Welcome to the Life Changer Quarterly Newsletter!
Herein you’ll find the news for the last three months, as well as glimpses into our new projects, areas of need and things you are welcome to walk alongside us on.
We’ve been busy! And God has been faithful!
At the end of June, through donations received from our church, ten youngsters were given the opportunity to be included in the One Conference at One Life South. This conference is aimed at youths and presents Jesus in a real and relevant way. They were blessed to receive the full experience – including sleeping over and enjoying meals with the other conference-goers.
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July 2019 saw Thami, Rob and Willie Paterson from Northern Ireland (a LC partner for technical support and prayer,) presenting papers at the 22nd South African National Association of Child and Youth Care and 4th CYC-Net world conference in Durban.
The four papers presented were entitled:
1. Child Protection and its Management at Point of Concern - Some Practical and Empowering Tools to Assist in Managing Identification and Management
2. If Family is the Number One Preferred Option… Why is Adoption Viewed as Second Best? Looking at Alternative Family-Based Interventions for Children and Youth and the Role of Adoption as a Priority
3. How Can I Be Homeless When I Just Left One? An Observation from Working on the Streets of Pietermaritzburg
4. How do you embrace my uniqueness when I live in an overburdened care system?
You can find the presentation Thami delivered at this podcast address: http://www.c2ypodcast.org/e/how-can-ibe-homeless-when-i-just-left-one-an-observation-from-working-onthe-streets-ofpietermaritzburg-with-young-peopleby-thamsanqa-gcwabaza-rob-ng/
The feedback received from this conference was incredible and our team was well received as a voice of reason and understanding in the area of child and youth care in the most vulnerable sector of our country.
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Also in July 2019: After the SANCYC conference, we presented a two-day training workshop to Christian child care professionals and church leaders involved in child care entitled “Exploring Child Protection and Alternative Care,” at African Enterprises in Pietermairtzburg.
Willie Paterson partnered with Life Changer once again to share his wealth of experience in this area, having worked in the sector for more than four decades. The workshop was attended by almost fifty people and the feedback again was most encouraging.
Many guests didn’t feel as though they had explored the option of family re-unification enough within their professional space. Many guests were re-inspired by the reminder that fathering the fatherless was so close to the heart of God. It was an eye-opening time for everyone who attended.
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In August, we held a “thank you” day for the volunteers in our street ministry. A fun day was had and the team was encouraged to know just how much we appreciate their hours of work.
In the last three months, we’ve found a doctor, a clinic, a pharmacist and a place to take our street dwellers for medical care. They are treated as human beings and given medical care including wound treatment, pre-natal care, HIV care and assistance with addiction solutions such as Methadone.
We partnered with Epworth School for their Life Orientation program. Working with the Grade 8s for a full day of exercises and information sharing to raise awareness about homelessness and orphan care.
We also worked with the Epworth Grade 5s who held an evening sleeping outside and ‘experiencing’ homelessness. It was such a privilege working with these youngsters: shaping minds that will influence the future.
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Rob continues to work with local children’s homes with the aim of making a family reunification model the norm and not the exception. Many of the children sitting in these homes right now have families that need to be equipped to take their children back home.
Recently, he reunited a married, 29-year-old woman with her birth father. After walking through most of her life seeing herself as an orphan. What a miracle!
Through funding received from Family for Every Child (https://familyforeverychild.org) and individual donors, Rob has done strengths-based training in children’s homes with both the staff and eligible youths.
The street ministry has had visits from three different connect groups this quarter and we’ve found that once a person has seen, the conversation completely changes. So get in touch if you’d like to bring your connect group, or come along yourself.
Through donations and continued support, we’ve had a meaningful impact on those living on the streets. Our first baby was born to a young woman, and her family has been prepared to take her and the baby home. We’ve fed over 1000 meals to those living on the streets and also taken clothing along for them to buy at a nominal fee.
Please join us in praying into our work: the future thereof, the people God brings into our path and the steps to take. As always, we pray for financial partners and funding. And we’re trusting God for a building. Above all else, we want to remain true to that which He has called us and ordained.
A note of thanks to our donors: we’ve been able to be God’s hands and feet these last few months (and beyond) because of your investment. To the single contributions for once-off events, to regular donations of food and toiletries, to monthly amounts that seem to go unnoticed, we sincerely want to say, Thank you. May God bless you!
Finally, we have a Facebook page. Follow us @LifeChangerPMB to see current news and updates. And don’t forget to share!
Exciting things in the pipeline for Life Changer, which we can’t say much about yet, but here’s a team picture to whet your appetites until next time!
God bless you.
Rob, Caroline and Thami
The Life Changer Team
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