Reaching Out: Considering Adoption?

You may or may not know that we adopted a precious little girl, while setting up and running a home for orphaned and abandoned babies "iKhaya LikaBaba - The Father's House". It's been 4 years now and yet the memories are still so vivid of the day we met her. Adoption has always been important to us and the advocacy thereof. I have realised that it is our responsibility - not theirs, or that non profits. It will take individuals like you and I to make a difference to change the statistics.

For those of you who are considering adoption, there will be a Together for Adoption conference been held in Pretoria. This is a first for South Africa. This conference has been hosted in North America for a number of years. I remember contacting the organiser asking when they would host a conference here - and now they are!

And they have even created a short You Tube video explaining what they are about.

So why not head out there if you can and ask all the questions you have always wanted to ask. What a wonderful opportunity to learn how to truly make a difference in the lives of those who have been orphaned and abandoned. And take your husband with you!

Reaching Out to Orphaned and Abandoned Babies

Some of you may or may not know that iKhaya LikaBaba is something very close to our hearts.  It started in our home almost 4 years ago.  (For those of you who are Afrikaans, you can read our story here) We moved to Cape Town a little more than a year ago but since then, this home for orphaned and abandoned babies has just grown from strength to strength as a ministry of Solid Ground Church, our family in Empangeni while were living there.  They are truly changing the lives of children who previously would have had no hope or future.


These children are precious and in fact our daughter is one of those little ones who blessed us by joining our family.  Ruthie is our princess and our joy and we would never had such a precious child if it were not for iKhaya LikaBaba.

I know they are in KZN (KwaZulu Natal in South Africa) and some of you may be in Cape Town, others in other parts of the world -  but may I encourage you to partner with iKhaya LikaBaba (The Father's House).  And there are so many ways that you can make a difference to the lives of these children
*  Adoption
*  Foster Care
*  Sponsorship
*  Prayer
*  Partnering with your business
*  Debit Order

They have just created a new video so you can catch a glimpse of the remarkable, life changing work they do.


iKhaya Likababa Promo from Brett Michael Innes on Vimeo.
iKhaya Likababa is a Zulu phrase meaning, “House of the Father.” It is a refuge, a home, and place of family for orphaned and abandoned babies in the province of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. At ikhaya, the children not only receive food and shelter but care is also provided to meet their physical, social, and emotional needs.


We at iKhaya are growing and we invite you to grow with us as we reach more and more orphans with hope and a future.


Visit ikhayalikababa.co.za to find out more information.

Reaching Out: Open Doors

After seeing a post by Seven.org.za  about writing to missionaries, I did a search on the web and found an amazing organisation called Open Doors.  They help people who are Christians in countries where the gospel is forbidden or where Christians are persecuted for their beliefs.  

We also discovered that you can order a lovely game(free) which they have produced which allows you to explore and discover more about these countries and the individuals who live there, It includes a fun game with dice and miniature airplanes to fly around the world, some "did you know" questions and of course lots of funny moments.  Some of the cards suggest you pray for the nation as you play; others give you websites to go to to find out more, and even who you should write to.

All I had to do was email them and they included lots of fun activities to do with the children including information that guides children in how to write letters to persecuted Christians or children who have lost parents due to persecution.

The fact that we are currently reading Jesus Freaks 1 and 2 (I have to be honest I don't like the titles of these books but in reality they are really very sincere short stories of martyrs past and present who have given up everything for the sake of the gospel) has made this a really meaningful activity.  Initially it can be quite challenging and alarming to read some of these stories (and of course one needs to be sensitive to the ages of your children) but we have found that it has really challenged us as a family.

Though this is part of our bible study, we included a little map work and geography (typical homeschoolers) and the children are encouraged to find the countries on our world map and we are all learning so much.  It makes our challenges in life look rather insignificant and unimportant.  We plan to start writing this week and look forward to reaching out and making a difference in the lives of others.

If you have any ideas of reaching out to missionaries or know of any missionary organisations that encourage letter writing as a way of supporting them, why not post it.