Day 5 - Petrusville to Philipstown

We woke up, fresh and ready for the day; thanks to the bed and shower that we got in this huge old house.. As we went to feed the horses; the “supermoon” was still up.. Quite a beautiful sight..

We helped Hans pack; and then set off once again.. The horizons stretched far; the trees scarce; and the gates plentiful.. Before long, we arrived at oom Andries Fourie; where Josef, his son, brought us some juice and peanuts.. We stood there for quite some time; talking with him and one of his guests, oom Deon.. Oom Andries then blessed us with lucerne and some maize; which Hans and JanPaul went to fetch later in the afternoon..

From there we took the road to Philipstown; where the sheep lie in the street seeking the little bit of shade that the few bluegum trees offered.. At the BKB, tannie Tikkie, the manager greeted us enthusiastically; and even sponsored the supplies that Hans went to buy.. We then proceeded to oom Meiring de Wet, the local NG pastor, where we unsaddled the horses and gave them some water and feed.. His house was an old farmstead built on a small rise, overlooking the stretch of barren land to the south.. We left the horses there, and walked into town; to the local coffee shop; where they organised for us to be treated to lunch.. Tannie Hennie, the chef and owner treated us to her famous “Burger-broodjie”; which definitely lived up to it’s reputation.. We sat there for a while, chatting to her about all the struggles they face in the small town; as well as the incredible power and peace that you get from a personal relationship with God.. You could see that she was the kind of person that influenced quite a lot of people; and we prayed with her for perseverance in her calling.. We also sat chatting with a local architect, tannie Susan; who was in Philipstown on a calling from God.. She was part of the team of people trying to uplift the town; and organize events like the annual “Draadkar rally”..

After lunch we bought a few culinary supplies; went back up to the horses, and after a quick dip in the cement dam, sat under a tree relaxing (Marais asleep within 5 minutes).. Hans and JanPaul then left to go fetch the lucerne and maize; and when they came back, we saddled up again..

Just as we started though; Gert felt Braveheart limping under him, and immediately saw that the problem was with his left hind leg and that he wasn’t going to ride anymore today.. JanPaul and Marais set off; taking on the long 25km stretch to the place we are sleeping at tonight; whilst Gert and Hans went on to unload the equipment, in order to make space for Braveheart..

The 10km next to the tarmac was very rough going, and JanPaul and Marais had to walk almost the entirety of it; draining them of quite a bit of energy.. Luckily the rest was all on gravel; and the going was smooth.. Meanwhile, Gert and Hans was struggling quite a bit to load Bravheart.. He was not feeling well; and was stressed and looking for Zadok and Mubarak.. Luckily after a while, he calmed down, and they got him loaded.. By the time they caught up with JanPaul and Marais, the sun was hanging low already.. Just minutes after they passed the horses; the sun touched the horizon in one of the most extraordinary spectacles of natural beauty.. A big red sun, setting over the endless Karoo plains, the silhouette only broken by a few skeletons of long-forgotten windmills.. Marais and JanPaul had the full experience of the setting sun; they were still on horseback and they overlooked on an enormous dry pan.. Incredible, inspiring moment to say the least..

Hans and Gert tended to Braveheart’s wound, as well as prepared everything for the other two horses, while waiting for the other two to arrive.. Just prior to their arrival, the moon came up over the hills; another incredible sight.. God was truly blessing us with the beautiful sights today..

We slept in an old shearing shed, built in 1942; still in very good condition.. Bali and his father, both staying on the farm, work for oom Stoffel to whom the farm, Die Dam, belongs.. Once again we were blessed with a roof over our heads (although Gert slept outside again in his hammock); and even electricity to charge our electronics.. Everyone fell asleep as their heads hit the pillow; and without even the faint chance of getting a mobile signal, slept without the chance of any external influence..