To all supporters, friends, donors and interested parties
I trust you are all well and as we head (rapidly) to the end of the year, will be excited to read all our happy news. I get sooo excited writing these letters as we share the happy things that few hear of these days.
Learning to Flourish & Grow
“Flourish: to grow or develop in a healthy or vigorous way, especially as the result of a particularly favorable environment.”
We desire for all the Hlanganani children to flourish in their lives; therefore, it is vital for all those working with the children to continue to grow in their own lives so that they, in turn, can provide the best services and support to the children. We recently spent a day with the volunteers and Home Based Carers of Hlanganani, learning about how we can flourish and reviewing and carefully considering Hlanganani’s current practices to see what needs to be changed, rearranged, or celebrated for a job well done!
In the morning, we participated in the women’s “Flourish” conference held by Junction church. It was wonderful to be reminded of the importance of focusing on God and how we can blossom in Him. Nina Pearse from “Creativity Wake-UP” spoke on the importance of developing creative and innovative thinking in all aspects of our lives; we came away with some great pointers.
The afternoon was spent as a team looking at what it means to be a Godly leader and how we can continue to work on and grow in these areas. We also discussed what aspects of Hlanganani were flourishing and which parts needed more attention and growth. We are now looking forward to all the possibilities the new year can bring for our children!
Hlanganani Fun Day
Peals of laughter and happy screeches ricocheted off the walls as all the Hlanganani kids from Diepsloot, Cosmo City, and Lanseria “came together” to learn new games, dances, and have some good old fashioned FUN! The day started with a welcome and reminder that Hlanganani is focused on helping the children have a better life … a life filled with hope, joy, and knowing God’s love for them.
We then had some fast-paced, ice-breaker games that had all the kids laughing and unwinding. A team from Bokamoso Fitness Club joined us to teach the kids how to exercise in an enjoyable manner that included many dance moves … it’s a good thing our kids have great rhythm!
Then we were off to the pool … the cool water was no deterrent for these kids … they jumped right in and loved splashing about to their heart’s content! After all the pool fun, they were ready to enjoy some yummy hotdogs topped with tasty tomato chilli sauce … so tasty! After their stomachs were satisfied, we split them into teams for a scavenger hunt, which accumulated in a lesson on Jesus being our ultimate treasure! It was fantastic to share the gospel with them and remind them of God’s love. The day ended perfectly, with some beautiful and delicious cupcakes donated from Jessie’s Treats Bakery. We are so grateful for everyone who “got together” to make this day a wonderful, memorable day for the children of Hlanganani!
Did Someone Say “Protein”?
Many vulnerable children and families across the informal settlements and townships in South Africa have a diet that consists of mealie meal (coarse flour made from maize), rice, a tomato-based sauce, beans, and other starchy foods. Although they have chicken as their primary meat when affordable, there is still a significant deficiency of healthy protein in their diets. Hlanganani focuses on supporting our children to have healthy and balanced diets; however, with many mouths to help, it is a great blessing when God partners us with others who desire to support us in this endeavour.
God’s provision and faithfulness to provide nutritious food parcels to our children and their families came about in a miraculous “God-incidental” way recently through a wonderful man of God, Robert Jensen, and his desire to live out true religion as stated in James 1:27 “Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble.” We received the funds needed to purchase extra food parcels for all of the Hlanganani children over the past couple of months through his efforts. These parcels are a great additional help to their current food supply. We focused on protein-rich food, namely pilchards (sardines), canned meat, lentils, beans, and other essential items. Each parcel has around 867 grams of protein, which we hope will help the children’s nutrition and energy levels.
Schools out!!!!!
Please keep thinking and praying for our 3 matriculants who are writing final exams soon and are applying for positions of study and work next year. I am sure they are excited to get out into the big world! Our support does not stop here – we continue till they have taken opportunities and stabilised their lives. The other children will also write exams soon and need much prayer. Education this year, again, has been difficult.
Wheelchairslife 99 basketball team
Our young man, Thato has worked so hard, this year, forming the Wheelchairslife 99 basketball team. They have helped 5 people with home wheelchairs from our team and outside!
Onwards and upwards Thato!!!
Now we head towards Christmas and hope Santa has remembered us and you! Take Care.
Kind regards
Bonnie, Kirsten and Ryan and Hlanganani Team
