Hammond Family News 2020

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2 Tree-Planting in Honor of Bob and Ingrid <strong>Hammond</strong> people do seem to slide through the treatment without much ado. I don’t. But I reckoned that I owed myself one more attempt. I soldiered on and managed to get through all six cycles. Dragon Boating is my sport of choice because I am able to be seated. My hip is the least affected this way and we had some thrilling races at the Century City Sports Festival towards the end of February. I love to sing and was grateful again to be a part of the Symphony Choir of Cape Town. We were able to sing Mozart’s Requiem, interestingly enough, in the oldest Protestant Congregation in Cape Town. (Catholic Mass sung in a Protestant Church!) For the first time together, the girls and I participated in a 15km walk. Cape Town really has beautiful forests and meandering neighbourhoods and it was a joy to experience this together. Little did we know at that time that this would be the last organized event we would be allowed to do for a long time. We celebrated Calvin’s 21 st birthday in the nick of time before the world-wide lunacy of the Lockdown began. I was grateful for the chance to enjoy a memorable outing as a family as we celebrated this milestone with our youngest. Lockdown was brutal here in South Africa. For the first three weeks no one really minded that much. We thought we were doing the right thing and that protecting one another was necessary. As a family, we enjoyed daily Phys ed sessions, more meals together (all 9 of us), more time to catch up on things needing to be seen to, more writing projects, sewing projects and other creative things one normally does not have time for. It was a time for reflection and enjoying one another’s company. But as time went on, and as the Lockdown rules and regulations became more stringent, contradictory, inconsistent and non-sensical, most folk tired of this and we could see the serious impact this was having on small businesses here in South Africa. The WHO offers quite a large lump sum of money to the governments of countries participating in the lockdown strategy, and of course our government looted this fund and very little of this ever reached the folk who needed it the most. As things began to ease in to Level 4, and educational organizations were allowed to be open again, we were able to resume most of our work at the Mission. Peter will say more about this, but we were grateful to be able to carry on with the bulk of our Mission Projects during this time. Our Bookshop has been busier than ever as more and more families are considering and committing to home education. In the meantime, I had a PET scan as well as an MRI recently, and sadly the results have not been good. My cancer has spread covering the whole of my right hip now and is working its way up my spine all the way from L5 to T3. My much loved, daily 3km walks with Daniela sadly have come to an end and I am on crutches now. On December 4 th , I underwent a Complex Hip Replacement. The head of the femur was replaced, I had a stem in the proximal femur and a reconstruction of the acetabulum. The surgeon is an orthopaedic Oncological surgeon and is very experienced in dealing with cancer on the bone. I am confident I am in very good hands but did not relish such a lengthy hospital stay, and the upcoming 6-week recovery on crutches. Anyone who knows me knows this is very difficult for me. I trust the Lord to care for me during this time, but I would also covet your prayers that our family will manage and adjust to the new situation we will find ourselves in at home. I will be under the care of a very good Physio Team for the foreseeable future. The silver lining in all of this was a most welcomed announcement by our son-in-law and daughter of a new little one on the way. Another
Combs son is expected to join us in May of 2021. We rejoice in the new life God grants in the midst of illness and uncertainty. God is good indeed. Most of you will remember that I lost my dear Mother just over one year ago. I must say I am so grateful that she was able to join my Father in Heaven before the lockdown absurdities began. It would have made my nine weeks in the US almost unbearable as I would not have been able to visit her or care for her. My parents left me the money that came from the sale of their home and this has gone straight in to enlarging our Mission House here in Cape Town. We have been able to go up and build into our roof attic space to add a large, multipurpose meeting hall, equipped with glass shelving for our Missions Museum, four bedrooms, a recording studio, a kitchenette and two bathrooms. The main kitchen was also quite outdated and much of the equipment did not work anymore, so I am particularly happy we are able to update this. We are naming it THE UPPER ROOM – Bathman Memorial Hall. We were able to host our first Thanksgiving Dinner in our new hall this year and it was indeed a joyous time of thanking the Lord for the multiple blessings He has bestowed upon us as a Mission and as a <strong>Family</strong>. We look forward to having a proper Dedication Service for our beautiful new additions once my sister Debbie can travel down to celebrate with us. As this tumultuous year comes to an end, we want to express our thanks for your friendship over these many years. We are grateful for your support, encouragement and prayers. Thank you for being an extension of our ministry and for rejoicing with us in all He has seen fit to accomplish. Wishing you a blessed Advent Season as we celebrate His Incarnation and the inexpressible joy and hope this gives us as Christians. — LENORA HAMMOND Canoeing in The Wilderness Dragon Boating in Cape Town Harbour 3
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Hammond Family News 2020

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