 Rev Bill Bathman dedicated 67 years of his life to Missions, mostly in Eastern Europe serving persecuted Christians in communist countries.
His youngest daughter, Lenora Hammond discovered this unpublished manuscript Shepherding in a Dog Society amongst her father's files and determined to type it up and prepare it for publication.
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 Dear Friends and Prayer Partners!
Greetings to you from a very cold and wintery Cape Town. We have had unprecedented cold weather, including hail and snow in the suburbs of Cape Town, which is practically unheard of. We are grateful for hot water bottles and blankets to see us through this cold spell. As we speak, a Frontline Mission Team is getting ready for a series of over 3-month overland journeys within Southern Africa. This kind of complex expedition takes months of planning and preparation so that each km travelled is used to its best advantage. The people we communicate with to set up conferences, seminars, school assemblies and training workshops work hard to prepare for the arrival of our teams. Ministry in those areas is varied, reaching as many groups as possible per Village and Town. Visits to various areas are planned for the journey up, as well as for the return trip. Our very elderly vehicles and trailers go through thorough inspections and services to make sure they are safe and roadworthy. With the limitations on travel world-wide, increasing costs for fuel, visas, health test costs; to overcome the series of hurdles and the bureaucratic obstacles, we are grateful we are able to participate in this aspect of our ministry again. Prayers are coveted as this dedicated Team ventures North. Dear Friends and Family!
Greetings from a very wet and wintery Southern Hemisphere! We trust this finds those of you in the Northern Hemisphere well, enjoying summer weather and all things this conjures up. While the whole world seems to be headed in a crazy direction, and while we are selectively being fed a very hand-picked and particular narrative, we are grateful to know God is still on the Throne and that He is Sovereign over all things world-wide.  My family has always believed it is important to celebrate milestones, anniversaries and to remember their significance. I am commemorating my tenth anniversary of my cancer diagnosis of June 2010. It was days before Peter and I left on a speaking tour of Europe. I remember being grateful for that excursion as it gave me time to pray, plan and put life into perspective.
No one wants to hear the dreaded “C” diagnosis. The stigma attached to this feared disease is significant and it sends shock waves throughout most families. But God is never taken by surprise. He numbered the days I would spend on this earth while I was being formed in my mother’s womb. It is up to me to make each day count. To view this newsletter as a PDF with pictures CLICK HERE
Dearest Friends and Family! “‘For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,’ says the LORD.” — Isaiah 55:8 Isaiah summed up the year 2019 quite accurately for me! I certainly had no idea what a tumultuous year was ahead. Knowing, Loving and Serving God makes the paths we navigate daily so much more secure. Understanding that His purposes and plans are not always ours is not something to fear but to actually look forward to. In March I was in Arizona with my mother and between my sister Debbie from Austria and I, we were able to arrange for her home to be sold in record time and to move Mom to an independent living facility. She had her own apartment there and in a sense felt she was given a new lease on life. Upon my return home in April we were given the news that my cancer has spread into my bones. My hip was treated with radiation. As I am Stage Four now, I am considered incurable. But again I am reminded of the God we serve. Dear Friends and Family!
What a year 2019 has turned out to be. It seems to me that many major Life Events have been crammed into this year already, most of which would need a year, or more, to process and come to grips with. But God is Sovereign and merciful and we rejoice in His perfect timing for all of us. In March of this year, I helped my mother in Arizona move from her home she had shared with our late Dad for 16 years into an independent living facility. My sister Debbie and I were able to be on hand to help with the sale of their home and the trek across Mesa, Arizona to a one-bedroom apartment. Mom seemed to have a new lease on life and worked hard to make new friends.   To view the PDF with all pictures CLICK HERE
Dearest Friends and Family! What a privilege it is to look back at the year and review all the many blessings that God has showered upon us again. We have been blessed with many opportunities, additions to our family, some heart aches, some travel and the expansion of our family life here on East Way. January starts off with a bang every year as we host the Biblical Worldview Summit and the Great Commission Course. This year was no exception and we found ourselves scrambling to accommodate the over 130 participants. We had a lively and varied bunch of Teens and young adults and were grateful for the many opportunities this afforded. Tragically, during our Great Commission Course portion, during free time, one of our Course participants heartbreakingly lost his life during a swimming accident. This caused the group to bond in a way few things can. We were blessed being able to witness the group’s caliber in character and testimony. The young man’s family were very gracious and we had the memorial service and funeral here in Cape Town.  Dear Family and Friends!
Greetings from a lovely Cape Town, where winter is being ushered up to the Northern Hemisphere and Spring is making its debut. Most of you are aware of the serious drought the Western Cape has undergone, but this last winter God has blessed us with an abundant amount of rain and our dams are nearly full. Yet, our ANC government has decided that punitive water restrictions are an additional way for them to extort more money from hard-pressed Capetonians and we are now being charged a ‘sundries levy’ which is purportedly going towards building new water desalination plants. Much more can be said on this topic, but suffice to say that despite stringent restrictions, our gardens are green and our rain water tanks are full in preparation for our dry summer ahead. It is always a good principle to conserve water and certainly our family has perfected the art of showering while standing in buckets and using this water for all and sundry other purposes.  View this article as a printable PDF
From Africa to the Alps & Wittenberg The year of our Lord 2017 started out unlike any other for us. Especially for me. My dearly beloved father had gone to be with the Lord, just after his 89th birthday, a somewhat expected promotion, but never the less the hardest farewell I have ever said. My sister Debbie was visiting here in Cape Town during December and it was very precious that she and I were able to Skype a number of times with Mom and Dad during his final days. My mother was a sterling stalwart and ably cared for Dad’s medical needs. She stood by his side every moment of the day and night and ministered to each and every request. Debbie and I were very grateful that Mom was skillfully assisted by our good friend Mary, a nearby neighbor.  Dearest Friends!
The year 2016 arrived brimming with guests and camp participants. We had such an array of international attendees, and I must say, it was the most action packed three week camp and course I have ever known. It is particularly meaningful to Peter and me, when our children willingly and joyfully participate in the events and outreaches as well. Growing up in a Missionary home can be daunting to say the least, and often children feel duty bound to ‘tow the line’. So when our children invite their friends and form an integral part of our Camp and Course, our hearts as parents are full. |
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"And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.
Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.” Matthew 28: 18-20
Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.” Matthew 28: 18-20
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P.O. Box 74 Newlands 7725
Cape Town, South Africa |
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