Yes, we did miss our June and July Update and PrayerMail, but what can we say, time flies when you are having fun!
We’ve been busy since May… here’s only some of what’s been going on:
Teaching, Training and Resource Center Expansion
You may have seen our earlier post (here’s a link to that post), but in case you haven’t the cargo container being built out by our friends at Cargo of Dreams to become an integral part of a 2,000 sq. ft. teaching, training and resource center in Ikageng, South Africa has left it’s temporary home in the Frisco, Colorado (USA) Wal-Mart parking lot and is on it’s way to South Africa! Click here to view a news story that appeared on KUSA, Channel 9 News for Denver as the container was being loaded to go. The container is scheduled to arrive in South Africa around the end of September, so we’re busy raising funds ($15,000 for a 2,000 sq. ft. building, about $7.50 per sq. ft.!) and organizing the laborers to complete the construction here.
If you’d like to make a tax deductible donation to that project you can do so by clicking on the “Donate Now” button at the top right of your screen now, and if you’d like to come to South Africa and help with the construction in late October/early November, let us know… we’ll be announcing 1, 2, and 3 week opportunities for individuals and small teams (6 or less) to do so soon!
Visitors… we’ve had lot’s of them…
In early June we were blessed to have Jason and Jeremy from Calvary Chapel Chester Springs spend about a week with us to document how the Lord is working in and through us in South Africa. Jeremy is one of the principals of Edge of Cinema and captured hours upon hours of video and audio to help us put together videos to help explain our vision and mission here.
Later in June Lauren came to spend 5 weeks with us ministering to the children in the preschool and living on the property. her time here overlapped with the three week school holiday and we’re thanking God that Lauren was here to keep the kids busy, teaching and playing games with them, working on art projects and even giving a few guitar lessons! Here’s a link to a blog Lauren kept during her experience.
Early in July we had a father/daughter team, Joop and Sara, from The Netherlands assist with the kids and help with a few maintenance projects. One of the highlights of their time with us, for both the kids and themselves, was taking the kids to see a movie at the theater in town and then to KFC! (It was Sara’s first time for KFC)
Extreme MakeOver
In early June we were blessed to have about 50 people from His People Faith City come to the property for an Extreme MakeOver workday. Much was accomplished that day, including the painting of two houses and playground equipment, the replacement of a leaky bathtub in one of the houses, the plumbing connection of two more toilets for our preschool, landscaping, general cleanup and transport of a large number of cement curbs for future use on the property. The day ended with a South African braai (American barbeque).
Seboni Project
The Seboni Project, our joint venture with the Touching Africa Development Trust to provide food security and economic empowerment for several of our preschool mothers, is growing like crazy and some of the crops will soon be ready to harvest for the women to feed their families with and sell! 6 women are currently raising spinach, cabbage, carrots, onions, beetroot and lettuce in 30 different covered “crop circles” with individual irrigation lines to each circle. The cement circles help contain the water that is applied to the plants, reducing the amount of water required to raise them by 95%, and the covers help keep the plants warm at night and protect them wind, dust and too much sunlight during the day. The women come several times each week to be in fellowship, sing, pray and care for their gardens. Once the crops are raised and harvested the women will receive certificates for completing 5 days of training and successfully harvesting a crop. Plans are to expand the project in the future by allocating more land to vegetable production and training and employing more women to raise and sell the produce.
We’re Still Praying….
We’re still praying for the Lord to raise up local and international volunteers and staff to assist in the field, particularly a family or couple to commit to at least three months of service beginning in November. Search your heart and listen for the Lord’s still small voice and if that’s you please let us know!
We’re also still praying for new foster parent(s) for the three brothers in House 1 who lost their foster mother over two months ago as well as her one biological son. For now the three brothers are staying by themselves in the house as a child-headed household (the oldest is 15), and the biological son (4 yrs. old) has been taken in “unofficially” by one of the other foster mothers on the property while the gears of the Department of Social Development and Children’s Court turn ever so slowly to provide permanent foster parents and homes for these boys.
Please join us in these prayers.