Mission to South Africa 2009

Friday, May 15

Greetings from South Africa, Hopewell family and friends! Pastor Vicki here- reporting in for the team.

Where to begin?

-We bid a fond farewell to our wonderful friends at the Amaphelo (translated- ‘giving life’) Creche today. Over the course of the week, we fell in love with the children as well as the incredible staff of this little pre-school. This staff, directed by Louise Conradie (Meyer’s wife) is hard-working and committed beyond words. The kids are joy-filled and loving, winning another little piece of your heart every time they look into your eyes and smile or throw their arms around your neck. A highlight occurred on Thursday when 28 parents gathered at the school to receive some practical and basic health education from our very capable team members who are nurses. The parents were so very appreciative of the instruction and attention.

-Another good-by occurred at Aunt Suzie’s this afternoon. Aunt Suzie’s center for Elderlies is a place of warmth, energy and love- a bright spot in the often challenging reality of life for older adults in South Africa. Aunt Suzie’s charismatic, energetic and faith-filled approach to life provides encouragement and hope to these dear women (and one gentleman!). They asked us to send their love and to convey their gratitude for Hopewell’s ongoing support of this incredible ministry.

- Maria’s house: as of 5:00 pm today (Friday), more than half of the roof is on and the goal is to complete it tomorrow on our last work day. Additionally, the VERY long and deep trench is dug for the plumbing and the PVC piping should be installed on Saturday, as well. The progress has been incredible, to say the very least.

-The first home in Hope Village is a reality!! The walls (constructed of the bricks made by the Hope Village Brick Company) are moving up and up to the point that we’ll need a scaffold to continue work tomorrow. Sannah, who will be the first resident, was honored at a celebration dinner Tuesday evening and today she saw the beginnings of her soon-to-be home. She is guardian of six children who will reside with her once the house is completed. Sannah works in the leather goods factory that is a part of the Village.

So, Sunday will be our last day in this beloved country. We’ll start the day with early worship at Potchefstroom Methodist Church then head to Sparrow Village en-route to the airport. Your prayers for the journey home are coveted, for sure.

Oh, there is so much more to share and so much emotion that cannot be adequately communicated in this writing. At every turn, our hearts are broken, then uplifted. But thru it all, God’s hand in it all is so very evident. I must tell you that this team of missionaries- Hopewell and friends- is a combination of folks who love the Lord deeply and are sharing that love in this service to His people. It is wonderful to witness the bonds and fellowship that have been born of this time together. Surely God ordained this combination of followers to do this specific work for this place and time.

Our time here is coming to an end! The group is scheduled to arrive at Dulles Airport at 6:00 a.m. Monday morning. If all goes well, the team should be back to Hopewell by 10:00 a.m. If you’re able, please be there to welcome them warmly.

Wednesday, May 13

Hello Friends ~

Here’s an update on the progress and work of our Hopewell South Africa travelers.

Tuesday: Our group moved in three different directions for the day – Maria’s home, Hope Village, and the Amaphelo Creche. The team at Maria’s house finished the brick work in order to prepare for the installation of the roof. They continued plastering the interior walls. The team at Hope Village laid the very first bricks for the first Hope Village house! The folks who served at Amaphelo were blessed by the love, joy and beauty of the children. A small group left right after lunch to teach a Bible class at the Promosa Primary School. In the evening, we attended a celebration dinner event for the Hope Village project. It was a beautiful night of giving thanks to God for all He has done.

Wednesday: Our entire group started the day with a visit to Aunt Suzie to see the work that had been accomplished by last year’s group and meet the ladies (and one gentleman) at the center. After a joyous welcome and an enthusiastic tour around the building, Aunt Suzie escorted us into a squatter camp of Ikageng to visit two homebound families. It was difficult to see the immense amount of human suffering in this place – but we are encouraged by Aunt Suzie’s commitment to serve the people of this community. We then dispersed to our three work sites. The Hope Village team continued to lay brick and ended the day with the walls about waist high. The team at Maria’s house dug a trench for the plumbing to connect to the sewer, continued with spackling, and purchased materials for the roof. Another team served at Amaphelo Creche and the children have been thoroughly enjoying the attention and love. Our team at Promosa Primary school led another Bible study for a class of 45 4th graders.

Thank you for your continued prayers for this team. We are simply in awe of the miracles God is performing here in our midst and are so thankful for this opportunity to serve him in South Africa.

In Christ,
South Africa Travelers

Monday, May 11

Dear Friends,

Greetings from beautiful South Africa!! It's late Monday evening here (6 hours ahead of you) and we're winding down from a long, but very good day. Let us give you an update on our progress and activity thus far:

Saturday: one team worked on Maria's home and made great progress- the interior brick walls were sanded and we started the 'plastering' of those walls. Beyond that, we had a wonderful time playing in the street with lots of children, making many new friends. At Hope Village, another hard working team prepared the foundation for THE FIRST HOUSE. What a joy!

Sunday: the group attended the most spirit-filled worship at the local Methodist Church. We then boarded our bus to head to the game park at Pilanesburg where we saw God's great creation at its finest. What a blessing!

Monday: a travel day, with a little stop at an African market and lots of traffic in the mix. After our devotion time this evening, we're headed to bed to get rested for the resumption of our work tomorrow.

We're having some trouble with e-mail communication at this point, so we haven't updated Jen's blog. Stay tuned as we attempt to get our technology in place!

There's so much going on here that it's impossible to sum it up briefly. Let it be said that we see the hand of God at every turn, in so many ways. We are well and feel your prayers being lifted up for us across the miles. Thank you so much. We'll be back in touch in a couple of days.

In Christ
S.A. Travelers