God of the 11th hour!

Last week, we had no idea where we were going to live.  We watched the hours and days roll on by, not having any idea where we were going to house our 3 children or which school to enrol my younger son in.  There was this strange sense of peace and quiet, where all around us we were very aware of the risk, our friends questions and the ticking clock.

My eldest is about to start his first day in high school and has been looking forward to settling in and  making new friends.  We were desperate to settle him in from day 1, to give him the best start to our new town and school.  I love how the leaders around us have modelled family so beautifully for us.  Encouraging us to prioritise our family and ensure that our children get all they need from us during this unsettling season.

We've had conversations as a family where we have seen that they really understand how invested my husband and I are in their lives.  Their confidence is in knowing that Mum and Dad will always support them and include them through the church planting process.  After all, this is the family business. There is definitely a sense of excitement building as we wait and dream with the Lord.

With 6 days left to find a home and not hearing back from an agent about a possible rental, we decided to take things into our own hands and look for a house on the outskirts of the town. Half way down the road, 2 hours into our journey, the phone rang.  The agent gave us the amazing news - we have a house in town to move into - next week!!

Today is monday and we move on Wednesday.  Our children start school on Thursday! Why does God often leave things to the very last minute?  Whatever the reason, we felt the peace of God through it all and we are so grateful.

Church planting really is all about adventure!

The start of our journey as church planters.

When I started out on this journey, I had a sneaky suspicion that God might be asking me to plant a church in the near future.  Perhaps that's why I was so opposed to the idea. Maybe that's why I started my leadership academy course with my heels dug deep.  I wanted to learn and navigate through some of of my challenges but I didn't want to plant a church.

And as the year rolled on by my heart grew. It grew towards His. I was challenged in all areas of my faith and I began to hear His heart beat louder than before. That's when I started to recognise His love for the lost. That's when things changed.  I started to understand the 'why'.  The why people gave up everything.  The selling of possessions and the moving away from family and friends.  This incredible pursuit.  For the sake of the world.

Slowly I moved in closer and together Johannes and I investigated this idea of church planting.  It was then when love was awakened and we could no longer look back.  A longing for a greater measure of the kingdom of God was birthed in us.  We went from treading carefully into a full sprint in a matter of months.  We had tasted something irresistible and we wanted more.  "Holy Spirit come and have your way in us."

And just like that we were fully on board.  Now today we are 1 week away from moving to the town that the Lord has laid on our hearts.  We have had our house on the market for some time now and we've had no offers.  We have no address or place to move to, but we have a date set and we have a heart full of faith.

7/08/19