He has Fast in his blood afterall, but dont worry Ive still got all his Mani

Its Confirmed...can you see that twinkly eye?

With a shiney new drivers license in hand, Mawande has undoubtedly got some of my Pa's genes in his need to speed veins!

Whether to grab a jug of milk, a stick of chocolate or just another view of the spotted dog statue on the corner, this husband of mine is out the door before i can say dark with hazelnuts! Watch out Main Street Steinbach cruisers, November is drawing nigh! And let me tell you, his number one passenger is now the official lady of leisure, chair tilted as low as a sunset, I've officially retired to the happiest passenger at last!

We have enjoyed a great last couple months, slowing putting away our summer t's for some long wholly socks which seem to constantly go missing around the Mani household. The beauty of spouses that have the same shoe size!

Ive had my 31st bday! I simply cant believe the brilliant life Ive been blessed to live up to now and to think its only going from glory to glory..with all the guts and gore in between of course! I love getting older, knowing Jesus more, loving him more and in turn, loving myself more. Ive never felt more comfortable to be and accept the rough edges that show my weaknesses as much as those pretty ones that are easy to see so strong and thriving.

Loving myself feels really good. I  never could have dreamt I would have been able to be the one write that just a couple years ago. But...for the grace of God. There's really just no other possibility. Receiving his love for me deeper and deeper, thats the secret. The sunny Cape Town skies the limit from there as to how much I can love me and love all of these treasures or people around me. Simple. 

As i mentioned the chilly season is upon us, which also means the the rain, the horizontal knee soaking rain...no matter how high those boots get! Thus our mother's day gift for our beautiful South African mama was some new sheeting on her roof. A couple neighbors and Mawande's uncle came out to help for the day. Oh and of course our wee nephew Lalam decided it just could be done without him as well! Up he was passed to help his uncle get the real work done from a birds eye view, with a lot of hesitation from this Auntie Charlene who had her auntie eye's on all the live wire crossing just above him as you can see. Lets just say, you know how we get all in a fuss when all the Christmas mini lights go out if one does...try a couple thousand houses all on one power grid?! 

I was attempting to cook a little chicken lunch inside, but had to put it on hold as the tin bends in so deep when it is walked upon  in certain spots, my head was nearly 'walked on' a few times. Now thats a real headache waiting to happen?!

At the very end of April our church was finally able to showcase their concert that has been in the works for the last 6 months. Practicing every Sunday after church, after singing for a good two hours in church nonetheless, these brothers and sisters of ours have ridiculous raw talent making us so incredibly proud. We had the 'cheekache' for the following day as we could not have been prouder of our family. Let alone their phenomenal soul awakening voices, just to know the stories of transformation in each one of their lives, from hopeless to limitless hope, left us singing those songs for days afterwards. "You are the Piller that holds my life" was one of the refrains that kept rippling on and on through the week.  From classic "Sisteract" burgundy gowns and solemn candles flickering to Florescent jump-suite costume changes dancing up a fire, the name of Jesus resounded in our community declaring Love is truly alive! What a day of individual victory and as a church. "So get up off of that chair and dance 'til you feel better"! 

 And to finish off this fine few months, June 8th was officially the day we were legally married in the court house here. Yes 6 months before we were actually married, but required for visa processing. So Mawande surprised me with a one night mountain flower farm forest retreat!
We literally left the noise behind and soaked up nothing but sunshine with the next cabin a five minute drive away! Solitude. Pear orchard. Proteas dotting the entire mountain side and with the occasional tractor trucking along, we were just whistling our favorite countryside songs! With Mawande being a pyro at heart, we had fires roaring day and night in our little cottage, oatmeal and hot dogs for 2 days. Could it get better? Contentment.
 The Oma and Opa that owned this mountainside property also
 grew up here.
We had the pleasure of meeting them for a few minutes, people of great peace who love the Lord and his creation and love to share it. Can we all be them when we grow up?
May that same peace of mountain fresh Living Water revive every bank of your heart as you steep yourself deeper into his depth less grace.

The Manis love you and each other...but for the grace of God...

not one lonely corner

Im so glad my nephews loves to share!

Paska samples thanks to the wonderful Marie Eve!

So.....Pickled fish is back!


Its an ever popular Easter treat over here, folks put down their fried chicken feet and enjoy a seaside delicacy this time of year. Just send me your address, Ill post some first thing over to you in the morning...extra pickling time on the ship over...mmmm!
But in case you prefer yours fried, just ask Jesus, he's a breakfast fish fry top chef Himself! (John 21:9).

Our Lord, has risen Indeed! 
That never gets old does it?
I mean really...instead of the word death being our enemy, being what we preserve ourselves from in every way possible every day to the point of obsession...thanks to the Resurrection, the day we call it kaput...it will be in that moment we will come truly alive!

For the first time we will know who we really royally are and who our King Father is.
There is not one lonely corner in heaven with our Papa around, not one cold night of the soul on our own.
Perfect infant peace within ourselves and others, perfect love from the Source Himself to heal age old wounds of betrayal and every kind of abuse.
There will never be one dream ever again to go unfulfilled. Not ever another  life cut short.
All desperation and self hatred disintegrated in our Father's arms.
Oh the tears of joy will relentlessly flow, this life full of destruction and brokenness is really finished, its really over. And we will really make it.
Children will come running out!
We will really stand there and face one another with our mouths wide open in astonishment untold. "Its true, the story is true, and we win" we will shout in ecstasy.
Now that is Glory to glory.
Oh death where is your sting?

Want to hear another fantastic story? A tiny bit less epic but..its my life!
Last week I bounced 3 feet back off the face of a glass door that was shut, when I ran into it with all my might, thinking it was infact open...oh glory be indeed! One sore toe remains.
And for the first time when a preacher asked at church for all the single people to raise their hand, I didnt. Which was so fun, we are still totally married, and totally in lovey dovey life.
Totally also bought a bbq and feel really Canadian with our Sunday afternoon lunch burger feast,

My Malawian sister now studying at Providence College in
Canada becoming sisters with my sisters!

anyone coming next Sunday?

Im really trying to take my cousin Melissa's advise at this point. I told her I was struggling knowing what to all write this time around, she just told me, "If it were me it would be 5 bullet points and done, none of your flowery poetry fluff..." So here is a shout out to her, is this point formy enough for you Melis?!
Easter was spent as usual at our church 4 days and overnight sleep overs straight, of firey preaching, heavenly prayer's flying, netball tournaments, popcorn and The Passion and feasting non-stop! Apparently my husband and I are getting old and boring and went home for nights, totally turning 31 in a few weeks!
And a few more fancy stories of fun!

Betty's " Im Alive" lunch the next day!

1. A few weeks ago, I found my dear friend Betty passed out on her apartment floor upon arrival with her roommates having no idea what to do but to call me. And I of course had no idea but have a car so off we took her to the hospital, Betty in and out of consciousness, unable to speak, writhing in pain for the following 6 hours. The strongest pain medications were dispensed and she came to, said she didn't want to stay at the hospital for night, and back home we came, not know what the night would look like to follow. Turns out I went to go check on her first thing in the morning, passed by some girls chatting and laughing away on the steps, turn back to see its her! Having many people war with us in prayer in that 12 hours, where Betty later told me over a celebration "you're alive" lunch, for that entire time all she could see were two black figures in the distance fighting and she thought she knew her life was over.
But...that same Resurrection power that raised Christ from the dead, I also believe was put into action through the prayers of the saints and Im overwhelmed with his goodness in Betty's life.

Lounge/Dining room

2. I haven't posted any photos of our beautiful home yet, so please enjoy them as much as we enjoy it. The day we moved in here we ask the Holy Ghost to reside with all of his greenery peace here, and so he has. There isnt one person who has yet walked in here to not comment how peaceful this home is. Its a little granny flat they call them, a tiny home on another persons yard, that gets rented out if family members arent using it. So not only did we score this

Dining room/kitchen of joy

The master bedroom with Auntie Shelia's quilted handiwork

Our garden of peace and breakfasts of joy

small haven, on the most stunning yard with gardens and a pool and Tiki huts...we have been given another South African Oma and Opa as our landlords as well! Married for 40 years, this incredible couple who love the Lord, have opened their property and their hearts to us. We have had times of prayer together, sharing baked goods back and forth, and recieved invitations to their family events as they really take us to be their adopted children! The line up was long in front of us to apply for this house, but the moment we all met, they said all the other people no longer are runners, they had been praying for just the right people, and knew it was us!

3. "Im living the life I always dreamt of"was the thought that kept going through my mind a few weeks ago coming home from a counseling session. I've always longed for this opportunity to be hands on in training and ministering like this full time, and its happening! I get all sweaty and nervous before meeting new people that have just been through some form of trauma, as entering into people's spaces in this deep place of pain is a holy ground. With fear and trembling I tread this place that is such a prevelege to walk at these defining moments of our lives. Indeed Jesus greatest moment of victory came out of these "tomb" experiences, when it seemed injustice was the only winner left to speak, it was silenced by the impending hand of our infinitely wiser God to finally be exposed and roll that stone away. I am seeing more fruit in these peoples lives who are willing to walk me through their own caves and see if we can find some light down there together after all.

4. And of course Mawande continues to lavish love on the community he works in with Hope Africa Collective and see hearts and hands and sight healed in Jesus name. You just cant really have a better work report then that to hand in to your wife at day's end. He just finished leading a teen spring break week at thier base, where they had these kids hit the streets with the fiery love of Jesus and sent them back to school with all sorts of new ideas and testimony of how real Jesus is and what he can do if we believe! What a keenly active Jesus we have roaming the streets of Capetown, just waiting to be asked for a hand.

5. And finally first married camping trip in Feburary happened=floating bread in melted cooler box...the real Canadian smore...and no baboon sightings to report..just lots of bunnies? We both couldnt believe we were finally able to do this, how grown up we felt, just two married vagabonds roaming around a coastal hippy town called Kommetjie.

6. We have officially started hosting a church small group which really fills a huge need we have to just sit with fellow friends and find honest conversations and support and prayer.  The group happens to just be a few married couples which really is such a blessing of being understood and heard as we learn about this marriage business from all the experts! Really, I found myself sharing things I normally wouldn't last week because obviously I needed this outlet, and feel it is a safe place for me to also receive care and counsel.

Easter Mani family gathering

Easter Fast family gathering

And that is a wrap! We are starting to look at plane tickets to come home for about 6 weeks this coming Christmas...really couldn't be any more excited about that! We will need to spend time raising support and also raising our ice cream in take levels for night snack with my dad! So let the snow fall..now that I've heard the last flake has melted!










Love (being) Charlene Mani

Mrs Mani...Mrs Mani...Mrs Mani...

To give you an idea of my current state of wellness...Afro-Latin Dance Party 2000 is jammin' in the background, pretty wedding cards are flitting around in the afternoon summer wind blowing through my kitchen window, and my first angel food cake in memory of November 28th is starting to make a poofy move in my oven as I begin to tap these keys and tell you just how fantastic Mrs Mani really is!

Now go ahead and role your eyes that are sure all Charlene is seeing are crossed eyed honey moon stars...but I really didn't know marriage was this wonderful, so very delighted that I had no idea what I was signing up for in this sense! Covenanting myself with my very best companion is the greatest experience of my life. Knowing that our Heavenly Father has Himself covenanted to us, promising his faithfulness to this from start to finish is the most liberating and completely safe place I have ever found my heart in. 

Im home.

Backtracking to The Day, indeed I could do it over again and again, so see you next Saturday, same place and time?! It was the most exhilarating day of joy in my life! I ate, sang, danced, laughed and looked as beautiful as I could! And let me tell you, that bridegroom must have cracked at least nine camera lenses at the same time! Wowza he looked good! Mawande and I both said it was by far the best wedding we had ever been to, no bias opinion I'm sure right?
We washed each other's feet squeaky clean, ate some croissants with red grape juice and signed our lives away to love each other as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us. There is nothing else we could base those vows on that would stand unshaken through every circumstance coming our way, we couldnt be more grateful and hopeful about this fact. That's how everyone's wedding day should be to them I imagine, a day of greatest victory! Satan's disappointed, God approved and Mawande is getting married was one of the theme song and dances that reverberated through out by our Xhosa family. They danced

the day" hot hot" from the moment they piled out of the taxivan! Even Mawande's Tata (grandfather) couldn't stay seated and struck a move every chance he could, bow tie and walking stick in full action from morning to night!
With the cultural history of the past still reeling in so many broken relationships and disillusionment about the purpose of marriage, our day truly was a sign of the impossible made possible. Jesus made flesh. This diverse relationship growing healthy and whole and holy on earth as it is in heaven against all odds. "So get up off of that chair and dance til you feel better!" Hope Lives!

German chocolate covered strawberries, popcorn stuffed cheetah paper bags, boughs of lavender, hand cut wooden proteas and a million doilys strung through the shade of tall oaks above, the church inside and out in the private ceremony garden was stunning. With the help of the most generous friends and family and the use of their beautiful hands for many hours, an atmosphere of pure praise was created, inviting the peaceful Spirit of God to breeze through freely and greet each guest as they came and went again. Each one carried home a tummy filled with the most delicious Xhosa home-cooked full course dinner, Canadian angel food cake, and an inside glimpse of what beautiful ways Jesus is uniting this nation and his church as one. Now that's a pretty good wedding favor to bring home for the kids I'd say?!
So as the candles were lit and the sun bid us good night, Louis Armstrong showed up for our first dance to "what a wonderful world" and before we knew it we kissed a few people goodbye and were whisked away for a two week honey moon to begin at last! We were abundantly blessed by amazing friends of ours whom offered us their holiday home in Durban, a tropical coastal city on the other side of South Africa. When we weren't really sure if we could do much of a honey moon at all beyond a few days, we were then lavished with this most incredible gift and loved every last dreamy minute of it! We are so sure Jesus must really love marriage as we look back as see his provision in every last square inch of this beautiful experience...true and faithful Love is the very flame of God...what does this all really mean? (Song of Songs).
We were completely honored by each of you that came in person, and each that came in pajamas (for those overseas who watched a live broadcast in the wee hours!) so much of what we are and who we are has been shaped and loved deeply by you. Thank you for making us important to you! Thank you for investing into us joining together, please keep us in your prayers from here on in, don't stop now as the fun has just begun!

We also wanted to let you know that, as with most newly weds our financial needs have increased, and as we are both full time volunteers, an increase in salary can only come from outside support. So if you want to consider partnering with us monthly with monetary donations, listed below are my tax receipted banking details.
Bless you abundantly more.
We cant wait to uncover all sorts of revival, family ministries, miracles and face to face encounters with Jesus in this adventure together he has planned for us, and will need you all the more to partner with us. So dont touch the dial! Be in this with us as we pray we can be in this with you, and the glorious dreams he has in store for you and your families!
So back to it, work is calling, holidays are over, but with a little bit of honey moon phase intentionally dripping in the backround, lets just see what he will do next. Lets just see how great his plan for marriage really can be. Lets just taste and see and marvel at how good our God is!
Celebrate one another! Celebrate Him! Celebrate being Alive! Celebrate every perfect gift he has given us! Celebrate Love!

Halalalala!!!! Inene!!!!!

Walk by faith and not by sight in everything!

For a tax reciept use the following procedure:

If you are using a cheque, write your check out to YWAM, and on a separate note write my name and account code number FC11 attached for it to be specified into my account.
Mail your check to

Project Funding Office
Po Box 57100 RPO East Hastings
Vancouver, BC
V5K 5G6
http://www.ywamcanada.org/donations.html
If you want to make a one time, or monthly donation online, please go to https://www.canadahelps.org/dn/16012, putting in my YWAM Project Funding Information as Charlene Fast, FC11 in the space provided to specify the donation towards my personal account.
If you require further help with the donation or just to verify it has gone through into my account, don’t hesitate to email admin@projectfunding.ca, where the project staff will gladly help with any questions you may have.

Thank you!!!!

Love Charlene Mani

Perfection was so last life...

Its October, that means November traditionally come next…

Nifty!

Nifty Non-Mov November please my brothers for the sake of the pretty wedding photos?

Now where were we…

For those of you whom graced us with your presence this August at our Canadian engagement party, sheer gratitude for you, stunning day! Amid set up in full fledge thunderstorms leaving me a touch, ok fully frenzied for a moment, the celebration air as guest after guest arrived was so full of joy and life! 100% humidity, 100% saturation of the my most favorite people and beyond blessings!

We photoed, we lawn bowled, we ate waffles til’ the belts breaking point, we hymn sang to make grandma proud. We reminisced and dreamt of our future full of excitement with each one who came. We laughed, my mom and I cried….thats what we do! Old friends since knee high, new special someones and tiny babies to honor us with their appearance. Dear ones coming from near and far in the middle of harvest season couldn’t have shown us more support.

Honestly, our prayer was for our Father to host each one with such welcomeness, peace, and

awareness of his lovely presence in the house…and so it was! Dear friends and cousins pitched in to make this far more meaningful and beautiful than we could have dreamt. Truly we couldn’t have felt more beloved. Thank you to those who were there both physically, and in heart for those who weren’t able to attend. It left me feeling prepared to move into this next significant step of marriage as I now have the blessing of my community first hand behind me, on board believing in me and us.

And as the last left over crepe had to be rolled and the white sauce crock pot soaked dry, our hearts and luggage were marked oversized and heavily loved from Winnipeg to Capetown… touchdown.

Its been a whirlwind since, Mawande working over time at Hope Africa, marriage counseling on the double, my schedule full of ministry and wedding preparation before I turn the weekly page over it seems.

Concerning specifically the counseling, it has brought out deep issues in our relationship that have taken more work than we bargained. We have allowed ourselves to take a long look square on in the mirror without quickly flinching away when it’s gotten uncomfortable. It has forced us to ask Jesus for a whole new level of receiving and giving grace, for both ourselves and each other that we are pretty sure most couples in their first few years seem to require.  Real life stuff that has left us no choice but to fall at Christ’s feet for help, as no one can truly heal hearts and lives and minds but Him. Our counselors have been working over time for us, and I am so incredibly proud of both Mawande and I for staying on the same team and fighting for us when things have gotten pretty dark.  I’m proud of us for remaining in a humble position of need and prayer, when one just doesn’t know the way forward, without opting for short cuts to pretend for a while for the sake of pride.

We really believe that if God chooses to put two such different lives together and make it beautiful in all its imperfection, he can tie back together just about anything and any relationship. He’s an expert in this fixing the seemingly impossible thing, He really can do anything.

A wedding present we received from one of our supporters in Canada was a clay mug, one of the first ones she had hand crafted. She told us she was embarrassed to give it to us because it was so imperfect, but felt God told her she still should. So on the day we were leaving, she showed back up at our door, handed us this humble gift of mud and water and waved goodbye.  Little did she know, this gift has been a daily

reminder of how God is not actually looking for perfection from us. This cup has spoken significantly into our relationship and how to view ourselves the way He views us. He is looking for our love. He is not expecting what we cannot be and then blaming us for our down falls. He wants to take all of our humble begins and warm them in his hands and shape them using his power, his love, messaging all the fearful bumps out in the gentlest process. We are then truly the work of his hands, his efforts, his grace. None of our own, the pressure is off. Imperfection is so in!!!!! Its where his beauty is most magnified! All he asks is that we let the artist do His best work, with great joy he goes about you for that matter!

What a relief he alone is “the One who is able to keep you from falling and to make you stand joyful and faultless in his glorious presence (Jude 1:24).”

So thankyou to those who have been supporting in prayer knowingly and unknowingly of our struggles, we are overcoming, we are getting stronger. We will celebrate a great victory on November 28^th, but for the grace of God. Ohhhh joy shall have her dance that day loud and every so much lovelier than we could have understood.  It will be a sight to behold what God has done and is doing.

 Our God reigns.

And so the first of my beautiful family arrives in ten days to get the dance going!!! Plans for auntie sleepovers in our new little apartment are in high order!  Did I mention our new apartment what?!! Yes we share a yard with a stunning older couple, married for 40 years! They are beautiful and generous and hospitable and kind! They were praying for just the right people to come share their property, and we were praying for a simple quiet space where we could safely build our first little nest together. In everyway and more were both prayers answered! This area is only a seven minute drive away from where I was staying, but away from near the sandy windy beach means green and parks and trees and life! It’s a very safe and family friendly area, as we it explore it, Mawande and I keep exclaiming amazingly, “hey this is where we live!!!” What an incredible gift this place of peace will be for us to begin.

So the tea is on, all I ask is that you come again! I shall check back in once the wedding hooplaaas have come and the honey moon stars have gone or at least aren’t as shiny?!

Oh my God, you can do anything.

Oh my God, nothing is too hard for you.

Love,

Charlene Fast…for the last time!

              

My hair is gettin' long now where is that aisle song!

I think we are in love and getting really
good with selfies

You wouldn't believe it!

Ok, maybe you would, as you are, or know many brides or brides to be that go a little nuts with wedding songs looping through their heads 25/7, with all the decisions to be made, admittedly making them go a little 'loopy' as the day draws closer. So sure enough Charlene falls in line with the rest of them!

 Yes, I have the dress! Its my creamy vintage delight! Yes I have the stunning countryside church garden venue! Honk at the fine South African Holstein herds as you cruise by! Yes I have a few family and friends sacrificing a lot to come all the way down here, November 28th,
 to join the rest of this family to celebrate Mennonite-Xhosa style! Now what that will these two worlds colliding look like? Oooh a pre-view of heaven is my prediction! We shall see how many slick dance moves my dad has been holding in all this time! The dream is happening people!

All of this planning and scheming with Mawande has been...I must say, insightful! So what is it that causes little boys to most commonly reach for sticks and and rocks, and little girls, from the first day of dress-up, to prance around in make-belief wedding heels? Women, we have been designed to love love hey? No matter the cost, the fight, the pain, the painful wait, to the bottom of where we try to stuff it, we find we are at our best being loved and loving. This, ideally resulting in that happily ever after sunset photo shoot some day, when all is made right...riiiiight...!?

And then... Ive been told the crash landing back to life happens, there really is the day after. The fairy sparkles in each other's eyes turn into crusty sleep that your loved one annoyingly picks out more so because it is distracting to the conversation about the electricity bill that they are trying to get you to focus on in the morning. Ha as I'm clearly speaking from NO experience, but stories of those who have taken this leap of faith ahead of us, this is real and is why Mawande and I have been plunging ahead in a nine month marriage counseling course.

Don't get me wrong, we are joyful! We believe in marriage more than we ever have! But we are also aware that as a wholesome marriage can champion one another into their best, raise a family in a victorious Godly Kingdom lifestyle, and lay foundations for healthy nations to build upon, marriage is one of the enemy's greatest enemies. He hates it. He hates everything it has the potential to create, to nurture, to protect, to conquer.  Offering self sacrificing love and unmerited grace to one another, as Jesus daily gives us, within a marriage, defeats all fears and insecurities and insufficiency in ourselves, in our present circumstances of heart-aches, and in our unknown futures. Our loved one is ment to believe in the unbelievable about ourselves and our Father for us when we cant, to stand for us when everything else has fallen and come out over-coming full of hope for anyone else to walk into victory then, as we have.

The enemy knows how world changing marriage can be, thus he wields its power against us for absolute devastation in so many who attempt to unite under the wedding arch. Over fifty percent of you reading can testify to this in your own broken marriage, so many more of you as children can tell the same story in your agonizing childhood.

The beautiful Kristina Zacharias, my former MCI student
was passing through Muiz...

Wild Fires right above our Muizenberg mountain that blazed
for a couple days, breaking open certain spieces of plants that
are only activated by fire. We heard it crackling for days.

So you might be wondering where is this idealistic 30 year old want to go after all this? I want to boldly believe in marriage as we start this thing from scratch. I want to be a part of the Kingdom of Heaven reality of believing in marriage again..for young women to dream white daisy-in-the-hair dreams again...

As Mawande and I have been meeting with a few single young people from our Xhosa family church, get this tragedy, there has been such historical damage done to the family structure beginning with the intentional separation of husbands and wives, that the little girl "one day my wedding dress" instincts themselves have vanished. Marriage now is associated with entrapment, suffering and suffocated dreams. In our church of 60 people, there are a mere two married couples. These same young people look at us in awe, wondering what in the world has compelled us to willingly want to step into this covenant together. God's greatest model of how he longs to freely and joyfully exchange love and sacrifice for us, as a committed unto death man does for his wife, has turned into the very picture of lifelong imprisonment of unhappiness and betrayal.

Time out on the town with my new lil sis' Sive Mani!

Thus, we are equipping ourselves now as we have this feeling the battle will be long and hard. Weekly we attempt to humbly sit down on that brown counseling couch, bracing ourselves for the next subject that brings up more selfishness and insecurity to stare us in the face. It is already not easy...even among pre-wedding honeymoon butterflies to help lift us through! We have this deepest gut feeling that if marriage is God's dream in the first place, than it will be worth every drop of work and tears when mutually submitted to Him and one another. Its just got to be a genius idea if it was all started by the happiest loving wise Being and Father of all creativity?!

We want to play our part in His vision for the redemption of marriage in this generation, for the generations to come. We believe that as marriages are made right, churches can function healthily, and the marvelous manifold wisdom of our beautiful God can be displayed for all to see that he really is the best. Thus, for those of you wondering why we chose to do our wedding here in South Africa, I hope this gives you understanding of the big picture of what story God wants to start here through our 'big day' on this land particularly.

Psalm 126 (The Message)

1 It seemed like a dream, too good to be true, when God returned Zion's exiles.
2 We laughed, we sang, we couldn't believe our good fortune. We were the talk of the nations - "God was wonderful to them!"
3 God was wonderful to us; we are one happy people.
4 And now, God, do it again - bring rains to our drought-stricken lives
5 So those who planted their crops in despair will shout hurrahs at the harvest,
6 So those who went off with heavy hearts will come home laughing, with armloads of blessing.

My new Mountain view counsling happy space!

Least to say, life has been full and good and hard and worthwhile on this side! In other news! I received one of the highest compliments a few weeks back when one of the people I have been counseling, ran up to the man training me, boasting out of breath how amazing she was doing after spending time in my office for several weeks. Her work space had been terrorized by an angry gang member, leaving great fearful impact on the whole organization.
 But voila! fresh first fruits of his love being made alive in and through me! Its not often we get to hear about instant results like that when working with people, so this was very affirming as I'm just getting my feet wet in this beautiful and muddy field. Its fun watching Jesus at work (maybe even wearing rubber boots out there in the muck with us dare I say?!), He's really good at what he does, he actually knows how to heal everything.

Thriving at 30

Did I mention I turned 30 last month?! Why not I say! I feel healthy and free to love and be loved by Jesus firstly, and then am heaped full of affection by so many wonderful people in my life as all the bonus love and cherries on top (or at least I'm beginning to try to learn to see it like this!) Birthday family breakfasts with Mawande by the sea and homemade pizza at my sisters for dinner, with a sunny afternoon of relax and cheese tasting sandwiched in between with friends! I truly lived a blessed life! I want to thank each one of you loving me by listening to my heart as you read through my stories. I pray the Spirit of Jesus uses my words and world to speak hope and love into yours. You truly bless me. Cheers to another 30 years!

Ice creaming nephew time at the sea side, they make me so happy

As I sign off here...I urge you to search for those "dusty wedding shoe boxes" in your life, to start dreaming again with us as we start fresh in our marriage journey. Amidst a seemingly all hope is lost circumstance today, and I say that with all respect for some of the extremely painful places some of you find yourselves in, lets start daring to lift those lids again with the thought that just maybe sunset photo shoots are not too good to be true.

Lets be willingly crazy together and let our Father take a peek inside again.

Its His favorite thing to do.

He's the Fixer.

"...So those who went off with heavy hearts will come home laughing"

192 days to go!!!
And then the real fun begins!

Love Charlene