Weeping & Rejoicing

The Lord gives & the Lord takes away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.

This last month has held some really high highs and some really low lows. There has been weeping and rejoicing. But through it all, we continue to say through tears and smiles, "blessed be the name of the Lord". Just a few weeks ago, Thato and I joyfully received the news that in less than 7 months, we would become parents to our first baby. We were ecstatic and so thankful for this gift the Lord had given us. However, the excitement was short lived. Just 5 days after discovering I was pregnant, we were told by the doctor that we had a miscarriage. Though we had only known about the pregnancy for less than a week, we were devastated to hear that we had lost our baby. We struggled to understand exactly why the Lord had allowed this but we continued to trust that He is good and faithful and that he would use it for our good and His glory. Our hearts still hurt but we are thankful for the Lord's love and comfort and all he's been teaching us through this time. We do not deserve the Lord's blessing in our lives but find comfort knowing that the Lord delights in giving his children good gifts and pray that the Lord would bless us with another precious baby someday soon.

A time of celebration!

The following week, we rejoiced with our brother and new sister as we celebrated their marriage. What a blessing to spend time with family as we continued to process through all that had happened and what an encouragement to witness Jared & Rachel so beautifully demonstrate their love for the Lord and each other at their wedding. What an awesome testimony of the Lord's working in both of their lives. All in all, it was a wonderful time of celebration and togetherness. We are grateful to the Lord that He always knows exactly what we need and provides in perfect timing.

Hurricane Dorian 

As many of you know, hurricane Dorian ripped through Northern Bahamas where my parents as well as many others that we know & love live. My parents prepared their home as best they could & then evacuated to stay with some friends nearby. The aftermath is devastating. Thousands of people, including my parents, have lost everything. What's left is not much more than debris. We are so thankful that my parents are alive but mourn with them over the loss of their ministry, community, church & friends. We pray & trust that the Lord would use this tragedy in a magnificent way to demonstrate the love of Christ & bring many to him. We have already been encouraged by so many believers who have given of themselves & their resources to bring hope to those who have lost so much & trust that God has a beautiful and perfect plan for each person as they rebuild their lives. What a comfort to know that the Lord cares deeply about each person even more than we do & that He can & will use it for their good & his glory! "For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all" (2 Cor. 4:17). While these trials definitely don't seem light at the moment, we can have unwavering hope knowing that the Lord has a purpose in every single one of them.

Spring Braai Day

On Saturday, we celebrated the arrival of spring with our annual Spring Braai Day as we welcomed almost 100 people onto our property for some delicious food, fun activities, great fellowship, & encouragement in God's Word. Throughout the day, we had the opportunity to catch up with familiar faces as well as meet many new ones. We made some great new connections with leaders and churches that we hope to serve alongside in the near future. Overall, it was a great day. Everyone left both physically and spiritually filled.

'Boyzee", a DTC student manning the braai

Our DTC students played a huge role in making this day a success
 from braaing, to face-painting to reffing games and everything
 in between.

In the midst of the highs and lows of this past month, we are thankful for God's continual goodness and faithful love towards us. In the midst of the storm, we continue to look to him for our help and strength and trust that he is always at work even when we may not see or understand. The Lord gives and the Lord takes away. Blessed be the name of the Lord!

"God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam  and the mountains quake with their surging... He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress." (Psalms 46:1-3, 10-11)

We are so grateful for your love, support, prayers & encouragement as we continue serving him!

Please pray...

-that we would be faithful in ministry & rely on the Lord

- that the Lord would provide the remainder of our support

- that we would grow in our marriage & personal walks with the Lord

- continued discipleship relationships

- Thato's ministry at BOSASA (boys juvenile prison)

- SMASH Cape Town (student missions trip) (Sept 21-29)

- our family & friends in the Bahamas as they rebuild their lives after the hurricane