Derek and Shea in SA

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Today was a beautiful South African day that started at 5:30 AM. Shea and I got up and headed to Grahamstown to pick up Rufus and head to Keiskammahoek to visit a ministry located there in the Ciskei. The ocean held the fog close as we drove through the mountains and trees on our way.

After a 2-3 hour drive, we were greeted by a couple in their mid sixties. Their names were Brian and Jeri Du Plessis. They could be the bravest people I have met in South Africa, besides Rufus and Almarie of course.

We pulled up to this farm with 3 building structures, 2 veggie gardens, 1 paprika garden and some other plant that I can't remember the name of because it was used to make some sort of essential oil. I thought that was amazing until I found out their hearts and how their ministry came to fruition!

They got saved late in their life, about 12 years ago and felt like God called them straight into missionary work. At the time, they lived in Johannesburg which is way far away from the Ciskei. They literally took a camper and moved into the neighborhood. Now you have to remember that these were 2 brand new Christians. They said it was beautiful because they hadn't read any books on how to do ministry, they literally relied on a move of God. On top of that they gave up so many worldly possessions to get to this place. They gave up a 4 bedroom, 3 bathroom, 3 car garage house, with a pool and Brian took an early retirement at 55...no pension. They were sold out to God and His mission! They stressed that it wasn't easy to do this, but they talked about it all as if it was easy as pie.

So in their time of living amongst the people, God began to reveal to them that they couldn't just do ministry and preach to people without giving them something to fill their bellies. He began to open doors and they didn't look back.

So they got into some practical ways of doing things. They began farming and offering job opportunities for the village workers. At this present day, they now employ 1000 workers from the local villiages surrounding them. In Keiskammahoek, there are something like 45 surrounding villages, and they employ workers from 32 of these villages. The coolest part about what they do is that they work in villages and let the village commitee's pick the workers that will work on the farm with them. There is OWNERSHIP from the villages.

Speaking of ownership, the workers were gleaming as we toured their farm, and farms in the surrounding villages today. They couldn't wait to tell us of what they had accomplished.

The supervisors of these workers also come from the villages. The supervisors are all Christian people. Not all of the workers are at this point. The supervisors, and Brian and Jeri are all mentors to the workers. They do CPM (Church Planting Movement) Bible studies with the workers.

It was such a cool moment to see practicality mixed with the Gospel. They are truly teaching indegenous leaders how to support themselves and spread the Gospel in the Ciskei, and surrounding areas!

I feel like I could tell so many "Brian and Jeri" stories, but this blog post would go on for days! The experience was truly unforgettable and the relationship that we have started with them will definitely be one that is cherished. I count it as a true inspiration for me and my life. How selfless to give up everything for the sake of infecting people with the Gospel. They didn't care about life stage or anything else. All they cared about was God's voice.

He spoke and they moved. Took action. I pray that I can be like Brian and Jeri.