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A Quick Summary for Our Busy Friends

This month we cover the following:
1. Our Hospitality Ministry
Leonie writes about our experiences of having visitors from all over the world.
2. Social Media Projects
We describe some exciting developments in a new thing that we are doing.
3. Leonie's Retreat
She had a wonderful time with the Lord.
4. Alfred's Dental Work
Alfred goes away to get specialised dental care.
5. Tibetan Stories
Alfred talks about his Tibetan classes and shares a Tibetan folk tale.
6. Photos
Look at our world.
7. Praise Reports and 8. Prayer Requests
Thank you for your prayers.

We plan to return to South Africa in September. This is important as our visas will expire soon. We do not have detailed plans yet, but we expect that in October and early November we will be in Gauteng, late November will be in Grahamstown and December will be in Cape Town. We would love to visit you. Please consider inviting us to your church or fellowship during these times.

1. Our Hospitality Ministry (Leonie)

Hosting guests takes much effort, preparation, cost, time and energy. Is it worth the while when you could be doing so many other important things?

At the end of 2022 our team needed a new home here in the Himalayas. We searched for months and found nothing. The situation became desperate as our lease was about to expire. A group of intercessors came to visit. They prayed and searched with us. They climbed every hill and kept proclaiming that God had a home prepared for us. They encouraged us to list exactly what we wanted. Our list included guest rooms. Soon after their departure we found it! The building met every one of our needs.

Eighteen months later all our programs are thriving, and the four guest rooms have played no small part. One room has been given over to a new team member. Another has friends who stay for months at a time and become part of our family. The two other rooms each have three beds and host a steady stream of guests. At times the house has been filled to overflowing and folks have had to camp in corners.

People have come for many different reasons. We encourage everyone to take part in our activities, meet our friends, make new friends in the village and enjoy the wonderful Himalayan outdoors. This helps them get a vision for the Tibetan Buddhist world. Prayer teams, volunteers, interns, the curious, friends from home and family all come to share in our life. Some come because they need help, and we are always ready to receive someone who needs time in the prayer room or in our company.

We have just counted, and in total we have received 103 overnight guests in the last 18 months! No wonder it has been such a big task! It is impossible to count the number of people who have come for tea, meetings, worship, training, counselling and more.

Has it been worth the effort? Absolutely! With their help we have achieved so much and seen so much more fruit for the Kingdom of God. Our Tibetan friends now have new friends whom they know love Jesus. They have shown the character of Christ to Tibetans by being genuinely interested in their lives and serving them in practical ways. After their visit, many guests stay in touch with our friends, pray for them, tell them Jesus stories and show them the love of Jesus.

By participating in our daily worship and prayer, they are fighting the battle for the Tibetans with us. Many guests join our online prayer group that was established by another group of guests, so now we have 71 people on our prayer team. We host online prayer events and some guests attend regularly. Having been here, they know how to pray. They know our struggles and joys. They also have answered the call to go to the ends of the earth. They have the dust of our town on their feet.

Some guests have become financial supporters and a few are our new best friends. Some of our very first guests nine years ago, are still part of our work and lives. We always hope that some will be called back to join us in the work, and a few have.

Dear Guests. You have enriched our lives in so many ways. Your enthusiasm about our view, your love for our people and your sharing in our work helps us stay strong and will bear much fruit. Thank you so much for coming to visit us.

2. Social Media Projects

We are very excited about two projects that are currently under way where we make use of Facebook to reach people and challenging them to meet Jesus. The projects will be in Tibetan and Hindi.

The two teams will flight targeted ads in a limited area. These ads will raise interesting points about Jesus and invite people to interact about the content. We will physically meet those who are genuinely seeking for truth and challenge them to follow Jesus.

We are currently training up the two teams to give them skills in doing this work. The Hindi team is making good progress and are ready to start making their ads for their campaigns. The Tibetan project is slightly behind them.

Please pray for these initiatives that the Lord will send the right people and ideas to make possible effective outreach to those who need his love and life.

3. Leonie's Retreat

Part of my commitment as a member of the Society of the Good Shepherd is to take an annual silent retreat. This year our whole community did it together, even though we are in Canada, USA, Wales, South Africa and India. We had to find a place where we could focus all our attention on the Lord. Being the middle of summer, and the height of tourist season, that was quite a challenge here in the mountains. I settled on hanging my hammock in a corner of an adventure centre.

I must admit that it was not the best place for deep inner stillness what with quad bikes, cheering teens and late-night Bollywood music. One night I found myself in strong wind and rain, holding down the corners of the tarpaulin to keep my blankets from getting soaked. The days were very hot, but the beautiful pool made the heatwave bearable.

Yet the Lord used the time in the most unexpected ways. It is seven months since my back injury, and I have been indoors, on a bed for most of that time. Being outside was the greatest joy. The many walks along rocky paths and uneven stairs carrying water, gathering firewood and going to the pool improved my strength and balance. The combination of hours of prayer and camp chores meant my back rested enough, even though I got lots of exercise.

And yes, I had the most precious meetings with Jesus.

My time in time in the stillness has refreshed my soul, and now I am ready for the work He has prepared for me.

I love the camp site. My hammock fitted perfectly. I swam every day to cool down from the intense heat of summer.

4. Alfred's Dental Work

Two of my teeth suffered damage over the past years. When I went to dentists, their eyes lit up at the scale of the work needed. The basic problem is that my bite has collapsed, meaning that putting in an implant or bridge to replace the broken tooth is not possible without a plan to lift the bite somehow.

One dentist had a plan that included root canals in every tooth in my mouth. Another dentist claimed to have a plan but was unwilling to describe it in detail or to provide an estimate of costs. We ruled out other dentists in our area as it seemed that they did not have the specialist skills needed to do this work.

We have some friends that have long-standing relationships with the Christian Dental College in Ludhiana in a neighbouring state. Our friends encouraged us to go there.

This month I went to Ludhiana on a six and half hour journey. When I arrived, they did a thorough evaluation and explained to me in detail what needed to be done. I was impressed with what they had to say, and so we started treatment. I was there for just over a week. I was impressed with the work that they did.

While I was there, I made good friends with some of the staff. I even addressed their church twice. they were a great blessing to me.

After a week of work, I was sent home to recover. Work will resume in August or September.

So far, the work has been inexpensive, but when the frame, bridge and implant is placed in my mouth it is certain that there will be significant costs.

While I was in Ludhiana I received some good news about my kidneys. I knew that after the treatment I was certain to receive painkillers and antibiotics. The nephrologist in our hometown had had concerns about my kidneys (as noted in last month's newsletter) and had specifically requested me to abstain from both painkillers and antibiotics. I was referred to the nephrologist at the Christian Medical College - the dental college's sister institution. She ran some checks and concluded that my kidneys are fine and that I have nothing to worry about. Praise the Lord! I also got some good advice about some other medical questions that have been concerning me.

5. Tibetan Stories

As I noted two months ago, I have stopped attending Buddhist Philosophy classes. I am now attending Intermediate Tibetan Language classes. These are much more relaxed and I am enjoying them. My Tibetan is improving.

An unexpected benefit is that I am learning more about the typical Tibetan mindset. The Philosophy classes would not be understood by 90% of Tibetans because most Tibetans are not concerned about the technical aspects of their religion.

The Language class uses a book entitled "Tibetan Folk Tales." The tales are similar to Aesop's Fables. It seems that Tibetans have a history of liking a simple story. However, none of their stories have a moral, and the reader can make of it what he wishes.

As we have read, I have been impressed that the religious establishment of monks and lamas have not always been seen with rose-tinted glasses. In fact, every tale about monks is at their expense.

I thought that I would include a sample story to illustrate my point, and maybe amuse you too.

THE GOLD AND THE MEAT MOMOS
In an ancient time, there was a monastery in which a cruel old monk possessed unique power. He oppressed and exploited the monks of the monastery, particularly his young personal attendant. Not only did he scold and beat the servant, but he also continuously tormented him by depriving him of warm clothing and proper meals.

One day, the old monk ordered his servant to prepare meat momos. Because he was planning to eat all of the momos by himself, the monk counted them. The servant could not usually get so much as a taste of the food he liked, and so he resolved to find a way of eating those momos that night. Finally he came up with a good plan.

Thinking his plan was solid, he called his friend and said, "Dear friend, tonight when the master is ready to eat the meat momos, I will be able to eat the momos from his hand."

The friend replied, "Hmm, so you will get the food from the wolf's mouth? You will not get a single momo!"

But the servant continued, "If you do not believe me, my friend, I will call you this evening when the master is just about to eat the momos, and you can secretly watch through the window."

Later on, after nightfall, when the master was just about to eat the meat momos, the servant called his friend and let him peep through. the window. The servant then lifted the momo steamer and placed it on the table in front of the master. When the master was about to eat the momos, the servant, pretending to be in high spirits, giggled and grinned.

"Hey, you, what is going on?" asked the master. The servant answered, "Yesterday Father found a big lump of gold on the road. According to Father, we should give Master half of it. But according to Mother, we should give Master all of the gold, since we are very grateful for everything Master has done."

'The old monk was very pleased to hear this, and so he took five of the momos and gave them to servant. "And then?" the old monk prompted him.

The servant pretended to think, while eating the momos. "According to Elder Brother, we should keep a little gold to ourselves, and give the rest to Master, But according to Elder Sister, it would be better to give all the gold to Master." he said.

Hearing this, the old monk prompted the servant to continue, and once again handed him five meat momos. "And what did you say?" he asked.

"I said it that it would be better to give all the gold to the Master," the servant replied. Hearing this, the monk was again delighted, and gave away three more momos. Now all the momos were gone. The monk then continued to prompt the servant with more and more questions.

"And at that moment I woke up," the servant finally said.

Enraged, the old monk was about to beat the servant, when the servant locked the door and escaped with his friend, as he had planned all along.

6. Photos

As is to be expected of a Christian College, there is a strong spiritual ethos. This is the institution's chapel. It is much visited and has a prominent place on the campus.

The main parties send cars equipped with loudhailers through the streets of our town canvassing votes. They make a noise that is audible for hundreds of metres. This car is working for the national ruling party which has a strong Hindu stand. Voting in our state is on Saturday 1 June.

The local municipality decided to make an end to some the stalls that house the curio sellers. I imagine that they thought that the stalls are unsightly and do not provide sufficient protection from the elements. Also, security of the stalls is a problem at night as the merchants lock their goods in boxes underneath the stalls.

In the place of the demolished stalls, the municipality built a brand new site for some of the curio sellers. This has many benefits over the old stalls. However, the whole effort has met some legal impasse and everything is halted even though the construction is complete. I am told that the story is long and that I would not have the patience to hear it all.

The bottom line is that the completed structures are waiting for their tenants to move in. In the meantime, curio sellers have set up makeshift stalls in front of them. One step forward, two steps back...

7. Praise Reports

Leonie is getting better slowly. She is now able to sit up for up to two and a half hours with little discomfort. Praise the Lord for every new breakthrough!
Joseph has found a home and is moving house as we write this letter.
Leonie was blessed during her retreat.
Alfred has a solution to his dental problems at last.
Alfred's kidney was given the all-clear by the doctors in Ludhiana.

8. Prayer Requests

Please pray for our Tibetan friends.
- Alfred has challenged Timothy to ask his questions straight to Jesus. Please pray that Holy Spirit will convict him about his need for Jesus and his new life.
- Alfred has been ministering to Dave (name changed) for many years now. His back has been giving him some pain. This is difficult because there is no way for him to set up a comfortable seat in his stall by the roadside. Please pray for healing.
- Tertius (a high lama in the Dalai Lama's temple) is interested in widening the scope of our meetings from English Grammar classes to include more conversation. This is hard for him because he is not skilled in making conversation. Please pray for Tertius.
Kumar (name changed), a friend that lives in the next state has had his life threatened by Hindu extremists. He comes to visit us when the danger level increases. Please pray for his safety especially during the volatile times of the Indian elections.
Please pray for the next Kongki Ka translation that all will happen in the Lord's time and in the Lord's way.
We will persevere in praying for Leonie's complete healing. We need to return to South Africa in September, and so need healing that will enable Leonie to undertake the 20-hour journey before then.
The social media outreach needs prayer that we will be able to bring the right people on board to do all the work. We need good ideas for attracting seekers. Also, please pray that the seekers will be prepared even now for their encounter with God.
We still need financial provision for our living expenses, especially in the light of Alfred's dental expenses.

How you can support us

We need your prayer support: without prayer and fasting the walls that are surrounding Tibetan Buddhists will never be broken down. Our newsletters aim to help you focus your prayers strategically.

You can also support us financially. South Africans can pay directly into our bank account:
Account name AE Smith
Nedbank
Cheque Account 1556031424
Branch code 155605

We also have an international facility. Simply click the link below, choose an amount to donate, and then provide payment details. Click below:

Support Alfred & Leonie

We appreciate you

Thank you to each one that is praying for us, supporting us financially and being there for us. We deeply appreciate it that you can be a part of our lives. May you be blessed far beyond what you can imagine.

Do you have news? We'd be glad to hear from you. Do you have a need? Let us pray for you. You can write to us at writetoalfred@gmail.com.

Be greatly blessed

Alfred & Leonie

Our WhatsApp number is +91 82650 37842

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Alfred & Leonie Smith · 342 Konstant Street · Meyerspark · Pretoria, Gauteng 0184 · South Africa