Graceland

A rainy day in April saw my friend Stacey and I dropping some beautifully wrapped gifts at Graceland preschool in Devon Valley, Stellenbosch. The boxes were filled with gifts for each of the 44 kids who come from the surrounding farms. We asked members of the congregation to bring their gifts to church in the weeks leading up to Easter. Tracy sorting through some of the many shoeboxes..

Elizabeth the principal (above), was thrilled to have us visit and commented in gratitude for the gifts: "This preschool belongs to God and He looks after it."

We helped the teachers hand out a gift box to each child and then watched as chaos ensued. It wasn't too long before ribbon and wrapping were everywhere and the children were showing off their new gifts. They received toys, chocolates and some much needed clothing and toiletries.

As we left, the kids said a big 'baie dankie!' for the presents and sang us a sweet song about how special they are. I can't convey enough the excitement and happy faces we saw as they opened up their presents.To those of you who contributed and gave gifts, thank you so much for making this Easter a special one for these young ones.

Happy Easter!

Helping Hands ministry at His People Tokai enables congregants to become practically involved in the community through giving and volunteering. We want to bring hope to those in need and see God bring healing and restoration to previously broken lives.This Easter we are doing something special for the kids at Graceland, a project of the Thembalitsha Foundation.

Graceland, a preschool in Devon Valley, Stellenbosch was founded in 1997. It serves neglected or abused children as well as foetal alcohol syndrome children. The kids at the preschool come from families who live on the farms in the surrounding community. Many of their parents struggle with alcoholism passed down from previous generations and the kids are thus vulnerable to neglect and abuse. The vision of Graceland is to provide hope through educating and preparing these kids to begin primary school without any disadvantage. This Easter we are filling shoeboxes with gifts like clothes, toys and Easter eggs for each child at Graceland!

Village of Hope

This month myself and a few volunteers had the opportunity to visit the Village of Hope in Grabouw, a town with a known HIV infection rate of 34%. This centre, on a picturesque farm in the mountains, is a temporary facility for children infected or affected by HIV/AIDS or TB. Here kids are loved and cared for until they can be placed in a safe, loving family environment. The village, also a project of the Thembalitsha Foundation, was pioneered by Maz and Tim Walker. The day we visited marked the 2nd anniversary of the first kids arriving at the centre. See below some pictures of the fun we had with the kids.

thumbprint bees with Adele... Below: Crystal, myself, Kim and Erin with some of the kids. Happy Easter!

As you spend time with friends and family this Easter, may you celebrate in peace knowing that Christ lives. Have a blessed and happy Easter!