Soon, we had one beautiful woman after another joining the group, ranging in age from 18 to 60. It was a blessing to see the older, wiser women nurture the younger ladies. Some of them were broken and needed love and acceptance.

 

We were soon joined by a young Canadian man named Derek. Before Derek left Canada for work in South Africa, he received a phone call from a man who had an address for him. An address for a church in Johannesburg. The church was Bryanston Vineyard, as it was called back then. He didn’t know the man, had never met him, and had never seen or heard from him since. I wish I could tell that man how much his obedience meant to so many people around the world. That call set off events over the next 30 years that changed many lives. Did he know that? He felt compelled to make that call, but perhaps he doubted: “Is this God, or is it me?” Let this be a lesson for us all.

 

Derek shared a house with a German man named Paul, and Derek brought Paul to the group. About a year later, Paul introduced Hendrik, who would become my husband. I didn’t see that coming. A glorious move of God from our little home group hinged on these three men. Another addition was Rosanna, a beautiful young Italian woman. She eventually married Paul. They later moved to Germany and played a part in our time in England and Europe.

 

More than anything, I was blessed to have Naomi as a mentor. She taught me so much about God. Her favourite saying was always, “Oh Leonie, do not judge.” I am so grateful for every time she said that, and I was sure to pass it on during my time as a pastor. They left their fingerprints all over the future church plant.

 

One day, early in 1993, Derek asked me if I could host a Canadian friend of his named Anita. Anita wanted to go to Zimbabwe to pursue nursing. But, the missionary group she worked with failed to apply for the right visa. This left her stranded at Johannesburg International Airport. She knew Derek, and Derek knew me, and the rest is history. Anita likely considered it noble to go to Zimbabwe. But, getting stuck at the Johannesburg airport was God's plan. So, she joined our home group.

We became a melting pot of cultures. We tried to outdo each other by hosting fun cultural dinners and events. Once, Nicolette, who was Greek, took us to an Easter service at a Greek Orthodox church. Later, she treated us to a wonderful leg of lamb at midnight. We didn't understand much of the service. But, we took away its most meaningful parts. They included our burning candles, which we couldn't extinguish. There were five of us in my car, all with burning candles. We didn't think about how dangerous that was. As crazy as it seemed, it was wonderful to see how God used Nicolette. She always invited others to join our group. At times, I wished I could be as free-spirited as she is.

 

I didn’t have the gift of teaching or leading worship. All I could do was open my home and make tea. I was always aware of those who hung around the edges of the church. They were the ones who didn't feel confident breaking into friendship circles. Those were the people I approached and invited to the dinner parties we hosted at my home. We loved having people over, and soon the group was bursting at its seams. We had to consider dividing the group.

 

A year and a half after the start of my home group, we decided to start a new group, and Naomi offered to join Rosanna in starting a new group at her home. Several members of the original group also chose to move over. However, that group did not survive and eventually shut down. Sometimes, we do things because they are the only options we've tried. But, not all of them are successful. This was the case with splitting the group. But, we lacked knowledge then. So, we moved on and made the best of a poor decision.

 

Only much later did Hendrik and I explore other avenues when starting new groups. We achieved much better results.