The turnaround between Carol and Sue heading off and my parents, Sharon and Bill, heading in was pretty quick – less than a week. It was agreed upon by all of us that taking advantage of the 2-for-1 that South African Airlines was running was more important that spacing out the visits, so Christina and I were looking forward to a concentration of guests, which was just fine with us. However, that meant that we barely had time to clean the sheets and go to the grocery stores before I headed off to Cape Town to meet my parents. Our schedule would look much like the one that Christina had – spending a few days in the Mother City before driving to JBay via Oudtshoorn for a stay at Buffelsdrift (If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, I always say!).
It was great to be with my parents as they were experiencing all of this for the first time. As with any mother, mine was not too sure about her only son being across the world and being safe, despite my reassurances. But as she witnessed the “first-worldness” of this place and could see for herself how much the Lord moves here, her concerns were assuaged (as much as motherly possible, anyway!)
The most impactful moment for me, however, was the time that we spent with Auntie Matilda here in Jeffreys. She has come to be known as “The Mother Theresa of JBay” and Christina and I want everyone that we know to experience the love of God that emanates from this servant of the Kingdom. We sat with Matilda for about an hour or so (I’ve really lost track of time in things like this since I’ve been here) and she kept my parents on the edge of their seats with the things that the Lord is doing in JBay and how He calls her to serve here, not being able to keep from her infectious laugh at many points in her testimony. After sharing that time with her, Matilda slowly walked us to the door, entreating us to come see her again before my parents flew out (well, “threatening” might be a more accurate word, but she did it lovingly!). As we approached her stoop, my mother turned and took off her necklace, a colorful cross on a gold chain, and gave it to Matilda. Putting it around her neck, I realized the impact of this action. This was a stoop where Matilda has given many things – food, shelter, love – and now it was place where she was able to receive something. My mother had purchased this necklace on a mission trip to Guatemala, and it’s not easily replaced, but when the Lord tells you to do something, you do it, and my mother was sensitive to the Spirit in that time.
We left Matilda’s house and went on to other things that day, but I know that JBay’s own Mother Theresa left an indelible mark on my parents’ hearts, a lasting impression of the Spirit of the Living God that is ever-present in Jeffreys Bay.
