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Beautiful Gate...

We moved to Beautiful Gate after an outreach with a team from Tyler in the North of South Africa.  Holger worked on the logistical side of things and I worked in the Pre-School.  We were pregnant with our second child and our first was in the preschool with me.

We learnt a lot in these three years, but the shaping, shocking and defining moment was when children died of Chicken pox... the HIV virus in their bodies compromised their ability to fight it... 7 children in a small space of time.  It is sent us into an existential shock.  I decided to study.  It helped that I had a baby in me to to use as an excuse to get out of a very painful situation.

Holger stayed with Beautiful Gate till 2003 and I stayed at home with my two children and studied...

We left Beautiful Gate mostly I think because I could not see our vision to come along side organisations working with OVC to get them helped and be supported working out.  Toby and Aukje after sitting and listening to us also felt that what we were carrying in our hearts then was not going to work out at Beautiful Gate.

We also discovered at this time that our son was on the autistic spectrum and needed interventions that required a lot of time.

While we were working at Beautiful gate we attended the Vineyard Church in Bellville, we felt called to get involved there...

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