Blogs and news
from South-Africa ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

No School

Together with my bodyguard Moses I drive through Hammanskraal on the way to the Garden of Hope. Every day about 150 children come there for a Bible class. On the way we see one of our boys standing along the road. All the children are at school, but he hangs out on the street. When we ask him why he doesn’t go to school, he reacts shy and dismissive. We decide to visit the boy’s mother. Marieke Bakker.

A full wheelbarrow

When you drive into Refilwe, you quickly notice that the roads are busier than average. Many people walk on the side of the road with a wheelbarrow. All are on their way to the community center, where Refilwe Orphan Care is able to do its work together with Stichting Bethlehem. Today there is a food distribution. This causes a lot of traffic on the roads. Mothers and grandmothers and other family members get up early. These are the families whose children also receive a daily meal and attend a Bible class several times a week. The wheelbarrow is still empty, but will hopefully be filled again today with food for the coming month. Lianne de Baat

About the mother who got a phone call

Missionary work is diverse and proves to be challenging. Every day we have to look for starting points and ways to connect. Today I share one recent experience as an encouragement for mothers. Something I personally always love is to make someone happy with a Bible. How beautiful and important it is to be able to hand someone the eternal Word of God. Knowing that God’s Spirit uses His Word to seek and save lost sinners. Georg Lindhoud

The Prodigal Son

Prodigal sons still exist. You could even say: there are a lot of them. But sometimes you look one in the eye. And it touches you in particular. An encounter you won’t easily forget. It was a Friday afternoon in May. I’m walking through Phumzile. The food distribution takes place around noon. In the distance I see a line of people waiting for their turn. I start talking to some of them. I know some of them from the Bible class on Friday afternoon. Others are unknown to me. Georg Lindhoud

A safe home: The Safe House

As you read this, try to put yourself in the shoes of 17-year-old Salome from Hammanskraal. Salome has never known her father and mother. She also does not know if she has any brothers or sisters. Salome grew up in an orphanage and, in fact, she does not know exactly how old she is. Fortunately, she goes to school three days a week and her grades are good. But when Salome is 18, she has to leave the orphanage and live independently. Her big question is, ‘How?’

What is your name?

A new country, a new culture, new surroundings, a new language... Getting settled here in South Africa means a lot of new impressions. Besides being confronted with a lot of new customs, the different languages also are a daily returning issue. As you may know, most adults can speak English quite well, but many children cannot yet. It is then nice to communicate with them in their own language, but even learning the names often requires some effort.