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'!
Time for PART 3 of our vacation! Be ready to be amazed by the beauty of both the Napa Valley and also the Redwoods in San Jose's Henry Cowell Redwood State Park! First, let's stop in Napa Valley to explore the incredible Castello di Amorosa: Click here to check out their site: http://www.castellodiamorosa.com/
We decided to explore Napa Valley on our way back to San Jose to spend our last days of our holiday with the Gillies... We had seen an advertisement of the 'Tuscan Castle' in a travel guide and we were so thankful to be able to go and see it!
Now for your tour: It felt like a real Tuscan castle! All the stones were imported from Europe in order to build it and it had a very 'ancient' vibe to it! When we arrived, two limo's were driving up the windy driveway ahead of us and I wondered if we had the right place! Eek! But it had a lovely down-to-earth atmosphere and they had a lovely muscadel grape juice for us to sample at the end of our tour! We could even pay less to tour since I was pregnant! :)
**Please note that you can enlarge any photos on this blog by clicking on them and then return to the blog by hitting return or going back one page...**
This wine press was imported from Tuscany and is in very good condition which is rare considering its age:
A little church in the castle:
More of the castle:
The courtyard:
This was a huge dining hall:
More of the castle... details on the walls and from the terrace:
If you pay more, (than what we did!) to tour the castle, you get to go on tours of the cellars and also get a tour guide to show and tell you all about the castle. Despite this, Izak found this in a secret locked off tunnel: (An impressive picture through a bolted gate... if you ask me!)
To do the wine-tasting or the grape-juice tasting (in our case- it was the best grape juice ever! Mmmm... It tasted so expensive! And truth be told... it was, but since we were sampling it didn't matter!) you go down to this cellar:
And... in conclusion for our castle tour... some lazy, big and FAT sheep on our way out:
Me in my first maternity blouse: :) (I got it at a sample sale and didn't realise that it was a maternity top at the time... but it has come in handy!)
And final departure pics of the Castle and vineyards:
Now... for the time in the Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park... We went with Mary Gillies and two of her granddaughters.
Come along!
Here is a sign from on the way:
And Izak drove Mary's faithful little car:
So beautiful... and it is just the entrance! Check out the site for more info on the Park: http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=546
Here you can see a redwood marked with the different times that it lived through:
Some of the redwoods:
Mary Gillies and the girls:
Izak up in a tree!
And in a tree:
Some last ones:(You can see how little the Gillies girls look compared to the tree in the last pic!)
THANK YOU SO MUCH for reading such a long post! We hope that you got a glimpse of the beauty and how much we enjoyed our time away!
Lots of love,
The Bakkes THREE!
