Neighbors

If you have Google Earth installed, you can find the farm at the following coordinates:

33°51'51.76"S, 19° 2'15.96"E

Otherwise, double-click the picture to see a larger version of it.

The farm is a trapezoid that is found in the lower left of this picture - my placemark text is at more or less the center of the farm. At the northwestern corner of the property are the main buildings on the farm, including the L-shaped main building (in which we are currently living out of our suitcases), the pool (where we have been trying to stay cool), a square two-story building which contains a number of rooms that have been modified from efficiencies (the property was previously a guesthouse) to contain numerous bunkbeds (BHI needs additional funds to buy more beds), and a long rectangular building which is the shed/barn. At the southwest corner of the property is a horse barn. On the eastern edge of the property are two "labourer's cottages", which are being converted into staff housing.

To the west and north of the farm is a vineyard. The building closest to the farm's north is the house we will be renting from the vineyard's owners.

While I was down at the staff cottages killing time while the stove deliverymen attempted to place and hook up the new stoves, I noticed for the first time some of our new neighbors, directly to the east of the staff cottages. It being Friday, there were lots of sounds coming from these somewhat dilapidated looking labourer's cottages as the workweek had just ended.

There seem to be some kids here, and I was suddenly reminded that our mission field isn't just to the people in Philippi, but out here it is all around us. As we drove around this past weekend and this week, I came to realize that reaching out to the farmworkers and their families could be a huge part of what we could be up to out here in the "Cape Winelands."

Please be in prayer that we will find ways to connect with our neighbors, despite our halting ability to communicate.