New Home - The Baatjes Family
This past weekend I moved out of Sundollar, the Bed & Breakfast that I've been staying in since my arrival in June. Ursula, a lovely woman that I work with at the Living Hope office, has opened up her home to me. I will be staying with Ursula, her husband, Clive, and their two children, Savash and Chiara.
It was a bittersweet move. As I packed up my belongings, I reflected on the past three months and thanked the Lord for the paths that I crossed during my stay at Sundollar. I said a teary "good-bye" to the other ACTS volunteers and wished them well in their adventures ahead (I will still be seeing them from time to time). I also rejoiced in the new journey that awaits me. I pray that I am a blessing onto the Baatjes family as they have already blessed me with their hospitality and friendship.
The Baatjes family
New Work Assignment - Living Way
Living Way works under the umbrella of Living Hope. It is a non-profit organization working to break the cycle of poverty through economically empowering people from under resourced communities. The HIV pandemic is fuelled by poverty and it is the poor who are overwhelmingly affected by the virus. Therefore, it is necessary to tackle poverty in order to get to the root of HIV.
There are currently four focus areas in Living Way.
1 - Community based savings groups - aimed at empowering people to manage their money through Biblical disciplines.
2 - Entrepreneurial development - aimed at raising up small business owners
3 - Job creation projects - partnering with existing jobs to employ more people and secure sustainable incomes
4 - Grassroots - training young adults in order to adjust their mindsets, moving them from a place of entitlement and apathy to an attitude of encouragement, perseverance and self worth.
Last week I participated in my first entrepreneurial training program. As I studied side-by-side with the locals and participated in classroom exercises, I not only learned more about business tactics but I also observed cultural differences between business in South Africa vs. America. I found this experience extremely interesting and I look forward to my time with Living Way.
www.livingway.co.za
3 comments:
May God continue to put you in the path of the many people who will encourage you and challenge and help you grow in your relationship with Christ.
As you enter this new phase of your journey, never doubt that God has placed you exactly where He wants you with Ursula and family (and immediately in the palm of His hand where you've been for a long time)!
Still praying daily for you and your work. It will be amazing to see and hear how much you have experienced God's love, power, and grace in your work when you return in December. Stay strong, Becky, because is going to continue to show you how to float your boat!
Correction: "Stay strong, Becky, because GOD is going to continue to show you how to float your boat!"
Thanks for the update...Always praying for you, and cannot wait for the next. Love you!
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