A Story of Sacrifice

What kind of sacrifice or commitment are you willing to  make in behalf of the business you have

started or want to start? Are you willing to " sleep " with the chickens?

 

Let me tell you about a man named Moses. Moses had a dream and goal to start a

small business, and began by making a plan. The plan was simple, by most standards. He

wanted to raise chickens. But for someone living where a dollar a day was a good day, it wasn't

so simple. He made a list of all the resources and people he would need to help him understand

what it would take to raise and sell chickens. First, he would need money to buy 25 day-old

chicks and enough feed to keep them for six weeks until they could be sold. Moses had done his

homework, and knew that the optimal age to sell chickens was between 6 and 7 weeks old.

 

For months, Moses, his wife and six-month old baby ate only one meager meal a day. He found

odd jobs wherever he could. and saved every "Zim " ( about 5 cents ) to purchase the chicks

Finally after months of sacrifice, perseverance, and dedication, he had the funds to buy 25

chicks. What a happy day! Moses brought the chicks home. He would now have to keep them

warm and fed until they reached the selling age. He had an old tin washtub and some wire. As

small as the chicks were, he could easily contain them in the tub with the wire over the top.

During the day, he would take them outside, but when night came, the chicks came into the

house to sleep with the family. Moses would wake several times during the night to water and

feed the chicks.

 

Everything worked well for the first few weeks, but then the chicks began to grow out of their

tub at an alarming rate. Now they had to be watched 24/7, unable to stay in the tub any longer

Because of the great risk of theft, Moses now became security for his investment. He did what

he needed to do to protect what he had struggled so hard to achieve.  He had made a goal and

plan and he was determined to make it happen! Of course at night, the chickens, no longer small,

fluffy chicks, were herded into the house to spend the night. The nights became very long

with 25 chickens running around, but you can't let them out of your sight day or night. They

were the results of a plan that was working.

 

Moses' house, to say the least, was a mess! But his wife supported him and his plan and knew what

kind of sacrifice had to be made. She tried her best to help with the chickens, while trying

to keep the house clean enough to raise their baby. What a joy it was to get to the end of the

sixth week, and sell all the chickens. Then they started the process all over again, this time

having enough profit to buy 50 chicks! For another six weeks, it now became twice the

challenge. When 100 chicks were purchased, Moses realized that housing had become a huge

problem.

 

Plans were added to the original goal, and some of the profit was used to adapt this growing

enterprise. A chicken coop needed to be built. One hundred chickens in the house at night was

just not working. Moses and friends built a chicken coop behind his house-using scrapes of

building materials. To keep the chickens safe during the night, Moses built a raised bunk into

the side of the coop. The chickens are no longer sleeping in the house, but Moses is sleeping

with his chickens!  Are YOU willing to sleep with the chickens?

 

So this is used to show people that have nothing to start out with. How much and what it takes for

them to start a business. We love you and miss you see you soon. Love mom and dad Grandpa

and Grandma and Elder and Sister Van Sickle

Temple Sealing in Johannasburg (4/26/13)

Hi Everybody

We have been in Johannesburg the last few days. It took us 11 hours to get here. We left at 10:00 a.m. in the morning and got here about 9:00 p.m at night. Joburg is

a huge city. It's probably 3 times bigger than Salt Lake. We came to the temple with the kwanobuhle 1 ward. In December it was the Kwanobuhle 2 ward that we

came with. They had about 10 people. This ward came with 29 people. There was five couples that got sealed. All 29 of the ward was in the room when they

they got sealed. We just can not tell you how wonderful it was. One couple Noah and his wife got sealed and there two year old daughter got sealed to them. Then there was a

couples in there 80's that got sealed. Then sister Joseph and her husband got sealed and there 19 year old son that is getting ready to go on mission got sealed

to them. Today we did baptism's for the dead. The ward members were doing there own deceased parents and one had a brother that had passed away when he

got back from his mission and he was doing the temple work for him. Brother Stokeway's mother passed away 6 month after he was on his mission. He baptized his

wife for her. It was just so special. These people are truly the pioneers in the gospel in South Africa. I'm going to send a picture

of Noah and his wife and daughter right after they were sealed. We will be making the long drive back to Port Elizabeth tomorrow. We are looking forward to

seeing everyone at the wedding reception. Love Elder and Sister Van Sickle.

April 2013

School Children

Elder Van Sickle baptized Victoria, She's the lady with the curly hair

Township barbershop ( only costs 20R for a haircut ) ( 2.00 in American money ) 

Elder Van Sickle baptized Sister Saul's granddaughter

4/6/13 - Experiences & Testimony of Tithing

April 6, 2013  We are now on our way to Mthatha 2 1/2 hours from East London. What a beautiful drive. So many farms everywhere. We saw people
herding animals. we also saw bles buck, many goats, a grey baboon. It must have been a grandpa because it was grey. At least that is what
Elder Van Sickle said. We have never seen mud huts in South Africa until on our drive to Mthatha. We were on our way to the L.D.S. Church
in Mthatha to present L.D.S. Jobs to the 1st counsellor seeing how the bishop was out of town. When we pulled up to the church and there
was a member there. She was also waiting for the 1st counsellor also. As soon as we saw her I knew we were suppose to help her. She started
talking to us. We asked her how long she had been a member. She said three years. She was going to college in East London and living
with her sister. She said she had come to visit her mother. She said that her mother was a member but hadn't been coming to church for a
long time because she can't afford to pay tithing. We asked her why she couldn't pay tithing. She started to cry. I am so worried about her. She said because she is to far
in debt. She is so stressed out. We told her people don't think they can afford to pay tithing but you can't afford not too.  It's
 all about putting the lord first in your life. He will bless your mother if she pays her tithing. Its not if you have enough money to pay tithing. It's do
you have enough faith to pay it. It's saying lord  I know better what to do with my money than you do. We are depending on our selves
and not the lord. I was prompted to tell her the story of the widow's mite. Mark 12:41-44 And Jesus sat over against the treasury, and beheld how
the people cast money into the treasury: and many that were rich cast in much. And there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites, which make a farthing. And he called unto him his disciples, and saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That this poor widow hath cast more in, than all they which have cast into the treasury: For all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living.                                                     We asked her where her mother lived. She explained that she lives on the other side of Mthatha and that it
was a long ways. Elder Van Sickle said we would love to meet your mother. Will you take us there after our meeting. By then the 1st counsellor
had arrived. So we all went into the church. Elder Van Sickle taught L,D S. JOBS to the 1st counsellor and her. Then after the meeting Sinazo hopped into
our car and we headed to her mother's house. We drove out of town and onto a dirt road and went it seemed like forever. Sinazo explained
to us that they walk from there house down the dirt road all the way to the main road. Which is a 30 minute walk then they take a taxi to the
main part of town. Then another taxi to the church. We finally arrived at her mother's house. She led us into the house. She went and found
mama. We sat down and began to talk. We both knew the lord had sent us here today to help this member. She was very stressed and crying It was
as if she had a ton of bricks on her head. She told us she had be baptized 2010. She had stopped going to church. Because she was in such
debt. She couldn't afford to pay the taxi to get her and her family to church and pay her tithing. She was s school teacher. She pointed out the window. She said
I walk up over that hill for 30 minutes to the school I teach at. She made very good money for South Africa wages 17,500 R a month which
rounded off in American dollars is a little more than 1.750.00. We told her
in order to help her we needed to see her payslip. Elder Van Sickle looked through her finances. She was paying 14 different insurances companies
for burial insurance. She had bought a lot of things on credit
including furniture pots and pans and many other things.. She had no money left to live on. We gave her the church pamphlet on ONE FOR THE
MONEY BY MARVIN J ASHTON. It teaches you how to get out of debt and how to eliminate your debt and how important it is to stay out of
debt. Elder Van Sickle told her she was under water drowning. She was building a new house beside her house and she had bought the materials
at different companies on credit. Elder Van Sickle told her not to spend another dime on that house and to drop all the burial insurances she had except
on herself. Then as soon as you get your pay check pay your tithing first thing. that she would be blessed and she needed the blessings. She needed
to not buy one more thing on credit. Raise your hand and
promise to Elder Van Sickle that you will
not buy one more thing. She did. Practice saying no to yourself. He told her she should only pay cash for the materials on her house after she gets out of debt.
      The prophet tells us to pay our tithing and to get out of debt. This story is a testimony to us why we should stay out of debt. We have seen many
members in trouble out here. Because they didn't follow the prophet's council. D&C 82:10 I the lord am bound when ye do what I say; but when ye do
not what I say, ye have no promise. We want the lord bound to us. Who better to be bound too. WE LOVE YOU AND KNOW THAT GOD LIVES AND LOVES US. LOVE MOM AND DAD, GRANDPA AND GRANDMA,
ELDER AND SISTER VAN SICKLE

April '13 - Homemade Go-kart

March- Update on Matric School

Hi everyone, We have been having a few problems with the Matric School. We had a English teacher that quit showing up. but the lord led us to another English

teacher. The Students are so excited about the new teacher. He is so willing to volunteer his time. Each night we have students come in with a lot of problems. One

night Tshepiso came in late and said her grandma had fell this morning and cut her head open. Her grandmother is in her late seventies. She said the cut was bleeding

so bad that they didn't even look how deep- it was and they wound her head up. Her grandmother had been sleeping all day. We were really worried about her having a

concussion. We went to the Bishop's house and told him about it. We didn't know what he wanted to do. We always  work through the bishop. We have to have his okay

to do anything to help his members.Tshepiso is a member even though her grandmother is not..The Bishop

immediately wanted us to take him to her shack. The grandma lives with Tshepiso, When we got there the grandmother looked really bad. Her eyes were dilated. She was

very dizzy and her head hurt. Tshepiso's mother tried to unwrap the wound to show us but, it hurt grandma to much. Tshepiso always tells us how much she loves her grandmother.

Her grandmother raised her. Usually in there society the grandmother raises the kids not the mother. The mother usually works in another township or city.We hated to think of her grandma passing away and Tshepiso being heart broken. Elder Van Sickle and Bishop were discussing her problems. If the church would pay for her going to the

emergency room. She had been to the clinic earlier today but was turned down because they already had too many patients to see. So they sent her away with her forehead bleeding.

Then I got this really strong feeling from the Holy Ghost that you are to help the poor and needy in this church or in any other church or in no church at all. Then the

thought came to me that she needed a blessing. Just then Elder Van Sickle said to the grandma would you like a priesthood blessing. He explained to her what the

priesthood blessing was. She said that she would like one. In the blessing it said she would be healed if she has the faith and I believe she has. All the people that Christ

healed had to have the faith to be healed. A few days later we checked up on her and she was out in her garden working. We love all of you keep the faith Love Mom and Dad

Grandpa and Grandma and Elder and Sister Van Sickle

New Grandson Born

CONGRATULATIONS
BUCK & LYNDSEY
ON THEIR NEW
BABY BOY:
CREW THOMAS VAN SICKLE
BORN:
FEB 19, AT 10:15 p.m.
6 lbs  12 ozs