GoMaD Newsletter #4 | Present in the Detail

The time between us having left Johannesburg and the launch of the ministry is a very weird space. The process of thinking, dreaming, and deciding is a thing all of its own. I don’t think there is a formula. One is desperate to know the mind of God and one wishes to please the Lord and know His will. One does everything to be sure and be convinced as one goes all in. One shares and speaks, nearly to convince oneself. Now we are here, and things are delayed to where it looks like 2023 may be a building year, creating the ministry year instead of an operational year. That’s a mind bender. Did we hear wrong, not enough faith, short sighted, reckless, presumptuous?

It is a good thing to question and strip away the chaff, the piffle. One is faced with huge questions and having to assess afresh who one is and what is it that I / we bring to the ministry of the Gospel. HeronBridge was so much of my sense of self, and I could not see a life after HeronBridge, both the church and the school. The Lord has indeed brought me / us out and it feels like the wilderness. I know He is doing something. We have surrendered ourselves to His will and sovereignty.

This feels a bit like a sabbatical as we gear up to build our home and base, set up strategy to build the ministry, and keep an open mind to whatever the Lord may have in store for us. We left JHB with a very clear objective and plan. It seems there is no straight line. I thank the Lord for this time, hard as it is, as I sense that trust in Him is deepened, heart and mind is checked, and commitment to serve Him in whatever way is reconfirmed.

This time also affords us opportunity to explore and discover the beauty and life all around us. The environment is just so unique and is a wonder. Egyptian geese with 9 chicks living in the tidal rock area and raising their chicks. We are watching the growth of these chicks nearly every day and see how the ‘parents’ teach them. Jesus present in the detail.

Please pray with us and for us as we seek to better understand, have discernment, have discipline and courage, to step into everything new.