I walked out in the front yard of the Weichardts to glance at Table Mountain. The majestic landmark is beautiful. Clouds drape over the corner and appear to be smoke stacks coming from God’s mountain.

The last three days of wind, rain and cold has transformed into a gorgeous day. You can see the ocean, the mountain and remember the refreshed splender of God’s creation. I guess we need more rainy days in our lives to appreciate the spender of God’s presence on a daily basis.

Many thoughts flash through my heart as I remember yesterday and a summary of research conducted by the Human Sciences Research Council of South Africa. It was the introduction of Teenage TATA, the voices of young fathers in South Africa. “Tata” is the isiXhosa word for father or daddy. It is a polite form of address to an older African man. This research was conducted in Cape Town, Durban and Pretoria over the last two years. It was fascinating information.

The conclusion of the research was that children benefit greatly from the prescence of a caring and supportive father. One of the young fathers, Lonwabo, said, I wish I could have bonded with my father growing up. I missed all that. . . I am longing for that father bond! So, I wanted to give like that to my baby.

The real truth is that 63% of children in Africa have no father involved in their life. I wonder what the statistic is in America? I know that we have met thousands of young people who live in blended families and have little to not contact with their real father.

Over these 40 years there have been many young people who look to us as their Table Mountain. We are the landmark that stands out in their life of faith. Someone they can look to for a bearing or a waypoint in life. Continually we get surprise calls from former young people seeking guidance for their adult life.

Who is looking to you as their Table mountain? Glance around and see the young eyes looking at you. Don’t miss the gleem in their eye and smile from their eager heart. You are the landmark, the father figure for some you may never notice.

We had a great week with Janet who is also from Memphis and has followed God’s call to Lusaka, Zambia. We spent the week getting to know her better and walking through the issues she faces in that ministry.

Her favorite ministry site is Mercy Ministries located just out of town. They focus on a poor village and provide school for 371 students in the area.

We met with Dorothy who started the ministry and is a native Zambian. What a heart and outreach she has built.

I loved the ministry to widows that has old-timey sewing machines to teach the women how to sew. I remember pushing the pedal of my grandmother’s sewing machine in Walnut Grove, Mississippi. Wow. Did this room take me back to childhood memories.

During the week we met with numerous other missionaries who have become friends with Janet. What a joy to see some of what God is doing in the area.

On Thursday we traveled out into the countryside and saw the dam in northern Zambia. The simple villages were fascinating.

The trees captured Cathy’s view. She took many pictures of the special tree.

Tomorrow we leave for Cape Town, South Africa. We look forward to seeing so many friends.

Danny