms flail, different voices emerge, and his facial expressions are priceless. We have been learning a lot from him about managing a team, sharing with others, teaching English, being generous, being a father, and reaching out to those in need.
Often a bit behind the scenes but no less energetic is Beka. Beka is part of the stabilizing foundation of our team. She’s the one that keeps our team days flowing smoothly- watching children, getting food prepared and taking care of all the details. She is also extremely thoughtful, remembering birthdays, and sending encouragement to people when they need it. But she is best known around the island as the white lady who peaks th
e language like a native speaker. No one comes close to her in terms of language ability—and so she acts as language advisor for the team, helping all of us to learn. Without the aid of textbooks, she has developed a pretty detailed understanding of the grammar and every week she gives us an hour of instruction that is always extremely helpful.
Beka is also the queen of sport. Although dwarfed by Chris in terms of size, Beka holds her own in any athletic competition. She leads Tae-bo for ladies here on the island, often doing 4 sessions a week! All this and she’s a great cook!
Finally, Chris and Beka are not complete without mentioning their four boys. The boys fall in at 9, 7, 4, and 2 years of age and are great kids. The older ones love to play Rook (and are quite good at it) and the younger ones are excellent scooter riders. All of them are kind, helpful and all around good kids.
Their home almost always has doors opens, kids playing on the porch, visitors in the living room, food cooking in the kitchen and all six of them making people feel welcome. We’ve been really blessed to be able to serve on their team.
PRAYERS ANSWERED
Tom is feeling completely better. Thanks for your prayers. Megan is now 37 weeks pregnant (could be anytime now). We finally met the doctor that will be delivering our baby boy. He did an ultrasound and everything looks good! He estimates that the baby is already pushing 7lbs. We’ve settled in enough to know how to get food and to the hospital and we’re enjoying the cooler weather. Tom had an encouraging meeting with the man who will help in the development of a website to assist our work on the islands (the hope is to set the website up while we are here in South Africa).
PRAYERS REQUESTED
Pray that Megan would be able to sleep well at night (it’s hard to get comfortable these days). Pray for the rest of the pregnancy and for a healthy delivery. Pray for our team back in the heat of the island. Pray that we would be able to keep up our language study while in South Africa (we’re trying to devote some hours each day to it). Pray for Tom’s work on the website, that he would be able to get everything in order before the baby comes.
