Dearest Friends! Family! Kingdom Partners!
2021 has started off with a bang! I am so overwhelmed by your generosity and love! I am extremely proud to be part of this wonderful team — Overland Missions — during this season, and during this year! In a year when much of the world came to a standstill, the Gospel of the Kingdom continued to move forward!
These past couple of months have been packed with so many things! I’ve been so excited to share this update with you, and more and more things kept being added, so here it is — the highlight reel!
“For no matter how many promises God has made, they are ‘Yes’ in Christ. And so though him the ‘Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God”
— 2 Corinthians 1:20 [TPT]
Isn’t this scripture a wonderful reminder that He who has promised is faithful? His heart has always been to have relationship with us — His creation. As we go to the nations to share this message — that He has come near, that God became man to pay the ultimate price for freedom on our behalf, to reconcile us to the Father — we can hold on to the promise that His Word will not return void; not in our own lives, nor in the lives of those we are so incredibly privileged to serve. In Jesus every Scripture is fulfilled, and in Him, we have the hope of glory!
African Staff Conference
In January, after being grounded for a full year, due to Covid-19 restrictions, I was able to travel to Rapid 14, Overland Missions’ headquarters in Zambia, to join missionaries from all over Africa for our annual staff conference. This is a yearly highlight as missionaries and team members from outlying bases come together for a time of fellowship, encouragement, and getting equipped to return to the field on fire!
Travelling internationally during an international pandemic is certainly a colourful affair! After getting a negative Covid-19 test result, I was ready to book my plane ticket to Lusaka where I would meet up with my teammates from DRC. Sherrill, Savour and Julie made their way down to Zambia via bus. We had arranged to meet up in the capital, and then catch a shuttle to Livingstone. Life is always better in team!
Since most of my travel plans were dependent on a negative test result, things fell in place quite suddenly when I knew for sure that I was free to travel! Just as Tropical Cyclone Eloise rolled into South Africa, my friend Ruan agreed to drop me off at the airport. We had another 180 km to go in order to make it to the city on the back of his yellow motorbike with a full pack, and it had just started to rain!
During Level 4 Lockdown Restrictions in South Africa, we had government enforced curfew which meant that no one was allowed out of their personal place of residence between 21h00 and 05h00. This took some creative planning to travel between provinces and cities, but long story short — I made it to the airport (and my flight) on time!
Dr Leon van Rooyen famously says, “Blessed are the flexible, for they shall remain in ministry.”
The conference was a wonderful time of fellowship, community, and infilling with the Holy Spirit. I am thankful to be part of a dynamic faith-filled team that is Biblically centred in everything they do, and such an incredible tribe to belong to.
This is our Overland Missions team! We had a fun day of team building in the Zambezi river the final day of the conference. Many Zambian missionaries have never travelled outside of their Chiefdom or province and when we saw two bull elephants on the riverbanks they burst with excitement as this was the first time ever they saw elephants! Elephants are indigenous to the Southern province in Zambia, and do not naturally occur further North. 
Passport at the ready! See you soon, Zambia! 
International travel during a pandemic sure is interesting! We do whatever it takes to go to the most remote and neglected places on earth to share the Gospel of the Kingdom with those who have not yet had the opportunity to hear! 
Team mate and Rapid 14 base manager Joe came to pick the DR Congo team up from the bus stop in LIVINGSTONE after we drove down from Lusaka. The trip was just shy of 11 hours! But, SO worth it — we’re home at last! 
This is Julie. She is a magnificent missionary, midwife, paramedic, strategist, and a valued part of our team! 
This is Sherrill. She is our country director and heads up the Sustain department across Africa. She is a dynamic animal-loving, agricultural and developmental visionary, and salted minister of the Gospel. 
Look at these two! Sherrill and Saviour got married in December 2020, and are an immense asset to our team. There is always room for growth and more boots on the ground — isn’t it great that our team is expanding from within? 
This is breakfast on Rapid 14! We have different teams who sign up for kitchen duty (among other things), to cook, clean, and serve. Food is such an important part of fellowship and community living, and I’m thankful that there are so many opportunities to serve my fellow team members in such a practical manner. 
This is Rapid 14, for which our base is named. It’s the 14th rapid from Victoria Falls, and though I’m biased, I believe one of the most beautiful mission bases in the world. 
During our first 5 days on Rapid 14 we were still under quarantine to make sure that no one showed any Covid-19 symptoms, though we all had to get tested before travelling. We participated in church and community from a safe distance and were delighted to be around team after such a whacky year! 
This is the view from Moonrise, one of the guest houses on R14. Want to come over for a visit? 
This is Kerrie. She is an absolute firecracker and an indispensable part of our Kalene Hill team in Northwest Zambia. Hailing from Down Under, Kerrie and I had a great time of fellowship and catch-up during our time at R14’s conference.
language and translation
I recently had the privilege of translating the official Chaplaincy Training proposal document from English to French to present to Emperor Mwaant Yaav, ruler of the Lunda Empire in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Jessy and I are actively pursuing language training in French in order to be conversationally proficient once we touch base in DRC.
Two of the most important tools in indigenous ministry are, 1) local leadership and 2) language proficiency.
The Chaplaincy Training is an intensive, integrated training initiative that started in Zambia and has since expanded to other African nations. The goal is to provide every Chief as representative of the traditional leadership in the nations with a spiritual Counsellor. We call these spiritual counsellors Chaplains. In Scripture, we find many examples of men and women who acted as advisors to leaders — Daniel to Nebuchadnezzar, David to Saul, Joseph to Potiphar. And, of course, fuelled by the Holy Spirit.
This document, that is the proposal for expanded Chaplaincy Training in DR Congo, is one of many doors that opened for ministry to move forward, and the Kingdom to advance by reaching the hearts and minds of traditional, and governmental leadership. God is making a way for the Gospel to break through political constraints, and break the chains of historical slavery.
testimonies from DR Congo
Our team continues to facilitate the Biblical theology course in French with our Congolese team 2 days a week. The team ministers in several remote villages on a weekly basis, riding motorcycles through the mud and rain to share the Gospel, and follow up with foundational Bible studies. The Overland team working in Zanzibar, who are Swahili speakers, were able to facilitate a great video training on Keys to Relationships and Evangelism with Muslims — based on their years of experience and walking by the Spirit in love. We are thankful for the wisdom they shared with our team!
Taking calculated risks means we do our best to keep our team going for as long and as far as possible — because we carry the love and power of Christ in us. And there are too many people who still have never heard this Good News! After the conference our team tried to return to Congo. Julie received a message that the rebels were fighting with soldiers in a city we needed to pass through to get home. So she spent 17 extra hours on a bus and returned to our R14 base in Zambia until there was peace again.
God never promised us a life free from difficulty, but he has promised to never leave us or forsake us. We’re thankful to be back with our team, and tomorrow we head back out to the villages — because once you have received the revelation of God’s redeeming love, it’s impossible to keep it to yourself.
A chief called Christelle (one of our Congolaise team members) when his wife was very sick. His wife was unconscious and they feared she was near death. Christelle prayed for the chief’s wife over the phone and she woke up! She was soon able to eat and drink again! The chief was incredibly thankful for the faith and prayers of our team.
But the beauty is, there’s no challenge, trial or difficulty that can stop our sharing the Gospel. God loves his people so much, regardless of where they are from or which culture they were brought up in.
One soul is worth all we have to reach and tell them about the deep love of God and the reconciliation available to them right now,” — Saviour, missionary in DR Congo.
We have seen God answer our prayers as we laid hands on the sick, and God brought miraculous healing to bad knees and backs, as well an old woman’s nearly blind eyes were restored! One man was an alcoholic (with all the brokenness associated with this) when he came to a meeting. After hearing of God’s love for him during our Bible studies, he says, “my life was changed on that day, and I have not drunk again.”
you are part of this team
As always, a grand THANK YOU to each of you! I’m so blessed by your encouragement and prayer as our team continues to believe for a great move of God here in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Zambia, and my home country, South Africa!
Because of you, your support in every way, we are able to participate in the mission — to see the sick healed, the oppressed set free, the dead raised, the Good News proclaimed to those who are without hope.
Thank you for sowing into this team, and specifically into my life! Because of your commitment, remote communities are reached with the Gospel of the Kingdom — thank you for being a part of that!
Please let me know how I can be praying for you! We are better together!
