Included below is the vision we shared with friends and family (at the end of 2014), in which we tried to articulate (as best we could), why we had decided to try and reinvent our lives. Although almost a year has past since we 1st shared this, we still stand by everything we shared in here, and although not everything has happened as expected, a lot actually has, and on the whole, it remains a good indicator of where we're heading and why.
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Introduction...
Dear Friends & Family,
You are receiving this letter as a family member or friend of ours, to inform you of the fact that Dannean and I have decided that 2015 will be the year we embark on 'the road less traveled', in search of a way of living and lifestyle, that more fully aligns with our personal values and convictions. In short will be moving outside of Johannesburg (30 km's south to be exact) to a little peri-urban village called Walkerville.
In this regard we have sought God's direction much over the past 12 months, fueled by an increasing restlessness in wanting to align our lives more fully with those things that matter most to us. We would be lying not to say that the overall cost of city living - particularly from a budget, time, career, education & accommodation perspective - has been a push factor in this regard, however it actually only constitutes a small part of a much bigger picture...
We have since come to believe, that 2015 is the year for us to take a step of faith, and honour that which we believe God has placed in our hearts, and spoken over our lives.
The bigger part of this picture has its origins in a holiday Dannean and I took in the Eastern Cape in our 1st year of marriage 7 years ago. During a 2 day stay in theSunday's River Valley, we came across the most amazing tree we had ever seen (see insert below - that's me in the front). From what we know, it's a Cape Fig, and we estimated it at being over 100 years old.
What was extraordinary in our minds about this tree, was the canopy and reach of its branches - which seemed totally out of proportion with the height of the tree. The real significance of this tree however, is that both of us had a very strong sense that God was saying this tree was a metaphor for the life He wanted us to live, whereby we would provide shelter, rest and fruit for those who most needed it.
Practically...
The primary reason we have elected to move to Walkerville, is that we have recently befriended a couple by the name of Lorenzo & Jo Delaurentis, who made a similar move more than 5 years ago. In fact, there is a lot of commonality in what Lorenzo & Jo currently do, and what Dannean & I would like to do, including home-schooling, running a family business, and a desire to impact a local community.
As you might know, I have spent the past 2 years working at The Hope Factory, a small not-for-profit business incubator. From a transition perspective, we have felt that the time for my departure from The Hope Factory will be early next year and thus the 31.03.15 will be my last day of work. Dannean too has resigned from Linguamites (the pre-primary school she has been working at), and will instead begin with homeschooling the boys in February next year. We will then relocate to Walkerville from the beginning of April 2015.
In trying to best communicate our thinking behind all of this, and what it is we hope to achieve, I have created some slides below that we hope will be of help. Each slide represents a period of time (season) and a desired outcome (goal) over the next 10 years. Furthermore, the desired output or goal of the 1st season, becomes a critical input or key in the 2nd season, and so on. So for example, the slide below represents our 1st season, and also our 1st year in Walkerville. The goal for this season is the red circle in the middle, and the key inputs needed in achieving this goal, are the blue circles around it.
Season 1...
- The focus of our 1st year in Walkerville will be Our Family, and ensuring a smooth transition into our new home and community.
- Key inputs in this regard include me finding a new job, implementing our new budget, starting to home school the boys, getting to know the community, and lastly (but very importantly), support / partnership from you our friends and family.
- In a nutshell, this year will be about laying a strong foundation for the years to come, and so although we will have no social agenda in our 1st year, we will have no social agenda at all, if we do not settle in and sustain ourselves effectively.
- My new job will be in / around Walkerville (although I am yet to find one), ideally in a small scale manufacturing business, and aligned with Season 2's goal...
Season 2...
- Season 2 is about starting up a sustainable, scalable, and labour intensive businesswhich meets a local demand (using local supplies), through the assembly or manufactureof a tangible product.
- This will also become our primary income source, and in this regard, I am already in early stage discussions with a wooden bench & table manufacturer, for possible job or franchise opportunities.
- The strategy behind the kind of business I have described above, without going into too much detail, is as follows;
- From my experience, I have become increasingly convinced, that city centered and focused developmental interventions alone, are not going to answer some of the biggest issues / problems we as a nation will face in the next 20 years.
- We are already experiencing the very negative affects of exploding townships and urban sprawl in city living, ranging from infrastructural failure (roads, hospitals, energy & schools), uncontrolled criminality, joblessness, xenophobia, etc.
- The primary driver for such unsustainable urbanization levels (which is part of global trend) is obvious - our nation's need for jobs (income).
- What remains a fundamental flaw in our nation's quest for jobs however, is that we inadvertently continue to perpetuate one of our greatest social ills - that of migrant labour.
- To address this problem at the root, is to address the need to create income generating opportunities (jobs), in our peri-rural and rural communities.
- At a personal level, we feel that to respond to this challenge, in the words of Gandhi, is to become the solution we wish to see... And so, if all goes according to plan, by the end of Season 2, we will have created a sustainable business, which will not only provide for our family, but also play a critical part in the achievement of Season 3's primary goal - that of working with Displaced Men...
Season 3...
- For as long as I can remember in my 12 year stay in JHB, I have carried a passion to identify a solution which will provide displaced (homeless, jobless, broken & demotivated) young men (ages 16 - 35), with the ability to get their lives 'back on track'.
- The question of why Displaced Men cuts quickly to the heart of what we believe is a great dysfunction in our society today...
- As we know, the building block of every society is functional and healthy families / homes.
- One of the building blocks of such families / homes is a functional and healthy husband and father.
- The goal therefore of working with Displaced Men, is to see them empowered and equipped to be exactly this.
- In order to achieve this, we feel that both Our Family (from an intention and facilitation perspective) as well as Our Business (from a funding, training and job creation perspective), are 2 key inputs in this regard.
- 4 additional inputs to these (as illustrated above) are however also required. These include;
- Partnerships with like-minded organizations
- No man is an island, and so strategic partnerships are a critical input
- Provision of accommodation;
- The need for safe, simple and affordable accommodation for the displaced men (where required) is a key input
- Provision of work;
- The need to provide work through Our Business is vital in establishing discipline and dignity
- Provision of biblical teaching and training
- The holistic spiritual development of the Displaced Men is a key building block
- Partnerships with like-minded organizations
Season 4...
- As illustrated above, Season 4's success is based on the mobilization of city (urban) dwelling South African families responding to the need for rural & peri-urban community transformation - as represented by 'Other Families' & 'Other Businesses'
- Accordingly, our move to Walkerville to join Jo & Lorenzo in forging an alternative and purposeful lifestyle, we hope will be a small ripple in a big pond, and that in time, some of you might join us on this adventure too!
- Building on Season 3, Transformed Men now replaces Displaced Men as a key input in Season 4. Three new inputs are added to achieve our goal ofTransformed Communities, including;
- Farming
- The issue of land distribution in our country, next to the energy & education crisis, is of critical importance
- We believe small scale commercial farming, using the buyer cooperative farming model (as is currently utilized with coffee (fair trade)) is one of the keys to sustainable community development and transformation
- Schooling & Training
- The need to provide alternative education solutions for our rural youth (given the current state of government education) is vital
- Given the possibilities that exist today through internet and satellite reception, access to a quality education (outside of the cities) is no longer a dream
- The need too for artisan / trade skills training in the traditional sense - incorporating the transfer of work ethic, values and disciplines - is essential
- Transformed Church
- We would like to see a transformed church that equates its relevance in South Africa today, to societal impact, and bases its success on the Christlike nature and lifestyle of its members
- Farming
- And so, if all goes according to this proposed plan, the least we will be able to say when our days are spent, is that we followed our hearts and our God, by trying to love our country and its beautiful people, the best we knew how.
How Can You Support Us...
- We would love you to join us in this adventure by supporting us in any of the following ways, none of which is more important than the other:
- Emotional Support
- Any form of regular communication and/or encouragement from you
- Any weekend visits with us in Walkerville
- Spiritual Support
- We need bucket loads of God's grace and heart in all that we will be undertaking
- Current prayer requests include: Sean finding employment, finding suitable and safe accommodation, and Dannean settling in to homeschooling with the boys
- Financial Support
- In our 1st season (Year 1) we will require 3 sources of income; Sean's job, our flat (rentals) and donation income (family & friends)
- We have included our Walkerville budget here below, in which we have made provision for donation income, given our monthly shortfall of R4,500
- We are therefore humbling asking, that anyone who sees merit and potential in our 10 year plan, partner with us financially for
- 12 months from April 2015
- through a monthly debit donation
- of R100, R250 or R500
- We thank you kindly for your consideration in this regard
- Emotional Support
Wishing you a wonderful December break, and that 2015 may be a year filled with with love, joy & peace!
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