Our watchword as Hands at Work this year is “May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity amongst yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus.” Romans 15:5 (NIV84). As I look back on how God has moved through our lives this year, it is so true. We have faced challenges in our personal lives and in our work, but through them all, God has unified us stronger together as a body of Christ and we are moving forward in that sense of togetherness into 2017.
Responding to the drought crisis has been a major focus for Hands this year and I want to thank all of you who have taken this on personally to respond by prayer and/or giving. In the past couple of months, we have started to see a little rain but nowhere near the level needed to fill dry rivers or lakes yet. So please join with us in praying for more rain, especially in Swaziland and Mozambique.
At the end of November, we had my parents come to visit for a week. It was a great time of catching up, getting out to some communities and even planting a vegetable garden. One day, we drove out to a community called Sommerset, we had the opportunity to go on home visits with a Care Worker named Fatima. We visited two homes but I want to tell you the story of Simon. He is 14 years old and lives with his gogo and 2 brothers. Until recently, the family were living in a very small tin shack with all their possessions and the four of them sleeping in and amongst all the stuff. But in the past few months, a new house has been built for them with two rooms, so they can sleep in separate rooms and store their possessions in the tiny shack outside. They were all very happy as they told us about their new home. The eldest brother had finished school but like his brothers does not have an ID, so cannot officially graduate. The family moved from Mozambique when the boys were very young and so do not have South African IDs. Without these, they cannot get their school results even though they have taken the exams. This makes it almost impossible to get a job. The only work the eldest brother has been able to find is a few small building jobs in the community.
Simon is very bright and creative. He was eager to take pictures with Morgan’s camera and we were impressed with the level of natural skill he had. But this made it even more heart-breaking to know that he will not be able to officially graduate until he gets his ID papers. This situation is not unique to this family, so many children have this exact same story across many of our communities. We are committed to speaking up for them and advocating on their behalf.
On the Friday of my parent’s visit, we joined the RST (Regional Support Team) and Service Centre team in one of our communities called Zwelisha. The RST and SC team were finishing a week long workshop called a Maranatha workshop. Throughout the week, the Care Givers (of our children) and the children themselves have their eyes opened to who Jesus really is. Many of our local community churches preach about a Jesus who blesses those who give to the church. But during this workshop, the focus is on Jesus connecting with us in love and walking alongside us even with our sinful natures. As a result of this, many issues arise and children and gogos are able to share deep personal things which otherwise would have never been heard. It gives a freedom to people who do not have a place to share openly about their struggles in a safe environment. We joined for the last day, which is the day of testimonies so we were able to hear how God had been working through many people throughout the week. It was amazing to see the joy in children and gogo’s faces as they shared about burdens being lifted. After the workshop finished, we had the opportunity to hang out at the care point and play with the kids. My mum even got to play a bit of netball with some of the girls.
A few days ago, we had our latest baby scan. The baby is all well and healthy and growing strong. One of the scans we had, our doctor gave us the measurements of a few different key indicators, one being the leg bone. We can already tell our baby is going to be tall. No surprise there! We want to thank all of you who have sent us encouraging messages.
Lastly, Morgan’s parents are joining us for Christmas this year in South Africa. It will be great to spend time with them and experience their first African Christmas. We plan to spend the time off from the office relaxing and preparing for what 2017 holds. It is going to be a very exciting year! Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and a blessed 2017!
