DAVE and JUDY BELL from Australia have become dear

Transcription

DAVE and JUDY BELL from Australia have become dear
JUNE – SEPTEMBER 2013
WE NOW HAVE ELECTRICITY!
Praise the Lord!
Isn’t this exciting…after so many years of
relying on a generator, then solar panels….
Our numbers are growing slowly in the crèche
and the two well-balanced meals are working
wonders: we notice how more attentive and
alert the children are with full tummies. KFC
sponsor the food for the crèche and feeding
scheme.
Teachers are being empowered for leadership
by taking charge weekly on a roster basis,
being responsible for the everyday routines
and running the curriculum themes which this
term included “Transport”, “Road Safety”,
“Seasons”, “Environment” and “Farm
Animals”.
A big thanks to Dave & Judy Bell for
organising the teaching material in the
storeroom so beautifully.
DAVE and JUDY BELL from Australia have become dear and invaluable friends of Khula.
 “We
first learnt of Khula crèche after our daughter married and settled in Margate.
Since then we have visited the crèche each time we have come to South Africa. We have
seen the difference the crèche makes in children‟s lives and now volunteer on a regular
basis when we are there. Our project during this last visit was to sort through all the
donated material and store it so it could be easily accessible. We would disappear in the
store room at 9 am and emerge at 1 pm! At the start of each day we joined the staff in
their morning devotions and were amazed at their singing and strong faith in difficult
circumstances. We look forward to our next visit.
„This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of the Lord‟s people but is also
overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God.‟ 2 Cor. 9:12”
Three girls from St Mary’s, Waverley, Johannesburg,
came for work experience in their holidays.
Tayla-May, Lungi and Simone swept floors, fed the
children, tidied the crèche, helping the teachers and
cooks by doing relief work. They blessed the staff
and children with a thank you party with homemade
cake and brownies, chips and cold drinks. We are so
grateful to this next generation of 16 year-olds who
are actively making a difference!
LOCAL VISITORS AND VOLUNTEERS
Thanks to our visitors who show such an interest in
our work:
 Jax & Kirsten Neethling
 Rotary, who brought blankets
 Rod & Jenny Stephenson who brought
scooters for the crèche
 Trevor & Helene Downham
 Jonathan Voights from Nedbank
 Debbie & Gail from Two Tunics
 John & Ann, my faithful volunteers who
helped sort and pack secondhand clothes for
the needy.
OVERSEAS VISITORS
We are deeply grateful for the support and visits we
get from our overseas friends:








Ken & Kim Hickman’s team from Lake
Pointe who held a holiday Bible club for 5-14
year olds over four days, which went very
well. The children were spoilt with fresh fruit
daily.
Greg Bradford and his team, also from Lake
Pointe.
Althea Glass from the UK
Dave & Judy Bell from Australia
Mike & Robyn Nash from the US
Dave & Lorraine Meaker from Egypt
Keith & Kimberley West, from Lake Pointe
Missions
Steve Flippo’s team from the US who
challenged the ladies at devotions
Once a year a group of Missionary Kids get together to travel to different parts of the world,
e.g. Nepal, Ethiopia, Mexico and China. This year twenty-two of them spent a few weeks in Port
Shepstone and surrounds under the leadership of Dan Ryder & Julie Wickes. We were
privileged to have them spend a day at Khula crèche. How exciting to meet MK’s from China,
Japan, Russia, Bulgaria, Slovenia, Argentina, Hungary, Thailand, France, Singapore, Italy,
Nigeria, Kenya, USA, Mexico, Zimbabwe….(I think that’s all !!)
“Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young,
but set an example for the believers, in speech, in life, in love,
in faith and in purity.” 1 Timothy 4:12
A touching story from Jacob Wray, a 17 year old scholar from Lake Pointe
Church, Texas, USA, who initiated the hope of raising of US $5 000 for a
borehole…and eventually raised
US $15 000!! Our borehole is affectionately named “Jacob‟s Well”. Here‟s his
story.
“I had the opportunity to serve in South Africa in June 2008 and my life was forever changed.
Our mission team was waiting in Johannesburg for our flight home. We couldn‟t help but speak in
awe of all God was doing in South Africa. We had spent the week surrounded by countless
brothers and sisters in Christ actively affecting the Kingdom. There was an excitement to being
a Christian, tangible ways to share Christ by mimicking His compassion. It was out of this
realisation that the Lord convicted me that action was necessary.
I linked up with Janine Dillow and Ken Hickman of Themba Foundation and we began brainstorming. We decided to investigate where the greatest need was in KwaZulu Natal and the
need for clean water at Khula was brought up. Once a well was discussed the Lord really united
us all and confirmed this was where our faith could be put in action.
We decided to sell T-shirts and items from the Hospice culminating in a fundraiser dinner in the
month of December. We would sell items during school and at the youth group at Church. After
asking the principal and gaining permission we began fundraising. Our first week of selling was
met with tremendous support. I would sell T-shirts during lunch and was close to selling out in 5
days. Several students in our church volunteered to sell T-shirts at their schools and pretty
soon we were ordering 4 times more T-shirts by our second week. It looked like we would raise
all the funds by month end.
Then the sales dried up…..and we faced many challenges: We had planned a fundraising dinner in
December for 150 people and only a dozen tickets had been sold! I regret to say my doubts
became my unbelief. I thought this project was too vast, the details too many, and the sum too
great for even the God of Heaven to accomplish! I did receive incredible support in the weeks
leading up to the dinner (we sold more T-shorts and sold enough tickets to offset the debt) but
still a profit was nowhere to be seen.
Shame on me for my doubt and disbelief! As the weeks passed I got periodic calls from the
Themba Foundation as they received amounts of money. The total began to rise. Then suddenly,
one month later, we had raised all the funds and thousands extra! I still remember that phone
call, the excitement on the other end and my inability to say nothing but “Wow!”
I remember the tears of shame for doubting our God. Our God is bigger than we can imagine and
more powerful than we can ever fathom.
The following summer I had the pleasure to get to see the well after it was capped. The whole
mission team gathered around the well and joined me in prayer. Several of the people on the
team had volunteered in the fundraising process and it was a joy to have their company around
the well. It was incredible to be kneeling on a physical reminder of God‟s power to provide. If it
were up to me, that well wouldn‟t be there. The well is there because God wanted it to be there,
despite me.
The Lord opened my eyes to the amazing work He is accomplishing and the invitation for all of us
to take part in. I received just a glimpse of what the Church can accomplish and have been daily
blown away at the extent to which God takes our humble actions of obedience and multiplies
them exponentially for His glory.”
There’s a work for Jesus ready at your hand,
‘Tis a task the Master just for you has planned.
Haste to do His bidding, yield Him service true;
There’s a work for Jesus, none but you can do.
Thank you to all our sponsors. We appreciate you
keeping this vision alive for the community. Khula
is totally dependent on donations.
Our gratitude to Peter and Relindis Stark and Zulu Aids Hilfe.e.V from
Germany is immeasurable. I asked Peter to write a few words.
“When we were young and pretty we lived for four years in Pretoria and we fell in love with South
Africa, its nature and people. After that we visited South Africa quite often on business or
vacation. Eight years ago, when we retired, we bought a house on the South Coast and we live here
six months of the year.
Our life is good and we are healthy….but we saw how difficult life is in the rural areas, so we
decided to give something back and support children who suffer and need our care. In 2006 we
founded, in Germany, an association called “Zulu Aids Hilfe e.V” and started raising money. At
present about 150 people support us. Thanks to all of them, especially to our friend Siegfried
Fricker! Together with Genesis we started the Khula Community Centre in May 2010. While in
Germany we continue to raise money, and while in South Africa we support our friends at Khula.
It is not easy, but what has been achieved during the past four years is like a miracle. We
appreciate the progress made so far, but as we are from Europe, we sometimes would like to see
things happen even faster! But the smile on the faces of the kids is our reward for our efforts
and makes us happy.”
Health Post & Dentist
A very ill, young lady was brought to Khula Clinic
in a wheelbarrow, too sick to walk. Thanks to the
persistence of the nurses at the Clinic, an
ambulance from Murchison came to fetch her.
We don‟t know what would have happened if the
ambulance hadn‟t responded.
Fifteen crèche children who got permission from
their parents to have their teeth checked, were
attended to by Dr Zakkiya Hagad. They were
issued with dental packs sponsored by Dr Mike &
Carla Fisher from Lake Pointe. Treasure, the
dental assistant, made visiting the dentist great
fun for the kids!
Widows & Orphans
Vince is doing a great job, visiting the very needy
folk every Friday. Vince writes: The food
ministry is so helpful to the families; some are
starting to draw nearer to God and saying
“finally God has heard my prayers”
Community GardensTim writes: The participants continue to
produce sufficient vegetables to meet their own
domestic needs with surplus for sale to the local
community. Thanks to the support of Lake Eland
Game Park the participants have earned a
reasonable income this month from the sale of
lettuce and parsley. When the rains come we look
forward to being able to plant the seed that was
generously supplied by McDonalds Seeds.
In an effort to encourage the participants to
become entrepreneurs we have established a
source of soap that they have been able to sell
to the local community so providing a significant
income.
Skills – Khula crafts (KHA- Khula Hlhangaisa
Amakozikazi or Khula fellowship ladies)
Luzia writes: The crafts project at Khula
started two months ago with local woman in the
Mahlabathni area and looking back, we are
grateful to see the woman of KHA have
progressed. From the novices that started the
project, we identified those who have shown the
ability to do bead work as well as those who have
the potential to improve. We experience a
willingness and enthusiasm among the woman
that give us hope that great thing lie ahead for
us. Christine and four of the woman have taken
the lead and are patiently teaching the other in
basics and beading. We also have combined some
sewing with the beading in making pot holders
from shoulder pads we covered with fabric. We
gave the woman carte blanche and were
pleasantly surprised at the initiative they have
shown to produce lovely pot holders.
We strive to give the woman an opportunity to
develop their talents and give them confidence in
their work and the freedom to create. We have
planned to combine the sewing and the bead work
in more articles that can be sold on the open
market so that they can earn an income. The
planning of these articles will take place at a
meeting with the committee o 20 October. We
thank God for giving us the heart and
opportunity for this work and qualifying us in
doing it!
Prayer Points
Thanks to your prayers, the Lord is answering
and we are seeing a hunger for the Word and
spiritual growth amongst the staff. This in turn
has an impact on the community.
As always, we ask for your prayers for
 Continued spiritual growth of the staff
and children
 God‟s protection over the crèche, families
and the whole community
 Nativity/Graduation on the 29th November
for our four year olds who are going to
Enxolobeni Primary School next year
Our aim at Khula is to show:
KHULA -
Kindness to our fellowmen
Help through sponsorship
Upliftment of the community
Love through Jesus Christ
All working together
Again, we thank Pastor Joseph, the Committee and Greg, our teachers and
cooks, and the admin staff at Genesis for their dedication and hard work.
“What
good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no
deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without
clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, “Go, I wish you well;
keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about his physical needs, what
good is it?” (James 2 :14-16)
A Special thanks to Annabel and Gaz for their help with the
compilation of this newsletter.
God Bless
Ally