“A real friend is one who walks in when the rest of the world walks out.”– Walter Winchell
Thank you for joining me on our journey again this year!Many of you may have followed along last year and learned about why Kurt and I travel to South Africa (annually since 2014).However, some of you may be reading this blog for the first time.So let me start by reposting our story of how we got here from the blog The Journey Begins…
Baby Isiphili
“Why are you in South Africa?”, you may ask. Well it is a story only God could write…
For many years, I would always joke with people saying that when Kurt retires, he will probably “drag” me to some 3rd World country to be in ministry. Fast forward, here we are in Knysna, South Africa. It isn’t 3rd World, but it is definitely 2nd World.
So how did we get here? After Kurt retired in January 2014, he began to meet with the University of Virginia to learn about their water purification “system” (local potters make porous pots lined with silver), in Limpopo, South Africa. After meeting with those involved with this project a couple of times, they recommended he go visit the site in order to understand the site work that needed to be designed. Since he and I decided I would go with him, we thought we would make a vacation out of the trip down (as it would probably be the ONLY time we would ever come to Africa).
One problem, we knew nothing about Africa. I certainly did not realize how big the continent is compared to North America. Africa is bigger than China, India, the contiguous U.S. and most of Europe—combined! So, how do I begin to plan a trip? I would tap into my resources or as many would call, FRIENDS.
I happened to know only one couple that had ever been to Africa and their trip was to Kenya, not South Africa. But as God would have it, this couple had just recently met a man who was born and raised in South Africa, but now lives in Augusta, Georgia. My friend recommended I email his friend to see if he could help me plan an itinerary. After several emails back and forth with this man I had never met, Kurt decided that this project with UVA was not a good fit. Wow, disappointment. This man in Georgia has spent so much of his time helping me plan a vacation and now I needed to tell him we were not going to go. I felt bad to have wasted his time.
God had other plans! It was now August or so and instead of my new email friend saying oh well, so sorry for you; he said that he was taking a mission team to Knysna, South Africa at the beginning of November and invited us to come with him. I promptly said “Thank you” but “No Thank You”, we have already allocated that money to be used for something else… that may or may not have been completely true.
My new friend did not take “no” for an answer. Instead he told me to talk to Kurt and pray about it. Ugh, why did he have to bring God into this? I know that if I pray about it, I may have to say “yes”. Dilemma, do I tell Kurt we’ve been invited?
Yes, I did. And after much prayer, we decided to join the team.
Now, it is January 2019 and we have returned to Knysna 6 times over the past 5 years. We love the people here and have made forever friends.
Last year, we were able to transition the program I launched in 2016 called Girls Talk into the ministry of the local Youth for Christ.This was a dream come true.I knew from the start that the program would not be sustainable unless a local organization could oversee it and provide the necessary resources. At the same time, this provided a full-time professional job for my friend Thokozile, God-size Dreams.
Kurt spent his time teaching basic carpentry skills to young men who did not complete the 9th grade.To learn about their final project, please read Opening Their Hearts and Home ).He will do this again this year with a new group of guys.
So, with all of that said, and just arriving back here 2 days ago, I am not sure what this trip will bring. Kurt and I made a trip up to the township this morning to meet with some friends. We both left a little discouraged to see the circumstances of some of their households.
Makazi (Aunt) Babalwa
I hope to spend time getting to know the stories of more people here again.I plan to share them with you and give you updates on those you met last year.
As you have seen in the past, however sad or tragic these stories can be, many are so inspirational. Through it all, our God remains faithful.~Tracy Cooper
“It’s not the size of your house that makes a home… It’s the size of your heart.” ~Jane Lee Logan
In June 2017, Maria and her husband Freddy opened their hearts and home, doubling the size of their family overnight.They have six children of their own. Yet in June, they agreed to take in six of Maria’s cousin’s children who became orphaned.
The orphaned siblings with Maria and Ella. Frederick, the oldest did not move to Knysna.
Maria grew up in the Eastern Cape of South Africa.At the age of 20 years old, she had her first daughter with a man to whom she was not married.Then 3 years later, she had her second daughter.Maria is a strong woman and began raising these girls on her own.
At the age of 26, she met Freddy, the man of her dreams.They fell in love and were married.They just celebrated their 26th wedding anniversary! Freddy is a good man.He has always worked hard to take care of Maria and their children. For years, the only work he could find was in Knysna, two hours away from his family.He moved there to work and traveled home when he could to see his family. This is so typical of families. If the father is still involved with the family, he may have to live in another town to work, only seeing his family on occasion.
While he worked in Knysna, Freddy stayed with Maria’s sister.She lived in an area of the township that was very underdeveloped at the time.No roads.No concrete block homes.No water.No electricity.This was now Freddy’s home away from home.He would work all day long and often help neighbors at night and on the weekends.He is a handy man.Someone who can fix almost anything.And he is always willing to help.One neighbor took notice of his kindness to the community.She starting talking with him about his work, his family and his plans.She wanted to know if he planned to move his family to Knysna.
Of course Freddy would love to do that, but where would they live?He and his wife had six children!The woman was full of compassion.She told Freddy that she wanted to give her land to him so that he could move his family to Knysna. A piece of land full of brush and vegetation. No buildings. So much potential. Wow.
Freddy couldn’t wait to tell Maria. But she held back her excitement. She had concerns. She didn’t know this woman. What if they accepted the offer, built a home on the property, and then the woman turned around and took the land back. Valid concern.
Freddy returned to Knysna a few days later and addressed Maria’s concern with the woman.She so wanted to give them this gift.She insisted Freddy go with her to the magistrate where she signed the land over to him.It was now legal.No strings attached.A priceless gift. Maria and I both agree… a true blessing from God.
Freddy got to work building his family a wooden house. Actually one that feels large inside because he designed it with high ceilings. When it was finished, the 8 of them moved in. The home had a kitchen and two bedrooms.No bathroom.
Maria standing in front of the Wooden home Freddy built 13 years ago. The blue RDP house is in the back.
Life was good.Not easy.But good.They were surrounded by bush. No roads.No running water.No electricity. No sanitation. But they were all together again!Within a couple of years, that part of the township (Dam Se Bos) began to develop. The government brought roads, water lines, sanitation and electricity to that area. RDP homes (Reconstruction and Development Programme) were being built. A few years ago, Maria and Freddy qualified for their small government home (2 bedrooms / 1 bathroom). This now stands directly behind the wooden house.
Side note: The RDP program was initiated by the ANC Party under the leadership of Nelson Mandela. Poverty is the single greatest burden of South Africa’s people, and is the direct result of the apartheid. As part of this program, people in poverty have the opportunity to receive a free home. Those eligible must meet these qualifications: Must be a South African citizen; over the age of 21; married or living with a partner OR single with dependants; earn less than R3,500 ($295 U.S.) per household per month. The problem is that it can take years before your home is built. I know some people that have been waiting 15-20 years.
This brings us to June 2017.Maria got a call from family members telling her that her cousin had been murdered. She was stabbed in front of her home, in front of her children.She was an alcoholic and apparently got into an altercation with another woman, leading to her death. Six children were now orphaned. Their mother was dead and their alcoholic father had been murdered (stabbed) a year earlier. It is so hard to imagine what these children went through in that household.
Maria, who didn’t really even know the children, was begged by relatives to take them in. If Maria did not take them, they would be separated and put into foster care. She did what came naturally. She prayed.
Maria felt God tugging on her heart.She must give these orphans a chance.So off she and Freddy went to pick up 6 more children to join their family.
The youngest sisters recently orphaned.
Maria’s two oldest daughters had already moved away.One lives in Capetown and one lives in Johannesburg.However, they each have one child a 4-year old girl and a 2-year old boy that live with Maria and Freddy.
If you are trying to keep a head count, here it is… In the household resides: Freddy, Maria, 4 of their children (3 in high school and a 25-year old who just had a baby), 3 grandchildren and 6 of her cousin’s children.A total of 15 people.4 bedrooms.1 bathroom. Yes, 1 bathroom. Things are a little crowded, to say the least.
Maria and her newest grandson, Favian.
Maria’s grandson, Davian.
Not only that, the financial struggle is very real.Freddy has a maintenance job (actually in the neighborhood where we rent a house).He works hard all week long and then pastors a church in his community on Sundays.I don’t know Freddy’s salary, but it would be typical for him to make around $17 U.S. per day.He is the only bread-winner in the home.
Praise God my friends Penny and Ella (Emzini Tours), who I mentioned in the blog posts “Unprotected-Part 1” and “Unprotected – Part 2”, have partnered with Freddy and Maria to help provide for the orphans.They pay for school uniforms, transport to school, school fees and some food expenses.It is a necessary blessing for the family.
To help Maria and Freddy with space, Kurt and our friend Don have been teaching a group of 8 guys basic carpentry skills.These boys did not complete high school, some cannot read.This was an opportunity to teach them some basic skills to hopefully make them a little bit more employable.Their final project was to build a 12 X 12 sleeping room onto Freddy and Maria’s home.This gives the family space to move 4 -6 of the children into a room of bunk beds.
The finished sleeping room.
The project was amazing.Not only did it give Maria’s family more sleeping space, it was such an exciting accomplishment for the young boys in the class.
New sleeping room.
Freddy and Maria are Christians.Maria praises our Savior all day long.It gives me such joy to visit and see her love for our Lord.Together this couple teaches their children kindness, compassion, love, grace and mercy.They instill in them the importance of an education. Maria told me that in her house, nobody is allowed to drop out of school. They are raising these children to be good productive members of society.
Because Freddy and Maria opened their hearts and their home, six children have a new lease on life.I am thankful that they obeyed God’s call on their lives. Well done good and faithful servants! ~Tracy Cooper
“Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.” ~ 2 Corinithians 5:17
Gerald Johnson was born in the Joodsekamp area of the Knysna township in October of 1990.This was just a couple of months before our second son was born.Had we been living in the same part of the world at the time, Gerald could have grown up with my boys.I imagine they could have thrown the baseball around or played video games together.
Instead, my boys grew up with a very different childhood than Gerald.Upper middle class.Taking so many things for granted… a home, food, transportation, education, family, sports, and endless opportunities.
For Gerald, life was much different.He was the son of a Xhosa father and a coloured mother in a poverty stricken township.The child of a marriage not accepted by his Xhosa grandparents.To make matters worse, when Gerald was only 2-years old, his father died in a work accident (he worked with a tree feller).
Gerald and Kurt
This set Gerald’s life trajectory in motion.His dad’s parents decided to start selling off everything Gerald’s father owned… including his home.They said his mother had no claim to any of it, as she was “just” a coloured woman.A nothing.And within the next couple of years they even managed to take her children from her (Gerald and his half-sister), pushing her out of their lives.
This was hard for Gerald.He loved his mom.He needed his mom.But he had no choice in the matter.He was just a small boy.
Gerald doesn’t complain about the years with his grandparents.They kept food in his stomach and a roof over his head.And although his grandfather was strict, he cared for him well.It wasn’t enough for Gerald.This young boy missed his mom terribly.So at the age of 9, he ran away to find her.
From that time on, Gerald found himself in and out of the foster care system.Sometimes he was placed with families, other times in the government orphanage.He even had a short stay with his mom.But she is an alcoholic and could not care for him.He always landed right back in foster care.
Dorothy Broster Orphanage where Gerald lived at one time.
By the age of 13, Gerald took off running.Running from the system.Running from the pain.Running from Knysna.He ended up in a town called Sedgefield about a 30 minute drive from Knysna.There he came across some boys he knew from the orphanage and joined them sleeping on the streets.Their only means of survival was to steal.Mostly food.They just needed to eat.It was a horrible life.But it was his life now.Then Gerald made the mistake of robbing the wrong man one day.A man who was known for beating kids to death if they stole from him.When Gerald realized this, he ran.He ran all the way back to Knysna in fear of his life.
Some of his story gets a little foggy.I say this because Gerald’s coping mechanism was to escape his life by smoking marijuana and mandrax.He does know that in 2004 he somehow ended up in a school for wayward boys.And sometime in 2005 he was back living on the streets in Knysna.A 15-year old boy, sleeping in a cardboard box in the taxi rank in town.It breaks my heart when I stop here and remember what my boys were doing at 15… attending a good high school, playing on sports teams, working a part-time job, learning to drive, and much more.Certainly not sleeping in a cardboard box and wondering whether or not they will have food to eat.
One day while hanging out in the taxi rank, a coloured woman (Blanche) recognized him from when he lived in the orphanage.She was a Christian woman and used to lead Bible Studies there.She opened up her home to Gerald and he lived with her family for about 1-1/2 years.He was back in school, had a roof over his head and food in his stomach.Yet, because he couldn’t understand the love this family was offering to him, he ran.
He traveled all the way to Capetown this time (a 5-hour drive away).There he slept on the streets.He was a beggar and a thief.He started to learn about prison number gangs, the 26s, 27s and 28s.He soon aspired to be part of one.
Meanwhile, back home in Knysna, Blanche had different plans for Gerald’s life.She tracked him down in Capetown and brought him back to live with her family in Knysna again.It didn’t last.Gerald soon ran back to the streets.
Gerald working with Kurt at YFC.
“Why?” I asked Gerald.“Why would you throw such a great opportunity away?A bed, food, education, a family?”He tried to explain it to me.What he came up with is that he didn’t understand nor could he accept their love.He wasn’t worthy of it.And he feared disappointing them.
If it was possible, this time on the streets was rougher.Gerald met people that had been in the Numbers Gangs in prison and he so wanted to belong to the group with them.This required certain things.One of which was to steal for them.Well, that was no big deal.He has stolen many times before.But this time was different.It wasn’t for food.It wasn’t for survival.It was for acceptance.Acceptance into a gang.And there just seemed to be a danger about it this time that he couldn’t shake.He did it anyway.And he was right.The police showed up and he and his cousin/brother ran.Both went different directions.Gerald picked the wrong way.He was caught and put into the police car.As the police drove him around to the other side of the house, Gerald was horrified.There he saw his cousin/brother.Hanging on the spiked fence.Dead.It appeared that he slipped when climbing the fence and was pierced in through his rib cage and out through his neck.A tragic, horrific site Gerald will never forget.
And so it began.At age 16, Gerald was sentenced to 5 years at a juvenile detention center.Not a place of rehabilitation.Not even close.This was the place he learned more about gangs.More about crime.More about drugs.When he was released, he continued on a path of crime.
Gerald didn’t share all of his criminal activity with me, but I know he landed himself right back in prison for robbery.Prison this time.Not juvenile detention.Prison, home of the Numbers Gangs!
In South Africa, numbers gangs control the prison populations.Once prisoners are sentenced by the South African Department of Corrections (DOC), they are classified into 3 different categories. These categories are either economic offense, sexual offence or a crime of violence. This determines what gang they will join upon arrival. The 26s are thieves, responsible for gambling, smuggling and accruing wealth in general. The 27s are the guardians of gang law, murderers.And the 28s are the most senior gang, the warriors.They accrue wifies within the prison population by raping new prisoners.They are also in charge of the flow of food supply.There isn’t a prison in South Africa without numbers gangs.It is a nationwide brotherhood.New prisoners are recruited upon entrance.
Gerald worked his way up the ranks of the 26s, eventually becoming a Judge.This is a high ranking officer who decides the fate of those that break the rules. Consequences can range from beatings, to rape, to death.Even though Gerald was willing to tell me his rank in the 26s, he would not disclose what it took to move up in rank.Nor would he share the many secrets held by each gang.Members that betray the gang and share the secrets are not safe in any South African prison (or outside). The secretive nature of the gang makes their system of communicating to other prisons unknown. This is what makes them the most dangerous prison gang in the world.
The stars on Gerald’s shoulders show that he is a Judge in the 26s.
A thug.A gangster.Gerald was released from prison in April of 2017 (now 27-years old).People in the township knew who he was and “feared” him.He was a high ranking officer in the 26s.Non-ranking members of the 28s in the township feared he would steal their recruits because of his rank.This led to an attempt on Gerald’s life.In November 2017, a “soldier” of the 28s stabbed Gerald with a knife.Left him to die.And he should have.It was plunged 2 inches deep into his heart.
God had other plans for our friend.Gerald spent weeks in the hospital trying to survive and then recuperate.Doctors convened trying to decide if his body could handle heart surgery.They decided it couldn’t.Instead, they inserted a drain andafter a month’s stay, Gerald was sent home.
Still bandaged up, he went back to his old way of life.A thief.This time, this theft, changed his life forever…
Gerald stole a phone from a younger boy (Danville) in the township. What do you know?It was the wrong boy to steal from.After the robbery, Danville was riding in the car with our friend Chris (a missionary now living in Knysna) and discretely pointed Gerald out to him.Much to Danville’s horror,Chris stopped the car to confront Gerald.This was Gerald.Judge of the 26s.I’m guessing Danville slid down in his seat, out of site.Well, funny thing.. not only did Chris get the phone back, but he took time to share something with Gerald that would change his life forever.He shared Christ.
Hungry to hear more, Gerald met with Chris the following day. He heard that his life matters.He is highly valued.God loves him so much, that he sent his son to die on the cross for him.Gerald’s heart was finally healed, spiritually.He accepted Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior.And in February, Kurt and I had the privilege of watching Gerald publicly profess Christ at his baptism.
Gerald’s baptism.
I wish I could say Gerald’s life is easier now.It isn’t.He still lives in a run down shack that costs about $25 U.S. per month to rent.His long time girlfriend broke up with him.His mother is still an alcoholic and losing her eye site to cataracts.
What I can say is that his life is better.He focuses on what he does have.He has a brand new job at a glass company (his very first job ever).He has a new family in Christ.He has joy.Most of all he has Christ!
“Try not to become a man of success, but rather try to become a man of value.” ~Albert Einstein
What I have heard and read about the traditional Xhosa Initiation known as Ulwaluko, is basically all I am allowed to know.This is the secretive Xhosa ritual where a boy becomes a man.
A young teenage boy longs for the day to go through his initiation.Why?Because until he participates in this process, he is referred to as inkwenkwe (boy) regardless of his age. He will never be looked at or respected as a man in the Xhosa culture until he has had his Ulwaluko.
So, what is involved in Ulwaluko?Here is what I know…
At 18 years old, a boy is allowed and encouraged to go to “the mountain” or “the bush” (woods) for his Ulwaluko.Several ceremonies take place before he leaves.The family gathers to seek blessings from the ancestors and see the boy off. While away, the young boy is reintroduced to the ancestors and ‘uQamata’ (the supreme being among the Xhosa people).He is taught about the history of his people and learns discipline.He is also taught how to be a family man and a responsible person who contributes positively to society.
The boy is in seclusion with other initiates (abakhwetha) in a remote area away from any towns or villages for a 3 – 4 week period. This usually takes place in December or July when the boys are not in school.No women or un-initiated boys are allowed any where near there.The traditional “doctor” and the person chosen to look after each of the boys are the only other men there.
While there, the boys are stripped of their old clothes and covered in a white mud and a blanket.They call upon their ancestors, slaughter goats as offerings and consume African beer.
Sometime in the midst of the 3-4 weeks, the boys are circumcised.With a knife.No pain medication.No noise.
Google image
Google image
You may be wondering if this practice is only done nowadays by those less educated.Those in remote villages in South Africa.No.It is a tradition that all Xhosa people cling to.It is important.Special.Relevant.Yet, risky.
Each year, many boys die or develop major infections from this unsanitary practice taking place in the bush.Often they don’t seek medical attention, because they fear it is a sign of weakness.
Once the “Man” returns home, all of his clothes and bedding are burned.He must wear new clothes and sleep in new bedding, ridding himself of all of his boyish things.
The “Man” then wears the traditional attire of a sport coat, pants and hat for a period of 3-6 months signifying his manhood. Each family determines the length of time this must be worn by their son. They may also require that he wear a brownish-red paint on his face. I have seen some boys walking around with and some without the face paint.Schools and employers allow the men to wear the traditional attire instead of the school uniform or work clothes during that time.
Ahtenkosi (one of Kurt’s Friday guys), working in his “Traditional Initiation” clothes.
The Ulwaluko can be quite a financial strain on families.The initiation, ceremonies and clothing can cost upwards of $1000 U.S. This is taxing on a society where so many of the people are already living in poverty. Because it is so important, families will sacrifice many things, including food, to save the money to send their son to “the mountain.” Some must wait years after turning 18, while their family struggles to save enough money.
It is all very interesting to me. Especially the question, “What happens when Christian Beliefs and Cultural Rituals don’t align?” This ancient tradition has caused my Christian Xhosa friends to struggle with the fact that their son will some day participate in his own Ulwaluko.
In the religions of traditional Xhosa people,God is rarely involved in everyday life and may only be approached through ancestral intermediaries who are honored through ritual sacrifices. Basically animals are slaughtered and offered up to the ancestors. It is the ancestors that are being worshiped, not God.
As Christians we believe that God is very much a part of our every day lives. At the very moment that Christ died, the temple curtain (through which only the Highest of Priests could go) was torn in two from top to bottom (Mark 15:38). This shows us that the barrier between man and God was destroyed forever. Because of Christ’s ultimate sacrifice, all those that love Him can come into God’s presence at any time! We only worship God.
For my Christian Xhosa friends, the importance of this Xhosa Cultural Ritual signifying the crossing from boyhood to manhood will result in them allowing their son to have his Ulwaluko when the time comes.Their hope is that the Christian foundation they lay before him over these years will help him stand strong and abstain from any rituals that go against their Christian beliefs during his time “on the mountain”.
“Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” Proverbs 22:6
“God would not have put a dream in your heart if he hadn’t already given you everything you need to fulfill it.”~ Joel Osteen
I must admit, often I feel like I am living in the book, “The Help”, when I am in South Africa.IF employed, most black african women and coloured women are employed in some capacity of the service industry… Often as domestic workers (or as we would call cleaning ladies/house keepers).
It hits me in the face as I leave our “gated neighborhood” in the morning and see lots of women of color getting out of the taxis on the other side of the gate. (When I talk about taxis, these are 15-passenger vans that travel to and from the township to town.They generally cost riders about $1-$2 per trip).The women come by the dozens from the township, as there are about 600 homes in this neighborhood.And many employ domestic help.
The ladies show their credentials at the gate, sign in and then begin their walk to the home where they are employed.It is a strange 1960-ish site.
Domestic workers walking to the home of their employers in the morning.
These women are all domestic workers.A job coveted by the many that are unemployed.A job that pays about $12 per day.That was not a typo.$12 per day, not $12 per hour.
At the end of the day, the taxis do not return to the entrance gate of our neighborhood for pick up.Instead, the women must walk 1-2+ miles to the “Taxi rank” in town to get a ride back to the township.That is just the women in this neighborhood.It all depends on where someone works as to how far their trek to the taxi rank may be at the end of the day.Rain or shine.Hot or cold.
The taxi rank in town.
I’ve watched this for years now.It just doesn’t get any more acceptable to me.And although most of these women are grateful for the job, it doesn’t make it any less oppressive.
This brings me to my friend Thokozile (Thoko).A black South African Zulu woman I had the privilege of meeting last year.And a domestic worker in our neighborhood.
Thoko is a faithful Christian woman raising two sons on her own.She is an amazing mom to her boys and has taught them to be polite, to do well in school and be grateful for what they have.Several years ago, when Thoko moved to Knysna, she knew she needed to have a stable place for the boys to grow up.She saved a little bit of money each payday to be able to purchase her own small home in the Concordia Township.Since then, she has saved diligently and added on to her home, making it comfortable for she and the boys. This was/is a project that takes years.Instead of putting herself in debt, Thoko hires someone to do what they can as she has the money to pay for it.The total project is not complete, but it is really coming along.She has been doing this on a salary of $16 per day.
Thoko’s home. The brown part is the new addition.
I have never heard a mean word come from Thoko’s mouth.Not a complaint.She is always smiling, encouraging, and inspirational.She loves the Lord and she loves her family.She is joyful.She is smart.She is sweet.I can go on and on about Thoko.She is my friend and I have great respect for her.
The reason I met Thoko was because our passion for working with girls in the township intersected last year. I launched a program for girls in 2016 called Girls Talk (Please read the previous post “Girls Talk”).At that time, I had three women agree to work as a team and lead the group of girls on Saturdays.It was a great experience for both the ladies and the girls; however the leadership team was burned out by the end of the year.
Thoko wearing her credentials while walking her employer’s dog.
As I got ready to fire up the 2017 Girls Talk group, I was without a leader.Some good friends of mine knew Thoko and suggested I contact her. She agreed to come to the information meeting and volunteered right there on the spot to be the 2017 leader.This was an answer to prayer. As I mentioned earlier, Thoko does not have daughters.She works full-time as a domestic worker and is raising two boys on her own.None of that could stop her passion to work with young girls.
Thoko and I met and planned a loose agenda for the year.And after I left to go back to the U.S.A., she faithfully met with the girls every Saturday afternoon.She led them in prayer, discussions, games and community service projects.She listened intently as the girls talked about things they would never discuss at home.And she intervened when she found out a male teacher was touching some of the girls inappropriately at school.She loved and mentored the girls well.
Thoko helping the girls with an art lesson.
Thoko (rt) helping the girls make “Dignity” packets.
When I returned and met with Thoko in January, I was prepared to hear her say that although it was a great year, she is burned out.But no. Thoko is ready to volunteer again for 2018.
I have always had such big dreams for Girls Talk.God size dreams.Dreams that don’t match up with the resources I have available.And I always believed if I wanted this program to grow, I would need to figure out how to pay a leader.
This is where our AWESOME GOD shows up big!As I mentioned in the previous post “Girls Talk”, YFC (Youth for Christ) has agreed to incorporate Girls Talk into their ministry programs.They believe it is such an important program that a full-time person should be running it.
So what does that mean for Thokozile?After meeting with her, the YFC immediately offered her the position!A full-time professional position.A career.A passion and dream fulfilled.
Like me, Thoko has God-size dreams.This was one of them.A chance to grow spiritually, intellectually and professionally.She excitedly seized the opportunity and accepted the position.
Thokozile
When we left the YFC, she wanted me to drop her off in town instead of driving her home. Her boys were just getting out of school, so she wanted to meet them at the taxi rank and ride home with them.She couldn’t wait to share the exciting news.As she got out of the car, she stood up tall, smiled and turned to me and said “Today I will walk down the street with my head held high.”I smiled through tears.I knew what she meant.
She will no longer be a “Servant”, but instead a “Servant Leader”.
Praise be to God for this awesome lady and this amazing opportunity!~ Tracy Cooper
Sidenote… Because YFC is an NGO with a limited budget, employees need to raise most of their own support.Thoko will begin working on March 19, 2018 and her salary will be set at $385 U.S. per month.Yes, per month.If you feel called to help support Thoko’s salary monthly or with a one time gift, please click on the attached link and type “Thoko” in the comments.All donations are tax deductible and will go directly to cover her monthly salary.
Gingersnaps 