We have to move on with life

Kids helping Ian bathe the puppies with ringworm shampoo.

 

Even though our borders have been closed and the country-wide lock down has been extended ANOTHER two weeks, we still have to keep going.  The rains have stopped for a few days so we are able to get to town to buy groceries and run errands. Babies still need to be rescued, food still needs to be grown and buildings still need to get built, so we must move on with life.

 

This week I spent a lot of time trying to help a 21-year-old girl who is pregnant, has a heart condition that will require her to have a C-section rather than give birth vaginally, and has a blood clotting problem which his preventing the C-section from happening. She is alone in the hospital and completely abandoned by her mother who is angry that she got pregnant in the first place. As the story continued to unfold I learned that she had been raped by her biological father for FIVE years while she was in primary school, and while she did report it to the authorities, and the father was arrested, he was released on bail. Her brothers threatened to kill the girl if she continued to press charges, so she dropped it and she moved on with life. We are doing what we can to help her and anticipated receiving a newborn baby in the days ahead. Please pray for both mother and child.

 

We are expecting a wave of newborn babies coming in the weeks ahead based on the number of teen pregnancies that we hear about around the country. As one social worker said to me, “Janine, it’s everywhere. Fathers are raping their daughters, brothers are raping their sisters, grandfathers are raping their granddaughters and uncles are raping their nieces. They are hopeless and unemployed and hungry and locked down at home with nothing to do. It’s terrible”.  So, we too must move on with life and prepare for the babies that are coming. As a part of that preparation I am thrilled to announce that we recently promoted Khosie Mamba to the position of Manager of the Project Canaan Children’s Lower (baby/toddler) Campus and Gcebile Shongwe to Manager of the Middle (Emseni) Campus. They will both report directly to me and the Senior Supervisors in each house will report to them. I LOVE my children’s campus team and am so very thankful for their love, support and commitment to the Lord and to the mission.

Khosie Mamba

 

Gcebile Shongwe

 

In the kitchen departments we welcome Collin Pheiffer and Siphelele Sibandze to the team. Both are helping us to streamline our purchasing, control inventory, better manage our farm-to-table practices and spice up our menu! My goal is to get burgers on the menu at least once a month!

 

On the farm we hired a young man from Zimbabwe this week to be our animal technician. His name is Simbai “Allen” Maruve and he has his Bachelor of Veterinary Science degree from the University of Zimbabwe. He has just completing his Master degree in Medical Science at the University of Kwazulu Natal in South Africa and recently submitted his thesis on “Assessing knowledge, attitudes and practices of animal health professionals in South Africa pertaining to antibiotic resistance in animals”.  Allen brings a unique knowledge base to the farm team and oversee all the animals from chickens, goats and cows to fish and bees.

 

 

I know that things are tough all over the world with a global pandemic, crazy weather conditions, lockdowns and the normal day-to-day challenges of life trying to wear us down and tear us down, but I want to encourage you today to just keep moving on.

 

Romans 5:4 says, “The strength to go on produces character. Character produces hope.”

 

The world needs hope right now, so “keep on keepin’ on” (as my friend Rose Smith always says to me) and let your strength produce character which brings hope to the world. How cool is that idea?

 

Live from Eswatini… moving on.

 

Janine

Jack was a good sport today.