The sparrows have landed

 Beloved Encouragers, this journey, the road that has lead us back to my homeland would have been too rocky to pass through without you.  For five years you have believed in the work of Christ in us, from Sunday School’s colorful letters that brought us to tears, to care packages spiced with thoughtfulness, to hearing about daily prayers being made by children by their bedsides for us in Africa, we arrive home grateful for each one of your personal investments.  

Mawande off to first day of school..with a few
extra farm friends

Come on up to our loft for cuts by donation by me!

You have believed in the advancement in the kingdom of heaven in Cape Town, and now, we are ever so happy to announce we believe in the explosion of this same irresistible Happy News of the Gospel here in Manitoba, Canada. Indeed this is a time of training for Mawande at SBC where he is delving into the richness of the Word, studying a degree called Christian Leadership that will sharpen him in areas of church planting, pastoral and organization development.

Yet all the while, we are praying to have the eyes of our hearts wide open to join in with how God is currently moving in you, his Church, to…

             “Preach good news to the poor, bind up the broken hearted, proclaim freedom for the   captives and release prisoners from darkness…” (Isaiah 61).

HE has proclaimed the year of His favor, the season of his super abounding GRACE is upon us! So even whilst I have opened up a little hair salon in our home and offering a house cleaning service (both by donation please call 204 381 6172!) we am praying for a coming back to our  “First Love” as I scrub off those lady bugs one by one!

We’ve joined in a few prayer and worship meetings here and have met with pastors, local leaders and families that have long been discipling the saints for such a time as this.

A fiery prayer and worship night
with beautiful new sisters here
in this community

As Mawande has been studying the history of the Anabaptists, low and behold he has found out that the founding fathers of the Mennonite tradition were radical revivalists proclaiming this same grace of God! And yet more, they were martyrs, as those bound by religion and rules rather than the freedom we enjoy in shameless fellowship in Christ, were determined to keep them controlled and condemned under their thumbs. You can read the book first complied in the 1600’s as wide as the bible, filled with stories of these heroes in the faith called The Bloody Theatre or Martyrs Mirror. These men and women have gone before us and have been added to that great cloud of witnesses now cheering us on to continue where they couldn’t go themselves.

I think it finally is sinking in for both of us that we arent
just visiting

Quality time with our wild west coast brother

So as you have poured out yourselves on our behalf, we are now here for a time to pour back into the life of the church, the Body of Jesus, for the salvation of many. We are so excited to be joining in with leadership of the Young Leaders (collage and career) group in our church as well I’m working with The Loft Program which meets basic needs of those less privileged. Both of these ministries are birthing with life and we are so excited to see where the Holy Spirit leads us accordingly!

Though this consumes many of our conversations after hours, we also know we need to enjoy spaghetti picnic date nights, Mexican feasts with new bible school friends and the first Canadian snow to the full! Since arriving here we have been blessed to visit our brother Trev on the West Coast, showing off these great Canadian Rockies to Mawande’s delight! Catching up and savouring long lost time with dear friends and family has been incredibly beautiful, I can roll up to have Earl Grey tea with my mama whenever the prairie wind blows. In the midst of change in every direction, what a joy!

Family Camping crazzzy

One of these major changes has been our housing scenario. Just when we thought we were settled in a little home that seemed to be the plan, through various circumstances we had to find another place and I’m so grateful to say that God has blessed us tremendously through a dear family whom have invited us to share in their home and their lives. They invited us to stay with them the day before we knew our existing housing option would fall through! What a divine time of community living it has been, learning that we idolize our individual space and time sometimes far too much and miss out on doing life together with others, sharing what God has given us in a very tangible, heart to heart way.

The final SA goodbye send off with alot of warrior prayers
that got us miraculously through the border with only a
"come back any time!"

Plus! God had spoken to dear friends of ours the day before they left for long term missions…to just give us their car!! So a few weeks before the insurance on the car we had been borrowing expired, bam, God blessed us with a car of our own! Get out right?! Its even the same kind of car that I had to sell initially to move to South Africa! Isn’t Holy Spirit so in tune with our needs long before we are, apparently yes in the most obvious way these days!

He is our Praise!

May you see Him moving to meet you right where you need him most today. Keep your ears open, He is wooing you with his loving kindness around the clock.

Love The Manis

Nations to Nations, Here come the Mani's

Somehow we got to the time for the fresh shoots of Tulips to start peeping up in the North and the golden Rondebosch Maple trees to begin falling one by one down here in the South.

Would someone tell me where Resolution January ran?

 Canadian Christmas was as fresh and warm as the pines that hug my parent’s yard into a snow-capped huddle of wonderland joy! Mawande was convinced as we climbed back on the plane, as his first taste of winter had now been swallowed, if He had been born and bred in Canada he would have been the happiest camper indeed! And for myself after being away for 5 winters, it felt like I was actually appreciating it all so much more through his excitement to try every great and funny thing we come up with on the prairies to enjoy that white stuff! From Snowshoeing, to snowmobiling, to slapping on those skates to the jump-and-roll in the snow back out of the hot tub craziness!

Along with the festivities, we had opportunities to share with many dear ones of the marvelous ways Jesus has been leading us on, and will be leading us towards this new year. Its full of up and down and north and south and I don’t know how but for the Lord that goes before us!  The hot words are Mani’s both joining YWAM forces, Mozambique Harvest School, South Africa see you later’s, Winnipeg airport hug rug for the second time, Mawande degree…and probably a few friendly cockroaches, highly needed good coffee and Oh Holy Spirit lead us needed in between!

Officially then, with just one visa left to be granted, this plan we have been sure is the Lords, is moving forward  with doors flinging open. Jesus has know I’ve needed for Him to do not just  a a little showing off, but like a whole fashion show for me to strengthen my faith for this one!

Get this, get this God we serve! He has provided all of our Missions school fees, acceptance letters, and most of Mawande’s first year tuition back in Canada! Our Cape Town flat has been sorted out, contents and car spoken for, and a car as well as a home in Canada are already under way being prepared for us! As well, the greatest gift, Mawande’s dear mama has once again laid her hands on her son’s head and told him to go follow where Jesus is leading, fully within her blessing, trusting her primary welfare to the God who hears her every prayer.  One cant fully appreciate what this means without understanding the depth of sacrifice she has given on behalf of her children for most of her life. Only our mediator Jesus can give her this kind of strength, this steady grasp of faith beyond the suffering that she can see. I am the most blessed daughter in law with a woman like this to call my Mama.

The "see you later bbq's have begun in our back yard"

 Mawande will be finishing his ministry with Hope Africa at the end of April, as he has been busy training those to who will replace his work, then he will be re-joining myself under Ywam before we leave for a two month missions training school in Mozambique with Iris Ministry. Now how do I describe this school  but a place where the flags of the Kingdom of God are blazing stronger and wider across the Mozambique countryside. A question one of our friends was asked when she arrived by one of the local Mozambican pastors in conversation about ministry experience was, “So how many?” How many what my friend was wondering…when the pastor went on to clarify, “How many people have you seen being raised from the dead?” He had prayed for two people at that point who had indeed, yep, that’s what you are reading, been medically proven dead, and then very much alive!

So least to say, its going to be a hands on sort of experience of preaching, teaching, healing and setting alight the fires of the the gospel of Jesus Christ!

From there we will be getting back on air Canada as Mawande will be finishing his Christian Leadership/Church planting degree at Steinbach Bible College this Fall. We will continue on doing ministry, myself full time, and Mawande in between his studies in our local church and community as the opportunities are many and very exciting. Nations to Nations is the branch of Ywam we will be working under in Canada as missionaries, as we will be coming back to Cape Town with Ywam after Mawande’s studies are finished in about 2-3 years time. 

Personally, I am full of excitement to sow back into the rich soil of support and prayers and love this community and church I call home in Canada has invested into me for the last 5 years in missions. Now to have this opportunity to come back and work alongside the beautiful ministries God is growing in my hometown, re-connecting and partnering with my brothers and sisters makes so much sense and gives me so much joy! It was one of the hardest journeys to uproot my life, and now, our gracious Father is giving us a season to re-establish ourselves here again for a time, indeed Mama and Papa Fast are just a wee bit excited let’s just say, family camping summer 2017 booked!

Of course, many tears will now be dripped on the Southern side of things, as South Africa has shaped me deeply, I feel like I barely identify with the Charlene that showed up on these shores those years ago. Its been through the beloved people of this land, our church, our family and dear friends that have introduced me to a God of the Universe so in love with every nation, expressing Himself uniquely in each different shade of skin, each new tone of the human heart.  Finding Him here, through this culture, in the eyes of this people, Ive been able to then see, and more fully understand who I am in the reflection of my Maker. I keep praying that mediator Jesus keeps reassuring our beloved family here that out-of-sight, does not mean out-of-heart. We will deeply miss this home every day away. We carry you all in our hearts, irreplaceable.

Oh South Africa, your people’s gift of reconciliation keeps challenging and changing me, your grace for me to learn is healing. Thank-you. The nations need you.

So, that about wraps up this segment of his eye is on the sparrow: South Africa, as the Canadian geese shall fly home soon…so shall the Manis follow. And thank-you for journeying this leg with us, See you on the ice…where the fires of revival are already burning in the great white North!

Love The Manis