March 2026 Brisket, books & blessings

 

Subject: Brisket, Books, and Blessings: An Update from the Free State

It is hard to believe we haven’t written since before Christmas! The holiday season here is always a beautiful blur of activity. Since the children are out of school for their summer vacation from December through mid-January, our focus shifts entirely to making that time special for them.

Of course, there is an incredible amount of "behind-the-scenes" logistics involved in running a village of 30+ children. Between buying and wrapping gifts for over 40 children, house mothers, and young adults, and organizing uniforms for the new school year, our hands were full!

A South African Christmas

On Christmas Eve, our immediate family enjoyed our tradition of finger foods and gifts. Christmas Day began with 9:00 AM church—a staple tradition here in Sub-Saharan Africa. Later that afternoon, the entire village gathered for a beautifully organized gift-opening. Everyone sat in a circle with gifts hidden under their chairs, and we watched one by one as 50 of us shared in the joy. We finished the day "free" of village obligations, celebrating with a family dinner of smoked brisket and all the sides.

The Challenge of Education

The transition back to school in mid-January is always a monumental task. Susan spent every spare minute tailoring school uniforms for the 25 children who attend seven different local schools. She is finally caught up on the mending, and she continues to be a pillar of support for the staff in any way she can.

In South Africa, school placement is not guaranteed; it is a rigorous application process. Our missionary staff works tirelessly to secure spots for every child. In the Free State, the shortage of space is critical—thousands of children are often left without a placement.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DrBcjtcYYqw Here is an article that explains the situation. We are so grateful that, through the hard work of our team, our children are in the classroom.

Service in the Community

Beyond the village, I’ve had the privilege of helping a friend from church who is starting a rehab center on his farm. I spent several days installing a solar power system for a remote building that will house the men in the program. The founder, Michael, is a "rehabilitated druggie" himself who has been clean for over 10 years. He has a massive heart for these men, and it’s an honor to support his vision.

Staff Spotlight: Grace

We would love to introduce you to Grace. She has faithfully served the Lord since high school and currently serves as a part-time house mother here at Restoring Hope, filling in during emergencies or days off.

On March 1st, Grace will transition to full-time staff with Word of Life, South Africa, an excellent NPO that trains young people through local churches. As she moves into this role, she will need to raise her own support. If you feel led to partner with her, please let us know and we can point you in the right direction.

Mentoring Our Young Adults

One of our favorite "extra jobs" is inviting our young adults over for coffee, milkshakes, and popcorn. It’s a time for them to confide in us and for us to encourage them in their walk with God.

Recently, we’ve discussed the tradition of Lobola (bride price). While it is a deeply rooted custom, it has become a significant hurdle for Christian couples. Often, the financial demands are set so high by extended families that young men simply cannot afford to marry. You can read more about that complexity A Distorted View of Lobola Undermines Marriage and FamilyTGC Africahttps://africa.thegospelcoalition.org › Articles. Please pray for our young couples as they navigate these cultural pressures while trying to honor God.

Answered Prayers

A quick highlight from the start of the 2026 school year: three of our boys were voted into a special leadership group at their school (similar to a student council). These young men have a wonderful testimony and are dedicated followers of Jesus. They were even recently invited to observe a professional drug bust at the school—a sobering experience, but a testament to the trust the faculty has in their character.

Finally, we recently hosted our wonderful house mothers for tea. These women care for the village children as if they were their own, and their dedication is the heartbeat of this ministry.

God is doing amazing work in the lives of these children and young adults. It is a privilege to witness His hand at work every day.

Blessings,

Life in the fast lane! 2014

This is a post from 2014.  Recently published.  Much has changed in the last 12 years

Here is our latest update for our ministry at Restoring Hope Village in Welkom, South Africa.  Life has been busy and our time is drawing to a close.  Thank you to each of you who has lifted us up in prayer and supported us during our time here!  God is at work and there are some really neat things happening.

First, some photos of the newest children.  Our purpose in this trip was to help do whatever it took to open the 3rd house at the village.  Praise God it happened quickly and God provided one baby and 6 children to live in the house with Momma Mompho!  Here they are.

WIth the ongoing operation of the houses here our duties have turned from doing last minute tasks, training housemothers and getting all the supplies needed for a new house to the necessary and sometimes mundane.  Susie has been working on organizing the storage areas that hold clothing, shoes, bedding and other essential items that have been donated to RHI as well as training a volunteer who will replace her when we leave.  A new staff couple is coming Wednesday and their container is expected in September.  Room had to be made to accommodate additional clothing that will soon be here.  

Keeping up with the financial records has also been Susie's responsibility.  Since that work is easily done anytime, she is often called away to help with more urgent matters--taking sick children to the Dr. or hospital, babysitting so others can tend to important business and so on.  Susie is training a new local staff member who will be doing the financial business as part of her duties.

Bob has list of maintenance and construction issues that never seems to grow short!  Working overtime doesn't even help!  One of the bigger jobs was building steel roof trusses and installing them on the new storage/shop building.  A local steel workers strike caused a rush to get materials before there was a serious shortage.

Another responsibility of this trip was to provide transportation--whenever, wherever for whomever needed it.  When we arrived there were only 2 people with drivers licenses--our son and daughter-in-law!  Most of the driving was errands and routine drop-offs and pick-up from Morningstar (preschool) and the school.  For whatever reason the school has 2 or 3 different ending times so it was often 3 trips in the afternoon to fetch children.  Two months ago we took many trips to the doctor and hospital with the new children.  Now that they have settled in and are being fed a very nutritious diet their health has dramatically improved.  Friday we took 3 of the children to the local eye doctor for evaluation and one is in need of glasses.  Nothing is easy so this was a 2 trip ordeal involving both of us due to school schedules!  None of the South African staff currently here has a drivers license.

We love what we are doing and love caring for the staff and children of the village.  Now that the children are much healthier our emotions can rest as well.  We can't explain the emotional hurt when we care for children that have been seriously neglected by their caregivers--to the point that their life is on the line.   Sometimes we have to just not spend too much time looking at these kids and dwelling on their circumstances.  Instead we must direct our thoughts to how God has provided a loving momma and staff for them.  It is so exciting to have an opportunity to answer their questions and tell them about God and His provision and about Jesus Christ and His Salvation!  

God has graciously provided 4 full time US staff members, 9 South African staff and 3 interns who will be here when we leave on Tuesday.  I don't think they will miss us too much.  On the other hand, we will miss the activity and the 33 or so people here every day!

Thanks again for your support and prayers!!!

Bob & Susie