The Heart of our Child

Our move to South Africa raised a lot of questions for us when it came to our kids. I think in

general parents often wonder if they are doing a good job raising their children. I know I think about it, I wonder a lot about how decisions I make will shape my children. Moving to South Africa came with lots of sacrifice for all three of my kids, on different levels for each one, and each one has been handling the changes and loss in different ways. My daughter has had many tears for her loss of cousins, family, friends and toys. My youngest is still very young and it is hard to see what he is thinking/ feeling but we have seen him a lot more attached to us and needing a lot more reassurance about new situations. But this blog entry is actually about my oldest.

Kaleb with his new best friend

Kaleb our oldest turned 7 just over 1 week after we landed in South Africa. For those of you who do not know him well he is a lot like me. Kaleb is very sweet and cannot stand injustice, he does well with routine and is not a fan of change. He is very particular about just about everything, he is introverted and though he is slow to get to know, once he is your friend he will be a loyal and loving friend forever.

He was the one we worried about the most with the big move. We talked a lot about moving and what life could be like. We helped him say goodbye to friends and family and even worked through what toys were most important and made sure they came with us. Because he processes feelings and emotions mostly in his head we have worked really hard to help him process as best we can. While overall he seems to be doing really well it is always hard to tell and I have often wondered if he is really doing as well as it seems.



Youth Christmas Party (my kids are top right)

Last week we raised close to $700 and were able to buy 70 gifts (2 gifts per child) and 58 bibles for the students we are working with in the Cape Flats. As I brought boxes of toys, dolls, Legos, stuffed animals, chocolate, soccer balls, clothing and other items into the house I was really worried about how my kids would respond. One of the big things each of my children sacrificed to move to South Africa was toys. They said goodbye to most of their toys being able to only bring a few. So here I was bringing lots of things they would love to have and none of it was for them. At first they were confused and sad that none of it was for them but then when we explained it was for the kids we have been working with, that they were not going to get presents for Christmas, the older two jumped in and helped me wrap the gifts.

Bekah showing off the tree at the youth party

Kaleb even informed his Sunday school teacher about how we got gifts for kids who didn’t have any and how he helped. They were excited and even proud to be helping other kids. We have always done the OCC shoeboxes with them and bought gifts for kids at the pregnancy center and let them be involved but this year was different. They don’t have a lot themselves but it was really neat that they knew the kids who were getting them and got to be a part of the Christmas party. In some ways even as an adult, when we feel like we are lacking something it is hard to give to others exactly what we feel we lack or a gift we wish we could have. It’s a lot easier to give when you have a lot or know you will get a lot or have an understanding of what really is a need vs a want.  If I put myself in their situation even though for many it might seem silly here is what it would look like. If I am being honest something  I really want is a dishwasher, now I am an adult so I do process things differently, but what if Eddie brought home a brand new dishwasher, exactly the one I want and when I got excited about it he told me that it wasn’t for me. Ok its way easier to say you would be thrilled for the person getting it but deep down, even though I know they have a huge need, I would feel a little sad for me. That may make me sound horrible but its honest. I would be excited for them and it would bless them but I would also have to process the sadness I felt. So how much harder must that have been for my children who don’t have the same ability to process as I do. I am very proud of my children and the way they responded.



But the Christmas Party for the youth is not where the big question of how we are raising Kaleb was answered.  This past weekend Eddie and I were told that there was a student in the bible school he is doing from Gahna who’s school fees are covered but he has no extra money for the break. Everyone else is leaving on holiday, many are even going home to be with family but this Northern African will be completely alone living on the YWAM property with no money for food. The YWAM base completely closes down and he will be all alone. For Eddie and I it was a no brainer, invite him to come stay with us for the break. We didn’t even have to discuss it, we both knew right away it was the right thing. But our sweet 7 year old just got his own room for the 1^st time in his life in Oct. We had already asked him to give up so much, how was he going to feel about giving up his room for 3 weeks? Here is how the conversation went:

Kalebs room

Us “Kaleb, there is a man at daddys work who doesn’t have anywhere to go for Christmas. He is very far away from his home and doesn’t know anyone here. How would you feel if we invited him to come stay with us for 3 weeks? He would stay in your room and you would stay in the room with your brother and sister.”

Kaleb “hum, he has no family? No one to spend Christmas with?”

Us “nope his family is far away so he would be spending Christmas alone”

Kaleb “Ok he can stay in my room. No one should be alone for Christmas, we can be his family. Will he get any Christmas presents?”

Us “probably not”

Kaleb “Can we buy him a Christmas present?”

Us “sure you can go with me and pick him out a present”

Kaleb “ok but I want to give it to him, everyone needs a gift on Christmas”

Kaleb and his Oupa

So there it is, my sweet boy is willing to not only give up his room and his bed for a stranger but he also realizes the importance of family, wants to include him in our family and wants to bless him with a gift. He was even willing to share one of his gifts with him. My heart is full and I know while we do not always get this parenting thing right we are raising a child who sees the value in others and is willing to sacrifice his own comfort to show love to someone else.


So this Christmas will look a little different than the ones in the past. We will have an extra family member around our table. It will be the kids 1^st hot Christmas, the 1^st Christmas in our new community and with our new friends. I doubt we will have a traditional Christmas meal but our hearts will be filled with love and laughter.  My kids are learning lessons of love, hope and giving. And learning to share Christ in all they do, not just in the words they say but in the way they live their lives.

Fun at signal hill

The day we knew our family would become a family of 6

For as long as I can remember I have wanted a big family. In 2005 I knew in my heart that part of that family would include adoption. I didn’t know what it would look like, when it would happen or how but I knew God was calling me to love a child I did not carry inside of me, or as many say one that was conceived in my heart. Before Eddie and I got engaged we talked about my desire to adopt and he agreed, he joked about wanting 10 kids back then, that was before we had Kaleb. In 2007 shortly after we were married we had an opportunity to foster a child from a local orphanage but at the time we agreed we were not ready. So we waited until we both knew the timing was right and that it was God calling us onto this journey. When we found out we were moving back to South Africa a little over 1 year ago my heart skipped a beat, I have known since we got married that one day we would adopt from South Africa, now that one day is getting closer and closer.

Over the last few months Eddie and I have prayed and talked many times about adoption, what it would look like for us and if we were ready to take this on. Soon our ‘ifs’ became ‘when’ and it was settled, we would adopt. We are already falling in love with a child we have never met. She or He is already a part of our conversations, prayers and thoughts. When we rented our house we talked about where the new child would sleep and when we signed our will before leaving the USA we talked to the lawyer about our plans.

Yup we are allowing God to grow our family. I write this because even though we are just starting the long process and it could be a few years before we welcome a new child, we would like to invite our family and friends along for this journey.

The process for us will be a long one, because Eddie is a South African citizen we can do a local adoption but because I am not a South African citizen we have more hoops to jump through. There are things like showing steady income and proving that we are establishing a life in South Africa, both things that will take time. We have started with the 1^st steps for us: letting family and friends know, started an adoption fund and started on getting my status in South Africa changed. We are reading books and talking to anyone and everyone we can find who has adopted, I went to a very helpful adoption training and we have spoken to one agency so far.  Once we start the process the opportunity to travel to the USA as a family will be unlikely until the process is complete (could be up to 3-4 years) so we are praying for the opportunity to visit the states in Sept of 2016 (more details on that soon). When we are back in South Africa we will start the home study process and officially get registered as adoptive parents. We could have a new member of our family as early as Christmas of 2016 (some local adoptions take 6 weeks before the placement of a child, some are closer to one year). We know this journey is in God’s hands and His timing and we are doing our best to be patient and prayerful as we take each step.

Over the next year I will write more on the emotional journey we are on. I can tell you this, while I know in my heart that having 3 kids is a lot I also know there are thousands of kids all over the world who need a loving home. Eddie and I are not the best parents in the world but we love our kids. My heart breaks to think about children growing up not knowing what love is, not knowing what being wanted or special feels like. We know we can’t change the entire world but we know we can change at least one child’s world. Am I scared? Yes but I am also beyond excited and I have a peace that can only come from God.

Welcome to South Africa

I cannot believe we have now been in South Africa for just over 5 weeks. Time has flown bye in a blink of an eye. There is so much that I would like to tell you, so many things we have seen and been a part of, a journey like no other one before it. I’m sure as time goes by I will be more able to catch you up but right now my brain is still processing. So I am going to skip most details of our first 4 weeks and move straight into where we are now. I will say this journey has come with many obstacles, many moments of uncertainty, and many moments of overwhelming lack of control. This has been one of the most stressful moves back into missions we have ever done, mostly our fault and in hindsight I think we may have done things a tad different if we would have known the stress we were going to face. Then again I am not sure there was any way to know how things were going to unfold.


*** I am working on getting the pictures to load, we have very slow internet via Eddies phone right now but I am hoping to add them soon****

So now that the dust is starting to settle and I am starting to feel like I can do this, it’s time for an update. We knew when we moved here that the 1^st year would be one of the hardest years. Any time you move it takes time to settle, to get your feet on the ground. Missions is no different, but for us the starting of a new ministry adds a whole new dynamic. There wasn’t someone here waiting for us, ready to hand out our assignments, our kids weren’t pre enrolled in schools, we didn’t have a new home church waiting for us to arrive. Instead we arrived knowing very few people, learning how to live here as we go. We have been navigating the school system, learning how to hang curtains, buy electricity, get phone service, where to buy different items, get internet etc. It has taken a lot of patience and energy and at times felt like we were wasting time, that we were not accomplishing anything and needed to hurry up and get started with ministry.

 That’s when I met a few people here doing ministry sort of similar to what we want to do but not exactly what God has asked us to do or where he asked us to do it. In my western mindset I was ready to jump on board and at least start doing something, so I didn’t feel like I was wasting my supporters money. I was worrying about what others thought of us instead of checking in with what God wanted from us. Don’t worry, He made sure I stopped myself before I even started doing ministry just to do it, or so others would not think less of me. Yeah I know how bad that sounds, but sometimes it’s important to be honest.

After the shock wore off and I was able to just sit with God I realized why I am not meant to jump into a ministry, besides the fact that it’s not what God wants for us, but because in my humanness I decided without even realizing it, that what God called us to is hard and it would just be so much easier to plug in somewhere else. You see I am a doer, give me a task and I can do it. I am task originated in my core, don’t get me wrong I love people and I need people but sometimes I lose sight of the importance of the relationship. Building new relationships in the townships is hard, going into the community without an agenda just to learn the culture, to fall in love with the people, re learn the language (I was never very good at it before)  it’s all hard. Starting a new ministry, building contacts, finding where we fit and where God wants us, while re learning how to live in Africa this time with kids. It has been a bigger challenge then I thought it would be. Africa is relationship based, not task based and so to become an effective missionary I must learn to shift my focus from tasks to people. I can’t judge where we are based on tasks, even though that’s how my brain wants to look at our last 5 weeks, but instead based on relationships.

So here is my update: We are exactly where God wants us to be, spending time with people, opening our home to new relationships, learning to love. Last weekend I had an amazing opportunity to go to a woman’s retreat for women from the townships. I’ve never laughed or cried so hard in my life. I heard stories of struggle and of triumph, deep sorrow and hope. Woman from different areas embracing and uplifting each other. I heard stories of living in fear every day, living with AIDS, raising children as children themselves, friends murdered, rape, stabbing the list goes on. This is what life is like for most South African woman in the townships. Yet still these woman had hope, peace and love thanks to the love of Jesus. And that is the answer, without hope, without Jesus, we find ourselves overwhelmed by our situation, overwhelmed by sadness, loss and hopelessness. I have so much to learn from these woman, they possess a strength that they don’t even see. I am not here to transform communities, I’m here to bring hope to people and they will transform their communities.   

 I can’t wait until I see a few of them again in the next few weeks, one older colored lady is coming to teach me to bake traditional colored desserts and a younger woman is coming to teach me to braid Bekah’s hair. But mostly they are coming to build relationship, so I can love them and embrace the people God has called us too.

Another exciting thing coming up starting Friday is Eddie and I (and the kiddos of course) are going to be working in a youth group every Friday night!!! I am SO EXCITED!!! I feel this will be a huge opportunity for us and a big door for the future. It is in the Cape Flats, only about 10 min from where we live (the house we moved into is only about 10-15 min away from the border of the Cape Flats) and I LOVE the lady who leads it. I am excited to find ways for the WSBC (my youth group in the USA) to be involved with the group here, not sure how yet but I know it could be a blessing for BOTH groups!!

So if you made it this far (I know it was a long update) I want to say thank you for taking the time to read how we are. I would also like to thank everyone who has given to us financially either once off or on a monthly basis. God has been so faithful this far and we could not have made this move without you!! Also a HUGE thank you to everyone who has been praying for us, we have faced MANY challenges and I know it is through your prayer support that we have been able to navigate each challenge.

I would like to take this time to invite new supporters a chance to join us on this journey. South Africa is a bit more expensive than we originally thought and would love to have you join us. Below are a few areas where we still need support. It sounds like a lot, and when I wrote it out I felt a tad overwhelmed but we know our God is with us and has provided every need up until this point (inc the $1,000 in unexpected travel expenses!!). Please feel free to contact me with fundraising ideas as well or if you would like to see a copy of our budget.

Needs (above and beyond our current support level):

4 people giving $100 a month for health insurance (or $1,200 yearly)

1 person giving $50 a month for internet & 1 person giving $50 for phones (or $600 yearly)

4 people giving $50 a month for the kids schooling (here you pay for public school) ($600 yearly)

4 people giving $40 a month for housing (or $500 yearly)

4 people giving $20 a month for electricity ($240 yearly)

8 additional people giving $25 a month for food, transport & ministry items ($300 yearly)

We also have a few one-time needs:

Eddie and I need a mattress, the kids all have beds/mattresses but Eddie and I are in need of one.

A car. This is a HUGE need, not a want at this point. If you have been following any of the unrest in South Africa you know it is not safe for me and the kids not to have a car. Just last week a petrol bomb (basically a gas bomb that burns very hot and quickly) was set off on the train near us and burned 3 train cars. No one was hurt but that was very lucky. Public transport (like buses and taxis) are also not safe. We have been blessed by a friend to borrow their car but we need our own very soon.

Please feel free to share our update with anyone who is interested, thanks!!

 

Choices

With just over 4 weeks until we leave the US and start our journey to South Africa I thought it would be a good time to update everyone with where we are. It has been just over 2 weeks since my little family moved out of our house in Evans Ga and packed everything we own into 10 suite cases, making things very real for all of us. I am not sure at what point Augusta GA became our ‘home’ but it has become a very special place, a place of comfort, a place that has seen us through many seasons of joy, sorrow, struggle and triumph over the last almost 8 years.  Leaving my church family, so many close friends and my sister and her family was the hardest thing I have ever done. I chose to leave everything I love outside of my little family, I chose to give up everything we have worked towards: a house, cars, and things. I chose to walk away from jobs we loved and I chose to leave behind things that are comfortable and familiar.

Over the last year I have heard many different people’s opinions on the journey Eddie and I are about to embark on. One common theme is the idea that because God called us into missions everything will be easy and smooth sailing as we prepare.  Jesus never said following Him would be easy and while I do agree that God will provide for us, guide us and pave the road before us I am also aware that He never guaranteed an easy road or that the process would not be painful and faith stretching.  

I want to make sure to say that while God has called us to South Africa and God has asked us to partner with Him on this project, it is still our choice to go. Every day I get to choose weather I want to walk with God or if I’d rather stay comfortable. We all get to make that choice, every day. Comfort looks different to different people, in Luke 18:21-25 the man’s comfort was money, a comfort he was unwilling to let go of to follow Jesus. For me my comfort was Augusta GA where I had a solid network of friends, a great church, the best job ever (yup the church youth group) great schools for my kids and a constant steady income.  The choice to leave your comfort zone is not easy, no matter what you’re called to, following Jesus requires sacrifice.

Choosing to go into ministry or missions is not easy. God calls and you have to be willing to let go of everything and take up your cross and follow Him. As far as I can tell when God calls missionaries He doesn’t supernaturally change everything for them. He does give passion, and a love for the people group and desire and hope and peace. But the human elements are still there, the flesh still cries out to be heard. I know what I am giving up, and it’s hard. Many missionaries don’t make it past the 1^st or 2^nd year and I wonder if some of that is the church back homes lack of understanding of just how hard it is to be a missionary. We sit in churches and think somehow they are above all the heartache and struggles of life. That living a calling from God means they don’t have storms and other than the constant fundraising there is no hardship. We think ‘wow they must be special because I could never do that’. And they are special but they are not that different from anyone else.  

I know not everyone in church feels this way and maybe for some who are called it really is 100% easy but from the missionaries I’ve talked to, most have said that while they would not want to do anything else and they have a joy that cannot be explained it is the hardest job they have ever done.

What’s my point in all this? I want you to see that while I am making a choice, a choice to follow my calling, that choice is not easy. There is an amazing amount of grace, joy, and comfort from God and honestly there is nothing I’d rather do then move back to South Africa and serve the community there. But please also know this entire journey has been faith stretching and full of ups and downs. I am so excited to see what God will do through my little family and I am so thankful that He has called us on this journey.

 I don’t know if there is something God is asking you to do that seams hard but if there is just know stepping out of your comfort zone is not easy. It is however worth it. I am not the same person I was when we started this journey, my faith and closeness to God and my family has grown. My understanding of what is important has been challenged and my ability to find rest even in the storms of life is improving. So what will you do today that gets you one step out of your comfort zone?  What is God asking of you? How can I help? Please feel free to contact us, we love praying with people especially as God moves you out of your comfort zone and into your calling.

Focus

I was on hold the other day waiting to make an appointment and as I was flipping through the calendar I noticed a word that kept coming up over and over again. I learned about key words in my inductive bible study a few years back and I know from experience to stop and take notice of words that repeat.  As I looked over the next few months I saw these important notes on my calendar: last doctor appointment, last dentist appointment, last day of school, last day of gymnastics, last gymnastics camp, last Mops meeting, last day at church, last day as youth director, last VBS, last bible study, last day at work, last day in Augusta, last day in the US. There it was, a very important word for me right now, last. My heart began to sink as I sat on hold seeing all the “last” things that were creeping up. Some were harder to swallow then others, some of these things have been in my life for the last 6 years and have been my support system through a lot of joy and heart ache. As the word threatened to throw me into a pit of darkness a still small voice said one simple sentence that brought me back to reality “focus on the firsts”. For me, right now, those are harder to see because there is no set date nor guarantee for many of the firsts God is calling me to focus on. Yes I have a date for the 1^st day in South Africa but past that all the things I am to focus on require faith. I am looking to a day in the future where I will see our 1^st student walk through the doors, the 1^st child to accept Christ, 1^st family to be transformed, 1^st student to excel in their studies, 1^st to graduate from high school, 1^st thank you, 1^st full stomach, 1^st outreach team to come spend time with these kids, 1^st south African national to join our team, 1^st gang member to change their life.

These are what I am to focus on. Not all the things that I am giving up, or the people I am leaving. But the amazing things God is going to do through us. The lives that will be changed forever.

It’s been an interesting week, seeing what changing my focus from last to first can do. Moving my mindset from being self-focused back to being God-focused. I think we can do this in any area of our lives. Instead of focusing on the things we have lost, or the trials and struggles focus on God and what He has for us. I wonder if we took ourselves out of the equation and truly made God the center of our lives how differently we would live. Not just on Sunday mornings or with what we say but to truly look inside our hearts and seek out the areas where we are selfish and ask God for His agenda, His perspective and learn to walk it out. I have been guilty of this lately, I have allowed myself to focus on the things I will miss, the things I am giving up. While it hasn’t changed my mind about going it has changed my mindset and my ability to trust God with all the details. This week as I shift my focus I am once again seeing how He is working out the details. It doesn’t mean moving to Africa is an easy walk in the park but it gives me the faith to keep walking forward even when I can’t see the path before me. The truth is, as much as I sometimes think otherwise, my life isn’t really about me. There is so much more to this life then what I want, what I think I need.

So now I will once again focus on God, on all the 1^st that are to come and the 2nds and 3rds to follow. I am shifting my mindset away from being all about me and remembering it’s really all about Him. I am walking in His shadow and striving to show Jesus’s love in everything I do.  I will keep moving forward in faith even when the path is hard and I can’t see what’s in front of me. Because at the end of the day, when everything is said and done I’d rather be walking a hard path with God then following an easy road without Him. 

Missions: What it is and what it isn't

We have had some questions as to what exactly we will and will not be doing in South Africa and I wanted to take a few minutes and address it here in case anyone else is wondering. I hope that the new addition to the website in the next few weeks will help with questions too, Eddie and I are working on writing out what life was like for him growing up in South Africa during the Apartheid and even the years after.  Sometimes even I forget that Eddie has a very different past then I do and take for granted how far away from the struggles he has come. I am hoping hearing his heart for his people group will help you understand why we are moving to South Africa and why we are so passionate about what we will be doing.  Now to clear a few things up:

We do not believe manipulating people in any way shape or form to believe what we believe is healthy or in any way the message of Jesus. We will be accepting students from any religious background into our program and will NOT be requiring them to agree with us or believe what we say is truth.  Any child living in the township where we will be working in is free to come and utilize all programs we offer including food and help with education.  It breaks my heart to even think that people might believe there are conditions on entering our programs.  Never in my life in all my missions travel have I ever required anyone to say or believe what I believe in order to get help.

All that being said, I do believe Jesus is truth and that the gospel message can and does change lives. We will be sharing the gospel message in the ways we choose to live, in our friendships and our family. We will live out the message of love and hope. We will be Gods hands and feet, feet by going where we are called and hands by serving others.  Yes we will have bible studies and we will share our faith and honestly I would love for every child we work with and every family they represent to know God and to know the love, peace and hope that comes from Him. However it is not my job or responsibility to convince anyone that God is God, it is my job to be obedient and share His love.  Their relationship is between them and the Holy Spirit, I have no power to save anyone. There is no benefit in requiring anyone to accept Christ, again our job is to be obedient in what He has called us to do.  To go and help these kids find hope in their future.

This can be a tricky subject and I hope that you can hear my heart in all of this. I am a Christian and I am not ashamed of that. I would not be moving to Africa if God had not called me to and I will openly and honestly share my faith with whomever wants to hear it. I do respect that everyone has a choice and I also know that a surface faith (like only saying you accept Christ so I would help you) is not really faith and is of no value in the long run. Its the love, peace, joy and hope that Christ has brought Eddie and I that we freely give to those we will be serving. We are going to be an example of Christ, not to judge or require anything but to help bring hope into a very hopeless situation. To be a light where is a darkness and to offer help that can bring change. Please feel free to contact us with any questions.

Belize 2012 

How the money part works

Many people have been asking how being a full time missionary works when it comes to money so as much as this is a touchy subject I thought I should address it now.  We have chosen to go with an organization that does not provide housing or pay.  We will not be getting a ‘pay check’ from any one person but instead will raise our paycheck with pledged support from friends and people who feel God is leading them to be a part of what we are doing in South Africa.  Honestly as much as not having to raise our own support sounds good I feel like we would lose a bit of the personal relationship part.  When people pledge to support us and send in their money every month they are reminded to pray for us, a critical part of our ministry.  They know the missionaries they are supporting personally and can actively follow what God is doing with their money.  They will hear stories of triumph and struggle as we minister and maybe someday God will lead them to come and see what we are doing.  It teaches both sides to fully rely on God and stretches everyone involved.  So how much does it cost for a family of 5 in South Africa? Our goal is to raise $3,000 a month in support for the 1^st two years.  That money will cover all our living expenses for example; a safe rental house/apartment, all utilities, food and toiletries, all car expenses, internet, phone, health insurance, kids school, etc. It will also cover ministry items such as; school work sheets, books, snacks, activity items, bible study materials etc.

$3,000 a month sounds like a lot and it is for one person but that’s the beauty of raising support.  It isn't up to one person to carry it all, it isn't even up to 10.  We would rather have 300 friends giving $10 a month then 1 person writing a check for $3,000 a month.  This ministry isn't about Eddie and I, its about God. And we are so excited to have others to join us on this journey.  I know many people shy away from giving because they think “what could my $5 a month possibly do?” and the answer is a LOT. For us $5 buys our family of five 2 days worth of healthy meals. Or it buys 1 days worth of snacks for the kids in the township.  So here is our goal, to find 100 people who can give whatever God lays on their heart to give a month. That can be $1 or $1,000. I know I could give $10 a month to change a life in South Africa.  We leave Augusta at the end of July but our goal is to be fully pledged by the end of June, will you prayerfully consider supporting us?  You can send pledge info to us at openhandscp@yahoo.com We are asking people who pledge to send their 1^st monthly support amount, whatever it is, sometime in August. 

How our funding will work:  Friends will send their donation to our church, Windsor Spring Baptist Church in Augusta GA (see “how to give tax deductible donation”, online donations will be available soon).  Twice a month the church will deposit all our support collected into our account and we will withdraw the money for the month on the 1^st of every month.  In order to have money our 1^st month in South Africa money needs to be into the church in August.

The second financial need:  Moving expenses

It will cost us aprox $15,000 to move to South Africa. This covers airfare, shipping a small amount of clothing and household items, accommodation while we look for housing, rental car while we find a car etc. We are doing a variety of fundraisers to help us raise this money.  Plane tickets just went down in price to $4,300 and that is our 1^st and most urgent need.  We are hoping to raise $3,000 by the end of Feb so we can take advantage of the current low airfare. 

Ok that’s enough about money.  My goal is to never make anyone feel like we are being pushy about money.  We know God has a plan and we are excited to see how He funds the ministry. I didn't talk a lot about prayer in this post (I will be soon) but we need lots of prayer pledge partners, so even if you are unable to give towards our ministry we would love to have you along on our journey as a prayer partner.