Duplantis Update, Dec 13, 2011

Dear Friends!

Another month has flown by - another month in which we have seen the Lord's gracious and loving hands upon us. 

First of all, thank you for your prayers on behalf of Peter's medical check-up in Windhoek last month.  The doctor was encouraged and encouraging and Peter has continued to improve since then also.  These last few days he has felt almost back to "normal"!  We are so grateful!   Peter has also just started taking some one-on-one Portuguese classes and is enjoying them.  He even has homework to do! 

We are in the throes of renewing our visas - yes, it seems we can't get through a year without talking about visas!  We had everything ready that they had told us was necessary, but then yesterday we found out that three more things had been added to the list!  So we have been scurrying about trying to get these three things because it is all supposed to be turned in by tomorrow!  Pray that once all is turned in that the renewal process would not be too long as we would like to have our passports in hand by March as we are due to come on furlough in March. 

Yes, our furlough is just around the corner!  By March, it will have been two years since we were in the US, so it is time to come visit and be refreshed.  We have booked tickets to arrive in the US on March the 6th and we plan to stay until early July.  Obviously, these are just plans and the Lord will direct our steps as He sees fit!  Please let us know when it would be best to visit you, if you are outside the Greensboro, NC area, and we will try to outline a plan.  We plan to stay at 1824 New Bedford Dr in Greensboro when we are not traveling so hopefully we can connect with most of you Greensboro folk while we are there!

Mom and Dad are stable in their rather fragile state.  Dad recovered from his pneumonia of end of October, but has a more and more difficult time talking.  Please write to him via Peggy Foster at peggy@fosterangola.ca and she will print emails for him as he really cannot use his computer anymore or talk.  He and Mom still love to get notes and letters, however, so please write!

We are in Lubango for the next couple of weeks to help care for Mom and Dad over Christmas originally in the planned absence of Steve and Peggy, but they have not received their residency cards yet so unless a miracle occurs they will not be able to travel as planned.  It has been very disappointing for them, but they are trusting that the Lord has the perfect plan for them in all this.  If Peter is still doing well over the next couple of weeks we hope to be able to go to Cavango in the New Year. 

The end of the year also brings to mind finances as we all want to end the year in the "black" as they say!  We are currently about $6000 in the red in our ministry account.  We basically have about a $500/month need for ministry funds that has never been pledged and we have just worked on in faith that it will come in.  Each year it has and we are thankful to the many of you who respond to God's nudging.  Please consider whether you could join the regular donors to help meet this need up front, or whether you could help us with a year-end donation to cover the deficit.  Thank you to all of you who support us so faithfully!  

As you all anticipate the New Year - with all of it's unknowns and possible anxieties this is a verse that has held us as we have waited...."Since ancient times no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides you, who acts on behalf of those who wait (emphasis added)for him." Isaiah 64:4 

May you all be full of His Joy and Peace!

Peter and Shelley Duplantis
Advancing the Gospel in Angola, Inc

 

Field Address:
C.P. 33 Lubango, Angola via Portugal

 

Home Office Address and Donations:
25 Maple St.,  Addison, NY 14801 USA
Acct:  01002

 

Website: www.hopeforangola.org  (can donate online at the "just give" icon)

Blog: www.duplantisdialog.blogspot.com

 

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These are a couple of photos taken when Stuart and Sharon came to visit!

Duplantis Update, Nov 16, 2011

Dear Friends,

How on earth did it get to be the middle of November already!??

We have been busy since our last update - two trips to Cavango, another week or so at Tchincombe helping out while Donna was away, time visiting family and now a trip to Namibia!

We went to Cavango for Oct 13-17 taking Dr Annelise Olsen to do medical consults and again on November 9-14 to host another medical team - Dr Steve Foster, and Dr Eduardo Ferreira.  Both trips went very well and the time there was precious.  This most recent trip we actually had quite a gathering - as Stirling, Donna and kids as well at the Ferreiras family, Gary Goertzen(the MAF pilot and friend!) and an Angolan anesthetist

came as well so we were 13 in total!  We celebrated Thanksgiving dinner a bit early, because we had promised the Ferreiras a Thanksgiving dinner at Cavango last year and then it didn't work out - so it was now or never as they return to Brazil in a few weeks.

A couple of weeks ago, my dad took quite a turn for the worse with an aspiration pneumonia and we thought he would be taken to Glory in the very near future.  As a result, my brother, Stuart and sister, Sharon, both came to visit.  It was great to have them around and Mom and Dad both really appreciated their visits!  Dad has improved alot with antibiotic treatment, but is still very frail.  We had a dinner on the 8th of November with 6 of us 7 siblings around the table!  Quite amazing!

We arrived back from Cavango at 5pm on Monday the 14th and left at 4am on the 15th for Namibia coming out in convoy with Sheila and Daniel who have come to pick up Brent and Helena.  We spent last night at a lodge just 3-4 hours from Windhoek so today our drive was much shorter!  All has gone well, though on Monday we did discover a rear axle leak on the Ford so that caused a bit of worry, but Steve had the suspected necessary spares and the car is already at the shop to be worked on tomorrow.  We trust it will not be a complicated repair and that it will continue to serve us well.

We have come to Windhoek for Peter's medical checkup and we have that appointment tomorrow morning at 9am.  We ask for wisdom and guidance for the doctor and all of us to know the best treatment to help Peter continue out of his depression.  Thank you for your prayers!

We are truly Thankful in this Thanksgiving season!  We have been so blessed in so many ways as we look over this past year despite it's apparent difficulties as we have seen His faithful provision of peace, direction, and strength.  God is GOOD!  Have a very blessed Thanksgiving too!!

Much love,

Peter and Shelley Duplantis
Advancing the Gospel in Angola, Inc.,

 

Field Address:
C.P. 33 Lubango, Angola via Portugal

 

Home Office Address and Donations:
25 Maple St.,  Addison, NY 14801 USA
Acct:  01002

 

Blog: www.duplantisdialog.blogspot.com

Website: www.hopeforangola.org

Duplantis Update, Oct 8, 2011

Dear Friends,

This past month has been full of milestones for us and our family!  My dad and mom's birthdays, 87 and 85 respectively, our 12th Anniversary and Peter's birthday!  Milestones are always a good way to reflect on God's faithfulness over the years and we are constantly reminded of His goodness and grace.  This year more than most we feel that we are totally upheld by His strength and grace as we can't say that "we" have accomplished much for the "Kingdom" or even for Cavango.  It has been a year of resting in Him and trusting that He has a plan amidst all the confusing circumstances that He has allowed.  We were listening to a Charles Price sermon on Abraham's life and could identify with the "famine" that came even when Abraham was exactly where God wanted him to be.  We too feel that we are where God wants us to be and that He has continually confirmed that to us by His provision and peace, and that the current "famine" is a time to grow in our faith.  Pray that we would not "flee to Egypt" taking matters in our own hands as Abraham did, but that we will remain resting in the Lord - our Jehovah Jirah(the Lord God Who Provides). 

Peter is much better than he was in August, Praise God!  He is still lacking "spark" and motivation to initiate doing things, but at least is no longer anxious.  Thank you for your prayers!

We plan to go to Cavango next week with Steve Foster as our vehicle is still awaiting parts for repair.  We will just go for a long weekend again as a chance to catch up with the mission folk again and see some patients at the clinic.  Until our vehicle is repaired we will probably spend the majority of our time at the Tchincombe ranch trying to be useful wherever we can be - feeding and training horses, sewing and cooking(Shelley), fixing things and making things(Peter).  We have also been able to pick up the leading of Sunday morning adult Biblestudy while Stirling has been away. 

Mom and Dad moved to Lubango last month - in fact exactly a month ago this weekend.  They have settled in quite well and Peggy and Steve are also gradually getting settled into the new house.  Dad continues to lose strength, and finds it more and more difficult to talk, but still smiles and enjoys conversation around the table. 

Thank you for reading this and for your prayers and support.  We are all members of One Body and we are your fingertips touching Angola!  Without you, we could not be here!

Running the Race Together,

Peter and Shelley Duplantis
Advancing the Gospel in Angola, Inc

 

Field Address:
C.P. 33 Lubango, Angola via Portugal

 

Home Office Address and Donations:
25 Maple St.,  Addison, NY 14801 USA
Acct:  01002

 

Blog: www.duplantisdialog.blogspot.com

Website: www.hopeforangola.org

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Here are some photos of Maedchen and friends, a brand new filly foal born to one of the original mares on the farm, and Bella with her brand new babes!  Praise God for all the blessings and new life in nature! 

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Friends and family at the prayer cairn made at Spiritual Life Conference 2011

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Here are some photos of the work and team from All Nations Church in Windhoek, Namibia

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Here are some photos of Easter Sunday - a busy day with baptisms, baby dedications and lots of special music and ending with a communion service(not photo'd).  We started at 9am and ended at 3pm, but was a lovely day!

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these are the pormised photos of the ladies sewing group!  It was a foggy morning!

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Dear Friends,

We've been at Cavango now for 6 weeks without an overnight trip anywhere!  That, is a record and a welcome record after the frequent trips of the last two years.  Our two-year anniversary of being "at" Cavango was yesterday!  It seems so long ago and yet also only yesterday that we arrived!  

Thanks for being with us in prayer over these last six months of unsettledness as we waited for visas and Peter sought medical attention.  We have returned to Cavango with a real sense of beginning again, trying to start out slowly and allow Peter's health to dictate our pace.  Peter has found the return to responsibility and expectations to be more difficult than he imagined when we were in Namibia, and has been struggling with mild depression, but little by little he is adjusting and growing and improving!  The exciting thing to see is the growth he is experiencing in his Faith and Trust of the Lord as he cannot "lean on his own understanding" anymore.  The folk here are all very understanding and patient.  We have hired a few of the older men to work on some things as they are dependable and responsible without a lot of attention.  Peter then has turned his attention to working on details of the interior of the house - kitchen cabinets, wood trim around the windows, formica placement, etc.   There is still alot to be done, but the church in Windhoek that we attended while there, is sending a team in June that will help with various projects and ministry too!  We are looking forward to having them come! 

The clinic is still suffering from a lack of patients, even when MD's come for the weekend.  The leadership say that it is because the rains have caused the rivers to be too high to cross and so folk are not able to come.  Also, during the rains they say folk don't "have time" to be sick as they are working on their fields etc.  We are hoping that with a regular schedule of MD visits the area folk will make more of an effort to come.  The local Administrator has asked us to announce the MD visits on the radio in Huambo as he says many will come from there once it is known.  So there is hope of the numbers improving!

We have visited the Administrative folk on both the local and municipal levels and have found them all to be quite congenial.  Praise for this and pray for continued wisdom for the future.

The biggest blessing of our time here for me has been the opportunity to teach hand sewing to the ladies on Wed's mornings!  We start early - 6:30am and don't finish until about 9am!  We sew from 6:45 to 8:30 and then have a short prayer meeting.  It is so fun to see over 40 ladies all sewing in a big circle!!  I am definitely not a "good" missionary as I have forgotten to take the camera each time, but will make a big effort to remember this coming week so I can put a photo on the blog!  I bring the needles, thread and scizzors and they bring what needs mending, adjusting or making and we all go at it!  It is lots of fun and they love laughing at my attempts to learn Nganguela!!  This coming week is the last for sewing for awhile, as the Pastor's wife informed me that we plan to offer cooking, medical/maternity classes and literacy too!  I'm just letting the Lord give me strength and ideas one day at a time so as to not get overwhelmed.  So far it is a great joy!

Once again, we couldn't be here without you.  Thank you for your prayers and support!  (Check the blog for photos... www.duplantisdialog.blogspot.com )

Running the Race Together!

Peter and Shelley Duplantis
Advancing the Gospel in Angola,Inc

 

Field Address:
C.P. 33 Lubango, Angola via Portugal

 

Home Office Address and Donations:
25 Maple St.,  Addison, NY 14801 USA
Acct:  01002

 

Back in Cavango!

We made it safely home to Cavango exactly one month ago today!! We arrived with visitors and this weekend we have 9 more visitors coming! It's basically feast or famine as the visitors usually accompany the visiting missionary doctors that pay the clinic a monthly visit!
This month we have done a lot of work on the house - particularly the kitchen cabinet bases, and we put formica on the bathroom sink cabinets. I say "we", but it is mostly Peter, with me as chief assistant!
We've made some good contacts with the local and municipal government officials in this past month and we are getting into a bit of a routine on the mission itself. I have enjoyed the weekly ladies meeting at church on Weds mornings and have started teaching them how to do hand-sewing! Today we had over 40 ladies - all sewing - it was quite the circle!! The Clinic has not needed my help lately as both the senior Angolan nurses have been here to "man" it. We still need many more patients to make it financially viable, so that is a prayer request. We have received local and municipal government approval of the idea of developing campsites here - so that is also a need for prayer - for the capital to get started!!
I'm going to upload this to the blog already and then add some pictures a bit later!! Thanks for reading!

Still in Namibia -

The 1st bass caught at Freidenaur Dam, near Windhoek, 2kg or 4.4lbs

Peter then caught 5 more of the same!!

Table Mountain from Blauberg

Table Mountain with it's Table Cloth - also from Blauberg

Dear long time family friends - "Uncle" Paul and "Auntie" Elf

Cape of Good Hope from Cape Point

Your's Trulies!!

Madchen(pronounced like Maichen) on the left and Jock on the right

Madchen

Jock

Shelley on Madchen

Shelley on Madchen

Peter on Jock

Lara on Madchen

Shelley on Jock

Lara on Madchen

Jock getting ready

Madchen getting ready

Well, we are still in Namibia, enjoying a "forced" vacation as we wait for our Angolan visas to be processed. It has been a wonderful time for us as we have made many new friends, read a few books, gone fishing and even played quite a bit of tennis, but we are very ready to get back home. We were also treated to a trip to Capetown by some friends who loaned us their car to drive and a house to stay in while there.

We have also added to our menagerie - we are now the proud owners of two horses! They are over 16 hands tall and gentle natured. They are both about 15 years old, but still have some good energy! We bought them from some folk who are selling their farm and returning to Germany, and wanted a good home for their horses. We bonded well with both animals and previous owners and feel that these are the horses for us! God also provided a farm just 10 miles from the original farm, for them to stay while we figure out the logistics of getting them into Angola. This farm also has a 16 year old girl who is quite the horse woman and has offered to work the horses until we can get them "home"! Her name is Lara and you will see her in some of the photos. Thanks Lara!! The gelding is named Jock and the mare is Madchen(pronounced like Maichen) - German for "little girl" though she is not so little!!