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!

Happy Thanksgiving

Today is Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving is a public holiday here in America that we can participate in despite not being American or understanding the history.

Being thankful to the Lord in all circumstances is a wonderful discipline and blessing.

Here are five things we are most thankful for this year:

Our family – those near and far.
Our jobs – we excitedly look forward to everyday, knowing how privileged we are to be missionaries.
Our partners – your prayers, encouragement and generosity still humbles us.
Our visit to South Africa during June and July.
Our hobbies – having the opportunity to pursue our interest: playing tuba, knitting, reading and swimming (guess which hobby belongs to who …)

May you also take a moment to thank the Lord for the many blessings in your life.

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

From Irma to Israel

Jordan River

We will remember the month of September as a month of a deep “lowlight” and a wonderful highlight!

Lowlight:

Florida is still recovering from the impact of Hurricane Irma. Our children lost six days of school, and so many tests and events were rescheduled. The evidence of Irma’s destruction is everywhere, and it will be months before all the debris is cleared and repairs done.

Florida is also the home of many Puerto Ricans, and we have felt their pain as Hurricane Maria ripped through their island. Many of our friends are trying to bring their families from the island to Florida.

Despite some chaos, everyone continues with life as normally as possible. God has made mankind very resilient!

Highlight:

Stefan and I just returned from Israel, where we attended a Senior Leaders’ Development Study tour. We joined forty colleagues, representing 21 countries. The focus of the tour was to study the process Jesus used in building His “disciple-making movement” that resulted in us, over 2,000 years later, also following Him.One of many study stops

It was a privilege to experience and see the context in which Jesus connected with people, won them over to His kingdom and built them up in their faith, while training and preparing them to be sent out as His disciple-makers.

Magdala Synagogue:

A personal highlight was to stand in the first century A.D. synagogue in Magdala (earlier manuscripts mention Magadon). Magdala is located four miles north of Tiberias, on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee.

Mary Magdalene is believed to be from Magdala. She is mentioned 12 times in the four gospels, more than most disciples. I am named after her–my full name is Maria Magdalena.

No one really knew the location of Mary’s authentic hometown until 2009, when it was discovered less than one foot under the topsoil. The excavation of the first century A.D. synagogue is significant, as it is one of only seven from that period. From the gospel of Matthew, we know that Jesus went through all Galilee and taught in the synagogues. It can be assumed that Jesus also preached in this beautiful synagogue.

Prayer requests:

Thank the Lord for His protection during Hurricane Irma and pray for the ongoing restoration that needs to take place.
Thank the Lord for the opportunity to visit Israel and experience the land of the Bible. We learnt so much. Pray that we will be good stewards of our new knowledge and experiences.
Thank the Lord for Stefan’s sister Lauren, who came to help with our children while we were away.
Pray for the Global Alliance for Church Multiplication meetings that take place this week in Minneapolis. This alliance includes our organization and 62 partner groups that are all striving to see 5 million churches planted by 2020. Learn more at www.gacx.io

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly of Irma

Hurricane Irma came past around 2 am this morning and it was frighting! But God kept His hand over us and our property.

Here are the good, the bad and the ugly from Irma’s “visit”:

The Good:

We hardly ever see our neighbours, but with the preparation and clean-up, the whole community worked together.
The closure of schools and non-essential services, gave us 5 days together as a family.
After the preparation work, we had time to do a few fun things, like playing board games, watching a movie and even cooking together as a family.
During the curfew, we also had time for the things we never get time for (and never want to make time for) like polishing great-Grandma’s silver.

The Bad:

Watching the panic and hysteria as people prepared for the hurricane.
Driving from shop to shop for basics like water, bread and tinned food. Empty shelves was not strange the past week.
The waiting and uncertainty of the hurricane’s path. She made various changes to her route during the week.

The Ugly:

Marie’s flight to Denver was cancelled at the last minute and she could not get another flight before the airport closed. It is sad to miss this training.
Waking up to wet carpets in the rooms that took the impact of Irma.
Seeing the damage to roofs, fences and trees of our neighbours.

In the midst of all this, we were very aware of the Lord’s presence and the encouragement from His people. Thank you so much for your prayers!

Schools and our office are still close tomorrow (Tuesday, 12 September) and we hope to get our home and garden back in order.

We are grateful we never lost electricity despite it being true for many of our friends. We are looking forward to a restful night.

Irma and Infographics

Garden Furniture and Pot Plants Squeezed into the Garage Because of Hurricane Irma.

This week could not have turned out more topsy turvy than what it did.

Hurricane Irma is heading our way and she has caused major panic for those awaiting her arrival and left terrible destruction in her wake. We have prepared ourselves as best we know how for her arrival.

Her arrival also impacted my (Marie) departure time for Denver where I will attend a content strategy* training next week. I will now enjoy an extra day in Denver while praying for the safety of my family and fellow Floridians. Please join me in prayer! Stefan and the children will be staying home.

Despite the upheaval, I’m super excited about this week of training. In the past 18 months, I have had more and more opportunities to be involved with thinking through content for different platforms (web, social media etc.) of Campus Crusade (or Cru as it is called here in America).

Being “findable” with our content online when people are searching for spiritual things has been an important part of what our ministry does. But we also want the people we meet online to move forward in their relationship with Christ, and this is always more difficult.

The past 3 months, our ministry made some intentional efforts to learn to connect with two of our online audience segments so we can help them move forward. We called these two groups, “Millennial Christians in a New City” and “Young Christians on Social Media”.

We listened to about 100 people in each of these categories and summarized what they said about themselves and what we learned in these two infographics.

Young Christians on Social Media (infographic)

Millennial Christians in a New City (infographic)

With what we learned we can create themes and content for future online outreaches and update existing ministry efforts. The ability to better know our audience means presenting the gospel and opportunities for spiritual growth more effectively.

I have so much to learn and I’m excited to be part of this journey. Please pray for me to soak up all the information next week and for a special bonding time with two co-workers that are joining me on the course.

Thank you for being part of our ministry through your prayers and financial support. Our work together results in people finding hope and growth through Jesus!

* Content Strategy as defined by Kristina Halvorson, the author of Content Strategy for the Web is Planning for the creation, delivery, and governance of useful, usable content.

The Start of a New Year

Our visit to beautiful South Africa is over and we are back in Orlando. We are grateful for the Lord’s hand of protection over our trip (the many kilometers driven and especially the very turbulent flight from Johannesburg to Frankfurt) and over our home in our absence.

You can enjoy a few photo highlights from our visit here.

On our return, we heard a report from Dr. Steve Douglass (the president of Campus Crusade for Christ) and thought we would encourage you with a few of facts he mentioned:

In the last 7 years, over 2 million churches have been planted by partnership (Global Alliance for Church Multiplication and other partners) with whom we are working.
Of the 7,000 languages on earth, over 3,000 have enough of the Bible translated for evangelism and discipleship to occur. Over 2,200 additional languages have Bible translation projects started.
A recent professional survey done to measure the results of the use of the JESUS film in one year, indicated that in 2015, the JESUS film was used by God to generate 186 million exposures to the gospel, 37 million indicated decisions for Christ and 370,000 groups planted.
Last year, our campus ministries launched 1,000 new campus works around the world.
In the digital realm, EveryStudent.com in English (one of our evangelistic websites) sees well over 40% of the people who indicate decisions for Christ go into a digital follow-up process.

He concluded with this: “God is moving today. He has given us the opportunity to be in the thick of what He is doing. But our abundant opportunities to see great fruit could wane. So it seems to be compelling to follow the exhortation of Jesus in John 9:4: Work while it is yet day.”

Thank you for your support that enables us to “work while it is yet day”.

Our new academic year started today. Please pray for:

Kenneth (Grade 9) and Monica (Grade 7). Kenneth started high school, so we would appreciate prayers for the parents as well as they adjust to the American high school scene.
Wisdom and stamina as we catch up on our jobs after our long absence.
Stefan’s travels from 19-28 August to Western Europe (Zurich) and Eastern Europe (Macedonia), where he will be meeting with our church planting leaders for those areas.

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!

Exchanging Summer For Winter

In 7 days, we are exchanging the heat and humidity of summer here in Orlando, for the cold weather in South Africa for two full months. And we can’t wait!

The main reason for our home assignment is to reconnect with you.

We wish we could visit with each one individually, but sadly, time fly by so quickly. If at all possible, could you come and see us at one of these events?

June 4: We are speaking in the services at Rosebank Union Church, Johannesburg (8:00, 10:00 and 18:00)

June 10: Join us for an American picnic in the Rosebank Union Church Amphitheater (12:00-14:00) Please RSVP for catering purposes

June 16-19: We will be in Colesberg

June 20-21: We will be in Bloemfontein

June 25 and July 2: Join us for a tea and cake at our Campus Crusade for Christ office, 398 Rigel Ave S, Erasmusrand, Pretoria (15:00 – 17:00)

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)

Please pray for us for safe travels and that we would be able to finish well here before we leave.

We can’t wait to see you!

Your Missionaries

Stefan & Marie

P.S. Thank you for your prayers for our trips to India and Canada. We had very productive times. We will tell you more in person, but for now, here are a few photos from our trips.

First His Campus, Now His Community

“The Christian life never meant much more than attending church to Mebrete. As a first-year student in northern Ethiopia, he was challenged to attend a discipleship group. He soon realized that his mission was to study and share Christ!

Attending Evangelism and Discipleship Training, Mebrete group was asked to make a plan to win his campus for Christ. He came back with a simple plan–to win his roommates for Jesus, according to Acts 1:8.

Mebrete began making his roommates’ beds, laying his hand on each bed and praying for the salvation of each of his seven roommates (see photo on the right). Today Mebrete tells about the dramatic conversion of six of his roommates before he left campus. The seventh also accepted Christ a year after he graduated. Mebrete helped them grow and become involved in spiritual multiplication. While a student, Mebrete shared the gospel with over 2,000 students, and 35 of them put their faith in Christ.

When about to graduate, Mebrete sensed God’s call to become a missionary in one of the most difficult parts of Ethiopia. He started sharing the gospel on the Ethio-Sudan border, and people began responding.

The new church Mebrete planted has grown to over 50 members and become self-sustainable, with local leaders and financial support raised in this resistant area. When Mebrete felt it was time to leave the church in local hands, he moved to Azezo and planted a second church, mentoring the leaders of the first church from a distance. The second church now has over 20 members.”

Stories like these reminds us of God’s power to use a humble, obedient person. Pray with us that we would also be like Mebrete.

Stefan is currently in South Asia meeting with church planters. Please pray for his safety and that he would be an encouragement and support to our church planters.

Marie is on her way to Canada to speak at a conference of global digital strategy leaders. This surprise invitation came as a result of her testimony about Peter’s death. She would appreciate your prayers. Also pray for Kenneth and Monica and their American “grandparents”, Keith and Kay, that are looking after them while their parents are traveling.

Your prayers encourage us. Thank you!

Mebrete’s name has been changed for his security.