Healing: Sundays 09h15 – 09h45
Church service: Sundays 10h00 – ± 11h00
COMMITTEE MEMBERS
CHAIRPERSON: Kerry-Lee Jesson
SECRETARY: Tina Thomas
TREASURER: James Sharkey
GENERAL MEMBER: Colin Mackrory
Namaste Sanctuary of Love…
It is with great pride that I reflect on a most memorable and successful Folk Festival 2015! We all certainly played our parts and pulled together to make the 16th June 2015 one worth remembering! Thank you everyone!!! If I had to mention each person individually, I would be here until next festival, even from our friends who were unable to be physically present, we felt the energy and love from far and wide and I thank you all!
We were blessed with magnificent weather and a fabulous turnout, not to mention top class performers entertaining us and delightful food and beverages! Our stallholders were all thrilled with their stalls and the support they received. A special thank you to Cynthia Cole for heading the food ship for us and as usual making it run like clockwork, all of you helping and giving of your time!
Behind the scenes and working so very hard, Tina, thank you, the grounds looked magnificent, the roadway was cleared, trees cut, lawn manicured and the Sanctuary building sparkling, thank you for your tireless dedication to manning the gate and for the incredible donations you brought in … I am speechless, Colin, for your endless support of Tina and James, we are so blessed to have your wisdom and patience and constant encouragement in the face of adversity… “how do you eat an elephant Kerry-Lee?” Oh James, I don’t know….. “one bite at a time” … and that’s how it was done!
David… there are no words, Fran and you are a blessing, a seamless, memorable and successful production once again, Namaste Dear Friend.
Thank you to all the clairvoyants, to Bev for the ticket sales, to the helpers at the tea and food stall, to the stallholders and family and friends for supporting us!
We brought in a total of R33 306.00, without our usual donation from tourism (they need our NPO certificate, which is pending). Our expenditure was R21 590.00, which leaves an enormous profit of R11 716.00 – excluded is the R2000-00 in goods and cash donated to SPCA and donation values still outstanding (tent loan, printing by Key Computers, signage from The Rock, Accommodation and meals Venture Inn, Medical Tent Sister Tanya, T-Shirts and Caps for car guards etc.) . This is a fantastic result, even though the expenditure was high – we needed to get the property and grounds in good condition. This beats our previous festival profits by just under R8 000.00!! Thank you James for the efficient treasury of all the funds in our new income generating bank account! Well done ALL!
Sue Duncan hosted a very successful development circle, which was attended by 20 members! What a blessing – thank you Sue. Looking forward to seeing new faces on the platform soon!
Di Hayter reported a very good day for the Tweni Cats!
New Banking Account: The Sanctuary has a new banking account which is held with Nedbank in Shelly Beach. Thank you James and Tina for the tireless effort in getting this task completed. This all helps the Sanctuary to operate professionally and effectively.
Animal Food and Blanket Collection: The beautiful rain has also brought a lot of cold weather, so if you can spare a packet of doggie biscuits or some old blankets, towels or yoga mats, they will be gratefully received by the animals without homes or love. A pillow or old soft toy… the animals could do with a little warmth if you have anything to spare. Brick-a-Brack is always welcomed by the SPCA as they sell in their shop to help assist with the upkeep of the unit. So please give them a thought when next you clean out your cupboards! Thank you Irene for assisting Tina in getting all the donations to the Charity shop after the festival.
Roster for the Balance of 2015: Attached is a copy of the roster for the rest of the year (subject to change). If your name appears on the roster and you cannot make the date, please contact me as soon as possible so that I can make alternative arrangements.
WOW Moment: A very scary one shared by Elaine Whitham
BUFFALO ATTACK
We had spent 3 fun and exciting weeks in Kruger National Park with many friends from the Bird Club. 7 of us celebrated Ron’s 75th birthday on 1 November with a lunch at Mugg and Bean at Satara with a further celebration at Letaba a week later when 8 more friends joined the trip. 4 of us went on to Pafuri River Camp after which Ron and I were heading off to Mpungubwe, Marakele and Nylsvlei ending up in Pretoria to celebrate our 45th wedding anniversary with some family and friends, on 28th November.
Our plans were shattered on 14 November.
Ron’s account:
Stan and I were out birding early in the morning, about 50m or so from the office/camp area. I had just taken a photo of a flower on a baobab tree and was walking away from the tree with Stan when I saw a buffalo enter from a gap in the bush, almost like a hedge. The buffalo ran along the bush to a corner. Stan and I were screaming and shouting as I watched the buffalo. It looked at me and then charged. There was a tree close by so I jumped behind the tree. The buffalo’s charge hit the tree after which I remember nothing until I ‘awoke’ on the ground. The buffalo was walking towards me and I thought then that it was going to walk on me. I turned my head and saw the buffalo’s face right in front of me. There was compassion in his eyes as though he was saying he did what he had to and was now sorry. I also heard shots being fired and saw the flame from the gun. The buffalo then left me. I was gasping for breath but didn’t seem to be in pain. The trip to the Mine hospital was probably the worst that I remember – I was bounced around on the back of the bakkie due to the rough terrain and speed. Someone had got a mattress from the workshop close by, for me to lie on, on the bakkie. Stan and someone from Pafuri were with me on the bakkie.
In hindsight, the buffalo probably felt trapped as he was surrounded by bush.
Stan’s account:
At around 7.00am Ron and I were walking through the grounds of the camp looking for birds when we heard the sound of a large animal coming from the bush. At first I thought it was one of the local cows that we had been seeing but it immediately became apparent that we had disturbed a large and agitated buffalo. We both froze hoping the animal would run away. Our hopes were dashed when the buffalo charged straight at us from a distance of only 40 metres and we had no time to react other than to scatter. The beast headed towards Ron who attempted to protect himself behind a small tree but to no avail. From where I was standing just a short distance away it appeared that
the buffalo’s horn thrust upwards inside the belt of his shorts lifting him completely off the ground and causing the wound to his side. Ron was screaming with pain and was then tossed to the ground like a rag doll. He was now groaning and immobile. Fearing a further attack on his prostrate body I picked up a large branch that was lying nearby and hurled this at the buffalo. This got his attention, he turned and, unfortunately, charged in my direction. I started to run but the animal was much quicker. I glanced behind and at this point I stumbled, the buffalo hit me in the side and I was sent tumbling to the ground. lt can only have been a glancing blow otherwise my injuries would have been much more severe. I ended up in a ball with my legs and feet up against the animal’s head and I was pushed under a bush. Exhausted I stopped shouting and the buffalo backed off slightly and just stared at me for what seemed like an eternity. I was then aware of the beast relieving himself. Had he finished with me or had he just stopped for a pee? I will never know the answer to this question because several gun shots rang out and the buffalo turned and ran. The shots were fired by a fellow camper whose site we had passed minutes earlier. He had heard the commotion and came running down the track armed with a 9mm pistol.
Although it seemed like a life time the whole incident lasted only a few minutes. Koos was quickly on the scene with his bakkie. He explained that the nearest competent doctor was at the Tshikondeni Coal Mine and it was agreed that we would take Ron there. An old wooden bed and a couple of mattresses were used as a stretcher and Ron, by now semi-conscious and in great pain, was lifted carefully onto the back of the bakkie by Koos and some of his staff.
It must be noted that, Pafuri River Camp does not have game. We were told that the buffalo had been wounded about 3 weeks prior to the incident and had been chased all this time, ending up at the camp….
Ron was airlifted from Tshikondeni to Polokwane Provincial Hospital where he spent almost 9 weeks – 7 in ICU, 1 in High Care,1 in Surgical then we arranged a road ambulance to move him to Greys Hospital in PMB where he spent a further week. The ICU care was second to none, sadly the Surgical Ward was a disaster, hence the move! Stan was bruised and suffered a sore chest along with grazes all over and luckily did not require hospitalization.
Thanks to Stan’s and the shooter’s actions, this incident has a happy ending. It’s been a long road for Ron and the family to travel, but we have come through. There is obviously so much more to the whole story, but suffice it to say that Ron has made a miraculous recovery and Stan is good too!
Our situation, exacerbated by the fact that we were so far from home, but, how lucky we were that Ron was taken to Polokwane where I have a dear cousin and Heather, a very dear friend. Both these families gave us a home for the 2 months we were in Polokwane. Heather’s friend, Alistair drove her from PMB to Polokwane the same day and stayed with us for a few days until our son, Jeff arrived on the Tuesday from England, with the blessing of his dear wife Janet and sons, Andrew and Matthew. Jeff was with us for 3 weeks, Heather stayed with me and her Dad until the beginning of February. My wonderful children kept me going and continue to do so!!
Our anniversary, just 2 weeks after Ron was injured, was a difficult day – one of many! However, Heather and Jeff arranged to take me to dinner at a delightful garden restaurant ‘The Dish’ just ‘round the corner’ from the hospital. Tinged with much sadness but silver lined knowing that Ron so far had survived and that the 3 of us were together.
When something like this happens, one appreciates more than words can ever express – ALL the wonderful friends, acquaintances and family – ALL their constant messages of support, love and healing.
Anatomy of a friend
Shoulders to cry on – Ears for listening – Arms for hugging
Hands for helping and a Big Heart for loving.
Just want to say – thanks for having the perfect body
With heartfelt thanks and much love – Elaine (Whitham)
We are privileged to be able to add you or your loved ones to our prayer list, so please let us know if anyone, any situation or animal is in need of healing and we will pray together as a Sanctuary.
Healing prayers
We ask that you please hold the following people in your prayers:
- Mark Lehmann’s Dad
- Dianne Visser
- Rod and Estelle Pettican and family
- Amy Cookson (Clyde’s granddaughter)
- Our Sanctuary
TIME is HERE for the CAPSULE
Please contribute to the time capsule – we are hoping to get sealed up by the next service
In Closing… I would like to share a 30 “notes to self” that I have reflected on this month;
#1. The great call on our lives is to do our part to make other lives better.
#2. Get enough rest. It’s a key factor in high performance + longevity.
#3. Focus on how far you’ve come versus how far you still have to go.
#4. Make the time to thank those who have encouraged you along the way.
#5. Remind yourself relentlessly that mastery comes from going to your edges rather than clinging to what’s known.
#6. Do more things that make you happy.
#7. Practice removing complaint from your vocabulary (bonus tip: complaint is often frozen anger).
#8. See your work as your craft. And devote yourself to knowing more about what you do than anyone who has ever done what you do.
#9. Remember that creativity + peak productivity are seasonal: there’s a time to plant and a time to harvest.
#10. Be kind to strangers. You just might save a life this way.
#11. Regularly rewrite how you will have wished you will have lived on the last day of your life in your journal. This heightens your focus on doing what counts. And trains your brain to get it done.
#12. Read for an hour a day. This ritual opens up frontiers that will make you a better producer, a deeper thinker and a richer human.
#13. Walk into the situations that terrify you. This is how bravery grows. And the finest way I know of to take your power back.
#14. Know that internal power, cultivated via years of inner work (reading + visualizing + contemplating + affirming + journaling + discussing + meditating + going to conferences etc.) is exponentially more valuable (and fulfilling) than external power (titles/status/cash)…a strong character always beats a large bank account…and decency lasts longer than fame.
#15. When you stumble, just say “I am sorry”.
#16. When you hurt, just feel the hurt.
#17. When you love, just trust in it fully.
#18. When you dream, know it’s the wisest part of you suggesting the next level available to you. Take the hint.
#19. Remind yourself that health is wealth. And should you lose yours, nothing will be more important than getting it back.
#20. Protect your mindset. Negative stimuli have never been so everywhere. So please: Less news and more beauty. Less gossip and more art. Less grumbling and more gratitude.
#21. Learn from the past but don’t wallow in it.
#22. Remember that your income will never exceed your self-identity. And that your outer results mirror your inner story.
#23. When you fall, get back up. When you win, decide how you’ll make it even better.
#24. Work hard on being more present. Presence is rare these days–and a phenomenal gift to give those who intersect your days.
#25. Laugh at yourself. Life’s too short to take yourself too seriously.
#26. Trust that blaming others is excusing yourself.
#27. Know that success lies around a brilliant execution on the fundamentals.
#28. Having a grand vision is cool. Being amazing at getting it done is far hipper.
#29. Be good at living your own life + values versus great at living everyone else’s.
#30. Don’t miss the so-called ordinary pleasures every day brings to the wise soul who notices them…the singing birds or the beautiful coffee or the inspirational poem or the laughing child or the clean water or breezes winding through the lush trees…witnessing these forges a life gorgeously lived…
Wishing you all peace, love and light,
Kerry-Lee
GENERAL INFORMATION
Meditation Circles:
Elaine Whitwam is running a circle at the Sanctuary on Fridays at from 1pm – 2pm.
Church members offering various modalities:
| Dr Dianne Visser – 082 340 3492 | Hypnotherapy, Past Life Regression, Counselling, Clairvoyant Readings, Reiki, Reflexology |
| Estelle Pettican – 076 212 1600 | Clairvoyant Readings |
| Les Bedser – 074 829 2646 | Clairvoyant Readings – Evidential mediumshipPath of Light Course, weekly |
| Clyde Mitchell – 082 779 2315 | Spiritual Healing and Indian Head MassageHOUSE SITTING SERVICES FOR PETS AND HOMES
FEEL SECURE WHILE YOU ARE AWAY |
| Elaine Whitwam– 082 3377702 | Trauma support group |
| Kerry-Lee Jesson – 083 271 7439 | Sunshine Yoga Studio, Classes Mon – Sat |
| Sandy Morris -084 587 6134 | Gentle Bihar Yoga at Tweni Library |
| Helen Dodge – 084 987 2018 | Circle Dancing, at the Venture Inn, Friday evenings, suggested donation R40 per session. |
| Mary Wood – 071 157 3939 | Come and join me for “Nia” on a Tuesday mornings at Eugene’s Dojo in Hibberdene. I also have an Exercise routine of pilates/yoga DVD – R100 |
| Michelle Pugin – 071 119 3994 | Dreamcatchers |