SAVE the DATE!!!

Hi All, I hope I find everyone well and happy. It has been some many months I'm sure, since I last updated everyone for as usual, there has been many things going on for both myself and my family over the last few months. So I felt it was high time I update everyone and inform you all of some very happy and exciting news. Firstly, my sister has graduated from medical school this summer and is now a Junior Doctor in one of our local hospitals (in fact in the hospital my dad worked in). Needless now to say, my dad has also retired this year having worked in UK for 21 years which has been such a wonderful blessing and support to me and my family. Next steps for him are unknown so he's taking one day at a time. With all these wonderful things to celebrate and keep us busy as a family, it's also been a very significant time for me since I have returned from South Africa last Christmas. Some of you may know already but I now wish to announce that I am officially engaged to Hagen Martin Schilder from Munich, Germany and will be looking to get married on 21st April 2012 in Birmingham, UK.

Now this may come as a surprise to many, but I met Hagen in South Africa last year where he too was completing a Discipleship Training School with YWAM. He is originally from a town named Bautzen in East Germany near Dresden and is a Software Consultant. Getting on from the very start, we started to court after the DTS was completed in December 2010 having sought God on the relationship thoroughly and with the blessing and guidance of our YWAM leaders. We are currently living in our respective countries and see each other once a month but mostly communicate via SKYPE. We do praise God for this particular blessing and as time has gone on it is even more and more evident that God has something special planned for the two of us. Neither were really looking for a relationship; going to South Africa in obedience to God first and foremost, but it really has been overwhelmingly wonderful every step of the way.

We are very excited and hope many of you can join us for our special day next year but in the meantime would love your prayers and support as we prepare. This year has been particularly busy with preparations, serving in our communities, getting to know each others families and friends and looking for jobs etc. At present, we do not know where we will live after we are married so would really like special prayer and guidance as to where God wants our roots as a couple to be. We both have in our hearts to go on to do long-term mission but a specific ministry is not clear just yet. I am currently Temping whilst looking for something more permanent whilst Hagen is working full-time for his previous company. This summer, he went to Uganda to work in an orphange, school, encourage a local church and review a special Toilet project his church supports. I have been serving in my church's sunday school and youth and have started volunteering for my local Domestic Violence Helpline Service too. As many of you know it has been a long-standing vision to work with abused women & children, which I believe God has put in my heart since I became a Christian 13yrs ago and so we hope that God will reveal what part Hagen is to play in this. I have made connections with the International Christian Dance Fellowship group in my local area too and looking to start dancing more in church having worked a lot with the Girls Brigade at the end of last term. There's so many exciting things going on, I guess this is really where God says that “...he came to give us life & life to the full” (John 10:10b) and “I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans not to harm you but to give you a hope and a future” (Jeremiah 29:11) are really true and I am really looking forward to what God has for this next stage in my life!!! I hope to be able to be in better touch with many of you in the future soon and share more. I would love to catch up with everyone else's news so please do drop me a line, call or email me on: grace.troko@ gmail.com. We have a wedding website where all information re: the wedding will be up and some fun activiites too. The website address is: http://www.eweddings.com/hagen4grace It will go live on 1st October 2011 so we hope you enjoy it, as there's lots of things to do on there, quizzes and pics and there will also be info re: accommodation and RSVP option closer to the date. Do leave us some feedback . God bless and hope to hear from you all soon. Love in Christ Grace