July Marked by Unrest and COVID-19 |
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The short video above was reposted from Facebook (Kierran Allen Photography). It captures the looting and burning that took place this month. Thandy reports: "July has been one of the hardest months in South Africa. We watched for days as our country’s biggest malls, stores, banks, car dealerships were looted and burned to ashes in few days. This left thousands without jobs and others with no access to food and other essential services. Vaccines and other medication were not spared from the rampant looting and torching of buildings in Gauteng and Kwazulu-Natal. The acting health minister said that during the looting, medication and vaccines were either stolen or destroyed. The stolen vaccines had been in pharmacies at malls that were ravaged in parts of KwaZulu-Natal. Please continue to pray for the whole of Africa to get more vaccines."
The unrest has settled down but it will take time for shops and the supply chain to recover. In addition to the unrest, we cannot overlook how deeply COVID-19 has impacted peoples' lives, including our program workers. Some of them have shared their experiences in the testimonies in this newsletter. But even in the midst of all this hardship, the message of hope still remains - God is still with us! If you would like to donate toward some of the additional expenses due to the lockdown, please donate on our website. After entering your name and address, go to the second page where you will find a drop down arrow in the projects box. Select "coronavirus." Thanks for your support!
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Christ's Church Kids Help with Clothing Drive!
We want to thank Christ's Church for making Prevention Time the focus of the missions offering during their Kids Town Camp, June 28-July 2. The kids brought monetary offerings as well as just under 1,000 pounds of clothes for the clothing drive. These offerings will be converted into 1,703 Reach4Life Bibles for the kids in the program in Africa. Thanks to all who contributed!
Last weekend we took in our first load of clothes, which totaled 9,901 pounds and completely filled a 26' U-Haul truck! The clothing drive will continue until at least September 30. We can take gently used clothes, shoes, purses, belts, linens (tablecloths, towels, drapes, etc.), blankets. sleeping bags, and anything fabric-y. Clothes can be dropped at 30020 2nd Ct. S., Federal Way, on the porch or in front of the garage if it's good weather. Donation receipts are in a bag on the porch. We work with Savers (Value Village), who supports nonprofits with a contribution based on the weight for items they bring in. They have asked that we not bring in any stained, torn, or otherwise unusable items. Please also let your family and friends know about the clothing drive. Estate clear-outs are another source of clothing items so please let us know if you become aware of any of those. We can pick up large amounts of clothes if needed. Contact us at 253-946-5953 (landline), 206-423-0306 (cell), or by email.
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Mom's Last Words Were "Continue Serving Christ" |
Peer Educator Daluxolo (middle), is shown here with R4L office administrator Happy (left) and Daluxolo’s dad (right). Daluxolo says, “My siblings and I were just planning my mom’s birthday coming up soon. We wanted to do something special for her, but early this month she got got sick with fever for two days at home, we thought it was just normal flu. My dad decided to take her to the hospital when she felt worse. She never made it to the hospital she passed away. She was an amazing God fearing woman. All of us at home are saved because of her sharing Christ with us. I am the last born and I was very close to my mom. My heart is broken but I know she is home with the Lord. On the day she left to the hospital, she said I must continue serving Christ no matter what. Those were her last words to me. It’s just me and my dad now in the house because my two older siblings are married. Its very tough. But my dad is a kind man of faith, and he has been encouraging me a lot. Mama Happy came to see my family and [brought] wonderful notes from Reach4Life teams all over. I was encouraged and I am grateful for all the love and support I have received.” |
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Home Groups Reinforce Reach4Life Lessons |
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Pictured above is a Ludzidzini village (Swaziland) R4L home group.
Kids who have committed their lives to Christ and live close to each other in a community, are encouraged to meet in one of the homes for Bible study and prayer. They go through the same lesson they learned that day in class. (Safety is practiced; note the masks.)
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Please Help us Gather Gift Cards for the Auction! |
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Our annual auction will be online again this year, from October 2-9. Usually we receive gift cards from many restaurants, but with the difficult year they have had, we hate to ask for donations. We are wondering whether some of our supporters would be willing to pick up gift cards to popular restaurants or retail stores like Target, Walmart, Lowes, etc. If so, they can be mailed to Prevention Time, 30020 2nd Ct. S., Federal Way, WA 98003, or you can give them to us in person. Just email us to make arrangements. Hopefully next year businesses will be in a better position to help us again. Thanks so much for considering this!
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In addition to the civil unrest in July, Cape Town was also dealing with heavy rains and high winds. This affected our friends in Khayelitsha Township, where the rains caused flooding from broken and faulty drainage and pipeline systems. One of the R4L team members suffered severe damage to her home. The R4L team came together to help her try to clean up. Learn more.
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Team Helped Him Bury Father with Dignity |
Eastern Cape Coordinator, Samkelo, shares, “I have lost my father early July. Mom passed away 2019 when a group of people attacked our home, and she was killed. Covid feels the same way, one moment you are a family and one moment this evil virus attacks and you are left with pain that I cannot describe. It’s just been me and my dad after mom died my other siblings live in other villages. He was 84 and tested positive and passed away shortly. It took 3 weeks to bury him because we had no money for the funeral. I was very surprised when Mama Thandy called me that our R4L teams have collected some money for my family to bury my father after hearing about our financial challenge. My dad was buried in a dignified manner. I thank you all for the great support and the opportunity to be part of this big Africa mission team of Reach4Life. Yes, times are hard, but our God is Lord above it all. I am back on our community Radio teaching R4L, and many young people are coming to Christ." |
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Seventeen Funerals in One Week |
Manguzi Coordinator, Clifford, says, “I am a Pastor in my village called Skhemelele. The third wave has left many homes without family members. In one of the weeks, I had to do 17 funerals. Some were our church members; others were community members. One night I could not breath, I had fever and a bad headache. The next day I went for a Covid test and it came positive. Two days later my wife tested positive as well. We were terrified and worried about our only child 7-year-old son. By God’s grace he tested negative and family members offered to take care of him while we quarantined ourselves. Things were financially tough for us to get proper medication. I am grateful for our R4L family not only were they praying with us but we got fruits and help to get medication. My wife and I have fully recovered and we praise the Lord for His goodness." |
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"Family Was Called to Hospital" |
Madundube Coordinator, Buyani, says, “A few months ago my mother was admitted to hospital due to shortness of breath. She tested positive and few weeks later she passed away. Same week I was feeling feverish my temperature was above 40 degrees. I was taken to hospital and tested positive. At some point they called my wife and 3 children to the hospital because I could not breath even with the help of oxygen machines. Few days later I was able to breath again and slowly recovered. I thank God for the prayers of our R4L family. Some will call and ask the doctor to put the phone on my ears and from a distance I could hear prayers. I am healed and very thankful to God for this chance to life.” |
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"Doctors Weren't Hopeful" |
Sokhulume Coordinator, Bongi, says, “The second wave of Covid had broken my family and hurt us deeper than anything we’ve been through. First my daughter tested positive, my sister, mom and I took care of her before she tested, we thought it was just flu. Due to our close contact, we also got infected, my daughter recovered, my sister died in a week. My mom and I were hospitalized for almost a month and doctors were not hopeful. As I lay on the hospital bad, my R4L family was praying. I was getting messages from all the teams. Each day I felt strong, and I recovered. Weeks later my mom also recovered. Our God is faithful and is definitely our ever-present helper in times of trouble. I am healthy and ready to run my R4L groups again! |
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"We are a Cool Jesus Generation!" |
Peer Educator Nokuthula says, “I have a Zoom R4L group each week. After each meeting I send my feedback or report to my coordinator then plan for my next group the following week. It has been hard to not meet in person as friends, church members and family. But we have been trained how to use social media for the glory of God. I would like to thank the whole R4L Program, from us getting books, airtime, and Data to be able to continue with our groups. It’s a lot of work to organize everyone for a Bible study on social media. But we had great skills to make the meetings very interactive and exciting. We sing, pray, and pray games relevant to the lesson of the day. We are a cool Jesus generation!” |
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"Lockdown Has Not Stopped Us!" |
“My name is Lydia Mfeka, 15 yrs. old. I am a Fox Peer Educator (student teaching other students). For my R4L WhatsApp group to be a success I need my phone, my R4L Manual, my R4L Bibles and Data. Each week our Peer Educator Mentor takes us through a lesson, that same lesson we then pass it on to our groups. Data is sent to us each week and airtime to coordinate our group members. I spend time praying and practicing then I teach. It is so fun to share God’s word using social media. Lockdown has not stopped us from doing our Ministry work. The Program keeps a lot of young people away from the streets, it improves our reading skills and English vocab as well. I love Jesus and I love my role in the R4L Program.”
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Ntombi (left) and Siphiwe (right) are R4L newlyweds!
“My name is Siphiwe, I am an ex-convict. Reach4Life played a huge role in my life in and out of Prison. I came to know Christ in Prison and joined R4L group. When I came out of Prison, I joined the Soweto team through a friend who was also from Prison and had joined the team as a Peer Educator. I have been a Peer Educator for 5 years now, teaching groups in High schools and Prisons. Last year I married my R4L co-worker Ntombi. The R4L Program has shaped my life, from a hard-core criminal to a useful tool in the Kingdom of God. During R4L team times, Seminars, and conferences we are taught not just about the Program but also the responsibilities of life. Our characters are challenged, and family is one of subjects tackled deeply. For many of us who come from broken backgrounds and who never saw value in marriage and family, that mindset is cleaned by God’s word and that is why I am happily married now. Together with my wife we are serving in the R4L Program, distributing R4L Bibles and teaching groups about Christ.”
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"I Thought I Was Going to Die" |
Sijozini village, Tugela Ferry, Monica says, “I attended a R4L training in 2016, though the program is mainly for young people but believe me when I say it has impacted not only the youth. I am a single mother of 5 children and 5 grandchildren. Coming from an ancestral worship background, I committed my life years ago, but I did not know that I had a responsibility to make Christ known to others and that it was not difficult. I learned all that through the R4L program. I was happy when they allowed me to teach groups in my village because most youth leave our little villages to bigger cities. Though I am a “Gogo” (Grandma) I have reached to many schools and churches in my area and have enjoyed great success of ministry. Few weeks ago, I tested positive with Covid, I thought I was going to die. This is a very painful virus. My whole body was sore and couldn’t breathe. The Lord helped me, and I am beyond thankful for life. I appreciate the prayers I received and the encouraging calls. My body is stronger and my heart desires to continue serving the Lord in the R4L Program." |
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The current Rand exchange rate is now at 14.57 Rand per dollar. |
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Please partner with us in the Amazon Smile program! Go to smile.amazon.com. Sign in with your Amazon.com credentials. On your first visit, you're prompted to select a charitable organization from a list. Please select Prevention Time! (To change your selection, from your desktop, go to Your Account and select the option to Change your Charity. Or, from your mobile browser, select Change your Charity from the options at the bottom of the page.) We will receive 0.5% of purchases made at Amazon. Thanks for your help!
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Prevention Time thanks you for your interest in our organization. We are a 501(c)3 organization and all donations are tax-deductible. Prevention Time has no paid staff, so our administrative costs are minimal. To help support the ministry in sub-Saharan Africa, please click on the donate button below. |
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Sincerely,
The Prevention Time Board
Lorna Packard
Mindy Sauerlender
Mary Schumacher
Kim Ives
John Packard
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Pastor Ed Kelley IV
Margaret Kiyohara
Janis Schlepp
Sara Dickinson
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