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We are settling back into the rhythm of life and ministry here in Africa. Johanna is overjoyed to be back with her extended family! We are playing catch up in many areas, but whenever we get overwhelmed, we just take some time to enjoy the new additions at MCV! What a joy to spend time with three newest children, meet the two babies who were born to MCV staff, watch in awe the newest fulltime missionary busy at work (Dea), keep an energetic intern busy (Myrinda from New Orleans), and gratefully appreciate the amazing South African couple who held down the fort for us (Thank you Justin and Jeanie)! Even if the tempo is fast, we are happy to be home. On another note, MCV had some fun events in the past two months, so you can read the testimonies on MCV website, so check them out at http://www.mcvafrica.com

In early August, MCV hosted the Westside Community Church missions team. This amazing group of Canadians blessed us beyond words! Each team member brought such unique gifts and talents, which they lavishly poured out in service wherever they went. They assisted us in everything from administration to making cement blocks for a new church. A few of the team members would even wake up early to “kidnap” the babies before other team members would have the chance! As passionate lovers of God and people, the WCC team greatly impacted the MCV family and the community of Backdoor. MCV send out a huge “SYABONGA” (Thank you) to our WCC family…we love and miss you! Please, please, please stay in touch and come back soon!

The HEM ministry was recently launched at the Village of Hope in Backdoor. Pioneered by Tryphina Sithole, MCV’s other amazing director, this ministry seeks to empower women to sustain themselves and their families through sewing. By following the example of the woman with the issue of blood in Luke 8, these women know if they can just touch the hem of His garment they will be made whole! Therefore, the ladies begin their sewing day by seeking his presence and studying His word. After the devotional time, the ladies work on various sewing projects that can be sold for a profit to help bless/sustain themselves and their families. Many of the MCV mommas are learning to sew via this amazing ministry…maybe when things slow down they can teach me! Till then, we rejoice that another incredible ministry is going on in our beloved Backdoor!

We hosted the First Christian Assembly youth ministry recently in July. This team of 11 youth and 7 leaders blessed us incredibly. FCA has supported us personally for almost 4 years and it was a tremendous blessing to host the team! From changing diapers to revival services, the team served with amazing love and zeal. We are praying that many other churches will follow in their footsteps (hint, hint☺). We want to say a HUGE thank you to FCA and all our new friends from Ohio. We were especially grateful to the team leaders, Dele and Oneya, for their outstanding leadership and refreshing fellowship. Thanks again!!!

We are so delighted to announce that on July 25th MCV celebrated its first birthday! It is hard to believe that it has been an entire year! Time as flown by so quickly and we rejoice in this year of seeing so many lives transformed by the love of God. We celebrated together with an outstanding team from America (First Christian Assembly). For the birthday, the FCA team blessed our kids with a beautiful drama and with an amazing South African braai. Also joining us was the Backdoor puppet team who did puppet skits to entertain the kids. The children of MCV blessed all the house parents by praying for them and sharing different testimonies of what the parents meant to them. We also had a testimony time and some of the children shared what MCV meant to them; “We eat great food and everyone takes good care of us,” “I love MCV because we worship and learn more about God,” “Because we play so good together and I have lots of friends here.” Thank you so much for making this incredible ministry possible. Your prayers and support mean the world to our every expanding family. We love and bless you.

In early July, we snuck up to Pemba for a week visit! We, along with Surprise and Tryphina and 2 of our main pastors, represented South Africa at the Iris Global Tribal Gathering. We were so renewed by the wonderful fellowship and the refreshing services. Heidi and Roland Baker shared about the core values of Iris and the vision for Iris Ministries as it expands into more and more nations (26+!). Our hearts are so excited about what God has in store for our little part of the vineyard in South Africa. We also were able to spend some quality time with our boys in Pemba (the 11 boys who were in our dorm room “Might Warriors / Fire Starters”). Another highlight of our trip was to show off our beautiful Johanna Joy. Everyone loved her and we somehow managed to bring her back home with us.