Unexpected Visit to the States

With mixed emotions, we’d like to announce that we’ll be heading back to the States rather quickly, as we found out yesterday that our visas were rejected and we have 10 business days to exit the country before having to pay a fine.  Long story short, we came to Africa on a tourist visa but are needing to change our visa type to a volunteer visitor’s visa for an extended stay of 3 years (that’s the maximum they offer).  The only way we can do that is by applying for it from our country of origin, the US.  It’s a bit disappointing that we paid $1K for our initial visa application, only to find out that we would have never been granted it in the first place, regardless of whether or not all of our documents were in place….. but God!  He uses everything for good to those that seek out His heart and perspective in life’s unexpected circumstances.

We are excited to see everyone but are also sad to leave the guys we’ve been mentoring, our friends, amongst other things.  However, we know the Lord was preparing our hearts for this because He spoke to me back in December that something significant was going to happen in the month of April.  He never told me exactly what that was, but now I know a small part of it!  Towards the end of February and the week following, I had felt a tug of war going on in my spirit and felt “off”.  Thoughts of being in the States had been entering my mind, but honestly, our family did not have the desire to return to the States quite yet.  We love it here – this is home and this is where our hearts are.  I wondered why, out of nowhere, I began thinking about the States and even us being at different places/churches there.  I remember sharing these thoughts with Josh not thinking much of it.  The other day Josh was also prompted by the Holy Spirit to look at flights back to the States, and that was a day or two before we even received the results of our visas.

So, with all that said, we know the Lord is in it and steps need to be taken as part of the preparation for what’s to come here in Mossel Bay, South Africa.  We are trusting Him and allowing Him to orchestrate what needs to take place in order for us to move forward with the vision He’s given us, and if that means coming back to the States then so be it.  It is a bit of a setback financially, as it will take everything we have left to make this trip, but again we are trusting the Lord for His provision.  Josh was leaning towards purchasing a one-way ticket into the States with no scheduled return flight back to Africa (at least until we were “comfortable” with finances), but this morning I woke up at 2am and was sensing that the Lord was asking us to look up round-trip tickets.  The return date of June 7^th was also highlighted to me.  We have peace and unity about this direction, and so as it stands, we will be in the States for 2 months, arriving on April 7^th and departing on June 7^th.

I’m thankful that we don’t have much to pack, as we’ll be leaving most of our stuff here, so it will be quite the enjoyable trek not lugging around a bunch of luggage!!  We’ve already paid for our rent through the end of May and have someone to look over our house/car while we’re away.  All of the little details seem to be coming together nicely.  Although it’s a bit of a shock for our family, we are choosing to stay in a place of peace and joy.  Why would we choose anything else?!?!  We serve the King of Kings and Lord of Lords!!

For those that feel led to pray, we ask for your prayers in peaceful travels, confidence in the Lord’s hand in this, revelation on how to steward our time while in the States, replenishing of finances, divine appointments, a place to stay while we’re there (along with access to a vehicle) and so forth.

Sien jy gou! (“see you soon” in Afrikaans)

Practical Needs for Transition

As I sit down to write to you for the first time since we have arrived in South Africa, reflecting back on what God has done in our family’s life over the past 6+ months, I am in awe of how He has provided, protected, counseled, loved, healed and just been simply incredible. Papa God has blown us away with His Glory and bathed us in His unending love! I am composing this simply to let you all know exactly what the Lord has called us to Mossel Bay, South Africa for and to be completely clear about our needs. Please pray as you read this and ask the Holy Spirit to speak to you!

If you have been reading our blog posts any time in the past you have been reading the writing of my beautiful and talented bride. She is a gift from heaven to me and our family. Not only is she a really great writer but does so many things for us here. Without her wisdom and love our family would not be able to live the life we do. God has called her to be as much of a warrior as He has called me. She stands right next to me on the front lines and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

If you want to know all the steps we have taken to get to Mossel Bay, you will have to read the previous few posts on our website: http://www.masonfamilymissions.blogspot.com. From the moment we said “yes” to Jesus and made the decision to move again, crazy things have been happening to us. We have experienced GREAT favor. Blossoming out of many divine connections, prayer and worship has come a large vision that we believe you have a part in.

First off, if you haven’t read much about what has been happening, we have a wonderfully gifted family from the States that is moving to Mossel Bay in the near future to join with us in spreading the Father’s love. Their hearts are joined with ours, and we know Papa has much in store for our families here. Please keep them in prayer as they plan and organize to move across the world to join us. As they make their preparations, we are looking for a piece of vacant land to fulfill the vision Papa God has given us. The searching process is in its infancy, but the number 7 stands out to me. I believe He is saying we will be on a piece of land that is 7 hectares (approximately 17 acres).

The need for employment in this area is great. There are thousands without jobs whose lives are ones of difficulty and sorrow. They struggle to have enough money to have food for their families. They struggle to find hope. They struggle to love others because love is absent. There are also those who have served a sentence in prison and are now out. There is a youth prison here in the Mossel Bay area. Through something only God could do, we are now meeting with a group of guys every Tuesday night who are out on parole. Because of their past and choices that they have made, finding employment is extremely difficult. What we feel Papa God saying is that we need to meet as many needs as we can while showing them who Jesus is. One way we can do that is to offer jobs to people willing to work hard while transforming a vacant plot of land into a large-scale vegetable and fruit garden. We want to start by employing people and producing food to bless less fortunate people with. It would be easier to buy a farm that is already functioning with homes/buildings already constructed. However, easy isn’t what we’ve been asked to do. Love isn’t always easy!

After we have procured the land however Papa wants to give it to us, either by us making a purchase or someone giving us the land, we hope to simultaneously build a simple home for our families to live in while getting the “farm” up and running. We are completely open to the timing Papa God has in mind. The last step Papa has revealed to us thus far is another “home” on the land for those coming out of prison, one that is a place of refuge for those who are in “transition” and want to move on from a life of addiction and darkness. Many of the guys we meet with, along with those we have spoken to from the prison and parole division, have expressed that life is exceptionally difficult for those who come out of prison. They usually move back into the situation that tremendously influenced the decisions they made which landed them in prison in the first place. Mindy and I have had a vision to have a “home” for troubled children/teens for many years. We have told God that we are open to His timing, His plan, His idea for the “home”. We believe that His idea is that we open a place for those coming out of prison who want to serve Jesus and let Him change their lives. Needless to say, we are EXCITED!!!!!  For those that don’t know my dad, Renn, he has been involved in loving those who suffer from addictions for 35+ years and still disciples current and ex-inmates.  In fact, my parents lived in and managed a transition home when I was born.  I believe he has left a great heritage for us, and I am honored that the Lord is passing the baton to our family!

Practically speaking, here is where we stand. Our monthly financial need to live here in Mossel Bay is around $1,400 US. God is so good that He’s placed it on people’s hearts to support us financially as long-term missionaries.  We currently receive an average of $200-$300 monthly in donations. We have a car that someone is lending to us for a few months but will need a bigger one soon. We are praying for a van to transport our family and others, as needed. The price on that will be no less than $15,000 US here. Cars are more expensive in SA. Land is relatively inexpensive here. I have asked the Lord how much to pray for, as far as what price range to look at, and He has responded with $100,000 US. I believe we can buy land and prepare it for planting with this amount of $$. Looking at building costs for homes, they are much cheaper than in the US but we haven’t created a plan and my guestimate would be around $35-$40,000 US for materials and furnishings for a home adequate enough.

What does this all mean? I’m glad you asked! It means that our needs are great but our God is greater. It means we have no idea what we are doing or how the money will come in, but He sure does and He is the God of the impossible. It means that we are in fluid motion with His plans, but He is a solid rock and knows exactly what He is doing. It means our ears and hearts are open and listening intently and that He is speaking. It means that He is calling people to partner with Him. It means that we trust Him with EVERYTHING!

If you haven’t prayed as you read, please take a moment and pray! Honor Him in your prayer as this is His plan, not ours. Ask Papa God to show you His plan for your life! For those who might be reading that know about this Jesus that we follow but don’t actually know Him, get to know Him! He will rock your world as He has done to us! He will show you love as you have never known! His plan for your life is much crazier than you can ever imagine!

Lastly, if the Lord puts it on your heart to help out in any way, know that our hearts are simply to love people. One way to support us is financially: http://www.masonfamilymissions.blogspot.com/p/contribute_22.html. The other way is through prayer and encouragement.  And, please continue to stay updated with us. Some exciting news is coming soon!!

Josh (and family)

Freedom Walkers

Every Tuesday evening we’ll be meeting with a group of ex-inmates to simply love on and encourage them as they readjust to life outside prison walls.  Tomorrow, March 17^th, will be our third gathering.  We spent our first evening getting to know each other and sharing how/why we were led to come to Mossel Bay.  We are working on venues for weekly meetings with these guys, but for our first meeting, we met at the parole officer’s office.  We had no idea what to expect and simply prayed that Holy Spirit would have His way that night.  After drinks and bread were served, the parole officer turned the rest of the time over to us.  We asked the guys some questions, and a few of them opened up, which I guess isn’t common in a group setting since some of them have been or possibly are still involved in different gangs.  We shared our hearts with them in that we’re not meeting with them to try to get them to go to church.  We told them we simply want them to come to know Jesus and how much He loves them.  Sadly, many Christians are more concerned about winning people to their church instead of winning them to Christ!  Have you ever thought about which category you fall into….?  One of the guys said that was the most impactful thing we said all night.  He went on to share how, since being out of prison, people inside churches have judged him and continue to reject him for his past.  He said that’s the hardest thing about doing life outside of prison bars – his past continually being held against him.  Now, I understand that certain decisions we make can have life-long consequences and sometimes trust has to be rebuilt, but it was sad to hear this man talk about the church community the way he did.

We asked if the guys would be interested in meeting weekly to build long term relationships and simply do life together and they said yes!  Josh provided his phone number to the guys and told them to call anytime they want to talk or need help.  A couple of days later, one of the guys called Josh needing to talk.  Josh met with the guy and was able to encourage him, share wisdom with him and provide him with some food – as he claimed that he hadn’t eaten in a couple of days.

Last week we met with the guys at a beach and 2 new guys showed up.  Usually 8-10 parolees are present.  We provided them with dinner – chicken, roasted potatoes and fruit.  Josh and I dished up plates, and then the kids took them to the guys.  I was so proud of them!  One of the guys noticed that our family didn’t have drinks so he asked if he could pour us some.  What a gentleman!  There is one guy in particular that the Lord has highlighted to me.  During our first meeting he was very quiet, but in my spirit I felt like he was wanting to cry out for help!  I decided to sit next to this guy and shared simple conversation with him.  When I first heard his voice I cheered, “He speaks!”  He smiled and some laughed.  I asked him if it made him nervous for me to sit next to him, and he said, “Yes (with a shy smile),” but I knew that he was okay with me continuing conversation with him.  When I asked if he had any siblings, he shared that he was an only child because his parents both died when he was very young.  I do not feel released to share any names at this time, and we have told the guys that we will honor them and not share their stories unless they give us permission, but they are aware that we write about our journey and share it with others so that people (YOU) can be praying.  When I told them that strangers even pray for them and care about them, their faces lit up!!

For those that know me, I like to take pictures, so I asked the guys if we could take a group picture with them.  We assured them that it wouldn’t be published in the newspaper – only in our blog posts.  Now you have faces to the people you will be praying for…..if you feel led!

The parole officer thought it would be wise to come up with a group name for our Tuesday meetings.  Most of these guys are used to associating themselves with gang names, so she thought this might be a good way of making a connection with them.  A few ideas were tossed around, but the final name we came up with was, drum roll please…………..FREEDOM WALKERS!  These guys are free from prison walls, but we want to see them walking FREELY in their HEARTS and MINDS!!  This is a prophetic proclamation over their lives!  There are many in this world that have never been inside prison walls and yet are still in such bondage and captivity because they have created prison walls around their own heart through fear, hatred, bitterness, unforgiveness, jealousy, lust, pride, selfishness and so on.  This is our purpose in life – to bring the light of Jesus into the darkness so that all may be set free!  The only way to do this is through the power and love of Jesus spoken and demonstrated in truth.

These men shared how the community offers no hope for them.  Their past dangles over them like a never-ending nightmare, and they can’t seem to loosen the grips of their past mistakes.  They have little to no support system in place, they feel rejected by “the church”, and they see no hope for their futures.  To put it simply, they haven’t seen or received the power of the Father’s love…..yet!  We all have the call on our lives to love God and then love people out of His overflowing love.  It doesn’t matter where He’s planted you.  Your call and purpose in life is to love God and love people – specifically those that don’t know of His love.  How challenging is it to love someone who gives it back to you?  How challenging is it to love someone whom is kind to you?  None, zip, zero.  Yet, how challenging is it to love day in and day out to those that treat you poorly, take advantage of you, gossip about you behind your back or have nothing to give to you in return?  From a worldly standpoint, very challenging!  BUT, these are the very people that the Lord has asked us to love and reach out to.

Josh spoke on honesty and shared how true freedom will not come until a person allows themselves to be honest in their hearts.  When people walk in fear, they put up a front and pretend as though everything is okay, but in time they explode from the pain that has built up inside.  We’ve never asked these guys about their past, why they were in prison and for how long they were there.  We’ve been told that some have served many years.  In time, it will be wise for us to know a little bit about their background, but for now we want them to know that we care about their “future”.  After our second gathering the parole officer pulled Josh aside and told him that she’s never seen a connection made so quickly with these guys.  They are interested in what we have to say and truly listen when we speak.  She said she wants to share us with all of the “children” in Mossel Bay and that she wishes more people like us would come and help.

God has placed the desire in our hearts to open transition homes for ex-inmates who are adjusting back to life in the real world.  What does this mean?  Josh will explain more about this in a later blog.  We always knew we’d have homes for troubled teens but have also told the Lord we wouldn’t put an age cap on whom He wants us to reach.  It will take a team to fulfill this vision so we ask that anyone reading this blog pray into whether or not the Lord is leading you to join with us in what the Lord is doing here in Africa.  As mentioned in our last blog, we are also pursuing the opportunity to go into the prison on a regular basis to pour into the guys’ lives there.  This hits very close to my own heart, as I have a brother whom is serving a sentence in prison.  When we were praying to the Lord about whether or not He wanted us to move to Africa, my heart hurt with the thought of possibly not being able to stay in contact with my brother in prison.  I told the Lord that if my brother got transferred to the prison in Boise, it would be very difficult for me to move away to Africa but that I’d be obedient to whatever He asked me to do.  Of course, now we are in Africa and my brother still hasn’t been transferred to Boise.  The Lord made it very clear that I was supposed to write him letters while in Africa, and I have been very diligent with doing so at least once a month.  I am so blessed with the fact that I get to stay in touch with him thousands of miles away.  My brother mails letters to a dear friend of mine and then she e-mails the letters to me.  I respond to the letter via e-mail and then she prints it off and mails it to him at the prison.  She also prints off my blog posts and mails them so he can keep up-to-date with what’s going on in our lives.  What a gem she is!  He has been open with me about his struggles and fears.  I was able to pray with him over the phone a few times before leaving the States.  I miss being able to speak directly to him, but I know the Lord hears my prayers lifted up on his behalf.  If it is on your heart to write him letters while he’s in prison, please let me know as he would love to have a “pen-pal”.  Also, if you feel led to simply pray for him and the other inmates and parolees we’ll be interacting with, it would really bless our hearts and the Lords!!

The parole officer has asked us to be official “service providers” for the South African Corrections Department, which means once we’re registered and approved we’ll be able to meet with these guys as often as desired without her needing to be there.

We’ve been asked by some how they can help out with what the Lord is doing here in Mossel Bay.  If you feel led to provide financially, you can check out our page for donation information. In the near future, Josh will be sharing about more specific needs in greater detail.  Needs such as a larger vehicle, land, construction of transition homes, feeding others, etc.

We thank you all for your encouragement and prayers.  We pray that you all experience the power of the Father’s love that truly sets one free!  And when you are set free, all praise and glory be to Him! Psalm 142:7.