The Lord God gave us a home.

In March 2010 we moved into a large spacious home in Tanga. The previous three and a bit years we shared a yard with a German family where we stayed in the small second house. To be in a large place is a prayer answered after years of waiting and sometimes agonizing. One preacher said that “delay is not denial”, but sometimes we have to wait so long that you wonder if it is the will of God to have your own nest for a change.

Years back when the Lord called us to move around, from place to place and at times from home to home we held to the fact revealed that our dear Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, neither had a permanent place to put His head down. There came a time after lots of traveling as a family in the Land Rover and preaching, that I felt prompted to pray for an “upper room”. After that we saw the Lord leading us at times to a place of our “own” while ministering. We had several times words given to us from the body of Christ that the Lord will give us a mission-house. It became quite a disputable matter in the home as Rudi felt that we’ll be unfaithful to God’s calling if we settle down. So even the “words” given, were questioned. It caused pain and hurts in the family. What is the will of God? Does a calling change? We all agreed that the Lord spoke in 1994 to us from Matthew 10: 1-13 which meant traveling, preaching, freely you have received, freely give etc. We stayed many times for extended periods in our tents. Let me assure you, a tent is far more “home”, mosquito-proof, clean and desirable than staying in homes. Especially in parts of Africa, people can take offence when you want to sleep in a tent. Their picture of a tent is something really shabby and unwelcoming. Once they have seen how comfortable it can be, even with stretchers to sleep on, they are more agreeable.

In 2004, while in Otjiwarongo, Namibia, we were in a very trying situation. It looked as if the Christian world was telling us that we are deceived by moving like that as a family. God had performed already so many miracles for us while traveling in East Africa. Miracles of protection, guidance, favor, provisions, healings, but still there were those brethren who even questioned our testimonies. We ministered in so many different denominations during our travels in Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda; we had seen God and His anointing, but we then came to a place where you wondered if that was all an illusion. For example, we had a miraculous healing of the Land Rover engine – Rudi kept the pistons as an evidence of God’s greatness. Even mechanics could see that it was humanly impossible to drive with that engine and believed because of the testimony of the greatness of God. Still, there were those “brethren” that would not believe.

We returned to Namibia for a quick renewal of our passports before returning to East Africa. We visited our family in South Africa, expecting to return soon after that. We were not prepared for the doubt and unbelief in the hearts of some Christian friends. Our children and in particular our boys, suffered the most through this. We came to a place that you were hesitant to testify about the goodness of God. We started to keep quiet and started to lose vision. Only in 2004, when so desperate Rudi understood that God said that He had already spoken and we know what to do. Because of the criticism, Rudi became fearful about traveling again with the family. Rudi, though knowing what to do, wanted another word from the Lord but God remained silent for so long.

At that time the Lord also spoke the word “Tanga” to me while praying about a mission home somewhere in East Africa. I discovered Tanga on the east coast of Tanzania. Now, there is a Tanga town as well as a large Tanga region. We crossed into Tanzania on the 23^rd November 2004. At that time there was still much strain in the family because the daughters and I believed God for a mission home and Rudi was clearly opposing it from his understanding of God’s calling. In Mbeya, the first large town in Tanzania, where we ministered, a Christian brother told us that he had a dream that we’ll be going to Tanga. Then, for the first time Rudi gave it some consideration. We had planned to travel as before, 3 months at a time in a country. Rudi agreed to travel the last 10 days towards Tanga and see if God would open a door of ministry there. The Lord God opened a miraculous way for us. The very church we arrived at that evening became our spiritual umbrella in Tanzania. The young man that interpreted for both Rudi and me became a friend and also the translator of the book “Proverbs To Live By”.

On the second day after we completed the seminar in Tanga, we left for Kenya, using the much shorter road from Tanga to Mombassa. Some of us had many questions in our hearts, but what can you do than go when your time has expired in a country. We crossed easily over the border but then the officials on the Kenya side refused to allow our Land Rover to cross into Kenya without a certain document. Now, we had crossed many borders before without that South African document. We are Namibians, with a Namibian registered vehicle, but they insisted on that particular document which to our knowledge Namibia did not issue at that time. We had to return to Tanga.

“What NOW God?” The next day Rudi was early at the Immigration Office and we were granted 14 days extra in the country. The afternoon before we started our journey to leave Tanzania we still did not know our next steps. God had not told us to return to Zambia or Malawi. Rudi wanted to try going through another border to Kenya but some of us were not in agreement. That evening, while having supper, newly founded South African friends phoned to say that they want to pay for us to get visas to lengthen our time in Tanzania. We managed to get visas for another two months. As Namibians, we do not need visas to enter into these East African countries. We were not even aware that we could lengthen our time by getting visas. Well, those two months gave us enough time to apply for Resident permits in Tanzania. So now we are already 6 years in Tanzania and starting our 5^th year in Tanga.

Now, why a large spacious home? The Lord often had given me the portion of scripture from Isaiah 54 about enlarging your space, stretch forth the tent pegs, inhabit the nations etc. The previous 3+ years in Tanga we stayed in a small house with our family. So as we received visitors squashed into the house and tents we held to His word about enlarging our tent. We decided to stretch forth those tent pegs until the Lord knows when it was enough. To us, the staying in that house felt long overdue, but that was all in God’s good time. We have roughed it so long through the years of moving that we became accustomed to inconveniences. I personally think we could have moved earlier if we were desperate enough to take hold of God in faith. Humanly spoken it was financially impossible for us to rent a house, but when we became desperate and continued to look for a house at a reasonable price, the Lord started to open a way. Many times the breakthrough will not come until we step out in faith, instead of waiting and waiting for the open doors.

Our requests before the Lord our God were the following:

1. We needed a place big enough to develop a medicinal garden and one specific prayer was for a mango tree in the garden. Whenever we looked for a house we checked if there was a mango tree. There are 3 huge mango trees in this yard.

2. We needed a place where Rudi and I were to some extend separate from the rest of the family. This house has a large upper room with as a large verandah. It also has an outside room but it needs reparations. At present it is used for a storeroom.

3. We needed a place to receive people, not just guests, but even to take people into our home for a period of time. In that previously small place we took in an Indian lady for a bit more than a year. She developed well and is now able to look after herself. She still visits every week for the home cell and also on that day Cherise takes her for shopping as she has now learned to cook independently. We also took in a Tanzanian boy for a few months, whom was given a last change from another mission to pull himself together. Precious as he is, he rebelled and left.

4. The house has a large sitting and a workroom. It is ideal for meetings.

For many years I have trusted the Lord for a place where the brokenhearted can be healed, as in Isaiah 61. Through the years it just never materialized in the way I have anticipated. My natural thinking is still that of centralizing but the way the Lord leads us on is to de-centralize. I had this idea of a “mission station” as I learned from previous experiences. But the Lord wants us to live Christ - to be worship, to be fellowship, to be instruments of healing, instead of to go and worship, to go and fellowship, to go and heal. The emphasis is on to BE more than to DO. Looking at myself and our family, naturally spoken, we are not qualified to bring healing to the brokenhearted. We are broken people ourselves in many ways. BUT our God who is ever faithful will complete His work of healing as we continue to follow after Him.

Even the miraculous road the Lord God has been leading us on through the years, is not because we are of any good in ourselves. God alone knows how much pain we had amongst ourselves, but still He chose to use us for His own divine purposes. The miracles are more a demonstration of the mercy and the grace of God the Father than anything else.

Yes, we have now the large place. The initial phase seem to be in place. We started out eagerly to plant and had some success. Considering the hard work and effort we put in, we are realizing that our soil is very poor and the nematodes are the main enemy. At present we are putting in more manure, making compost and planting Tagetes Erecta (marigolds) to drive the nematodes deeper into the soil, away from the roots of the plants.

The daughters and I are directing the Anamed (Action for natural medicine) Tanga group and our Korda Health Care activities from the home. Amelia has started the home cell group and has more activities up her sleeve.

We purchased a printer which is a great help with the Anamed work, our Health Care and the Proverbs To Live By preparing and printing. The large workroom we so prayed for, is meant to be used for sewing, painting, art and printing. We have been so busy just working and being physically tired that not much creative work has been done yet. We trust and pray that the day will also come to be more creative again.