We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.
Romans 12:6-8
I have a friend. A dear, sweet, generous friend named Melissa. This wonderful young lady read in my newsletters about the poverty in Ntshongweni, South Africa and wanted to glorify the name of the Lord Jesus Christ through a donation of $600.00
So, with the oppression of poverty weighing down upon the countless orphans which I have the humble privilege of working with; it didn't take very long to spend 4,800 Rand.
Say hello to Nkanyiso. Nkanyiso is an orphan who lives in a small 'house' near his uncle.
Saturday, October 13 several Americans and I took 16 orphans shopping for a new school uniform and then to the mall for them to pick out two outfits.
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| What fun picking out their own clothes. So often orphans are given donations of clothing, which they appreciate but their is something special about picking out what YOU like. |
I asked if there was anyone Melissa could help and was assign to this young man who is on the Lutheran soccer team. School uniform was 400 Rand. The uniform included trousers, vest, shoes and shirt. At the mall he asked if he could purchase a backpack. Yes dear of course. He also wanted/needed underwear, Adidas sandals, one tee shirt and two pairs of shorts.
After all the shopping we went back to the creche for pizza and KFC. yummy.
Nkanyiso's home. The American team paid for 2 weeks worth of food for 12 families and Nkanyiso and his uncle was one of the recipients.
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| Carrying the food donation to his house. |
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| On our way 'out' after blessing this boy and his uncle. |
A very long, very steep trail down to his house.
Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.
2 Corinthians 9:6
Having been to the uniform shop in the city of Pinetown and now knowing how to get back to it, I spent 200 Rand purchasing socks. Yes, simple, plain, good-old socks. I read English each Tuesday at Ntshongweni Primary school - school colors BLACK & WHITE. Each Wednesday I do the same at Charles Primary - school colors BLUE & WHITE.
The school year begins in January; being October everyone is in desperate need of a new pair of socks. So with Melissa's wonderful donation, 10 little girls will finish out the school year with new socks.
Give generously to them and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the LORD your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to.
Deuteronomy 15:10
200 Rand went to purchase 5 pinafores. The Gogo's (grandmothers) love and wear a pinafore, EVERYDAY. Here we brought Anatoria one. She had just lost her mother a few days before our visit and we wanted to express our sympathy.
She was so excited. Yes, you have to believe me on this one... she is very excited.
We assumed that it was 'one size fits all'
Not so much. The purple one was too small.
The peach one was too small. I went into her home and found a younger person and asked if they spoke English. Yeah, they did. I asked them to tell Anatoria that we would be back with a larger size and since we had to go back to the street market we could pick out one of any color. What color would she like? Peach, please. Coming right up.
The second woman to get this generous gift is Nomusa.
We love Nomusa and told her about the pinafores and she asked for a blue one.
She is raising 4 orphans - what a saint.
The third woman to get a pinafore is Constance.
She has perfect English and I asked her where she learned the language so well. She worked her whole life for 'the madam'.
Constance said this was the nicest gift she has ever received.
Sharing God's love makes everyone happy.
A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed. Proverbs 11:25
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| This makes me cry every time I think about this mother playing with toys with her daughters for the first time in their lives. |
I still need to write a whole blog just on this family. We found 4 orphans, 2 young women and 2 high school boys living in the worst condition we've seen in the 14 months of being in South Africa. Of course as is culturally common the oldest woman has a 5 year old and a 2 year old. The 18 year old has a 14 month old.
This family of 7 had NOTHING. Nothing, no electricity, no furniture, no pans, no dishes, no broom, no clothes, and of course the three wee ones had no toys.
315 Rand was used to buy a few simple toys.
1710 Rand was spent on 8 pillows, 6 mattress pads, 8 sets of sheets and 2 comforters for two orphan families in beyond desperate need for linen.
And last but not certainly not least is my little princess Zolanda. I just love this sweet pea. Beautiful inside and out. Melissa is paying her creche tuition of 100 Rand a month for September through December 2012 and all of the 2013 school year. Praise the Lord. Not that is matters, but Zolanda is one of the poorest children at the creche out of 80 students.
But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.
Titus 3:4-7
As this verse points out, Melissa's generous heart is not because this young woman saved, saved, saved up her money to donate and then boast about it. Melissa is generous because Christ Jesus is the ultimate example of generosity.
$600 dollars is a lot of money to anyone. $600 to a twenty-something year old is really a lot of money. $600 changed the hope and future of orphans and Gogo's in Ntshongweni all in the powerful name of our Lord Jesus.
Praise Him.
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