Merry Christmas 2016!

November 2016 Quarterly Newsletter  View this email in your browser Merry Christmas from the Boersema's!  We pray your Thanksgiving was thankful and that your Christmas season is deep and meaningful. We praise God for the amazing gift of His Son and pray that we can live lives that truly reflect our deep gratitude for that gift!                                 Here are a few updates from last quarter: We have less than 2 months here at Beautiful Gate. We will be arriving in West Michigan on February 1, 2017. We are waiting on the Lord to open doors for a pastoral position for Ron and once that happens we will be looking for a place to live. Until then, we will be looking for temporary housing. Ron has been in communication with a few churches. We are waiting for them to evaluate their needs before any further steps can be taken.  Both of us have been feeling fulfilled in our roles and now we look ahead to the closure of these positions and our replacements. Grace has been settling into her life in Michigan quite well. She has a job at the Holland City Mission where her heart for the 'least of these' can be used well. She also has the joy of working at our home church, Haven CRC, as their worship coordinator. Both of these jobs fit her giftings quite well. She lives in a house with some friends in Grand Rapids. We sure miss her here with us! We were able to enjoy an American traditional Thanksgiving meal with the long term volunteers. We were actually able to find turkey!  It was a good time to be with others and reflect on our blessings from God. We have been busy with several teams and volunteers this quarter. We have enjoyed serving with them and getting to know people from all over the world! We have had 5 adoptions this past quarter! What a joy to witness such beautifully God-ordained unions! Summer is in full swing with temps in the 90's already! The picture above creates these thoughts: ~Instead of bringing the children to their BG home, our desire is to bring these       children to their permanent home. ~There is such sweetness of the older child helping the younger one. ~The eagerness of the one to get Ron's attention as he approaches says how       they long for attention. ~How much they need a father. ~The trust they so willingly give us is touching. ~The reality that this privilege for us is coming to an end. ~Getting to know these 68 children and connecting with them is more beautiful     than words can describe. ~It also creates a longing for our home, where we can be the grandparents we       long to be for Owen and Samuel.                                                                                         In this photo we are receiving a new child. Admitting children is often a time of mixed emotions. On one hand we are happy to meet them and to be able to provide a safe place for them. On the other hand, knowing some of the reasons why they are arriving can be difficult. Whatever the situation, we always thank God for a place of safety for them.       A sight to behold! The children are sittingquietly before our chapel begins. Ron must be doing something that has captured their attention! They always bring a smile to our faces! We can't get enough of these beautiful children! Here they are lining up along the wall, preparing for snack time! We know without a doubt that God called us here and we are so grateful for His equipping us and providing for us for that call. He has done much of that providing through you; through your prayers and through your financial support. We want to thank you! And we humbly ask for continued prayers as we seek Him for what He now has in store for us. Blessings to you all! ~ Ron and Karen    Copyright © *2015* *Beautiful Gate Lesotho* All rights reserved. Our emails: kkboersema5@gmail.com (Karen) pastorboersema@gmail.com (Ron) Our mailing address: Beautiful Gate c/o Ron or Karen Boersema PO Box 339 Lady Brand 9745 South Africa Donations: Please visit our blog page for donation details. Our blog page: http://boersemablog.blogspot.com/ Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list

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Thank You!

A Thanksgiving day message to all our supporters

Follow this link to listen to a short audio message

Home Stretch

We have just over 3 months to go in our 2-year commitment.  Wow, in many ways time has gone by quickly! It doesn’t seem that long ago that we were settling into our new positions and learning to drive on the opposite side of the road.

There have been many wonderful times here in Lesotho as well as a fair share of challenges. But we appreciate the challenges as well because we know they teach us and help us in our walk with God.

We so value our relationships with the staff and the children at Beautiful Gate.
We have met and become friends with many volunteers from all over the world.
We have learned so much about another part of this big world.
We have learned so much about working in a ministry setting.
We believe God has been preparing us on so many levels..at work and in our home.
It is so clear that God called us here by the diverse training that we have received while in Lesotho.

After months of praying for what is next, we sensed God leading us back home at the end of our commitment. So we will be coming home around the first of February, give or take.

We covet your prayers:

• For us to finish strong; to live in the present, instead of just looking forward.
• A place for Ron to serve in a pastoral role.
• A place to live. (Our prayer and hearts desire is to serve and live near our families, but we will go wherever God leads.)
• If needed, a job for Karen.
• For our transition back to the States....from one culture to another.....our mindset and hearts may have changed a bit!

Thank you so much for your support and prayers. We wouldn’t have experienced this amazing growing season without them! 

Planting Seeds

Every week, the staff and most of our children, attend a Wednesday chapel service called Time with God. We sing, hear a Bible story and a short message from Ron. We pray and then make any necessary announcements. This is a valuable and wonderful time to come together as a Beautiful Gate family.

On Sunday's, the weekend staff and a few of our older children, enjoy a more formal church service. There is singing, a call to worship, a message, prayer and a blessing.
Beautiful Gate cares for a handful of children who are over 5 years old. These children are the ones who often attend these Sunday services.
Last week I was observing these older children and wondered how much of an impact this small Sunday service has on their young, challenging lives.

Our children don't have the opportunity to learn a lot of in depth Bible knowledge since they are most often in a group of 30-35 kids of all ages. They may get a short lesson and singing at playgroup but our older children are seemingly ready for more.

On Sunday's I watch how they seem to be paying attention. I watch how well behaved they are. (of course they are surrounded by BoMe who will keep them in line!) Every once in a while they will look around the room to see what the adults are doing. They are learning by example.
I wonder when they come, how much are they understanding? Are they actually listening to Ron's message?  How much do they relate to their own lives, which happen to be very different than most children's lives.
They don't necessarily have the foundation that most children have who belong to normal family units. Their realities are different than most kids.

We pray each week that the Holy Spirit will do what he does and bring clarity to the truth of God's word. Not just to the care staff that attend but to these precious little ones that attend as well.

I believe these older children are ready to be asked the basic questions like...Do you know that God loves you? Do you know that He is so big and mighty, that He will take care of you no matter what? Do you know that God has a plan for your life? Do you know that you can talk to Him whenever you want to? Do you know that God cares about all the big things and little things in your life? Do you know that God sent His son Jesus to save you and make a way for you to be in heaven and live forever?

Because of some of the language barriers and the fact that we have so many younger children, I don't believe these older kids have been asked these specific questions.

I do know that these truths are being shared each Wednesday and shared a bit deeper on Sunday's and I pray that the seeds that are planted there will be watered, take root, grow and bloom as God has intended His word to do.

Please join us in praying for the spiritual well being of our children, especially the older ones.
Our desire is to take the older ones aside and ask those questions that I believe they are ready for.
Ready for water!

A Difficult Day

Reflecting at the Beautiful Gate Memorial Wall

 We experienced something very difficult at Beautiful Gate last month. The death of one of our little babies. This child came to us days after birth and had difficulty breathing from the start. This little one was in and out of the hospital and at just a few months old, passed away while asleep.

There was much mourning in the baby houses that day. The housemothers were in obvious grief and pain over the loss of this precious child.

Singing and walking to the cemetery 

We shared a special chapel service together to pray and talk about how we as Christians deal with death and pain. Then the following week we held a funeral service for the baby.

Since the child had no parents, Beautiful Gate made a request to the neighborhood chief for a burial plot. It was granted and we held a small funeral nearby on a warm, sunny afternoon. The Bo Me, Bo Ntate (the men and women) and some of the volunteers attended the ceremony.

The men dug the hole early in the morning and we walked to the site as a group around 10:00 am. We sang along the road as we walked.
A housemother spoke, the nurse spoke, the chief spoke and then Ron who was officiating, gave the message.

Ron's first funeral

He spoke of the preciousness and value of life and the comfort we have in Christ. Among many scripture passages, he read Psalm 23. He concluded with prayer, they lowered the child in the ground and then the women were each given a flower to place on the little casket in the grave.
Of course there was a lot of singing, crying and praying throughout.





As sad as that day was, we knew without a doubt that God loved this little one, that He had a purpose for her life and the truth that He is our comforter in times of trouble.

Karen placing flowers on the casket

The neighborhood chief on the right in the red jacket

We ended our day with a meal together as staff and friends.
Praising God for His comfort and grace.

Released!

Back home with her housemother!

Our little one has been released! 

We had asked for prayer a week ago on our facebook page for a little baby who was very sick. This child was admitted to the hospital on June 11 for diarrhea and dehydration. The child was sick for a week prior to being admitted to the hospital. 

When we asked you for prayer for the child, our nurse had just visited her and was quite concerned that she was not getting better. At that point she had been in the hospital for 5 days. She was still experiencing diarrhea, had lost a lot of weight and was still dehydrated. She was so tired and weak that moving or even crying took too much effort.

Praise God for answered prayer! With the proper IV and feeding tube, the child gained strength and all of her symptoms improved. Today she came back home to Beautiful Gate!

We never take a normal childhood sickness like the stomach flu lightly. Especially here in this country. Especially since we recently lost a child, our anxiety about any sick child is definitely heightened. 

Thank you for praying. And most of all, we thank God for His healing hand of mercy on this precious child.

Psalm 91:15   When he calls to me, I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honor him.

April Newsletter (posted a little late)

April 2016 Quarterly Newsletter  View this email in your browser

Warm greetings from the Boersema's! God is a God full of love, provision and blessing and we give Him all praise and glory for all that has been happening during this last quarter at Beautiful Gate. The picture above is a precious reminder of why we are serving in Lesotho. These beautiful, innocent, vulnerable children need love and care. And their caregivers need encouragement and spiritual refreshment so they can pour into the children they care for each day. Praise God we have the privilege and call to love, support and encourage the staff and children at this beautiful place called Beautiful Gate. Our temporary role as directors was uneventful and went well but are happy to have Bryan and Anita Geurink back from their furlough to resume their positions as directors. Our son Ryan had a once in a lifetime opportunity to visit us in Lesotho for about 8 days. This visit was such a blessing for him and for us. We enjoyed some family time in South Africa on a safari and then spent some time with the staff and children and showed him what we do at Beautiful Gate. Ryan easily engaged the culture and our wonderful staff, they loved him! As a chef, he offered to sharpen the housemother's knives to make their cooking duties easier. This was a great time of connecting for everyone! At the end of February, we came to Michigan on furlough for a little more than 5 weeks. We came to meet our new grandson, to continue to bond with our 5 year old grandson and to connect with family and friends. We are so thankful to God for a healthy baby boy, Samuel James! Congratulations Rachael and Adam!   We enjoyed our time in Michigan with family and friends and had the privilege to speak at a few supporting churches. This was a wonderful opportunity for us to give an update and share what God has been doing this past year. Ron and I had the privilege of presenting in our son in law's classroom about Lesotho and Beautiful Gate for their unit on Africa. This was a joy to see the children's interest in our ministry and country. We have one year to go in our two year commitment. We are praying for what is next after that year. We have the option to stay longer at Beautiful Gate but are open to following God's call wherever He leads. Grace's time at Beautiful Gate has come to a close. She went home April 11 with our church mission team.  She did not have the same two year commitment they we did and her care giving in the baby house is finished. She is feeling led to come back to Michigan, start a whole new mission field and put down roots. She will look for work and will hopefully be able to share an apartment with some friends.  We see God at work in so many ways at Beautiful Gate and now that we have been home on furlough, we can see God at work in so many ways right in our hometown. We have been encouraged by all of our loved ones! Each year the children at Beautiful Gate receive a pair of new shoes for Christmas. My parents happily agreed to head up a shoe drive for our children through their church, Ridgewood CRC in Michigan. We asked for approximately 50 shoes with specific sizes for boys and girls. The response was overwhelming and the Ridgewood congregation gave over 100 pairs of shoes!!! We now have enough shoes for next Christmas! On behalf of Beautiful Gate, we thank you Ridgewood for your generous gift and thank you Mom and Dad for your work in putting this shoe drive together!

Christmas Day visit to BG. Bouncy House play wore him out! While we were acting directors for 10 weeks we were also privileged to conduct two adoption ceremonies and host our Annual Staff Christmas Braai. This little girl was being reunified with her parent. A sad goodbye for us all. Prayer items: For the staff at Beautiful Gate and the unique needs that they have. For the emotional health of the children of Beautiful Gate and the current adoption process which has been quite slow. For wisdom as we hear from God as to where we serve next. For our specific jobs as we set goals for the next year. For Grace as she transitions back home to Michigan and as we live apart from one another.

Copyright © *2015* *Beautiful Gate Lesotho* All rights reserved. Our emails: kkboersema5@gmail.com (Karen) pastorboersema@gmail.com (Ron) Our mailing address: Beautiful Gate c/o Ron or Karen Boersema PO Box 339 Lady Brand 9745 South Africa Donations: Please visit our blog page for donation details. Our blog page: http://boersemablog.blogspot.com/ Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list