Africa: missionaries return

Two years ago, as we set off on this adventure, we had no idea what we were really stepping into. We’d never even visited any country in Africa and then we moved our lives to the southernmost one! Despite feeling shocked at the poverty and segregation that still exists between black and white in the rural areas, we were also filled with joy at the friendliness of the people here, filled with awe at the beauty of the mountains, filled with comfort in the quaint village in which we live.

One of the most significant aspects of moving here, though, was the family that we found in Dihlabeng Church. We left mothers and fathers and brothers and sisters back home, only to find God was blessing us with an African family in abundance! We have made lifelong friendships here and found a family which has made a world so foreign to our own feel like home.

A second home

Home. That is what South Africa has become to us. A second home. When you live in a new country your heart finds home in more than one place. You start to feel this strange juxtaposition of feeling homesick at the same time as feeling at home. For two years this has been our home and now it draws to an end as we look to return to our other home in the UK.

Over the last couple of months, we had the absolute privilege last month to visit the United Arab Emirates to gather with church leaders from across the nations. We met together in Dubai over a long weekend to worship God, build relationships with our wider church family and to seek direction in this next season of Regions Beyond (our group of churches). This was our first time in the Middle East and to say it was hot is an understatement! It averaged 42° which has us running from air-conditioned building to air-conditioned building!

Our family gathered from across the world! We got to see many familiar faces: some of whom we’ve known for years and others we’d met earlier this year at our gathering in South Africa. We made new friends too. We heard from a man that many in the Church may know: Terry Virgo. He founded our family of churches known as newfrontiers before we branched into many smaller ‘spheres’. It was great to have him with us and to hear him share.

We’ve been journeying over the last few months with what the future looks like for us. In all of it we have felt God challenge us with the call to lay down everything we have for His plans and purposes. We are seeking His will in our lives above our own. As we’ve prayerfully sought God, we feel called back to the UK for this next season. We’ve been journeying with a church in the UK and starting to talk with them about what it would look like if we were to take on the leadership of that church. We are still in the early stages of this at present and plan to return back to Biggin Hill and be a part of our family at New Life Church for a few months when we first return to the UK.