Choosing to Thrive

This season has been a challenging one for all of us. There are days when it's easy to become anxious, questioning what the future might hold or discouraged about what our present reality is. However, in spite of these challenges and discouragements, the Lord continues to teach us and give us opportunities to be used by him. As we face these unprecedented times, we would like to thank all of you for your support for us as a family. We are thankful and appreciative of your partnership in reaching the youth of South Africa with the gospel of Christ. 

Lessons learnt in lockdown

When the lockdown started 10 weeks ago, I (Thato) did not know how we would be reaching the youth of South Africa with the regulations on social distancing. That seemed discouraging because we had planned on so much this year as a ministry but the virus changed everything and changed how we minister right now. The first 21 days was trying to figure out how we move forward but before the 21 days finished the president extended the lockdown and I confess I was devastated at first because I have never been in on place for that long, seeing the same 4 walls. The more I started calling from home and finding out how the youth leaders are doing during this lockdown and how we can be praying for them, that changed the ministry focus. I was once instructed that when we call and ask how we can be praying for someone, we should immediately pray with them over the phone. Doing this has encouraged me in my prayer life and reminded me of the opportunities I still have to minister to others. We are also thankful that because of the blessing of technology, we can also continue to disciple students and interns and continue investing in their lives.


Lately we have been meeting on Zoom every morning with our Word of Life staff for 15 minutes to share with one another about quiet time and that has been even more encouraging. Someone once said that you have not completed your quiet time until you share it with other individuals. What has been standing out for me is the story of Joseph and how he trusted God even though he had no idea what the outcome would be. His trust showed me that God is always with us. The only thing that we have to do is trust even though we do not know the outcome. Even for us as we do not know the outcome of COVID-19, we should continue to trust in the Lord and walk in faith in every way.

Virtual Camp

Last weekend, we had the opportunity to participate in a virtual camp along with 5 other African countries. It was a first for us all and none of us really knew what to anticipate with this event but we are so thankful for the ways God worked as we figured things out. Each day we had 2 sessions with messages and small group connection time. Over the course of the weekend, there were at least 9 teens who professed to trust Christ as their Saviour and at least 16 who made commitments to follow the Lord whole-heartedly. During the final session, all of the participants joined into one video chat to share how the Lord had challenged or encouraged them over the course of the weekend. It was such a blessing to hear how God used this camp to impact and encourage people's hearts. Though there was much trepidation going into the weekend, God was definitely on the move and we are grateful for this opportunity to reach out to people in a different way during this time. One thing the Lord keeps reminding me during this time as that though our ministry may look very different at the moment and sometimes feel very limited, God just calls us to faithfulness with whatever he has given us and trust that he will use it. Though we may feel like our opportunities to impact people have been significantly reduced, we can trust that God is on his throne and his plans are perfectly intact.

This weekend, we will again be counseling at our second virtual camp geared towards young adults. We are excited to see what the Lord will do and are thankful for the opportunity to grow in and improve this new ministry that the Lord has given us.

Thank you for your partnership in sharing the gospel. We are so grateful for your prayers, support & encouragement as we continue serving Him! We continue to pray for you during these challenging times that "the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit" (Romans 15:13). Our hope is that we would continue to thrive in this unique season.