Saved a Tinkerbird

Things to do in Durban on a Sunday. Save birds who knock themselves
out in your house.

Popping in

A beautiful thing about SA is the freedom to pop in for a visit
whenever, for however long. Especially true when you have students
graduate, move around the country then unexpectedly get leave to visit
Durbs! Such was the case last night and this morning with our great
friend Phil.
We got to talk about the chalanges of life after graduation. World
wide we see that good community after graduation is hard to come by.
I said goodbye to Phil and started to pray for all our recent grads.

What did Kristy do?

Yes, this is Kristy being fingerprinted by the South African Police
Force! And I'd like to add that it is not her first time!

So what did she do?

All for our new visa. I (Ben) recently received a new visa which will
allow us to get perminent residancy (no grandma, that does not mean
citizenship) in South Africa. This new visa is an Exceptional Skills
visa as... A Coffee Specialist. I believe that I the only holder of
such a visa is the country:)
With this visa comes much more freedom and safety from potential need
to leave because of gov crackdown on Non government Organisations like
The Navigators. Also it's just kinda cool.

More Photos of Neo

Check out this link to get a lil virtual album of the newest Carlson and his fam!

Neo album link (as in "click me")

Four months of God's Gracious Hand

I'm looking.

I'm praying.

We're talking.

We're planning.

The start of the UKZN school year is underway and I realize that I've got four months. Yep, four months before we are going to be heading to the USA. These four months are the crucial months in a new student (or returning student's) life.

Will we connect with them?

Will they meet Jesus?

Will they fall apart?

Will they academically, socially, physically and spiritually succeed?

I read a great story this morning. A guy with a great heart for God and a huge task ahead of him gets showered with God's grace.

Quiets my spirit and excites my hesitant mind.

...for the gracious hand of his God was on him. For Ezra had devoted himself to the study and observance of the Law of the LORD, and to teaching its decrees and laws in Israel.

Ezra 7.9-10

And that my friends (because you wouldn't be reading this far if you weren't:) is all about the 4 months it took Ezra to travel from Babylon to Jerusalem.

Four months.

Pray for that gracious hand with me.

Auntie is leaving

Our last night with one of our longest friends here in Durban. Lou
Lou was excepted into a new internship program at Woolworths in Cape
Town.

She is going to be GREATLY missed.

Over the years she and Kristy have met, Lou Lou has grown and we've
all become tight. By Lou.

They stole our numbers!

"They." We all use that term here in South Africa. Black, white,
colored or Indian, it doesn't matter, we all use "Them/They" as our
term of endurement when it comes to those people who like to rob,
steal and do all manor of law breaking against the rest of.... "us."
So here is a picture of what They stole from us this week, our number
53 from the front wall. Just don't ask Kristy how long it took me to
get them up in the first place. If "They" would have known would they
still have taken them from us?
We will never know. But I an eternal optimist, so maybe I'll put a
sign on the next set of numbers telling how long it took me;)

I'm Back!

Students are back from their summer break. Today the Durban Nav Core team will be gathering at our house on the Bluff here in Durban to celebrate a new year together, pray, plan, and of course have a braai.

pictured is Huli. He re-arranged his academic year so that he could be more available to do personal ministry with the Navs. I like this guy!

I think I'm tired.

Here are a couple more pics for you. They are deceptively cute and cuddly! These two are the reason I get so little sleep! Neo likes to bounce till 1.30 am, eat at 3 and 6. Myles enjoys running in the room at 5/5.30, pulling my leg and saying "wake-y wake-y time dad." I guess mom also has sleep issues :)

Week 1

Well, we made it through week 1!

Neo continues to change and grow.

I am starting to think through and plan for the fast approaching school year.

Grandpa Knutson continues to be the biggest of helps with Myles (what will happen on the 22nd?)

The greater Navigator community continues to grow and I have been doing a lot of thinking on how to connect with and get graduates more connected without adding "things" to scheduals. South Africans continue to work hard after graduation and that makes for hard transitions and community building. So we keep thinking, planning, praying and planning.

photo: a calm after the storm. symbolic of day 8?

Photo blog of Neo

We are excited about Neo and loving him to bits. My first words after he was born "well, he's not quite as ugly as Myles was when he was born!" You decide!

What not to do the day before you have a baby

Wed morning we went to the hospital to have our baby. The morning
before we had some guys came to fix some roof issues we had. When they
were all finished I came out to take a look at the job and BANG! A guy
fell through the roof into our kitchen!

The guy was shaken but fine.
Roof got repaired.
Baby was born!

Just another day in Durban