As most of you probably know from my How I was Called blog, 2 summers ago I spent 6 weeks in Durban, South Africa with a team of other college students with Campus Crusade for Christ. While there we ministered on a college campus as well as served in the township Ntuzuma. In Ntuzuma we worked with an AIDS hospice, Ukukhanaya, helping to get its feet off the ground. We mainly did painting and cleaning, preparing rooms so that they could soon be inhabited. A part of my heart is still in Ukukhanaya. A team of 6 college aged students is currently serving for a year in South Africa with Campus Crusade. They spend a lot of time at Ukukhnanya, which is now successfully up and running. It is truly amazing to see how far it’s come since I was there! The woman who began it all is named Penny and is from the states, where she began a nonprofit organization named New Jerusalem Ministries. She is working alongside a South African native named Prince. She hopes that one day the hospice will be fully run by South Africans, caring for each other as this horrible disease continues to threaten lives. Unfortunately the money that brought them to this place has run out, and they are not ready to shut down the hospice that seems like it just got into the swing of things. Please take time to read this email received from Penny at Ukukhanaya. Even if you can’t give financially, please pray for her and every worker and patient at Ukukhanaya. Nothing is more powerful than some on-your-knees-crying-out-to-the-Lord praying.
Dear Friends,
I am writing a letter in hopes of blogging so check out the blogsite in the next few days if interested.
However for many of you please use this letter to pray for us here at Ukukhanaya. Many of you already support myself personally as a missionary and/or Ukukhanya and New Jerusalem Missions.. Please know how grateful we are as we have seen many blessed and it is our hope we will see many more recieve the practical help we give in helping them get started on medication,and to get granted with disability so they can return home and have food for themselves and their families, and we give them the introduction to the ONE we believe in who loves us absolutely Freely, and Wonderfully Unconditionally, what a gift! Unmerited Love and Acceptance, what more could a person want ?
In November the center will have been opened a year, and like any business they say the first two years are the hardest. We were blessed with several large gifts that enabled us to purchase the necessary items to opeate, freezer, refrigerators, TV, stoves, ceiling fans, a remodel to the bathroom, linens, curtains, etc. It also enabled us to have operations funds for this year. Another large gift enabled us to purchase a vehicle. We are up and running and been operating well. Sometimes housing up to 25 people and always feeding between 20-30 3x a day + tea snacks, and staffing the facility 24 hours a day 7 days a week. It has been a real time of growing, stretching and learning. High times and Hard times, but all a crucial part of Life and more importantly Life in HIM.
I think the biggest thing we did not expect was the children that need care. Denial is a huge problem with this ilness, and often when it is staring people in the face as they begin to waste with the disease and their children get sick and die, they don’t look at the fact .they need to get treated until it is too late. How to overcome some of these obstacles we have not figured out, so we just make it okay to “talk about it”, and offer hope in the middle of it. My first trip to Africa that is what the Lord said would set us apart…. the fact that we had an answer to the disease. Jesus Christ, the One who would never leave us nor forsake us, when money runs out, or people burn out…..He is with us always. I experienced this in my own journey through being affected by AIDS until this very day living in a foriegn land often feeling very alone and vulnerable. He reminds me…..”I am NOT alone”. This is the Hope we can give to the world, with AIDS and without, many feel so Hopeless and we have the One we can Hope in…..ever faithful!
Yesterday we took 15 to McCords (the Christian Hospital) quite a group, we hired a taxi to transport about $40 and took grannies, moms, and a few caregivers from Ukukhanya, along with 11 children ranging in age from 9 months to 11 years old. All of whom would not have been recieiving this care and many probably not alive today if it wasn’t for the support of many of you and work of the staff at Ukukhanya. One boy got sick at camp last year and was rushed to the clinic and diagnosed with AIDS at 9, he has now been on ARV’s for close to a year and just got an excellent report from the Dr., one is an abandoned little boy whose l6 year old mom just couldn’t cope with him, and another is an orphan girl whose mom passed away and her extended family is often abusive….she is thriving with us and her and the other little girl waiting to be placed with extended family….recovering from non compliance to medication, fill my office with tricks and giggles right when I am trying to crunch numbers….. (a very fun distraction as they try and pronounce my grandchildrens names as they point to the pictures on my desk). We are an odd little family at Ukukhanya, but a family non the less.
The adults, we have a Pastor with no family whom we are trying to place as he has lost his mental capacities, a young mom with her 2 year old who nearly died and Prince and team got to MCcords and both are starting treatment and beginning to regain strength, a father of 6 unable to work with absysses on his neck and a positive wife, and baby all recently started on ARV’s, the child goes to McCords, the mom busy trying to care for all. (the other children living in rural area). A man who came to us about 6 months ago thinking he was coming to die, is about to return home in Noveber…..just to mention a few that are with us currently.
Needless to say….. I believe what we are doing is of the LORD, 100%. However reality has come, as money I thought would last, has not and I am afraid I have been too busy to be about raising support. Not to mention the fact, as with any organizaion, it isn’t quite a LIVING Organism yet, and we have had staffing issues and business to deal with to keep things on track. I am happy to report I think we are at the stage where we are norming and about to Perform. (developement of a team: forming, storming, norming and performing).
We grew rapidly in February as we got the children and the stage of illness in our adults were critical, we put 3 caregivers on a shift and hired extra cooks as the kitchen duties are incredible.
Salaries alone for 24 is close to $5,000 a month R35,000. but that is income and salaries for 24 families. Also the groceries and medical supplies, petrol, utilities (which currently is only telephone and gas for big stove) is another minimum of $3,000-$4,000 a month . That is a pretty low bill when you figure we feed close to 30 a dayX 30 days a month So I know now our budget, I have watched it over the10 months of being opened. God has been and continues to be so Faithful, every week we get a gift that lets us buy groceries and petrol and diapers for both the sick adults and the babies, and feed everyone. But what has happened is for 3 months now the staff have NOT been paid. It has been a good shaking to get our eyes on the Lord and not on the Lady from America (if they could only understand that as a missionary my taxable income is poverty level lol)., we have processed and prayed our way through . I know if I sell everything, we can pay the staff their back salary, this month they are volunteering while we wait to see what the Lord is going to do,
I have poured over the budget and this looks like what it costs to operate, (you know me, I usually say Yes and step and He meets me there), well here we are…He has been faithful, however it is time to let the need be known and ask for some HELP…..pioneering phase if over and now it is time to form the budget so we can carry on. The basics are bought to operate, the other phase is almost complete and many students have donated time and money to get it ready. To open the other phase our expenses would only go up minimally to cover the food for the extras as we think if we keep the current staff we can move on into that phase. If we cut back we will lay off 4 workers and two office staff, probably trevor and welcome who are actually learning their roles. and function on side one only. It is our hope to open it all by February next year..
$l0,000 (R70,000) sorry don’t know Euro. But that is what is owed in back salaries for July and August (septemer would be nice too). But I think we could move forward with the $l0,000 as people are still coming to work even knowing they might not receive compensation for September they don’t want to see us close.
$l0,000 is what we need monthly to operate fully. I like how Robert Schuller once put it..
That is 1 donor of $l0,000, or 10 donors of $l,000, or 100 donors of $l00, or 1000 donors of $10, or 10,000 donors giving $l.00. This formula doesn’t make it look so large lol!!!! to move forward we actually need $20,000 now to be caught up.
Currently I am getting to experience living like George Mueller did…….”lord we need food and gas money” and for your information…….it works!!!
In my heart of hearts, I believe He didn’t bring us this far to take us back again, we want to carry on, it is evident in everyone. For the reasons we have gone through this drought time, it has made us aware of what He has already done for us, and for what we need Him to continue to do. Please Pray, if you get any words, or feel led to help us fundraise by talking to friends or contacts you might know who are just looking for a place to sow in to Kingdom work….please share on our behalf, many of you have been here and served a bit yourself and know the work and people.
Thank you once again for your love and support especially through this dry time, we are trying to be like Paul See scripture below and be blessed.
Thanks for your prayers and I am enclosing every form to give to us below…..so I can say…..I’ve done all I can do, so now I stand!
Bless You,
Penny and team of Ukukhanya Life Care Centre (they truly are grateful for what you all have done).
Mail Checks in USA:
Phillippians 4:11-23 The Message
I’m glad in God, far happier than you would ever guess– happy that you’re again showing such strong concern for me. Not that you ever quit praying and thinking about me. ou just had no chance to show it. Actually, I don’t have a sense of needing anything personally. I’ve learnded by now to be quite content whatever my circumstances. I’m just as happy with little as with much, with much as with little. I’ve found the recipe for being happy whether full or hungry,hands full or hands empty. Whatever I have, wherever I am, I can make it through anything in the One who makes me who I am. I don’t mean that your help didn’t mean a lot to me– it did. It was a beautiful thing that you came alongside me in my troubles.
You Philippians well know, and you can be sure I’ll never forget it, that when I first left macedonia province, ventureing out with the Message, (for me personally 20 years ago), not one church helped out in the give and take of this work except you. You were the only one. Even while I was in Thessalonica, you helped out– and not only once, but twice. Not that I’m looking for handouts, but I do want you to experience the blessing that issues from generosity.
And now I have it all– and keep getting more! The gifts you sent with Epaphroditus were more than enough, like a sweet-smelling sacrifice roating on the alter, filling the air with fragrance, pleasing God no end. You can be sure that God will take care of everything you need, his generosity exceeding even yours in the glory that pours from Jesus. Our God and Father abounds in glory that just pours out into eternity. Yes.
Give our regards to every Christian you meet. Our friends here say hello. All the Chrisitans here, especially the believers who work in the palace of Ceasar, want to be remembered to you.
Recieve and experience the amazing grace of the Master, Jesus Christ, deep, deep within yourselves” Philippians 4:11-23 Message
As part of my World Race I will be returning to South Africa. I may not get to return to Ukukhanaya, but I will still be serving people whose lives are turned upside down by this horrible disease. I pray that I can bring Christ’s hope to them as Penny has been able to. Showing love and hope to people with HIV/AIDS has been on my heart ever since my journey to South Africa two years ago. No one deserves to suffer alone. No one deserves to be treated like an outcast. No one deserves to lose friends and family members and have no one to confide in…no one to give them hope. HIV/AIDS is real. Not just in Africa…but in America, India, China…it may not be talked about but it’s there. It’s everywhere. Don’t be scared of it but be aware. If you know someone who has the disease personally or has lost someone close to them from it, don’t run away from them. Show them the same love Jesus Christ showed the lepers and the diseased…the same love He shows each and every one of us.
