We met a young boy, about two years old, called Kapello. Kapello's mom died a month before I arrived at the village and he stayed with his grandmother. He was dying when i got there. Kapello's needs were a bridge to far for his grieving grandmother. The day I walked into that house with Eric, the Hands at Work leader in the DRC, we started to fight for this little man's life
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2013: Looking Back
Looking back at 2013 for Hands at Work on the very day of Nelson Mandela’s funeral is very emotional and yet a rewarding experience for me as an African and a South African. Today I am so proud to belong to the global Hands at Work family fighting injustice by reaching out to the most vulnerable children in Africa.
Because I understand that love is not expressed in words but in deeds
Today I want to do something dangerous. I want to try to define short-term missions. Maybe I should just say what it does not mean. It's not a missional experience that we are trying to create, or a sort of short-term outreach that is good for a team to go on as an experience and say "I can tick the box of being in Africa"
Love Bled to Death
Greetings to friends and family and to all the people that believe so much in what Hands at Work in Africa is doing. It’s such a privilege for me to speak to you shortly after our Easter celebrations, and I’m sure as you’ve spent quality time with thosethat you love, that you appreciated these moments as you saw people that you love dearly.
The Wall of Nehemiah and History of Hands
Diamonds in the Dust
KONY 2012
The House is on Fire - 10th Anniversary Thoughts from George
While touring Canada, Hands at Work founder George Snyman sat down and penned these thoughts reflecting on the challenges and successes of 2011 and looking forward to beginning the journey of 2012. This year marks the 10th anniversary of Hands, and we are grateful to be able to celebrate God's faithfulness and continue living in it as we launch into the next decade of serving His children.
Goma According to George, an Extract (DRC)
Pick up your spade and dig!
Here is a sneak preview of the seven-minute sound byte:
2011 celebrates 400 years of the King James translation of the Bible. It took a man named King James I a great deal of courage to make the Word of God available to the man on the street and specifically to the most vulnerable: those who couldn’t read and write.
Bringing Hope
Carolyn and I had supper with one of the orphans from Masoyi last week. She is busy studying in university at the moment. I asked her about the youth in the communities. She told me, “More girls are getting pregnant than ever before.” Although I heard it from other people I found myself gobsmacked when I heard it from her.
Ordinary People Making The Difference.
2010 Watchword
Prisoners of Hope
What is more joyful and exciting than to return home to your loved ones after a long journey? I recently experienced this joy once again after being away from my family for more than a month. Jesus also understood this fully and used it in the parable of the prodigal son. This is a God-given gift to us – to have people we love and belong to. It is the cornerstone of community and called ‘family’. This becomes even more focused during the Christmas season when family members will travel thousands of kilometers to be together.
Jimmy is a friend of mine. We have been friends for most of his life. I met him as a young boy who lost his family. He became an orphan at a young age. Today at the age of sixteen he lives alone in a small house close to me
Margaret’s life
I recently met a lady living in an informal settlement just outside Cape Town. Her name was Margaret and I guess she was in her early thirties. She came to me after I spoke to a group of people about justice and the fact that God’s throne was built on righteousness and justice. “I want to share my story with you”, were her opening words. “At the moment I am caring for 20 children at my house. They just keep arriving at any time and I feel compelled to care for them.” “Why do you feel compelled to care?” I asked Margaret. “When I was 8 days old my mother had a big fight with my father. She took me out into a field and left me there on my own. An old man walked past me lying in the field and he picked me up and took me home. People went out of their way to help me and give me a chance in life. Should I not also do the same for others?” I was quiet and didn’t know what to say, or maybe I just didn’t want to disturb the atmosphere she left in the air. Lord, I wish all of us could have an experience like that! I thought. Is that
Invitation to Pray
Dear friends of Hands at Work communities worldwide,
As we continue to grow in reaching more vulnerable children and their caregivers like the volunteers and grannies, we face many challenges that we trust God for. Those of you who had the opportunity to walk with us in Africa will understand what I am talking about. Many of us just returned from countries like the DRC (Congo), Nigeria, Malawi and Mozambique. Although it is encouraging to see what is happening we also realize that unless God is going to do miracles it would be merely impossible to reach all the most vulnerable children we hope to.
More and Better Life
“A thief is only there to steal and kill and destroy. I came so they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of" (John 10:10)
This is such a well known and quoted verse today. I’ve heard it quoted hundreds of times by Christians all over the world. I have been thinking about this verse for some time now, though not in a way I have often heard it spoken about before. Try and imagine the following situation: two siblings, a girl called Nonsipho, ten years old, and her brother Lucky, four years old, lost both their parents and are living in what we call a child-headed household in a very poor community. There are no adults in their house. As one school principle described them to me recently, “They are dirty, hungry and confused. Confused and disorientated not knowing what the next step should be.” Now let’s imagine these kids go to church one Sunday. A visitor is preaching the service and uses the verse John 10:10, “A thief is only there to steal and kill and destroy. I came so they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of.”
Facing Pain
Recently speaking to a team of nurses visiting us from the US, I said, “Open your hearts, and allow the pain here to touch you”. Jesus said it like this: “Weep with those who weep.” Afterward, someone commented that as nurses they are trained not to become too close to patients. They are trained not to get too emotionally involved with the people they care for. My advice to them on their arrival in Africa was exactly the opposite – allow the pain to touch you!
In a way, each of us in Western culture has been trained to do the same. We are trained to be problem solvers. When we face a situation, we analyse it and find a solution. This is good, and tremendous advancements and progress come from this way of thinking. But there is a negative side to our automatic problem-solving. It keeps difficult situations from getting too close to our hearts. It becomes a mechanism to keep everything at arm’s length.
Recently I found myself in a village in Zimbabwe desperately trying to solve some challenges faced by families there.
Life Changing Moments
Many Christians have a life changing experience only to fall back into the normal rut of life after it happens. Of course it will always stay a special time and all their friends and family will testify that it had a big impact in their lives, but the person to whom it happened will refer to it in the past sense. The truth is it did make a big impact in that person’s life, but the sad part is the effects are not permanent.
During my visit to Canada in May, I confronted this in mass when visiting many former volunteers of Hands. Canada is just an amazing country in many ways. It seems that the harsh weather produces people with perseverance and people who can go the biblical extra mile once they see a need. They come to Africa from Toronto, Calgary, Vancouver and Saskatoon. And they serve in excellence! It seems that the tougher the challenge, the bigger the adventure for them. Hands at Work is eternally grateful to Canada for that great spirit.
They do, however, face a challenge when they return home.
