'Tis the season...

Merry Christmas, dear friends!

On Christmas Eve, as I was driving home from a long day at the hospital, the overwhelming joy and reality of Christmas hit me yet again. This has been a different sort of Christmas for me - not the 1st away from home, but the first in the southern hemisphere! Have you ever tried to celebrate Christmas in July? I have been listening to Christmas carols while sunbathing... it is a strange thing! South Africans have never known a white Christmas, but on the 85 degree eve of the holiday, I felt like I was trying to trick myself into believing that it was the 24th of December!

I had been off for the day, but was running some errands and delivering babies to another home in the North of the city, when I got a call that one of our children was going to need to go to hospital to be monitored. I came straight home, put baby “S” in the car and headed to downtown Jozi. On the drive I began to see the stress on this poor baby. I could hear him breathing unbelievably fast, so I put my hand to his little chest to see how he was coping. This child’s heart was racing so I put a little more pressure on the gas pedal! When we got to the hospital, my little boy’s sats were so low that I could not believe he had been hanging on as long as he had! On oxygen he improved immediately, but it took hours for his heart rate to slow. He was exhausted and stressed and wanted the comforts of his dummy and his Auntie’s arms. So we sat... all day in casualty, waiting for a bed to be prepared for him in the ward.

Just after 7pm that night, one of our dear Aunties came to spend the night with him in the hospital. I kissed my baba and headed for home. On the way home, I caught a gorgeous sunset and the beginnings of a thunderstorm in the distance, and the Lord joined me for the ride home ;). I hope you don’t think I sound crazy when I say that, but car rides are often times where I have some of my best conversations with the Lord! Finally, the reality of the night hit me! My Jesus was God made man, sent as a tiny baby very like the one I had just spend the day cuddling. He was vulnerable and dependent, and all of my hope... the hope of the world, rested in that little Christmas gift. Thank you God for your sacrifice... thank you Jesus for your willingness! And thank you for the little Christmas miracle, now gaining strength in hospital.

I spent Christmas morning with my toddlers, who were beside themselves with excitement ;) We opened presents from “Father Christmas” and said happy birthday to Jesus! It was a blast. When they went down for their nap, Clair, her sister Holly, and I came home with one of 3 wee ones to spend a quiet-ish afternoon at home.

Kiddos “A” and “C” had been gifted Christmas dresses by their Auntie Stephanie (my friend who used to work here, if you remember) and I so when naps were finished I dolled up the girls for a video conversation with Stephanie. It was fun to catch up with her and I enjoy being able to help her keep the connection with these kids, whom she invested herself in for the years she served here. It was a fun time for her, both little girls, and Clair and I!

Clair, Holly and I then took the 3 babes back home, visited the gang at the baby house quickly and came home so that I could speak to my family! It was so wonderful to connect with them today. I enjoyed this Christmas with the little ones, but I definitely missed the special family times at home, that I cherish. Afterward, I made a Christmas dinner for Clair, Holly and I, which we enjoyed in our Christmas best, on our balcony, catching the last of the African summer sun for the night.

Happy birthday Jesus... I am undone by your tangible love and grace... the joy that accompanies life lived through you.

Merry Christmas, friends, and a Happy New Year!

Love and Blessings,

Beth

Adoration x 50...

Hi friends!

The week since I last wrote you has been a busy and wonderful one! It feels great to be back with my kids and I feel I am finally catching up to the various changes that were made in my absence. Many, many things are different within the house and programming, as I shared with you last week, and I am happy to be back here, advocating for the kids and to be a voice in decision-making.

So let me tell you about the kids!

I believe we currently have 7 small babies. All but 2 of them are new since I went home, so I’ve been popping in for visits as often as I can to get to know these new little blessings. They are sweet and cuddly and I adore each of them! We have a new supervisor in the program, an American volunteer named Nicole. She is highly trained in sleep training infants, among other things, and I am very excited to have her! We have one sickly baby boy at the moment. I am monitoring him and he is not terribly ill, but he is small, so please be praying for the recovery of baby “S”!

Our big babies are actually quite small at the moment! We are full in this department, with 12 babies, and many of them are on the younger side of the scale. Our oldest will be one in less than a week! He is a busy and mischievous little guy, with a charming smile and laugh. He is on the go and learning how not to bully the smaller kids ;) Bless him... he doesn’t understand why he can sit on top of other babies, but responds well to the word “no”! He needs lots of stimulation, but is really such a good boy. From there, we have just one other crawler at the moment and 2 who are on their way. We then have a few who are busy rolling, and finally some very young ones who are still working on head control! You can see that with that kind of developmental breadth, the Aunties are needing to be quite vigilant!

Our Starfish have grown so much! Just to refresh your memory, our Starfish program is for children with special needs (ie. cerebral palsy, fetal alcohol syndrome, delayed development due to premature birth or other, and children who are HIV+). They are such a testimony to the Lord’s goodness! The transformation in these children, from their admission to today is astounding! In some cases, almost unrecognizably so. I count myself so privileged to have been a witness the the work the Lord has done in each of their lives. In the next couple of weeks, I will be expanding on the story of one child in particular, but this program is full of little miracles!

And finally... our toddlers! We now have 8 toddlers in the house, possibly only 7 by the end of this weekend. We are moving forward with each of their cases and trying to find long-term or final placement where possible. The Lord has come through with some amazing opportunities for these kids and as for me, I am praying that each of these kids finds home in this season of transition. I am praying that the Lord makes a way for us to keep them as long as we need to, in order to see them into the arms of their forever families. The house is very quiet! That is my first impression when I go for a visit. Where it was once a little like wild kingdom, it is now quite mellow. The kids are still playful and wonderful, but we do notice that some of our gang have moved on. I notice it, and I believe the kids notice it too. Please be in prayer for these, especially. That they would remain secure in the midst of a lot of change, that we would see and meet their emotional needs (as they’re not always so easy to understand) as they are presented to us, and that the Lord would make a way for them to not just have different placement, but Forever placement.

In God's Hands...

Hi everyone,

I hope you’re all enjoying the Christmas season! After an 8 week stay in the US, I am back in South Africa and enjoying every precious minute with my babies. I loved being at home again for a short season. I was really ready for this break as it approached and it seems to have gone by in a flash! I spent many wonderful and refreshing days with my family and friends, and even so, in the end I always think I could use just one more. I count myself very blessed to have been able to spend some great afternoons with my Granny, before she went to be with the Lord on the 9th of November. For these precious moments and so much more, I am truly grateful.

As most of you know, I work with DoH in a volunteer position, and spent a good bit of my time at home following up with former supporters and gathering the necessary sponsorship to work here for another year. Each church or group I had the pleasure of sharing with was wonderful and a fruitful experience! The Lord has been good, yet again, in preparing the way for me to be part of His work in South Africa, and there are many throughout NC who have joined the work, both in prayer and in sponsorship! I was asked today by one of the Aunties if I am well-rested and ready to pick back up the pace of life with DoH. I had to laugh... while I have much more downtime in at home in NC than I do here, I never can seem to come back “well-rested”. I have anywhere from 6 to 8 weeks per year to spend with family & friends in the states and I tend to take full advantage! That being said, yes I am ready to pick back up the pace here in Jozi, and look after the little ones God has blessed us with at DoH!

I’d like to first say that there has been much reordering within the structure of our ministry in the last several months. My friend and colleague, Stephanie, returned to Canada in September and will begin training to be a nurse in January. As she made known her plans to leave, the Lord began to put it on my heart to fill her position within DoH. I was very hesitant to step in after her (big shoes to fill), but the Lord confirmed that this was His plan for me through scripture in Isaiah. I started volunteering as Baby Care Manager on August 1st. It is stretching, but the Lord is equipping me every day.

Many other changes are being made, and most have occurred during the time I was overseas. I am excited to be back with my children, but for now I am busy trying to catch up to all that is new. DoH has been struggling to receive the funding to maintain the ministry over the last year. One major change that has come from this state is that we are no longer able to run a program for toddlers. As many of you know, these children and this program have been incredibly special to me. Since my arrival back in the country just four days ago, I have seen two of our toddlers placed in other homes, my oldest boy was placed less than a week before I returned from the states, and the rest will follow until the program officially closes on February 1st. Our social worker is working very hard to make sure the kids have as easy a transition as possible, but it has been difficult for me to come to terms with this change. I know that the Lord has blessed us with each precious child in our care, and I know that when they leave our embrace they will never be out of His hands... still, it is difficult to understand. Decisions have been made and put into action, and for now I am glad to be back here, advocating for the children. It is my hope and fervent prayer (and I hope you’ll join me in it) that the Lord will provide a way for us to keep this program running, as it has met such an incredible need during its years of operation.

There is much to fill you in on, where the children are concerned! We have seen the Lord work in amazing ways in their lives over the last few months, since I last updated you. Because this entry is a bit long already, I will be writing again next week to share, in detail, about the babes!

This ministry belongs to, is sustained by, and exists to glorify the Lord. I am confident if we honor Him, we will see His provision in the right timing. Please be praying for each of the children in our care, for the staff as they continue to give of themselves, our leadership as we seek the Lord for His way for each of the kids, and the board, who carry the weight of final decisions as we walk through this season.

Much love and blessings,

Beth