God's Faithful Provision

June 27, 2025

I love celebrating the birthday of our wonderful country. I feel incredibly blessed to have been born in America. Over the years, I’ve had the opportunity to travel to many other countries, which has only deepened my appreciation for the freedoms and blessings we enjoy in the U.S. It truly is the best place in the world—for me.

At the same time, I’ve been blessed to live half-time in Africa, where I serve and immerse myself in a beautiful and vibrant culture so different from my own.

The past six weeks have been among the most challenging I’ve faced in over 20 years of ministry. Many of you who follow our work have been faithfully praying for the release of our food containers that have been held up in South African customs. God is always faithful. Even though He did not answer our prayers exactly as we had hoped, He opened hearts and wallets instead. Over $250,000 has been generously donated—funds we’re now using to purchase food locally in Africa to feed the children.

Thanks to these donations, along with produce and eggs from our farm, we’ve been able to sustain our massive child-feeding program for now. 50,000 children continue to receive a nourishing meal five days a week.

We’re still praying for the release of the containers, and organizations like Convoy of Hope and Meals from the Heartland are working diligently to help resolve the situation. I confess, I was feeling the weight of this crisis personally—deeply stressed about how we’d continue feeding so many vulnerable children. Then I remembered this Scripture:

“Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?” — Matthew 6:26

This verse reminded me that it is God Himself who provides for these children, not me. We can all trust that He will continue to do so—in His way, in His time.

Back in the U.S., I’m enjoying our beautiful summer—especially when I remember just how chilly it is in South Africa in June and July. Even during heat waves, I’m grateful for the warmth. I’ve been riding my bike over three hours most days, which I believe is my “secret sauce” for staying healthy and feeling good at age 80.

I’m also excited about plans for our new church building at Mater Dei Retreat Center, just 30 minutes from our African campus. This will be our third new church building in the last three years! When we began raising funds two years ago, I was surprised at how quickly and generously people responded. Even the larger and more expensive church we built last year was fully funded within three months.

We’re now moving forward with the Mater Dei church project, confident that the remaining funds will come in. I’ve already asked Dustin to break ground, and we’re planning a joyous dedication service in January during Father Ray’s annual mission trip. American supporters have always been incredibly generous—especially when it comes to serving children in Africa.

For several years now, Beth and I—along with our board—have been prayerfully developing a succession plan to ensure our ministry thrives beyond our leadership. Dustin and Alex have done a remarkable job leading operations in Africa and are well-prepared to take the helm of the ministry in both countries.

We now have an outstanding team: 8 staff members in the U.S., 40 in Africa, and a strong board of directors. What began as a medical mission trip ministry has grown into a comprehensive outreach impacting thousands of children. It is our prayer that this work will continue for generations to come.

Earlier this year, I launched a new blog: “Adventures with Doc in Africa” during my January–March stay. I’m discovering that blogging has a learning curve, but with the help of our talented staff, I’m enjoying the process. I’m proving that the old saying “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks” isn’t quite true! I’ve already interviewed a couple dozen amazing people sharing their own adventures in Africa.

Please check it out on YouTube or wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts.

Finally, our main prayer request this month is that God will continue to provide for our child-feeding program. Feeding 50,000 children five days a week is truly a God-sized task, and we can only do it with His help.

Thank you for walking this journey with us. We treasure your prayers and partnership.

With gratitude,

Doc