Seeing God at Work in South Africa

February 26, 2026

Every morning when I wake up here, I thank God for the privilege of living in such an extraordinary place. There are days when it feels very much like the Garden of Eden must have felt to Adam and Eve so many centuries ago. From my office window, I can see several species of African birds, lush and colorful plants, and a magnificent mountain rising in the background.

Most mornings, I also have the joy of getting up early and riding my bike around Legend Golf and Safari Resort’s Signature golf course, which is still under construction and rehabilitation. Dozens of workers, trucks, and mowers are diligently preparing it for its grand opening on May 1st. Even though there is still much work to be done before golfers arrive, riding through the course feels sacred to me. At times, it’s as if I’m biking side by side with God Himself, much like Adam must have felt walking with Him in the original Garden.  I occasionally have a close encounter with one of our serpents, like the black mamba, puff adder, spitting cobra, or, more commonly, a large python. This makes cycling interesting and keeps me alert to avoid running over one of them.

Beth and Dustin sometimes join me on these rides, and that is always special. But the most meaningful moments are when it’s just God and me. The older I get, the more clearly I hear His voice. It took many years to reach this place, but I can honestly say now that God and I are the very best of friends.

One of the incredible gifts of living here in Africa is the opportunity to live a life of purpose and to help others see that God is real and that He loves them, even when their lives are unimaginably difficult. It has taken many years for me to arrive at a place of deep assurance. Assurance that God is real and that He loves me unconditionally. I am profoundly grateful to be doing exactly what He created me to do, especially at this stage of my life, nearing the later chapters of my time here on earth.

I want to be clear: my life is not perfect. I am nowhere close to living the life that Christ lived. Before I became a true follower of Jesus, I lived as a pagan, deeply entrenched in sin. At times, I feel my bucket of sin was even larger than the Apostle Paul’s before he met Jesus face to face. Scripture tells us that to whom much is given, much is expected. The greatest gift God ever gave me was when Jesus lifted that crushing burden of sin and shame from my shoulders. I can never repay Him for that gift, but it explains why I am completely sold out for Him.

My journey has been filled with hiccups and heartbreaks. God never promises us an easy or comfortable path when we choose to follow Him. Beth and I have a daughter and two grandchildren who are estranged from us, despite years of prayer for healing and restoration. We also carry the weight of living half a world away from the daughter and grandchild with whom we have a close relationship. Jesus tells us plainly in Scripture that following Him may sometimes require painful separation, even from family.

Serving the beautiful children of Africa gives my life deep purpose, but my heart still aches for the children we are unable to serve. I know we cannot help everyone, and God does not expect that of us. What breaks my heart is that this past year, due to import challenges with our food containers, we were forced to stop feeding several thousand children who had come to depend on that daily meal.

Our goal has been to feed 100,000 children, and we were well on our way thanks to our incredible partners, Convoy of Hope and Meals from the Heartland. Hal Donaldson, the founder of Convoy of Hope, has a vision to feed one million children worldwide. I am praying that, together, we might help feed ten percent of those children. Convoy of Hope has been one of our strongest and longest-standing partners in this mission.

Just last week, we hosted two of Convoy of Hope’s senior leaders and spent significant time planning how we can move closer to these goals. For months, we have worked to design food packet labels that will meet the Port Authority import requirements. While we believe the labeling issues are finally resolved, there remains a three-month delay for printing and an additional two or more months for shipping our next container across the ocean.

Thankfully, God has provided another option. We have access to a food-grinding mill in our capital city of Polokwane, where we can purchase meals very similar to those from Meals from the Heartland at a cost of just 25 cents per meal. Last year, our extraordinary donors gave $450,000, allowing us to purchase and distribute nearly two million meals, sustaining our feeding programs throughout 2025.

This year, we are expanding our child sponsorship program, which we believe will play a significant role in helping us purchase additional food locally here in Africa.

Our Mountain View Farm is doing a great job in training many Africans in agriculture and, at the same time, helping us feed approximately 15,000 children in the area near Del Cramer, our pilot feeding hub.

Please also check out my weekly podcast on YouTube:  “Adventures in Africa with Doc.” My prayer request this month is simple but heartfelt: that God will guide Convoy of Hope and us clearly and decisively, showing us exactly how He wants us to feed His children.