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.

Divine Appointments

Complete visas….check!  February 23rd came and went.  We approached the visa office with all of our documents in hand, only to find out that we applied for the wrong visa type, even after speaking to several people confirming that we were doing it right.  In order for us to submit our documents, the man serving us told us that we had to go online and fill out the visa application forms again.  We had driven 30 minutes to this office and did not want to keep making trips back and forth.  The man willingly told us that, upon completing our forms online, we could come back and he would print them off for us in the office.  He wasn’t going to make us reschedule our appointments.  What a blessing!  We got back in the car and drove to a park so the kids could play while Josh and I filled out the forms again online using our phones.  Well, we were able to fill out some of the fields on the first page, but the most important field (the name) was blocked for security purposes while using our mobile device (phone).  So, we packed up the kids and drove to an internet café where we paid to use a computer.  We were successfully able to complete our online applications and then drove back to the visa office.  The man whom originally helped us was not excited about processing 6 visa applications, and at times he was frustrated because we didn’t have everything the way he wanted (even though the Web site didn’t mention certain things he was requesting).  On the bright side, we are blessed that he was willing to help us anyway and submit all of our documents for processing with the Home Affairs office, only 3 1/2 hours later.  So thankful to have that process completed.  The only documents we were missing was a marriage certificate and chest x-rays for Jade (because we were told it was only needed for 18-years and older).  We are praying for and believing that everything will go smoothly and that we’ll have 3-year visas in our possession come the end of April!

Parole officer, Matt, social worker, Ethan (intern), Josh, Mindy

On February 25 our friend, Thamar, scheduled an appointment for us to meet with a parole office and social worker for the Juvenile Detention Center.  We met at a place called The Nursery Coffee Shop.  We are called to love everyone that the Lord puts in our path, but for those that know us, we have a special place in our hearts for troubled teens/youth.  These amazing women love the Lord and want His will to be done here in Mossel Bay.  After getting to know them a little bit and spending some time sharing our hearts, we all grew very excited for the Lord’s plans with the youth here.  The parole officer is allowing us to meet with approximately 10 parolees next week, just to get to know them and build trust and relationships with them.  Yay Lord!  Doing life with and loving on the broken – isn’t that what Jesus has asked us all to do?!?  In addition to that, the social worker is checking with the head of the Juvenile Detention Center to see if we can visit there and serve the inmates on a regular basis. The age range for inmates there is 16-25.

Matt, Josh (from Virginia), Josh (from Idaho), Mindy

After our meeting, we decided to take advantage of our “kid-less” time and head to a coffee shop to talk about how we all felt the meeting went.  We arrived at “The Blue Shed” and ordered some drinks and delicious chocolate brownies.  As we walked in, we noticed a guy sitting by himself at a table with his Bible open.  We were talking about how cool it was that the parole office and social worker were believers, when the guy at the table approached Josh and asked him, “Where are you guys from?”  He must have picked up on our American accent!  Josh went on to explain that we’re from the States, in Idaho.  It turns out that he was also from the States, in Virginia.  He asked what we were doing in South Africa, and we told him we are missionaries.  It turns out he is also in South Africa as a missionary, along with his wife, Abbigail, and 3 boys.  They have been living here for 8 years now.  We joined him at his table and had amazing conversation with him.  He was telling us about the ministry they are involved with called Growing Hope.  It’s where they teach others how to be self-sufficient when it comes to food by growing their own vegetables, etc.  This was all ringing a bell to me.  Then the lightbulb went off!!  Before we even visited Mossel Bay in January, Josh’s mom, Marita, had done some research online and came across this blog site from a missionary family whom lived in Mossel Bay.  She knew we were praying about visiting and decided to forward their link to me, and I had spent some time reading their blogs.  Complete strangers to me – but I even signed up for their newsletters.  It turns out that the guy sitting across from us at the table was the very guy whom I had been reading about!  No way!!!  I wondered if we’d ever cross paths with this family, but the Lord was already 10 steps ahead of us preparing the way.  I love how the Lord orchestrates divine appointments!  This guy, also named Josh, ministers to the townships (also our hearts) and so if he has time before Matt leaves he’s going to take us to the townships so we can walk around and get to know people.  He shared with us a lot of invaluable wisdom and insight into the culture and strongholds we may encounter (which we’ve already begun to witness).  It turns out that Josh, from Virginia, is also good friends with the head of the Juvenile Detention Center…..say what?!?!  We encouraged and prayed over each other and then parted ways after contact information was exchanged.  We’re excited to see what the Lord does with this connection and how we can join together to love on the people of Mossel Bay!

Home Sweet Home

As I reflect on the past 6 months, I’ve become more aware of just how much change our family has gone through.  Since the middle of August 2014 up until now, we’ve moved locations/housing 7 times.  Thankfully, we believe this last move to Mossel Bay, South Africa will be for a longer period of time.  We have been so blessed to have a place to stay, although for the last week our family has been split in ½: Josh, Matt and Christian staying in one home and me and the rest of the family staying in another home.  We made things work and spent most of our time together, but I’m happy to say we’re finally under one roof now!! Ever since Josh arrived in Mossel Bay on February 8^th, he’d been diligently looking for a place for our family to live.  He wasn’t having much luck, as most of the places he called on were already let (aka “rented” in America).  When I arrived on February 11^th, he still hadn’t found a place.  We had 2 appointments scheduled for the following day: one for a 3 bedroom apartment and one for a 2 bedroom + loft apartment.  Immediately upon walking into the first one, I knew it wasn’t the place for us.  Josh had seen the second one and wanted me to also look at it.  He thought it could possibly be the one.  It was very simple, close to town and well below what we hoped to pay for rent.  That evening we decided that we would return to the office the following morning to sign a rental agreement.  However, when I woke up the following morning I shared with Josh that I strongly felt like we were supposed to continue looking for a place and not settle – that the Lord has a house (not apartment) for us.  I even had a dream that we were looking at a house, but I don’t recall any of the details.  This isn’t the first dream I’ve had about finding a house either.  The first dream that the Lord gave me about a house, which I journaled about, happened a few weeks prior.  That same morning we shared with Thamar, the lady I was staying with, that we needed to keep looking.  She suggested getting the paper, as it was Friday and new listings come out Friday mornings.  We did as suggested and she helped call on a couple of places because the writing was in Afrikaans.  Long story short, we end up getting a call from an agent that is renting out a house.  The location was a bit further out than we had hoped, about 15 minutes from town, but we decided to have a look at it anyway.  On the drive there we even got into a scuffle about the distance, but I told Josh not to set any predetermined decisions since we hadn’t even seen the house yet.  The house is located in the foothills of Hartenbos, a suburb of Mossel Bay.  The moment we walked into the home, I knew that the door was being closed to the loft apartment, and at this point we hadn’t even looked at the home nor did we know the monthly asking price.

Here are a couple of pictures of the home, but if you’d like to view more, you can check it out on our Facebook page: Mason Family Missions.

The home has 4 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms, plus a yard for the kids to play on.  It was fully furnished when we viewed it, but the initial rent price excluded the furniture.  However, it turns out that the owner was hoping to sell all of the furniture.  Of course, the Lord sent people to the owner that just so happens don’t have ANY furniture.  In a dream I had previously, the amount R5900 seemed to stand out.  To our complete surprise, this home was renting for R5800!!  When we asked how long of a term they were willing to consider, the owner/agent said we could discuss 12 months and then go from there.  We asked if they’d consider 6 months and explained our situation – that there’s the potential to stay longer, but we have some friends from the States that plan on joining us in Africa and will need to re-evaluate living conditions once they arrive.  The owner was completely open to the idea and said we could also have the option to pay month-to-month after the 6 months were up.  We then explained our financial situation – that we’ve only lived in South Africa since September 2014 (Mossel Bay for 1 week), have no jobs/income and are here as missionaries from the United States.  We put them at ease and reassured them that we have $ in our bank account and would be willing to pay months in advance if needed.  We understood that they’d be taking a risk on our behalf.  They said it was NO PROBLEM and that they’d just need to see 3 months of bank statements.  With all of that said, and after jumping through hoops to get the funds readily available, we received the keys to our new home today!!  The Lord has blessed us financially to pay for 3 ½ months of rent (plus deposit) upfront, in addition to buying all of the furniture at a GREAT deal!  We have a limit on how much cash we can withdraw daily, so the owner allowed us to pay for ½ the furniture today and then the remaining will be paid tomorrow when we can withdraw more funds.  It would be much simpler to bank in South Africa, as we are occurring a lot of fees to use ATMs and our US debit card here, but we cannot set up an account here until we have temporary residential visas, which we will be applying for next week.  It has been a steep month for us financially, but the Lord is faithful to provide and we trust He’ll continue to do so.  We are continually grateful for those that support us through prayer and finances.  Your obedience is making this journey possible for our family!

We’ve been to the beach a few times already, and the kids absolutely love it, although they had a not-so-good experience the other day with bluebottle jellyfish. Christian’s shins were the first to be impacted.  He came out of the water screaming saying something had touched him.  After getting him to calm down somewhat, we continued talking about going to another beach.  Meanwhile, Gracie decides to get back into the water and minutes later comes out screaming hysterically.  Her body looked like it had hives all over from the toxin.  I ended up taking her and Josiah home to a warm bath with vinegar, which did the trick for the stinging.

Here is a picture of the car we’ve been gifted with for the next 5 months!  It gets incredible gas mileage and is a huge blessing to our family.

Thank you to those that have been praying over our visa situation.  We received the results to our fingerprints via e-mail in accelerated time!  We were praying they’d arrive before the 25^th, and in fact, they arrived on the 13^th.  We submitted some information online this evening and will be making a phone call in the morning to schedule an appointment to have all of our documentation reviewed and submitted to Home Affairs for our temporary residential visas.  Continued prayers that our documentation will be suffice are greatly appreciated!

Josh and Matt have been meeting with various people to find out more about Mossel Bay and the townships.  They met with the Director of YWAM, whom also said we will have no problem getting into the Juvenile Detention Center so that we can love on the children there.  They also met with a pastor in the townships that would love for us to serve with him so we shall see.  It is important to build relationships with the natives here and people whom have been around for a while, so that will be our primary focus right now.  We want to honor those that have come before us and also let the Lord lead us in how He wants us to serve the people of Mossel Bay.  As you may have heard us say before, we’re continually learning how to go low and slow and to let love be our motive because without love what we do means nothing!

Packing Up & Heading South

The wheels on the van go round and round, all through the town (or country)!  Josh, Christian and our friend, Matt, left at 5am this morning on a 12-hour drive to Mossel Bay.

 

There have been many blessings leading up to this morning’s departure.  Yesterday Josh picked up our rental, only to find out that the van we requested was not available so….  They upgraded us to a larger van for FREE!!  The Lord knew we were going to need a bigger van to fit all of our luggage in, and what’s amazing is that after everything was loaded, we had room to spare!  On top of that, this van gets better gas mileage than the one we originally requested.  Thanks for the extra savings, Lord!  Please pray for safe travels and attentiveness on the roads.  The adults had a bit of a late night last night, as we got together with a bunch of people and went to a place called The Barnyard which features live entertainment with singing/dancing to music from the 1920’s on up.  Again, blessed with FREE tickets!!

The rest of the kids and I are flying to Mossel Bay Wednesday afternoon and staying with a lady whom we met during our visit there a few weeks ago.  We will stay with her until we find a more permanent place to live.  I am praying that Josh will find a place within 3 days, so if you’d like to join me in prayer for that, that would be great.  Our friend, Matt, arrived in South Africa on February 5^th.  He didn’t sleep much on the plane, but the Lord sustained him to stay awake for the entire day so that he could go to sleep on a regular schedule.  We are excited he is with us!  He has a specific question that he is asking the Lord to answer during his time here with us, so that’s something else you can join us in prayer for.

Last Monday, February 2^nd, Josh and I had our fingerprints taken at the police station.  Yes, we’ve been found out!!  Just kidding!  This is one of the steps we needed to complete in order to apply for temporary residential visas.  We thought there was going to be a cost for the prints, but it turns out they were FREE because we’re not having them processed in Africa.  We sent our fingerprints and paperwork to a channeling company in the US that works for the FBI.  We paid a bit more to have this company process our request, but their turnaround time is 7 business days, whereas, directly through the FBI would have taken 14-16 weeks.  Well worth the extra payment since our current visas expire February 25^th.  Please join us in prayer that the process would be accelerated and that all needed documents would be returned safely to us in Mossel Bay.  Our family will be attending a meeting prior to February 25^th to apply for temporary residential visas, so we are praying that we will have sufficient documents to move forward with the process.  The total cost for visas, after all is said and done, will be around $1,300.  The cost to move to Mossel Bay is around $800.  The Lord is so faithful to provide for our every need!

Speaking of needs, we weren’t sure how we were going to get around Mossel Bay once we moved down there.  Right now we’re homeless, carless, jobless……..but rich in the sense that we are so fulfilled with living for Jesus and doing what the Lord’s asked us to do.  I think about the disciples and how they left their jobs, everything, to follow Jesus.  Our family has a lot of growing to do, in fact that will never end, and the Lord continues to teach us what’s important in this life and what things we can continue to let go of to follow Him.  A couple drove us to the police station, and on the way there they nonchalantly asked us if we needed a car once we go to Mossel Bay.  We told them yes.  Immediately the guy said we could have his car and use it however needed.  I honestly didn’t know if my ears had heard right or if he was serious….turns out he was!  He is leaving the country from March-July and said we can simply work out arrangements for when he needs it back after that time.  It’s a little car but big enough to squeeze our family into, and it gets around 45mpg and 600 miles per tank fill-up!!  And get this, he and a friend are driving to a conference which is located ½ way between Pretoria and Mossel Bay.  They leave on Wednesday and offered to drive the vehicle the rest of the way to Mossel Bay so that we could have it.  What?!?!  Our dilemma - how do we get the vehicle to Mossel Bay?  Problem solved!  They will arrive with the car next Sunday evening, and then we are taking care of their transportation back to Pretoria via the bus.  As I read in Acts about people selling their belongings to help others in need, I’ve seen that same generosity in this house we’ve been living in.  I am observing and learning a lot about giving without being stingy, and I’m not just talking about money here either.  You know the saying, “Me casa es su casa….”  Well, people here literally live that out.  They are so selfless and full of love for each other.  It’s not a sacrifice but a blessing for them to give to others with no reservation or hesitation.

Some of you may be wondering what we’ll be doing once we arrive in Mossel Bay….  Well, all we can say at this point is that the Lord has highlighted the following to us: land, a garden, townships and the youth prison.  We’re excited for what’s to come for our family, but most importantly, we love getting to know each other and the Lord more and more every day.  That’s what our journey is all about – loving God, loving people!

Mossel Bay

Our time here as a family in Pretoria has been very blessed and fruitful.  We’ve gotten to know each other better on different levels, and the Lord continues to grow us and meld our hearts stronger with His.  I mentioned in my last post that the Lord had put a place on Josh’s heart and that we were praying into the meaning of it.  We never did hear back on our inquiry by January 7^th, which is fine because we asked God to close that door if that’s not where He wanted us.  However, a series of events happened which led Josh and I to visit this said location.  To rewind a bit…

On December 11^th we spent time as a family in worship.  Jade received a word from the Lord during the song, “It is Well”.  She felt like God was saying that there will be changes for our family and we might not be ready for it but it will be well with us.  Josh received a picture from the Lord of a map of South Africa.  Jesus’ hands were underneath it cupping it.  The following words were impressed upon him, “It’s all yours!”  He received another picture of a sushi restaurant with a sushi boat bar.  On each of the boats was a name of a South African city/town.  God said, “Take your pick!”

A couple of days later the following words were impressed upon my heart, “Wipe the dust from your feet and go.”  Days later I woke up knowing I had a dream, but all I remember is the following – I was reading a letter in scroll form and in it read, “Go after your dreams and do not stop!”

At this point we didn’t know if we’d be staying in Pretoria long-term or if the Lord was leading us elsewhere.  However, about a week prior to leaving the Footprints base the Lord gave me a dream that seemed to indicate that we wouldn’t be in Pretoria for long.  Josh was also sensing the same thing.  Almost 2 months ago (around the beginning of December), during Josh’s quiet time with the Lord, the words “Mossel Bay” came to his mind.  He didn’t know what it was or if it was a place so he decided to Google it.  It turns out that Mossel Bay is a place located in South Africa.  Josh had never heard of it before, nor do we know anyone that lives there (or so we thought).  He shared this with me, and then we placed it aside not thinking much of it at the time, but the Lord was relentless and continued to stir Josh’s heart to pursue what this might mean a little further.  After moving back to Pretoria, we began talking and praying about Mossel Bay and why the Lord would highlight this place to us, a place we’d never heard of before.  We thought maybe the Lord wanted to up and move our family there.  Then one day the idea came to me that maybe Josh and I should visit the place before just moving our family there.  We got online and researched local churches in that area to see if there might be one we could attend during our visit.  The first search result that came up was a church called Joshua Generation.  After reading about them and listening to a sermon, we had peace that this would be a good place to start so we e-mailed all 4 of the eldership couples to ask for recommendations on where we might be able to stay.  One of the elders called Josh and suggested that we should visit before up and moving our family – the same idea I had so we received this as wisdom.  This man was very helpful and offered to help with accommodations if we decided to come visit.

Before I continue any further, one thing to note is that there’s a family from the States that God is bringing to Africa to partner with us in serving and loving on the people of South Africa.  Josh spoke with our friend, Matt, whom will be coming to visit us in February and asked him if the Lord had been showing him anything about Africa and if he specifically felt called to South Africa.  Matt told him that he has peace about South Africa and that all the Lord keeps showing him is the ocean along the Cape.  Prior to this, Matt didn’t know anything about the Lord speaking to Josh about Mossel Bay, which is along the Western Cape by the ocean.  This was confirmation to all of us that we were walking down the path the Lord wanted us to.  Thank you, Lord, for sending others to RUN/PLAY with us!!  Eventually Matt, Bree and their 2 children will be moving to South Africa, but for now Matt will be coming to stay with us for a month on February 5^th.  Please cover his finances and travels in prayer, as he’s never flown internationally and will be leaving his family behind for a month.

To continue on, after speaking with our kids, they were okay with us leaving to Mossel Bay so we asked a lady in the house if she’d be available to watch them.  Unfortunately, she wasn’t but she took it upon herself to ask someone else in the house if they could watch our kids.  This person approached us because they knew of our need and offered to watch our kids for as long as we needed!  What a blessing!  We booked our plane tickets at a great price and were about to book a rental car for our time there, but then I had this impression that we should wait because the Lord was going to provide for us in a different way.  The next day we informed this elder we had been in touch with that we booked 2 plane tickets into George (approx. 30 minutes from Mossel Bay) for January 16^th – January 19^th.  He ended up taking care of ALL of our accommodations and transportation.  We were truly blessed beyond measure!!  What blows our minds even further is that he tells Josh, “Ya, for the first 2 nights you’ll be staying with someone you know.”  Josh is thinking, “I don’t know anyone in Mossel Bay.”  It turns out that someone we went to Harvest School with in Mozambique 2 years ago lives in Mossel Bay (his hometown) and went to the church Joshua Generation.  In addition, Josh served with this guy every week at the Noviane Center where they taught English and hung out with the boys.  Only God knew of this divine connection!!

Our kids were counting down the days until we left.  I think they were excited for us to leave because they knew they were going to have a lot of fun while we were gone….AND that they did!  The generosity and outpouring of love and honor we experienced while in Mossel Bay was beyond what we ever imagined.  Someone even donated some money to us for our trip.  They said it wasn’t much but that the Lord placed it on their hearts to do.  The Lord is so good to us!  On this trip we were asking the Lord to make it clear to us whether or not He wanted us to move there.  We sensed this trip was going to be about connections and building relationships, and we definitely met a lot of wonderful people during our stay.  We also got to see most of Mossel Bay and drove through the townships (aka slums), as that is where our heart is leading us to serve.

On January 17^th, our first morning in Mossel Bay, our friend’s wife asked if we had any dreams last night.  Josh mentioned having a dream of himself looking over the ocean while standing on a cliff.  Jesus was walking towards him.  There was nothing else around, just cliffs.  Jesus walked up to him and they began having a conversation about something, but Josh didn’t know what it was about.  Then he woke up.  Later that day our friend took us on a hike along this trail called St. Blaize that led to a beautiful view overlooking the ocean.  He left us by ourselves so we could worship and pray together.  The view was almost exactly like what Josh saw in his dream the night prior.  As Josh was praying, the lyrics from an American song popped into my head, one I would never think about on my own – “This land is my land.  This land is your land….”  I felt like the Lord was saying, “This land, Mossel Bay, is mine but I’m giving it to you!”

The next morning we attended church at Joshua Generation.  We felt very welcomed and honored, and it reminded us a lot of the church we attended in the States – Vineyard Meridian.  After the service a couple came up to us and said the Lord prompted them to approach us.  They shared how they do street ministry to the townships – exactly our hearts – but they knew nothing about us.  Another divine connection from the Lord!  A lady also prayed over me and released encouragement!  It was spoken over us that the Lord will bless wherever our feet may lead.  I looked up some verses that speak of this truth – Deuteronomy 28, Deuteronomy 11:24, Joshua 1:3.  We enjoyed lunch with some new friends after the service, and God even connected us with someone whom is interested in attending Harvest School in Mozambique this June, so we were able to share our story with her.

Here are some pictures of Mossel Bay.  We had a lovely time with some beautifully amazing people!  We are grateful for everyone that played a part in our visit, and yes, that includes those covering us in prayer.

With all of that said, we have peace about MOVING TO MOSSEL BAY and will be doing so within the next couple of weeks, so long as the details line up and God opens the doors.  The kids are super-duper excited to move again, especially since it means we’ll be by the ocean.  It is a huge leap of faith for us, as currently we don’t know where we’ll be living, we have no vehicle to drive and no steady money coming in, but the Lord is good and we know He didn’t send us all the way across the world just to leave us high and dry.  He will provide!!  Thank you for covering this next step in prayer.  We are asking the Lord to visit our kids in their dreams and show them the house we’ll be staying in.

We are also in the process of applying for our temporary residential visas for South Africa.  This will allow us to stay in the country for up to 3 years without having to leave.  The Lord’s favor has already been upon this process, for which we are truly grateful.  Your prayers for continued finances, peace and wisdom are greatly appreciated!  We’ll keep you all updated as things progress.  Thank you for choosing to be a part of this journey!!  Many blessings to you!