In episode 10, we hear from Vanessa and Rehgert VanZyl, recorded live from the sleepy, surf town in the Eastern Cape, South Africa (Jeffrey's Bay).

Rehgert is a South African native (born and raised) and knew he had a unique upbringing in that he had a stable home life, parents still married and found Jesus early on. He wanted to lead the way for the youth and created Aleph Surf International to meet kids in the neighborhood, who've only known poverty, broken homes and hardship, right where they're at. Surfing is the method to bridge the gap to get to know them and having the opportunity to share the love of Christ with them, with hopes to change the community one individual at a time with the hope of the gospel.

Vanessa has a background in the apparel manufacturing world which led her to live in Eastern Africa (Uganda) for a few years prior to meeting Rehgert.

The way God crossed their paths is truly divine and something only He could do! The truly supernatural touches of the Lord, down to their wedding flower (the South African national flower - the protea- unbeknownst to Vanessa at the time) is evidence of His bringing them together!

Their courtship was a fast one, yet a confirmed one, and Vanessa found herself married and living in South Africa, joking that it felt like an "arranged marriage" (arranged by the Lord).

Their first year of marriage was like a boot camp, having to learn each other with just the two of them (her family being time zone's away) and wrestling with the Lord through it all (Vanessa shares this was her wrestling..)

Vanessa admits the struggle she had in the first 5 years of their marriage, adjusting to a new culture (so different than the Eastern African culture she had loved and so far from home) and she shares it was on one of her runs that she was hit with this realization -

"The Father spoke, “You have been looking at everything you’ve lost but not at everything you’ve gained.

Do you want to run trails you’ve run before or trails you’ve never run before? I’m trying to give you new trails to blaze but you want to keep running the same one.”

So much to unpack in this episode and the encouragement to keep serving, keep loving even when breakthrough isn’t being seen. Will we trust the Father’s at work even still? Will we serve Him even still? Will we be ready for Him when He comes back for His bride? Are our oils lamp emptied or full? (with reference to the parable of the 10 Virgins).

They share all this and more - more about Aleph, their hearts for Israel, what covenant truly is and Rehgert closes out in prayer in his native tongue, Afrikaans.

Be sure to follow on Instagram @themarriageprojectco or check out the website www.themarriageproject.co to see all the photos accompanying each testimony behind each matrimony! And please leave a comment on iTunes or on the website, we want to hear from you! And don’t forget to subscribe for the community newsletter to get each episode sent directly to your inbox!