Where does one begin to say thank you thank you Jesus for all the incredible people He has put into my life this year. I would love to write your names down in this letter but I know you all are such humble people that you would not want me too. I really praise Jesus for you all and I mean it from the bottom of my heart that without your love and support I would not have made it through this year. I know my communications are erratic at the best of times; I really pray that I will improve in the coming year, thank you for your patience. Once again a huge thank you from my family and I.
I have been away from home for 28 weeks of this year. This year I have had fewer teams than normal but have helped many others with their planning and implementation.
I have done 14 trips to BW this year and in all honesty I feel like nothing has changed.
The positives -
ü We ran 4 Vacation Bible schools with an average of 300 kids a time.
ü We did 1 Christmas party for 309 children
ü We fed over 500 children (of which 170 of these children have one of the dread diseases), one good meal a day for 5 days a week.
ü We fed over 80 people from a HIV/Aids support group, 1 meal a day, 5 days a week.
ü We helped paint the outside of St. Francis Centre.
ü We were able to go to the trash dump 3 times to feed and minister to the adults and children. We went many other times just to befriend the people living there.
ü We bought Kentucky Fried Chicken for 50 street children and sat in the middle of the town on the sidewalk eating and talking about Jesus.
ü We helped arrange and supply soccer balls for 10 soccer tournaments during and after the world cup.
ü We ran a leadership development seminar for 27 leaders from around the world and 5 men were from Beaufort West
ü We ran a follow up training course for the BW 5.
ü Seeing 30 girls who would not have passed their grade because of not having sanitary towels, now passing and at the same time receiving the gospel and counselling every time they come to collect sanitary towels.
ü The majority of the time was spent taking donors, partners and teams around Beaufort West, meeting and spending time with pastors and NGO’s
ü My wife seeing the ministry for the first time.
ü Finding Rudi Oranje. He has been a real gem and I am looking forward to him working full time with us. Rudi also attended Leader Mundial Africa
ü We have 2 churches out of 35 working with us and 12 NGO’s. We have had a number of other NGO’s asking to work with us next year.
The negatives
Ø Being totally stumped about the trash dump.
Ø Seeing all the mentally retarded, aged and children on the streets.
Ø Seeing to many raped, murdered and abducted girls.
Ø Seeing the lack of unity amongst the churches.
Ø Putting together a function for the top 100 leaders in BW and only 5 turning up.
Ø Trying to buy bore hole pumps for St Francis Centre and not finding anyone willing to install them and to honour the warrantee. This would really be great to grow veg and fruit. We also have not been able to plant olive trees which would lead to generating funds for the various projects.
Ø One of the saddest moments for me was on my second last trip where I found out that a young girl was hacked to death and her pieces fed to dogs and then I was asked to pray with a mother whose mentally challenged daughter was abducted. While I was praying for the mother the grandfather fell in the dirt sobbing, I sat next to him and spoke to him and prayed for him, he kissed my hand. This drew a large crowd and I heard a lady say “never before had they seen a white man sit in the dirt and put his arm around a coloured man.” As sad as this was I think it has opened a door that no man could have opened – praise Jesus.
Ø The water crisis in BW is critical, but God lets it rain just enough to stop people dying of thirst but not enough to heal the land. They have tried recycling human waste but that made the children sick. They have trucked in water. They have cut water to different areas every 3 days. There was an appeal on the radio for people to drop off bottled water as they pass through. So far 30 000l has been dropped off. The land will not be healed until the people who are called by God’s name, will humble themselves and pray, turn from their wicked ways. They need to work together and acknowledge God for who He is.
Prayer Requests –
Next year we want to concentrate on the children and youth and their relationship with Jesus.
We also want to develop Godly leaders to help tackle the so many problems of BW. We need Godly leaders so that we can reach BW and the rest of the Karoo
As always we want to develop the unity in BW amongst leaders and church leaders.
The raising of prayer cells in every sub division of Beaufort West.
God’s Little Light House – We did not have much to do with this project this year. We had one team go there. We had 2 people work there for a month each and 1 person worked there for 3 days. A few churches showed interest in sending teams to GLLH, but so far nothing concrete. One of the pressing needs is a fire escape door. We have raised a third of the money, please pray for the other R3000.00.
GLLH still needs Maintaince and VBS teams.
Steinthal Children’s Home, Tulbagh – Belhar Baptist Church adopted this project and it was great to see some of the kids going home with some members of the church for Christmas. Belhar did 3 outreaches at the home. Steinthal needs VBS and Maintenance teams. We had the privilege of having Robin the director for the children’s home drive us around for the ER Christmas Parties. Robin was also part of Leader Mundial Africa
Steinthal needs VBS and Maintenance teams.
Miemie’s Soup Kitchen, Khayelitsha – This project feeds 210 children from the surrounding area of which 10 children have HIV/Aids. Miemie and Lyndi run this project so well. They know what their children need and when I arrive a the wholesaler they are waiting and all I need to do is pay. If they run out of anything one of then goes and gets a casual job to buy the food they need. The children get a Bible story and prayer before every meal. She feeds the child twice a day. She starts at 4am baking break and works the whole day. Lyndi was also at Leader Munial Africa.
Sinekona, Mpenjati, Kwa Zulu Natal – Is a community based Christian Organisation, that has a 2 prong approach to spreading the Gospel. The first prong is Palliative Home care to the locals in the village (village is spread over a large area). The community workers have a large area to cover and most times they don’t have medical supplies so they just wash and talk to the pasients. The second prong is to work with orphans and vulnerable children. They have built a little wooden hut where they feed 200 children, 56 at a time 2 meals a day. The hut is built near a school were children can walk up to 10km’s to get to school.
Prayer requests – For the finance to keep the project going. For food and medical supplies they need R15000,00 a month.
For a vehicle so that they can transport the sick to hospital, children to school and to buy food. The nearest hospital is 30km’s away and the nearest general dealer is 25km’s away.
For finance for me to go there 4 times a year to check on the project and to look for others in the area.
KZN has the highest HIV/Aids rate in South Africa and has the highest number of orphans infected and affected by HIV/Aids in South Africa.
ER Representitive – the first year was a period of finding my feet but I did enjoy getting to know the partners better and watch how God is using each partner to His glory in such diverise ministries yet each with the same goal – Jesus.
One of the highlights for me was the Christmas parties that was run by ER here in South Africa and to have so many people who are close to me on the team.
ATAIM prayer requests
Our biggest need is office and storage space. Currently we are hiring a a garage in storage land, my garage is full, my wife’s balconey and a friends storeroom.
An admin assistant.
More team facilitators to raise and help teams.
God’s hand of protection on our travels next year and us as a family.
Nicole enters senior high school
Wayne is in his last year of college and starts his apprenticeship at the end of the year, that God will really works in his life as he has to go out into the world.
For Sharon ministry at school to carry on and for the strength for the coming year.
For my diabetes, my sugar level is abnormally high even with the medication.
Our prayer is that God does not make our walk with Him easier but that He would make us stronger.
Thank you all for the e mails, support and the prayers, it meant and means so much to us and without Jesus using you guys we would not have made it.
As a family we would like to wish you all a Christ centred Christmas and may your 2011 be all you pray it to be.
Walking with Jesus together,
Pierre, Sharon, Wayne and Nicole
