What?! How?! Impossible!!!

What shall I say?! How shall I begin this one?! Maybe Izak's "...what are the chances boet?!" is a good place to kick off.

One thing is certain: Our Father hears the cries of His children and His grace is deeper and wider than our little minds can ever fathom!

I'm sure all of you are well aware of the situation Bella and I found ourselves in as of late. The mixture of responses and e-mails that we received from you did a good job of portraying what went on in our own minds. Some of you kept sending words of encouragement from start to finish, while others tried to comfort or console with "...maybe this is a sign that things should not work out the way you think it should.". Although we can say that we waited patiently for the most part, we have to admit that there were some rough patches along the way.

Toward the end I started grappling fiercely with my own sinfulness. Like Moses I began questioning whether I had heard God correctly when He called me to ministry. Bible passages like Titus 1:6-10 kept reminding me just how high the requirements for ministry are and how much I lacked what it takes. I began to think that God must've changed His mind and that my weaknesses disqualified me from entering full-time ministry. God had to remind me yet again that it was precicely because of my absolute wickedness and weakness that Jesus had to die on the cross to set me free. If the outcome depended on our own piety it would all end in shambles. As Paul writes in his letter to the young Timothy:

So do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord, or ashamed of me his prisoner. But join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God, who has saved us and called us to a holy life--not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. (2Ti 1:8-10)

I would have made a total flop of the whole thing if God had not reminded me again of the absolute necessity of His work on the cross and of the freedom it brought us.

Right at the beginning, when Bella and I were still drowning our keyboards in tears over Skype and the struggles associated with our calling just started, my dad gave us the following passage as guidance and a source of comfort for the road that lay ahead of us:

Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings. And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen. (1 Peter 5:6-11)

Looking back now, we had to trust in this comforting promise so many times, we had to humbly subject ourselves under God's hand so many times (and I can be so stubborn and proud at times), we had to pull ourselves together to stay self-controlled and alert so many times and had to try and ignore the gnawing of the roaring beast at our backsides so many times...only having to confess each and every time that 'to Him be the power for ever and ever' before we say Amen!!!

I already see that we will have to complete this circle again soon when the Greek exams draw near or when Bella stumbles upon poison-ivy again or something along those lines:)

Before I forget to share the great news! I went to check the mail yesterday before our weekly ultimate frisbee game after a long day of preparation for the upcoming immigration hearing and guess what I got!!! A letter from USCIS to notify us that my petition has been approved :) All the worry of getting legal assitance and the uncertainty around what would happen gone in an instant:) We still have to appear in court, but it should only be a matter of closing the case.

We cannot thank everyone who prayed with us enough. It is soooo nice to be able to celebrate this significant milestone with all of you!

We pray that everything that happened to us would be great encouragement to you.

On a lighter note, we dedicate the song at the end of the post to all of you who prayed with us and held their thumbs...enjoy this South African song with the compliments of the Stoffies and the Kwasizabantu choir! :)

In Christ,

Jac en Bella