Dear friends, partners, and all,
We did it again! Homes continue to be improved, people fed, spiritually and physically, and new strength and courage are found in the hearts of the many that are being cared for in various ways as they realize that somebody does care, and that they do indeed matter! You and we in partnership are changing their world and causing them to turn around are reach out to others according to their ability, catching on to the inspiration of the joy it is to forget oneself and reach out to uplift and help another.
In the following pictures we will get into some of the details of what was accomplished. As usual these are just some of the highlights.
Before we carry on we want to pause and on the behalf of everyone being ministered to we want to send a BIG THANK YOU to each and everyone of you who played a part however big or seemingly small. Together we are having a lasting effect and changing our part of the world for the better and it will never again be the same. You, behind the scenes, unknown and unseen as you make it happen are our heroes!
HOUSING:
Remember the family from Zimbabwe we spoke about last month? They have now been successfully moved to the shelters at the soup kitchen. Although the shelter is very basic and not intended for long-term stay it provides a big improvement from their previous situation. They now have daylight, access to facilities such as water, bathroom and electricity. In the photos below the roof is being repaired, and a strong electrical cable is being strung from the kitchen to the family’s room.
We want to thank Etienne (from our Gracelife family) for the nice bed and mattress. Previously they had one bed and some had to sleep in the dirt floor at night. As seen in the picture below each family member now have their own bed. We also provided they with a rechargeable lamp that can also be used as a flashlight!
Seen below are Makiyi and her son Wayne. Makiyi started missing a couple of our Bible studies. We found out that it was due to her having a sever toothache. We took her to the dentist and he discovered that she has eight broken teeth. She has apparently taken antibiotics repeatedly battling the infection. Our dentist gave her a new course of antibiotics and will start treating her once the infection and swelling is gone.
Makiyi’s husband is a horse groomer and their hearts’ desire is to live and work on a farm. Please help us spread the word as they are longing to be able to move to a farm together in the near future.
HOME IMPROVEMENT:
Before:
His month we completed Katy’s house. As mentioned we bought the house a month or two ago, but this month the roof was repaired, a cement floor laid and many other adjustments. As seen in the picture below Katy now has nearly double the space and windows to let in light and provide ventilation as needed.
After:
FOOD HAMPERS:
Philip shopping for and distributing food hampers again this month to some of the most needy families in Sir Lowery's Pass!
It has been heart wrenching to realize how desperate some of these families are, so it was decided to again bring some relief to some of the individual families. Meanwhile we are working on establishing contacts with companies that are able to assist us on a regular basis with food, etc. Our work is going through some temporary changes, bur we trust that we will soon come right. We know that it is not the Lord’s will that any of His children should suffer lack or go without. We appreciate your prayers for a speedy solution and thank you in advance.
ROMINA:
In the picture above (front far left) is Romina a young girl who is here visiting from our church in Albania. Romina spend a couple of weeks with us. She loved the work in Sir Lowry’s Pass and interacting with the precious people there. Here she is teaching “Rooted” a discipleship course, to one of our Bible study groups.
Romina spend a day at the kitchen volunteering there and also visited some of the ECD (Early Childhood Development) centers with Philip. Below we are driving some people back after the Bible study.
MONTHLY EVENT IN SIR LOWERY'S PASS:
After a sweet welcome from May, Christiaan led us in communion. Rita taught on the seeming oxymoron of “laboring to enter into rest”, but when digging a bit deeper it all made a lot of sense and challenged us!
We also enjoyed a nice feats of hot steaming soup and bread. We want to thank the sweet cooks who prepared everything and put lots of love and effort into it.— We also prepared peanut butter and jam sandwiches in order to feed the children in the street who always are eager for some food!
BIBLE STUDY GROUPS:
Philip teaching one of our weekly Bible study groups. This group is also memorizing key Bible verses and are getting build up in the Word.
The group seen above meets twice a week and one of these days go through the “I Am” course. -- Many thanks to Ewaldi, May and Christiaan who are a big help and blessing as they assist us in teaching on a regular basis.—Below Rita is teaching Rooted to a group of students most of whom will soon graduate!
MORE SUPPLIES:
100 liters of milk was distributed to different ECD centers as well as the Joyce’s Kitchen. Due to the school holidays and many children being kept home a large portion of the milk was given to the kitchen this time.
WINTER WONDERLAND:
A big THANK YOU goes to the Lion’s Club in Gordon’s Bay as they again this year invited us to participate in the Winter Wonderland market! We also thank our precious friend Luljeta (seen below) as she was a big help and blessing during these busy weekends, as well as Fred and Beetee for their assistance!
In closing we want to thank each and everyone of you for partnering with us. As a team we are reaching many with the love of God both in Word and in deed!
