TRANSITION BACK TO
SOUTH AFRICA
Our sweet, little Gracie announced beautifully in a video (check
it out on Facebook – Mason Family Missions) that, yes, the Gager and Mason
family live in Africa together in a WHOLE house, ONE house. There are 9 of us living in one 3-bedroom +
loft house, driving one vehicle, united in one heart…..and it’s a beautiful
thing! The church we currently attend, Joshua
Generation, is about 12 minutes from our home.
Here is a picture of us cramming into one 2-door vehicle so we could
attend a church service last Sunday.
Christian, Gracie and I were in the trunk, yes, the trunk! Josiah sat on Josh’s lap in the front while
Matt drove and the rest sat in the middle.
We joked around about how we probably looked like one of those cars
where clowns kept coming out! J We are able to borrow this vehicle until
mid-July, so we will be in need of another vehicle soon.
Some of you might think this is a “sacrifice”, but I have
heard of greater sacrifices – like people walking for days to attend
church. Aren’t we supposed to count it
all as joy?!?! Americans have no idea
just how good they have it. I truly have
a thankful heart for the things we do have, even if others have the perspective
that we lack because of our choice to live a simple life. I have never felt more blessed and rich as I
have let go of materialistic possessions and “conveniences” and grown in my
walk with Him. He has captured my heart! The toilet in our family’s bathroom had been
taking about 10 minutes for the tank to fill all the way up so that it could be
flushed again, which typically means that if someone else has to use the toilet
they’d need to wait. The other day I was
flushing the toilet and found myself THANKING God for a toilet that flushes and
has water because Josh and I experienced times in Mozambique where we had to
fill up the tanks with water bottles just so we could flush them, and then
there were times where we had to conserve water and not flush for a period of
time or even go to the bathroom in a community latrine (a hole in the ground). I speak to Americans because I am an
American, but I encourage you to change your perspective and wake up to just
how good you have it compared to much of the world. When you find yourself complaining about what
you don’t have, inconveniences or finding yourself asking for “more”, stop for
a moment and thank the Lord for what you do have. The Lord gives and He takes away, and we must
learn to let our petitions be known to the Lord and then be content in our
given situation no matter how He chooses to provide (Philippians 4:11-12). We must also take a stance to fight off any
attacks of the enemy to kill, steal and destroy what the Lord intended for us
through steadfast prayer, but thankfully the Lord uses every situation for good
to those that love Him and seek Him in all situations.
I’ve heard it said that, as children of God, we are entitled
to the best of the best. While this is
true and the Father likes to give His children good gifts, in my heart I’ve been
pondering a lot about what this personally means to me. When I think of living an abundant life (John
10:10), there is nothing more I’d rather have than an overflow of love, joy,
peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control
(Galatians 5:22-23) so that I can give it away to others. To me, becoming more like His character is one
of the greatest gifts He could give me.
Did you know that when you pray for peace, God will allow you to be in
positions that “test” your peace and how much you are turning to Him for
strength? When you pray for love, God
will allow you to be in positions that “test” just how much you love your
enemies? He doesn’t just automatically
give us the fruits of His spirit. The
only way to have these is to choose to be connected to Him, the vine (John 15). If you are feeling empty of these things or
frustrated with a certain person or situation, might it be that you have chosen
to disconnect from the Lord and take your focus off Him?
Community living requires adjustment and laying down one’s
life for another – something the Lord has been speaking to me about this past
month. Last Sunday he spoke to me about “giving
up my right to be right for the sake of others.” This is something I am continually growing
in, especially through the transition of community living. To me, laying down one’s life is really all about
living a selfless life and honoring others.
It doesn’t mean you don’t have a voice or opinion. It just means you seek wisdom on when it’s
important to voice it or not. I am one
who likes efficiency, and this is not a bad thing, but not everyone is
efficient or has experienced the same things I have. Rather than allow pride to drop a seed in my
heart, telling me my way is the only way, He is teaching me more about what His
love and grace looks like as I continue to lay down my life for others (John
15:13). I want to be a leader that
empowers others and gives them an opportunity to grow. There must be a balance between wisdom and
grace, however. The Lord told me I’d be
walking into a season that would require greater grace, and I have definitely
been placed in positions where I can choose to walk in grace or not. It is my choice and sometimes I falter but
continue to surrender my weaknesses to Him so that my heart can remain pure and
free.
LIVING QUARTERS
Our lease for this home is up at the end of August. We are seeking the Lord for where He would
have us go next. We have been looking
for land to begin our vision of growing a garden and constructing transition
homes and/or homes for children, in addition to paying parolees to help prepare
the land, assist with construction, and mentor them on other levels. Today we looked at a piece of land about 15
miles outside of town. It is
approximately 20 hectares (50 acres) and is selling for R3.5 million ($300,000
US). This is an incredible deal for the
amount of land and beauty that surrounds the property. It has a stream that runs through the
property that would provide for 11 hectares of irrigation for farming/gardening,
and there is a great amount of fertile soil and level land that already exists
on the property. Currently, the house
water is provided by one of the neighbors with the agreement that he can
utilize the dirt road that runs through the property for driving on. One full functioning house already exists on
the premises. There is another structure
that can be portioned into 2 bedrooms and has a bathroom and kitchen (minus a
stove). There is also another small living
quarter for workers. Someone currently
leases the property but is ready to move out.
They still must give their 2-month notice…..we have almost exactly 2
months left on our lease. We’ve also
been told that the owner may include the sale of his truck as part of the
negotiation. Come on Lord! As we don’t currently have the funds to pay
full cash for this property or any vehicle, we are praying for wisdom and favor
on how to negotiate a lease-to-own contract.
Your prayers over this land and vehicle would be greatly appreciate.
FREEDOM WALKERS
(parolees)
We were very excited to reunite with the Freedom Walkers
(the parolees we had been meeting with prior to our departure to the States),
but unfortunately the process has changed and now we must be approved by the
government to be Service Providers for the Department of Corrections before we
continue meeting with them. Our hearts
were saddened by this news. We will be
meeting with the Development & Care coordinator in the near future to
present our vision. Once a date is set,
we will send out an update so you all can be praying. In the meantime, as we develop our
presentation, please pray for wisdom, creativity and passion to overflow - that
the Lord’s heart for these guys would shine brightly and that no eyes would be
blind to it.
WORSHIP & PRAYER
We have enjoyed spending time in worship and prayer
together. My heart is that we would all
go deeper in this area. Please pray
against any distractions that would come to steal this time and place people in
a state of complacency or dryness. The
Lord feeds the hungry and quenches the thirsty!
Pray that ears and hearts would be more open to His leading and that
both families, especially us parents, would remain in a place of unity, peace
and honor – that hearts would be transparent with the Lord and each other. We are all in transition and it may take
longer for some, so that is a great opportunity to put His power in our lives
to practice.
FOUR18.ORG
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. We know that it will take an army of kingdom
believers to further the vision He has given us. What seems impossible, He makes possible as
we trust in Him and walk out our faith and love for Him! We encourage you to browse our Web site to
see what other ways you can become involved.
We thank you, in advance, for following along on our journey, encouraging
us and providing support in whatever way you feel led. We’d love to hear from any of you, so feel
free to send us an e-mail so we can keep up-to-date on what’s going on in your
life. From all of us, we love you and
are thankful for you!
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