Our Dear Friends & Family,
“But this I call to mind, and therefore I have HOPE: The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases;
his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your
faithfulness.” – Lamentations 3:21-23
In the past 2&1/2 months we have seen our fair share of
storms, both physical and otherwise. No
one wants to go through a stormy period in their lives, and sometimes the
storms of life feel like they are too much to handle. Our family has really been trying to focus on
the truth of the above verse that the LORD’S LOVE NEVER CEASES, and He is so
faithful to us. He never said we won’t
have storms, but He did promised to be with us through them. Because of that, we have great hope!
We have had weeks of stormy weather here in Swaziland that
caused much damage around the country and left things upside down…no phones, power, water,
internet, ect. Here are some pics:
But we also faced some other kinds of storms as well: Family members being sick, a couple of
friends suddenly passing away, stressful situations, a family member struggling with suicide & some spiritual attacks to
name a few.
However, in the midst of the storms we are thankful for the Light and Hope of our Lord
Jesus! Without Jesus' love & active
work in our life how would we ever be able to weather the storms? No matter what happens, no matter what
darkness we face, we are so thankful for the light of the Son of God. We have the hope of Christ; that Jesus will
never leave nor forsake us, and that really means so much!
Throughout this stormy season there were some victories as
well! One such was the opportunity to baptize
just over 20 people at the end of September.
Some of those baptized had simply never made the decision to go for it, while
others were new believers who recently gave their lives to Christ. It was an honor and a blessing to be part of
such a great service!
A Big Announcement:
Forward!
October 15th marked 2 years of serving at the Sandra
Lee Centre. Before we began serving @
the SLC we made an initial 2 year commitment.
Through much prayer over the past year, as well as much counsel with KAC
leadership, we have decided that we not be making another 2 year commitment to
serve there. In fact, we will be leaving
the SLC roughly 2 weeks from now. We
gave our decision to the director’s mid-September so they would have 2 & ½ months of
notice. While in some ways we are sad to be leaving the SLC, we are also excited for what lies ahead! Starting
in January 2014 we will begin serving on staff with YWAM Swaziland. YWAM stands for “Youth With A Mission.” The focus of their ministry is discipleship
& outreach.
Why the transition?
Well it really goes to our gifting and calling. The position at The Sandra Lee Centre required
us to be there 24/7. The demands of the
position did not really leave any time to pursue other ministry opportunities. While being on staff with YWAM we will have much more freedom to
be active in other ministries we know the Lord has called us to. This includes hospital visitation outreach,
teaching again at a local bible college, doing outreach in rural areas, and being
more active in church ministry. We have been friends with the staff of YWAM Swaziland for more than 5 years now. We feel the team and ministry there will really be a good fit for our family an will allow us to better walk out the gifts and calling the Lord has placed on our lives. We are excited for what lies ahead!
We also are not saying goodbye to the children or caregivers of the SLC! This is very important for us! We will still lead the House mothers & Aunty’s in a weekly time of worship, bible study, & prayer. We have assured them that we are still committed to them & their well-being, and are there for them if they need anything. We also will be spending 2 afternoons a week at the SLC working with and spending time with the children. We are so glad that we will continue to be in their lives!
As we move over to YWAM in January nothing will change in terms of how we raise and process our financial support. People can continue to support us by donating directly into the offering at Kenmore Alliance Church, or by giving online at KAC's website: http://kenmorealliance.com. In both cases the support must be indicated that it is for the "Brock's in Swaziland." We also will continue to use this blog to communicate our updates. Also, look for both Zwakele & myself on Facebook as we often upload pictures on there or share prayer requests.
Prayer Requests
Please stand with us in prayer in the following areas:
1. For Our transition – As we continue with all the details of
moving out of the SLC and into our new home.
YWAM’s headquarters are in the same city of Mbabane, and we have already rented a house
near the YWAM base. Please keep us in
prayer as we deal with all the work of packing and moving. One great thing is that Thandeka has made a friend who lives right next door to our new home. She is a 3 year old girl named Dimpho. Here is a picture of them:
2. Peaceful & restful sleep – Part of the spiritual attack
that we have faced has been in troubling nightmares that have affected all 3 of us. Please ask the Lord bring an end to these attacks, and that we would sleep peacefully.
3. Our health in general – All 3 of us have continued to fight various sicknesses for some months now. Please ask the Lord to bring healing to us and to sustain us physically.
4. Our relationship with the children at the SLC – We have
tried very hard to reinforce the fact that we are not saying goodbye to the
children. We have constantly been
telling them that we love them and will still be around and in their lives. However, we obviously will not be around as much as we were before. Please keep us all in prayer as we adjust to this change.
In closing thank you so much for standing with us as we serve in Swaziland! Because of your financial and prayer support we are able to fulfill the calling the Lord has placed on our lives. We really appreciate your love! May God bless you and your families abundantly!
For the King,
Dennis (for Zwakele & Thandeka)
For the King,
Dennis (for Zwakele & Thandeka)
