Belated Happy New Year

Hi there family and friends! This is our very first, and VERY late, update for 2022. So, from us, we pray that you and yours have an incredible year filled with love, peace and joy!

We’re already in February, and it feels like so much has already happened. So here is just a short update on how we are doing, and what we are up to.

We had the privilege of visiting Danica’s parents in England over Christmas. It was our very first Winter Christmas, and also our first Christmas away from SA. So being with family was amazing. The kids loved seeing their grand parents and filled their little love tanks to overflowing. Looking forward to seeing the other grand parents back in SA soon.

We went to an amazing place called Beaulieu where there is one of the biggest vintage car museums that I have ever been to! Noah was in his element, and we got to ride on top of this open bus to see the Castle and take a tour of the grounds.

Zoë is doing well at her gymnastics club. Unfortunately, we are still not able to go in and see what they are doing, but we are so happy that she can do something that she loves. She has made a lot of friends and is really enjoying school!

Noah loves football and is always super excited to play matches on Saturday mornings. Playing sports has really helped both our kids with settling, getting to know new people and learning new skills. We are ridiculously proud of how they have transitioned to a whole new life.

Danica, with the Global Cafe, had another culture night this past week. We celebrated the wonderfully colourful Iranian culture. She had a team of amazing people that cooked delicious food and organised entertainment so that everyone in attendance could have a taste of their culture. It was such a success.

If I tell you that Danica is blossoming , that would be an understatement. She is really stepping into greater things. Things that she never even thought were possible for her. She is listening to God’s voice and humbly and boldly following Him in everything. As her husband, this is the most beautiful thing to see. There are great opportunities for her and the Global Cafe in the future, and I for one am excited to see what is going to happen.

I have joined 2 “out of church” things in this past year. It has physical benefits for me, but it also allows me to be in the community where people need to see and experience the love of Christ. I started helping to coach at the football club where Noah is and I joined a running club with my friend Jonathan. Both of these things push me out of my comfort and into community. A different kind of community that I would surround myself with if I had a choice. And that is exactly what we are here for. Reaching out beyond our self imposed borders to touch hearts on the fringes.

As a family, we are enjoying the sights and sounds of Northern Ireland. We feel like we have settled. The longing for friends and family is still there, but we do feel like we have come “home”. In our spirits there is a knowing that we are where we are meant to be. That makes us so excited and propels us forward even more in love for our city and for her people. We just passed the ONE YEAR mark, and we are thankful for a year gone by filled with God’s grace and provision.

We love our church family here and we are grateful to get to serve them, alongside an amazing team, every week. God is adding so many different types of people, and we are so thankful to Him for entrusting us with them. Please keep praying that we will always be more like a hospital than an institution of perfection. God’s people are not perfect, but He is.

Lastly, we are thankful to each of you. We are thankful for your love, support, prayers of encouragement, friendship and presence in our lives. You are our co-labourers from wherever you are!

PRAYER POINTS:

1. Please pray that we will continue in the strength that God provides, and that He will give us favour and strategic connections here in Belfast.
2. We have had incredible people that committed to support us financially for a year while we get settled. That time has now come to an end. We are so grateful to them for this time that they helped us and they really helped us plow the ground here in our new home. Would you pray with us as we look for new and more partners to come alongside us in the work that we do here? We would really appreciate that!
3. We are planning on coming to SA later in the year. Would you pray for grace over this process as we need to sort out some passport documents. Also, we had flights booked back to SA, but we had to ask for a refund as the tickets expired and we couldn’t travel. This process may take up to 6months with the backlog. Please pray for a miracle, as we need this money to book our flights.

Thank you once again for everything that you all do!

Love from us,

Brian, Danica, Noah and Zoë