His Will

“Wait on the Lord; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the Lord! Psalm 27:14

    Do you remember as a teenager contemplating what is meant by, “the Lord’s Will?” It is a time in your life when many people want to know what you are planning to do with your life. It is a time when you are encouraged by fellow believers to seek the “Lord’s Will” while making this decision. I struggled with this phrase because I could not understand how a person could know if they were following the “Lord’s Will.” Would going to a university to study towards a teaching degree be the “Lord’s Will” for my life or would it be better to study missions at a Bible college? I knew I wanted to go into full-time mission work, but how would I support myself until that day came to fruition without a teaching degree? The more I sought the “Lord’s Will”, the more confused I became. 

    I approached people around me whom I respected, my parents, my brothers, and older  Christians in my church. Through talking with them it became clear that we do not fully understand the "Lord's Will.” It is not something we can know with certainty. Most of the time, when we come to a decision-making point in our lives, after seeking advice and praying, we take a step in faith, believing it to be the “Lord’s Will”, regardless of our certainty. 

    In April of 2022 Deon and I took that step of faith, we changed our mission field from South Africa to Ireland. Over the past two years, we have dedicated our time to achieving this ministry goal. We have focused on reporting to our current supporting churches and communicating the changes we hoped to make. We also visited new churches to gain the finances needed to bridge the gap, as the new field is a more expensive place to live. During this time, we also consulted with immigration lawyers who provided wise advice on the requirements for obtaining the necessary visas to do the Lord's work. It was brought to our attention that we needed a church in Ireland to sponsor us, without which, we would not be able to go. Sadly there are no like-minded Independent Baptist Churches available to serve as sponsors. At first, the news was disheartening for our family but the Lord has opened a "new door" of opportunity for us. 

    In March of this year, a church in Australia invited us to "come and see" their ministry, meet the people, and see firsthand the need for the Gospel in their community. Deon and I made the trip to Western Australia. We were greeted by Christians who want to see the young people in their neighborhood come to know the Lord as their Saviour and develop a strong relationship with Him. We were amazed by the many South African immigrants who lived there. You can't walk down the streets of Perth or go into the grocery store without being understood when speaking Deon's native tongue, Afrikaans. We were encouraged by the pastor we were visiting with to consider a ministry amongst the South Africans while having a ministry amongst the young people of Perth. The need that was communicated to us by the church, and that we see, is something we believe we can assist with and have a ministry in.

    You might ask, “How do you know if this is the Lord’s Will?” Well, like I mentioned earlier, we don’t believe we can know for certain what the Lord is thinking, but what we do know is that Ireland is a “closed door” and we believe the Lord has “opened the door” for us to minister for Him in Australia. Our entire family, including Deon, myself, Ruan, Jesse, and Julia, is thrilled about this new opportunity. We kindly request your prayers as we navigate the visa process and prepare for our new life "Down Under.” 

“You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You because he trusts in You.” Isaiah 26:3

Perth, Western Australia