Love Looks Like Something

Living amongst the poor has really opened up my heart to give more generously.  Before living in Africa, sometimes my thought process would take me to a place where I felt like I could only give to others when I had more than enough to give.  It’s easier to give when it doesn’t require any stretching or faith, right?!  Then I think about the poor widow in Mark 12:41-44.  While many rich people put in large amounts of money into the collection box, Jesus observed a poor widow drop 2 coins into the box.  It was everything she had. In the Lord’s eyes, this poor woman had given far more than all the other rich people put together even though her amount was smaller, because she gave out of a spirit of generosity.  All the others gave what they’ll never miss; she gave extravagantly what she couldn’t afford – she gave her all.  That is where I want to be!

Being out on the mission field overseas has been very stretching when it comes to finances, but it has also broken off the mindset that I can only bless others when I have excess.  I’ll touch more on that in a minute.  Mine and Josh’s heart is to have homes for abandoned children and to feed the poor, but on paper we barely have enough money to sustain our own family for the next couple of months.  We also recently found out that the owner of our car will be coming to get it on January 25th.  He has been so gracious to us, allowing us to keep his car much longer than expected, so we are truly grateful.  We are being placed in impossible situations where only God can get us through.

We fight to take captive every negative thought that would try to discourage us or get us to doubt why the Lord sent us here to Africa.  We cancel the lies of the enemy that tell us we’ll never have enough resources to do what God has put on our hearts to do.  If we listen to those lies, then the enemy wins.

So, rather than retreating to the old mindset, I am choosing to keep my mind and heart focused on the Lord and His promises.  In our family, I’m the budgeter and bill payer so when the enemy says, "You can't use your money to buy food for the poor. That is foolish. You need it for rent next month," I remind myself of the truths found in James 2:14-17.  It reads:

“What’s the use of saying you have faith if you don’t prove it by your actions?  That kind of faith can’t save anyone.  Suppose you see a brother or sister who needs food or clothing and you say, ‘Well, good-bye and God bless you; stay warm and eat well,’ but then you don’t give that person any food or clothing.  What good does that do?”

In visiting the townships, God has put people in our lives that have very little.  Their food for the day sometimes consists of nothing or porridge.  We were just informed the other day that one of the boys we minister to, Tyron, was seen scrounging for food out of the trash and a dog dish.  This is NOT right!  I cannot sit back and think, “Poor me.  We have little monthly support coming in; not enough to meet our needs.  What are we going to do?” when I see others who are far worse off than I am that have no hope.  No, I will NOT sit back and do nothing and ignore God’s word!

LOVE LOOKS LIKE SOMETHING!

A few weekends ago we invited a precious family from Sonskyn to come stay at the farm with us for the weekend.  You’re going to read about this family a lot, as the Lord has created a special place in our hearts for them.  Edwin and Ronel brought their 9-year old son, Renaldo, and 2 cousins with them.  They slept in the extra flat while the children slept in the main house with us.  They enjoyed healthy meals.  They enjoyed eating at a kitchen table.  They enjoyed taking a hot shower and would have probably even been happy with a cold one.  I don’t know of anyone that has a shower in Sonskyn.  They simply wash with a rag and water bucket, so washing in a shower is priceless.  These things might seem simple to you, but to this family they meant a great deal.  Edwin was diagnosed with TB and HIV about 2 years ago.  He is at a stage 4, which is the highest.  The virus has caused blindness in both eyes.  His wife led him to the Lord almost 2 years ago where he was freed of alcoholism.  She married him even after he became blind.  She has a heart of gold!  Edwin used to have a good job but can no longer work because of his eyes.  Ronel just started working again and is expecting a baby in March.  She also has TB, which often times leaves her tired.  Now, before I continue, some of you might be thinking, “Oh my goodness.  Don’t you know TB is highly contagious?”  I will respond with this, “How are we to show the love of God to others (the sick) if we’re afraid of what they have?!”  We pray and use wisdom in certain situations but are not going to stop loving the ones God places before us.

We’ve been able to bless this family with food and fresh produce from our garden.  After their weekend at our farm, Edwin had a check-up and the doctor said his numbers look great.  Edwin shared how we’d been feeding him healthy foods that will help to strengthen his immune system to fight off sickness.  The doctor said he was lucky to have people like us helping him.  Edwin gave all the glory to God and said it was God who has blessed him.  Edwin has such a humble heart.  We are praying for and believing for a miraculous healing in his body!  Please join us in prayer for that.

We also invited 6 boys to stay at the farm for a night.  That was great fun.  We enjoyed time down at the river, hanging out and watching movies together.  They, too, enjoyed fresh showers and eating well-rounded meals.  Josh was presented with a teaching opportunity on “what love looks like”.  One boy, in particular, gets picked on a lot.  It also seemed like he hadn’t eaten in days by the way he devoured his and others’ food.  In this culture, boys have learned to respond physically to each other (throwing punches).  It happened on a few occasions at the farm, but Josh put that to a stop quickly.  Seeds being planted.

Ronel lives out James 2:14-17 and Matthew 25:35-40.  Even when she has little to eat, she offers what she has to a sweet, little boy whom I’ve come to love named Tyron.  He is 11-years old with downs syndrome.

I’ve shared about him before.  He has a younger brother, 3-years old, named Leroy.  Their parents are alcoholics.  Tyron frequently begs for food and often smells from uncleanliness.  The week before last Josh invited their family to attend a Christmas church service with us in Groot Brak.  Andres, the husband, said he’d like to come.  We didn’t know if he was sincere, sober enough to remember or would actually show up.  On Christmas Eve we delivered some food and gifts to them.  It was great fun to see the excitement on Tyron’s face when he unwrapped his new ball.  Every time we come to Sonskyn he asks us for a ball.  Now he has his own!  Martha, the wife, asked me if we were still going to church the next day on Christmas.  I told her yes!  I was ecstatic that she was approaching me about it.  That showed me that her desire was there.  Josh made arrangements for us to meet in Sonskyn the next morning and ride the bus together.  When we showed up on Christmas Day, no one was home, but eventually Martha came walking down the street all dressed up and ready to go.  My heart soared!  She and her husband smelled of alcohol and had hangovers, but we still got to spend the day loving on them and their children.  During the church service, I sensed that the boys hadn’t slept well.  As I was holding Leroy, I prayed that if he was lacking rest, that the Lord would give him peace and rest and silence out any noise.  Immediately his eyes closed and he went right to sleep, yay God!  A simple prayer.  Of course, I took advantage of the situation and began to pour out blessings over his life in prayer and declarations!

We are believing that seeds were planted in this family – seeds of hope, love and truth.  We will be frequenting their house often.  One lady said we need to adopt the children – take them away from their parents.  My heart is that the parents will come to know the Lord and be set free from their addictions so they can take care of their own children.  We want to see the community of Sonskyn changed, one family at a time!

If the Lord places it on your heart to join efforts with us in blessing those in Sonskyn and throughout South Africa, a tax-deductible donation can be made online at www.Four18.org by designating funds for Josh & Mindy Mason – Mossel Bay, South Africa.  Thank you for your prayerful consideration.

Many people make life so complex, but it’s really quite simple – love God, love people!  Today, what are you going to do to make the simple gospel known to others?  Here is a quote from a story I read today, “The world has enough people that look the other way.  What the world needs is disciples of Jesus that can follow His teachings and live as He did.  When will YOU decide to become disciples?”

An Opportunity to Give - Christmas 2015

I am in the middle of writing another update on some things the Lord has been showing us about “restoring brokenness”, but in the meantime, there have been some families that have been highlighted to us at Sonskyn Valley that we’d like to bless this Christmas season.  Here is what we currently know about these families.

Family #1 – We met Edwin & Ronel about a month ago when her mother flagged Josh down in Sonskyn, introduced him to them and asked him to pray.  They both have TB and HIV.  The virus caused Edwin to become blind about 2 years ago.  His wife of almost 2 years, Ronel, led him to the Lord around this same time, and now they carry such joy!  They both have been freed of alcoholism and drugs, and we know God has a great plan for both of their lives.  Ronel has a 9-year old son, Renaldo, from a previous relationship, and she and Edwin are currently expecting a baby boy around March.  They live in meek conditions in a home that barely fits all of us in a room to pray.  They share one bed amongst all of them, and if they have enough food, will enjoy 2 meals a day…mostly consisting of plain maize (pap).  We love spending time with them and are enjoying getting to know them more.

Family #2 – We met the oldest child of this family on the first day our family went to Sonskyn back in July.  Tyron, a boy with downs syndrome, is such a pleasure to be around.  His silliness makes me laugh a lot.  We see him every time we go to Sonskyn, and it truly blesses my heart.  We know he doesn’t receive much affection, and many are actually quite abusive to him physically and verbally.  We have been told that Tyron begs for food most days because he isn’t cared for at home and both parents are severe alcoholics.  It is common for him to sleep in various different homes too.  He also has a younger brother, Leroy, whom I met a couple of weeks ago.  I’m guessing he is about 2-years old.  We had been praying for God to show us where this family lives, and He finally led us to their house this past week.  It is one of the worst conditions I’ve seen in Sonskyn – a small shack made of wooden slabs with gaps in between.  I now wonder about them when it rains.  I had the privilege of meeting their mother, Martha.  I understood most of her broken English and asked if we could come back to visit.  She said yes!

I don’t share their stories for you to think, “poor them” or to make you feel guilted into giving.  I share their stories because the Lord has created a special place in our hearts for these families, and we want to do our part in sharing our resources with those in need and provide you with an opportunity to do the same.  Proverbs 14:31 says, “Those who oppress the poor insult their Maker, but those who help the poor honor Him.”  In my study Bible it reads, "God has a special concern for the poor. He insists that people who have material goods should be generous with those who are needy. Providing for the poor is not just a suggestion in the Bible; it is a command that may require a change of attitude and heart."

You may be thinking, “Well, they got themselves into this situation by choices they’ve made.” While some of that may be true, we know that we are commanded to bring love and hope to a broken world.  Jesus is our hope, and we want to share Him in a tangible way through spoken truth, demonstrated love and meeting practical needs – as well as giving gifts to bring smiles to their faces.  We want them to know they are seen and they are loved by our Father in Heaven.  These children did not choose their family or circumstances, and the Lord has shown us that these children are the open door He’s provided us with to bring restoration to these broken families.  Praise God!

These are families that many would treat as outcasts, not give a second glance or simply treat as a lost cause, but that is not how God sees them.  These are families that need hope, that need love, that need truth, that need healing, that need a second chance.  I mean, if you think about it, we were all given a second chance through Jesus Christ.  Why not them?!

If the Lord places it on your heart to join efforts with us in blessing these families this Christmas, a tax-deductible donation can be made online at www.Four18.org by designating funds for Josh & Mindy Mason – Mossel Bay, South Africa.  We will share an update, post-Christmas, on what your generosity went towards in blessing these beautiful families. We will also bless other children as the Lord leads and provides.

Thank you so much for your prayerful consideration in reaching out to these families.  We are grateful and know they will be too!

Keep Doing What You're Doing

"Keep doing what you're doing," were the very words that came out of 2 strangers’ mouths as Josh and I walked the streets of Sonskyn Valley on October 31st.  This same day is when we announced the Gager’s decision to move back to America.  On a day that the enemy would have loved to turn sour, the Lord blessed us with such sweet gifts of encouragement and a strong release/freedom in the spirit as we loved on people in the township.  While walking through the neighborhood, a guy asked me to come over to where he was.  Josh wasn’t far from me so I found it strange that he was asking me and not Josh.  Anyhow, I walked up to the fence where he was standing on the other side.  He asked where we were from.  I told him America but that we live here now near 8 Bells.  He was excited about that.  Josh came up to join in on the conversation.  The guy said we seemed like “church” people.  The man asked what we do for work.  Josh told him we are missionaries from America.  He said we were the nicest white people he’s ever met and to keep doing what you're doing! We asked him his name.  It is Cristo.  As we were walking off, he excitedly said that now he gets to tell others that he’s met people from America!  So precious of the Lord to love on and encourage us through the very people we came to love on!  Josh and I both sensed a strong shift in the spirit that day and are so thankful to be a part of what the Lord wants to do in the hearts of His children (young and old) in Sonskyn.  In English it means “Sonshine”….a place where The Son will shine – how prophetic is that?!!

People have flagged us down on the streets to have us come and pray for them.  When surrounded by children, often times they will follow us to these homes to see what it’s all about.  We pray that these children, especially our own, learn through example what it looks like to love on “the least of these.”  One particular day when I was not present, Josh had a lady approach him and asked if he’d come to pray.  She led him to where her daughter and son-in-law lived.  They both have TB and HIV.  About 2 years ago the virus caused blindness in both of her son-in-law's eyes.  His name is Edwin and he is 30.  Surrounded by many children whom followed Josh to this home, he laid hands on Edwin and prayed for healing.  A week later on November 21st Josh’s parents and I were able to meet Edwin and his wife, Ronel.  That day we also found out she’s 5-months pregnant and has to take medicine in hopes to prevent the child from receiving the virus.  She is having a boy, and guess what they are thinking of naming him???  Joshua!  Through conversation and getting to know them more, we found out that she is able to see a doctor and will deliver the baby at a hospital, but they can't afford an ambulance for transportation so they need a way to and from the hospital.  Without hesitation we offered to help when it is time.  They don’t have much to eat so the following week we were able to take them some food and invited them out to the farm sometime when they’re feeling up to it.  One week later they took us up on  offer!  Yesterday Josh, Dad (Renn) and I met them at their home and then went to their church, while Mom (Marita) stayed home on the farm with the kids.  We were honored, once again, by the pastor (Duncan) when he chose to translate in English so that we would understand the message.  He even asked Josh to come up front and share a little bit of our story.  What a privilege!  Pastor Duncan’s message centered around 2 Corinthians 3:5-8.  The gist of it – we can all walk around with a Bible in our hands and talk the talk, but if Jesus isn’t coming out of us through our actions then something is wrong.  We then are not letting the true and living God shine through us, and today in this world, that is what people need……..a God that is alive through the Holy Spirit, not a church that is dead or only reaches the shallow end of His heart.

Josh, Mindy, Ronel, Edwin

After the church service we drove Edwin, Ronel and their 9-year old son, Renaldo, to our farm to share some meals with them and spend time getting to know them better.  Typing their testimony in words simply won’t do it justice, but I did get their permission to share a little bit of their story so you would know where they are coming from.  By the Lord’s love, mercy and grace, they came out of a life of alcoholism and drugs and have been running after God ever since!  They are filled with such joy and peace, even given their health and living conditions.  They trust in a God that is full of love and compassion and power and miracles.  Not one time did we hear them complain!  Not about their circumstances, not about their health, not about God, not about their enemies, not about how we do things differently in our culture, not about the food placed before them!  We all can learn from them!  Josh’s parents brought some American candy with them in their suitcases, so our friends got to experience American candy for the first time.  Their response……..it’s sweet!  This is SO true – American candy is much sweeter than African candy.  As we sat down at the kitchen table together to enjoy a meal, we found out this was the first for them as well….their first time eating a meal together as family at a table!
  
We were so blessed to have spent time with them and look forward to building a friendship with them.  We would be grateful for your prayers over this precious family.  Please pray for healing in their bodies and hearts where wounds may still be present.  Please pray protection over the baby that he will be born healthy and strong with no HIV.  Please pray that we will recognize the Lord’s heart for this family and how He wants us to serve them.  We know that the Lord has connected us with them for a specific purpose, and we are thrilled and honored to simply have the opportunity to love on them.

Alcoholism and drug addiction runs rampant amongst the adults in Sonskyn Valley, and even children are following in the adults’ footsteps because that’s all they know.  Not all, but many of these children come from very broken homes.  One particular boy, Tyron, who has downs syndrome, begs for food and sleeps in various homes because his parents are alcoholics and do not care for him.  It breaks my heart.  It’s children like these that I’d just like to kidnap and bring home with me!  This past Saturday while in Sonskyn, Josh, Josiah and I walked the streets handing out limunas (oranges).  We headed towards the Rugby field where a game was going on.  Many children gathered there.  One boy in particular took a liking to me.  As we were walking back towards our car, which was about 4 blocks away, the boy continued to follow me.  He kept stepping on pokey stickers with his bare feet, so I picked him up and carried him until we got to the sidewalk.  He had the most precious voice and kept speaking to me in Afrikaans.  Oh how I wish I knew Afrikaans!  My heart was instantly connected with this boy, but I didn’t know exactly why.  As we’re walking back to our car, I became concerned about this boy following us.  Thoughts of 'Who's supposed to be watching him? Where are his parents? Who is he with? Does anyone notice he's gone?' go through my mind.  It was difficult to drive away, but I had this sense that he knew where to go.  It’s common to see children, as little as 2, wandering the neighborhood streets by themselves.  That is the culture in this community.  The next day as we spent time with Edwin and Ronel at our farm, we discovered that the little
boy I was carrying turns out to be Tyron’s little brother! Something in my heart
quickened.  Tyron has a very special place in my heart. For the Lord to cross our paths with these 2 brothers, we know is no coincidence.  Lord, what are you up to?!

Tyron’s little brother.

Tyron

On November 17th Josh and I were able to fly to Johannesburg to meet his parents at the airport.  Matt Gager came to the farm to watch our kids while we were away.  What made this trip so exciting is that I surprised them by coming with Josh!!  They didn’t know I would be there with him.  Their journey couldn’t have gone any smoother.  They were able to get some rest on the planes and were blessed with amazing people to help load and unload their luggage and push their wheelchairs to where they needed to be.  They were over their jetlag in just a couple of days.  We’ve enjoyed spending time in worship with them and will begin doing a Bible study together soon.  The Gager family returned to Idaho, USA on November 23rd.  So, here’s to the end of one chapter and the beginning of another for us!

On the 1st of this month as I was spending quiet time with the Lord, He gave me two words – RESTORING BROKENNESS.  I will be expanding on this in my next blog post soon so stay tuned.

Today the Lord provided the means to buy an extra freezer, as tomorrow we will be taking our 25 chickens to get butchered.  The garden is coming along nicely.  We, along with our friends, Edwin and Ronel, enjoyed the first fruits from our labor with a nice salad (lettuce and cilantro from our garden).  Josh has been hard at work.  We have about 5-6 more rows of potatoes to plant.  Please pray that we can get the irrigation system figured out.

Some may think we have the mission field all figured out.  We don’t.  Some may think we received a bunch of training prior to coming here.  We didn’t.  What we did receive was a transformation of our hearts 3 years ago back in Pemba, Mozambique where our lives took a dramatic shift and we will never be the same SO LONG AS we keep our eyes fixed on the Lord.  We have no plan B, no backup to go back to America when things get tough, money is short, things don’t go as expected, we can’t see the fruits of our labor, etc.  South Africa is home for us now.  We know that opposition is going to come and doubt and discouragement will try to sneak its way in, but we are sticking to the Lord’s leading no matter what.  Yes, even if it goes against all logic or our own understanding.  The one thing we do have figured out is that God’s love looks like something and we’re ready to lay down our lives for that!  We are thankful for each of you and pray the Lord awakens your heart to greater measures of His love today!!  What does God’s love look like to you today?  Now, how can you release that love to someone else?!

Gager Family Moving Back to America

The title to this post pretty much says it all, the Gager family is moving back to America.  We have put a lot of time, prayer and discussion into how this announcement should be made to remain in unity and honor towards each other and avoid any misunderstandings or wrong assumptions to our readers and supporters.

As leaders, Josh and I have relentlessly pursued the Lord’s heart in how to move forward with the vision He gave us.  Even when there doesn’t seem to be much momentum in some areas and things shifted when we returned from America back in June, we know the Lord has been working behind the scenes to prepare us for the next steps AND WE’RE OKAY IN THE WAITING.  A word that He has given us on a few occasions is, “If you build it, they will come.”  Has He fully revealed to us what this means….no.  However, we know He has been faithful in the first two steps that He showed us – land and garden.  The rest will come one step at a time so long as we stay in obedience to His leading.

In life I’m sure we’ve all experienced, at one time or another, ourselves starting to get ahead of His timing or leading.  This is why it is so important to continually check in with the Lord on what He wants to show you or speak to you about.  When you get checks, concerns or red flags in your spirit, listen to them and invest time and prayer into hearing His heart in the matter.  This doesn’t mean become paralyzed and fearful that you’re going to get it wrong so you just do nothing or bail out when the going gets tough or things don’t go the way you expected, but His grace is sufficient when we do get it wrong and He is faithful to get us back on track as we listen to His voice and submit to His ways.  As you know in my last post, this is what we did with the realignment of Four18 Ministries and it becoming a “sending center for missionaries” and not our ministry title.  We hope our last blog post cleared that up for everyone.  We, along with other missionaries that feel called, will utilize Four18 Ministries to simply funnel secured, tax-deductible donations through.  Josh and Matt will both still remain on the Board of Directors at this time.  You will see that www.Four18.org has been updated to reflect these changes and is currently undergoing further modifications.  You can still donate to us directly through this site as the Lord leads you.  For a list of our current needs, updates, etc., we will be primarily posting these items on our personal blog site: Mason Family Missions

Josh and I feel we were sent to South Africa as pioneering missionaries.  This description I found best summarizes our thoughts.  Pioneers are people who prepare the way for others.  Being a pioneer means having a vision.  This means seeing beyond yourself to the possibilities in the world around you.  Pioneers can see opportunities where others may only see obstacles.  They see promise where others only see confusion or problems.  We believe the Lord has called us into a season of charting new territory as pioneering missionaries while we serve Him all across the nations (currently in South Africa).  We realize not everyone is called to pioneer or lead others in the same capacity.  That is why the body of Christ is so great – we’re all created uniquely with different giftings, skillsets and passions, and yet when we come together and work in unity, it’s absolutely beautiful what the Lord can do with these differences.

One thing that is strongly on our hearts as leaders is we want to be ones that empower people to follow their hearts and passions.  We’ve been discerning in our spirits for quite some time that something wasn’t right and asked the Gagers to pray about their commitment to our vision, collectively as a family, to see if it’s something they feel they want to be a part of during this time of their lives.  We made it clear that if their family isn’t in unity with being here it won't work.  It would not be healthy or wise for them to continue staying here divided.  We agreed on them spending 2 weeks in prayer to seek the Lord’s leading.  We wanted them to have peace in their hearts through this decision process, so we let them know that if they feel led to leave, we will bless them and honor their decision with no hard feelings.  After much prayer, discussion and counsel, we came to realize that we and the Gagers are in different seasons of our lives. Although we initially invited them to join us in South Africa thinking they would help co-lead this vision, it became clear in all of our hearts that the timing for that is not now.  Matt and Bree recently shared with us that they feel the Lord is leading them back to America.  Bree feels like the Lord gave her the choice, and she is choosing to return to America to be closer to family and help with needs there.  Matt feels like the Lord also confirmed with him that his family needed to return.  They plan to continue getting healed, better equipped and prepared for what God has for them next, but most importantly, they’ll be focusing on strengthening their family, marriage and relationship with the Lord.

Upon arriving in South Africa back in June, the Lord has been doing a mighty work in the hearts of the Gager family.  He has brought much healing and restoration in their hearts and is rebuilding a stronger foundation in their marriage and family.  It has been beautiful watching the transformation that has happened in such a short amount of time, and we are thankful to have been a part of their journey in this stage of their life.  We know that the Lord wants to continue healing and restoring other relationships in their lives, and we are anticipating a great outcome from this that will release them to walk in greater freedom!  The Lord has taught us many things during these past 5 months with the Gager family, and we believe we have grown in wisdom, love and honor during a time that the enemy wanted to kill, steal and destroy through division.

Prior to the Gagers moving to South Africa, we all spent some time together in McCall, Idaho at a cabin to bond and talk about things before our joint departure to South Africa.  We were blessed by our friends, Billy and Katherine, with this gift.  Some people from their church, whom we didn’t even know, came over to worship with us and pray over our families.  One of the words the Lord gave to the Gager family was, “God’s going to encounter you when you get there.  Your whole family – there’s going to be some kind of encounter.  Your family’s going to be blessed and touched because of that.  There’s an encounter that’s coming.  You have to “go” to have it.  You can warm up to it from here, but you can’t have it like you’re going to have it there in Africa.  It’s yours!”

The Gagers have received many God encounters while here in South Africa and to God be the glory!!  Matt had gotten a word from the Lord that this farm would be a place of healing and restoration.  The Lord also showed me that the healing and restoration was especially for Bree. That word became a reality for their family personally, and we are overjoyed with the continued work He is doing in their lives.

Josh and I appreciate your prayers as we continue to move forward here in South Africa.  Please pray that God would bring like-minded and like-hearted people that are 100% committed to serving the Lord here with us and that we would have greater wisdom and discernment on His timing for when to bring others here.

We bless Matt, Bree, Abby and Eric with honor, love, peace and joy as they continue their journey with the Lord whatever that may look like.  Please pray over their transition back to America and that others will be gentle and sensitive towards them and their decision to move back.  It was not an easy one, and not everyone will understand it.  Please pray that their hearts and time as family will be protected once they return and that people will honor their need to spend time away from others in order to process things with the Lord.  Please pray that their next steps will be made very clear to them and that no spirit of confusion or doubt will have its way in their lives.  Who knows, maybe one day they will be back in Africa.  We are thankful for their compassion in caring for the animals on the farm, for their helping hands with daily chores and preparing the land for crops, for their hearts to love on children at Sonskyn Valley and for their love and support towards our family.  They brought much laughter and fun to us, and we are grateful for their friendship!  Be sure to ask Bree about the lion she saw, haha!!  We love you Gager family and are cheering you on in the walk ahead of you!!

Realignment to Move Forward

Ever since we returned from the States back in June, Josh and I had been sensing that some things needed to change.  We’ve spent a lot of time in prayer and discussion these past few months seeking the Lord for direction and wisdom in how to align things so that we would be able to continue moving forward with the Lord’s plans here in peace and unity.  On October 5th during our family worship time, the Lord told me to revisit 2 checks I had in my spirit while in the States this past April-June.  I knew exactly what He was referring to and shared with Josh what the Lord was showing me.

As all of you know, a non-profit organization [Four18] was created to provide an avenue for those that have felt led to make tax-deductible donations to our mission here in South Africa.  Josh and I have never wanted to or felt led to have a “ministry name” for what we are doing here in South Africa.  With that said, in trying to connect our vision to Four18, we realized that it was starting to become our umbrella so-to-speak; a name by which people were starting to know us by.  This was never our heart or the intent for setting up this non-profit organization.  Therefore, we recognize where we should have done things differently and are wanting to let everyone know that some changes will be coming to the Web site: www.Four18.org. We want to be in line with God’s leading so this realignment is necessary.  That is the word the Lord gave Josh, “Realignment is needed to move forward,” so we want to be obedient to His voice and no other, yes, even if that means humbly admitting our faults and acknowledging that we’re not perfect leaders!

One thing the Lord continually reminds me of is to pay attention to those little checks in my spirit and to not move forward with anything until I have 100% peace.  He’s reminding me to have the courage to speak up when I sense something is off.  He’s reminding me that it’s okay to get it wrong – at least fear of getting it wrong no longer paralyzes me like it used to!  That spirit of perfectionism is ugly, and I’m thankful it broke off me when I was freed of religion.  Either way, He works all things out for good, and we continue to grow as sons and daughters through this journey.  We are thankful to have Matt and Bree Gager serving the Lord with us here in South Africa.  They are a great joy and bring much goofiness and fun, which is so important to not lose sight of in ministry.  Ministry without joy…..well, it’s just not God’s way!

We’ve been greatly blessed these past few weeks with new friendships and generosity.  Some new friends of ours, James and Marlize, donated a bunch of furniture, a gas heater for next winter, lumber and miscellaneous items to us.  In this included curtains for our bedrooms, of which we had been going without.  It’s nice to have some more privacy now, wink-wink!  They felt led to sow into what the Lord is doing here through us, and we are extremely grateful that the Lord has connected us with like-minded people who understand our hunger and passion to be fully surrendered to the Lord.  We recognize that they aren’t just sowing into physical needs but spiritual ones as well.  We’ve enjoyed chatting with them on a couple of occasions.  During my first time visiting with them, I sensed a strong prompting to ask them to pray over me and Josh.  James had been turning the car and trailer around, but when he got out and we asked him if they’d be willing to pray over us he said that while in the car the Lord told him to do that very same thing for all of us! Their prayers and prophetic words were very timely and encouraging and gave me and Josh confidence and confirmation to move forward with a realignment we were sensing needed to happen. They didn't know anything about what was going on in our hearts, but the Lord did!  They are a strong couple that is living by faith, power and radical love.  Please keep them in your prayers as they seek direction for the Lord’s next steps in their lives.

We continue to move forward with expanding our garden space and were recently blessed with 25 FREE chicks from our missionary friends, Josh and Abby, to raise in preparation for food when it’s time. 

These are the rocks we've encountered with our shovels and pick axe while clearing the garden space!

Our heart is to become as self-sustainable as possible so that we can live off the land and put more of the Lord’s money towards helping others.  It's been a lot of intensive work clearing the land with only shovels and a pick axe.  A tractor or plower and chain saw would come in real handy.  We have these beautiful "trees" that are apparently weeds.  We have to cut them down with an axe, which takes a great amount of time as they are all over the farm.  Having a chain saw would be a huge blessing.  Our desire is still to own this land/farm once the finances are available, and we are holding onto the promise that the Lord has spoken to us – that He would give us land!  We are also still in great need of a vehicle.  If you feel led to help contribute in any way, you can make a tax-deductible donation online at www.Four18.org.

Something exciting is happening this November….Josh’s parents, Renn and Marita, are coming to visit us for TWO months!!  They will be here just in time to celebrate Josiah’s 5th birthday on November 22nd.  Renn will also be celebrating a birthday in South Africa on November 27th.  Their passports have arrived and plane tickets have been booked!  We’re all very excited to spend some time with them, and our desire is that they get some much needed relaxation and refreshing while here.  Please pray over all of the preparations that need to take place prior to their departure.  Also, please pray over their health and that they would remain strong and in a place of peace as they get ready to travel internationally.

This past Monday Josh had a meeting with a teacher at an at-risk high school.  He asked how we might be able to get involved with the students there, and a door has opened for us to go and counsel kids during their break times as often as we’d like!  Josh will be going this Friday (tomorrow) to introduce himself to some students and then he’ll go with the flow from there.  We’ve also asked about holding a camp at the farm, possibly during the students’ holiday break, so the teacher is going to look into that with the Vice Principal.  Please cover this opportunity in prayer that the Lord’s plans would be made clear to us.  We want to stay in line with His leading and not get ahead. 

Some people have shown interest about coming to serve with us here and possibly bring teams.  We are praying about the timing of this.  If you could join us in prayer over this, it would be greatly appreciated.  As exciting as it is when people show interest in what we’re doing for the Lord here, we also want to make sure His voice is the one leading us in our decisions.  And I’ll end this post on that note with Hebrews 12:25, “See to it that you obey God, the one who is speaking to you…..”

Fire 101

Several months ago the Lord spoke to me, "If you build it, they will come." Without knowing this, a friend of ours spoke these very same words over us within the last couple of months. This has different meanings for our family, but to start, during our family morning worship time this past Monday, my mind was focused on nothing but the Lord. Immediately a picture came to mind of a fire pit in our yard and many were gathered around it worshiping. I saw many cars making the trip down to our farm, and local neighbors even joined us for a time of worship. In my spirit I sensed the Lord saying it is time to build a fire pit at the farm and to invite the lost and broken to join us. In reality, we don't even have a vehicle that lawfully seats both of our families, so how we're going to help transport people from town to the farm is beyond my current understanding, but we serve a mighty God that knows our needs and sees our hearts.

After sharing with Josh what the Lord had shown me, he decided to get on it that very day (with the help of others) and build a fire pit with benches!

So blessed by such hard working men that also heard my heart and found value and purpose in what the Lord had shown me.

So, we now have a fire pit and plenty of firewood and have already enjoyed our first night of worship around it! Plus, we have company coming over this Saturday for a braai and hopefully some worship time.

Thank you for joining us in prayer that "the people will come", we will have a proper vehicle to move forward with the things on our hearts, and that our faith will remain strong as we trust the Lord for finances.

Here's to many worship nights, great conversations, relationships built, roasted hot dogs and s'mores for South African's that have never experienced this delicacy before!

Who is He??

Who am I?  The question we ask ourselves often….  Who or what do you let define you?

Today Josh went to Sonshine Valley while I stayed home with the kids.  He shared with me his experience about walking down the streets and simply saying hi to people.  Not much activity was going on and he began to ask Holy Spirit why they were there.  The answer became clear when a man began walking down the street looking tipsy with blood dripping down his face from cuts and his nose was bleeding.  Right away they realized the guy was drunk and upset.  Some kids had run into him while sliding on their make-shift skateboards down the streets, and he had fallen to the ground.  They had the opportunity to walk this guy to his home, pray over him and then encourage him to get some rest before he tried to kill one of the children.  Those were his “threats”.  They got to love on a man that felt no respect, didn’t know or had forgotten who he was, and just needed a little “Jesus” love that day.

What’s the point of my story?  As I sat pondering about this man, whom I haven’t even met, how many of you would have taken one look at the man or smelled one whiff of his breath and immediately called him a drunkard?  Be honest now.  Yes, he was drinking.  Yes, he had a little too much to drink.  However, is drunkard or alcoholic who he really is??  I think of him as a man who doesn’t know or has forgotten who he really is – a child of God!  If your first thought was, poor drunkard, stay away from me drunkard, it’s your own fault, you sinful person, you stupid fool, something along those lines, you should think about having a little heart-to-heart time with the Lord and get rid of your critical spirit.  

People turn to things such as drugs, alcohol, sex or other things because they want to bury pain.  When Jesus caught the woman in adultery, He didn’t call her out or label her by her actions because that’s not who she really was.  Yes, she had a lapse of poor judgment, but that doesn’t define who she is, her true identity.  The #1 area Satan will try to kill, steal and destroy from you is in your identity.

As followers of Jesus, our first response to someone who has forgotten who they are or hasn’t realized who they are yet should be – how can I show love and release God to you today?  It will look different every time, but love and the truth of Jesus’s love is what sets people free, and that’s what we should be releasing to the lost, broken and hurting.  Well, to everyone really.  Release the gold and not the garbage!

This is Hans.

I pray this man wakes up realizing he just had an encounter with the Lord through His faithful disciples.  I pray this man comes to know the Lord in a real way and begins to walk it out.  Won’t you join me in prayer?!  This is why we are here – to love God and love others to Him.  Who is he?  His name is David!

Here is a picture of Josh with another man in the township who had a few too many drinks as well.  They worshiped together.  His name is Hans!

  

Needs on the Farm - Being Content With Little or Much

It’s unbelievable to think that we’ve been living in South Africa for 1 year now.  On September 5^th, 2014, our family left everything behind in the States to follow God’s leading for our family to move to Africa.  We never knew where we’d end up, and now look, God has planted us in Mossel Bay, South Africa, on a beautiful farm!

I think back to when we first arrived in Pretoria, South Africa, to a beautiful 10+ bedroom home with a swimming pool.  At first I struggled with being content in such an enormous house because I wanted “less”.  I gave up everything in America with the mindset that eventually we’d be landing in Pemba, Mozambique in a home with molding walls, extreme temperatures, lack of power/water, and lots of rice and beans to eat!  In my heart I was ready for that, ready for less to receive “THE more”.  So, when we ended up in what looked like a mansion to me, I thought, “God, this isn’t right.  This is too much.  I want to be living in the dirt right now.”  That is when He reminded me of some profound truth.  The conditions under which I serve don’t matter.  What matters is the condition of my heart, simple as that!  He told me that I don’t need to be living in the dirt for Him to use me to further His Kingdom.  So there you have it!  It doesn’t matter where you are living or what those conditions are like.  He simply wants to use you as a vessel….He simply wants YOU!  Let’s put off the armor of false humility and instead simply be obedient to what the Lord’s asking us to do.  There’s no comparison.  Whether He sends you across the world or simply across the street, be available for Him!

When we moved to the children’s base at Footprints and shared one room with our 4 children and had a community bathroom and kitchen, I actually enjoyed it.  In Philippians 4:10-14 Paul talks about being content and learning to live on almost nothing or with everything.  Whether his stomach was full of food or empty, whether he had much or little, he was happy.  No matter what his conditions were, he learned to have a happy heart and not become too comfortable in his conditions because God gives and takes away.  I’m thankful to be in a place of contentment no matter what my circumstances or conditions are.  If I have little, I celebrate God’s goodness.  If I have much, I celebrate God’s goodness.  If God gives me more than I asked for or expected, I celebrate God’s goodness without feeling guilty!

Now, this doesn’t mean we just sit back, live a passive life and then expect God to “magically” provide for our every needs.  God tells us to let our needs be known, to trust Him to provide what we need when we need it and then be content in the waiting.  The Gager family would like to have a table and chairs in their living quarters so that, when desired, their family can gather around the table and eat meals together or do devotions just as a family from time to time, but we did not feel we were supposed to go and buy one right away.  They are learning to be content with what they have and only try to purchase things when God says to or gives peace about it.  Well, yesterday Josh received a phone call from a guy that is clearing out a prayer room and said that there’s a table available (plus other furniture and lumber) and it’s ours for the taking (FOR FREE) if we want it.  It seats 10-12 people.  Praise God!  Not everyone has storage space to put their clothes away in so they’re using suitcases and learning to be content until the Lord provides.  We are living on complete faith when it comes to finances.  We didn’t “fundraise” prior to moving to Africa because we didn’t feel the Lord’s leading on that.  God has placed it on people’s hearts to help support us on the mission field, and for that we are extremely grateful.  If one week we have tacos for dinner but the next week we’re eating potatoes and vegetables for every meal because that’s all we can afford to buy, then we’re content and celebrate His goodness for providing food on the table.

God knows the difference between our needs and our wants.  He promises to provide for our needs, and there are times when He gifts us with our wants too because He’s a daddy that knows how to give His children gifts.  The question to ask yourself is what is your attitude or appetite like when you don’t get what you want or are always wanting more or bigger and better?  Do you have great needs, or are you discontented because you don’t have what you want?  If you always want more, ask God to remove that desire and teach you contentment in every circumstance.  He will supply all your needs, but in a way that He knows is best for you.  Be content whether you have plenty or are in need by relying on God’s promises and Jesus’ power to help you.

Some of you have been asking what our current needs are on the mission field.  Other than general funds needed to live simply as missionary families overseas, below are some items we have been praying over collectively as a team. 

Vehicle: We have been generously blessed with this beauty for over 7 months now, much longer than expected, but the owner of the vehicle needs it to be returned.  They don’t want to leave our families high and dry without a vehicle and are letting us continue to use it until we have a vehicle of our own.  This is one of our more immediate needs.

Own Land: We believe God placed us on this farm to begin the next steps of our vision in providing a safe place for children, especially troubled teens, to come to and know what the Father’s love looks like.  This is to be a place of healing and restoration for the abandoned, rejected, lost and broken.  In order for us to move forward with more permanent decisions and steps in our vision, we must first obtain the funds to purchase the land.

Water: We continue to experience blockage in our water line which leaves us without water supply on occasion.  The previous tenant also took the pipe leading into the servant’s quarters so we are in need of a new one for water.  There is also a lot of sediment in the bottom of the tanks which leaves our water looking quite brown.  We're looking into various ways to solve this problem with new pipes/pumps/tanks, but if all else fails, we may need to look into digging a well for long-term use...but only if we own the property.

Outreach Items: We would like to be a blessing as we go into the townships.  We never know from week to week what the Lord is going to have us do, but some things He has laid on our hearts is to provide food as needed, worship with the children, build relationships through fun activities (i.e. sidewalk chalk, face painting, rugby) and show the Jesus film.  We are in need of a generator and screen/projector to show the film, a portable sound system and some djembes for worship.

If you feel led to help contribute in any way, you can make a tax-deductible donation online at www.Four18.org.  We also list our current needs with greater details and costs on our non-profit organization site: http://four18.org/get-involved/current-needs/.  Thank you for taking the time to read and pray over these items.  Last night I was reminded of the verse in Acts 3:6, “Silver and gold have I none, but I’ll give you what I do have….”  Even when we don’t have as much funding as we’d like or are unable to give tangible gifts to those we minister to, we are never in lack because we still have the best gift to offer….Jesus!  He is what everyone needs!

Farming God's Way

“Farming God’s way” is a process where one uses more natural ways to grow fruits and vegetables while also decreasing water consumption.  We were introduced to it by Josh’s dad years ago and felt it was time to implement it here on the farm.  The Lord spoke clearly to Josh and I roughly 9 months ago about having land and a garden – that those were the first two steps He was leading us to focus on.  Currently we do not own the land we are on, but in due time we will as the Lord provides, so we are unable to start a large scale garden at this point.  However, we have begun taking steps into developing a smaller garden to feed our families with and others that may come to visit.  Here is our progress thus far….

Day #1 (Wednesday, September 2, 2015) – ain’t no garden like a poopy garden!  Without a bakkie and tools, Josh and Matt made multiple trips by foot from the lower fields to the higher fields to collect the black soil and horse manure needed for a great compost pile.  It was very labor intensive.  Fortunately, they found a shovel and wheelbarrow that was left behind from the previous tenant when he moved out.

Day #2 (Thursday, September 3, 2015) – The hard work continues as the little ones willingly join us to help serve in the garden without being asked!  Early this AM we started off with one shovel to dig out the sod for our garden space.  The wheelbarrow was filled and many trips taken to dump the sod in a pile.  Later this morning we were blessed by our friend and missionary from the States, Josh Davis, with a bakkie and some shovels that he picked up for us from the second-hand store.  They were able to load up the back of the bakkie with much fertile soil from the lower fields and then scoop it out with the shovels into a pile near the garden.  This saved many hours of time and strain off the men’s shoulders.  It would be great to have a bakkie for the farm and work that needs done, but we are learning to get by and be content until the Lord provides a way!

Day #3 (Friday, September 4, 2015) – The horses, ponies and donkey decided to help….by eating the compost pile!  Josh and I woke up at 5:30am to Fiona, the donkey, on our back porch right by our bedroom.  We discovered that the horses can get through the main front gate to our house if it’s not double-locked.  Lesson learned.  Double-lock the gate at night!  Earlier in the week Josh and the Gagers made a trip to the store so everyone would have some boots to wear on the farm for working in and walking in when it’s pouring rain and muddy outside.  These have definitely come in handy!  Josh and I also found a little $5 sign at the second-hand store that reads, “LIFE IS MADE OF CHOICES…REMOVE YOUR SHOES OR SCRUB THE FLOOR!!

Day #4 (Saturday, September 5, 2015) – The garden space increases and the digging up of sod is almost complete.  The guys began laying rows of “God’s carpet” for planting.  Between the rows they laid a natural layer of thatch and composted material.

Day #5 (Sunday, September 6, 2015) – Day off from work.  The Lord rested too!

Day #6 (Monday, September 7, 2015) – The digging of sod has been completed.  Josh and I went to the second-hand store to buy a machete, pick ax and pitchfork.  These tools made a huge difference when turning the hard soil and rocks that were immersed underneath.  More of “God’s carpet” was added.

Day #7 (Tuesday, September 8, 2015) – Our friend, Josh Davis, stopped by with his family for “Taco Tuesday” dinner night.  He brought his bakkie again so more trips to the lower fields could be made.  He also blessed us with his old lawnmower, which was a great need of ours.  Many people use a weed whacker to “mow” their lawn, but we knew that wouldn’t be feasible for the enormity of our property.  Josh Davis no longer needed his and said we could have it for free.  It needed some work done but it was ours for the taking!  Thank you, Lord, for continually meeting our needs.  Thank you Davis family for pouring into the Lord’s work here and for your generosity and friendship.

Day #8 (Wednesday, September 9, 2015) – The guys got the lawnmower working!  Now we just need a gas can and petrol (aka “gas”).  The snakes hide in the grass so we don’t want it getting too long.  We are headed to town on Saturday to visit Sonshine Valley.  We’d like to get petrol then, but with all of us in our little Opel, that won’t leave room for a gas can.  What to do, what to do.  Still praying for another vehicle.  God will provide! The rest of the gardening has been placed on hold until the horses on our property are relocated.  That is supposed to happen today.

The hand blisters and bruises have been well worth the hard work!  We look forward to being more self-sufficient and eating the produce from all of this hard work and being able to bless others as well.  We’ll continue to provide pictures and updates as things progress, but you can also check out our Facebook page Mason Family Missions or www.four18.org for lots more pictures to be loaded in the near future.  We hope you have enjoyed the “fruits” of our journey.

If the Lord is leading you to help provide financial support in what He’s doing through us in South Africa, you can submit a tax-deductible donation on our Web site at www.four18.org.  Thank you for your continued support in finances, prayers, encouragement and love.  We are blessed!