So I have been very quiet on this blog! Life gets busy and writing takes a backseat, but I’m going to TRYYYYYY to be better, I promise. 😉

I don’t have many super deep thoughts to give to my loyal readers…ummm…reader… (Hi mom!), but I do want to share a quick testimony of God’s faithfulness.

As you know, Reiner and I took over as Pastors of Living Word a little over a year ago. We love it. It’s been a stretch, but one in a good direction. I love seeing him grow in the calling that God has for his life. I’m a proud wife. 😊

But just a little background info: Our church is located in a big orange building at a busy roundabout. We love the location and it’s perfect for us. We have rented out two floors, one for the adults and one for the kids. The only downside to this is the cost. Rent in town is more expensive and our offerings do not cover even half of it. Thankfully Living Word-South Africa has been a great backing for us. But you can imagine, between the rent and other church expenses, it becomes quite a stretch sometimes. And when you are the Pastors, the financial responsibility ultimately falls on you.

There were several months in a row that we had to take out of our own pockets to pay the rent and other expenses for the church. We were thankful that God provided us the funds to be able to do it, but our bank account was also seeing the cut. We needed to make a decision and that was whether or not to keep the second floor, which is the kids church room. We gave it a deadline and said if something doesn’t happen, we’ll have to give it up.

As you know, the children’s pastor in me was REALLY trusting God for funds! About the time that we were making the decision, the kids church began to grow. We were at over 20 kids and the kids were really starting to warm up to this weird white lady that came and taught them every week. It was (and is) amazing!

So the deadline came and nothing had happened in the financial world, but thankfully I have a great Pastor who supports kids and his wife (who also REALLY loves those kids. 😉) We decided to take a step of faith and keep the floor. And not only that, we would have a fundraiser to be able to decorate the kids church, which is where the #MiniMadaMarket came into play for those of you on my FB friend list. 😊

At that time (and still today!), we had/have no idea how these funds for the rent will come in, but can I just share something cool? Since we made the decision a few months ago to keep the floor, we haven’t had to pay any extra into the church rent! I can honestly say that I don’t know how (in the physical sense) it has worked out the last few months, but when we have needed to pay the rent, it’s been there. God has just done His thing, and we get to reap the reward!

The other day, Reinier and I were talking about finances for the Wellness Center project. We had just gotten some bad news and it just wasn’t the best day in the world. But Reinier said this and it really got me thinking: “It’s God’s project so it’s His responsibility, not ours.”

Wow.

Yes, we work hard. Yes, we make sure that we are good stewards of what He has given us. Yes, we continue to do what we can do.  But in that process, we realize that it’s not really ours to begin with.

I don’t think it is any coincidence that the kids church started growing during the decision-making progress. I really believe that God wanted us to take the step of faith, continue to invest in those kids, and then let Him take the responsibility for how it all gets done.

And ultimately, that’s what we are called to do. Take the step of faith. If it’s His vision and His calling, it’s also His responsibility.

-Be blessed!

Kristen

Our other “home” 🙂

The view from our church building