We had a wonderful time interacting with and giving gifts to the children of the Sive Nathi care centre. These children are severely mentally and physically disabled, and have very little opportunity to enjoy life in the ways we are accustomed to: walking, dressing themselves; even talking is almost impossible. For this event, each child received their own soft toy to enjoy, and a local  family volunteered to help us; bringing along some bubble blowing bottles to entertain the kids, as well as yogurt and custard. So much laughter and many smiles, with each child of Sive Nathi getting something they liked! Even E – a young man who has been at the centre for many years – got his own remote controlled car, which he says he will take out to the park. The bubbles especially were a huge hit and the children loved watching them float around and attempting to pop them. We were able to spend personal time with the kids, just loving them up and watching them respond to that love. Also, for the special men and women who care for the children, a gift bag full of Christmas treats and presents! Always smiling, singing, and so positive; they care for these young cerebral palsy patients with so much love and patience that we felt honoured to present them with this token of thanks. Thank you to our sponsors for making Christmas special for these faithful staff members! “My idea of Christmas, whether old-fashioned or modern, is very simple: loving others.” ―Bob Hope

For our Sunday School kids at Morningstar settlement off the N7, we planned something special for Christmas! Throughout the year, we do weekly activities, Bible lessons, colouring pages, games, songs, and a snack. This time, we watched the Christmas story, and then explained it in detail; offering for all the children whom we hadn’t previously led to Christ to accept Him, right there! And 11 little lives received the Saviour! This Christmas, each one got their own colouring book – full of Bible story pages – as well as a ball and a bag of goodies! They were all so thankful, and we’re very pleased to see not only the physical impact but especially their spiritual growth and coming to Jesus!      

For the little ones at Jack and Jill creche, Christmas came early this year! In fact, for some of them, the sad truth is these might be the only presents they get. So we are happy to have been able to do this event! We arrived, and set up some music, then played several games with all the kids, with their laughter and sometimes shrieks of joy filling the room! Then, we told the story of Christmas and explained the reason for it all, and 27 of the children accepted Jesus as their Forever Friend and personal Saviour! Hallelujah! And there’s more! Each child received a personal gift, tailored to their gender and age, and with their name written on it! So excitedly were the presents opened, the toys gasped at, and the playing commenced! Smiles exchanged from one child to the other as they compared gifts, or set up a group to play together with dolls, cars, tools, or whatever they had. How lovely to be able to see their faces, and know that THEY KNOW that Someone loves them this Christmas season. As a bonus, each of the staff members were given a Christmas hamper with some staples and goodies to enjoy! They told us tearfully “nobody ever brings US something.” We were so touched, and grateful to bring them – who work so willingly to teach the children- some Christmas cheer as well.

For World AIDS Day, we brought nutritious fruits, vegetables, bread, and yoghurt – together with Gospel tracts – to a local clinic as well as an underprivileged creche. We were able to join in with the clinic’s event (in which they offer counseling, treatment, and raise awareness) by providing each patient with a food parcel, reminding them that no matter what circumstances you are in or what you’re facing, God’s Love is always and forever there for you.  

This morning at our Sunday School in the Morningstar informal settlement, we spoke on Jesus’ Love for children, and how He never sends any of us away if we come to Him. And wonderfully, many of these precious ones are coming, week after week! (Matthew 19:14, Matthew 18:3)  

After many hours of sorting, packing, and labeling, we had teams go out to three different clinics, gifting mothers and babies with care parcels – nappies, clothes, shoes, blankets, rattles, and more! Many grateful mothers received these gifts of love; enabling them and their little child to face tomorrow with just a little more assurance.

Jean, Kristina, and their children in France got the idea to make a special gift for each child at our Sunday School in Morningstar settlement off the N7 highway. They got a lot of white tshirts, and handpainted each one with the wonderful message “Jesus Loves you!” And on the back “with love from France.” How lovely! And it didn’t stop there. Some of their relatives in Italy heard about the project, and got involved! So in the end, 40 brand new handpainted tshirts, from both France and Italy, made their way with Kristina down here for her brief visit. Yesterday, she was able to personally greet the children, explain the whole background of where the tshirts came from, and then have each child come get a shirt in their size! So many smiles, and so much joy! Then we sang Gospel action songs with them, including their old favorite “Jesus Loves Me”, played some games together, and ended the amazing time together with yummy nut bars for all! Thank you Jesus for these precious children, getting closer to Him week by week, and a huge thank you to Jean, Kristina, Rachael, Magali, and all their children who brought yet another reminder of Jesus’ Love to these little lives!    

Yesterday, we were so thrilled to celebrate 20 YEARS of Helping Hand! For this special occasion, we were able to host at a donated venue – Ruslamere – and welcome many of our friends and sponsors to celebrate all the miracles of the years with us! The children put on an amazing show and play, and the highlights video showcased a selection of projects from over the years, along with personal testimonials from beneficiaries, friends, and Bible students. Thank you to everyone who faithfully supports us, and to those of you who helped make this Celebration possible! We appreciate you! Praise the Lord for bringing us this far by faith; we look forward to many more years of blessings and miracles, as we do our part to help others and spread His Love.