PR
Thank you for praying with us about our Permanent Residency Visa application and appeal process.  A week ago Wednesday, Dan drove to Johannesburg to pick up our official letter with the answer to our PR visa appeal and we were REJECTED again.  This was really difficult for us as we have felt the Lord’s favor over and over as we moved, since so many doors have opened for us here with the community and schools in Bethlehem, and with how much we are loving our new season here.  It was actually quite a surprise.  To be honest, I thought our first rejection was because the office which reviews these visas was closed for 18 months (covid) and I figured they just cleared their workload by declining everyone.  We are now regrouping, reminding ourselves of what the Lord has spoken to us about South Africa, talking with others who have walked this road before us, and we’ll probably speak to an agent or two next week to get professional advice.  We still have options and we still have time.  This doesn’t mean our time in South Africa is up…PR would just be very nice as we try to plan ahead and also would be cheaper and FAR less paperwork than renewing a temporary visa every 3-5 years.  Please pray for wisdom and discernment for us in this researching season.  We will submit our final appeal soon and then depending on the answer, will move forward with other options.

HURTING YOUTH
We continue to support and mentor hurting students and teachers next door at the school.  We are deeply concerned with how many suicides and suicide attempts in the town and we have been privileged to minister into several of these stories with young gals at the school.  Some are seeing tremendous breakthroughs and others are still in process.    

CAMP
We are excited to be at another youth camp this weekend as the speakers.  As we are in late Autumn and the temperatures at night are nearing freezing…we are very thankful this camp has cabins, not tents!   Please pray for favor and open hearts as we share with these amazing teens in Viljoenskroon.  (bonus points if an American can figure out how to say this Afrikaans named town correctly!)  Their camp theme is named Identity Unlocked and we are thrilled to speak on a topic we are so passionate about.  In the smaller town where the youth are from, there are also several struggling with suicidal thoughts – there was even a suicide attempt at their youth group a week ago Friday and that teen is here at camp.  We believe the Lord is wanting to shift things in the hearts and minds of the youth this weekend and are experiencing some spiritual warfare.  Please pray with us for breakthroughs.  

VIDEO TEACHINGS  
We were asked to present a weekly equipping course at the church for the month of May and it is evolving into a video recorded teaching series.  This is a bit out of our comfort zone, but we are excited to try!   Dan will be the point person setting up the studio and then the church staff have divided up the topics to tackle.  We believe this is the beginning of an amazing resource bank of online tools to assist and help Africans and we are excited to be a part of it!
 
We also have a few other invitations that we are praying through.  We can’t say yes to everything, so we are asking the Lord to reveal what our “best yes” will be in this season.  There are lots of exciting possibilities!  
 
SALVATIONS!
In staff meeting at church this week, they were praising the Lord saying that there were more salvations in the first quarter of this year than the previous 5+ years combined.  Praise the Lord!!  Dan and I continue to disciple a large number of people and are praying through when to begin the addictions support groups again this year.  This month we have found ourselves in tiny shacks, at the community center in “the location” (this is what they call the poorest part of town), at a mental health clinic, sitting and counseling in our garage living room, at very fine coffee shops, and around our table eating meals with hurting people who need love, prayer, wisdom, and direction.  Sometimes we see small breakthroughs, and one of the massive breakthroughs we saw this past week people have been praying 7 years for.  I can’t wait to tell you more of the story soon.
 
Please pray for wisdom for us as we research visa options and submit our appeal next week, make ministry decisions, teach at camp, and listen to and counsel the people we are so privileged to do life with here.  
 
Please let us know if we can pray for you as well.  
 
With joy, 
Janell and Dan