Visitors

I have visitors! My mom and my aunt, Anne, arrived on Monday night. They will be staying with me in South Africa until October 30th. I am soooooo excited that they are here. (Thank you, Lord, for bringing my family here safely.) I can't wait for them to see what my Cape Town life is all about. They have already toured Living Hope's facilities and today was their first official volunteer day (painting today and tomorrow, and next week they will be working at the homeless shelter and kids' clubs). I'm also eager for them to see the full beauty of this country. Needless to say, the next two weeks will be jam-packed with days-o-fun. Yippeee!!!

Ps. I'm always open for more visitors...

Helicopter Tour

Yesterday was my boyfriend’s birthday (“yes”, I have a boyfriend). In celebration, we took a helicopter tour of Cape Town. It was so awesome!!! The flight lasted 30 minutes, and boy did we have a great time. We even saw his house and the Baatjes home (which is where I'm currently living). Oh yeah, and the coolest part for me was when we went over the ocean and saw two huge whales swimming together. Nothing like having a bird’s eye view of that! The one downfall was that I got a little bit of motion sickness (go figure). But to be quite honest, it was all worth it. Good times were had!
Ps. God is good!

"The Eve Project"

Recently, I’ve been working on a campaign called “The Eve Project”. Please read below for more information.

The prevention ministries at Living Hope include girls’ clubs that are led by trained life skills educators. These educators have identified a need in their communities for feminine hygiene products. Many families cannot afford to buy these products. Without feminine protection, many young women do not attend school during their menstrual cycle. This results in the young women missing up to five days of school every month (and ultimately some drop out of school). There is a great need for a consistent supply of products to be distributed within communities. Having access to such products will ensure that the young women can attend school regularly and obtain the education that is so important for their future.

The aim of “The Eve Project” campaign is to partner with churches internationally to raise financial support, and to team up with local churches, schools and organizations to provide feminine hygiene products. We’re asking that when women buy a package of feminine products for their own use, that they purchase a second package for Living Hope’s “Eve Project”. All donations will be collected on a monthly basis and delivered to those in need.

Please feel free to email me if you have any questions or would like to get involved with “The Eve Project”.

Whale Watching

Wednesday, September 24th was a national holiday for South Africa called Heritage Day. My friend, Brenda, and I decided to take a day trip to Hermanus. Hermanus is considered the best land-based whale-watching destination in the world. And it just so happened that the day we visited Hermanus was the opening day of their Whale Festival. How super cool!

We spent the day touring the town, visiting the shops and activity tents, and of course “ooohing” and “aaawwwing” at the spectacular whale sightings. The peak viewing season is October and November as whales come into shore to calve. I can’t explain how beautiful it was to see these humongous yet graceful creatures jump out of the water and return with a huge splash. I tried my best to capture it on film, but my photos just don’t do the experience justice.

(I’ve also seen whales along the coast as I drive to my project site in Red Hill. God is so good to grace us with such a stunning show.)

Khumi's Story

I thought it would be a good idea to share a "real life" story from our Living Way ministry. Below is a feature on Khumi. She is such a remarkable woman!

Khumi’s Story

In 2006, Khumi Morare arrived at the Living Hope Health Care Center in critical condition from the HIV virus. She was alone in Cape Town with her twin babies. Her health was deteriorating and she had no job to provide an income. Khumi’s future looked bleak.

Slowly but surely, Khumi was nursed back to health by the staff at the health care center. As she gained physical wellness, she looked to restore other areas of her life. Khumi’s driving force was her two children, who had been placed in foster care during her recovery. She was determined to regain custody and to make a better life for her family.

Khumi enrolled in Living Hope’s first-ever sewing class, run by Evangeline Ministries. She was a quick and motivated learner. Her efforts soon paid off as she began to manufacture and sell African animal tote print bags. These bags provided a sustainable income. Khumi earned enough money to take care of her children, and with the help of friends she was able to purchase and furnish a shack. Her new life was beginning; a life full of hope.

Khumi attended Living Way’s entrepreneurial training course and was appointed the distributor of the African tote bag making business. Through a process of micro-loans, Khumi and seven other graduates of the sewing classes formed their own micro-businesses. These businesses operate on a weekly cycle. Material is purchased from Khumi and finished products are then sold back to her. Each week these men and women grow their businesses by developing capital for future jobs. They are each independent business owners, and can expand their product line to serve the needs of their communities.

Khumi continues to be a beacon of courage and motivation to those she encounters.

www.livingway.co.za

New Occurrences

Oh wow, there have been so many changes taking place lately.

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

In The News: Pastor John Thomas and President Bush

An article was published in the community newspaper regarding a meeting with John Thomas and President Bush. I've been meaning to share it with you as I believe it shows the magnitude of Living Hope's efforts and the respect that this organization recieves worldwide. I've summarized the article below.

Reverend John Thomas, founder of Living Hope, met with US President George Bush in his Oval Office at the White House on Thursday, July 15th.

The United States President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) funds about half of the running costs of Living Hope and Mr. Bush was keen to meet Mr. Thomas. Living Hope is the only church-based charity which is funded by Pepfar. Mr. Thomas said, "I thanked President Bush for his vision in creating Pepfar and I said that I believe it would be his lasting legacy". Pastor John encouraged him to consider setting up a foundation which would continue the work of faith-based organizations, particularly Christian organizations, which would empower the church to reach out further with less political interference. "He responded very warmly to that."

John told Mr. Bush about Living Hope's strategy of reaching one child at a time and about the enormous problem of vulnerable children - from age three upward - being sexually active. He also spoke about how "Aids is rooted in poverty and that we have to deal effectively with poverty and morality."

At their parting, President Bush said that "it was his desire to come and visit the Fish Hoek Baptist Church and Living Hope after his presidency."