One morning early in 2001, I was reading and heard the same words which God spoke to Abram hundreds of years before-- "Get out of your country, from your family and from your father's house, to a land that I will show you.  I will make  you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing.  I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed." (Genesis 12:1-3)  I read it then sensed the Holy Spirit say "Read it again."  I read it, then sensed, "Read it again."  he had my attention and I understood that He was about to do something new and fresh in our lives.  We had a ministry team trip planned to South Africa and Zimbabwe yet didn't fully understand what was taking place.  Within a short time understanding began to unfold.
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Yvonne and I are no strangers to Africa since we both had been there before we met and married, and as a family we had spent 7 1/2 years there from 1983 to 1991.  The long and short of the story is that God called us back to southern Africa.  Over the next months, preparation was made, and in October of 2001, we took our family, boarded the plane, and landed back on African soil, ready to go.  At the time we could hardly dream or imagine some of the amazing things God was about to do in and through our lives.
 
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The Adventure Unfolds
By the grace of God, we have been involved in or are experiencing continued involvement in all 6 of these vision points.  Development of the Destiny Curriculum for children's ministry, training seminars, S.M.I.L.E. (Single Mothers- Included, Loved, and Empowered) ministry, the founding of Victory Learning Centre for children, and the developing of SMILE Village are just some of the amazing things we see God doing.  Seeing the changed lives of single moms, children and our students has been truly rewarding.  Already, the vision is exceeding our wildest expectations and there is more to come as the adventure continues to unfold.