Monte Christo Miqlat's Annual Strategic Planning Retreat

Amidst several 38 degree+ (100+ Fahrenheit) days in a row, January 22nd arrived with some early morning rain. It was only appropriate, as board members and the leadership team of Monte Christo Miqlat (MCM) came together at the large meeting hall at Schoongezicht Restaurant and Conference Center. We began our strategic planning day in worship singing "Let it reign," and the Good Lord saw to it that it did rain! And thanks to Riel Malan (who led that worship time) and Deon Blackburn (who brought a message after our worship), we were blessed to begin the day's sessions honoring the One we all serve. Shortly thereafter, it was awesome to go around the room and have each board and leadership team member introduce themselves and share their area of expertise as well as their personal history and experience with MCM. We were all blessed to consider how many amazing people God has brought together in this ministry. Then began the hard work of re-examining our Vision and Mission Statements. Gary Helling, who facilitated the strategic session this day, told the team that if we accomplished nothing else, agreeing on the Vision and Mission for the new consolidated ministry would be a good day. After brainstorming together, and offering various phrases that were recorded on flip charts we broke into 4 different teams and came up with various vision and mission statement options. Through these sessions, and some additional e-mails that were exchanged the following week, the team unanimously agreed on the following new Vision and Mission for the ministry:

Vision: "Living and experiencing God’s kingdom of heaven through a life of faith in action."

Mission Statement: “In obedience to Christ, our mission is to sustainably help and empower those in our community who are in need. We and our partners will work together tirelessly to address the root of poverty in our communities, assisting the needy to experience healthy, fulfilling lives, both physically and spiritually.”

Once this part was done, it was time to address our high level goals and objectives - when all was done, the collective group presented the Board with 16 possible options to consider. This next week, the Board will agree on 5 major goals for the year! Please pray for wisdom and that our God would provide for the ministry in many ways!

Christmas for Bowy House kids

For the fourth year in a row Michael and Pamela Hudson, friends of Monte Christo Miqlat, planned a 'Christmas' braai (a South African barbeque) at Bowy House for the children that were there during the holidays. Although several of our Bowy House children were able to spend Christmas with their families, 6 of our kids remained in our care during the entire holiday time. Before the eating began, though, the children were thrilled to be visited by a local family who blessed each one of them with an outfit and a toy. Several of us helped to assemble some of the toys...the big hit that day was the grocery store trolley that they wheeled around the courtyard. Oh, did the kids have fun with that one! After the 'gift giving' and playing, the rest of the 'party team,' which included Gary and Marnelle Helling and Bruce (friend of Michael and Pamela's) as well as the house parents, David and Juleen Adams, got the braai ready and cooked a full array of wonderful meats. Additionally, there were several delicious salads, Michael's cream corn (which was a BIG hit) and Juleen's delicious cheesecake for dessert! WOW...what an amazing Christmas feast! We always find it precious when these young ones will bow their heads (before they touch their plates) and pray for their meals. We wish you could hear their sweet voices as they pour out their humble little thanksgivings. We know that it is music to our good Lord's ears! And then the REAL feasting began. The kids just loved everything, and most of them finished their plates before they went off to their afternoon naps. The adults then had an opportunity to enjoy the feast as well, and we all agreed that there was nowhere else in the world that we would rather have been then right there with those 6 kids. What a Merry Christmas it was!!! (if you would like to see more pictures of Christmas day, find us on Facebook under the name MCM Miqlat and 'Like' our page)

A weekly 'breath of fresh air' at Sonstraal Hospital

(This blog entry was written by Monte Christo Miqlat's recent guest, Jeanne Bayles. Please enjoy her view of one of the areas where MCM reaches into the community. Thank you, Jeanne, for living out the verses that you site at the end of this blog entry!).

This being my fifth trip to South Africa, I was very much looking forward to revisiting Sonstraal Hospital – a place where men, women and children are cared for who have TB and must be treated in a hospital setting.

I accompanied Pam Gass and Cathy Sias, two volunteers who have so faithfully served each week bringing a craft, a Bible story and a sweet treat. Most importantly these two women encourage other women who are in need of a kind word, a gentle touch and the encouragement that comes from sharing the love of Jesus.

One of the most beautiful displays of love I have witnessed was what I saw at Sonstraal Hospital today. There was an elderly patient sitting on the stoop looking as if she didn't feel well. One of the younger patients lovingly sat at her feet and rubbed her feet and legs with lotion as she gently spoke to her. She lived out the attitude of the very craft we created today...an angel.

As I witnessed this, I was reminded of the passage in Matthew 25:40 which reads, "Then those sheep are going to say "Master, what are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry and feed you, thirsty and give you a drink? And when did we ever see you sick or in prison and come to you? Then the King will say, 'I'm telling the solemn truth: Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me--you did it to me.'

Year end activities

For those who have lived in Paarl, you know that December brings closure. Schools, programs, sports leagues, small groups, it seems like everything starts wrapping up for the holidays. It's the same in our ministry. Last Friday we held a wonderful staff get together to talk about 2011 and what we've been able to accomplish. It's a rare event that our entire staff can get together but 46 of us were able to gather at Tiffany's for our year-end wrap up. Each staff member received a certificate of accomplishment as we have met a high percentage of our goals and objectives for the year. Take a look at how much we've grown!!! Isn't that a great looking group? - we can't tell you how blessed we feel to work with such amazing, wonderful, caring people!
Then, a few days later we held our Pre-school graduation. These young ones really put on a show for us. The highlight was clearly the Michael Jackson dance routine by the boys that had the entire room howling... now it's time for a long summer break before many of these kids start real school in January! Congratulations to Glenay, Surita and the staff for a job well done.

Community support breakfast

The morning of 17th November was very special for Monte Christo Miqlat. Local restaurant Schoongezicht hosted a community breakfast that was attended by over 50 community and business leaders. Each of these men and women had been invited by our Board Members to hear about the impact we've had on our community this past year. The numbers are significant... as of 14 November there were: 889,200 meals served, over 2,500 children in sports programs, 275 homeless fed each week and 65 put in jobs weekly, over 400 people per week being cared for at Tiffany's Center and over 375 each week at Lukhanyo. Add in the continuing care at Bowy House, our Leadership Development programming and the school holiday meals and programs and the picture is clear. We're making a difference.
The sad news that we shared with those present was the fact that our R1.9 million funding from the South African Lotto was being eliminated for 2012. Simply put, we were asking for help. If we're going to continue with this level of service for the poor, we need to replace that funding. The initial response after the breakfast has been encouraging. A lot of people want to help. We live in a wonderful community and at times like this, we are reminded of that fact. We are beginning to understand that if we work together, nobody in our community has to go without ways to receive help. Please continue to pray for us as we work hard to rebuild our funding base without a need for the Lotto support.

From a runaway to a community role model!

We would like to introduce to you Ursula Plaatjies. Just 21 years old, Ursula has gone through a long, hard road to get to the amazing place that she is today. Raised by a single mother, Ursula’s mother died when she was just 15 years old. As anyone would imagine, it was a very hard time for her. Although she was taken in by her Aunt Susie and Caroline, it was a difficult environment for her. She said ‘she had a lot of loneliness sitting inside of her.’ Unfortunately, she became a ‘runaway’ kind of girl…just wanting to be somewhere where she could be by herself. But she would always return to her aunt’s home in the end. A self-proclaimed tomboy, Ursula was always the girl that was playing soccer in the streets when she was younger. At 17, she heard that there were some ‘club’ soccer teams being put together in Paarl East. She decided to go after the opportunity…a big turning point in her life. She fell in love with being a part of a team, and said that it became her family (she is pictured here with her team...back row, fifth from the right). As she became more and more involved, she found that she wasn’t as sad anymore…not dwelling as often on the fact that she did not have a mother or a father.

In July of 2010, Ursula said that she was visited by an angel from America. For two weeks, Ursula had the opportunity to work side by side with Hayley McNeil (see earlier blog story posted on July 27, 2011), and was a part of helping to create a 2 ½ by 10 meter giant mural that is now displayed at the entrance to our MCM Sports Park in Paarl East (they were even featured in the Paarl Past that week...pictured left). In Ursula’s words, she was so blessed by her time with Hayley. She said “Hayley was the first American that took the time to invest in an African kid like her.” She also said that in a way, Hayley was an answer to the prayers she had been praying to God.

Through her club team, as well as this mural painting experience, Ursula started thinking more about her future. She decided that she wanted to 1) go to university, 2) teach kids how to work with paint, and 3) be a coach and mentor to other kids as they engaged in sport. Throughout 2011, Ursula has been an active volunteer in our Coaching 1000 program in our Sports and Recreation ministry (learn more about our Coaching 1000 Program at http://www.mcmmiqlat.com/youth-at-risk), and spends time every school day in 3 different primary schools. She is involved in providing fitness training in the physical education classes, hands on instruction in the Arts and Culture section as well as Life Orientation segment. And she works closely with the teachers in grading students on their performance as well.

Additionally, Ursula has been working towards a Human Resources degree, and just finished taking exams for her Computer Skills and Communications classes. She is 6 months into a 3 year program, and looks forward to completing her HR certificate someday. Twice a week, she volunteers in our community gym at Tiffany’s Community Care Center, instructing members how to train properly. By far, one of her favorite responsibilities is creating the monthly ‘theme’ banners at Tiffany’s such as the one pictured here…”God is Love.”

Indeed, Ursula has been experiencing God’s love in a big way. We are blessed to have her as a part of our Monte Christo Miqlat family.

Celebrating our partner of 3 years...PSFA!

Since 1958, for more than 50 years, the Peninsula Schools Feeding Association (PSFA) has been providing meals to hungry children in primary, secondary and special-needs schools in the Western Cape Province. In November 2008, Monte Christo Miqlat became one of PSFA’s partners. Rikus Nieuwenhuis, Operations Manager for PSFA shares that "our dry ingredients are delivered to Monte Christo Miqlat's Drakenstein Food Center where their friendly staff prepare the meals according to our requirements and guidelines. Deliveries of warm meals are made daily to 2,371 learners in 15 identified schools in the Boland and northern suburbs" most of which do not receive government funding. The meals are prepared by Monte Christo Miqlat's night shift (which operates from 23:00 until 8:00) and include a variety of nutritious ingredients such as samp & beans, soya, vegetables and rice, pilchards and samp and fresh fruit like apples, oranges, or other kinds of fruit donated by nearby farmers. Every morning at 6:30, a courier picks up buckets with prepared food and distributes these buckets to the aforementioned schools. We are blessed to be in partnership with PSFA as we work together to feed so many children every day. For more information about our partner, Peninsula Schools Feeding Association, go to http://www.psfa.org.za.