The Story of Buhle and Thuli

The Story of Buhle and Thuli

 

Buhle is a domestic worker with four grown children and six grandchildren. She has raised her children for the latter part of their childhoods as a single parent and also been the mother to several of her nieces and nephews. Buhle has always had at least four but usually five or six children in her care at any one time. She even put a nephew through nursing training.

 In spite of Buhle’s relatively low income as a domestic worker and the ever increasing cost of living, she has a desire to give and care. She is passionate about children and is dubbed in her community as a “social worker” for her ability and desire to help those in need. At one point this included taking in three children who were orphaned. Buhle expressed her desire to care for a child in need of a family this Christmas. The staff at the Mpophomeni Family Centre were contacted and they identified Thuli, a fifteen year old girl. Thuli’s mom died many years ago, she has an aunt who works away from Mpophomeni and returns once a month. She also has a grandmother who lives in Mpophomeni but who is constantly verbally abusive to her. Thuli is, by all accounts of MFC staff, a responsible, bright and pleasant girl. She has a family, but there is very little love and affection shown.

Thuli spent two weeks with Buhle and her family, all of whom embraced her with love and care. All that belong to Buhle’s family was shared openly with Thuli as well. The visit went so well that Buhle and Thuli have started making plans for the next school holidays…!!

The challenge in this story for me is Buhle opened her heart and home not out of her abundance of resources, but in spite of her lack of resources. Her faith that there is always enough for one more. I am challenged by this faith. I want to live 2013 not afraid to give in case I don’t have enough, but to give freely knowing that God is my Father and He has more than enough. Time, food, money, emotional energy, relationships… God has all of these for us in abundance, we can never out give God! 

GRADUATION FOR TINY TOTS

ECD’s Christmas and Graduation Party

Nkosinomusa who is our ECD teacher threw a party for the little ones; she decorated the room and put up a Christmas tree, hiding little gifts for them in the tree.

This is Syamthanda who will be staying a few more years with us and he really enjoyed the party, probably thought it was Christmas already.

 

This is the 2012 class in which 4 of them are off to school next year.

From the blue chair toward the wall we have: Amahle, Akhona, Khumbulani, Snokuhle, Philasande, Thembelani, Syamthanda, Kwanele.

Please pray with us that the life beginning next year for these little ones is a safe and blossoming life that we can be proud of.

                                      

5th CELEBRATION

5^th Birthday celebration

Celebration took place at the family centre on the 21th of September. It was a great day and we really felt God’s anointing as we were worshiping and sharing testimonies of what God has been doing through the family centre. We had our carers of our children and bake for profit graduate and Ethembeni staff, dressed in their traditional outfit because we were not just celebration family centre’s birthday but a combine celebration. The celebration was a combination of MFC Birthday, Heritage day and graduations of bake for profit. We had one of the student from bake for profit to share how is the business of baking has changed her life as to inspire other graduate that it is possible to do your business only when you know that “the beginning of wisdom is to fear God” these was her words. 

Theme of our celebration was “Wahamba Nathi” which means he walk with us through the whole 5 years of the family centre without his lead we wouldn’t have reach 5 years. This walk has been a walk of faith through prayer as well. Every walk or journey has its own challenges but when he is the centre he shows direction and provider. He owns the centre, mentoring and visiting families is not an easy path. We always wish to help restore hope in these young stars and help them see with a different eye from where the community stands right now but we wouldn’t do that without the help of God. We also read Palms 117:1-2 because we believe that the more we spend time in praising him and make him the focus we won’t go wrong.

 The day was finished in prayer outside the family centre where we released balloons; balloons were carrying a thank you message from all who attended the celebration to God for what he has done in our lives. It will be a mistake if i forget to mention that ECD blessed us with music as well as the family centre staff. We would love to extent our thank you to all who have be praying and been part of the story of God at work in the family centre. It is evident that there is lot of people who pray and contribute to the growth of the ministry. I pray that our Father bless you abundantly in Jesus name.

By: Zweli Sokhela

ENCOURAGING VOLUNTEER FEEDBACK

Recently a team of volunteers from the UK Nigel, Sharon, Phoebe, Lydia, Naomi enjoyed the Ethembeni experience and shared a few things they liked most or found interesting:

The question asked was - what was your favourite part of the programme?                                                                                                                   

ANSWER: 

1. Difficult to pick just one but herewith the top 3: Home visits in the community on Thursday mornings with the opportunity to pray with and share God's word..... the opportunity to crotchet with the ladies knitting circle and drive the pick-up down some very rough roads
2. Practical projects - doing up Mr Ramahojoe's home and preparing him an allotment..... the kids mucked in hauling boulders and collecting dung in the back of the pick-up
3. Getting to know the kids better each day.

It's a first all round

The event is brand new ... "Mandela Day Marathon" and of course this was the first "Ethembeni  team" to participate in the event.

The vibe was amazing ... people united and eager to participate in this wonderful event.

The Ethembeni team are to be commended for their efforts .... great looking team too.

Perhaps next year more than one Ethembeni team will participate.... get ready folks.

The COLD kept at bay

Many families supported by Ethembeni benefited from the very timely donation of 90 blankets  from Welfare Director Julia Todd. These blankets came from the East Coast Winter warmth Campaign via the PMB Rotary.

The Midlands Meander area of KZN where Mpophomeni is found, experienced some really cold snowy weather for almost a week and these blankets brought warmth and comfort to our families.

The blankets were given to the Ethembeni Carers and volunteer groups for personal distribution to the families and were really well received, as one could imagine under the circumstances.

A HUGE thank you to all involved throughout the "supply chain". It is because of YOUR support that Ethembeni is able to help others.

God's provision for a needy family

Testimony by an Ethembeni Careworker – Thunyiwe Sokhela (In ZULU and ENGLISH)

Ngiyambonga uNkulunkulu ngomsebenzi owenziwa iEthembeni empakathini.

Kukhona umndeni osizakele kakhulu usizwa yiEthembeni. Lomndeni sawufica uhluphekile kakhulu. Umndeni unezingane ezingu 9 nobaba nomama.

Omakhelwane basebekhathele bezama ukuba babaphe ukudla nezingubo. Safika bengenawo ama ID books, izingane zingenazo izitifiketi. Kwakungekho imali engenayo.

Yanikela iEthembeni ngokudla, izingubo, nezicathulo, nama uniform ukuba abantwana baqhubeke bafunde. IEthembeni yabafundisa futhi ukuba balime ingadi yemifino nama vegetables.

Yabasiza futhi inhlangano yaseEthembeni ukuba bathole ama ID books nama birth certificates. Lomndeni wasizakala impela baze basizwa  nangamagrants abazali okugula nama support grants abantwana. Okukhulu kakhulu ukuthi uNkulunkulu wenza umsebenzi nasezimpilweni zabo. Banikela izimpilo zabo kuJesu. Ngokuba babehleli bengashadile befisa ukuba bashade kodwa babengakwazi ngenxa yokuthi wayengekho ozobalekelela.

IEthembeni yanikela ngosizo lokuba bashade. Bambonga uNkulunkulu bamdumisa.

Imisebenzi kaNkulunkulu iyamangalisa. Uma ngibuka amandla akhe awnza kulomndeni ngimdumisa njalo.

Enhlizweni yami kuneculo elifikayo uma ngicabanga ngomsebenzi owenziwa iEthembeni emphakathini.

Lithi: WE thembekile Jesu

          Nsuku zonke zikhathi
           WE thembekile Jesu

         : You are faithful Oh Lord

            Every day and every hour
            You are faithful Oh Lord

 Translation by Nora

I thank God for the work Ethembeni is doing in the community.

There is a family which has been greatly assisted by Ethembeni when it was discovered how poor they were. The family consisted of 9 children and the father and mother.

The neighbours were getting weary of trying to feed and clothe them. When we took them in hand, they had no ID books, the children had no birth certificates, and they had no income.

Ethembeni offered to help them with food, clothes, shoes, and uniforms, so that the children could go to school. Ethembeni also taught them to cultivate a garden to grow spinach and vegetables.

Ethembeni also assisted them to obtain ID books & birth certificates. Furthermore they also received disability and child grants. The greatest of all of God’s work, was that they received Jesus into their lives. Because they had never been married, they desired to have a proper marriage, but there was no one who could help them achieve that.

Ethembeni made that possible for them, and they offered praises and thanks to God. The work of God is amazing. God is good. When I reflect  on His power at work in this family, I never cease to praise Him.