On February 6th, 2006 Dan and I landed at O.R. Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg, South Africa and a lovely group of missionary teammates picked us up. We were young and enthusiastic and full of desire to be a part of what God was doing in Africa. We had packed up our life in the Pacific Northwest and had committed to giving the Lord 2 years of full-time overseas ministry. At that time, it felt like a long time! It didn’t take long at all for the cultures and people groups here to permanently wiggle their way into our hearts. After our initial 2 years, we requested a visa extension and when it was granted, we gave the Lord the next 3 years, then the next 3 in Zambia, then 2 years in the states getting healed up, then back to Johannesburg again, then the next season in Bethlehem, then USA for a year and now back again.   As we’ve partnered with the Lord to love people wherever He took us, He gave us the opportunity to travel all over Southern Africa and we opened our hearts to love people in South Africa, Swaziland (now Eswatini), Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Lesotho and especially Zambia. In Southern Africa,  we’ve met so many different people groups and cultures and each one we’ve encountered has left an impression.  Every culture has something to teach us and we hope that we have been able to help others move closer to Father God’s heart to find salvation, healing and wholeness.

Over the years we have done ministry with people “living positively” with AIDS, we have helped with orphan projects, Dan has helped with building projects for multiple orphanages and children homes, we have done evangelistic outreaches to villages in rural areas and in the bush, we have taught at Bible colleges, seminaries, missions and ministry schools, we have shared in churches, spoken at camps, and led retreats, we have shared in chapels, assemblies, and youth events, have counselled and mentored hundreds of people into freedom from addiction and led healing groups online and in person. We’ve done several short term teams and led outreaches into remote villages and to local urban ministries. We have served on many worship teams, led connect groups, and served several church staff teams.  Dan has given approximately 10 hrs every week to serve the local African churches we have called home whether with his practical skill set or on the business committee.  We both have served on the counselling teams.  It has also been our delight to have our home be a place of healing and rest and we have had so many people come and stay with us, come and eat with us, come and play games with us, and do life with us. God has given us favour into so many places.  It is so fun to reflect and see all the opportunities he has given us over the years.

Almost everywhere we go, in many different cultures, we’ve been pulled into families. Come on our family vacation, have Christmas with our family, come to our family farm, come to my wedding, share at this funeral, come to my mom’s birthday party, come try our traditional food – you’re family!

After 19 years, we find ourselves in Bethlehem in the Freestate Province of South Africa. Our community is mostly SeSotho speaking people from the BaSotho tribe and Afrikaans speakers. We stay in a beautiful, peaceful area in a loving community of believers. Our hope and plan is to put down roots here and stay another 19 years, but like we have from the beginning, we submit our plans to Him. Our lives are in His hands. We believe the best is yet to come!


Dan is back in the states again, to help our family friends with a project again for a couple weeks.  Why Dan, you may be asking…why can’t they hire someone else?   Good question!

The project is remodelling a triplex rental and it is/was a volatile situation with evictions, mental health issues, squatters, and even a murder on the property late last year. Dan has built relationship with all those guys while working there last year, has had dozens of phone calls to their power of attorney and even gave long distance grief counselling. Dan‘s presence is a crucial part of getting the guys relocated peacefully and of course he is a brilliant contractor doing excellent work so they wanted his help to rebuild as well.

We believe the hardest day is over. Two of the three guys are in their new place. The third man needs someone to tow his camper and all the snow fall recently has complicated those relocation plans.  Dan is wading through years of “stuff accumulation” inside before he can do the remodelling – the skip/dumpster arrives when the roads are safe enough to deliver it, hopefully soon!  The snow has made it difficult to keep moving forward and there has been a fair amount of frustration because of the delays.
All your prayers for Dan for strength and safety as he works in Seattle would be awesome. Prayers for the kids and I as we are here in SA would be amazing too.
 
In January, Miesha, Titus and I began their grade 11 year of school and it has been going so smoothly.  Rather than buy a curriculum, this year I created their whole program from scratch and while that was a lot of work, it actually has been brilliant to cater their schooling towards things they love doing and will need in their respective careers.  They are on target with credits to graduate with more than what is required in the States and in South Africa.  I am so thankful!  We are also hosting some classes with other homeschool kids and it changes slightly from week to week, but I teach a finance class, we are all learning American Sign Language together, and I teach the cooking/Home Ec classes.  Dantaught them how to change a tire and change the oil on our truck and is giving guitar lessons and we’ve all dissected a frog, crawfish, and worm together.  Last Tuesday night, the students made a delicious roast chicken, two kinds of sauces with pasta (we made homemade pasta a different week!) with crème brulee and a berry reduction for ice cream topping, and they made a sour dough starter.  It was a delicious day at school! 
 
We also have had steady growth in the Align group and I am leading it while Dan is stateside.  It went really well last week!  We have been communicating with New Horizon College again and we are partnering with other missionaries to continue the ministry there for the 100+ students in the dormitories again this year.  There is a planning meeting this Friday…more details are coming soon.
 
There is also a ministry trip to Zambia coming up in March!  It has been since Covid since we’ve been in Zambia and we are looking forward to seeing our friends there and doing ministry together again.
 
We are also moving forward with purchasing a property and guest house.  What a wild ride!  We are still having meetings and discussions with the owners, but things are moving forward.  Our African Magezi Ministries board member Andre came down a couple weeks ago and looked at the property with us.  It was a blessing to have a friend with more experience in purchasing property and in running businesses in South Africa ask his questions.  Our friend Gerrie took some video footage with his drone and we have some pictures to show you soon!  Please be praying with us for the Lord to reveal how we can creatively pay for this.  If it is the Lord’s will, it will take a couple of money miracles, but honestly that isn’t difficult to trust the Lord for.  After 19 years of living off of the generous gifts of friends and donors, our faith is huge for God to provide for us.
 
Thank you for your love and prayers for us.  Thank you Lord for the gift of 19 years!
 
With joy, 
Dan and Janell

PS.  The picture with the elephant above is from 2006.