This year saw us ten years of Living Waterfall magazine - for that we give our praises and thanks to God for His faithfulness to bless the spread of the Gospel via the magazine. The LW magazine is compiled four times a year. Now this current Issue 40 is in the tenth year. We would like to describe its beginning and growth.

In 1995, the year after we integrated with the hearing churches, a group of us, deaf leaders, put our heads together to compile the first Issue in A5 size. We worked in our cottage, outside our house for a few years until it was occupied by our son, Jonathan who needed a bigger place. So the office moved to one of the smaller bedrooms in the house.

Anton Nel (D) designed the front cover (Issue 1) with the aid of computer (he is a computer whiz) and I typed (using Olwen Venter's (H) electric typewriter). We cut out and stuck on snippets, photographs, etc. and stamped with decorative rubber stamps. Very primitive! Then we made copies, stapled and handed out some to the Deafies and Hearies and posted the rest - 180 altogether, including 160 locally and about 20 overseas. This went on for a few years until the good old faithful workhorse, the typewriter's ‘golf-ball' wire snapped and it could not get fixed - no parts available!

At that moment I had been avoiding the PC as I didn't know how to use it. This way it had been a white elephant! William persuaded me to learn to use the PC. Oh boy! It was so frustrating! It took me about four months to master the PC - there were the times I felt like throwing it out of the window when I couldn't get it right. After typing down everything, it got wiped out! Also thanks to my ever-patient husband, William and my PC boffin son, Jonathan who helped me to fix or correct it. Sometimes I would drive to William's work to fetch him for help whenever I got stuck! (Fortunately his work is only 2 km from home).

From Issues 6 to 33 the magazine was changed to A4 size and from Issue 34 onwards it was back to A5 size. The breakdown of the total number is as follows: 300 are sent locally and 50 are posted overseas. PTL! We have been receiving good responses from our readers, both deaf and hearing, how much they have enjoyed reading them and are blessed.

The aim of the LW is not only for the Deaf readers but also for their hearing friends. The Deaf can read and understand in their own language whereas the ‘hearie' magazines are often above the Deafies' head and of course they are not acquainted with the hearing people in the world.

Whenever the Deaf read, they oftenrecognise the Deaf people in the photos. We would also like to thank those who e-mailed and faxed us the articles to support the magazine. Also thanks to the deaf and hearing readers (locally and abroad) who have contributed generously towards the cost of the magazines, postages, etc. With their generosity it has made it possible to continue the publication of the LW for many more years.

Finally we would like to thank our great team for their contribution and support by sharing their talents: Ivor Kleynhans (D) (art); Jonathan Warmington (H) (art + his help with the magazine); Nikki Kleynhans (HoH) (translation from Afrikaans into English) and Paulo Pinto (D) and Bogus Geiros (D) (Website).

Should you interest receiving this hard cover, ‘Living Waterfall' magazine seansonally, please click here SUBSCRIBE TO LIVING WATERFALL warmies@mweb.co.za .

By Bev Warmington (D)