Where Did The Years Go?

Greetings from Boston!

Today we arrived in Boston, where Monica will be a student at Brandeis University. She is very excited about this new adventure.

In front of Monica’s new residence.

Today Kenneth returned to the University of Florida, where he is working on his Geomatics degree. He loved his internship with a surveying company during our summer and was also privileged to attend an international and national conference for surveyors. Looking at his excitement to go work each day, the Lord has led him to something he is passionate about.

This weekend we celebrated the successful completion of mandatory schooling for the Dell family with an excellent Chinese dinner. After 14 years, it felt strange not to send a child to school!

Celebrating the end of mandatory schooling!

Cultural Experience

We had a fun experience recently when invited to “Quinceanera.” It is the traditional coming-of-age celebration for Latinas. Our Puerto Rican neighbours hosted this for their granddaughter. It is an elegant party on the girl’s 15th birthday – thanking God for her and marking her transition from childhood to womanhood. We were amazed at her beautiful gown!

Our neighbour Louis, his daughter and granddaughter Briana.

Prayer Requests:

Praise the Lord that both Kenneth and Monica were home for the summer.
While Marie’s mother visited us, she had a fall and injured her shoulder. This week they will decide if she needs surgery. We are praying that she will not need it. Please join us in praying for her recovery.
Pray for Monica to settle well into her new life and to find a Christian community quickly.
Stefan will be in Asia for three weeks to help train church planters. Pray for his safety and stamina.

Your Missionaries,

The Dells

Tidings Of Good News!

This is the season to celebrate the good news as announced by the angel in Luke 2:10: “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.”

This year, the need for good news is probably stronger than ever, and so we want to end 2020 by telling a few good news stories. May this remind you that the good news of Jesus still causes great joy for people and that together with you, we have the privilege to spread that good news!

Praise the Lord for the following stories:

When Covid-19 hit, our church planting leader in Ethiopia, Miktile, contemplated the poor internet service in many parts of his country and the fact that most church planters did not have smartphones. It occurred to him to send out the church planting teaching on spiritual multiplication via WhatsApp messages.

He sent out the training in short messages to 9,409 staff members and volunteers, asking each person to forward it to others. Within a few days, 63,105 people were receiving his daily texts and putting them into action, resulting in some 200 churches being planted!

Further north, our European team leader, Martin, reported that in Switzerland, far more people are attending online church services than had been attending in person. The same happened in the Middle East and Asia. “In a country in Southeast Asia,” reported Ricky, our leader for the region, “Of the 35 churches that we directly planted, 30 experienced a growth of at least ten times. One church went from more than 100 attendees before lockdown to 2,262 online!”

Perhaps most dramatic, in one Southeast Asian country, 10,000 churches existed before the quarantine. During Covid-19, believers lived out “Prayer-Care-Share” by passing out 1.3 million facemasks. Within a few months, the 10,000 churches had become 300,000 home groups and missional communities, and many believers saw their neighbors turn to Christ.

Give thanks for the many people who for the first time this year, are celebrating Christmas understanding why Jesus came to this earth and the significance of it to their lives. Our partnership made it possible, so we thank you and wish you a Merry Christmas! Celebrate the impact of the Good news proclaimed by the angels over 2,000 years ago!

P.S. Enjoy a few photos from our neighborhood this season.

Hear how Kenneth and Monica are surviving

Kenneth and Monica successfully survived their eighth week at home due to COVID-19. We asked them to give you an update about their lives.

Monica:

“Wow, none of us suspected that 12 March would be our last day at school for our 2019/2020 academic year. All our schoolwork is now online and even though we are not seeing our teachers, we are required to check in with each subject weekly. We will hopefully return to school when our new academic year starts in August.

I love experimenting in the kitchen and I now finally have the time to use all the exotic ingredients I make my Dad bring for me from his international travels. I especially love the spices from India.

Another new skill I’m developing is helping my Mom’s team with one of their projects called her.Bible. They are creating the first free audio Bible read by women. My job is to create pronunciations for difficult names. For example the word, Eglath-shelishiyah(E GLATH shel eesh ee uh) from Jeremiah 48:34. I had to learn a lot about the correct pronunciation of all kinds of names. Just for fun – the book of Isaiah has 178 proper names that appear 666 times! You can go and listen to the New Testament on her.Bible It will also soon be available to download as an app.”

Kenneth:

“I had the opportunity to be part of a dual-enrollment program this year. It allows select high schoolers to also attend university courses at our local university. I attended a full school day, and then from Monday to Thursday, I also attended evening classes at the university from 6-10 pm. I also continued to be part of the school swimming and tennis team.

Needless to say, when we received the stay-at-home order, I was relieved. All my classes shifted online, and it was tough, but I had a bit more free time. Two weeks ago I finished my university courses and I’m happy to say I passed all seven of my courses with good marks.

Now I’m putting all my efforts into passing my Grade 11 classes well. Although I’m missing my sport and friends – I enjoy catching up on some video games.”

Prayer Request:

Thank the Lord that Kenneth and Monica can continue with their schooling and are set to finish the academic year well.
Pray for stamina – we continue to see an increased openness to spiritual things and we are working long hours to see the gospel go out.
Pray for many who have met Jesus in the last two months due to the COVID-19 situation, that they will grow in their faith and will find Christian communities to care for them.

Thank you for your partnership with us!

2017 Highs and Lows

Missionary co-workers recently shared their experience: “One visit in a village was especially memorable. They have a tradition of showing respect to a person who is superior or in authority over them by cupping their hands and and bowing down on one knee. They then clap their cupped hands to show honor. We sat in a top leader’s home, himself a chief, telling the people present why Christ went to the cross for their sins. We invited them to watch the JESUS film that night and told them about the Holy Spirit … that He was everywhere. ‘He’s in this room with us right now.’

“As we spoke, the all dropped to one knee and started giving the hollow clap to show honor to the Holy Spirit. Like the wind they could not see, they knew He was there. They gave Him respect. Even the ultimate leader in that village was on his knee. This is the work of the Holy Spirit Who goes before us, opening hearts, setting the captive free. We praise God.”

We also praise God for all our missionary co-workers who take the gospel to those who have never heard, who plant new churches and help them grow in Christ. We also praise God for your partnership with us.

At the end of 2017 we look back with gratefulness:

Highlights:

Our visit to South Africa in June-July.
Stefan witnessing the baptism of 16 new believers in a river in India and seeing God multiply the church planting efforts there.
Marie seeing progress in the ways our organization digitally communicates with those curious about being Christ followers, those looking for resources to reach their friends as well as our staff members around the world.
Kenneth being in high school and joining the marching band and Monica being chosen for the robotics team.
Our study tour to Israel in September.

Lowlights:

Hurricanes Irma and Maria and dealing with the effects.
The persecution of our brothers and sisters in Christ in various places around the world. Meeting pastors who had their homes burnt down because of their beliefs.
Journeying with people who are going through extreme hardships.
Adjusting to the new school schedules of a high schooler and middle schooler that start and finish schools two hours apart and juggling the car rides.

As we celebrate the birth of Immanuel – “God with us” this Christmas season, let us drop to our knees, cup our hands together and give honor to Jesus. Merry Christmas!

Things I Learnt About Marriage

On 1 November 1997, next to the Vaal river, Stefan and I tied the knot. It was the start of an adventure together.

In our twenty years of marriage, here are three things I came to appreciate:

1. Better Together

The longer we are married, the more I recognize the differences between us, and appreciate them. For example – my focus to complete tasks and reach goals, is softened by Stefan’s focus on people. Since I’m so task-oriented, I have learned through Stefan’s example to become a lot more people-oriented and I’m always muttering to myself “people first”. Hopefully we balance one another.

2. You Can Do It (And Then Discover You Love It)

I’m not very adventurous. Stefan is an adrenaline junkie. In our early years of marriage. Stefan often tried to convince me that I would enjoy something wild, with the opposite outcome. A few of those stories are still entertaining others at dinner parties (have I mentioned para-sailing over the Mediterranean sea…). Through trial and error, he learned my limits and when he now asks me to join him on one of his rides, I can know that I will enjoy it, even though the idea of it leaves me cold (or nauseated).

The same can be said about him joining me in discovering new worlds in books, movies and places to visit. Our tastes are still very diverse, but we have a more comprehensive appreciation of our world.

3. How Jesus loves His Bride

The Bible speaks about the Church as the Bride of Christ and how much He loves His Bride. I could not have asked for a better groom than Stefan to mirror some of the love I know Jesus has for me. I’m so grateful for Stefan’s obedience to the Lord and him spurring me on to love the Lord more and serve Him better.

I also recognize the faithful prayers of partners for our marriage and family. We think of your prayers as a shield around us and our marriage. We are humbled and grateful for your part as we celebrate this big milestone. Thank you!

Did you know?

The top 10 countries to access our JESUS Film digital content:

(www.jesusfilm.org)

United States
India
China
Brazil
Indonesia
United Kingdom
South Africa
Nigeria
Ghana
Germany

Boerewors, Bobotie, Braais and Biltong…

Fun reunion of Monica with her cousin Amy.

Boerewors, bobotie, braais and biltong, coupled with sweet reunions with family and friends have been good for our souls (not our waistlines) this month.

Highlights of our visit to South Africa so far, include:

Meeting with partners that have been part of our team since we became full time missionaries in 1994 and their passion and commitment to see the world reached for Christ has become even stronger over the years.
Meeting with Marian who discipled us as students at Kovsies (1992-1994) and who still faithfully disciples students (currently at Wits).
Meeting with people we have ministered to over the years, and to see them still walking strongly with the Lord.
Being in the African bush and enjoying non-air conditioned life.
Seeing Kenneth enjoy his first driving lesson while on the farm.

As we continue our visit to South Africa, you could still see us here:

July 16-17: We will be in Secunda

July 22: Join us for tea and cake at 38 Beethoven St , Vanderbijlpark (15:00 -17:00)

July 23: Join us for tea and cake at N.G. Fontein Kerksaal, 58 Van Wouw St, Sasolburg (15:00- 17:00)

July 30: We are speaking at Westville Baptist Church, 2 Church Pl, Westville, Durban (8:00, 10:00)

Our telephone number while in South Africa is 079 440 2521.

Thank you for your prayers and open homes!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Today we celebrate Thanksgiving here in America. And we have much to be thankful for!

Firstly, we are thankful for our wonderful partners that enable us to serve the Lord full time. Thank you for your prayers, sacrificial giving and encouragement.

We are also grateful for an invitation by the family of Kenneth’s new friend, Lloyd, to spend the day with them. Thanksgiving is the most popular time of the year for families to be together, so it is a real treat to be invited as non-family. Since Lloyd and his family moved to Florida recently from Pennsylvania, their family is far and they adopted us as their family for today.

As part of the Thanksgiving tradition, we ate turkey, stuffing, green bean casserole, pumpkin and sweet potato dishes, and we drank Apple cider. We also watched parts of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade on TV. This parade started 90 years ago in New York. You can watch parts of today’s parade here. We also watched some American football.

As proof, the photo above was taken just after the turkey came out the oven.

Thank the Lord with us for this special opportunity we had today and pray that we will continue to form deep friendships with Eric, Kathy, Lloyd and Isabel.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Strange Season

Fall (as autumn is called here) is strange. This is our fourth Fall here and we are still amazed, amused and even shocked at the strangeness of this time.

We understand from non-Floridians that Fall is anti-climatic in Florida since we hardly see any leaves change colour (imagine a Palm tree with red and orange leaves…). But that certainly does not stop anyone from celebrating the slightly cooler season with gusto!

We attended our fourth Fall Festival and it was again a wonderful time of connecting with friends. Fall festivals are usually sponsored by churches or in our case, our head office hosts one. It usually includes a Hay Ride (tractor ride on hay bales), a pumpkin patch with hundreds of pumpkins to choose from, drinking apple cider, eating toffee apples and a corn maze (even if it’s fake, made by a jumping castle type set-up). All-in-all a great experience!

Then it is Halloween.

Again, it’s a big community gathering. Neighbors we haven’t seen since last Halloween will be in the streets, chatting and visiting as if we do this every day.

For weeks homes have been decorated – some with pumpkins, scarecrows and autumn colours. Others with evil ghosts, skeletons and witches. Some homes with both.

One thing is clear to us: this time of year is a special time to connect with our community. Please pray for significant interactions with people, for connections we will be able to maintain through the year, not just in the Fall.

You can see some more photos of our Fall experience here.

10 Things You Might Not Know

Here are 10 things you might not know:

Our ministry is now on over 5,000 campuses worldwide.
At our head office, there’s a wall dedicated to staff members who lost their lives sharing the gospel.
Every year we renew our missionary vows which read in part: “I affirm that the Bible is the inspired and inerrant Word of God and willingly submit to the authority of God’s Word; By the power of the Holy Spirit, I commit to living a life of repentance and faith; I commit my time, talent, gifts, and resources to help fulfill the Great Commission for the glory of God.”
Our President, Steve Douglass, is a graduate of Harvard Business School. He directs any honorariums and royalties from his many books to the ministry. And like us, he raises his own support.
We serve alongside 17,500 staff in 190 countries.
Every year our staff worldwide dedicate the last Tuesday in April and the first Tuesday in October to prayer.
This is our 22nd year with the ministry.
In September the ministry will be 65 year old.
Our ministry partners with more than 1,500 denominations and missionary organizations around the world to spread the gospel.
The Jesus film has been translated into over 1,400 languages. It holds the world record for the most viewed and most translated film in history.

This month Marie traveled to Minneapolis to attend a workshop to help her with creating content for some of our global websites. You can see a few photos taken in the beautiful “Twin City” here.

Thank you for partnering with us as we work towards the fulfillment of the Great Commission.

Wild America

Connecting with the Global Operation’s Leaders in New Zealand (the photo of the group was taken on the Hobbiton Movie Set) was just what the doctor ordered! Our return to Orlando had been difficult but God used the time in New Zealand to confirm that He wanted to continue using us in the global head office.

The needs of our missionaries around the world have been such a focus of our team that it was affirming to hear how God has been doing it from the direct beneficiaries. Thank you for enabling us to serve them!

On the home front – we wonder why American’s speak about “Wild Africa”? “Wild” is right here in our yard. If it isn’t a deer family trotting through our garden at night, an armadillo digging in our flowerbeds, we have to stop in the road for a crossing turtle switching lakes. Or it’s the Sandhill crane family stealing birdseed from the container on our stoep (porch). We have hundreds of bird species, especially water birds that can keep us entertained. And last, but not least, is our Black Racer snake that keep our frog and lizard population under control.

Unfortunately Moonshadow (our cat) thinks the snake is his playmate and recently chased him into the garage. Of course Stefan was away and you all know Genesis 3:15 “…I will put enmity between you and the woman…” is very true. Kenneth bravely came to my (Marie’s) rescue with the braai tongs (The Black Racer is nonvenomous). Thankfully, after a call to a dear colleague, I was encouraged to just keep the garage door open and the snake would find his own way out. I don’t enter the garage without all the lights on, just in case he decided to stay.

Thank you for your support that allows us to serve the Lord here from “Wild America”!