I must admit, I was blessed by the Vineyard School of Ministry. It gave me a strong foundation and much wisdom. All church planters undergo Bootcamp and more training in the UK. When God gave me the words 'Yeovil 7,000 Rand,' it was not just about planting a church in Yeovil. It also included the three months I spent at the School of Ministry on the Ranch. The two held equal importance. Later during ministry time, David Parker joined Mark. They led us to a seating area outside that overlooked the Tehachapi mountains. It was a beautiful view. There, they laid hands on us and prayed for our release into what God had called us to do.

 

When David prayed for me, he asked me to open my hands wide and hold them up with my palms facing him. He then placed his hands on mine so that our palms touched. He asked if I could feel something, like a pulse in certain fingertips. I felt it! His prayers were mostly for anointing for various purposes. I couldn't remember everything he said. Then Mark prayed for me, confirming many of the other words I had received while we were at the Ranch. Afterwards, he shared with me a vision he had during the prayer time. He described it as a clear picture of an icebreaker breaking through ice and making way for other ships to pass. Since I wasn't familiar with icebreakers, I needed to learn more about them. This reminded me of something Bob Craine had prophesied over me earlier at the Ranch.

 

You may remember how he told me the Lord had given me a new name: Torch-bearer. A torch-bearer shines light in the darkness, guiding the way for those who follow. This was almost identical to the role of an icebreaker. I started to embrace my new name.

As I write this, I recognise that God continues to use the gap we made through the ice to allow others to pass through. One specific example came to mind from 2018 when Hendrik and I took a trip back to South Africa. His parents, especially his dad, were becoming frail, and he wanted to see them. After time with his family, we planned to spend the last three days in Johannesburg with our friends. We thought it would be best to rent accommodation in the city. I noticed on Facebook that Alexander and Gill Venter, our pastor from years past, had a room available. We booked it, and on the day we arrived at their home, they invited us to dinner so we could catch up.

 

During dinner, we learned that Alexander had retired. He planned to spend his time writing and teaching overseas. We suggested that he come to England, and he encouraged us to organise it if we wanted to. After returning to England, we attended a gathering of all the Vineyard senior pastors in the South-west. Our area leader in Plymouth suggested a local conference. But, he wanted a special guest for it. We proposed Alexander Venter. Everyone laughed. They said, "He won't come to a little conference here." However, we decided to ask him. So, we sent Alexander an invitation, which he accepted. We picked him up from Heathrow. We had lunch in Yeovil. Then, we went straight to Plymouth for the conference that Friday night and Saturday.

 

As news spread that Alexander was in town, he got invitations all over England and Wales. He attended meetings and smaller conferences during those two weeks. Since then, he has been invited back a number of times. He spoke at conferences and recorded sessions for future leadership training. It was an honour to carry the torch for Alexander. The Lord and I know many more stories like this. I feel blessed to have been part of them.