Moving to the Promised Land!!!

About a month ago I wrote about some land we were seeking to purchase.  A quote from my last post, “If the owner agrees to our terms, we will be required to make a 10% down payment by August 31^st to secure the land, which we believe will be roughly $40,000 (including some tax).”  Well, it is quite the extensive process to get funds from the US to South Africa, so even if we had the full amount of the funds available in the US, realistically we still wouldn’t have been able to make the August 31^st deadline.  We approached the agent for the property in complete transparency and told him we wouldn’t have the funds by August 31^st.  Keep in mind, we hadn’t signed any type of contract at this point.  When it seemed like the door might be closing on this particular piece of land, we all continued to pray and seek the Lord for direction.  Frustratingly, we were getting nothing new from the Lord.  Thoughts of did we hear you right, we just want what you want, we’ll give up this land if you want us in the townships, whatever you want Lord began to enter our minds.  In all honesty, my heart has been torn between living on this piece of land and living in the townships.  Yes, the Lord showed us a vision of having land, but my heart is to live simply and “live in the dirt” so-to-speak, clinging on to nothing – not even comforts.  In talking with a dear friend about this, she said, “There is a purity and a freedom in living simply and loving extravagantly.  You know that God has transformed your heart when that is your desire.  Although, it may be that heart attitude that He is after with you and not the specific living conditions.”  Such wisdom and truth.  I’ll come back to this……

Last Sunday we attended a church in the township, Sonskyn Valley.  The pastor shared a beautiful message IN ENGLISH and I felt at peace, especially without all the “bells and whistles” that a lot of churches have.  It was simple, raw and heartfelt.  Afterwards we spoke with the pastor, and he shared how he was nervous about speaking the message in English because it’s his second language, but he chose to do so in honor of us……in honor of us!  How blessed we felt by this humble man of God.  I look forward to the continued relationships the Lord is going to build within Sonskyn Valley.

This past Saturday we were also at Sonskyn Valley.  We prepared 150+ tin foil meals and took them to Sonskyn Valley to share a meal with the children.  We sang songs, danced and the guys even played a little rugby with the boys.

 

While there we met a young man who asked Josh, “What can you teach me about God?”  Ding!  Ding!  It turns out this young man attends an advantage “at-risk” high school here in the area.  In fact, I met his admin teacher while attending the women’s conference in Cape Town the weekend prior.  She rode in the same vehicle with us on the way home.  In speaking with her, I found out she teaches at an advantage high school, just like Josh has done in the past.  Some of the stuff she shared with me breaks my heart, but at the same time, my spirit leaped at the possibility that this was another door God was opening for us.  We hear of teen pregnancies where babies are placed in garbage bags because they can’t take care of them.  Or gang initiations that require the most gruesome acts of obedience to take place to be a “part of the family.”  IT NEEDS TO STOP!  STOP FOR LOVE!  STOP FOR THE ONE IN FRONT OF YOU!!  Our new friend recently spoke with her principal and we have an OPEN INVITATION to come to the school and speak to the learners (aka students)!  We will be meeting with one of the teachers hopefully this Friday to talk about what this might look like and then go from there.  We’re excited for this opportunity!  As I watch my husband interactive with troubled teens, something in my spirit stirs.  He has a gift and I’m excited to see it take flight for His glory!

Last week we also invited a guy over for dinner.  His girlfriend came with.  He is one of the parolees we had been meeting with prior to our 2-month leave for the States back in April.  It was great to reconnect with him.  It turns out that the Freedom Walkers we had been meeting with still meet once a month on Tuesday evenings.  Their next gathering is on August 25^th.  Josh is attempting to make contact with the Department of Corrections office to see if he and I can come on the 25^th to say hello to everyone.  Please cover this in prayer, as we’ve really been wanting to reconnect with these guys.  They have never left our hearts!

So………back to the beauty of simple living.  I’m in a place where I want to give everything away so that I have MORE to give…..the “more” being of God!  Now understand, I’m not exclusively talking about materialistic things.  I want to give away or get rid of anything that’s trying to take the place of God.  This could be anything from comforts to money to possessions to fears and insecurities.  I told God that I’d be willing to “give up” the land we had been seeking to purchase if He wants us to be in the township and live in a 400 square-foot home.  I don’t want to settle.  I don’t want an ordinary life.  I want to live out my life in radical faith, love and obedience to the Lord, whatever that looks like.  I don’t want anything to get in the way of that.  Today we heard back from the agent for the land, and although the owner’s disappointed that we can’t purchase the land right now, he’s agreed to lease the property to us and place the purchase “on hold” until the funds become available!  A door we thought the Lord may be closing has still remained open.  We are moving to the farm!!!!  I’m thankful to the Lord but still find myself asking Him, “But what about the township?”  Josh and I know that both families are not ready for the living conditions in the township, and because of that, we’ve had to lay those desires aside for the time being.  BUT, the Lord is saying, “I’m still giving you the township of Sonskyn Valley!”  He may not be directing us to live there right now, but He’s opening up the doors in the area to bring His love.

We don’t have an exact move-in date yet, but it will definitely be by the 31^st of August.  The current tenant has already moved out.  We should be getting a lease agreement written up within the next day or two.  We do have some more immediate needs once we move and would appreciate your prayer covering over these items.

1. Beds (for Christian, Josiah and Eric) – currently Eric sleeps on a couch and our boys sleep on the carpet floor.  The new house has concrete flooring.
2. Fridge/freezer (for the 2^nd house).
3. Vehicle (ours is on loan but will need returned soon; that leaves us with no vehicle).
4. Dogs (for protection).

Thank you for following along on our journey and for your continued prayers and support.  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.

Four18 – 1 John 4:18 – let His perfect love cast out all fears in your life!  Then you will soar with Him on wings like eagles [Isaiah 40:31].