What a year it has been, it started out so well with an awesome visit to you guys, but when I got home, it was down hill from there.
Firstly most of my e mails I sent out did not get to the various recipients. I carried on in ignorant bliss until Paul pointed out that he did not receive anything from me in a long time.So I apologize now if you never received an e mail from me, I am going to go through past e mails and redo then. I will attempt to summarize the year so far.
Helping Hands (Feeding of the children with dread diseases)
Feeding of these kids always brings a joy. To see them running around and being naughty and full of fun brings tears of joy to my eyes. These kids are doing well in school and have a chance of making something of them selves. We have had a few teams here and they have heard the Gospel but they have experienced God's love in action because of Nashville Rd. Of course there is the negative side too, earlier this year we had just delivered the food and later that night someone broke in and stole all the food. We made a plan and put a security gate on the hut and bought more food. It just made me mad that people will steal from these children.
The children are so looking forward to seeing some of you guys next year.
This ministry supplies sanitary towels to 36 girls and food to children from very poor families. These girls that are receiving the sanitary towels are doing super well. They are currently writing their year end exams all look like passing again. We want to expand this ministry next year and see if we can help many more girls. These girls are not only helped physically but also Spiritually. Nashville Rd, have stepped in and helped when ever money runs out one lady (who does not want to be named) also donated to this project. Nashville Rd will help out this December.
Nashville Rd helps this awesome lady of 62 help feed the mentally ill and people with full blown aids. About 2 years ago the mental institution was closed down and the authorities gave the patients back to their families and gave the families a grant. The families spend the money on themselves and not on who the money was intended for. Nozi looks after about 30 - 50 people. Nozi often takes abuse from her neighbors because they want her to feed the people elsewhere. It was at this project that I had stones thrown at me and a guy attacked me with a pick axe handle.
Olive Trees
This is turning out to be a challenge. We are really battling here. We ordered 60 olive trees to start and the supplier did not have stock. They promised to deliver in the next week. As yet the trees have not been delivered. This is one of the huge frustrations I go through. It took us 3 years just to get the pump into St. Francis Center. I will keep you updated.
In October we brought 2 of the leaders from Beaufort West to Cape Town to take part in a leadership development seminar. They spent 3 days with leaders from around the Western Cape (26 in total). The trainers came in from California. Next year we will launch what we call Skype Leadership Development School. This will enable us to hold leadership development training in Beaufort West and the trainer can be anywhere in the world. Pastor Darren you will be able to help us train if you want to or anyone else you think will want too.
We are still having a hard time trying to minister at the truck stop where the prostitutes hang out. The truck drivers hid inside the stops and we are not allowed in. We try to encourage the ladies not to enter but we can't offer them an alternative way to earn money. We have seen kids as young as 10 go in and out of the truck stops. This is also the place that children are brought to be trafficked out of South Africa. This is heart breaking. But we continue to ask Jesus for his solution.
The Trash Dump
This last trip to the trash dump broke my heart and has left me very down. Here I feel so helpless. We feed the people here once a week if we can get transport to the dump. Rudi and his family have to rely on others to transport them and the food to the dump. When I am there I transport them. This trip was particularly depressing because the local Christians are trying to stop the feeding of the people on the dump. They want the people to come back into town. This policy has not worked in the last 6 years, why is it going to work now. There is no work and these people feel like the dregs of society and outcasts. They don't feel wanted. It really hurts to talk to these wonderfully soft people. To see the babies crawling in the smoke amongst the trash reduced me to a sobbing wreck. I left there and did not ever want to go back. A huge thank you to Sammy for the e mail of encouragement, it really helped. I want to put a sea container at the dump, with a kitchen and shower, I dream of a preschool in a container there too. With doctors going through to check on these people. I feel so helpless here. I am begging God for answers for this ministry
Straight from Beaufort West into the army. Here God was so good to me. We had to go for our routine medicals and while I was there things went blurry and I could not see to well. By God's grace I surrounded by medic's and doctors. I spent 2 days going through a battery of tests, my blood pressure and pulse rate where so high they thought my heart was going to explode. At the end of all the tests they could not find anything wrong or any damaged caused. They suspect I had a Transient Ischemic Attack. Jesus is so good because if I had of been out of the army, this would have cost me so much money but because I was in the army it was free of charge. I was able to take part in the Remembrance day parade. I got to preach 3 times in one day.
Thank you again for walking with me in this ministry. I praise Jesus for you because I could not make it on my own. My family praise Jesus with me for you guys. If you could join us in prayer for an office and storeroom because I have a lady who has volunteered to help with admin which would talk a lot of pressure off.
May Jesus bless you all in abundance and we are praying for you all
Pierre
