To maintain a purpose in spite of difficulty, obstacles or
discouragement. To continue to fight for
something with a heart of passion without giving up when the journey or results
aren’t as you expected.
TO PERSEVERE…
There are many things that could lead us off course from the
things God has put on our hearts to do, but we are pushing through and trusting
that He’s got our backs no matter how many odds seem stacked up against us or
how many hurdles or mountains we must go over.
We are choosing to persevere. Faith
and trust don’t grow when things are easy or done in your own strength. Faith and trust grow when you’re placed in
positions that require 100% dependence on the Lord to get you through them.
We could have easily given up on remaining in South Africa
when the committed monthly support was only 15-20% of what we needed, OR when
Jade decided to live in the States this past year, OR when the porcupines
continued to destroy our crops, OR when we received news that people are
looking at the farm we’re living on with interest to buy it. However, the Lord continues to make it clear
that we’re supposed to return. We have
no idea how He’ll provide for us, but this much we know, He will provide!
This past Sunday Josh spoke at a church in Rexburg, Idaho
(the town I was born in), and he shared about leaving a legacy of love for
others to pass on. We’ve been telling
our children that we want to be a family that loves well, but this has to be
shown with actions and not merely words.
That is why we are in South Africa – to release the power and love of
Jesus to those it’s rarely or never been shared with before in their
lifetime. We want those we come in
contact with to experience and KNOW the Father’s love – a love that reveals the
truth of who He is and who they are in Him – a love that truly sets them free!! People ask us often what our vision is, and
although their intentions are innocent, I sometimes cringe at that
question. To me it’s simple – OUR VISION
IS TO LOVE AND DISPLAY JESUS WHEREVER WE GO!!
As Jesus told the disciples on multiple occasions: go and make
disciples, baptize them, heal the sick, feed the poor, love your enemies, set
the captives free, teach them My ways, and above all else LOVE!!
It saddens me how easy the word “love” is tossed around in
this world today. Many have no idea what
pure, authentic, selfless, unconditional love really looks like. Many don’t know the Father’s love. That’s our mission – to bring the fatherless
to THE Father through extending His power and love to one person at a time.
Exciting News:
We’re excited to announce that two more people will be
joining us in South Africa to help spread this love and truth to those around
them. We’d like to welcome back our very
own daughter, Jade, whom has made the decision to move back with us on July 19th!! Words cannot adequately express how excited we are about this! This is an answer to many prayers being
lifted up, and we are beyond grateful for each one of you that did so. We KNOW God has great things planned for her
life in South Africa and are excited to see her blossom in new ways.
A few years ago when I led a ministry school, the Lord
rekindled the desire in one of the student’s hearts to serve in the mission
field – something He originally planted in her heart 40 years ago. She thought maybe this journey was going to
start in Pemba, Mozambique, but the Lord had something different in mind. During our visit in the States last summer Josh
and I had peace about offering an invitation for her to come and serve with us
in South Africa. Later on she shared
with us that the Lord had spoken to her very clearly a few years back that she
would be serving with us in ministry.
She didn’t know where, when or in what capacity though. She even shared it with her pastors but kept
it quiet from us so that the Holy Spirit could move. It’s amazing to me that not only did the Lord
speak to us about something we had no idea He had already spoken to her about,
but the location and capacity in which she’ll be serving is in overseas
missions – a rekindling of dreams coming true!!
So, please join us in welcoming Elizabeth Fritz to South Africa!! She applied for her 3-year South African visa
yesterday and will also be flying back with us on July 19th. She has committed to serving for at least one
year in South Africa but indefinitely as the Lord leads. She has a heart for children and art, and we
are expectant that God is going to use her, stretch her and grow her in mighty
ways! I will share more about her at a
later time.While Josh shared at Rexburg Christian Center last Sunday, an older couple happened to hear of our need for a tractor. It turns out that they want to donate one to us that they are not using, and someone else had possible connections for having it shipped over. How cool is that?! We’re excited to see how this all plays out.
We met a beautiful couple after being here for 2 weeks, and
their heart is to serve us in some capacity.
One way the guy has offered to serve and bless us is by building us a Web
site, something which he has a gift for.
A few months ago Josh mentioned to me that he really thought we should
have a Web site (other than for blogs) so that we can post videos, pictures,
etc…something more professional and functional.
To me, it wasn’t a high priority because I knew it would cost $ and
there were other things of more importance that we needed. So, this offer to us is a blessing and answer
to the desires of Josh’s heart. We will
provide you with the link in the near future.
A link we can provide you with is
one to the new donations page. As you
have read in previous posts, we have transitioned over to a new spiritual
covering here in the States and are partnering with The Promise/Awaken Church
in Nampa, Idaho. We will be briefly sharing
at church this Sunday, June 19th, for anyone that would like to
attend. They currently meet in the Nampa
Civic Center while their new church building is under construction, and service
starts @ 10am. We are excited for this
new connection and what the Lord wants to accomplish through it!
Donations & Current Needs:
If the Lord leads you to support us financially, secure and tax-deductible donations can be made through the following link: https://awakennampa.cloverdonations.com/give/
The kids’ passports arrived last week, so the next steps are
as follows:
- Obtain medical certificate and chest x-rays (or TB test) for Jade. ($30)
- Purchase plane ticket from Seattle to Johannesburg for Jade. ($900)
- Purchase plane tickets for Josh and I to LA to apply for visas. Delta Sky miles are helping to reduce the cost. ($150)
- Hotel and food cost while in LA. ($200-250)
- Visa applications. ($220)
We are super, duper thankful for those that have already
planted financial seeds and continue to cover our family in prayer. Currently we are staying with some friends
for 3 weeks and have been truly humbled, honored and blessed during our time
here. We also had the opportunity to
visit my mom and siblings a week ago in Eastern Idaho, and that was great
fun. Please understand that we can’t
meet with everyone individually, but if you’d like to see us before we return
to South Africa, then you will have an opportunity on July 16th.
Save the Date:
On Saturday, July 16th
@ 2-4pm we will be sharing at Awakenings Coffee House about our journey in
South Africa and what’s on the horizon for the future. This will be the last opportunity for Josh
and I to gather with friends before we return to South Africa on July 19th. Also, we’d love your support in blessing this
coffee house, as they are a fairly new business and their vision is great! Their overall mission is to donate all
proceeds, after costs, to ministries assisting women and children in
crisis. They also have a heart for
children in Africa, specifically Ethiopia.
If you come you’ll get to enjoy amazing drinks, help a great cause and
get smothered with joy from Josh!!
Awakenings Coffee House: 10650 W. Overland Rd, Boise ID 83709
SO…SAVE THE DATE! WE HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE!!
