News update from Joan Adams - June2009

11 June 2009

Dearest Friends
Greetings from Welkom – the welcoming city of South Africa – on this freezing, cold, wet day! Yip! Our country is in the throes of a colossal cold spell! There’s snow on all the mountains around us (none in Welkom – no mountains for miles around this part of the Free State) and up to now, we’ve enjoyed 4 typical English winter days all in a row!

It’s hard to believe that Liza and I have been back at Morning Star for a whole 2 weeks already! What an adjustment it always is! For the first couple of days back at work I was totally disorientated and truly struggled to cope with the bombardment of queries and information from all sides. I wasn’t sure if I should run away or go home and bury my head under the pillow! But, one quickly finds one’s feet and bounces back to normal again. Interestingly, what struck me most about being back in South Africa this time was noticing, afresh, just how BROWN everything is here. Brown grass, brown vegetation, brown earth, brown people! (I’m not complaining – I love everything about where our Lord has placed me)! But, compared with beautiful, green, lush England, the Free State – and beyond – is certainly a very brown part of the world at this time of the year - and a stark reminder that being waited upon and spoilt rotten are over for another 12 months!

For those of you who saw us at the beginning of our recent UK trip, our remaining time in England was just as successful as the first half. We are truly grateful to God for His hand of protection upon us as we traveled around your beautiful country (over 1000 miles) and for our sustained good health. We have so much to be grateful for.

1. Our loaned car gave us no problems and was easy to drive. Thank you Walter & Ingrid for sharing it with us.
2. We returned home with almost all of our new children sponsored out – 60 of 62.
3. We banked in excess of 19 000 pounds. Thank you all for your ongoing support of our Organisation and your amazing generosity.
4. We travelled home with baggage weighing over 150kgs – with all excess airport charges waived. Bill & Linda, thank you so much for arranging this for us once again. I just don’t know what we would do without your intervention. We had a huge amount of luggage between the 3 of us (Ron, Liza & Joan) and each of our 6 colossal suitcases was packed to bursting!
5. We were able to sell the bulk of our Tshedisanang merchandise and, thankfully, not have to cart any of it back to South Africa with us. It was, however, more of a struggle than ever before and we were forced to lower the prices significantly towards the end of our trip. The lesson learned is that our Women’s Project can no longer depend upon my annual UK trips to provide them with an income for 6 months of every year. There’s obviously a limit to how many bags, aprons and cushion covers etc. that folk will buy/need! What is now required is a brain-storming session to explore diversifying and seeking alternate means of securing firm incomes for our ladies. One thought is to break into the local school uniform industry (skirts, tracksuits etc.) and to start providing township schools with a more affordable range of quality merchandise. We are regularly shocked at the high uniform costs in some of the township schools and cannot help but question how impoverished people are supposed to comply with stringent school requirements? Hopefully, the manufacturing of uniforms in bulk could become our Project’s main focus and specialized items (waistcoats, tableware etc.) could be attended to upon request/per order only. What do you think?

Morning Star survived my absence very well. Sr. Patricia, Elizabeth vd Westhuizen and Val did a sterling job keeping the Centres running and the children happy. Sadly, 2 children died whilst we were away and 2 more have succumbed to their illnesses since our return. They are Tshidi Mothupi & Malebo Mateba (both died on 23-05-09) and Thabo Nconco & Mpumelelo September (on 1st & 5th June respectively). I feel so sad for those of you who, over time, build up a special relationship with your sponsored child – and then, suddenly, they’re gone! Heartbroken, too, for those of you who have just started to be a part of our Sponsorship Programme, only to receive the tragic news that your little girl/boy has died. Please don’t be disheartened and give up. We have so many needy children on our register and the support and love they receive from you, their UK sponsor, makes a huge difference to theirs and their family’s lives. To witness the joy and excitement on a little face when called into my office to receive a gift, letter, postcard or clothing, is just too deep a joy to explain!

I’m pleased to report that our newest vehicle, the 23-seater Mercedes Sprinter, is now fully operational. What a difference having a fourth vehicle at our disposal is making! With 3 buses now transporting children to and from Morning Star (Welkom) every day, the majority of our little ones are able to access our services from 9.00 each morning instead of 10.30 am. Our drivers are also getting home at a more reasonable hour in the late afternoons/early evenings. Regularly, I praise God for the fact that not once over the past 10 years have we experienced a major car accident nor lost or injured any of our children/staff whilst transporting them back and forth. We’ve had some close shaves over the years, twice even since our return from the UK. Yet God has protected us and been merciful to us. We are, indeed, grateful.

Quite by accident last week I found out that an Organisation called “Reach a Generation” (RAG) from the USA/Britain were in Welkom, testing eyesight and giving brand new spectacles away. Morning Star made full use of this amazing opportunity and sent close to 20 staff/Tshedisanang members (not counting additional grandmas and children), to be assessed. All-in-all, 17 staff members were issued with prescription spectacles and came away with the immediate gift of almost perfect sight! There was much rejoicing and dancing back at Morning Star upon their return! Just picture our employees being able to read the small print in our local newspaper and our Bibles for the very first time in a very long time! What a wonderful charity outreach this was and we look forward to RAG’s next visit to our region of the Free State.

The arrival of our spate of overseas volunteers (for their summer/our winter) has begun. Amy Lozier from the USA arrived last Friday (5th) and Joel & Clare Daubney, from Sheffield, this past Tuesday (9th).  Two more – Rosemary de Kock & her friend Charisa – from Cape Town, are due in Welkom tomorrow (12th) and three additional young ladies, Jessica, Abigail and Anna (from Wheelock Heath, Cheshire) arrive mid-July. Whew! I hope we have enough work here for them all! They need to return home feeling they’ve contributed meaningfully at Morning Star and acknowledging their time with us was a life-changing experience. Joel is on his way to becoming Dr. Daubney and has the added privilege of working side-by-side with Dr. Ralph Nhiwatiwa, specialist physician & head of our region’s Anti-Retroviral Clinic, each weekday morning. We’ll all be better informed about the long-term availability of ARV’s in Welkom by the time Joel leaves Welkom at the end of July! With the present intake of young people all staying at the Adams’ home, it’s sure to be just like old times for Ron and me! JUST WONDERFUL!  (We have 5 children, too – 4 girls & 1 boy – for those of you who didn’t know).

In closing, thanks once again for the very generous hospitality shown to Liza and me whilst over in England last month. Thank you, too, for your deep compassion for our HIV/AIDS children and their families, for your generous monetary contributions (even and in spite of the current economic recession) and the many prayers you continue to offer up on our behalf.
Morning Star would not survive without you.
Proverbs 11.25 says: “A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed”. May our Lord bless you and continue to use you for His honour and glory.

In Him
Joan.

MATTERS FOR PRAYER:

• Thanksgiving for Liza and Joan’s save travel and good health whilst in the UK
• God's hand upon Morning Star in Joan's absence. Despite the shortage of key staff members, the Centre continued to run at its normal pace and the children were well cared for and kept happy. We praise God, too, for Elizabeth vdW who comes packaged with a whole range of different strengths to Betts and who is already leaving her mark at Morning Star in many and varied ways.
• Praise and thanks that Joan’s latest blood results are all clear of cancer cells.
• That the majority of our little children are doing so well at the moment. We’re especially grateful that our little Lunathi Gana, who was on the brink of death when she started with us at the end of 2007, is now a healthy, happy, lively little girl.

• Lunathi - 23 July 2007	Lunathi today - 12 June 2009

• Please pray for our sick children – especially Karabo Mokoena (marasmus – severe protein-energy malnutrition), Paballo Kala (inflammation of the spleen & in hospital for related biopsy) and Lerato Pereko (legs/feet have been straightened and in POP (plaster of paris) for next several weeks)
• Pray for our sick staff members.
• Kutlwanong’s Manager, Holygate Malunga, whose health has improved somewhat but whose condition has yet to be accurately diagnosed.
• Kutlwanong employee, Maria, who is suffering from HIV/AIDS herself and no longer responding to her anti-retroviral treatment. She’s lost a tremendous amount of weight and is not looking good at all.
• Val Bekker with her ongoing back pain. Pray that her forthcoming visit to the Pain Clinic in Bloemfontein will prove fruitful.
• Our accountant, Tim Kelly with his chronic leg ulcer. There has been a slight improvement over the months but progress is painfully slow and despondency does creep upon him from time to time.
• For our bereaved families. Not only those of the 4 deceased children but also for our little ones, Olebogeng Likgang & Mamello Tseisa who’ve lost their primary carer (mum & grandma respectively) over this past while.
• For suitable premises in Thabong Township so that a second satellite Morning Star Centre can be initiated. Also for sufficient funding to be raised to see this massive Project through to completion.
• For the long-awaited letter from the Free State Government regarding long-term security at our Kopano Complex (Welkom) premises. Yip! Keep praying!
• For a suitable job for Betts Ward Able in Port Elizabeth. Nothing has materialized for Betts since she left Morning Star at the end of March ‘09.

 

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