We are so delighted to announce that on July 25th MCV celebrated its first birthday! It is hard to believe that it has been an entire year! Time as flown by so quickly and we rejoice in this year of seeing so many lives transformed by the love of God. We celebrated together with an outstanding team from America (First Christian Assembly). For the birthday, the FCA team blessed our kids with a beautiful drama and with an amazing South African braai. Also joining us was the Backdoor puppet team who did puppet skits to entertain the kids. The children of MCV blessed all the house parents by praying for them and sharing different testimonies of what the parents meant to them. We also had a testimony time and some of the children shared what MCV meant to them; “We eat great food and everyone takes good care of us,” “I love MCV because we worship and learn more about God,” “Because we play so good together and I have lots of friends here.” Thank you so much for making this incredible ministry possible. Your prayers and support mean the world to our every expanding family. We love and bless you.
MCV’s first birthday
Pemba Visit
In early July, we snuck up to Pemba for a week visit! We, along with Surprise and Tryphina and 2 of our main pastors, represented South Africa at the Iris Global Tribal Gathering. We were so renewed by the wonderful fellowship and the refreshing services. Heidi and Roland Baker shared about the core values of Iris and the vision for Iris Ministries as it expands into more and more nations (26+!). Our hearts are so excited about what God has in store for our little part of the vineyard in South Africa. We also were able to spend some quality time with our boys in Pemba (the 11 boys who were in our dorm room “Might Warriors / Fire Starters”). Another highlight of our trip was to show off our beautiful Johanna Joy. Everyone loved her and we somehow managed to bring her back home with us.
World Cup Update- part 2
Amazingly, after being open for one month as an Emergency Placement Centre, we did not receive any children as a result of the World Cup. Statistically, South African authorities anticipated a huge influx of children trafficked but there were zero cases reported. So we are thankful that we did not have to see a huge influx of children devastated during this time. The World Cup was still an exciting time for our MCV family. The kids watched almost every game with sweet admiration for the beautiful game. Each house was able to go to the fan park in Nelspruit to watch their favorite teams play. We had such a great time blowing our vuvuzelas and feeling the South African pride for a job well done. Jean, Pastor Surprise, Pastor Mabila , and Pastor Dube went to an actual game in the new Nelspruit Soccer Stadium which was awesome. The theme in South Africa during the World Cup was “Feel it. It is here.” Well we felt it for sure! Praise God, the passion never has to end because Jesus is here!
World Cup Update!
A large upsurge in child trafficking and in the sex worker trade is already occurring in southern Africa, spurred by South Africa’s hosting of the Soccer World Cup in June & July. Area schools are on holiday for a month and many thousands of children –most particularly orphans – will be unsupervised and drawn to the raucous ‘Fan Parks’ in the area. Officials anticipate huge crowds at these Fan Parks -located outside the stadiums- and every sort of appetite can be satisfied there. Projections are that 40,000 extra sex workers are beginning to cross borders into South Africa this season, beyond the huge number of domestic sex workers.
What is our response? Michaels Childrens Village was approved as one of only three Emergency Placement Centers for displaced/ trafficked children in our region! We are so awed by God’s glory and grace during this exciting time for South Africa! We are so blessed to be seizing this divine opportunity and grateful for your prayers during this extremely busy season. May every child brought to MCV be quickly healed and transformed by the lavish love of God and His people.
Saved, Healed, Delivered….Discipled!
Last month, we held a weeklong healing revival in a nearby village called Pienaar. Seven mission school students who were on their way to Pemba, Mozambique accompanied us. They were filled with the fire and love of God! We saw a demonstration of the Kingdom of God as many were saved, healed, and delivered every night. With so many new believers, it was the perfect place for a new church plant. Therefore, we set ourselves in motion to disciple the new believers and build a new church. On Thursday morning of revival week, we went to the local market to purchase materials to build a new church in this village. Pastor Happy (isn’t that a great name?), our local evangelist, had secured a great piece of property nearby…or so we thought. Just as I’m going to cash out at the register, I get a prompting from the Holy Spirit to call Happy and make sure we can begin to build on the land. Our excitement of planting a new church soon diminished as the owner of the land changed his mind and said someone else is going to purchase the land. Hmmm.
There are many challenges here in Africa…the first being that nothing happens quickly….and secondly, nothing seems to go according to plan. Praise God! He works all things for good to those who love God, and to those who are called according to His purpose. I know one thing for sure that Jesus said to “Go and make disciples of all the nations…” Recently the Lord has put it upon our hearts to shift our focus to strengthening our local churches and discipling leaders. Teisa and I are committed to visiting two indigenous Iris/PIH churches every month to impart what the Lord has given us.
Just recently Pastor Mabila, the director of Harvest Bible College here in Back Door, completed a forty-day water fast. There is a great hunger for God amongst our students, teachers, and leaders for a daily demonstration of the Kingdom of God. We desire to make the name of Jesus famous and to see Him become more popular than Bafana Bafana (South African World Cup soccer team). Even as the eyes of the world are focused on South Africa for the World Cup, your African family is contending for all eyes to be on King Jesus! Even as I am writing now Teisa is teaching at our local saSwati woman’s group, and soon after completing this update, I will be preparing my lesson for my bible school class. The harvest is ripe and the laborers are few, pray that the Lord of the harvest would send us more laid down lovers who would join us in taking the nation of South Africa for Jesus!!
Michaels Childrens Village is full!
After receiving 6 more kids in the past 2 months, we are maxed out at MCV. With no more beds, we hate to even think about turning away a child in need. Please pray with us!!! We hope to build four more houses this year, but we need the divine provision to do it! We already have a few amazing fundraisers for MCV- pray God multiplies their efforts. South African Social Services has also asked us to be prepared for an influx of children due to child trafficking and child prostitution during the World Cup (June 11-July 11). Pray with us so we can be prepared for this divine opportunity.
May we continue to say “Yes” tothe Joshuas of South Africa!
Baby be mine…
Shalom, shalom! Forgive our silence over the past few months! Our sweet treasure Johanna Joy arrived on February 26 (7.5 pounds and 22 inches). The first two months have flown by in new baby bliss. Thank you so much for everyone who sent an extra blessing for us in response to our growing family. We are so appreciative and grateful for the amazing provision!
Over the past few months an interesting contrast has presented itself. As new parents, we eagerly anticipated the arrival of our precious gift. Johanna was deeply loved in the womb and smothered with love upon appearance. Johanna’s first moments were met with lots of kisses, happy tears, smiles, etc. She had a beautiful bed next to mommy and daddy prepared in advance for her. From clothing to cuddles, all her needs and cries were answered immediately. Little Johanna has only known love and security…
Joshua’s life started very differently. His mother, sick from AIDS and struggling with two other children, never wanted another baby-especially if the baby was HIV +. The mother gave birth and quickly escaped the hospital before questions could be asked. Abandoned and alone, dear Joshua spent his first months crying. Fed by busy nurses, his only comfort was being held a few minutes every few hours. Joshua was famous with the hospital staff for his ear-piercing scream. His bed was a cold, hospital crib that changed constantly. He wore battered rags until the nurses brought him clothes from their homes. Neglected and lonely, Joshua’s little heart was in danger of draining away…
Our staff heard about baby Joshua when he was 5 weeks old. Sadly, the proper paperwork took social services another 5 weeks till Joshua was released to come home to our children’s center (MCV). Suddenly, baby Joshua had a line of people waiting to love of him- baby house staff, missionaries, MCV kids, etc. We finally got our turn when Joshua came to stay in our home for a week during the big Easter church conference. It made the 3AM expressing sessions all worth it (God blessed me with enough breast milk for two!) Now, Joshua is a happy, healthy 4
month old with an incredible destiny and future.
It is our passion and calling to bring hope and healing to the Joshuas of this world- the abandoned child, the desperately poor widow, the lost and forgotten soul. We love bringing salvation to the least of these. Our every hug and home is made possible by the miraculous generosity of God’s people. Thank you for partnering with us in SA and continuing to pour out your lives and resources into the work of the King!
Warrior baby walks!
Seven months ago the Lord sent us Welcome (aka-warrior baby), a 15-month-old baby with HIV, TB, and a rare form of pneumonia. He came to us dying, weighing only about 6kgs and unable to walk or talk. We honestly did not know if he would make it. We held him, loved him, and prayed for him around the clock. Little Welcome needed a miracle, God provided! Last Friday the 23rd Welcome walked for the first time without any help. He now weighs almost 11kgs and loves to talk. We witnessed the healing power of the love of God flowing through our amazing staff and house parents and heal Welcome. We are praying for the day when Welcome will no longer need his medicine and will be totally healed and HIV free. Please join us in prayer for Welcome and all the children the Lord has given us.
Feed the world…one baby at a time
My amazing doula just wrote this for her blog…it made me cry…I know it will touch your heart too….
Who knew that touching a breast could be so valuable…
It is an absolute pleasure to be able to write this to you all today. My name is Justine Pearson and I am a missionary who left all I knew; my business, white leather couch, car, and big screen TV to come to follow God’s will on my life to work in cross-cultural missions in Africa. I worked as a full time top-paid Birth and Postpartum Doula (Pregnancy Coach) and Breastfeeding counselor. After leading a YWAM team to the Iris base in White River I have now returned to a place I truly can call “home away from home.”.
I am writing this post on a mild African afternoon with a warm cross breeze coming through the house I can hear some Black(politically correct word here in Africa) children who speak Siswati running outside and playing and I sit with little Johanna Joy just 9 days old on my lap while her mama sleeps in the other room. Daddy is out collecting food for the children at the feeding program that they sponsor and sent on a mission to fetch an electric breast pump from the local second hand store.
You see Teisa biological mother of one and “Mama Teisa” to many orphans was expecting a breast pump to come from America today but it has been delayed…why does she need a pump you ask…well Teisa is planning to feed not just little Johanna Joy but to pump and bottle feed her precious and most nutritious liquid gold to little baby Joshua who was abandoned at birth by his sick HIV mother… unfortunately she did transfer the HIV to him. Now at 6 weeks old Teisa and her Orphanage staff wait daily to hear when little Joshua will be released from the hospital and into their care. He does get visits from the volunteer missionaries periodically but on a daily basis he receives little touch and love.
This will change when he comes to Michael’s Children’s Village and is able to receive lots of love and cuddles as well as Teisa’s milk to help him get strong. Today the rate of survival with HIV is very good with anti-retro-virals as well as other nutritional changes to keep the body strong.
How long little baby Joshua will live we do not know but we do know without Teisa’s milk his chances would be less.
When I arrived 3 days ago to be her Postpartum Doula for just 10 days before going to Zimbabawe she told me she was waiting for the pump but I felt it was necessary to tell her body we would be needing the milk soon so we have started to hand express the milk…with a 9 day old baby and recovering from a Cesarian Birth Teisa leans over a white porcelain mug and expresses her milk by hand, or when I am awake I help her to build up her supply. I am happy to say in 3 days we have probably doubled her milk supply so that the little bags of liquid gold are adding up in the freezer for the arrival of little baby Joshua.
God gives hearts that you cannot imagine to people who give it all up and come to Africa to give to the children of this great continent love and nourishment…once you are here you really see this needs to start from the heart and we know here that that can only come through the blood of Jesus.
Who is your baby Joshua whom you want to do whatever it takes to help? How can you ask God today to give you a desire that turns dry eyes wet with the love of Christ?
Be blessed today,
Justine
www.justinesadventures.com
It’s a girl!!!
