Peronts to South Africa

Our story – God’s sovereignty

Black and white photo of the Peront family in white shirts standing together on a beach — Charis, Dan, Amy, Ethan, Bethany and Ashley

Thank you for taking a few minutes to get to know our family. My name is Dan, and my wife is Amy. We have three children: Bethany, Ethan, and Charis. In October 2024, God blessed our family with a wonderful addition when Bethany married her husband, Ashley Edgar.

We were very active in our church and busily living the American dream, comfortably content in a house we wanted to retire in. That is when the Spirit started to plant a thought in our hearts. He was whispering, "I want more." Yielding to that still small voice set into action a series of events that would change our lives forever.

The Spirit illuminated Ecclesiastes 12:13 in a way we had never seen before: "This is the whole duty of man: fear God and keep His commandments." Jesus takes this a step further in Matthew 22, saying the greatest commands are to love God and love others. Meditating on these passages gave us a desire to help orphans (James 1:27). What better way to love God than to love who He loves?

Our pastor was teaching through Luke, and God used Luke 14:16-26 to show us that "salvation is a free gift that will cost you everything." On March 16, 2014, I turned to my wife after the closing prayer and said, "I think God wants us to go to Africa!"

"God, if you want us to go to Africa, would you provide us a house rent free so that we can save up our money to go on a survey trip?"

Probably the craziest prayer we have prayed. He answered it, and we lived rent free for four years. No glory to us; all praise be to God (James 1:17).

Who knew that if we start praying crazy prayers, we have a God who might just be crazy enough to answer them? You have the same God, who wants to answer crazy prayers for you as well. Perhaps His plan for you is even crazier than ours!

2014 God calls us to Africa
2016 Peronts to South Africa begins
20 Sep 2018 We land in Johannesburg
2024 Lukiwe Family Services begins

Lukiwe Family Services

After six years alongside existing orphan ministries in South Africa, God allowed us to start our own in 2024: Lukiwe Family Services. "Lukiwe" means "woven" in Zulu.

Lukiwe provides family-based care for orphaned and vulnerable children by equipping new foster families, supporting existing ones, and helping at-risk families stay together. We call it our Timothy Project: to take what man has thrown away, care for these precious children, and introduce them to Christ (2 Timothy 3:14-15). Our prayer is to send a child that society threw away right back to his or her own people as a national missionary.

Visit lukiwe.com

Lukiwe Family Services

Our videos

A short series about how God led our family to South Africa.

1. Introduction

2. Tearing up our roots

3. God's leading

4. Orphans

Prayer, part 1

Prayer, part 2

Prayer, part 3

Special thanks to Stacey Brobst for her video work.

The Story

It is like many good stories you have heard, but the more you watch, the more you realize it is not just another story. It is the story, and it defines us all. Take a few minutes to watch it.

Watch The Story

What we believe

Our family's desire to learn the fear of the Lord helps us know how to love God. This in turn enables us to have a love for others greater than ourselves.

Read our statement of faith

The Bible: All Scripture (66 books) is inspired, true, authoritative and sufficient. (Psalm 19:7-11; 2 Tim. 3:16; 2 Pet. 1:20-21)
Creation: All things were created in six literal days, and the Biblical account supports a young earth. (Gen. 1:1-2:25; Exod. 20:11; John 1:3; Col. 1:16)
God: There is only one true God, Creator of heaven and earth, who eternally exists in three distinct persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. (Gen. 1:26; Deut. 6:4; Isa. 45:5-6, 46:9-10; Ps. 45:6-7; Matt. 3:13-17, 28:17-20; John 17:3; 1 Cor. 8:4-6, 12:4-6; 1 Tim. 2:5)
Christ: Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God, was born of a virgin, and is both fully God and fully Man. (Matt. 1:20; Luke 2:52; John 1:1-4, 14; Col. 1:15-20; Heb. 1:1-3)
Man: Man was created in the image of God, but because of disobedience, all men are sinful by both birth and action. (Gen. 6:5; Ps. 51:5; Jer. 17:9; Rom. 3:23, 5:8, 12-21, 7:18; Eph. 2:1-3)
Sin's penalty: The deserved penalty for sin is physical and spiritual death. (Gen. 2:15-17, 3:19; Rom. 5:12, 6:23; James 1:14-15)
Salvation: One can only be reconciled to God by repenting of sin and turning in faith to Jesus Christ. Salvation is a free gift and comes only through the completed work of Jesus Christ's death, burial and resurrection. (John 3:18, 14:6; Acts 4:12; Rom. 3:21-26; 1 Tim. 2:5-6)
Eternal security: All redeemed, once saved, are kept by God's power and are thus secure in Christ forever. (Eph. 1:13; Rom. 8:38-39)
Future: Jesus Christ physically rose from the dead, ascended into heaven, and will one day physically return. (Matt. 28:1-20; Mark 16:1-8; Luke 24:1-53; John 14:3; Acts 1:11; 1 Cor. 15:12-34; 1 Thess. 4:13-18; Heb. 9:28; 1 John 3:2; Rev. 1:7)

Would you like to help?

Partner with us in serving the orphans of South Africa. Gifts are received through our mission board, IBM Global.

Give through IBM Global

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