Hello Spring!
Hello Spring!
Happy Fall to all of you in the Northern Hemisphere! Down here it is an absolutely beautiful SPRING day and we are enjoying all the blossoming trees. My favorites are the Jacaradas shown above in purple!
For most of South Africa, the school year is winding down, programs are finishing, and businesses are busy with all the things to do before the entire country shuts down for a few weeks in December to rest. Most everyone we talk to is weary but just pushing through a few more weeks until their December break. The usual rains are around a month late and that is pushing the temperatures higher than usual. This week has had several days in the 90s F.
For our family, we started our 2020 school year this week. We love to be different! Earlier this year, we hired a friend from church named Olu to teach our children for four months. Olu did an amazing job and when I began teaching again when we returned from the Zambia trip, I was pleasantly surprised how near they were to finishing for the year – 3 months early! Can I brag for a minute? The final exam for this year’s curriculum was a blank map of the continent of Africa with the country names alphabetically next to it. They had to label all the countries and one child got 100% correct and the other only mixed up the Seychelles and Comoros Islands. Pretty impressive, right?! Since next year is a furlough year, we took a vote and decided to start the 2020 curriculum now so that we will be finishing just before we anticipate getting on a plane next year. (No suitcase full of school books this time!). So, as of Tuesday this week, both Titus and Miesha are doing 6th grade with a Sonlight curriculum. Last year (2019) we had a focus on the continent of Africa, and this year (2020) we are studying the Eastern Hemisphere. We are loving learning about ancient China so far! (notice our cat in the picture – he usually sleeps through all of school on the desk!)
Since I wrote last, we finished our 4th camp for the year. It was a Men’s Camp and per the camp owner’s request, Dan showed the movie “Heart of Man” and most of the Conquer Series over the weekend. Last year this time the owner went through the Conquer Series at our church and absolutely endorses the program for helping and healing men. He decided to sponsor any man interested in coming to a Conquer Series camp and did the first one at his camp in Krugersdorp (30 minutes from our home) and this 2ndone in Gariep about a 6 hour drive south. There were about 60 men total who came to camp FOR FREE, (meals free, lodging free) because of the generosity of this man. We are blessed to be connected with them and already are dreaming about more camps next year. One man said “The timing of this camp was absolutely perfect. I have been struggling recently and crying out to God for answers and help. I am so thankful to meet you and to learn from you this weekend.” Another man is going through rebuilding season after betrayal in his marriage and was in a particularly tender place. He was really hopeful that his wife could speak to me and process and that we could counsel them as a couple. It turns out that even though the camp was a 6 hour drive from home, this man lives approximately 15 minutes away from us and we can easily do follow up with both him and his wife in the coming weeks. Wow, God!
Our youth director at church recently moved to Cape Town and Dan agreed to help with youth ministry for the final 3 months of 2019. He has been teaching them on Sundays (when we are home!) which has been a massive blessing. Tomorrow he is hosting a special youth event with a braai (BBQ) for them all. He and Titus made a corn hole set and we look forward to using it tomorrow with everyone.
Dan is leading a Men’s group every Thursday (that we are home!) and has been so encouraged and blessed with the growth and victory he sees in his guys.
We are still doing plenty of counseling – some with engaged couples, and some with hurting couples and we are doing training and preparing to begin a new type of counseling to help hurting youth and children in 2020 – stay tuned! We are really excited about it!!
One of the ladies Dan did Restorative Justice with from the prison system last year completed her sentence and was released recently. Dan gave her and her daughter a ride home that day and helped her transition from life “inside” to life “outside”. Dan also grabbed some soda and KFC chicken and we helped with collecting some clothes and household things for her. At some point I may be able to tell you more of her story, but for now please continue to pray for her to have a smooth transition, to find friends and a church family and to continue to lean into the Lord for wisdom and discernment. Spending time with this family and learning some of their devastating history was what prompted us to get training to also be qualified to begin counseling children.
Dan is also finishing up with class work at the University of Pretoria – two more papers and one more week of class and then he is halfway to a Masters Degree in Pastoral Counseling. Wahoo!
We are also putting together the final few things we need to submit our (enormous pile of paperwork) application for Permanent Residency for South Africa. Our latest visa allows us to apply right away for PR and if it is granted, it will allow us much more freedom of movement in Southern Africa, free border crossings, no need to apply for a new visa every 3 years, etc.
We are enjoying all the amazing opportunities the Lord has given us this year. We thank you for your continued love and prayers and support for our family and the ministry we are doing here. You are a such blessing to us. We lost a rather large monthly donor a few months ago – if any of you are able to contribute financially to Magezi Ministries, we would be most grateful. The Lord has carried us and I am sure He will continue to meet all of our needs – perhaps through you?!
If there is anything we can join you in prayer for, please let us know.
With joy,
Janell for our family
Thanks for supporting us!
