July 2023... Oh wow, where did the past 6 months go!?
To answer that question, and in getting this post going, I'm going to include an excerpt (the closing paragraph) from my last blog post in Dec 2022 for context...
Lastly, and on a work note, my billing job as I've known for the past 5 years (backend business report generator) is on the way out, and the hoped for replacement (as paid Eduship Dadmaster) is not on the way in... And so, for someone whose currency these past 7 years has primarily been time, there are not many easy replacements to be found. Needless to say, fortunately we have faith on our side, and know (for my eyes have seen) that with the Lord all things are possible!
Of course this is easier said than done, but God's goodness and His promises have never failed us yet, and that is something we have taken to the bank every time the need (not the want) has arisen...
And so here we are, 6 months later... No surprises, the Lord delivered! But not before my dear parents provided a 3 month stop gap to see us through Jan to March, and Dannean pulled a rabbit out a hat to get us through April! Needless to say, we headed toward May with little more than a few hopeful job conversations and emails...
That was until my good friend and neighbour told me about a Canadian man that I needed to meet as soon as possible! Bill is his name, and to cut a long story short, my new boss! In a nutshell, much of what I was previously doing pro-bono (kids and discipleship) has become half my new job, and the other half is about supporting / developing small scale farmers through a community packshed deployment programme. This is run by my South African boss, Steve Carver, who is the cofounder of a company called U Can Grow. I should probably add, that all this turned around with enough speed that I earned a May salary!
Suffice to say, God is never late, but rarely early! I've since been in the job for 2 months, and while I sometimes lose track of the number of balls I'm juggling, praise God none have fallen! Added to this, there is something very providential about earning Canadian dollars at this stage in the Rands lifecycle!
On another note, and also an equally exciting (and surprising) development for us, is the emergence and relocation of our little home church from my good friend's Covid constructed mancave, to a beautiful boutique Hotel on the outskirts of Walkerville! Lapeng Hotel is no stranger to us, as we have used the property many times over the years to access the large hill/small mountain (Perdeberg) just behind it, for prayer purposes. In fact, it is claimed to be the highest point in the highveld, and so offers a tremendous view of, and prayer point for, the surrounding community and beyond...
The venue also offers a near perfect setting for hosting all kinds of community events and celebrations, not least being the opening of a restaurant and coffee shop (in faith), as well as family focused offerings like Friday Night Jols, Sunday picnics, marriage / parenting courses, and much more! For the more religious at heart, I can liken these developments in our life to that of being a spiritual big wave rider... Faith has brought us a wonderful wave of grace, and the Lord has made it clear that there is only 1 way to surf it...
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ps. If all this love, faith and grace stuff sounds like American Pie to you, check this out...
On the note of love, Dannean and I also just celebrated our wedding anniversary, and as any farmer will tell you, very similar principles apply between marriage and farming... That is, don't sow bad seed, don't sow where you have not prepared the lands, and don't bother reaping where you have not sown! Well, by God's grace we are currently reaping the fruit of 16 years of marriage farming, and the crop of friendship, love and respect is abundant!
In conclusion, I really look forward to reviewing these new developments in 6 months time... Because if the past 6 months are anything to go by, the next 6 months should be one epic surf story! Thank you Jesus🙏✝️
God bless.
