A Model We Love

Nosiphiwo was one of eleven Evangeline students who graduated last July 9. It was such a lovely occasion and, normally quiet in class, she sang and danced with such joy as she received her sewing machine, Bible and three certificates for English, computer and sewing work well done.

Married and the mother of three children, she has faced huge hurdles in her life . Thankfully she works for a friend of mine who values Nosipiwo's potential. Janet asked me to include her in the class and I came to love Nosiphiwo's work ethic and sense of humour. She was so afraid to get into the small ferry boat at the Cape Town harbor when we had the class visit, but she told us she asked God to help her. She hugged the Nelson Mandela statue at the Waterfront as she recognized the man who had won her freedom in South Africa. Janet is not letting her rest now. She has invested in Nosiphiwo and how excited I was when they visited me with the most beautiful of place mats and cushions that Nosiphiwo made. Janet,her mentor, has made a financial investment in her and these superbly made items are ready for sale at one of the nicest stores in town. Nosiphiwo is also sewing traditional clothes for others- all this from a new graduate. Janet has plans too for Nosiphiwo 's computer skills in her business. I am so encouraged by this model and how we need more local business or interested people like Janet to help our graduates with a hand up and not a hand out. There is much promise in this area and we are looking ahead to more opportunities for Evaneline gradutes as the year moves ahead.

Bread for Life

Bread for Life

After a break it is so good to be`back sharing this beautiful ministry through this blog. As I write, winter- an unusually mild one-is giving way to spring and the whales are strutting their stuff, playing with their babies and leaping with delight to our delight in the bay. Our class is a month

old and the learners are making good progress with their sewing. They have so much to learn to be ready for the December 3 graduation. Evangeline's program in Cape Town includes computer, sewing and English classes. This is part of the skill development we give to the students, most of whom live with HIV and AIDS. We also include a healthy lunch in the days's schedule. Once we learned how hungry the students who came to us were, we realized we needed to offer them something to eat. Along with the physical food we show them God's love and care for them and for the world as we study the Bible, the bread of life. It is always interesting for me to see the change in attitude from the time we start to the conclusion of our study time. It takes some time to cross the language barrier. Almost all speak Xhosa and the Bibles Evangeline gives are Xhosa Bibles but the study is done in English. So far they are involved in the study and

readily answer the questions asked of them. We have a varied class and this is a good challenge.