It has officially been a year since I arrived in
Johannesburg South Africa. I will be the first to say that working in a
ministry isn’t easy. It’s THE hardest job. Satan hates when Christians pull
together and bring glory to Jesus. So naturally he likes to bring chaos,
destruction, negativity and disorder in. I’ve had to learn lots of new things
in my personal walk with the Lord. He’s been teaching me lots and I haven’t
been the most responsive BUT I have learned the hard way that I cannot live for
Him, without Him.
My Job
For those of you who don’t know exactly what I do at
Door of Hope I’ll explain. I am the Liaison Officer (secretary) and one of the
Volunteer Coordinators. As a Liaison Officer, I answer the main email address
for Door of Hope, coordinate visitor appointments, greet visitors and give them a tour of our
main baby home, answer the phone, collect the food/milk the staff order for the
week for three homes, organize and count stock, keep up with all stock and
inventory and run errands. As the Volunteer Coordinator I transport the
volunteers to and from the airport, prepare their rooms, orientate them before
they start work, assist with transporting to stores and organize their
Appreciation Party before they depart. To break up my day of sitting at the
computer or organizing I bring a toddler in the office with me. It’s always so
refreshing to have a little one in the office. It’s a good reminder of why I’m
here and of course having a child around defuses the tension or negative
feelings that might have been triggered. I love spending time with the babies
and toddlers when I’m able to.
Adoptions for 2016
What a wonderful year it has been. Door of Hope had 41
adoptions, 17 reunited with family and 2 other (relocated to other children’s
home). It’s been amazing to see and be a part of so many babies/toddlers
adoptions. Out of all the things in this world, adoption is definitely one of
my favorites. To see these little ones united with their forever family is the
most beautiful thing. I love knowing these babies have now been chosen,
accepted and loved by a family who have been waiting months/years for them.
Some have prayed, cried and rejoiced in the fact that they will now have a new
member of their family. When the unwanted, abandoned and neglected become
wanted, chosen and loved it’s such a stunning picture.
Thank You
I want to say thank you all for your support,
encouragement, prayers, love and kind wishes to me during my time here. It’s
hard to believe I have been here a year. Sometimes it feels as if I’ve been
here forever and then other days it feels like I have just arrived. At the
moment the plan is to return home the beginning of October. If anything
changes, I will keep you updated.