doorofhope-ourfamilynews-mar2019

More documents

Recommendations

Info

VOLUNTEER TEAMS Door of Hope Village is a beautiful piece of property full of life and potential located in De Deur on the south side of Johannesburg. Though it abounds with promise, our vision for the village could not be reached were it not for help from a variety of local and international volunteer teams. These teams come to the village to help maintain this evergrowing land, to develop new spaces, and to build, block by block, so that this place might continue to transform into a village of hope for some of God’s most vulnerable children. So far this year we have had 4 different teams come to volunteer at the village. The North Carolina Baptists on Mission have already sent two groups: a group of 4 in January and a group of 9 in February. The February team, led by concrete expert Skip Greene, persevered through rain and mud to build a retaining wall and lay a concrete walkway outside the “Play and Learn Centre” that will provide clean and easy access to the play area for our children. This was Tom and Barbara Burns’ first time on an international mission trip, but they are pretty sure it won’t be their last. When asked what advice they had for someone else considering coming to volunteer of Door of Hope, they quickly responded, “It was hard work, harder than we thought it would be, but so worthwhile. You’ll come back with so much more than what you have given.” “These teams come to the village to help maintain this ever-growing land, to develop new spaces, and to build, block by block, so that this place might continue to transform into a village of hope for some of God’s most vulnerable children” Local teams enjoy coming to volunteer at the village as well. A group from St. Paul’s United Church came to the village on a Saturday in February to cut grass, paint a jungle gym, and make blocks to be used in future building endeavours. This team will return in May to help again. Team member, Janine Brown, told me they have chosen to invest in Door of Hope Village because, “As a church we know that pew-warming is not what our faith is about…. The problem of abandoned children is also our problem. As the church, we need to own this problem, practically.” Churches are not the only ones choosing to be a part of the solution. Corporate teams, like a group from ACCA, also join with Door of Hope to serve their local community together. You, too, can be a part of this life-giving work. Though the work is construction-style labour, it does not require any specialised skills. Church teams, corporate teams and people of all ages, from all over the world can come and help us build a place of hope for the children entrusted in our care. To learn more please contact teams@ <strong>doorofhope</strong>.co.za. To see our teams in action visit us on Facebook.
US OFFICE UPDATE The US office of Door of Hope has both encouraging progresses to report, as well as serious prayer concerns to present to our faithful supporters. The most urgent prayer need is for 501(3)(c) non-profit status to be granted in the US. The application was submitted on November 28, 2018, with the hope that it would be approved within four to six months. However, this was well before the US federal government shutdown, and it is unknown how much time this will add to the process. Please pray for a miraculous parting of the sea of governmental paperwork so that our nonprofit status can be granted. We’d like to introduce you to our new board member on the US team, Brenda Kelling. Brenda is from Marietta, Georgia and we are thankful for the great energy, enthusiasm and compassion she brings to our work. In the past few months, Door of Hope representatives in the US have presented the ministry to churches and individuals in North Carolina, Virginia and Iowa. We are praising the Lord that from those churches three “cots” (cribs) have been adopted. Our “Adopt-a-Cot” program allows individuals or groups to cover all expenses for a single child and then commit to praying for that precious child. 12 short-term mission teams from American churches and 1 group from Holland are scheduled to serve at the Village in 2019. We are thankful to note that more than half of that number are returning workers, as well as a significant number of teams that will be first-time servants at Door of Hope. In March, Elaine will be leading two breakout sessions at the “North Carolina Baptists on Mission” annual conference. This is a significant opportunity to present the ministry in greater detail and to generate both financial and prayer support, as well as future volunteer teams. Baptist churches in North Carolina send representatives to this conference, seeking ministries with which their churches can partner. We praise the Lord for the growing US support for Door of Hope. The urgent prayer needs are for non-profit status approval from the US federal government as well as significant and imminent capital investment. Thank you for your prayers and financial support.
Page 1 and 2: Our Family News March 2019 “The G
Page 3 and 4: BABY NEWS Our precious Baby Boy S w
Page 5: TODDLER NEWS Over the past month th
Page 9 and 10: ADOPT-A-COT Big Girl S is a 4-year-
Page 11 and 12: But most importantly, please join u

doorofhope-ourfamilynews-mar2019

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?