We are almost at the Thanksgiving break again and it is hard to believe how quickly this semester has gone by!
We had the privilege of going to Brian and Polly's wedding on the 29th of October and it was such a lovely wedding. It was especially memorable since we have known Brian even before he and Polly started dating and it feels like we have witnessed the whole process! Sooo romantic! :) Here are a few pics taken of their celebration, with my 'not so good' camera:
They insisted that the guests take some of the hanging decorations home... (it helps keep the festivities going!) Here are ours up in our little home:
Then, my sweetest grandparents sent us a little package for Blue... Makes home feel a little closer.
My gran has always had a way with words, and she had penned a little poem (which has gone into his baby album...) In case you cannot read it clearly, it says, "A small gift in blue, for someone brand new, Oh the pride and the joy, in this fine Bakkes boy!" Awwwww! It really made my day. :)
Here is another one of the expanding bump:
People have been so kind to us! We have received little packages with diapers (US) / nappies (SA). It is really encouraging to see how the Lord is providing for us! Here is a recent package that we received with some baby things:
Also, the dear Gillies sent us an IN-N-OUT treat...
Then, meet my Sem Wives group: Betsy Harris- ( in the middle with orange on...) is our table leader and Mary Somerville is our prayer partner (on the far left with green on...)
Well, this is just a quick update of our latest news... Hope to have more news shortly! Thanks for reading!
As you know, the semester is on-the-go! It has been incredibly busy but also a wonderful blessing!
Izak is registered for the following classes this semester:
- Hebrew Exegesis (Dr. Barrick)
- The Gospel of Mark (Dr. Harris)
- Historical Theology (Dr. Busenitz)
- Old Testament Studies (Dr. Essex)
- Church Ministries (Bill Shannon and other teachers)
- D-Lab with Lance Quinn
Firstly, I wanted to show you a few things that I am so grateful for... I have missed Marmite so much (you don't find it in the typical stores here) and Whitney found me this huge jar which is perfect for my pregnancy cravings!
Then, Lynette gave Blue these cute little outfits: I really love how boy'ish they are and it also rekindled a childhood love for bulldozers that I had long forgotten! Yay for little boys!
Last year, the JBBC (Jeffreys Bay Bible Church) ladies sent us a package with all sorts of little treats and one of the things was this Nando's seasoning... I am saving it for a particularly 'home-sick day' and now we are living in the expectation of 'that' something good that is yet to happen!
Then, here are some recent 'bump development' pics:
Now for the tour of Izak's office area:
This is the entrance to his office... (He shares an office with a very sweet girl- called Shannon Pile...)
Here he is at his desk on a Saturday- hence the shorts and t-shirt...
Then, let us take a quick walk up the passage way: (All the doors that you can see lead to offices...)
This is the copy room, plus an exit to reach the main reception area:
Then... my personal favourite... the kitchen and all the promises that a kitchen brings! :)
Then, below is a picture from outside Izak's office, and if you look down the passage, you can see two doors... The one on the left is John Macarthur's... All this to say that this really is a blessed opportunity to rub shoulders with men who have such integrity and to learn as much as he possibly can during this experience! (Although truth be told, Macarthur works more from home anyway, but there are other godly and devoted men that Izak has been able to meet through working for Grace Advance...)
We are still so thankful for this opportunity and in the midst of the busy-ness, it is clear that the Lord is faithfully working in both our lives. The Scripture from Philippians 1:6, really brings such encouragement, "And I am sure of this, that He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ."
We look forward to hearing from you!
And... we are back at seminary for our third semester at TMS! We have a professor who begins each class with saying, "And it's off to the races!" and then he begins his quick-moving class. I think our semester will be quite similar! Izak is doing more credit hours than what he has ever done before! So please keep him in your prayers this semester.
This post is going to
be purposed to show you some things that I have been meaning to show you but
the older posts have been so full that I had to wait 'til now!
We discovered that we are expecting a little BOY this last Wednesday! We are very excited!
Here is one of the baby bump at 16 weeks. (I am 18 weeks now...) It is actually a sad picture in the sense that people only started saying that they could see the baby bump a week after this shot was taken!
Shortly after discovering that we were expecting a littl'n, we phoned my grandparents and not long after having told them... we received our first baby outfit in the post! it was so precious to receive that I had to document it!
(I love the neutral colours and it says, "Tiny toes and button nose"... Awww!) It is hard to believe that a person could fit into such small clothes! Amazing! It is fitting that they are now officially GREAT grandparents! :)
I love the little 'closed feet' bottoms!
Do you remember the volleyball coaching that I did earlier this year? Well, they were so sweet and had a coaches jacket made for me! I feel so proud in my Lady Hawkes gear!
We received a fantastic birthday package in June from the Humansdorp Bakkes'! It was such a fun gift to get because many of the things were home 'enhancers' for me to hang up all over!
We received some shells from Jeffreys Bay and I made this ribbon with the various shells on it and hung it from our lamp...
I hung this from our kitchen window:
And this on the curtain rail in our bedroom:
And this in our bathroom: :)
A sem wife friend of mine, Lynette, gave me this beauty for my birthday... It really looks like it was made for our little place: (Because I LOVE stars!)
And then... finally... we got to see the Gillies again as they had come through for the Truth Matters Conference. What a treat!
We hope you enjoyed reading about all our news! We look forward to hearing from you all.
Lots of love... Your Bakkes'!
