Greetings to you all! As we enter fall and temperatures start to drop, we are keenly aware of the needs of those in our surrounding communities who lack the basic necessities of food and warm clothing. Our friends Dion and Deborah continue serving their community, pictured above, home-made meals three times a week. Their motivation is to feed those in need, both physically and spiritually. Their love for Christ burns bright in a community plagued by gangs and violence. It is our privilege to be able to help sponsor this program. I am reminded of how partnership works: some people have a dream, but lack the resources to make it happen. Others have the resources, but not the opportunity to act. Thank you for your indirect partnership with this program.
As you will see in the pictures below, my parents came to visit! It was a wonderful time of reconnecting, and they were able to see our lives here. Also, we are in the midst of praying about and planning a slightly longer furlough this summer. Stay tuned for more details.
Pictured above are Dion and Deborah, resting after a busy morning of cooking and feeding their neighbors. They live in a “Coloured” township and Afrikaans is their mother tongue. South Africans, by and large, still live in racially segregated neighborhoods.
Ana turned 25 recently, and has just left for the U.S. She is visiting Frenchie’s family in Texas, and will attend “The Send” missions mobilization conference in Kansas City with him before joining me for Isaac’s graduation on May 7.
Although I am excited and grateful to be able to fly to PA to be at the graduation, I am also nervous about being so far away from Phoebe for a week. Please pray for Alberto as he takes over Phoebe’s care, and for my travels!
Margaret graduates from high school May 27. She is still planning on taking a gap year, and is still looking for a nanny position for the summer and fall.
I (Alberto) had the opportunity to get to know Silver, pictured above, in one of my most recent Restorative Justice programs. He shared with me how he ended up in prison: one evening as he was returning from work, one of his friends came running to him to give him the news. He said his brother was lying on the floor injured and needed help. Without delaying, Silver went to try to help his younger brother. As soon as he saw him, he realized that he had been hurt by two guys at the bar. He said he asked them in a polite way to let him help his brother. They refused, and started to attack him as well. He felt he had no other choice than to defend himself, and in the process, he hurt the two guys. He was arrested and now is in prison. He is taking responsibility for the crime he committed, and says he wants to start his own construction business when he gets out. I also had the honor to pray with him to receive Jesus as his Lord and Savior. To God be the glory.
Sometimes economic disparities seem so great that they paralyze us in our ability to relate to each other as human beings. Yet it is the simple things, like freshly washed clothes, that we can all appreciate!
Praises
*Our new brother in Christ, Silver
*The official end of the COVID-induced State of Emergency.
*Family filling our house
*Ana’s opportunity to be in the U.S.
*My official acceptance back to Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary
Sheep heads for sale, in case you are making soup!
Prayer Requests
*Peace in Ukraine
*Silver’s dreams in a challenging future
*Soccer ministry
*Blessings on Margaret’s final stretch of high school, and guidance for her next steps
*My trip to PA next week and for stability of Phoebe’s glucose levels while I am away
*Logistics of figuring out how to come to Boston for an extended visit starting in July, and possible schooling for Phoebe
*Finding people to stay in our Cape Town house while we are away
*Resolution for an unexpectedly high medical bill we received for Phoebe’s lab work from the Children’s Hospital of Cape Town, not covered by insurance