Son: Shane (Canada)
Born: 7 January, 1962 as a premature infant
Love him? Adore him! Proud of him? I praise God for a son of his caliber! I am experiencing mixed emotions as I write about you, Shane. We have had to endure really tough times together and many heartaches. Then you were conscripted to the Police Force for your military training. How well I remember the day before your 18th birthday, when you were on your way to the Police training camp. I stretched out my hand, and clung onto yours, as the train slowly moved away. I wished that it was a long piece of elastic and that I would never have to let you go.
What a gem you were, too, as a child! When you started school at the age of 5 years, it was evident that you were brilliant – in fact even before you went to school, and we did a bit of “home schooling”. At the age of four years you could connect the wires to an electric plug. As you grew up, you had a passion for airplanes. You built your own radio in a cardboard casing at the age of 10 years and a remote control plane, and regardless of how many times it crashed, you patiently repaired it, and up it went into the air once again. Just like you. You never give up!
At school you did me proud. Always conscientious, always achieving high. You were a quiet child, always grasping for some intellectual challenge. Then came the day when you were called to go to the Police Academy. When you graduated, I was SO proud of you. Wow!
You put your life on the line many times while in the Police Force. I still recall with horror, how you chased a car load of criminals, sped ahead of them and stood in the middle of the road, gun in hand. I praise God that He kept you safe. While in the force you started studying electronics – the talent that was evident in you at a very early age. You excelled and reached higher and higher in your achievements in this field. You moved on to start your own computer repair business, and landed contracts with top banks and companies. Next minute, the compelling desire to become a pilot gripped you and today you have a pilot’s license.
What a sad day it was on 18 January 1991, when you left with your family for Canada. Since then I have only been able to see you on three occasions. What a heavy cross to bear! You have continued to soar in your achievements, being a graduate of a technikon in South Africa, as well as two universities. You were admitted as a Fellow of the South African Institute of Electrical Engineers. You have two “equivalence evaluation” degrees (Bachelor of Science Computer Science and Bachelor of Science Electrical Engineering)recognized by the University of Toronto. You are a Fellow member of the international Programmer’s Guild (Toronto, Canada and Geneva, Switzerland), and you are the Transport Canada accepted Quality Manager.
As if that was not enough, you were the President and CEO of your own company designing and manufacturing electronic devices for aeroplanes for ten years. For the past 12 years you hold the same office in another company. You have designed and manufactured 116 electronic devices for planes, of which you are the holder of copyrights (USA Patent).
Your achievements do not end. In 1998 you designed and implemented the first Canadian INTERNET credit card transactional system in conjunction with some of the banks in Canada. In all of your brilliance, you have a great sense of humor. I quote you – “Pilot, free thinker and self-acclaimed notable idiot”.
Your most recent achievement, my precious son, is summed up as “World Record Product Release – the largest simultaneous Aviation Instrumentation Product Release” This is the largest simultaneous, multiple product release for multiple aircraft in the world aviation history. 126 of your products have been certified for installation in over 1,100 different aircraft models covering approximately 350,000 aircraft worldwide.
Little did I know who God gave me. He placed a gem in my hands.
I am writing this post for my blog “E-pistle from Ecuador” to honor you, my treasured son! You are my “jewel”. Thank you for who you are! You sparkle in my eyes. It almost blinds me!
Daughter: My little Jewel in Heaven – Sheldine Rose
Stillborn: 11 April 1963
“He saw that rest was good” (Genesis 49:15). That, my baby girl, is the Scripture that God gave your Mom, two weeks before you were born. Those are the words that I have engraved on your tombstone.
My most precious, perfect Jewel – perfect because you did not have time to sin. I saw you for a few brief minutes. You are perfect my little darling daughter, because you were stillborn. Jesus needed you, for reasons known only to Him. I praise Him today for doing just that, because I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that you are shining like a gem in heaven, and I will see you again This time we will be together forever. We will never be parted again – never!
Quite recently I came across a Scripture verse that I had never thought of before. My womb was your grave and it was also where God sent and fetched you to be with Him in Heaven. In Jeremiah 20:17, he makes reference to his mother’s womb being a grave. You have a heavenly life, while I have an earthly longing to have held you in my arms, my tiny baby girl. I believe they call it the “Empty Arm Syndrome”. I still have in my possession the tiny little woolen jacket, embroidered with rose buds, made especially to welcome you.
Five years later while thinking of you with many tears, I believe God put a word in my mind. “Don’t you see I am making heaven more precious for you?” Yes, my darling, little girl, I do see it now, and time is fast approaching when I will see you, and you will see me for the first time! That’s exciting, my exquisite Jewel – sweet Sheldine Rose!
Son: Earl (Ecuador)
Born: 21 December 1964
I almost lost a second gem. His foetal heart rate dropped to 60. I lay in the delivery room, and reminded God of the promise He gave me, before he was born. I needed it, following his sister Sheldine’s death, and the events around his birth. "No one shall suffer miscarriage……I will fulfill the number of your days”. (Exodus 23:26) I called out to God and almost instantly you were born. Reading the verse after almost forty-six years, the last part of that verse has come to light – “I will fulfill the number of your days”. You were born well past your due date – the only one of your brothers and sister, who was not born prematurely! God is great, and His Word is powerful!
Earl, you are a multifaceted gem. Let me see if I can list your capabilities and talents.
You are a musician, an exceptional guitarist, an Arranger, Producer, Studio Engineer, Guitar teacher, Web Designer, Web Master; and a Writer. You are highly skilled in advanced Graphic Design. You recently drew plans for a three story house and are now supervising the building project. Photography is your pet hobby. You have a thorough knowledge of computer programs; you somehow seem to solve other people’s computer mess-ups, like my own. It is no wonder that I battle to understand the first sentence that you utter when I try to learn some new function on the computer – the level is too low for you to understand. At least I am one up on you. Last but not least, I want to thank you for the construction work you did to make the Rest-a-While Cancer Center – my ministry – a most beautiful place. Thank you for being a rare gem!
You are an upright son, a son of integrity, a son who loves the Lord; a man of high moral standing. You are passionately fond of animals, and you have remained with me through the lowest and most difficult times in our lives, and the highlights of our lives. You are the one who spent hours with Papa discussing Bible and prophetic matters. You are not only a gem to me, but a gem to God. How I pray and have always done so, that you will count for God in a great way, and impact many others with your gifts and especially your music.
Son: Shannon. Seattle, USA
Born: 4 May 1967
Now just look at who has popped up onto my screen! I almost lost you, too, before you were born, when you had only developed for six months. You could not wait to get into this world and two months later I was awarded with yet another gem. Just as well that you were delivered by Caesarian Section, so that your mega brain could not be harmed in any way.
You were very sickly as a young child. Fifty percent of the time you were at home and not at school, and yet you scored the highest in your class. You excelled in every year at school. After your military training you studied for a Bachelor of Science degree majoring in Computer Science and Applied Mathematics. You excelled and received gold and bronze medals. You then proceeded to study for an Honors Degree in applied Mathematics and almost scored a bull’s eye of one hundred percent. Your next achievement was your Master’s Degree in Applied Mathematics and once again you scored high and scooped up a medal.
You are an extremely modest person, not wanting anyone to know of your achievements. But your mother was one up on you. I secretly lured you into taking your photograph after your graduation, wrote a short article on you and published it in the local Newspaper. You were not impressed with me, but today you laugh about my good intentions! Talking about laughing, although you are a very reserved person, when you and I are together, you are the most comical and fun person to be with. We are at each other constantly, laughing, joking and trying to catch each other unawares with some new prank. Do 70 year-olds and 40 year-olds do this kind of thing? What a gem! I best describe you as a gemstone, half buried in the sand, and the other half flashing and glistening in the sun. What a gem you are, my son!
It broke my heart when you emigrated to Seattle, USA on 3 January 2000. Four years went by, before we eventually saw each other again. Once again you completed a second Master’s Degree, this time in Computer Science at the University of Washington. Once again I could applaud you with your excellent score, and your achievement as top graphics designer. You paid for my flight to Seattle. You greeted me with flowers, my bedroom, as you call it, the “Presidential Suite” was ready for me.
You introduced me to mountaineering and hikes and “forced” me to go hiking at “gun point”. We climbed mountains together. The first hike I ever did, was to scramble to the top of High Rock and make a special “congratulations” card for you.
You spoiled me, as no other person has. Each day that I spent with you was a celebration. I made sure that each day I could congratulate you in a different way, and you had to behave, because I had the camera trained on you.
The time arrived for a string of celebrations at the University of Washington – and I had the privilege of accompanying you to the Commencement. That was exciting and fun, especially when you were “culled” with the longest row of balloons balancing on your “bright brain”. We attended the “faculty dinner” announcing your achievements. A few days later it was your graduation. How grateful to God I was that you were my son, and that I had the privilege of sharing this time with you.
The highlight for all your hard work was the day of the graduation at the Husky Center, University of Washington. As a South African, I have never witnessed such a grand occasion in all of my life. It was beyond description. Ten thousand students graduated, but the most important person where I was concerned, was you.
Shannon, my son, how could I ever thank you for the huge financial contributions you have made to both myself and my ministry with Cancer sufferers. Your generosity extends beyond words. You may not realize it, but with your aid, I was able to tenderly care for many dying people, and above all, lead them to Jesus Christ before they died. Yes, my son, you are a gem!
I cannot understand how a brilliant guy would want to take sabbatical leave and climb every mountain that you could think of in the U.S.A. and Canada. I loathe the thought of you sleeping on the tops of high mountains covered in snow, sleeping out in the open, in a “bivey”; hiking over glaciers, and dodging crevasses. You climb up frozen waterfalls. and climb with ease up sheer rock faces. But I guess that is “son’s stuff” – definitely not mine!
My gem, like your two brothers, I am honored to be your mother!
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