Hi Friends and family,

On a daily basis Amy tells me that it feels like Christmas. We definitely arrived in winter. It’s cold, our little house comes down to 7 degrees (44 Fahrenheit) at night and we have more than one blanket, it rains constantly and we need multiple jackets in the morning. But because we are in the northern part of New Zealand it can still get up to 20 degrees (68 Fahrenheit) on a sunny day.

Wrapping up

I am sure you aren’t here because you want to know all about our weather, so let’s get to it : )

Since the beginning of the year, Amy and I have been leading the Discipleship Bible School (DBS) again. And if you have been reading along for a while, you would know it’s nothing new for us. We have been leading this school for 2 ½ years. However, this time was different than the previous DBS’s, not just that we knew it would be our last one to lead for now, but the kind of students we had were not what we expected. 

For our last DBS as school leaders, we faced some of the hardest discipleship challenges of our time in ministry. For weeks, I got up early to wake up the boys in the dorms at 6:30 am, because otherwise they would sleep through breakfast, their work duties, and sometimes through half the morning lectures. We dealt with more than half of our students struggling with mental health challenges such as depression, dissociation, and autism. Some of them didn’t believe they could pray, hear God’s voice or approach God in any form. All that, after most of them already spent 6 months with us before the start of their DBS. 

We felt like we were starting from scratch, helping them with baby steps toward their relationship with God. It was hard. We persevered. We learned big lessons. Now we are feeling a delayed response to the stress we were under during these difficult months. We are tired. More than once, I told Amy I had nothing left to give. But nonetheless, it was not a fruitless season. God was evidently at work, and we have seen the transformation that comes with spending numerous hours a day in the Bible. Our students were changed by the Word of God.

The end of our journey…

As I mentioned before, we are planning to hand the DBS over to our friend and fellow staff Abigail. In 2 ½ years of pioneering a bible school we learned a lot and even found each other. So, it is a big deal for Amy and myself to let go of the project on which we spent over 60 hours a week for almost 30 months. On the other hand, we feel the toll pioneering the DBS took on us and we realise it was God’s wisdom and grace sustaining us and finally leading us to handover the DBS. We know Abi will take it to a new level that Amy and I wouldn’t be able to take it to. And I am looking forward to seeing where the journey of the DBS goes.

What is up next? 

Silas is working hard in the office downloading, uploading, and studying programmes that our communications department is in serious need of. I’ve been working in the office as well, but focusing on communication with prospective students and processing applications. 

And even after our visits to America and Germany, Silas is planning to work in the office, reaching new students, improving our systems and advancing the kingdom of God in that way.

Prayer for our visa:

Silas and I have been eagerly looking forward to a trip home from September-October in New Jersey and October-November in Germany. Yet, we are still in the waiting stage as our visa has not been approved yet. We received an email from immigration yesterday that said we had not provided sufficient information to prove we had lived together for the past 12 months. We would value your prayers for favour over this visa as we only have 1 week to provide further evidence. 

Many blessings

Silas and Amy