Thank you volunteers

July 2, 2008
Thank you volunteers.

It is always a double blessing when others appreciate and enjoy the work you do. Here in Cape Town, many volunteers come to work in a variety of ministries and projects and we get our fair share at Living Hope. I depend on these overseas visitors to buy some of the bags the women and men make and last week, they not only purchased bags, but helped to decorate the room for the business launch. Thank you (l-r) Rebecca Frank, Minnesota; Betsy Brown, Florida; Rebekah Shank, Canada and Jeff Venable, Tennessee. Below,Rebekah shows her joy in her new bag. These mission minded young people make a difference in the work they do here and no doubt, will impact the lives of their familes and friends amd churches because of what they have experienced in Cape Town.

New Beginnings

Monday June 30, 208
Last Friday began a new chapter in the lives of nine women and two men who have formed the core of the sewers of the African print cloth tote bags. I had the privilege of handing out checks that represent their loans to help them start their new business venture. Using the money they have been loaned, they will own their segment of the bags business and can also branch out into other ventures. I am deeply thankful for the Living Way team that has made this next step possible. Led by South African, Richard Lundie, and Mike and Pam Talley from the Brentwood Baptist Church, Nashville, TN, Living Way is the brainchild of Living Hope founder John Thomas who was inspired to organize a new economic ministry, in part because of the work of Evangeline Ministries. It is the team that worked out a plan to make the transition from an Evangeline led venture to ownership by these workers. However, Evangeline Ministries will still be there to help them financially and also to purchase bags to help them get off to a good start. It is winter now and sales are slow but we have great expectations for the summer months when tourists flock to Cape Town. We are all so proud and in the photo, you see me handing out the laminated keepsake check to Siszwe as Richard looks on. It was a day they or I will not forget as it represented a wonderful sense of achievement of what we have accomplished in the last two and a half years. God has led us and we know there are even more exciting days ahead.

A Trip to the Eastern Cape

June 26, 2008
Since almost all of the people with whom I work come from the Eastern Cape,I wanted to see for myself what it was like and why so many people leave there to come to the Western Cape. After 18 hours on the Greyhound bus, (the seats were comfortable) I arrived in King Williams Town and was greeted by some friends I met last year. I spent a weekend there and enjoyed the fellowship of my friends and their church. Yes, there are significant differences. For one thing, I was now looking at the calm waters of the Indian Ocean rather than the unpredictable Atlantic to which I have grown accustomed. For the most part however, the places from which the women and men Evangeline Ministries serve come from poor, rural areas where they eke out a living from the land or as subsistence farmers with goats, cows and sheep. On Sunday morning, I walked down a dirt road to the small church where I worshipped among people with so little. It seemed to me that all the effort and planning and money is in the Western Cape with little left for their Eastern cousins. And yet, the Eastern Cape has it attractions. It is a place of gentle beauty where the hills do not dominate the sky the way it does in the West. There is a sense of peace as you stand and look at the farms. Goods are less expensive, although they too are seeing a rise in food prices, and there is so much less crime. Yes, you can still leave your doors unlocked, at least in the home where I stayed. One image stands out for me. That Sunday morning I watched as my host pastor carefully shined his shoes. As we travelled down the muddy road, up the hill to the church, I stepped carefully to avoid getting too much mud on my shoes, all the while thinking about the lesson I learned from that pastor. Even for a poor church, in the middle of a muddy field, it was important to be our best because Jesus was there. This is what I continue to learn, wherever I am, Jesus is there and I must give my best.

A big step forward

June 16, 2008
Today is a holiday in South Africa. Youth Day celebrates the protests of young people who marched in 1976against what was described as Bantu education that tried to force them to be educated in Afrikaans rather than their native languages. Today President Mbeki said it is education and personal skills , school college and university that are criticallly important. It is a sad fact that all of the people with whom I work suffer because they have had little or no formal education, and therefore limited personal skills. But we ae here in the name of the Lord to make a difference. Last Friday, the sewing group signed up for their personal savings plan to help them put away some money to either grow their business or save for a home. I was moved by the laughter and joy with which they discused this new step. For almost all of them this was their first experience. Here three of them huddle over their new savings books. One woman told me, "I have never saved money before. I joined so it can help me"I praise God for all He has done and continues to do as we work to build personal skills among those who can truly be described as "the least of these."

A Beautiful Land

June 12, 2008
Recently I had travelled with some of my family to do something I have always longed for. We went on a safari and I enjoyed every minute of it, especially the one time I got too close to the elephants. Soon I will have some photos on our website for you to enjoy. However, as much as I delighted in tracking down the animals and had the thrill of seeing a leopard, an occurrence I hear is rare, I especially loved driving through some of the other beautiful parts of South Africa. Often, the beauty of Cape Town where I live, just takes my breath away but driving back from the Krueger National Park along the escarpment and through the Blyde River Canyon with a stop at the Kolgrade and BourkePotholes (gorges) was almost more magnificence than my limited senses can bear. Today there is much news about problems in South Africa and there are many, but this is a country blessed with so much natural loveliness. I certainly encourage you to visit.

Graduation is coming

June 11, 2008.
Well you can see from the last date of a post to this one that there has been a big gap. Yes, we were working on this website which is now finally up and running. We are still working out some glitches but I hope you will enjoy it and use it to learn more about this special work God has entrusted to us. Today I handed out the invitations for the first of two graduations we plan to have this year for our sewing and computer students. On July 8 we will celebrate with ten students who have completed the sewing course. They are busy making the dresses they plan to wear for this happy occasion. Leader Namgamso who helps them learn to sew tells me this is the best class she has had. "They are the sweetest people she says" What a compliment. At the end of our tea time today we talked about the Holy Spirit who is our Helper and Counselor and they were so engaged in this discussion. I shared with them how the Holy Spirit led me to come to South Africa and what a delight it is to know them. Iwish you could meet every one of these ladies but as you visit the website and see their pictures, you can pray for them.