SHALOM FRIENDS. We hope and pray that you are growing in Abba’s character and that your roots are going deeper and deeper into the love of the Father. We are doing well. Rion and I celebrated our seventh year of marriage this week, and we could just thank Abba for the gift of companionship. Evah is discovering her love for singing, Judah learned to ride his bike (which he now rides 30 times around the house each day) and it is a joy to watch his face as he speeds around the corners. We are happy that it helps him get all his boyish energy out. Elaiyah, our youngest, turned two a few weeks ago and she is bubbling the days away. We are thankful for family, for being able to grow together and shape each other. That may sound very sweet and pleasant, but we also have our challenging days where the flesh wants to rule. Those cold days when the kids can’t play outside, and they play the whole house into a mess when you are making dinner and the noise of play is turned up so loudly that you struggle to think straight. Or those days when you feel you are failing and you wonder whether what you’re giving to Abba, your family, and even others, is enough. Those inner voices seem to present themselves around any corner and then you need to take the time to stop and bring your mind and heart back to your First Love. Life is messy and wonderful at the same time. Emotions present themselves in situations and you wonder, Where did that come from? Emotions, thoughts, kids, racing time, calling, household, family, farming, ministry, school… the list goes on… There is always a lot of ‘stuff’, but the wonderful thing is that we are discovering deeper friendship with Yeshua in and through all of this. For the past two years, I have been in a deep and very difficult process that has left me quite broken. I defaulted into trying to figure it all out and then trying to fix things in order to escape the fire, but unfortunately that doesn’t work, it just leads to a lot of defeat. I don’t know if I am through the fire yet, but I am learning to be okay with it. Instead of anticipating the night to end, I am learning to rest in Yeshua and detach myself from the outcome. I am learning more deeply to just love Him, and let the rest go. I choose to believe that good will come out of the struggle and that Yeshua will be glorified in and through it. It is first shocking and then enlightening to see what comes out of you in the fire. It is there where you see whether you live what you know. I have been faced with the reality that when the fire hits so hard, a lot of the things, which you know but did not deeply live each day in the business of life, are exposed, and you see that you truly are dust, deeply dependent and unfortunately, sometimes, double minded, as Paul describes it best. One thing I have realised deeper than ever before, is how much I need Yeshua. John 15’s “without You I can do nothing” has become my every breath as I cry out, “YHVH help me hold on to You.” Let’s pray for each other that we will run our races without losing heart, focus and first-love devotion. Fire is necessary. It prepares us for His face and His presence. Let’s learn to see the hardship in our lives through the eyes of the King and know that joy comes in the morning, the night will fade. My letter for this week is ‘Remember Eden’. Love, Sarah and family. Please find our banking details below if you would like to support our ministry: Account name: GOLDEN EAGLE TRUST, Bank: Bank Windhoek, Cheque account: 800 549 0253, Branch code: 481172, Branch: Gobabis. Please specify that it is a donation.