Hello 2012!

Merry Christmas, Happy New Year and Welcome to 2012!!

Our dear friends and family, we are so excited and blessed to be entering this brand new year full of God’s blessings!

We pray that each one of you had a blessed holiday season spent with family and loved ones and that you have reflected on things past, things to come, as well as the love of Christ which holds us together.

We have just returned from 10 days in Port Elizabeth, my previous home. We and 2 of our friends from church traveled the 12+ hours and spent many days on the beach and catching up with old friends. It was very relaxing and a nice time to completely recharge. While away, we celebrated one year of marriage! It has definitely flown by and we are thankful for each other and this year.

We have made of point this holiday to reflect on the year gone by and have seen just how challenging it has been, but with it, we have seen the immense work of God in our lives. The month of July was particularly hard for us as we had a lot of frustrating things happen. Piet’s visa to the USA was denied, my South African visitor’s visa was due to expire and I was within days of being deported, we were scammed in the purchase of our first car, we were facing the normal challenges of the first year of marriage, and we weren’t fulfilled in the ministry we were in. I personally felt I would crumble to pieces if things didn’t turn around quickly. It was not long after, that we saw the undeniable hand of God in our lives when we were able to buy a new reliable car, we found ourselves in a new ministry, and we bought our first home together. I can also very confidently say that we have never been happier in our marriage as we are right now. The first year is a bit rough! (They don’t tell you those things when you are getting into it!!) But we have pulled through and we feel confident that we have grown leaps and bounds in knowing one another and growing in the Lord together.

YOYL 2012 Team! (with 2 missing)

Tomorrow it is back to ministry for us, and in a few short days we will begin our orientation with our four YOYL (Year of Your Life) students!! We have been blessed with four days of free accommodation for team building and getting to know our new team for the year. We are more than excited. Again, we have seen God’s favour over our ministry as we have been preparing over the last three months. The doors of the community and our local schools have opened up to us, and the finances have been pouring in. When our office closed for Christmas a few weeks ago, we had already raised 2/3 of the money needed for the year.

We have constantly seen the “fingerprints” of God over the past year. We urge you, our friends, to continue searching for those undeniable occasions (not coincidences!) of God moving in the lives of you and yours. 2012, Bring it on!

Blessings to you,

The Bakers