Developing Relationships

Hello family and friends

Here is the full update of our 2nd official Five Lights Ministry trip to South Africa. I need to start by saying how completely blown away we were with the amount of people that prayed for us and supported us on this trip. This is just more confirmation for us that this is what we’re supposed to be doing. Because of your generosity we’re at 12% of our launch goal!! We are so grateful for each and every one of you.

This trip was originally supposed to include Scott, his son Jed, Chris, Sifiso and myself. Unfortunately due to passport issues Jed was unable to join us. This was difficult for all of us but we know it just wasn’t a part of God’s plan for this trip. Jed took it amazingly well and he’s hoping to be able to make it out for our next trip.

Saturday we made it to White River where we stayed for the first two nights. Scott had the privilege of preaching on Sunday at two different churches, one in Mbonsweni and one in Masoyi. Both churches are a part of the Evangelical Reformed Church. It was great to see old friends and meet new ones.

On Monday we picked up Sifiso and headed to Phalaborwa. Sifiso and his wife Gugu along with their two children have joined our Five Lights team. It was an honor being able to spend time with Sifiso. He’s truly a man of God and we can’t wait to introduce him and his wife to everyone!

Monday afternoon we met with Pastor Jackie and two of his associate pastors at the Full Gospel church in Namakgale. We spent the rest of the afternoon with them just talking about their dreams, our dreams, and some practical things they are in need of. We all loaded up and drove to the Full Gospel church in Mashishimale. This was one of the locations we had previously narrowed down to serve in. A few months ago when Scott and Danielle visited this church there were approximately 25 kids in the crèche (daycare) there. Due to some issues with the dirt floor in the church only 4 children remained. The parents of the other children pulled them from the crèche. It was at that moment that we believe God was telling us that we needed to help pour a solid foundation for this church. This was meaningful to us for many reasons. We really feel that we need to build a solid foundation for our ministry with a local church. In this instance we were literally and figuratively building a solid foundation with this church. Pastor Jackie and his associate pastors were all on board with the plan.

The next day we travelled to Nwamitwa to meet with Pastor George. We introduced you all to Pastor George in the last update. He has been pastoring an Evangelical Reformed Church for over 10 years. He’s had no outside help during this time. Pastor George was kind enough to take off from work to meet with us. We all pulled up chairs and sat in a circle and talked for many hours. It was such a great experience. Pastor George opened up about the needs of their community. We also had an in depth talk about race for several hours. It was such an amazing experience and we really hope to be able to meet with Pastor George many more times once we move. We just want him to know that we love him and we’re here with him on this journey called life. We’re all stronger together.

After meeting with Pastor George we headed to Matupa to meet with Pastor Ndala and Porshe with God Reigns International Church. Unfortunately we weren’t able to meet with the pastor of the church, Porshe’s husband as he had to work. We sat and talked with Porshe for a while. It was so humbling listening to her share about their needs in the community. She’s a full time teacher but still comes to the church every afternoon to hold bible studies, worship and provide a safe place for the children in the community.

The next Wednesday, Thursday and Friday we worked on prepping the floor of the church in Mashishimale to get it ready for concrete. We must have filled the church with at least 100 wheel barrows full of dirt to even out the ground. We also sprayed the dirt for termites and worked until dark each night. In addition to prepping the floor we were able to help the Pastor repair their water line. They had been without water for 6 months. It was a wonderful feeling being able to help with such a huge need like that. These days were hard work but definitely worth it. We were able to connect with church members and members of the community. The women of the crèche and the church also made us lunch every day. It was so humbling. We even tried Mopani worms!!

One of the biggest highlights of these three days was meeting with Pastor Darius and the church board. We all sat in a circle and talked about who 5 Lights is and our mission. We explained to them that we’re there to serve them. By the end of the meeting the church board was all smiles. They were so accepting and happy for us to be there working with them. We really feel called to work with this church.

After meeting with the church board, we met with the tribal chief of the community. This community is part municipality and part tribal. It was great meeting with the chief. He was also incredibly accepting and welcoming. He told us that if we ever needed anything to let him know and he’d take care of us. This is a huge deal for our team moving forward.

We spent the next two days at Kruger National Park enjoying the breathtaking landscapes and wildlife of South Africa. We were able to relax and get to know Sifiso more during this time. I truly enjoyed it.

After the two days we spent in Kruger we headed back to Mashishimale to start the work of mixing and pouring concrete. When we arrived at the church we discovered that the men of the church (there are only about 4 of them) had spent their entire day Sunday removing all of the large rocks from the stage area and then filling it with dirt so that we could pour the concrete. This hit me really hard personally. To see the men of the church come together when we weren’t there and put in this much work and effort to help us shows me that they’re willing to put in the work themselves and not just let us come in and do it for them. It was so amazing.

We spent the next 3 days mixing and pouring concrete. We hired a few day laborers to help us. We also had at least 7 men in the community show up to help us at different times. This means a lot to me considering there are only 4 men that attend this church. It shows me that the community wants us there and they’re willing to put in the work.

We were able to build new relationships on this trip that I truly believe will last a lifetime. The best part of this whole trip to me was the fact that two of the day laborers committed to go to church. This could change the trajectory of their lives and their family’s lives. At the end of the day that’s what it’s all about for us. If just one person could come to know Christ, then everything we are doing is worth it.

There has been a lot of confirmation on trip. God has showed us where we’re supposed to be, who we’re supposed to serve and how we’re supposed to serve. As we continue to prepare for this journey we ask that you keep us in your prayers. Moving our families across the world to serve God is a big step and we have a lot that we need to accomplish before we can move. The enemy isn’t happy and  wants to stop us. The good news is that the enemy is powerless. We’re continuing to lean in to what God has for us and ask that you continue to pray for us and with us.

Serving in His name

The Five Lights Team