Getting everything ready for the Christmas Outreach projects is part of the fun for us. This year we aim to provide chocolates and toys to around 5000 children. Packaging toys and treats for this amount of people takes the help of many, young and old. A huge thank you to all the volunteers that so cheerfully assisted in this year’s Christmas preparation. We’re ready to roll!! (Note: Not all volunteers are pictured here. But we appreciate you ALL! Thank you.)
What a treat it was for us to receive over one hundred 5 Liter tubs of Ice-cream for distribution. Someone kindly donated the cold-storage until we were able to get the ice-cream delivered to the different centers we support. It was such fun to see the children eagerly wait for their bowl of this delicious, top-quality dessert; their little eyes huge and their mouths almost tasting the treat before they got it. Oh, yum! How they enjoyed themselves! And how we enjoyed serving them and seeing the obvious delight as they gobbled it up. There was plenty to go around, and we left many more tubs in the freezers of each center to be enjoyed at a later date.
The Lord blessed us with an abundance of fresh fruit and vegetables, as well as tins, jars, and packets of food and during this wet and cold month of July. Along with distribution to our many regular beneficiaries, we made food parcels for the over 700 families in the Klipheuwel township. The people there sweetly received our help and a few of the local ladies helped us and made sure that everyone received their share of these needed items. The children also received a bag each and were happy to carry their bag of ‘trophies’ back home. Even though each person there is in desperate need themselves, it humbled us to see these dear people putting their neighbours first and being concerned with the needs of others before their own. Often a small child would let an even younger one get in line before them and make sure they got their parcel. Mommies would always let the children go first and we were touched to see so much kindness and unselfishness in this community. Although we went there to bless others, we returned having been blessed ourselves.Among the thousands of kilos of goods that were distributed there, each person received: bread, vegetables, pasta, juice, jam, cheese, fruit, crackers, and more! (Matthew 7:12 “Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.”)
With the weather getting colder and wetter, we were thrilled to receive two van-loads full of groceries: soup, tinned goods, coffee, tea, pasta and many other goodies. We divided the food between different institutions and packed food parcels for needy families and the elderly. Thank the Lord for this wonderful blessing.
We traveled many kilometres delivering food parcels to hundreds of families. We visited disadvantaged neighbourhoods, an informal settlement, and a farming community. At the end of this long and exciting day we had distributed food (along with Gospel pamphlets) to nearly 450 families; affecting approximately 1700 people! A beautiful day in all ways; great weather, warm smiles, and sunny faces!
We received a enormous amount of varied food items this week; ranging from soup tins to juice to breakfast cereals etc. Both young and old(er) got involved in making parcels for distribution to those in need.
We received a donation of chips recently; and this morning distributed packets to patients at the Morningstar Day Clinic. With each packet we presented a Gospel Pamphlet with a down-to-earth salvation message. Although simple gifts, they were received with happy smiles and brought a bit of cheer to all those at this busy facility- staff and patients alike!
Over 600 boxes of snacks were delivered to our center for distribution. Each box contained at least 16 packets of chips/cheese puffs etc. Wow! That’s about 10,000 packets! First of all we contacted all our beneficiaries to let them know that we would be coming to deliver these treats. Then, we set off; loading our vans time and time again-in total delivering to over 20 places- until, just one week after we received them all, 600 boxes had found homes and many, many disadvantaged children and adults were treated to these special snacks. We delivered to: homes for abused women and children, hospitals and HIV/AIDS clinics, soup kitchen&feeding schemes, drug-rehabilitation centers, a local creche and school, the children of a nearby informal settlement, an orphanage, and individual families in need.
