17 Aug 2019
Ministry Update
We are so thankful for you and for all your prayers for our family and ministry. As you all are entering your summer, we are heading into our chilly, dry season down here and the children are just beginning a much deserved winter break from homeschool. We will be traveling a fair bit for ministry in the next few months and are taking this time to do some of the preparation and planning.
As a family we are doing really well and Dan and I have lots to celebrate as we observe and coach so many towards healing in their relationships. God has been so good! We also have deeply grieved as we have watched other relationships disintegrate. It is a unique type of pain to watch someone you have journeyed with for several years blow up their life and watch the consequences of their choices pile up. We celebrate every victory we can, but the reality is that not every marriage will experience healing and a happy ending. Difficult!
Dan just concluded another week long Restorative Justice course with around 30 ladies who are incarcerated at Johannesburg South Prison. We recruited a friend to join RJ and Dan went along to support her introduction. On day the training began, five table facilitators dropped out, so Dan volunteered to lead a table group for the week. As always, it was absolutely brilliant to see their growth and break throughs during the course of the week. Genuine tears of repentance, choosing to confess even knowing there will be severe consequences, hugs avoided at first then freely given later, trust beginning, and seeing them taking baby steps to emotionally engaging again. Feels like a miracle.
Last weekend, we were invited to join a retreat with a group of professionals who are working to help their clients get greater freedom and victory, especially in the area of sexual sin. We were invited at the last minute because a friend of a friend mentioned our ministry. We were absolutely overwhelmed at the God-connections and the shared vision of the team. All 20 of us brought something unique to the conversation and Dan and I had such favor – we were humbled and thankful for the opportunity. We all hope to collaborate to host a healing event together in 2020. Ministering in the area of sexual brokenness is often a lonely journey and we were so thankful for the shared experience and to be able to brainstorm with other likeminded couples.
In mid-July, we are excited to be working with a team of close friends from Canada at Hope House orphanage in Motjane, Swaziland for a week. We will be ministering to the children they help and serving in their local congregation to encourage and bless their members. We have been in touch with the directors of the ministry and they have some needs this winter that we would love to see if any of you would be interested in helping to me.
They have 16 children currently in their care. Most are boys ages 8-15 years old. We would like to get each child a winter coat, heavy blanket, hat, gloves, scarf, socks, and shoes. It is winter here in the southern hemisphere and warm things are desperately needed. It will be approximately $75 (R1000) per child for all those things. (pretty good price, right?!) Also, Doctor Lewis said that they would love to begin an income generating and self-sustaining chicken program. This would be a blessing financially to them for years to come. The chicken starter kit will be approximately $200 (R3000). We would like to invite you to join us in blessing these children and this ministry. Any gift will help. If you would like to sponsor a child or two, magnificent! If you would like to invest in the chicken project, awesome!! Please email me and let me know what you would like your gift to go towards. 100% of your donation through Magezi Ministries will go to Hope House.
These photos were taken last year when we visited Swaziland. Joshua Chomba (in the blue jacket in the photo with Titus) was born 12 minutes before Miesha. Lewis texted Dan “its a boy” and Dan texted back “its a girl”. We have loved them a long time!
Thank you for your continued prayers and for your generous support of us and projects like this one. Blessings!
Janell
