Wednesday, November 13, 2024

A REFORMED BAPTIST FROM NAMIBIA HAS A CALL TO SOUTH AFRICA

This is the way, walk in in it ! (Isaiah 30:21) 


NOVEMBER 2024 

Dear friends 

At the end of 2023, almost a year  ago,   I formally retired  from   the Eastside Baptist Church in Windhoek, Namibia  following a ministry of  34 years (1990 -2023).  Marcelle, my wife retired at the same time, following a long and satisfying  career as a Pre Primary School teacher.  We both  have  become  official pensioners. 

Our intention had never been to sit back and to  watch the world go by. We live, after all,  in a fallen world in which  people  continue to run from their  Creator  into a horrific  future. Hell has no fire escape! We must continue to warn  those that run headlong  into such a dark  future. We  must continue  to  encourage those that trust in God  to persevere in  their earthly pilgrimage.

And so we decided  to take  a 6 month sabbatical, just to have a good break  from ministry  and school routines, and to prayerfully reassess   the future and to wait upon the LORD for further  direction. 

We have had a wonderful time visiting friends and family  in South Africa  and  also in Europe - in  France, Belgium, Holland, the UK and in Germany.    We were  so encouraged by all our visits  and loved every minute of it. We could see ourselves settling down  almost anywhere. If the truth be told, wherever  there are gospel opportunities  present,  there  a pastor  would find  a  meaningful  work. And so it was. Wherever we went, Marcelle and I kept asking God, "Is this the place of your choosing?"

The doors have opened  for us  in South Africa  in this new season. I was asked to supply the pulpit of two churches  for a short term.  The first assignment was with the Robertson Reformed Community Church. We spent  7 weeks here. It is this church  that has now  extended a call for me to become their pastor.  After due prayer and consideration, Marcelle and I believe that this is God's  calling. 

And so, God willing, sometime  early in 2025,  we shall be moving  to Robertson  to  help in the work there. Please pray for fruitful labour in this  small agricultural hub in the Western Cape. 

At heart I  will remain a Namibian. Therefore the title of my blog wil not change. It is after all the country of my birth, and it is the country  which I will have served for  most of my life. Having said that, I can also confidently say in the words of John Wesley,  'the world is my parish'. This is after  all  God's world, and in God's world there are no boundaries. Therefore, wherever an effective door opens, there  we must work. 

I am acutely aware of the fact that  I am no longer a young man. My best years are behind me, but God's Word is  still before me, and to that end I will labour until my Master calls or comes.

I will endeavour to  keep you updated  and informed  via this blog and other social media  platforms. 

Thank you so much for your prayers! 

2 Corinthians 1:10,11  


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A REFORMED BAPTIST FROM NAMIBIA HAS A CALL TO SOUTH AFRICA

This is the way, walk in in it ! (Isaiah 30:21)  NOVEMBER 2024  Dear friends  At the end of 2023, almost a year  ago,   I formally retired  ...