I am no longer a MTW missionary but a wife of a Pastor. Gary and I covet your prayers not only in our marriage but in our ministry as well. We have many opportunities coming up to minister to the children in Kraaifontein (which is a suburb of Cape Town).
In American we have the Mason-Dixon Line. In South Africa you have the Boerewors Curtain. This “curtain” is North of Cape Town and when you cross it you are entering into primarily Afrikaans country, like when you cross the M/D line going south you are in the Confederate States. Afrikaans people are people who are mostly of Dutch descent and they speak a form of Dutch called Afrikaans. Gary and I are living just north of this “curtain” which means I am trying to learn this language. It is not difficult except that it is a very guttural language and I have a hard time pronouncing words. But I know I will get there at least to understand it when people speak to me in Afrikaans.
Gary is working hard on his school work. He is taking a Biblical Counseling Course from Grace School of Ministry. Dr. Wayne Mack is teaching the course which takes place for one week four months out of the year. Gary has finished his first year and will be starting his second year come this October. He is also teaching two bible studies throughout the week and he preaches twice a month. He is also on the calling committee for the church where he is interning (The Pastor at Kraaifontein Baptist has been called to take a church Esly, South Carolina; outside of Greenville), so Gary has been busy with meetings several times a month.
Gary and I hope to start a ministry with the schools called “The Oak Project” based on Isaiah 61:3. We hope to start an after school program for the kids to come and get help with homework or anything academically they are struggling with. We also hope to teach them life Skills and start a bible study. Are hopes are by putting love and effort into these kids lives we would be able to touch the parents as well, and hopefully through this be able to witness to the families, and bleed the ministry into the whole community.
We have contacted and met with one of the local Elementary schools (Fannie Theron) and we have a meeting with the other (Aristea) today. Gary has been given the opportunity at Fannie Theron to be their Counselor where he has full reign to use his biblical counseling in this school. He will go once a week for three hours and the chance to sit down with kids who have behavioral issues due to issues in the home. We are very excited about this opportunity and are eager to see what the Lord does with this. He starts in August as the second semester begins.
In July, we are holding a Holiday Club. We are not sure how many kids to expect but we hope that a good number of the kids in the surrounding areas join in. We are studying the Book of Acts and We will teach the kids about different Missionaries like: David Brainerd, Jim Elliot, David Livingstone, Amy Carmichael. We are hopeful that we get enough volunteers to help and that the Club will be successful.
Our home has been a constant rotating door. It has been such a joy to have several different people into our home. We had a friend from the Bible Institute up for dinner with in the first week we were home. I also made breakfast for our family on Election Day, since here Election Day is a public holiday. Then this past weekend we had the young adults from church come over for a meal and a bible study. It is such a pleasure to cook for people as they enter our home. And I look forward to doing it more and more.
We are staying busy and are enjoying married life and working together in God’s Kingdom. We ask that you keep us in your prayers, we know that Satan is very likely to try to destroy our marriage because of the work that we are doing for the advancement of the gospel. Pray that God keeps a hedge around us and that our eyes stay focused on Him. Also pray for all the ministries that we have our hands in and that God will be glorified in it all.
