Dear Brothers and Sisters,
While writing our latest newsletter, the following portion of Scripture came to mind:
Mat. 6: 31 – 33 “Therefore do not be anxious, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, With what shall we be clothed? For the nations seek after all these things. For your heavenly Father knows that you have need of all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added to you. “
Unexpected gift from the Lord
Last year August we were thankful that a new grocery store opened in the town Kakamas were we do most of our business. In the past we had to drive 500 km to and fro to buy groceries at affordable prices. Through the opening of this new store, we only now have to drive 260 km. This store is one of the franchise shops of the Spar retail group.
At one of my early visits to this shop, I asked the head of the butchery department for a discount price on their mincemeat if we buy in bulk. The department head could not give me an answer so he called one of the owners. The owner, Mr. Jan Smit, asked me what we want the mince for, and I replied that it is for our mission. He then replied that he could not give us a better price, but that his is willing to buy some extra mince out of his own pocket for us. I was deeply humbled by his act of kindness. Since then, every time we visit the shop, we would have a friendly conversation with this kind gentleman who is also a Christian.
A few weeks ago, I received a phone call from Mr. Jan Smit informing me about a bike tour that would also visit his shop. These bikers are all either Spar shop owners or employees of the international Spar retail group. Jan told me that one of the aims of the rally is to give donations to charity organizations. They asked Jan to recommend two charity organizations in his area, and we were one of his recommendations. A week or two later, Elmane, myself and a few of the children attended the function. We had a wonderful time with the different people that were there, and we were also grateful for the donation that we received. This donation enabled us to buy nearly a month’s groceries at Jan’s shop. 
A further blessing, which flowed from this event, was the new friendship that we made with the people from the other charity organisation that also received a donation. They have a project where the homeless and street children can collect recyclable garbage and sell it to them. They also reach out and minister to these children. God’s ways are not our ways and sometimes He can work in a way that we never thought possible. Again, I am reminded that God takes care of all our needs if only we can learn to trust Him for the impossible.
CV’s
Lately we had quite a number of young people asking us to help them draw up their CV’s and typing it for them. The solar farms and mines in the area create some job opportunities for these young people. This creates a unique opportunity for us to interact with these young people and share the Gospel with them.
Garden ministry
In previous newsletters we shared about our nursery and the seedlings that we grow for a Spanish community project in the area. We now also have quite a number of people from the community coming to us for seedlings. We use the opportunity to show them our garden and encourage them to grow their own gardens. This is very important, since the majority of the community live on a diet of sugar fizzy drinks, bread, maize porridge and chicken on Sundays. We inform them about different herbs, vegetables, and easy gardening methods. Some of the big industries in the region supply individuals in the community with small garden tunnels as part of their social responsibility. Unfortunately, in many of these community projects, there are not much continuity and some individuals then turn to us for help. Onseepkans is a very close community, and by helping people in this way we build relationships that give us opportunity to share the Gospel. Many times the garden ministry turns into personal conversations where individuals share some of their problems and challenges. This opens the door for us to present the Gospel as the answer to all their problems. Please pray for this ministry, that we will be able to expand our nursery and reach more people in the community this way.
Thank you for your prayers and support for the ministry of Onseepkans Mission.
We wish you God’s richest blessings.
Gerhard, Elmané, and children
