It’s getting easier to get up. I was awake and alert by 6:00 am and enjoyed a cool morning compared to earlier mornings. It was probably on 70 degrees. One can hardly endure such frigid weather. Another wonderful day in South Africa. It is cloudy and a few sprinkles of moisture but no real rain. Did some reading and study. Steve and I then headed off to Anathoth where the Bible/Book storage building is nearing completion.
We met with Pat Stevenson who began the Christian Center many years ago. Pat came from the United States some years ago and began Anathoth as a Christian Retreat Center. There is a Bible Study that is held at Anathoth and Cape Bible Seminary classes are held there. A church has formed and Robbie, one of Steve’s students, is being set apart as the minister by the Christians that meet there. If all goes well I will get to be a part of the service.
We left there to go visit Ntobie in Bishop Lavis which is near Elsie’s River. These names are suburb names of Cape Town if you were wondering. There are 2 million people Cape Town and there are more than 4 million in the area prior to the surrounding mountains. This is a visit I have been waiting 20 years for this visit after hearing about Ntobie, his evangelism and translation work.
Ntboie lives in a neighborhood of small semidetached homes. Ntobie has his translation office in front of his home. He built himself with funds and materials from supporters of the SACM. It is a small but very useful room that he hosts visitors and works on teaching materials. He is the only minister with an office among the Christians Churches – Churches of Christ. It is notable that neighborhoods are among the ganglands.
Steve left me with Ntobie for several hours. During this time I had complete access to Ntobie and was able to ask him any question. Ntobie has with both Al & Steve Zimmerman and is a wealth of information about missionary work in South Africa. He is fluent in 5 languages including English. There is no one else that can translate colloquial English into colloquial Xhosa.
Today he continues to travel, teach and works long hours translating to finish the work Christ has given him. Ntobie is 85 years old and will work until, as he puts it, “closes his eyes.” There are few men in the world that I have met like Ntobie. Afterwards Steve, Ntobie and I went to McDonalds as a special treat. Something Ntobie enjoys very much and would never buy for himself.
The time I enjoyed with Ntobie will never be forgotten and enjoyed sharing together what we have learned from the Lord. We said our good-byes and left for Steve’s home. Tonight we will be picking up Mattie McLaughlin who is flying in tonight. Pray for her safe arrival and the time she will be spending at Anathoth where she has a room. NOTE: Mattie just arrived and her flight was delayed until after 10:00 pm SA time. But she is well and now at Anathoth.
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