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 From Knoxville to South Africa
In January of 2011, Dr. Jeff Robinson and his family – wife
Lynne and children Lauren (12) and John (9) – moved from Knoxville to a rural village over 5,000 miles
away. They are now living in Ubombo, KwaZulu
Natal, South Africa.
Jeff is practicing medicine in a village hospital in this town in the eastern
part of
the country near Swaziland.
Lynne is a native of South
Africa but grew up in a city.
The Robinsons have a "tent-making" ministry. The
South African government pays Jeff’s salary and provides their family with
housing. Just as important to their support, though, are the prayers of their Cedar Springs’ family as they
respond to opportunities to share the gospel in South Africa. We hope these stories
from their recent newsletters will give you a glimpse of their new world and how
you can pray specifically for them.
Practicing Medicine in Rural South Africa
 Jeff is a doctor at the Bethesda Hospital
in Ubombo. Here in his own words is a glimpse of
his work at the hospital.
“Since I have been here I have been significantly
involved in the medical wards. Over the past few months a new responsibility
was added - the CDC Clinic. It is an outpatient clinic, serving women, men and
children, living relatively well with HIV/AIDS. People are stable, improving,
and thriving in an environment where 80% of the population is HIV positive. The
clinic has been a breath of fresh air in the midst of severely ill patients and
countless death certificates. It was a reminder that there are many people in Zululand alive and WELL. It was also a profound reminder
that the medical community IS making a difference. As you could expect, there
are still countless problems.”
 Ubombo Children's Care Village
Lynne, Lauren and John have been volunteering at the Ubombo
Children’s Care Village orphanage. They also have been
able to help with the Pediatric Ward at Bethesda Hospital.
Lynne says, “We have spent many wonderful hours at the Children’s
home, but distributing the shoes Lauren’s friends made was a highlight.
Lauren’s CAK friends threw her a farewell and made “ragtag” flip-flops. We did not
know who would be getting them but each pair was made with love and a lot of
laughter. The box was mailed to us once we had settled in and a few weeks ago
we matched feet to shoes with a lot of smiles. Thank you so much girls!”
 The Adventure of Living in South Africa
Can you imagine the challenges of moving your family from Knoxville to a rural
South African village? Lynne shares with us from their November newsletter a
little bit of what it is like to live in Ubombo:
“Winter is behind us, together with the dry season. We
did not see rain for 3 months and by the end of winter runaway fires scarred
most of the landscape. One night driving home after church the children and I
were surrounded by flames, some roaring higher than the car – the heat was
intense! We are happy to welcome spring to the mountain but not the arrival of
insects and snakes. I spent the best part of an afternoon spraying 'Dyant' and
snake repellent around the perimeter of our house. Jeff has seen the first
snakebites and has made sure the hospital is well stocked with anti-venom.”
Pray for the Robinsons
We want our lives to reflect God’s heart and are really not
sure what the next step looks like. We have been blessed with resources and
gifts and want to honor Him with what he has entrusted to us – no matter where
we find ourselves!
Please also pray for tangible opportunities to share the
gospel, at the hospital, the orphanage and in the community and boldness to
speak out when opportunities present.
We value your prayers in regard to school and friends (both
here and when we return to the U.S.).
It is isolated here and easy to become unmotivated and for teacher and pupils to
slip into bad habits.
Patience and wisdom in situations which are so far removed
from our norm – power outages, water shortages, no chemicals for liver function
tests or blood pressure cuffs (but new hospital cars parked in a garage that
cost a million dollars!)
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