Our Story

"How do we figure out God's voice and call among all the other clamouring demands in our lives?" That's the question Heidi and Hermann wrestled with in 2017. And here's their story...

Can you believe it? God wants us to develop and open a retreat centre? It sounds like a joke, right? But that's the call we received. It's like that moment with Abraham when God said, "Leave and go to the place I will show you..."

After checking out countless locations, we finally found the one God had in mind for us. We both remember that magical day, September 21, 2017, when we first laid eyes on the property and instantly knew this was the place God promised. We were thrilled beyond words, though we kept our excitement in check around the estate agent. (Heidi, being the savvy agent, warned Hermann not to give away too many "buying signals" and make the agent's job too easy.)

First order of business: the farm's official name on the title deed, "Remaining Extent of Portion 4 of the Farm Groenvlei 353JT," just didn't have a Biblical vibe. So, we decided on a new name – iDwala (The Rock in isiZulu), inspired by the impressive rock overhang on the mountain behind the house. This name "has legs," as they say in marketing, with countless descriptions of God as our Rock, especially in the Psalms. And those Steenkampsberg mountains are a constant reminder of this truth.

Our journey to iDwala continues to show us, day by day, that God's mercy and faithfulness surpass our wildest imaginations.