Still Standing, Only by God’s Grace:
11 Years of Loss and Restoration
Our photographs usually show smiles. This time, we want to share the moments behind some of our toughest days.
Over eleven years at SelfieBox, we have experienced car accidents, write-offs, cracked screens, broken booths, smash-and-grabs, an office robbery, flat tyres and a torched car. We have lost equipment we worked hard for, vehicles that carried our business, and months of work when events stopped altogether.
These photographs show the losses along the way, but they do not show the end of our story.
We have stood up every single time. And we are still here ONLY by the grace of God.
The car was lost. Our attendants were unharmed.
During the Cape Town taxi strikes, our car was torched, destroying a 360 Spin, a HaloBox and a printer. The loss was devastating, but our attendants escaped unscathed. We thank God for protecting them. Vehicles and equipment can be replaced; their lives are priceless.
Accidents, overturned vehicles and write-offs
Every event involves a journey there and back with our equipment. Over eleven years, those journeys have included serious accidents and write-offs, leaving crushed bodywork, shattered windscreens and overturned vehicles.
Losing a vehicle means losing a working part of the business. Repairs, replacements and disrupted plans carry costs long after the accident scene has been cleared. Each setback has meant finding a way to rebuild and get moving again.
We have faced this repeatedly. Each time, by God’s grace, we have found our feet again.
Smash-and-grabs and a robbery at the office
Smash-and-grabs have left broken windows and glass scattered through our vehicles. We have been robbed at our office too. Beyond the stolen items, each incident brought disruption and time spent putting things right instead of serving clients.
Having our working spaces violated was deeply discouraging. Replacing what was taken did not erase the experience, but theft has never had the final word over SelfieBox.
God has restored what the enemy tried to take, and we give Him the glory for every step forward.
Cracked screens and broken booths
Cracked screens, damaged displays and broken booths have brought repeated repair and replacement costs over the years. These smaller losses add up, but by God’s grace, we have kept rebuilding and moving forward.
Sometimes a flat tyre or breakdown
Then there are the setbacks that bring a journey to a halt: a flat tyre, a damaged wheel or a vehicle breakdown. From changing a tyre beside the road to getting a vehicle into the workshop, each one takes time and effort to put right.
These moments are part of the same eleven years. Alongside the major losses have been ordinary, frustrating problems that needed attention, effort and another decision to keep going. We are grateful for God’s grace in those moments too.
Mid-March 2020 to January 2021: zero events.
Some of our biggest losses do not have a photograph.
During COVID-19, from mid-March 2020 to January 2021, SelfieBox did zero events. Ten months without the work our business depended on. Our booths, experience and willingness to work were there, but the events were not.
Multiple clients also failed to pay for events we had already completed. With no new event income and unpaid accounts for work already done, the pressure grew. For a business built around people gathering, it was a devastating season.
There was no wreckage to photograph, but the loss was real. We came through those ten months only by the grace of God.
What the enemy tried to steal, kill and destroy
When we look at these years, we think of the words of Jesus in John 10:10:
Jesus speaks of the abundant life He came to give. That is where our hope rests. Destruction is real, but it does not have the authority to decide the end of our story.
We have seen things stolen. We have seen things destroyed. We have faced losses that could have made us stop. But we have also seen God restore what the enemy tried to take away. The fact that we are still standing is our testimony to His faithfulness.
“I will restore to you the years”
Joel 2:25 holds a special place in this story:
Loss takes more than possessions; it takes time spent building and recovering. Joel’s words about restoring the years speak deeply to us. We have seen God restore us after loss, giving us strength to rebuild and another reason to thank Him.
Eleven years later, all the glory belongs to God
Behind the smiles are difficult days, lost vehicles, damaged equipment and ten months without events. We are grateful to our team, clients and everyone who has supported us. Above all, we thank God for sustaining us and restoring what the enemy tried to take.
If you are facing a setback, may our story give you courage. The God who carried us through is the reason we are still standing.
Eleven years. Serious losses. Yet still standing.
Only by the grace of God.
All glory to Him!
John 10:10: New International Version (NIV). Joel 2:25 excerpt from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Photographs from the SelfieBox archive.
