Happy Easter to you all!!!
This is an exciting update, and one I have been wanting to write for years, but haven’t been able to. Things are finally falling into place for South Africa!!! Praise God! It is so encouraging to watch as the the pieces start to take shape. It has been a long journey, as you know, but so worthwhile. Ever since we came back from Paraguay (almost 4 years ago), we have been wanting to return overseas to be missionaries. Living overseas being a missionary is the most exciting life we can imagine. Being a part of what God is doing is an honor, and leaving behind some of our physical comforts and friends and family make us depend even more on God. Seeing God work as He does is addicting! When you make the decision to be completely available to Him, He uses you for His purpose!! And what is His purpose? To redeem creation…God wants to be in relationship with each and everyone of us. That is why Jesus died on the cross, to pay the price for our sins and restore that relationship with God. And when people get that, they are released from their pasts and freed to live a life of hope! Of course, showing people love through addressing their physical needs is how it needs to happen. We are God’s instruments. Faulty instruments, but available instruments.
So, that is why we have wanted to go overseas ever since we returned from Paraguay. We were only planning on being here for a year, but everything came to a grinding halt when Phoebe was diagnosed with autism on top of her Down syndrome almost three years ago. (Phoebe is turning 6 in May.) But now, a few years later, we feel like it is possible to embark on the journey again. The timing seems right, since Phoebe is doing well, and contacts in South Africa are going really well. I could not say this last year.
As you may remember, the missions committee at our church, Park Street Church, recommended that Alberto take some more Bible classes. We figured the best way to do this would be for him to take the classes in the place we intend to minister. So, we looked at YWAM, which stands for Youth With A Mission. We worked with YWAM in Guatemala with Ana and Isaac in 2001, so the ministry is not new to us, and is very close to our hearts. Although the first YWAM base we looked at in South Africa had a one-year program, that particular base was not set up for families at all. But, the base in Worcester, South Africa is very much set up for families. Not only any family, but even special needs families. The family I am in touch with at this base also has 4 children, and one of those kids has Down syndrome! Talk about God confirming the placement and preparing our way! The mother has been instrumental in answering every single question I have, which, as you know, is quite a tall order! This base offers not only a condensed Bible course, but they also offer a Family Ministry class, and a counseling class, which would be super useful for Alberto as he is still considering the prison ministry after he finishes his classes. On top of that, we visited this base when we were last in South Africa, and we really liked it!
So, the details are as follows: we are in the process of applying to YWAM. We plan to leave next year, June ’14. That gives us just over a year to prepare and fundraise. (Our church Park Street Church will not cover all our expenses like they did in Paraguay, unfortunately. But they will act as a collecting agency for us for the first year.) Our God is big, and you all are our faithful friends, so I am confident we can rise to the challenge of raising the support we need. Support being financial and prayer.
When Alberto finishes his classes, which will take just under a year, we plan to stay in South Africa as missionaries. At this point, we are making a 3-5 year commitment, with the hope of extending. During that first year, we will have plenty of opportunities to explore God’s calling at the jail ministry or elsewhere. (In case you don’t remember, we have dear friends conducting Bible studies in some of the area jails.) I also have a burning desire to work with forgotten children, so it will be interesting to see how God guides and shapes our vision during that first year in South Africa.
In terms of our family, Phoebe continues to make good progress with her new doctor. Her thyroid has finally stabilized. She is starting to put words together, and her energy has increased significantly. We are grateful that we could be in the US for this critical time in her life. Now though, I am stocked with so many resources that I am bursting at the seams! And the doctors I will need to follow-up with are available in South Africa.
Ana and Isaac will be able to complete another year at Boston Trinity Academy. Ana will leave before her senior year, which some people think is crazy, but I am so happy Ana will have a year with us in South Africa before embarking on college! She is excited, so that is a huge blessing! Isaac and Margaret are ready to leave today, so that is also a blessing.
So, please pray for us as we get our application completed, and prepare for our talk at the missions committee at church early May. We definitely want their blessing! We will start to fundraise after that, so please be praying about your involvement, whether it be monthly financial support, one-time financial support, prayer support, and/or anything else that will help us get from here to there!!! Thank you faithful friends. You have been with us for a long time, and we appreciate you all!!
Love Alberto, Joanna, Ana, Isaac, Margaret, and Phoebe Parada