RESTHAVEN MINISTRIES

“Find a need and meet it, find a hurt and heal it!”

Vision: To serve our community through alleviating the hardship and suffering experienced by others.

Mission: We shall provide opportunity for the upliftment of others through the provision of food, shelter and training.

Resthaven started in the winter of 1979. When we saw the hardships experienced by the street people of Rosettenville, as a family, we were motivated to prepare hot soup and bread for the homeless people of our community. Imagine my surprise when my husband approached a large bush and asked, “Would you like some soup?” Surprisingly a voice replied, “Yes please” and out stretched an arm to receive the cup of soup and disappeared again! Thus began a nightly visit to an old man who had been beaten up and left with two broken legs and a broken arm... His only shelter was the bush which provided limited shelter from the elements, but most of all, a hiding place from would be assailants as he slept. Being unable to walk, Ernest relied on the charity of sympathetic passers-by. One evening as my husband delivered his nightly meal, he found the old man dragging himself along the road with one arm. He had been attacked by some young hooligans. They had taken delight in spraying him with pepper spray. The spray had got into his eyes and throat and his whole body was covered with the irritating, burning powder. Ernest was rushed to hospital where he spent a couple of months before he was discharged and we were then able to provide him with a place of safety at Resthaven until he was totally recovered.

The Resthaven Place of Refuge came into being on June 22^nd 1992 when we took over what had been an old farmhouse. It had four bedrooms, six outside bedrooms which had been converted from stables, and a two bedroom cottage which had originally been the farm dairy. This became our shelter for destitute men. In return for full board and lodging they were expected to assist with the daily chores. As they were rehabilitated many found work and were able to return to society. Of course there were those who left because they did not like living according to house rules.

At this time we had some colourful characters. One such person had been a successful businessman who had owned an exclusive men’s outfitting shop. He had lived in a luxurious mansion where he held many functions and threw expensive parties for his friends. He had never married and was the only child of his parents. One day he arrived home to find that his father had just murdered his mother. The shock of this tragedy never left him and eventually caused him to loose his faculties and he literally dropped out of society. Although he was well read and a brilliant businessman, he was never able to live a normal life again and spent many years at Resthaven. He still plays a formidable game of chess and has a sharp mind in spite of the numerous times that he has been admitted to mental institutions. Sometimes he can be vindictive but he also has a very kind and caring nature.

A second such person was a hopeless alcoholic who came to our soup kitchen one evening. His unkempt hair was infested with lice, and he was wrapped in a dirty blanket. In his hands was a plastic shopping bag containing all his worldly belongings. As I handed him a cup of hot soup, I noticed that his hand was bleeding and was blue from the cold. As I leaned forward and took his hand in mine, he cautioned me, “Don’t come to close to me, I am covered in lice”. That was the beginning of a long friendship between us. That night he was admitted to the Place of refuge. The other men in the dormitory rallied round, took his clothes and washed them, gave him a fresh change of clothes, and after a hot and wholesome meal he had a peaceful nights rest in a warm clean bed! Imagine our surprise to find that he was a qualified tradesman. He did specialised welding, was a carpenter and was a talented artist. A man of many talents, great humour and well liked by his friends, he recently passed away in an old age home where he was placed once he became to frail to stay on at Resthaven

In 1993 we leased an unused school property from the Government. Our current lease expires in July 2007 and we are trusting that we shall be able to extend our lease by a further 10 years. The property provides us with office space, dormitory accommodation for homeless men, stores, kitchen, a canteen and our sheltered workshops. The hall is used as a place of worship where spiritual encouragement is given to our residents.

Residents assist in the workshops, the kitchen and are responsible for daily chores required for the successful running of Resthaven. The offices are manned by our staff who are often assisted by residents. The workshops produce a variety of products, but the most popular by far is the making of dog houses.

There are numerous success stories of men that have come to Resthaven for help. One young man came to us for shelter some years ago. In spite of the fact that he has two university degrees he was unable to find employment. He started working in our workshops and very soon proved to us that he was a trustworthy and capable young man who could use his own initiative. He has faithfully served in both Resthaven and the church and today is responsible for managing the workshops and the general maintenance of Resthaven.

Another man, a foreigner, was found sleeping in a local park by one of our residents who invited him to seek shelter with us. He is a man of many talents and after eight years at Resthaven serves us as an all round handy man.

A number of men have come to us directly from serving prison terms and have subsequently been rehabilitated, found gainful employment and have successfully been returned to society. Some have found partners in Resthaven and are now happily married family men.

In 1994, the old farmhouse, was changed to a residence for homeless families, single ladies, and a place of safety for battered and abused women and children. The men were then moved to the school.

It has not always been easy to care for the ladies that have sought refuge at Resthaven. An amusing but sad incident took place when one day a young resident mother was sent to the local clinic to collect free baby formula for her children. She had three children, a new baby and two infants. When she returned she proudly exhibited an unexpected windfall, a bag full of free condoms! Obviously this was more important and useful to her way of thinking than the baby formula which she had totally overlooked and forgotten.

Some of the Resthaven stories are really sad. One couple that found refuge with us had two beautiful preschool daughters and the mother was pregnant with their third daughter. I became suspicious when the girls’ behaviour seemed to suggest that they were being sexually abused and began to counsel them on a weekly basis. They thoroughly enjoyed their sessions with me but never said a word to indicate such abuse. From the drawings they did during the sessions I became even more sure of my suspicions. Eventually, one day the oldest girl asked, “Can we talk privately?”. It was then that she revealed what their daddy would do to them at night. I do not know how the father got wind of the fact that his child had spoken to me, but early the following morning the family slipped away and we have never heard a word of them since that day.

I counseled a youngand twelve year old girl who came into our Place of Safety. She didn’t communicate with me at all but merely stared at the carpet as if she didn’t hear a word I was saying. However, when I began to question her about her abuse by her father, she began to rock backwards and forwards and groaned as if she was in intense pain. Then to my surprise , she jumped up from her seat and flung herself into my arms and held on to me as if her life depended on it. This young girl needed so much love to overcome the damage done in her life by a parent who should have been one of the people in her life who she could trust the most. The sad part is that she is only one of hundreds of thousands of children who are experiencing the same type of abuse.

One day, a lady who was in charge of looking after our children at the Place of Safety, heard a scuffle outside the front gate. She went to investigate and found the police beating a young boy in the street so badly that he had soiled his clothes. She asked them what he had done to deserve such a beating. They then turned on her, forcing the front gate open, they grabbed her and took her to a vacant plot of land, leaving the children at the Place of Safety, unattended. When they had her a safe distance away, they put a gun into her mouth and threatened that if she reported them, they would arrange to have her raped. They then beat her and returned her to the residence covered in bruises and cuts. Although the matter was reposted and the policemen responsible admitted to what they had done, the case just “disappeared” in the courts.

In 1995, a building that used to be used as a backpackers overnight hostel , was secured to accommodate male residents. A responsible male resident supervises this facility. At the time of purchase the building was taken over with 44 beds which backpackers had used for overnight accomodation

In 1996, an old private hospital was put up for sale. Although we didn’t have the means to buy it at the time, we were able to get a loan to fund the purchase. This amount has since been paid off. This building is used as a Senior Citizen’s Service Center. Subsidised lunches are provided for Senior Citizens, including a tea garden and recreational facilities for pensioners. It also provides office space for our Head Office and ed for tele-fundraising staff. A couple of our lady residents do housekeeping and cook the meals. This consists of a nutritious cooked meal, a dessert and tea or coffee. So many lonely people have - here. As one elderly lady said to me, “Coming here daily, gives us a reason to get dressed in the morning and if we didn’thave this place to come to for our meals, we probably wouldn’t bother to cook for ourselves.”

A male Senior Citizen is resident to supervise the premises. It is here that we also have a soup pot in which a hundred liters of soup can be cooked at a time. The soup is then taken out by voluntary workers who distribute it to needy senior citizens in the community Many of the old people have only one meal a day and some can’t even afford that. One day we were handing out soup and one of the old ladies, a retired nursing sister, fainted when she came to fetch her soup and bread. She was carried up to her apartment where it was revealed that she hadn’t eaten anything for three days.

On another occasion, when we were handing out meals, one of our ladies went into one of the apartments and found an old man eating a slice of bread over which he had poured some vinegar to make a meal. That was all he had to eat. A search of his kitchen cupboards and the refridgerator revealed that there was nothing else in the apartment.

One of our regulars at the soup kitchen was missing on one occasion and we were told that he hadn’t been seen around for ten days. At that time some of the other residents complained about an awful odour coming from his apartment. On investigation it was found that he had already been dead for ten days.

Another regular at our soup kitchen, a Chinese lady who always saw to the needs of the shut-ins, was abducted one night in the grounds of the Senior’s Village by a gang. She was taken some distance to a railway station where she was gang-raped by several men and then murdered.

On another occasion while doing our soup round, we found an old man lying in bed under a grubby blanket, and to all appearances, was dying. A compassionate neighbour went in daily to see to his basic needs - a slice of toast and a cup of tea. My husband called an ambulance to take him to hospital where he died the following day. He had been suffering from five terminal illnesses and no family to see to his needs and no family to mourn his death. Only one of thousands of similar cases.

In 2000, we became very concerned about our Senior Citizens who were finding it increasingly difficult to survive on the small Government pension. Elderly people have always been very special to us both, so we began to pray for a place where we could accommodate them. We had no money that we could even put down as a deposit on a building. On a Monday night we had been praying together with others from our church. On Tuesday we were asked to come and look at an Old Age Home that was closing down in the area because of crime and violence taking over in the community. The owners wanted R250,000 for it. We told them that we really wanted the property, but we had no money to buy it!!! The next day my husband was called to a hospital to see a local businessman who had been shot at his business premises, by a gang who had robbed him. He said to my husband, “I believe you want to buy an Old Age Home.” (Wow! News travels fast!) “Well Pastor, my family have a Family Trust, and we would like to buy the Old Age Home for you!” So although the day before we had not one cent with which to purchase the property, it was now fully paid for – CASH !! Added to that he handed us a further cheque for R15,000 to cover the cost of linen for the Home The premises accommodates 19 residents. All their needs are provided for and meals are prepared on the premises.

In 2001, a neighbour living opposite our Senior Citizen’s Service Center, passed away and because his daughter was very impressed with the work we were doing, suggested that we may want to purchase the property to enlarge our Resthaven ministry. We purchased the property as a residence for lady pensioners. Some of these ladies are voluntary workers at our Senior Citizen’s Service Center across the road. At this same property, we are at present, a “BISCUIT (COOKIE) FACTORY” with the purpose of job creation in the area. Ladies who are out of work will be able to learn to bake biscuits. The sale of the biscuits will finance the factory and part of the proceeds will be paid to the worker. Over a period of time she will be able to save enough money to set up her own business and she can then run her own “Home Industry” and at the same time making room for another lady to behind her place at the factory. The Training Program will train about six ladies at a time. On the 1^st May, 2004, a dream we had , became a reality. We opened our Aids Baby Sanctuary for aids affected babies. This facility provides 24 hour care on a daily basis for up to eleven aids affected babies at any one time. The children are not necessarily HIV+ and are offered a Place of Safety until they are either adopted or until they succumb to the Aids virus. A full time house mother supervises the activities and trained staff do shift work to provide 24/7 care for the babies. We have volunteers from overseas from time to time.

In one week we received two babies who had both been found in plastic bags left in a pile of garbage. The first baby was forced into a shoe box, put inside a plastic bag and left to be removed with the other garbage. A couple of days later another baby was found in similar circumstances. Some of them are left behind when their mothers leave the hospital after the baby’s birth. Others are found in dustbins. Some of the hospitals employ full-time staff to pick up the babies that have been abandoned in the hospital.

A premature baby was found in a toilet. When she came to our Sanctuary, she was so small that we had to dress her in doll’s clothing as “new born” babies clothes were much too big for her.

One of our babies was left by us by her mother, a prostitute. She was a very sick little baby when she came to us and she tested HIV+. However, with much love and good nutrition, the “anti-bodies” from the mother worked out of her system and she converted to HIV Negative. The day she was adopted, she was a rosy-cheeked, healthy little girl. It seems unbelievable but, many prostitutes deliberately become pregnant because some men “pay more” to have sex with a pregnant woman. One prostitute in the area, has had six babies this way.

We have had three sets of twins.One set of twin boys were very traumatized when they came to us. They had previously been kept in hospital where they were neglected and it took a long time for the sores on their heads to heal after they came to us. Later they both tested HIV+. The sad part was that while they were getting sicker with the virus that had been passed on to them, the mother, who was also HIV+, was pregnant again with another set of twins! We don’t know if she lived long enough to give birth to them. The father had already died of Aids, the mother was dying, leaving four little babies to face the same tragic death as their parents.

Several of our babies have been sent to live in “squatter camps” These adoptions are absolutely out of our control as they are cases that have been handled by the Government. It is heartbreaking for us to see this happen as we would prefer for them to be adopted by parents where they will be well provided for and well cared for.

Our first Aids baby to die was David, a chubby “beautiful” little boy who looked the picture of health when he arrived by us. It wasn’t long before someone wanted to adopt him but sadly it was only a few weeks and he had died from the Aids virus.

Of course, Tammy, the darling of RABS, spent 13months at RABS. She crept into every heart that got to know her. No one in the entire community could resist her loving and charming nature. She endured so much suffering yet never complained but always smiled. Even when she was desperately ill in hospital , each of the doctors and staff got a wave and smile from her crib. She should have died when she was 8 months old but she had such a determined will to survive that she was 18 months old when she eventually died. And then it was not due to Aids, but she died of thrush which she got from taking the antibiotic, Bactrim. By the time the doctors discovered what had happened it was too late to rectify it. This was a little girl who will NEVER BE FORGOTTEN. I believe that from her experience, many others in like circumstances will survive.

“Gu-Gu” was another special little girl who spent quite a long period of time with us. In spite of her charm, all the babies around her were adopted and she always seemed to be the one who was left behind. One of our “care givers” who does voluntary work at our Sanctuary, chose to adopt her. Interestingly, this lady, some years previously had adopted a little boy who had been found living with dogs. It was discovered that he had been abandoned as a little baby. A pack of wild dogs had found the baby and reared him as their own. When eventually he was discovered by people, he walked on all 4’s like a dog and couldn’t talk but only knew how to bark. Today he is a delightful young man, with impecable manners, well spoken and doing exceptionally well at school. How much love must have gone into his life to overcome his ordeal ! He does, however, have “flash backs” from time to time.

One of our babies, a really bouncy, happy little boy, always laughing and jumping in his cot, was adopted by a couple on a Friday morning. They were very excited about their new baby but to our dismay and the baby’s devastation, they returned him 2 days later because the extended family didn’t like him. This once happy little chap, instantly became quiet, withdrawn, troubled and stressed. Not a smile to be seen or a chuckle to be heard anymore. He knew beyond any doubt that he “wasn’t wanted.” What a joy it was when a wonderful couple came forward to adopt him soon after and last seen, he was his happy self again!

About two weeks ago we received a 16 month old baby boy. At 3 months of age his mother had died and he was left in hospital for over a year - not because he was sick but just because there was no one to care about doing anything for him. There were no relatives and no one other than his mother knew that he even existed, so for one year he just disappeared into the “system.” About a month ago, someone discovered that he was still in hospital and he was moved to our Baby Sanctuary. It is sad to see how rocks backwards and forwards, showing the intense trauma he feels. Since he has been with us he has begun laughing and the "rocking” has lessened.

Last Friday we received a baby girl, only 8 hours old. She was “posted” through a “hole in the wall” called the “DOOR OF HOPE.” This door is specially designed so that a mother can “post” her baby through it intead of throwing it in the garbage, and so the baby’s life is saved.

PRISONER SUCCESS PROGRAM

One night, ten years ago, we were woken up by the telephone ringing and we were requested to take in a young man who had just been discharged from prison that day. His family didn’t want to take the chance of taking him into their homes. We took him in to stay overnight ONLY, but ten years later he was still with us and he had become one of our most outstanding and brilliant workers. He was like a son and totally loyal to us.

Another man came to us straight from prison and eventually married one of our girls. He became one of our best fund-raisers and an excellent worker. They have moved to Cape Town keep in contact with us regularly by telephone and visit us annually. They have a delightful little boy of their own , they are happily married and involved in a caring church community.

A young man coming from a very good family also came to us when he was released from prison. excelled in many areas and we very soon noticed that he showed potential. He also married one of our girls and now have two lovely lettle boys. He has been out of prison for about five years now and has kept a steady job since then. Steven is one of those people who creeps right into your heart!

Another ex-prisoner had been in prison for 18 years. While he was in prison he learnt to build model ships. When he was released form prison and came to live at our Place of Safety, he continued making the model ships and sold them to bring in a small income until he got on his feet again and was able to start his own plumbing business again. He also married one of our girls and they have a lovely little boy.

Another ex-prisoner that joined us is a qualified chef and besides is an all round “handyman.” He has now reached pensionable age and once again is one of our maintenance men.

Another ex-prisoner, became the cook for our Place of Safety. He fell in love with one of our ex-drug addicts and they were married. Sadly he later died from a brain tumor.

A prisoner who was greatly respected and feared in prison, came to us. He was quite a “character” but was a good person to have around for protection! He also has a very “gentle” side to his nature. He recently paid us a visit on his return from Saudi Arabia where he is working and earning good money.

I wish I could say that they always stick to the straight and narrow but in spite of ups and downs in their experience they have been successful and none of them have been back in prison since coming to us. The prison ministry is not an easy one because the men really need to be trusted by people and that is not always so easy to do!

In August 2004, we purchased a further property to be used as an annex to our Senior’s residence. It is directly opposite Camelia House. There is a two-bedroom house situated on a large piece of ground where we plan to develop up to 20 garden cottages.

Projects planned for the future.

Foster Home for AIDS Affected Orphans. The church owns a property next door to the Baby Sanctuary. The house is presently rented out but as soon as we are able to raise sufficient funding, we plan to do renovations and alterations with a view to accommodating six AIDS affected orphans. We need to raise R250 000.00 for the renovations. Qualified foster parents will be appointed to care for the children. A secure family environment will be provided for the children who will grow up with ‘siblings’ in a loving and caring family environment. They will be cared for until they reach school leaving age and beyond.

Children’s Medical Facility. We wish to provide primary health care and limited medical facilities for our children and seniors. Government hospitals are overcrowded and understaffed which means that our charges do not always receive the personal care that they need. When baby Tammy needed to be hospitalised she would sometimes have to share a cot with a second baby, dying of AIDS related illnesses. When she happened to be dehydrated it was always a problem to find someone that was willing to put her on a drip as ‘she was dying of AIDS anyway’. If it was not for the loving care of Ronel, our house mother, who often slept over in the hospital to care for her, she would not have survived as long as she did. When she eventually died, it was not because of AIDS. Her health had improved dramatically, her viral count was down from 3 Million to 300 000 and her CD4 count increased from ZERO to 29.5%! She was admitted to hospital to be rehydrated as she was not taking in liquids for an infected throat. She was suffering from Candida and instead of placing her on a drip to rehydrate her, she was treated with the antibiotic Bactrum which only aggravated her condition and caused the fungal infection to spread further.

If we had our own facility with registered nursing staff we could have monitored the situation, stopped the antibiotic, and have administered a drip to rehydrate her which would have saved her life. Such a facility is a priority.

Gladiola Gardens Garden Cottage Project. We envisage developing a garden cottage complex with 20 dwelling units for pensioners. State pensioners are finding it increasingly difficult to survive as the cost of living escalates. The State is cutting back on subsidies to seniors’ residences resulting in the closure of many old age homes.

Drug and Alcohol Rehabilitation Centre. We plan to network with Teen Challenge International (USA) with a view to establishing a rehab centre based on Christian principles. The intensive rehabilitation programme runs from 6 to 18 months. The success rate of the Teen Challenge programme has bee acknowledged by the USA Government to be as high as 80% while other institutions in South Africa have a success rate of only 5% to 15%.

Resthaven has no facility to help drug dependents. It is widely accepted that in many such institutions drugs are as freely available as they are on the streets.

Recently one of our most promising residents who has been with us for over 10 years died of a heart attack as a result of drug abuse. In a weak moment he turned back to drugs and overdosed on a new synthetic drug, CAT, which is freely available on the streets. He was looking forward to the possibility that one day he might be part of our rehabilitation programme as a staff member.

We have recently been offered a small holding of 9.1 hectare, with facilities that could be used for rehabilitation of drug dependents. It is 100 kilometers from the city. There is adequate accommodation for staff and residents. There is also office space and a small tuck-shop with a swimming pool in the yard.

There are 7 free-range chicken batteries, a number of pig sties and three bore holes which will provide adequate water for vegetable gardens and any livestock which we may choose to keep. Drug addicts undergoing rehabilitation need to be involved in practical projects as part of their rehabilitation programme. The purchase price of this farm is R 825.000.

AIDS Hospice. Because AIDS is so rampant in South Africa, many people are dying under bushes where they have crawled in for protection or on the streets where they either succumb to the freezing elements, where they attempt to keep warm under cardboard or newspapers. Some crawl into shop entrances at night when the businesses are closed, to attempt to find shelter from the icy winds. Many of these unfortunate people have no money to get medical help, however inexpensive it may be, just because they have NOTHING… No place to live, no food, no medicine – so it is a matter of time before they will be another statistic. One year 23 bodies were picked up in our area in 21 days. That number has probably doubled by now.

One day my daughter went into a pie shop to buy pies for our lunch. My grandson and I were waiting outside in the car, and saw a dear old gentleman rummaging through the dustbin. To his great delight he came upon a box of potato chips that someone had thrown away. This really touched my grandson’s heart and he said, “Granny, I’m not going to eat my pie. I’m going to give it to that old man!” However, the old gentleman was soon swallowed up by the thronging crowds and there was no sign of him. When my daughter returned with the pies, we had to drive up and down the streets until my grandson shouted, “Stop, Granny, there he is!” He jumped out of the car and ran as fast as his little legs would carry him and gave his pie to the old man who was totally overcome by the child’s compassion.

About six years ago my husband buried someone from our church who had died after a long battle with Aids. He was told that he had only 30 minutes to do the whole funeral at the cemetery. While he was conducting the service, we were surprised to see 7 hearses waiting for us to finish so that they could take our place at the graves. While my husband was ending the service in prayer, cemetery workers came with a bulldozer and started filling in the grave with soil. There is no time to waste because the morgues are overflowing with more and more bodies. If you had to multiply that 30minutes by 12 hours in a day, it will give you a rough idea of how many people are buried each day in one cemetery alone. And these funerals go on day after day after day.

Recently told by one of our workers who had done a short training session in Swaziland, told me that there are so many people dying of Aids in the hospitals there. Two AIDS patients share a bed and then other patients lie on mattresses on the floor under each bed.

Recently we had a phonecall from the local hospital requesting us to go and pray for a lady at her home, who only had a few days to live. She was dying of Sceroscis of the liver. When we arrived at the house where she was living, we were apalled by the filth she was living in. It was too awful to describe. That day, as I left that home, I determined in my heart that I am going to start an Aids Hospice where people like her and those dying in the streets , can die with dignity, in a clean bed, surrounded by people who care.

I have a retired hospital matron and nursing sisters just waiting to hear that we have secured a property. A lady who is from the Democratic Republic of Congo has offered to help with the ground work of finding those who are actually dying and to bring them in.

We have found a “perfect” property for an AIDS CLINIC and HOSPICE, with 16 bedrooms with bathrooms and top security. COST: One million Rand.

REHABILITATION HOME FOR PROSTITUTES.

I have had so many opportunities to counsel, touch their lives in various ways and just to give love through a hug to many a girl on the streets.

Some years ago, I was counselling a prostitute. While I was speaking to her, she fainted. Once she had come around, I asked her what had happened. She told me that while I was asking her questions about her life, she had a “flash-back” and saw a three year old girl lying on a bed with her hands and feet bound with rope and she was being raped by a man. The memory, which she had long forgotten, was indelably imprinted on her sub-conscious and was so “painful” that mercifully she blacked out. I asked her why she chose to be a prostitute and this was her reply. “Just so that I can feel someone close to me!” To her it didn’t matter that every man she was with had absolutely no feelings of love for her, but just being “held” made her “feel” loved.

One day a prostitute was brought to my office for counselling. She had been badly beaten by her “husband” and her “boyfriend” and they had both been arrested and were being held in prison. Her face was so battered, her teeth had been broken, and her jaw had been so badly broken that it was necessary to wire it up. She sat across the desk from me but the stench of the stale blood from the wounds in her mouth was more than I could bear. She told me that she had gone back home to seek help, but her mother looked at her and said, “You used to be such a beautiful girl, but look at you now.” “You are nothing but rubbish!” to which she replied, “Mother, these are the wounds you can SEE, but the wounds that are deep down inside of me are the ones that cause the most pain!” And every girl out there on the streets has the same feelings, she is just a different face standing on a different corner.

Recently I came across a young girl, battered and bruised by her pimp, her face almost unrecognizable. I found out that she came out of a Christian home. When I went to speak to her she said to me, “Mum, please just hold me!” As I’ve persevered in reaching out to her, I was thrilled to get a call from her just days ago saying, “Mum, I need to talk!”

Working for the same pimp is a young girl, only 15 years old and she is dying of Aids. She is losing weight daily and won’t speak to anyone, not even her fellow prostitutes. The question is, where are her parents? Doesn’t anyone care that she is dying almost before her life has begun?

These girls CAN come out of prostitution. We have had two prostitutes in our church who gave their lives to Jesus and turned their backs on their old life. They both met men in the church. We advised both these girls to be honest with their husbands about their past. Both these couples were married and went into the ministry. They are still working for God after 30 years.

SCHOOL.

Another priority is to start a school for underprivileged children as well as literacy classes for adults who have never had the opportunity to go to school.

COMMUNITY SNIPPETS.

About a month ago, I received a phone call from a lady in the community about an old man who was sleeping on the streets in very cold weather. If you happened to drive past him, he could easily have been mistaken for a pile of garbage. He was a stranger to Johannesburg, but once he arrived in the city, he was attacked and left with a broken arm and a badly cut leg. He kept the leg bound with dirty bandages but eventually the cut began to fester and the paid was so intense that he could no longer walk. So he found himself stranded on a street corner in the bitter cold. We sent two of our men to pick him up and take him to the hospital, where his wounds will be treated and from there he will be admitted to an old age home. Another happy endin!

Three weeks ago, a lady arrived at the home of one of our church ladies. She had a gorgeous 2year old with her and a bag containing the little girl’s clothing. She said to her, “Please, you must take my child because I am dying of Aids and there is no one to take care of her after I die!”

Last year, in the middle of winter, one Sunday evening, a lady gave birth to a baby on the street corner at 6.00pm. She left the baby lying there in the icy wind, and walked away, turning her back on this little scrap of humanity. Two hours later the baby had succumbed to the cold. The sad part was that this happened less than 100 metres from one of our centres and two blocks from our Baby Sanctuary. What happened to motherly instinct, to protect and nurture?

A few years ago, on almost the exact spot, a baby’s body was found wrapped in a plastic bag, lying in the gutter.

Some time ago, two little boys came to our Place of Safety to ask for some food. After they had eaten they left. They were encouraged to come back again but were never seen again. A week later the police found both boys buried in shallow graves at a lake nearby.

In this same area, a serial killer killed 178 people over a number of years. When he was eventually arrested, everyone was shocked to find him a gentle, helpful young man who was loved in the community. He was staying in the back yard of a family who considered him part of their family. He was the kind of person who went out of his way to help people, but he had a sinister side to him that caused him to take the lives of all those innocent people.

One Saturday afternoon, a father was walking down the road to our Place of Safety, to visit his son. He was walking, drinking a can of colddrink. Before he reached our center, someone had murdered him because they wanted his drink. When found, his throat had been cut from one ear to the other. Killed, not for money, but for a colddrink. How little value people put to a life these days.

In the same street, on another Saturday afternoon, in broad daylight, two prostitutes were murdered. How many nights they had stood out on that same street and had never come to any harm until someone just decided to end their lives.

Within a couple of weeks of one another, two of our residents were murdered. No one was ever arrested for their murders.

A few years ago, a young man was sentenced to prison for murdering his mother. She had multiple stb wounds. Then he was “accidentally” released from prison. He stayed at our Place of Safety for a few days but didn’t like the “rules”, so he moved to another hurch boarding house. One day he called on a lady who was known to help down-and-outs. He asked her to give him money for drugs. She told him that she didn’t have money on that particular day. He pulled a bread knife out of her kitchen drawerand stabbed her 55 times, leaving her lying on the kitchen floor. A friend had come to town for a doctor’s appointment and was visiting her friend who had just been murdered. She heard a noise in the kitchen so she came to investigate, only to become the next victim. With the same bread knife, he stabbed her 57 times and left the knife in her throat. He was arrested and sentenced to prison again. But for how long? Until someone releases him “accidentally” again? Or he receives a pardon?

In the time since we came to Rosettenville, which at that time was a beautiful middle-class family suburb, it has become a “Gangster’s Paradise.”At night one’s sleep is continuously disturbed by the sound of gunshots and the wail of police car and ambulance sirens. In the morning it is not unusual to find a body lying in a pool of blood , a chilling reminder of gang warfare. Many don’t even stop to look who it is, but step over the body and hurry of to catch a bus to work. It is unsafe to walk in the streets after dark. Even during the day, many old people are attacked and robbed of their purses and purchases.

Because many families have no employment, they don’t have money to rent a house or apartment, so they illegally occupy condemned buildings where they have no electricity and no water. This results in health problems. Toilets are blocked and overflow due to there being no water to flush them. Rats, the size of cats, can often be seen running across the roads.

In one small community, about 8 streets square, we hand out soup to the people, once a week. This community is as “closed” to outsiders as the Amish. Almost everyone living in this small area are related to one another . Because of intermarrying among so few people, many are retarded and many are deaf and dumb. The houses in this community are two-bedroomed but most of these houses have 20 or more people living under one roof. Gangs run wild and drug lords have moved into the area.

We ourselves, as a family have been touched by gangsterism. We were held up when two gangs robbed a Pizza Restaurant one night.

On another night my husband was hijacked as he was about to drive into the driveway of one of our church members home.

Sometimes it seems as if the “problem” is overwhelming, and we realize that we can’t turn the clock back , nor can we change everything or everyone, but we can make a difference in individual lives.

We often share the story of a little boy who was walking along the beach one morning. Hundreds of star fish had been washed out onto the beach during the night. The boy was running about picking up one star fish after another and throwing them back into the water. A man had been watching him and called to the little lad, “Son, you are wasting your time. They are just going to wash out onto the beach again!” The boy bent down and picked up one more starfish. He took a long look at it and then threw it as far as he possibly could. He turned to the man and said, “It sure made a difference for that one!!”

That is how we feel about the people whose lives we are privileged to help. We can’t help them all but those who we can help – ‘well, it sure makes a difference for that one”

In the stories I’ve shared with you, I’ve only given “facts” but if you could take a look into our hearts, you would see how much we have come to love these people and how many tears we have shed over them. You will realize that, without a doubt, it IS worthwhile to keep on touching more lives.

When we started this work, our instruction came from God’s Word:

Isaiah 61:1-2. “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring Good News to the SUFFERING and AFFLICTED. He has sent me to comfort the BROKENHEARTED, to announce liberty to the CAPTIVES and to open the eyes of the BLIND.”

‘He has sent me to tell those who MOURN that the time of God’s favor has come.”

Luke 4:18,19 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me; He has appointed me to preach Good News to the POOR; He has sent me to heal the BROKENHEARTED and to announce that captives will be released and the blind shall see, that the DOWNTRODDEN shall be freed from their oppressors, and that God is ready to give blessings to ALL WHO COME TO HIM.”

Valerie Saunders