South Africa Trip

I havent blogged in ages. I am taking a City & Guilds online course in patchwork and quilting ( www.lindseytomsquilts.wordpress.com )  and that, together with my church work and travelling into London to look after Eugene on Mondays, just takes up my days.

But we have just returned from visiting our eldest daughter and family in South Africa and I would love to share our trip with you.

We hadnt seen our daughter for three years nor our son in law and grandsons for over five years and we hadnt met the youngest so a visit was well over due. 

They work as missionaries and have adopted their boys. They work with the homeless and sex workers in Durban. 

Our trip was amazing, so lovely to see them all and to get involved with the ministry that they are part of.

We arrived on the Wednesday afternoon and went straight into ministry work the following morning at 8.30am. The team meet on the sea front to rake and clean the beach. The purpose of this is to eventually employ homeless people to do this work and therefore help them out of the never ending circle of begging, receiving just enough for a night in the homeless shelter, or not, if they dont raise enough money and then begging again the following day.

Although our family have been in SA and working with orphans and homeless for nearly thirteen years, this ministry is in its early days. This work of cleaning the beach is attracting lots of attention and people are really encouraged with what the team are doing. The weather was hot, about 30 degrees and a number of homeless join the team a few mornings a week to carry this out.I will post more soon :)

COP17.....Street Kids

At this time  COP17 climate change talks, are taking place in Durban, South Africa. I had never heard of COP17 until my daughter mentioned it. This is what I have found about it....

'Essentially it is a political meeting; a negotiating forum. Most world governments have accepted the scientific evidence that global warming is happening, mainly as a result of humans burning fossil fuels that produce greenhouse gases. COP17 is the 17th annual meeting when world governments get together to negotiate tackling climate change. COP stands for Conference of the Parties, the parties being the 195 nations that signed the United Nations Convention on Climate Change.'

I am sure this is interesting to some...but at this moment my thoughts are on something else that my daughter has told me about that is going on in Durban as a result of this conference.

Street children, some very young, who have found themselves orphaned or abandoned or who have simply run away from a life of horror, have now been 'kidnapped' by the police, driven out into the bush and left there. Why? Below is a quote from a SA newspaper which will explain.

'The paper quoted the city's metro police spokesman Eugene Msomi saying all begging streetchildren and adults would be rounded up because they mugged tourists.

"We often remove them from the streets when there are big events like the World Cup and major conferences, because some of them mug tourists and damage the image of the country," he said."You find that tourists are unfamiliar with the area and would be intimidated and even mugged by these street beggars."The United Nations Climate Change conference (COP17) will be held at Durban's Inkosi Albert Luthuli convention centre from November 28 to December 9. The conference is expected to attract 20 000 delegates.'

When ever my daughter is able, she drives down to the city and visits a homeless shelter. She said many of the children who live there have been taken away and this happens each time something big happens in the city. She posted about this on Facebook and her friend in Denmark who said the COP17 is huge in her country, contacted the News program who in turn called my daughter in SA and interviewed her live on the radio today. Hopefully this will bring to light what is happening. What is the point in being concerned about the environment if we cant show love and concern for those for whom it was created ?

Family

Our family from South Africa have arrived and the rest are arriving this evening...not much time to post but I thought I would add these great photos. A photographer friend of theirs in SA did a lovely photo shoot of the family on the farm where they live and work with orphans....thought you may like to take a look at a sample of them

Prayer Request

I am sending out a prayer request. As most of you readers will know, my eldest daughter and her husband are missionaries in South Africa. www.project-o.org.za  They support and build homes for children who have been orphaned through HIV/Aids. Finances are always a constant battle. But we know from past experience God always comes through for them. At the moment  they are having vehicle problems (this is a regular prayer request)...they are either breaking down or in this case the monthly installments are stacking up!

Hebrews 11:1 says

'Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen'

Keith Hudson says " The few who are willing to stand in the gap praying will make the difference between and battle won and a battle lost"

Thank you for standing with us!

Thank You Helen!

On Saturday morning my daughter arrived from South Africa, her and her husband have set up and run a charity called http://www.projecto.org.za/ working with children orphaned through AIDS in the Zulu community of Kwa Zulu Natal. Also arriving on Saturday, all the way from Australia,  was my prize from Helen at Aunty Henny's  

http://auntyhennys.blogspot.com/2010/11/i-picked-winner.html

This is beautiful and I am amazed at the handiwork...thank you Helen!

When I opened it and showed it to my daughter she said "Zandile would love that!" Zandile is one of their staff members in South Africa, she has worked with them for a few years and at the moment she is the only Zulu staff member so they rely on her for translating as well as visiting the children with them. So as I know that Martin & Vashti have a low income I said she could take my prize back and give it to Zandile for Christmas. As much as I love my prize and would like to keep it I know that Zandile will treasure it.(I am keeping the calendar as a reminder!)

So Helen be assured that your gift will be treasured twice and is going to a very worthy home. Thank you again!

My beautiful prize

Zandile and one of the orphans

Some of what this trip is all about

'Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.'

James 1:27

Yesterday we took a trip to a valley in Kwa Zulu Natal, to see the Project O house,

www.project-o.org.za this has been built for orphans to live in and a familyof 5 brothers and their GoGo (grandmother) have moved in. It was an amazing drive and great to see the house finally finished and lived in. Later we drove to what seemed like the top of the world, up a dirt road driving up and up into the hills to see where the next house will be built together with a pre school. Some of the team went out on the quad bikes to deliver food to orphans living in other huts and shacks in the community. We also visited a local school and I will post photos of those another day.

Project O Visitors Programme

Project O is an amazing charity, they work with children and families in Kwa Zulu Natal, South Africa. The children have been orphaned through HIV/Aids. You can check out their website www.project-o.org and get the latest news at their blog As the blog says anyone can visit no matter what their age is. To work alongside these people and to get to visit and care for these families is a geat privilege, we are planning our second trip this summer.

Literally a Lifeline

Check out my daughter's new blog telling about their work in South Africa

http://literallyalifeline.blogspot.com/

BBC Documentary

I just realised that I could add this clip to my blog, it is a BBC documentary of my daughter and her husband in South Africa. It was filmed a couple of years ago and the BBC are in the process of doing an update, but I though I would post it anyway.They have completed building their first orphans house and have also just set up a feeding programme in a local school. Please click on the link below to watch the short clip.

BBC Documentary

Launch of the first Orphans House

Yesterday saw the launch of Project O's first zero carbon footprint, 100% self sufficient orphans home.There is a wind turbine to generate electricity. Two of President Jacob Zuma's daughters arrived to help with the launch. A cow was slaughtered and barbiqued and lots of vistors and television camara's were there too. A helicoptor was there to take guests and very important little boys up and over the valley for a better view.

The house

Zulu dancers

Our daughter and some guests

The village chief, Gugu Zuma and Martin our SIL

One of the quad bikes which are used to deliver food and clothing to the orphans living in remote areas

Check out the handbags!

I thought I would add a post about my daughter and her family, as I have mentioned before they are missionaries in South Africa, The work is tough but rewarding. A couple of years ago they were held up at gunpoint just after carrying out a kids club in one of the townships. They were unhurt but had lots of equipment taken and were quite shook up as they also had Joseph with them and lots of children from the township. Well since their visit to us and return home in July, their staff members and a group of volunteers have been held up again and everything taken including their 4x4. It happened in the same township but a different area, they have now decided not to return to that township. Alongside the kids clubs that they run in a number of areas they are also building homes for children orphaned through HIV/Aids. Below are some photo's, the top one taken at a wedding while in the UK, the other two of their first house, firstly you can see its roof peeping out above the trees and then there is one of the beautiful thatched roof. These photo's are the most recent that I have but I know the house is very near completion. They are also working down in the town of Durban with homeless people and prostitutes. They have an amazing property where they live, rented out to them to run their work from. People can go and visit and work alongside them. God has been consistently faithful to them.

Please pray for them as they carry out the work that God has called them to.

www.project-o.org