Saturday, October 19, 2019
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Planting seeds of HOPE...
“You have planted a seed in my soul and my heart so that I can carry this message of HOPE to the whole world.” Siphuxolo, Hope2Africa Masiphumelele youth member
One of the art disciplines we teach in Hope2Africa is creative writing. What began as a way to help our youth express themselves creatively has grown into them writing their own scripts for sharing the story of HOPE through Jesus with the people in their communities. During our very first camp we asked the youth to write their own story of what HOPE is to them. One of the most beautiful responses likened HOPE to a seed – planted in a dark place, believing it was meant for more, absorbing all that it could in order to one day grow tall and produce fruit and more seeds for the benefit of others.
Despite growing up in a culture that is more known for it’s dependency than it’s generosity, the youth of Hope2Africa are taking the investments we are making in their lives and looking for ways to pour into others. They are actively sharing the HOPE of Jesus on the street corners of Squatter Camps in and around Cape Town and last year they raised their own funds to take a mission trip to Johannesburg. They are getting it and we couldn’t be more excited to see the love for their own people growing.
There’s an old hymn that says “little is much when God is in it” and whether it’s $10 or $10,000 we invite you to invest in what God is doing in Hope2Africa. To plant a seed of HOPE that the Gospel of Jesus might be shared with many.
So what can YOU do?
1- Pray
■Squatter camps are over run with shebeans (a shack that is a bar or pub) - alcohol, drugs, teenage pregnancy, not to mention poverty and HIV/aids are literally destroying these people. Jesus is the answer. Pray for the Hope2Africa youth as they share Jesus among their people.
■Pray for us as we disciple these young people - pray they will walk closely with God.
■Pray for the Lord to send the resources we need to continue and expand. (people, prayers, and funding)
2- Donate your Status (Facebook or Twitter): "You have planted a seed in my soul and my heart so that I can carry this message of HOPE to the whole world.” Siphuxolo, Hope2Africa youth. Invest in these youth - help them share HOPE. $10, $100, or $1000 every penny counts. donate at http://www.hope2africa.com/
3- Spread the Word: Meet Ziyanda
4- Get Involved: Give. No matter how great or small the amount - your gift will be used in the life of a youth in South Africa. You can donate on line www.hope2africa.com Thank you "from behind our hearts".
One of the art disciplines we teach in Hope2Africa is creative writing. What began as a way to help our youth express themselves creatively has grown into them writing their own scripts for sharing the story of HOPE through Jesus with the people in their communities. During our very first camp we asked the youth to write their own story of what HOPE is to them. One of the most beautiful responses likened HOPE to a seed – planted in a dark place, believing it was meant for more, absorbing all that it could in order to one day grow tall and produce fruit and more seeds for the benefit of others.
Despite growing up in a culture that is more known for it’s dependency than it’s generosity, the youth of Hope2Africa are taking the investments we are making in their lives and looking for ways to pour into others. They are actively sharing the HOPE of Jesus on the street corners of Squatter Camps in and around Cape Town and last year they raised their own funds to take a mission trip to Johannesburg. They are getting it and we couldn’t be more excited to see the love for their own people growing.
There’s an old hymn that says “little is much when God is in it” and whether it’s $10 or $10,000 we invite you to invest in what God is doing in Hope2Africa. To plant a seed of HOPE that the Gospel of Jesus might be shared with many.
So what can YOU do?
1- Pray
■Squatter camps are over run with shebeans (a shack that is a bar or pub) - alcohol, drugs, teenage pregnancy, not to mention poverty and HIV/aids are literally destroying these people. Jesus is the answer. Pray for the Hope2Africa youth as they share Jesus among their people.
■Pray for us as we disciple these young people - pray they will walk closely with God.
■Pray for the Lord to send the resources we need to continue and expand. (people, prayers, and funding)
2- Donate your Status (Facebook or Twitter): "You have planted a seed in my soul and my heart so that I can carry this message of HOPE to the whole world.” Siphuxolo, Hope2Africa youth. Invest in these youth - help them share HOPE. $10, $100, or $1000 every penny counts. donate at http://www.hope2africa.com/
3- Spread the Word: Meet Ziyanda
When we first met Ziyanda she had no hope and was contemplating suicide. God has used Hope2Africa to change her life. Thank you Lord Jesus! Please share her story and Hope2Africa with others today. There are thousands more Ziyandas living in squatter camps in South Africa. Help us reach them.4- Get Involved: Give. No matter how great or small the amount - your gift will be used in the life of a youth in South Africa. You can donate on line www.hope2africa.com Thank you "from behind our hearts".
Siphuxolo Hope2Africa
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
HOPE in a pair of socks...
HOPE in a pair of socks...
One of the joys of Hope2Africa camps are the little gifts we are able to give our youth. From hoodies and jeans to toothbrushes and a backpack we have seen the power of gifts that help meet their daily needs. During one camp we had a case of socks donated and when it came time to present the kids with their brand new shoes and socks they went nuts over the socks. What you need to understand is that for most of these youth, this was the first new pair of shoes they had ever been presented with and therefore we were all puzzled at their overwhelming joy regarding the socks. We asked a couple of the kids why the socks were such a big deal and what we discovered was that shoes are a necessity (and they WERE grateful) but socks are a luxury, especially the cushy kind that we had presented them with that day.
We’re only scratching the surface in understanding the devastating effects of poverty, disease and a racial history that devalued black South Africans but one thing we have learned for certain – it is often in the little things, the hug with an “I love you”, the praise of work well done or even a cushy pair of socks that HOPE is found. The youth of Hope2Africa are growing up caught in a world that screams from every corner that they are disposable and of no value. God says otherwise and so do we.
Help us tell more African youth that they are loved, that they are valued by Jesus, that they deserve a pair of cushy socks.
So what can YOU do?
1- Pray:
Pray that we will receive the resources we need to not only keep Hope2Africa going in Masi year round, but to also expand to other squatter camps.
Pray our Hope2Africa youth will be "beautiful feet" as they share the Gospel with their people using the arts.
2- Donate your Status (Facebook or Twitter): How beautiful are the feet that carry the Good News of the Gospel. Be involved personally in pouring Jesus into the life of a teen living in poverty in the squatter camps of South Africa. Help empower and disciple the next generation of leaders. Pray, give, go. www.hope2africa.com
3- Spread the Word: Start planning! Can you gather your friends, neighbors or co-workers together this week to tell them about Hope2Africa? Show them our video....www.hope2africa.com. Encourage others to get involved in Hope2Africa.
4- Get Involved: What can your office, Sunday School class, friends or neighbors donate in the way of gifts to our Hope2Africa youth? What resources are in your sphere of influence?
Becky Harris
Founder and President, Hope2Africa
becky@hope2africa.com
www.hope2africa.com
One of the joys of Hope2Africa camps are the little gifts we are able to give our youth. From hoodies and jeans to toothbrushes and a backpack we have seen the power of gifts that help meet their daily needs. During one camp we had a case of socks donated and when it came time to present the kids with their brand new shoes and socks they went nuts over the socks. What you need to understand is that for most of these youth, this was the first new pair of shoes they had ever been presented with and therefore we were all puzzled at their overwhelming joy regarding the socks. We asked a couple of the kids why the socks were such a big deal and what we discovered was that shoes are a necessity (and they WERE grateful) but socks are a luxury, especially the cushy kind that we had presented them with that day.
We’re only scratching the surface in understanding the devastating effects of poverty, disease and a racial history that devalued black South Africans but one thing we have learned for certain – it is often in the little things, the hug with an “I love you”, the praise of work well done or even a cushy pair of socks that HOPE is found. The youth of Hope2Africa are growing up caught in a world that screams from every corner that they are disposable and of no value. God says otherwise and so do we.
Help us tell more African youth that they are loved, that they are valued by Jesus, that they deserve a pair of cushy socks.
So what can YOU do?
1- Pray:
Pray that we will receive the resources we need to not only keep Hope2Africa going in Masi year round, but to also expand to other squatter camps.
Pray our Hope2Africa youth will be "beautiful feet" as they share the Gospel with their people using the arts.
2- Donate your Status (Facebook or Twitter): How beautiful are the feet that carry the Good News of the Gospel. Be involved personally in pouring Jesus into the life of a teen living in poverty in the squatter camps of South Africa. Help empower and disciple the next generation of leaders. Pray, give, go. www.hope2africa.com
3- Spread the Word: Start planning! Can you gather your friends, neighbors or co-workers together this week to tell them about Hope2Africa? Show them our video....www.hope2africa.com. Encourage others to get involved in Hope2Africa.
4- Get Involved: What can your office, Sunday School class, friends or neighbors donate in the way of gifts to our Hope2Africa youth? What resources are in your sphere of influence?
Becky Harris
Founder and President, Hope2Africa
becky@hope2africa.com
www.hope2africa.com
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
7 days of HOPE
Meet Hope2Africa youth, Ziyanda. She is a precious young lady and one of our miracles. God has done so many great things in her life. If I had time to share her entire story you would understand the urgency we feel to reach more youth in South Africa. God is using this ministry - to HIS Glory!
How can you bring Hope to youth living in poverty surrounded by HIV/aids in the squatter camps of South Africa? Get involved with Hope2Africa. Check out www.hope2africa.com to find out more about this amazing ministry!!
7 Days of Hope
HOPE in the dark...
HOPE in the dark...
We first met Thembi in 2009. She joined the Hope2Africa Masi team and it didn’t take long for us to learn of her incredible story of faith and courage. Thembi had been sent to Masi by her mother in search of a better life for her younger siblings. She quickly became acquainted with Masi’s overcrowding and for over a year, her younger brother and younger sister and cousins were essentially homeless inside of Masi, living on the streets and fending for what food they could scrounge. They eventually found a shack they could rent.
On the April 2010 Hope2Africa Masi trip we learned that Thembi and her siblings were being evicted. They could not afford the rent and had no where else to go. God provided the financial resources for our team to purchase a shack for Thembi, her sister, brother and cousins. They were so excited to have a shack of their own and tears of joy were shed as she exclaimed “we have our very own shack now, just like everyone else.”
The beautiful part of Thembi’s dark story is her very emphatic message that God has always been with her, especially when she was afraid at night. She calls herself a “blessed girl” and she is currently working hard to finish her Senior year of high school. Her family continues to live in poverty, but Thembi possesses a calm joyfulness that comes in knowing that God has plans for her and more than that, He is with her each step of the journey.
By the way, Thembi’s name means great HOPE, we couldn’t agree more.
So what can YOU do?
1- Pray
•Pray for the HOPE of Jesus to be experienced by the people of Africa. Thembi’s story is all too common. The youth of Hope2Africa are living in poverty and are surrounded by HIV/aids. Their sense of hopelessness is overwhelming as they simply try to survive in tough conditions and crumbling families.
•Pray for us as we pour the Hope of Jesus into these kids.
2- Donate your Status (Facebook or Twitter): Be a part of pouring Hope into the life of teenager living in poverty in the squatter camps of South Africa. There are so many things YOU can do: Pray, give, come on a trip. www.hope2africa.com
3- Spread the Word: Forward this message to 10 people today!
4- Get Involved - Ask the Lord to show you how you can be involved. There are many Thembi's that need to hear how Jesus loves them.
Thank you for helping us reach more youth in South Africa. Thank you for growing HOPE....
7 DAYS OF HOPE team
We first met Thembi in 2009. She joined the Hope2Africa Masi team and it didn’t take long for us to learn of her incredible story of faith and courage. Thembi had been sent to Masi by her mother in search of a better life for her younger siblings. She quickly became acquainted with Masi’s overcrowding and for over a year, her younger brother and younger sister and cousins were essentially homeless inside of Masi, living on the streets and fending for what food they could scrounge. They eventually found a shack they could rent.
On the April 2010 Hope2Africa Masi trip we learned that Thembi and her siblings were being evicted. They could not afford the rent and had no where else to go. God provided the financial resources for our team to purchase a shack for Thembi, her sister, brother and cousins. They were so excited to have a shack of their own and tears of joy were shed as she exclaimed “we have our very own shack now, just like everyone else.”
The beautiful part of Thembi’s dark story is her very emphatic message that God has always been with her, especially when she was afraid at night. She calls herself a “blessed girl” and she is currently working hard to finish her Senior year of high school. Her family continues to live in poverty, but Thembi possesses a calm joyfulness that comes in knowing that God has plans for her and more than that, He is with her each step of the journey.
By the way, Thembi’s name means great HOPE, we couldn’t agree more.
So what can YOU do?
1- Pray
•Pray for the HOPE of Jesus to be experienced by the people of Africa. Thembi’s story is all too common. The youth of Hope2Africa are living in poverty and are surrounded by HIV/aids. Their sense of hopelessness is overwhelming as they simply try to survive in tough conditions and crumbling families.
•Pray for us as we pour the Hope of Jesus into these kids.
2- Donate your Status (Facebook or Twitter): Be a part of pouring Hope into the life of teenager living in poverty in the squatter camps of South Africa. There are so many things YOU can do: Pray, give, come on a trip. www.hope2africa.com
3- Spread the Word: Forward this message to 10 people today!
4- Get Involved - Ask the Lord to show you how you can be involved. There are many Thembi's that need to hear how Jesus loves them.
Thank you for helping us reach more youth in South Africa. Thank you for growing HOPE....
7 DAYS OF HOPE team
Monday, November 8, 2010
Multitude Monday - 7 Days of Hope
I am using this multitude monday to usher in
November 8-14, 2010
During the next 7 days I encourage you to follow links, watch video, read blogs and other messages to follow. In this season of Thanksgiving, with so much we have to be thankful for, open your heart and mind to the ways God is using Hope2Africa to shower hope on our brothers and sisters living and ministering in South African Squatter camps.
What is a Squatter Camp?
Settlements with shacks made of wood, cardboard, tin and other scrap material. Whole families live in a single shack, the size of a garden shed. Open fires are used for cooking and candles for light - shacks often catch fire when there are accidents. There is no running water, sewerage pipes, gas or electricity. Squatter camps are now known as informal settlements and those with designated streets are known as Townships.
What does Hope2Africa do?
Hope2Africa trains African Christian youth in the Creative Arts in order that they might share the Hope of Jesus with their own communities. We use weekly meetings, one-week day-camps and weekend workshops to train. Hope2Africa members are recommended by their church and school leaders based upon their desire to train in the arts and the personal character they demonstrate.
The youth are trained in the following art forms: Drama, Dance, Singing, Creative Writing/Script Writing, Painting & Set Design/Construction. The youth help write, construct and then perform within their own communities first and then in neighboring townships. Hope2Africa youth are trained to use the materials available in their everyday surroundings thus encouraging them to see everything as usable and not to feel limited by any lack of resources. Each member of Hope2Africa member is fully scholarshipped by supporters of Hope2Africa Inc.
Watch this video see how Hope2Africa is being used to bring hope and eternal changes in otherwise hopeless situations.
Please prayerfully consider joining me & dedicate this week, through emails, social network status. At this beginning of this season of thankfulness help share 7 days of HOPE with your readers, family and friends.
God bless!
'The Method is the Arts - the Message is Jesus'
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