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

Unsettled

Word: Unsettled
Definition: Not yet resolved

That would be how I would describe some of my feelings since coming back from furlough on the second of April. Just to clarify, it is not how I always feel but it seems to be more and more frequent.

Why is there an unsettled feeling this time around when the first year here at Beautiful Gate was one of great peace?

Is it because I was home with family and had to say goodbye again?
Is it because Grace is now back in Michigan instead of with us?
Is it because there have been some difficulties in recent months?
Is it because there is a decision hanging over us that needs to be made in regards to our future plans?
Is it because God wants to bring me to a closer dependance on Him each day?
Is it because God is stirring in me to show me His direction?

I am sensing that the unsettled feelings are a combination of all that I listed above. But maybe mainly because of the very definition of the word...."not yet resolved". We are not yet resolved in where God wants us next. Do we extend at Beautiful Gate (and for how long) or do we come home or go elsewhere?
We are praying for wisdom and open hearts and ears. For right now, we haven't heard anything.
Another prayer of mine is that I am not so distracted by the decision that is ahead that I miss what He has for me now.

But we have hope. We trust that God will lead and speak as He always has...in His time.

In the midst of all of our ups and downs in life........God is trustworthy and He calls us to rest in Him.

Karen

"I am restless until I rest in you, O God"  Song by Audrey Assad Restless https://youtu.be/wJzYa7INaGk

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What peace looks like Here we are already in 2016! This past year has gone by so quickly. We've just celebrated the new year in a very different way than any prior years. We didn't have our normal holiday gatherings with family and friends. But we were at peace with our new surroundings. I saw these three children asleep in their beds, each of them with a different posture and in different positions, but because of God's goodness and grace they are all at peace. We have been so blessed to be experiencing the same peace that allows these orphans to rest securely. 2014 & 2015 were "new years" for us as a family. In 2014 we heard God's call to sell our home and follow His call here to Beautiful Gate. 2015 was our first year of ministry. New positions for Karen and me; the retail office secretary is now the Operations Manager here, and the truck driver is now an ordained pastor. None of these changes have been without some challenges. But we have certainly experienced the favor of God in following His call to serve here. 2016 will be another year to depend on God leading. We are almost half way through our two year commitment to Beautiful Gate, and now we continue to seek His direction for what lies ahead. Will we be staying longer in Lesotho? Will God have an open door to ministry back home? Or does He have a new ministry opportunity that is yet to be revealed? Whatever is beyond this year we will look for the same clear direction that God gave us to come here, and we will move with the same confidence and peace that led us to answer His call to be where we are and who we are today. Please keep us in your prayers for this new year as we once again discern the will of God for each day and what lies beyond. Pastor Ron Beautiful Gate Orphanage Beautiful Gate Maseru 100 Lesotho Unsubscribe

Wrapping Reflections

For the past few weeks we have been compiling our donations in preparation for Christmas for our Beautiful Gate children.
We are so grateful for these donations and for all those that give to this organization!

Now that everything is organized and compiled, it's time to wrap the gifts!







As I have been wrapping the presents, I have been thinking about how different this Christmas is from all of the Christmas' I've ever known.

Boersema Christmas 2014

Instead of wrapping presents for my own children and grandchildren, I am wrapping presents for 72 homeless and abandoned children.


I am wrapping presents for those who most likely would have had a very different Christmas if Beautiful Gate did not exist. Without a loving care center, these children may not even be alive, or may not have had enough food or clothes, let alone a Christmas toy.

I am thankful for this opportunity to sit down on the floor, wrap each gift tenderly, and pray and reflect on the child I am wrapping for.

Each gift is labeled with the child's name. A name that I have the honor of writing down. A name of a child who was not wanted. A name of a child so precious and loved by all of us and by God Himself.

A part of me is sad because I am not wrapping gifts for my own children and grandchildren this year. But I am even more sad that I am wrapping gifts for these 72 little special people....The very fact that this is a reality can be heartbreaking.

   

However, I am thankful in the sadness. Thankful that God has placed me here for such a time as this and that I have the privilege to pray for each of these children..... and as I wrap, anticipate their reactions to the simple gifts that will be theirs on Christmas morning.



Merry Christmas little one's!
~Karen

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hello dear family and friends,

We would like to wish you all a very Happy Thanksgiving!

Feeling grateful with our friend Emily

As much as we miss you and would love to see you all and share this day with you, the Lord has been good to us and has granted us content hearts even on this holiday.

We want to express our deepest thanks to God for the gift of His Son.....For His Spirit and His word to guide and strengthen us. We thank God for our children and their spouses. We thank God for our grandson Owen. We thank God for our grandson who is to be born in March. We thank God for our Christian parents, for our siblings and for our friends in Christ.
We thank God for His provision for us to be here in Lesotho. We thank God for those of you who have given of your own finances; this is so humbling and we give glory to God for those gifts.
We are thankful to God for the beautiful staff and beautiful children here at Beautiful Gate that give us joy in serving each day.
We are thankful for good health and hearts that are at peace.
The list could go on........

Our prayer for you all and for ourselves is to be thankful everyday. And we pray against a complaining spirit which seems to come easy to us human beings. We as American's are beyond blessed. The abundance and affluence seems normal or even average when you live in America. But when you live in a third world country you soon realize that that is not normal or average for the rest of the world. But even so, the people here are more thankful than anyone I know. I hope to learn from them and be changed for the good in regards to thankfulness.
As Christian's we are all called to be thankful in all things. Let us all be changed to be a more thankful people! This is part of our witness to the world!

Have a blessed day with your loved ones!

Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. I Thess. 5:18

Went out for a Thanksgiving Day
lunch with our wonderful volunteers

Boersema Update

I have been wrestling a bit thinking of things to write for the Boersema Blog. Sometimes it's a challenge because there is not always something new to share. And it feels like I have been repeating the same sentiments in previous blogs.

Our days are quite routine, just like routine days for most of you in the States. You get up, go to work, come home, relax and on weekends there are chores, church and occasional activities. There are Bible Studies and gatherings and opportunities to do such things as going for walks. These are all good and important things but in a sense, not much new to report for now.

Grace at playgroup

We are still doing quite well. God has blessed us with content hearts and fulfilling work. He continues to affirm the call here for which we are grateful. We feel supported by you back home. We are serving with glad hearts and experience His presence in rich ways here. We praise God for His goodness in this place and in our lives.





Some news on our upcoming visit to the States....Ron and I will be coming home around mid February for the birth of our grandson due early March. We hope to stay in Michigan for around 5-6 weeks to spend time with that new little one, our kids and our other grandson. We look forward to time with family and friends very much. Grace will be coming to Michigan also but staying during the months of May and June to visit the new baby, family and friends and attend 2 weddings of her close friends.

This opportunity to go back home will be a wonderful time to see family, friends and reconnect and continue bonds with our kids and grandkids. But it will also be a time for us to reflect and explore what God might have in store for us after our 2 year commitment at Beautiful Gate. Yes, we already need to be thinking about that! There is a possibility of extending our time here but if God has a call somewhere else we will need enough time to find replacements and do some training before we go back home.

So, this is a small update on our lives. I hope to have something really exciting next time!  :)

Thank you friends and family for your continued prayers and support. We really feel blessed by them.

With gratitude and love,

Karen

Psalm 100:2 "Serve the Lord with gladness, come before His presence with singing.."

So much color and joy on the playground

This little guy kept falling on purpose and thought it was so funny!

How Can I Keep From Singing Your Praise

"How Can I Keep From Singing Your Praise" is the song that is playing in my mind.

God is so worthy of our praise and I see glimpses of His beauty and glory in this place called Beautiful Gate.

Every day I witness the innocence and perfection of these little ones...once orphaned, abandoned and neglected.

One of our playgroup leaders took some of our children for a walk outside of campus through our neighborhood today.

Goin for a walk

They were so well behaved on this walk, partly because they listen to and respect the playgroup leader, but also because they were so mesmerized by the sights and sounds along the way.

Here are some things we saw on our walk:

Mud puddles from the recent rains.

Cows grazing.

Construction workers building a house.

Neighbors walking past.

Other children playing in a puddle.

The sounds of children playing at the neighborhood school.

And a few cars and trucks passing by.

The children were just taking it all in.  As I observed them; my thoughts drifted to thinking about their futures.

All of our futures are unknown. But the difference is, most of us do know who our family is. We do know where we belong.

What will happen to them? Will they join a forever family? Will they go back to their relatives in the village? Will they go to another care center for older children?

How will God be directing their steps when they leave Beautiful Gate?

We don’t know the answers. But for now, Beautiful Gate is where they belong and Beautiful Gate is their family.

There are days that I just stare out the window of my office and smile and have such a warm, blessed heart. I not only see beautiful scenery, but beautiful people.

No it’s not a perfect place, but some days it seems that way.

My view

I see little ones bringing their ball to Ron, so that he can kick it for them. They go and chase it and bring it back to him for another kick. They could do this for hours.

I see one of our office workers stop and talk to one of our older kids. I see and hear children who are playing outside at the preschool on campus.

I see our school aged boy walking home from school. He stops on the bridge as he often does, to look back at the office. He sees me…he smiles and waves.

I see so many things that bring a smile to my face and warmth to my heart. You may have read similar sentiments over the last several months about this place. But they are true and just plain indisputable. Some days my heart is overflowing and I can't help but share it and sing His praise!

How can this place with so many stories of heartache be so incredibly joyful and beautiful?

The answer is…the presence of the Living God.

Looking back to the first line of this blog…”how can I keep from singing your praise..” I ask myself, how can I not praise the God who shows Himself here? How can I not see Him in these children and in this staff? This place is here because of His love and grace and He shows Himself in so many ways.

The thoughts of this blog….they are my heart today and many of my days. I hope you, who are far off, get a glimpse of God’s beauty through those of us who witness this and walk it each day.

God is here. There is joy and beauty all around because of Him. To God be the glory! How can I keep from singing your praise!

Karen 

Grace loving