Learning To Let Go

As many know, Ricardo and I have been preparing to relocate for my community service year, the last step in my qualifying to be an independent medical practitioner. Also as many of you know, we meticulously planned our application to land us near sound, Biblical churches and community where we could serve, grow and hopefully settle down and start a family.

In the Lords providence and wisdom, that at times is difficult to understand, none of these plans have come to be. We make our plans but the Lord orders our steps as the Psalmist said.

Standing at the back end of an unsuccessful swop appeal, we have surety that we have been placed at Nessie Knight Hospital in Qumbu, Mhlontlo, Eastern Cape. It would seem, in service of a small rural Xhosa speaking village. In our research we have been unable to locate any sound English speaking churches within a 1.5 hour radius of the hospital, as well as any safe accommodation for rental. We managed to get hold of the clinical manager at Nessie Knight and were informed that there was accommodation on site for doctors but, as per a recent provincial edict, we were not allowed our pets on site. For us, that was a very bitter pill to swallow.

Consequently, the Lord has been faithful in carrying us into this new plan He would have for us. We have managed to find a one bedroom rental in an adjacent town called Maclear, a 1 hour, 40 minute drive from the hospital. There, we will be able to keep our pets, and escape the hospital grounds on off weekends. This, albeit not ideal, has brought peace to our hearts.

Since then we have been packing up our lives, box by box, choosing what goes and what stays - the house is starting to look quite vacant. This has, in many ways, been a season of letting go. Our hearts ache for the precious community that we are leaving behind. The dear friends and church family that we have prayed many years for, and that have been a true means of Gods grace to us. Our biological families that we have spent our lives with, and love. The routines and metropolitan structures that make Joburg life quite comfortable and simple, we will miss those. In a strange way, we miss them already.

Yet in another sense we are excited, and ready for the adventure. We are convinced that the Lord has work for us to do there, and that this is where He would have us. We hope and pray to be of value, and light, and encouragement for the possibly short time He would have us there, with those peoples. We do believe that nothing is in vain.

Additionally, we love the outdoors! The open roads, the unbeaten tracks. The vast ocean, the farmlands, the greenlands. And the Eastern Cape is absolutely gorgeous, perhaps understatedly so. Vast terrains, and life forms. Open spaces. We also tend to idealise the farm life in our hearts and hope to start our family in a simpler, less busy way of life, Lord willing. Own a tractor, buy a cow, a couple chickens - to which the EC is fairly well suited. Yet in it all we hope to love the Lord and His people well, and better. And walk in His will for our lives individually, and as a family.

This blog is really postcards of our journey, for ourselves, as a keepsake and reminder - however we hope that if you’re following along it’ll serve to keep you updated on our lives and happenings as we walk into this next chapter.

Please be praying for us, as we will be praying for you.

Much love,

The Bandas