Category: Update

Just a quick word from all of us in this busy season. We are in East-Londen staying at a church by invitation from Pastor Danny. What a privilege to serve the community hand in hand with a congregation. We’re looking forward to share some testimonies soon.

The Cronje family, du Preez family, Nieman family, de Beer family, Bradley, Marc and Pastor Danny all live together on the church ground and serve together. It is a beautiful thing when the body of Christ gets together!

It has been a very personal journey for me. I hope to share more if God releases me to do so.

Also you can watch our videos on YouTube – please follow link on our website or click https://youtube.com/@disciplesofjesus_za & And Cronje family on Crossing Africa Ministries on YouTube.

Gospel is good. We are in a warzone and watching God’s hand move. It is an incredible privilege to be a witness to His mighty work. All hands to the plough, working together for God’s kingdom – Beautiful!

We hope everyone enjoy their family time together. We want to encourage everyone to love one another as scripture commands, for then we obey the whole scripture.

Lots of love the Bear family.

My heart is full. There is so much to be said, but I can’t seem to get the pen on paper with a flow to it.

God has been busy. He is working in our minds and ironing out our hearts. It has been a particularly hard season for the whole family, but I can testify that God kept me strong. When the storm was almost over and the battle drew to an end, I started crumbling. This is where God equips one to fight for yourself. To take up your authority in Christ. Take the lies captive. Replace it with truth. Then live it! This is God’s grace, to not send broken-winged doves into the field where you’re an open target to the enemy. At the same time cheering you on to get back on the wagon as quick as possible. This too is a learning curve and maturing.

• Our home

Right now we are blessed to be in a flat while we wait for the work on our caravan to finish. Maybe this time God is waiting on us to move and not the other way around. We are going to fetch our home this weekend, start packing and we’ll be moving on the 17th of November to join the Cronje family.

• Gospel time

We had interesting gospel opportunities running a stall at a local flea market for a few weeks on Saturdays. From a tarot card reader, to Mormons handing out their bibles. We got to share the gospel with various people passing by and hand out lots of tracts and Bibles. But we also met people with a heart for the community and we joined their ministry, serving at Margate beach – Turning tides. We prayed, war, praised and worship the Living God! Tian and Bradley also got a short time at a local church in Hibberdene to share their testimonies.

• Fellowship

It is lovely to have fellowship with the Cronjes, catch up, get in the Word, encourage each other and just fill up our cups again! It’s true: Many hands make work light.

I can just testify of the things God has done. His mighty hand at work in and through us. Things seem small and insignificant, but living the gospel one conversation at a time, one step of obedience at a time, one spirit-led act at a time. Trusting God to produce fruit and stir hearts.

* Also, note to self: Discipleship starts at home with our little bears.

Wow. Another season has passed! I can honestly say that God never leaves us, even if we feel our frail hands slipping. God is good and faithful. It’s been a challenging season with Tian being very busy at work and dealing with a few challenges of our own.

We left Hazyview in mid-August. Bradley kept everyone updated about the work we did in Hazyview. Thank you, Bradley! On our way to the Drakensberg, we travelled through Volksrust and were blessed to see snow. The kids have been praying to see snow for more than a year, and it is a prayer answered.

We stayed the weekend in Newcastle at Liesle, who graciously opened their home to us & the team hosting a kickstart. Always an honour to serve together. I enjoyed it, and we’re still learning daily!

Leaving late Sunday, we arrived in Drakensville at nightfall. It was a bit challenging, but with challenges, our faith grows. Every place we’re at has its signature stamp. We enjoyed the chirping birds, the mountain views & untouched nature for miles.

We handed out loads of Zulu gospel pamphlets. We made food parcels to distribute to the community. There are always gospel conversations and prayers as the Spirit leads us. I was also fortunate to share the gospel with some kids at a local school.

Currently, we are in Hibberdene. Bradley joined us again after visiting The Cronje family in Kosi Baai. Watch this space for further news.

Divine appointments

At the time of writing my first post, I found myself excited by the prospect of having to represent God and His Kingdom. An opportunity to face a new challenge. So there came Hazyview, after having spent time in Bela-Bela. I guess that our starting point was walking with the red cross, and although it got the onlookers’ attention from all walks of life, in my view, it symbolized the presence of Christ and opened doors for what would be potentially divine appointments in the future.

That gave me the strength to wake up the following day and spend a little more time in this tourist town of Hazyview, famous for its wildlife. I initially didn’t know where to start, but all I knew was that God was there (which Is all that mattered), and the Holy Spirit would show me where I needed to be. Close to where we are currently camped, I was privileged to meet some of God’s children.

An example is one street vendor who sells fruit while avoiding the incoming traffic from the different sides of a usually busy road. One day, I stopped to chat with him about the Kingdom of heaven, and immediately he recalled that he had seen us walking with the cross the previous day. As we talked about what God was doing in our lives, I became aware that God is omnipresent. Wherever we may be, He is there. I left him with a Gospel of John in Zulu, which he promised to read once he got home.

As I turned to move towards a public area where small groups of people were relaxing, I took that opportunity to get an audience who would listen to the gospel of the Kingdom of heaven. Even when words were insufficient to express my message, the Holy Spirit gave me the courage to speak boldly. I got some negative comments from some people but kept my focus on the good news.

This process of getting to know some of God’s children later led me into barbershops, market stalls, restaurants and different parts of the busy town. There, God revealed to me the growing need for Bibles and gospel literature. While distributing this material, I began to develop a relationship with the community, something that I noted Jesus and his disciples do while sharing their teachings.

These are challenging times, and the good news is sometimes difficult to digest, especially with the economic challenges hitting most of us. There will be times when nothing seems to be happening, but I wanted to reassure the Hazyview community that we have been sent into this world to proclaim that the Kingdom of God is here on earth and also that we need to start making it our number priority before it is too late.

When writing this article, I reached out to several people in and around Hazyview. I believe that starting something small such as providing reading material, allows the community to learn who Jesus is and what the Kingdom of heaven is all about. As humans, I am fully aware of our limitations, yet doing something is the first act of showing your faith.

Spiritual battles 

My story would be incomplete if I said that everything was a bed of roses. I had moments when I heard of the beliefs in deep ritualistic ideology being unpacked right before me. I have met several community members who have distorted the true gospel and have made it a feeding ground to satisfy an appetite for fleshly needs. In those instances, I have had to be firm about my stance on these mixed messages and how it is doing more damage than good to the body. At this point, I want to point out how important it is to follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit and not speak out of our thinking.

I am also growing spiritually and will be the first to admit that carrying your cross and following Jesus will come at a cost. But I will hold on to the words “obedience is better than sacrifice”.

I pray that those privileged to read this article are blessed by its content. I encourage everyone to be a part of this journey that God Is travelling with each of us. I also want to give special mention to the men and women who have given up everything to serve God in this life and the eternal life to come. 

Be blessed 

I can’t believe we are in July already! Although it feels like time is flying, in the same breath, I can say that sometimes I feel that time is dragged out in everyday chores, like cooking, washing, schooling, and cleaning. And when we set out to gospel, time doesn’t even exist, and when we return, our spirits are on a “super high” because of Jesus.

I love the writing and video-making part of our journey. It is a breath of fresh air from everyday life and challenges me to new heights. The challenge is finding time; honestly, I would rather write or edit than do the washing. Plus, not to prioritise it as more important than spending time with Jesus or my family. I suppose God is teaching us more about being effective stewards of our time.

We are currently in Hazyview for follow-up, but God opened so many new doors! But with that said, I also feel like God placed us here to deal with some issues, to war in the spirit and prepare us for our next appointment. Trusting God to open the right doors at the right time and seeds to fall on fertile ground. Always excited to see how God puts things together.

We met up with a wonderful family in Christ during our stay here. We could learn from each other, have fellowship and serve each other in love. A bond that will last into eternity. God never ordains such meet-ups without purpose.

As I’m typing this, there are two gospel opportunities in the pipeline in the local rural area. We are praying into this. Only God can lead the way to prepared grounds!

Bradley goes out most days of the week; I’m sure he will soon write about his experience of that soon.

We prayed and decided to lengthen our stay here for another month. We have peace in God’s perfect timing and planning. I’m also very grateful for His grace to allow us to stay.

Last year we shared the gospel with an Israeli during our stay in Hazyview. I just had the thought: “I wonder when we would get an opportunity to share the gospel with foreigners again?” That very same day, God sent David and Samira from Switzerland. What an amazing blessing to encounter and practice gospel sharing in broken English. Good training school right out of Abba’s hand.

Thank you for all your prayers, dear friends and family. We would like to encourage and challenge you to join us sometime on our journey. Come camp with us?

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.

Thank you so much for all your support and prayers. Keep on growing in the love of our Lord Jesus Christ – it is worth it!

Wow, again, it’s been a while since our last update, and we have so much to report on. I tried to give a detailed account of everything in chronological order since much of what happened in Sutherland was particularly striking regarding God’s timing, but after many attempts, I felt the story drowned in the details, and I decided to summarise everything instead. I’d like to add that I feel very much like a reporter, in the sense that I cannot take credit for anything that happened. It’s all God’s doing. 

Evangelism Opportunities

We walked with the cross a lot, often building a whole entourage of little children, each wanting a turn to carry the cross. We shared the Gospel with them and gave them Gospel cards to recap afterwards. We organised a Discovery Bible Study that continued throughout our stay there. We visited people in the rural area preaching the Gospel to their families.

We handed out Bibles and were invited to take part in a Christmas tree for the little children where Elmi shared the Gospel, and Nanke danced and sang a song.

Three things that particularly stood out for me was:

• Elmi prayed for a lady with a crutch, and her hip was healed. I laughed as I noticed her dancing down the road without her crutch.
• Another lady approached us for prayer a couple of days later. She had heard about the one with the healed hip. Whilst praying, she fell to the ground as her back convulsed and a demon left on the street.
• One day as we walked with the cross, we were approached by a man asking why I was carrying that thing. It was a Muslim who had never heard about the cross, and we had the opportunity to share the Gospel with him.

Nomad Lifestyle

The caravan park in Sutherland is relatively primitive, and the owner is not used to anyone staying for the length of time we did since most people only pass through on their way to the west coast. Although we paid a hefty price to be there, in the end, we felt that we’d overstayed our welcome.

Ruhan had his first run-in with a Red roman Spider jumping onto a chair to get away from it. Jusia found a dead one in the swimming pool and carried it around like a pet.

On the morning of the 14th of December, for Nanke’s birthday, we spectated the most breathtaking meteor shower, counting roughly 80 shooting starts in 80 minutes.

Making Friends

Probably the most significant part of our visit to Sutherland. We made family, not friends. Oom Koos, Tannie Elsa, Johaar and Tannie Marge welcomed us into their homes, fellowship, and their very lives.

Tamim ministries had a conference in Sutherland while we were there. We were blessed with the opportunity to listen to Ankia (a missionary to Indonesia) as she testified of God’s miraculous work there. Reminding us of our calling to the unreached.

God Provides

Sutherland is generally a dry, almost desert-like place, and besides the frequent snow in winter to replenish the groundwater, rain is a very scarce commodity. They’ve been in drought for seven to nine years, depending on who you ask. Water restrictions limited water use from 8 – 10 AM and 5 – 8 PM. In the short while we were there, the heavens opened several times, pouring down so hard once the whole town was knee-deep in water.

We also received a few donations that enabled us to donate a couple of Bibles and assist a small church in advancing their building project.

Revelation

I’m slightly embarrassed to say, but God revealed that I had a big fear of sharing the Gospel with a Muslim. Maybe even a fear of Muslims in general, but He’s working on it.

Sutherland had nearly no Christmas decorations, which completely negated the festive rush and the temptation to indulge. This revealed how we’ve been accustomed to the worldly festive rush and how peaceful life is without it.

Final thoughts

Our time in Sutherland was a busy one, filled with blessings, with God revealing His hand around every corner. We’re excited to go back in the future, but in the interim, we remain with them in Spirit and prayer.