We did not anticipate that our stay in Kimberley would only last two years. Realizing that there were no opportunities in Kimberley and that we need to search for something new, came as a bit of a shock. I managed to work myself out of a job and I now needed to search for new ministry opportunities.
In 1992, whilst still living in Hartswater our longstanding friends invited us to join them on vacation in Strand, Western Cape. We always went to the south coast of Kwa Zulu Natal for our vacations as a child. This was my first experience of the Western Cape and I loved every moment. I told Magda that I would love to live in the Western Cape one day!
When I was transferred to Cradock in the Eastern Cape in 1993, we felt we were one step closer to this dream. But then we got derailed because we then moved to Midrand, Gauteng and on to Turkey. Coming back to Kimberley in the Northern Cape revived the dream that we could still reach the Western Cape!
At the end of 2004, Kingfisher Mobilizing Center was not ready to appoint a Operational Manager from outside the organization. Things changed however and during the time I was praying and searching for new ministry opportunities, I made contact with the outgoing Managing Director and good friend at Kingfisher Mobilizing Center. The Operational Manager was appointed as new Managing Director and the organization was open to applications for the position of Operational Manager. Kingfisher was a mobilizing organization operating as a catalyst in faith communities to stimulate a Kingdom-focus and raising Kingdom-minded leaders through workshops.
My application was successful and we moved to Bellville, Western Cape at the beginning of 2007! Thea-Marie was ready to start her grade 8 year and Hardus faced his grade 12 year in a new province. We enrolled them in Stellenberg High School. Thea-Marie settled in well and enjoyed her new school and environment. Hardus faced a bigger challenge because the Computer Science curriculum in the Northern Cape differed from the curriculum in the Western Cape and he had to caught up with a lot of work. He came through with flying colors and bagged five distinctions and the end of 2007.
My first challenge as Operational Manager in the Kingfisher Mobilizing Center Office was to ensure that efficient administrative systems were in place to support the mobilizing work done by the full-time and volunteer mobilizers. This took about two years to set up and implement and then I realized that I had spare capacity. I was then trained and mentored to become a mobilizing workshop facilitator too. I spend a month in Kenya with a mobilizing team training Kingdom mobilizers in 2009 and travelled to Zambia, Zimbabwe and Uganda during 2010-2012 to mentor the mobilizers trained in Kenia in 2009. I enjoyed working cross-culturally with the African mobilizers whilst keeping the office administratively in good standing.
2007 -2012 was a good time for us as a family. Hardus decided to study Mechatronic Engineering at Stellenbosch University and his tuition and residence fee for his first two years was paid in full by friends who supported us financially since 1999. He received a full bursary for his third and fourth year of study. Thea-Marie completed grade 12 with three distinctions in 2011 and was accepted as BA student at Stellenbosch University with English and History as majors. Her studies was also paid in full by the same friends paying for the first two years of Hardus’ study. We also bought a 2-bedroom home in Goedemoed, Durbanville in 2009 with the help of other supporting friends.
We felt settled. I was still functioning on a 70/30 split between office duties and mobilizing tasks and Magda was enjoying her position as nursing sister at a pharmacy in Brackenfell.
Then came 2010 and things started to change…..