The Bigger Picture

SMASH Cape Town

The highlight of this last month would definitely be our SMASH (Students Ministering And Serving Him) trip to Cape Town. Our group ended up being smaller than we expected but the Lord knew and blessed the time in amazing ways! It was clear in the weeks and days leading up to the trip that Satan was trying to throw us off course and discourage us from what the Lord wanted to do. But praise the Lord that in spite of the challenges and discouragements surrounding this trip, He did some amazing things!
Our team of 24 split into two teams for the week to cover more ground. The team I was a part of ran a 3 day Holiday Bible Club at the church we were hosted at while Thato's team traveled to different churches and communities for evangelism, outreach and work projects.

The Holiday Bible Club started with 97 children on the first day and grew to 180 by the last day as kids kept on bringing their friends to join in on the fun. On the last day, we invited the families of the children to join us in the evening for a final meeting to close out. Many parents and family members who do not usually come to church walked through the doors that evening and not only got to see what their kids had been up to but also heard the life-changing message of the gospel!

It was such a blessing to be a part of this trip and see the Lord working both in the lives of our team as well as those we had the opportunity to minister to. During that short week, God allowed us to minister to 770 people and 36 of them made the decision to trust Christ as their Saviour! We praise God for his goodness and faithfulness.

Bosasa

Please be praying for our ministry with the boys at Bosasa. This year, Bosasa might be permanently closing due to the corruption that has been highlighted on the news over the past few months. The official date of closure for the juvenile prison is October 31. However, there is a rumor that a new management will be taking over on November 1. Pray that I will seek wisdom through prayer going forward with the ministry there. The current leadership at Bosasa asked me to do a closing ceremony for their staff on October 31 and give a word of encouragement. Please pray for the boys as they do not know yet where they are going or if they are staying at the same facility. Pray for encouragement if they do leave, because they do not know if they will be having bible studies or any encouragement in God’s word at the facility they could potentially move to.

We are thankful for the time we get with our parents over the
next few months. It has been a hard journey getting here but
we are thankful for this unexpected blessing!
We had a great time welcoming spring with a trip to Pretoria
to see the blooming Jacarandas, have a picnic, and enjoy the
best ice cream around.

Overall, we are thankful for the Lord's goodness over the last month and for all he's done amidst the challenges and struggles. He is always at work even when we struggle to see the big picture.

We are grateful for your prayers, support & 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)
- Summer Camp (Dec 6-13)
- our family & friends in the Bahamas as they rebuild their lives after the hurricane
- DTC students as they finish their final term

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