Our journey began with a relationship with God our Father. As our relationship strengthened with Him through the Holy Spirit, He began to place on our heart His desires for ministry and outreach. And, leaving all we knew and had behind, we followed the Lord.
Kelly has a Bachelor of Science in Journalism / Advertising, as well as a Master’s in Communication. All of which she let go of as the Lord led her into teaching and acquiring her Master’s in Education. She has a heart for children; to bring both education and the Gospel to so many.
Chris has a Bachelor of Science in Architecture, but left that behind to share the Gospel and His relationship with the Lord through Pastoring and Teaching. Which also led him to have completed a year of studies at Charis Bible College in Dallas, Texas.
But our past before this was also one set in religion, not relationship with the Father. But the Lord demonstrated His Love to them in a way that changed their lives & their relationship with Him forever. No longer was He a distant, angry God; but a Loving, kind, and intimate Father. This was a revelation of the true Gospel of Jesus Christ, who demonstrated the Father’s Love for not only them, but the whole world. They built on that foundation their Love for each other and for the world—just as He did.
As our relationship strengthened with Him, His calling led us to the Cape Town area of South Africa. A place visually beautiful with mountains and ocean as the background. Yet, amongst that beauty is another dichotomy, that of wealth and extreme poverty. And a land still healing from a divided past. But the Lord wants to bring unity to this land! Thus, only a few months after getting married, we donated and sold all he had and, with one-way-tickets, moved to Strand, Cape Town, South Africa in April of 2016.
Beginning with outreach in Sir Lowry’s Pass Village with a local church and organization, we expanded to other settlements in the areas: Nomzamo, Lwandle, Grabouw, and others. We saw cultural diversity, strength, and love in these areas. But also the brutal hardships of living in rusted metal and rotten-wood shacks, often lacking water and electricity; cold in the winter, hot in summer, and leaky during the rains. Watching families struggle to survive as they live clustered together with eight family members in just one or two rooms. Many on drugs or pregnant as teenagers.
But there is always hope, and we would see it in the eyes and hearts of so many we encountered. We saw family unity, care for children and grandchildren, respect for what they had, a giving heart, and much love for the Lord and each other. We get to share with them even more of the Lord’s Love as we are able to minister prayer, healing, food, provisions, or financially. Through many tears, smiles, and hugs, we become a small part of the Body of Christ.
And the Lord has made that possible even further as He has led us to manage a low-fee Private Christian Primary School in the city of Strand near Cape Town called: Crosspoint Academy - Strand. We have established this school as a Crosspoint Method School which allows us to help guide and shape the futures of these children through the Love of the Father and in education—touching both the mind and the heart to bring unity to this land.
We are blessed to be able to do this with the Lord, fulfilling these scriptures in our lives:
Luke 4:18-19
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord."
We both thank you from the bottom of our heart for your Love towards us and your ongoing support of this calling on our lives. With us, we can see lives changed though a changed heart that knows the Love of the Lord.
God Bless,
Chris, Kelly, & Joshua Badenhorst