Stewart 5

On May 10th, 23 CRM staff women travelled from 11 countries around the world for the second of three “Women of Influence” gatherings. This time we met up in Millstatt, Austria at Schloss Heroldeck Castle. Both the time traveling to/thru Austria and my time with God and the other women was AMAZING! The scenery was beautiful and truly sang God’s glory. His gentle hand guided me each day providing abundant opportunity to hear and respond to His voice. His Spirit shaped and rejuvenated my soul!

I was the grateful recipient of the generous hospitality of the CRM worship/logistics team and the castle staff (who prepared and cleaned up after all of our healthy and delicious meals)! The Spirit infused teaching and conversation time with peers and mentors was stimulating and life-giving. It was a refreshing time to step back and reflect with God and others on all the roles I give myself to- child of God, daughter, wife, mom, co-worker, mentor, and friend.

I’ve come home with Kingdom breathed vision and enthusiasm for each of these roles as I continue to move toward necessary balance among them! Some words that endure in my heart and mind since my time in Austria: REST…TRUST…BEAUTY…NURTURE…FAITHFUL LOVE

And, a special THANK YOU to each of you who contributed financially to provide me with this opportunity which will undoubtedly bless and benefit all those I minister to both inside and outside of my home!

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Praise to God - maker of all things, lover of my soul - that I am finally feeling a bit better.  Not 100%, but well enough to actually enjoy this weekend.  And what a weekend.

Friday night, we did a commissioning time for the Kabongos who are launching an Innerchange team in Soshonguve this year.

Yesterday, Melissa, AP, Mairin, and our friend Chris went to a fab concert at the Botannical Gardens in Joburg.  Then, we went and had dinner at a cool little restaurant nearby.

Chris & Harris Tweed, Arthur & Chris all smiles,  Mairin at the restaurant  

Today, we took the kids and Iain’s friend Lukie to an outdoor adventure.  Hiking, animals, and hamburgers - what could be better?  This afternoon we swam at Pangani.

Lukie holds a crocodile (Iain making sure you see it), the boys hiking, swimming (Mosky doing ballet in the back) 

So glad to just chill for the weekend, especially with the hectic schedule we’ve had and given that we are hosting the all-NieuCommunities conference starting this upcoming weekend.  Nice to hang with the fam - nourishing to the soul!

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Melissa got home yesterday evening.  And, of course, there is lots to catch up on.  She visited with her sister, attended a conference, spent a lot of time with friends, saw her dad, had several flights, and was in America.  We have also had two weeks of life and travails while she was gone.

It’s almost like there is too much to catch up on to even get started.  In the end, most things will come our, piece by piece, over the next week or so.  If the kids will let us, we may get a nice long chunk of time to chat together today, but who knows… the kids are pretty excited to have their mom back.  So, we have this weird, “I know lots has happened and I would like to hear but I’m not sure how/when” thing.

Does anyone else know what this is like?  How do you catch up when lots has happened?

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This weekend I’ll be attending a “Captivating Weekend” along with a small group of South African women based on the book Captivating This group follows a 2 day seminar led by Sean and Jean Daly based on the book Sacred Romance.

Then, I’ll be joining a group of women from CRM to share and learn more about the challenges we face as women in ministry. The CRM Staff Development and Care Team (SDCT) is hosting this gathering of “Women of Influence” in order to equip, empower and learn from women across CRM. I am particularly interested in this gathering as I feel it will be a support and encouragement to me personally as I engage my calling in ministry alongside my role of wife and mother. I also hope to learn new and better ways of mentoring the single and married women who come to journey with us through NieuCommunities Road Trips and apprenticeships as well as the South African women God has placed in my life. This group of “Women of Influence” will gather together three times over the next 18 months. The first gathering is October 21-25, 2007 in Denver, CO.

Another reason I am excited about this trip is that I will be able to travel through Cincinnati and stay with my sister, Heather, and her husband for 5 days on my way to the gathering in Denver. I am looking forward to spending this time with my sister as this will be my first time visiting her in her home since she and Joe were married in 2005 and especially now that she is pregnant with her first child…I’m going to be an Auntie!

I truly feel honored to have been invited to participate in this gathering and thank God for the blessing of this trip personally as a wife, mom, and sister! This gathering also reminds me what a privilege it is to be part of a ministry organization such as CRM. Their dedication to equipping, supporting and caring for their staff is evident.

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Well, that pretty much says it all…

Questions? Comments?

I really like the shop and artist who did this. Melissa is the 10th person I’ve sent to them. No, they have not done any work on me yet.

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As you may recall, at the end of last year I put out a request for donations for a group of guys Jostina and I have been serving dinner to one night a week. I call them “MaGents.” I quickly received over $400 to sponsor HIV/AIDS testing and counselling for these young men. I am grateful that we were able to help 10 guys (and gift the nurses and counsellors as well) with $30 gift certificates for a local department store. Please pray with me that the knowledge of their individual status and education they received will prevent future infection of HIV and VIMBELA IGCIWANE ELISHA (”Stop the Virus,” in Zulu)!

The day after the 10 guys were tested and given their “gift,” the other 17 guys wanted in on the deal. So, I am asking again, please prayerfully consider how you can partner with us to serve this often neglected population of young men through a financial contribution and/or by spreading the word among those in your network. I need to raise $560 to reach 17 more young men! If you would like information on how to send $$, please email me!

The testing and counselling has been possible through a connection with a local HIV/AIDS resource center called Vimbela Igciwane Elisha. A truly amazing and sacrificial woman, Maria Sekaja, directs this underfunded non profit, grassroots organization based in Pretoria North. Vimbela exists to provide home based care to frail, sick and HIV/AIDS patients, initiate awareness campaigns and various support services to HIV/AIDS infected and affected persons. Vimbela was formed in 2002 by Maria and a group of women from the community concerned about the lack of care and support services available to those infected or affected by HIV/AIDS in the Northern subburbs of Pretoria, South Africa. As a registered non profit organization the staff of Vimbela, currently totalling 8, is responsible for securing funding for the services they provide. They currently offer all services free of charge as the people they serve are impoverished and cannot even afford a minimal fee.

Vimbela Igciwane Elisha operates from an office adjacent to the government run Pretoria North Health Clinic and a sub-office in the nearby township of Soshanguve. Vimbela is the only HIV/AIDS community support organization currently operating in the Northern subburbs of Pretoria. There are three local government health clinics who regularly refer patients to Vimbela. After the initial HIV counselling, testing and post counselling, patients infected by HIV receive no further support from the local clinic outside of health related visits. Daily the staff of Vimbela dedicate themselves to serving this neglected population with little recognition from the larger community as they strive to meet overwhelming needs. Vimbela struggles financially every month just to cover basic operating costs like phone, electricity, and office supplies. These costs must be covered and Maria regularly pays her staff before herself which means that she, and the other staff, often subsidize Vimbela personally each month. Maria, the two counsellors and two nurses who made MaGents testing possible were also given gift vouchers as a small expression of appreciation for their sacrificial dedication to the people they serve. A consistent and generous monthly donation could lessen the burden on Maria and her staff tremendously. Currently, Vimbela’s primary one time need is for a vehicle to transport patients to and from medical appointments. They need approximately $17,000 to purchase a 7 passenger vehicle.

Any help you could give either financially, by spreading the word of these needs to those who might be interested in donating, and even help with researching and requesting grants and donations from companies/organizations in the US would be greatly appreciated. You are welcome to pass along this information to anyone who may be interested. Please ask if you have any further questions or need more information concerning Vimbela and its needs.

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I’ve just updated our photo gallery with pics from month of December. We had the privilege of sharing the holiday season with both Aunt Kat and Grammy Susi. The week before Christmas we all flew down to Cape Town. December is high season for travel among South Africans as it is summertime. So, many of the places we visited were a bit more crowded than usual, but that didn’t spoil our time. Cape Town is a beautiful city and it was so good to see and smell the ocean (Pretoria is about a 5 hour drive from the closest ocean). We stayed at a self-catering guesthouse in Hout Bay and visited the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront, Cape Point, Boulders Bay, Kalk Bay (for a meal at our favorite restaurant, the Olympia Café), Stellenbosch winelands, and Kat and Susi took the tour of Robben Island. Then we drove 7 hours on a road that reminded us of the 41 heading to Morro Bay- lots of traffic and only one lane in each direction with the occasional passing lane- to Plettenburg Bay. We stayed at another self-catering guesthouse close to the airstrip. Plett Bay is on the Garden Route and is an amazingly beautiful area. Our family enjoyed a hike on the Robberg Penninsula where we saw lots of marine life on the beach and in the tide pools. We also took a tour of Monkeyland, a primate sanctuary.

We arrived back in Joburg on Christmas Eve. After a long day of travel (6 hours drive from Plettenburg to Cape Town, and the 2 hour flight from Cape Town to Joburg) we had to wait much longer than seemed necessary for the shuttle from the airport to a car in the long-term parking lot only to find our car battery had died. While us ladies and kids stood in the covered outdoor waiting area (as it was raining) wondering if Arthur had gotten lost on his way to the car, Arthur tried to push start the car himself. He then came to get some help from the lot guards and we finally arrived home at 11:30pm!



We had a wonderful Christmas Day opening gifts in the morning and then joining others at Pangani for a braai and gift exchange game. We celebrated Arthur’s birthday with crème brulee made by Kat and an amazing meal the following evening at restaurant in Pretoria called La Pentola. We also headed out to the bush for swimming, potjie (a traditional Afrikaans stew slow cooked in a large cast iron pot over hot coals), and a game drive at the home of At and Magdaleen Breet (our co-worker, Daleen’s parents). And finally, we celebrated New Year’s Eve with a game night at Pangani and a few fireworks!



Our holiday celebrations and vacation has now come to an end. We are gradually getting back into the work and school routine. Mairin and Iain headed back to Kliene Einstein Klueterskool on January 4th. Mairin is now in the 2 year old Hasie Klaas (Bunny class) and Iain started Grade 0 (kindergarten). Arthur Paul returns to Northridge Primary and starts Grade 3 on January 10th. Arthur and I are busy preparing for the new apprentices and NCSA07. Katie, Sarah, Carissa, Barbara and Tyler arrive the 19th and 20th for our kick-off braai on the 21st!

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Thank you all for praying with us for our friends. Since I last wrote, both Motlope and Valrey have begun ARV treatment! Join us in thanking God for providing these much needed medicines. Many AIDS victims here in South Africa remain on waiting lists for ARVs or are still unaware these medicines are available and offer dramatic health benefits. Valrey says she feels like she was never sick! Motlope has increasing energy and, since also been seen at the lung clinic, has increasing lung capacity which means she is now running and playing like other children her age. Motlope has spent the last few weeks with her grandmother in Johannesburg. Jonas and Valrey will join her there to celebrate Christmas. Please continue to pray that at the right time God will give Valrey the courage, strength, and peace of heart and mind to share her HIV status with her mother. Pray for her mother, Lucy, that she will receive Valrey with open arms and support her unconditionally. Pray also for one of Valrey’s clients who has been treating her differently since she shared her HIV status. Valrey is sure that she has brought in another domestic worker once a week, but hasn’t spoken with Valrey about it yet. Valrey is concerned that she will loose this client.

Saturday we will be delivering a metal gate and swing set out to their home in Hammanskraal. Jonas has been diligently preparing this home for his family. Now that the gate will be complete, he won’t have to worry as much about robbers breaking in when they aren’t home. So, far God has been faithful to provide in this area, neighbors have been watching over their home. At this point hey have a two bedroom house with a door and lots of furniture. They still need glass so that they can put in the windows. Jonas hopes to get enough money to dig a well on their property. This way they will always have access to water. Without the well, Valrey walks about 4 minutes to the spigot to get water. She says that several times a week there is no water coming from the spigot. Thankfully her neighbors have given her the water she needs from their water storage containers. Once they have the well, they will sell water for a small fee. Valrey also hopes to set up a stand to start a small business on her property. The area where they live is growing and many people set up stands to sell food, clothing and other necessities. Once Valrey has her business going she and Motlope will stay at the house in Hammanskraal during the week (rather than travelling from Pretoria North just for the weekends) and she will quit her job as a domestic worker.

Please continue to pray for Jonas, Valrey and Motlope. Pray for continued health, and even healing, for Valrey and Motlope. Pray for Jonas as he supports his wife and daughter with tremendous love and generosity. Pray that they would have hope and endurance to build their dreams for their future.

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This year I’ve been serving dinner every Tuesday night to a bunch of young men. I call them “MaGents” (pronounced mah-gents) a slang South African term similar to the American term “homeboys” or “my hommies.” Many of these guys (aged 17-25) have families and homes in nearby townships, but they have left for varying reasons. Some of their families have sent them out to provide for themselves. Some of the guys have chosen to leave because of the abuse they’ve experienced at home. Many of them have not finished high school and several can’t read or write.



Most of the guys hang around on the street near the mall 3 blocks from our house. They direct people to parking spaces on the street and ask if they can “watch your car” for you while you shop. They’ll even wash your windows or the whole car if you let them! This is a very common occurrence here in SA. Some stores, restaurants and malls employ their own uniformed car park attendants. It is customary to tip them if you agree to allow them to watch your car, usually about R2 (about 30 cents at the current exchange rate). The guys say that on average, if they work all week from 7 am till 6 pm, they make about R200 ($30). They sleep in vacant lots around the shops and some of them say they have “a room” somewhere.



A group of people from different churches got together a couple of years ago to serve food to these guys five days out of the week. Several NieuCommunities apprentices have been involved in serving these guys over the last 3 years. Since we had no apprentices this year, I took over Tuesday nights. I asked one of our Pangani staff, my friend Jostina, if she would accompany me. So, after she works a full day cleaning my house and doing my laundry, Jostina and I head to the place where we serve MaGents. The kitchen staff at a nearby retirement home provide the food. Jostina and I bring plastic plates, forks and serving spoons.



Most of the time the food from the retirement home is decent. Sometimes, honestly, I wouldn’t eat it. The guys eat most of it because they are hungry. But, often they choose not to eat one item or another. One week, when they seemed unhappy with the meal, I asked them what would they like, what was their favorite meal…they said they liked motwana (pronounced mow-TWah-nah), pap (pronounced pop) and coca-cola (Coke:).

shirts v. skins serving the foodMotwana and Pap

One Sunday afternoon I invited MaGents to the park to play soccer and eat lunch. Arthur, Tim Ramage, Doug, and our kids played a shirts v. skins match. Jostina made the motwana (boiled chicken feet with a tomato and onion sauce), pap (the main starch eaten throughout Africa, but prepared a bit differently from country to country) and mashed pumpkin. We served the food after the soccer game and then just talked and hung out at the park until the sun began to set. It was a beautiful day.

Last week Abie asked me to bring “cool drink” (similar to punch). I told him I would, but that since I would be paying for the drink each week I needed his, and the other guys, help to keep each other honest and not take the forks and plates that we bring each week. Many times MaGents show up to eat and they have been sniffing glue or drinking cheap beer. One of the younger guys, Tsepo, is regularly high on glue. On occasion he is sober and he’s really an articulate, intelligent, likeable guy. I’ve told him a few times now that he is a smart guy and that I really enjoy him much more when he is sober.

A few weeks ago MaGents told me they would like Christmas presents. I asked them what they kinds of gifts they wanted. One guy said, “just something that will make us happy.” So, I don’t know what kind of picture you have of these guys at this point, but picture any average 17-25 year old in America. These guys want similar things. They like to look good. They save up their money and buy Fila “takkies” (athletic shoes). They are into soccer and talk about what kind of car they’d like.

I told MaGents that I would see what I could do to get them some Christmas presents. But, I also asked them, if I got them something good would they get tested for HIV in order to get the present. I had asked one of the guys prior to this conversation if he had been tested. He said “no.” I asked if he would get tested and he said, “probably not.” So, these guys, in general, have no natural inclination to get tested. After I presented the idea the guys said they would get tested if they got a gift out of the deal.



Here’s where you come in…I’d like to give these guys the option of a new pair of athletic shoes or a soccer jersey. I am hoping to get 20 guys to come out one afternoon to get counseling and HIV testing through the local clinic. I need $45 each, a total of $900 to pay for the gifts. Please email me ASAP if you are interested in partnering with us in this endeavor!



Thank you for listening to my story:) Melissa

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We live in the beautiful country of South Africa. In the spring time the Jakaranda trees bloom and drop purple flowers all over. We have so many Jakarandas in our neighborhood that the street looks like a purple carpet. Its summer time now and also the rainy season. In the winter it is cold and very dry, but still sunny and no rain at all. In the summer it is sunny and hot, but many days in the afternoon and evening it gets windy and then the dark clouds come in and it rains to cool everything down. The rain sounds nice on the tin roofs of the houses.

Its been fun having our friends The Ramages here in South Africa with us! Arthur, Iain and Mairin love playing at Pangani with Josh,


Koby and Karis. They especially like to sleep over at each other’s house and go swimming at the pool.

Arthur Paul (8) also likes to read books and play xbox. He is waiting for me to buy him the 5th book in the Harry Potter series. He and his dad just beat the “hard planet” on Star Wars Battlefront and are now on the Death Star level.



Iain (5) likes to play xbox or games on the PBS kids website and play with his toys, he is having fun tying things up recently! He and his friends also like to pretend play that they are the character they are wearing on their t-shirt. For example, when Iain wears his tiger shirt he’s a tiger and when he wears his Batman shirt he plays batman. Mairin (2) likes to play with baby dolls and other toys and watch DVD’s like Little Einsteins and Polly Pocket. Mairin is also learning how to use the toilet. She likes to wear her Dora and Hello Kitty panties☺

Our family moved from California to South Africa to help people learn about more about Jesus and His love. Sometimes we talk about Jesus and other times we act like Jesus- loving and helping the people God brings into our lives. Three years ago God brought a family into our lives. Their names are Jonas, Valrey and Motlope. Jonas is a groundskeeper at the housing complex where we used to live. Valrey works as a house cleaner. Valrey has not worked for the last month because she has been very sick. She was in the hospital for 3 days. Valrey and her daughter Motlope have a very bad disease called AIDS. This disease makes your body very weak and you catch colds easily. Because your body is weak you can’t fight the cold like a normal healthy person can. Even when you take medicine for the cold it takes a very long time for your body to get better. After lots and lots of colds your body gets so weak that it can’t fight anymore and you die. We are praying that God would heal them from this terrible disease.

We are praying that God will make a way for them to get a special medicine called ARV. This medicine helps their bodies fight the colds so that they don’t get weak and it helps them to stay healthy. In January Valrey would like to start a business near her home. She wants to build a small stand and sell clothes to her neighbors so they don’t have to travel as far to the shopping mall to buy their clothes. Valrey would also like her daughter Motlope, 3 years old, to go to preschool. We are praying that God would help Jonas and Valrey get the money they need to start the business and pay for Motlope to go to preschool. You can pray for Jonas, Valrey and Motlope too. You can also pray for our family as we love and serve them by driving to them to the hospital and waiting many hours with them until it is their turn to see the doctor.

I’m sure that Jonas, Valrey and Motlope would love it if you would draw them a picture and send it to them in the mail. You can send it to our address and we will give it to them!



106 Emily Hobhouse Ave.
Pretoria North 0182
South Africa

http://www.talkingwithkids.org/aids.html

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