Random Posts over the last few years - blogged less and posted on FB more

Going Back in time a little .... I stopped blogging as much and began posting more on Facebook over the years.   I wanted to record these memories in our blog as well.  

March 5, 2018 

Luke is graduating High School in May! We are very proud of Luke and the hard work he has put in this school year to make this happen. We are also thankful for Kimberly who came to teach Luke four years ago. She has been a blessing to our family and an encouragement to Luke as he has grown through High School. We are also thankful that Brit was able to take Luke’s senior pics while we were all together this past Christmas.

“...If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” John 8:31-32

Fall/Spring of 2017-2018 School Year

Wow, Luke decided he wanted to graduate a year early and he worked really hard to make that happen.  Looking back we saw how God was the one to put that on Luke's heart.  His timing was perfect.  We found out 1/2 way through that Luke's Visa was going to expire the following year and that would have been the middle of his senior year.   It would have been very problematic.   We are so proud of Luke and how hard he worked to get all of his assignments finished.   We are grateful for Kim who spent the last several years teaching Luke and making sure he had the best high school experience a missionary kid could have - projects outdoors and in the kitchen!   Even while working hard in school, Luke was very involved in CBC - attending youth, serving in jr youth and helping with the sound on Sundays.  

Luke helping with a church Braai

Luke and Stephen loved to go hike in the Wolkberg Mountains 

Luke helping with sound at CBC

class time 

project time 

junior youth 

finished project and it turned out COOL

May 1,  2018

Well, our youngest just graduated High School! We are so proud of Luke and Stephen! They worked very hard this year and we were happy to celebrate with them today. We praise The Lord for sending Kimberly here four years ago to teach Luke! She worked very hard and has been a blessing a to our family!

We celebrated in our back yard by the school room. Our friends, who became family, came to support these two!

Ephesians 2:10 “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”

 

praying over Luke and Stephen

Brit was on FaceTime the whole time

June 6, 2018 

Celebrated this guy today! 18 years have flown by! Sure do love him! Thank you God for allowing us to be his parents! We are very proud of the young man Luke has become. Living 1/2 of his life in South Africa! Oh the stories he will have to tell for a life time!  

Most of his birthdays he had no choice but to celebrate with a team in Mozambique. I know it probably wasn't always his first choice but he always had a good attitude about it and usually celebrated with his birthday boti, Derrick. His 18th we were able to be between teams and home in Polokwane!

Ephesians 2:8-10 “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

time flies! 

June 29, 2018

URGENT Prayer Request!!!!

Yesterday our set-up team left Matsilele village, Moz to move camp to Mabuzane village, Moz where the CBC team will be ministering from Sunday.

They had to cross the Limpopo River. The big Samil truck carrying all the equipment and towing the drill-rig got stuck in the river. It is day 2 for them camping on the bank with no favour getting the truck out.

Please pray as the Spirit leads.

“The mind of man plans his way, But the LORD directs his steps.”

‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭16:9‬ ‭NASB‬‬

About Us - How our Journey Started

 Wrapping up this blog and want to be sure to highlight a few things .... 

About Us

Our journey to Africa began in 2003. Our sending church PaulAnn Baptist Church, put together their first mission trip to Mozambique where they would come alongside and work with Samaria Mission, a ministry of Christ Baptist Church in Polokwane, South Africa. While in Mozambique, we began to have a heart for the people. Several times we would talk about mission work and what it would be like. We were very careful when we returned from our trip not to make any decisions on a "mountain top" experience. As the weeks went on the desire to return to Africa grew.  

Mark had an opportunity to go to Guatemala and work with Pat and Charlie Reynolds, who at the time were involved with taking the gospel to the local law enforcement. Mark spent 2 weeks there in 2004 and had a great time and enjoyed the work he was able to do. The Lord used this trip to continue to grow a love for missions in our heart, especially for Mozambique.  

We were able to go back on outreach to Mozambique in 2005. The desire to move to Africa became stronger and we began to talk to people about wanting to go into full time missions. In 2006 we went back on outreach to Mozambique and took our 2 children with us (age 6 and 11 at the time). We felt like the Lord was continuing to open a door for us to move and join Samaria Mission and we wanted Brit and Luke to experience it. We were able to come on outreach again in 2007 and began to talk to the mission staff about the possibilities of joining them full time. They invited us to stay for one extra week after the outreach in 2008 so that we could meet and interview with the staff and elders of Christ Baptist Church.  

After returning in 2008, we were certain that God wanted us to join, Samaria Mission but we just were not sure of the timing. We prayed and sought wisdom from the Lord on what to do. This was not a move we could do on our own but one that had to be guided by Him. Together we studied Experiencing God, by Henry Blackaby. Chapter 18 is titled, "Joining God Requires Obedience." It is a great chapter and in it Henry Blackaby says that obedience is costly to you and those around you but disobedience is far more costly. God called us to full time missions and we knew we had to obey him. We have to trust that His plans are perfect for our family. We began to make steps toward the move, with LOTS of prayer, trusting the Lord to open or closed doors as we walked. 

In June of 2009 we left the States and arrived at our new home in South Africa, Polokwane. It has been and continues to be a journey, one that is sometimes difficult but for the most part good. We love working with the mission and being able to build relationships with the people of Mozambique and South Africa and share the gospel of Jesus Christ with them.  

We started this blog before we moved. If you want you can go back and read all that God did to get us to where we are today. We try to keep the blog updated so that you can see what our journey here in Africa is like.