As we come to the end of our second year in South Africa we are amazed about what God has done and how he has invited us to join Him in the work of bringing his Kingdom to the Zandspruit/Cosmo City area.
We want to share some of it with you...
Highlights:
Derek in SA – It was great to have our supervisor and friend in South Africa to get a feel for what we are up to. Now when we Skype he has a better picture of what is going on.
Soccer World Cup – This was an amazing experience for our country and even better to share it with our reconciling community.
First time back to USA – This was great to connect with Servant Partners team leaders, family, friends and supporters. It was however tough for us translating our lives and we were exhausted when we returned.
Ora & Dijaba's wedding in Lesotho – This was an amazing celebration and experience of a rural traditional African wedding. We loved the singing and dancing and got to share life more intimately with our friends.
A place called home – After a long time looking, with our families help, we were able to purchase a home in Cosmo City. This is a blessing, especially to Chrissy, to have a stable place to call home. I can now walk or ride my bike to Zandspruit.
Mathieson’s – George and Dorothy from Australia joined us for 3 weeks and loved on our community and us. We are grateful for the way they listened and sacrificially shared their lives and invited each of us to see how God is in all of our stories, many of deep suffering and pain, and that in knowing God is with us we find our healing. God moved powerfully through them and in our faith community.
Derek in SA – It was great to have our supervisor and friend in South Africa to get a feel for what we are up to. Now when we Skype he has a better picture of what is going on.
Soccer World Cup – This was an amazing experience for our country and even better to share it with our reconciling community.
First time back to USA – This was great to connect with Servant Partners team leaders, family, friends and supporters. It was however tough for us translating our lives and we were exhausted when we returned.
Ora & Dijaba's wedding in Lesotho – This was an amazing celebration and experience of a rural traditional African wedding. We loved the singing and dancing and got to share life more intimately with our friends.
A place called home – After a long time looking, with our families help, we were able to purchase a home in Cosmo City. This is a blessing, especially to Chrissy, to have a stable place to call home. I can now walk or ride my bike to Zandspruit.
Mathieson’s – George and Dorothy from Australia joined us for 3 weeks and loved on our community and us. We are grateful for the way they listened and sacrificially shared their lives and invited each of us to see how God is in all of our stories, many of deep suffering and pain, and that in knowing God is with us we find our healing. God moved powerfully through them and in our faith community.
New wine skins to hold new wine
As we end the first 2 years is seems like God is inviting us to formalize some of the work we are doing and to provide some platforms from which to have greater impact.
As we end the first 2 years is seems like God is inviting us to formalize some of the work we are doing and to provide some platforms from which to have greater impact.
We are in process of coming together under the name Ba Dira Mmogo. This means, “those that are working together” in Setswana. Thabo, Orapeleng, Andrea and Kgomotso are working together to bring people of the community together to see transformation happen in Zandspruit.
- Youth: We are hoping to impact the youth through a post highschool program that hopes to provide a platform to raise up and develop future leaders of Zandspruit
- Partnership network: We are working with Churches, NGO’s and other stakeholders working in Zandspruit to try and find healthy way to work with the community, create ownership and see more sustainable, heallthy change take place.
Faith network – Our faith community has grown in depth and we are at a point where we have decided to clarity expectations as we move forward. Through December we are asking everyone to consider their ability or desire to relate to the group. We hope this will free everyone up to express their intentions and then those who desire more depth will be able to move forward and shape the community together. We hope to create many other ways for those with less time and proximity to stay connected to what God is doing with us.
Ministering out of natural - Chrissy has be loving ministering more out of who God has created her to be. It has been good to be back in the clinics providing ante natal education to expecting moms. She is especially drawn to young first time moms who have little to no support and are terrified about the birthing process. We are looking forward to see where God leads as our kids need a little less constant attention :).
Some other things God has used us for…that aren’t our focus!
- Helping bringing local Pastors to work together
- Encouraging the community to stand up for themselves
- Influencing other ministries towards focusing on relationships and empowerment
- Investing in new marriages & healthy relationships
- Teaching English
- Sharing our home and many meals
- Helped start a few businesses
- Telling a different South African story
- Teaching a friend to drive
- Trying to model an honest marriage and invested parenting
Lastly some news from our family
Ah, Nature! What a blessing to be able to get away into nature. The first two weeks of December we were afforded the opportunity to go away with family and then on our own. Being in the bush was a great experience for our girls, Keira learning the names of all the different kind of animals and Jordan learning to point at . . .everything : )
Ah, Nature! What a blessing to be able to get away into nature. The first two weeks of December we were afforded the opportunity to go away with family and then on our own. Being in the bush was a great experience for our girls, Keira learning the names of all the different kind of animals and Jordan learning to point at . . .everything : )
We have enjoyed seeing our little family grow this year. Keira has been loving her preschool and excelling, as she came home with all “ A’s” on her little report card. She is also enjoying the challenge of swimming lessons. Keira keeps us on our toes with her questions about Jesus, other people’s behavior, and why she can’t be the leader all the time.
Jordan has been a joy as she is always full of smiles. She took us by surprise by only crawling for 2 months and then walking, then running after Keira and now, my personal favorite dancing! You can often see her with any object as a phone saying “ hi” or getting into the cupboards with a mischievous smile. Our girls are such an abundant source of joy and energy consumption . . . we wouldn’t change a thing.
Jordan has been a joy as she is always full of smiles. She took us by surprise by only crawling for 2 months and then walking, then running after Keira and now, my personal favorite dancing! You can often see her with any object as a phone saying “ hi” or getting into the cupboards with a mischievous smile. Our girls are such an abundant source of joy and energy consumption . . . we wouldn’t change a thing.
Praise God for all he has done, we are grateful for your part in it all.
Merry Christmas
Trevor, Chrissy, Keira & Jordan Davies
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