Update: 08 April 2022

Good day friends

We’ve been quiet on the writing front. Nothing seems to flow, and God has not yet released me to publish the stories in the pipeline.

I’m sure everyone is eagerly awaiting to hear what we’ve been up to. Tian has been quite busy at work. I’m trying to keep everything together with two teething babies, lack of sleep and schooling challenges.

So, after we left Swellendam, we visited friends in Karatara on a smallholding with no municipal water or electricity. Getting there was a real challenge with the caravan. It was a narrow gravel road with a heavy steep driveway. The car couldn’t grip and needed towing, but the tractor’s battery was flat. Eventually, Robert towed the car and caravan with his bakkie, the cable snapping from the heavy load. We lived back to basics and experienced how little we could get along with. I call it my “going up the mountain” moment. God dug into my character, shining His light on things, not of His order. Then it’s up to me to bring about the change outwardly. The kids witnessed taking out a boomslang while discussing the serpent nature at school. Also, we had the privilege to walk Nanke through repentance and baptise her there. Leaving, we met a wonderful brother and sister in Christ, Rudi and Brigette. They were God sent because we needed towing out as well. A nail-biting experience! God is faithful, and in that, our faith grows.

We arrived in Mosselbay on February 12th. During our month there, we got a taste of how things are when people are obedient to the call of Jesus. Many battles have been fought in the spirit here, and the fruit is visible. For example, the peaceful Harry Giddy Park, with scripture strategically placed all over the park. In addition, there was a prayer meeting every Tuesday where a lady blew the shofar from her balcony. An Ethiopian guy drove in his car with speakers on top, street preaching the gospel. Tjaart and Tian met up with him and prayed together. We met Arashad, who honours God by making sculptures in the sea sand with scriptures while playing sermons on his radio attached to his bicycle. It was so refreshing, uplifting and encouraging. Tian shared the whole gospel with him and equipped him with accessories to get started in sharing the gospel himself. The De Beer and Du Preez families with Arashad took a walk with the cross along ATKV Hartenbos walkway while Tjaart did street preaching. Kickstart in action, not just sharing the gospel with someone, but taking them out and teaching them to do it! We met Bernard and Gerty, that also tell people about Jesus everywhere they go. I also noticed that beggars weren’t allowed because they have functional systems to care for and equip the homeless by ACCV. Tian also had a golden opportunity to minister to a guy that stole his plakkies. My parents joined us; probably the hardest to minister to is family. We contended for healing for my dad, who suffered a vaccine injury.

Leaving Mosselbaai was sad, but we needed to get to Joburg to present the kickstart weekend with Henri and Tjaart. We made a pitstop in Graff-Reinett with my parents. Early morning when we wanted to pack and go, it started pouring. We were soaking wet but working diligently with a smile. Since we can only travel during weekends due to Tian’s work, we stayed at Gariepdam for the week. The kids mastered dam fishing – we even braaied a catch for the first time.

We planned to have one more pitstop before going to my parents’ home to fumigate, spring clean, and sort out the caravan, but we managed to get an early start – so we pushed through. Just past Ventersburg, the caravan popped a tire. It is scary jacking up next to the road and when a truck passes, the whole caravan sways, feeling as if it’s going to fall on us. It was a bit complex but a learning curve nevertheless.

Unpacking at my parents’ home was messy and hard work, but we won. We also had a small family gathering which was lovely. God also blessed us through our friends Roelof and Ronel with a minivan that has a more potent engine to pull our caravan.

Finally, in Joburg, God provided a place to stay at friends of our friends’ property. We only had time to put up the tent and rush off to the kickstart weekend. It was a good group of people that God ordained to be there, and seeing His hand in everything that happened over the weekend was incredible!

We are currently in Ruimsig to do some paperwork like renewing my driver’s license, change of ownership on the minivan, license discs etc. Looking forward to some fellowship with Henri and Yolandi, who will be joining us while we are here. Now that was a mouth full! We will keep you posted on where we are off to next, but for now, we have to prayerfully press into a matter and seek God’s face for His answers.