May / June Update including childrens Pictures

Dear Friends

Another month into the year and as I begin to think of what I can share I am in awe of just how amazing God's blessings are for not just me but for all of us at Isaiah's, also incorporating Rehoboth and Windles. The song I'm listening to right now says "There is none like you..." It's so true God is just amazing and there is None like Him. How many times do we fail Him and yet his Grace and Mercy are sufficient for everyone of us. Let us begin in giving thanks to God, let us give Him the praise as we worship Him, "Almighty God for there is None like You Lord", and if there is only one thing I do in this newsletter, let it be to give God the Glory for all within His Ministries !

I will start with some sharing of Rehoboth. It's hard to believe that a year ago we moved the initial Mpilo group of children to the first of our orphan homes. Early in April, the Rehoboth children were a special part of the wedding celebrations of Mark and Dorcas and they now enjoy their "dad" living with them in Ilanda. Initially Mark and Dorcas felt God call them to be the house parents of this home, however their love for the children grew rapidly and they soon felt they should rather move to adopting all the children. Rehoboth are steadily working towards being fully sustained and will eventually become their own independent home. The fostering and adoption process has already begun on some of the children and we ask you to pray with us that the processes of "family tracing" go smoothly without any hitches, all in the best interests of these children. We have also recently done xrays for the process of age estimation and now feel more comfortable knowing their ages are more accurate rather than just assuming age according to size! This process will also assist when trying to enrol the children in private schools.

The children are generally all doing well. Precious continues to thrive being the big sister to all the boys, and of course Godknows being the big brother. Precious and Nhlanhla have both settled well at their new school with both children being awarded the "merit sash" within the first few weeks. Proud daddy Mark shared how touching this was, thinking that sometime back someone had once considered these children worthless, yet here they are now out-shining others ! Munaso joined Godknows, starting "big school" this year whilst Mathew and Panashe joined Nkosi at Early Learning Centre. Kuda also loves going to school (KGVI) and is making good steady progress all the time.

Little Nkosi is struggling at the moment, he was diagnosed towards the end of last year with a hole in his heart and was placed on the waiting list for a Heart Operation in South Africa. This past week his little heart has been racing rapidly and he has had very high fevers. On Sunday morning as we began to pray for Nkosi and the many others within our congregation I felt God's spirit speak to me, I felt reassurance that just as God performed a miracle with our baby Noubhle, saving her when she was abandoned, and then healing her, I felt God say I can do the same for Nkosi. Memories of first meeting Nkosi in Mpilo flashed through my mind, seeing him grow to the sturdy chap he is, I believe God will work another miracle in Nkosi and with faith and belief we will stand here to testify his grace, love and mercy again. Please continue to pray with us for his healing and if necessary for his heart operation that needs to take place.

The second of the orphan homes, Windles, is up and running smoothly, managed by our partners Mind The Gap. Private tuition was given to most of the children and we are happy to report that all of them are now up to speed with others of their age and this term saw all of the elder ones being enrolled at the Government School in their area.

Towards the end of March, the eldest boy child Emmanuel went missing, he was last seen playing in the garden with his "scooter". Investigations began with search parties setting out in all directions, neighbours had seen him playing in the area, however sadly we did not see the return of Emmanuel. Instead it seems that Emmanuel chose to run away and looks like he is back living on the streets with his older brother. It is most likely that the story he originally gave us of his grandmother who lives in Harare sending them to Bulawayo to find his family was fabricated, and this event had Ben planned as he notified a friend from church that he would not be there on Sunday. We will not give up praying for Emmanuel's return Home and would like him to know that he is Welcome back home at anytime.

Gertrude was very close to Emmanuel and for the first few weeks seemed very lost without him. She seems to be settling now, realising that he maybe isn't coming home anyday soon.

Kimberely is doing well and enjoying being at school with the other children her age.

Silethemba, or Sibhekitemba as we often called her, underwent a successful hernia operation at the end of April. She is well on the road to recovery and is now free from her stomach pains. Her little sister Thembie is a "live-wire" always dashing about the house or garden giggling and laughing.

Angela is doing well and her health seems improved of late. We thank the Lord for this. Angie and Thembie are loving being at the Early Learning Centre Pre-school where they have both settled so well.

Tinashe continues to amaze us with the progress he has made, in six months he is now walking on his own, even at times he runs after his siblings. He now feeds himself and remains clothed at all times. He has begun pre-school at the Jairos Jiri Centre and his house mother Bridget and the caregivers are now beginning toilet training with him. It seems that Tinashe's seizures are triggered when he gets a fright or by sudden noises, so we pray that God will overcome these for him.

James has become more confident in himself and not so shy, he has settled well at school and is making good progress.

Cynthia too has settled well into school, she is a very confident child full of energy and stories.

Let us remember to uplift these children, thanking God for their good health and education.

So now to our Babies at Isaiah's... some of them not so little anymore...

Our most recent addition, Skippy Isaiah...

We introduced a 6 week old puppy to the Babies home with a two fold plan, one as security and two so that the children can slightly overcome their fear of dogs from a relatively young age. Needless to say, at this point neither one has been accomplished ! The toddlers are still petrified and Skippy hasn't been much of a threat to anyone as we have recently had intruders on the property. Please pray with us for protection of the children and the staff at the home as well as the property there. I am certain that soon enough the children will get used to Skippy being around, and simply just wanting to play with them.

Nomalanga started her first day of preschool at Early Learning Centre and it seems she loves the whole school idea. When I collected her at mid-day with all the other children, it felt like I had missed a whole period of her growing up - she has suddenly become a little girl, and no longer the toddler who used to cling to me around strangers !! When I asked her about school, she commented "it was fine thank you. What did you do ? I drew a picture and played with other children." Before we know it she will be enrolling to Junior School and then High School, where does time go?

Pride has taken another leap from baby talk to making his own little sentences, the most common of which is " Sis'Bee - uSkippy kalumi " Now that means Sis'Bee - Skippy won't bite me ! How I wish he said that with some certainty. Pride loves to sing songs of praise, jumping and dancing about as he sings. His siblings are in temporary care at our Northend Home until we can find a suitable place for them with someone who can take care of them during the day.

Bridget also loves to sing and dance and like Pride she has also begun talking in short sentences. Her favourite is to sing "Halleluia" waving her hands in the air. She has been quite a few times with Mrs Ncube to church and it amazes me how children learn from those around them ! I often look back on Bridget's baby photos and see how serious she used to be, hardly sharing a smile and now it doesn't take much to make her smile. One of her other favourite things to do is going in the car, make sure if you have to leave the home she is somewhere inside as she can surely scream the sky down if she isn't allowed to go with for a ride !

Amanda always amuses me with her mischevious smile, she always seems to be up to planning something in her mind and once her mind is set on something you can try by any means to distract her without much success. Mimi is a very easy-going girl, quite happy to play by herself, she is a quick learner however has quite a strong will.

Sibusiso is growing well however seems to lack self confidence. At times he can be very sensitive and clingy. His latest trick was following Maliki into the Pantry and as soon as she turned her back he would sit down waiting for treats or rewards ! Once or twice she almost locked him inside as she hadn't noticed him closely following behind her. When Sibu, as he is known to the other children, laughs - everyone laughs as he has a very cute giggling chuckle.

Prince has developed a character which says "stop me if you think you can!" and he is up for any challenge, he loves to climb and if you don't keep an eye on him he will be on top of the furniture and almost up the burglar bars of the windows. On the other hand he has a very loving character however seems to think that in order to kiss a baby you have to be almost on top of the little one. He is very sensitive when the babies cry and he tries to calm them by patting them on the head or chest, usually a bit harder than they like so as a result they land up crying more than before, when all he is trying to do is pacify them.

Caleb is crawling all over the place, however not prepared to take the next step yet - he believes he can get wherever he wants to on his hands and knees so why stand up and walk. He will be one year old next week and by the looks of things he is going to be quite a tall boy. He loves to crawl all over anyone who decides to sit on the floor and play with the babies and his latest fascination is holding a cellphone to his ear and babbling away. If music is playing he will stand against the furniture bobbing up and down, his own dance to the beat.

Mthandazo is 9 months old now and still struggling with his squint eyes. He is fascinated with watching his hands and it's probably because everytime he tries to focus on them he sees more than one hand in view. His latest trick is "rocking the chair he is in" by swinging his legs up and dropping them down, it doesn't matter which chair he is in he will get it to rock ! It is quite funny to watch how he amuses himself by the motions.

Daniel is beginning to move about on his stomach, pushing himself up into the crawling position, ready to go. Daniel laughs a lot and is generally a very happy baby, a fairly fussy eater but a good sleeper, which is probably why he is the size he is - don't they say babies grow in their sleep !

Faith like Daniel is 7 months old, she loves to sit and play on her own with brightly coloured toys that make a noise. Though Faith has a rather sad looking face, it brightens up when she does share a smile.

Shamiso loves attention now and does not like to be left to play on her own, when she is happy she is very happy but when she's grumpy she can be very grumpy ! She is about the same age as Faith and Daniel though has been sitting for a longer period.

It's hard to think back to when Craig was six weeks old and struggling to even drink 50mls.., It is amazing and awesome what prayer can do for a blessed little soul as this - Craig was annointed at church one day, six months ago and from that moment on he has made incredible progress. He has "chipmunk cheeks and little dimples" which are a striking facial feature of this little boy, he is a placid baby who feeds and sleeps well.

Our little miracle girl Nobuhle continues to do well - she is picking up weight, though is still little compared to the others of her age. Her TB treatment is going well as she receives her daily medication, sometimes though this can cause oral thrush which is very uncomfortable for her, thankfully this is easily treatable. Despite the individual attention she received during her recovery time she is quite content to sitting watching everyone around her. She loves to spend time on the weekend with Granny Joyce, who all the same loves having her around as much as she can.

Nobuhle and Jessica recently had their first hair cuts - both girls had lovely curly locks however these were beginning to look untidy as the back locks were thinning out. It did not change the beauty of these two little girls, both now six months old. Jessica is a week younger than Nobuhle however sizeably bigger, she is very alert and her lovely big brown eyes attentive to everything which moves around her.

Blessing, who is two weeks younger than Jessica, rolls and moves about wherever she is placed. She is quite active and it doesn't look like it will be long before she is crawling about the place. She has a very sensitive skin which sometimes leaves her face looking blotchy and dry, this however is easily treated with plain aqueous cream. Blessing, like Nobuhle, is a small but content baby.

The youngest of our babies is Mthabisi who is 5 months old now. He is going to be a big boy, he feeds very well and sleeps well too, often because of his size he is thought to be much older than he actually is. When Mthabisi is awake he is quite demanding of attention and has learnt if you want attention then you just have to keep crying, one way or another someone will pick you up, even if it's just to keep the peace !!

Isn't it funny how quickly babies learn, particularly the art of manipulation and we often under-estimate their intelligence !

Our once "newborns" have fast become toddlers and as they grow they do demand more attention - we'd most greatly welcome "Volunteers" who can spend time with these little ones particularly developing their motor-skills. You needn't have a degree for such a task as this, you just have to have that little bit of time and love to give. Believe me when I say the reward is yours from these little ones !!!

If you are interested you can call the Matron at the home and we can arrange a suitable time for you and for the children. The busiest times of the day of course are early morning (7am-9am) when breakfast is being prepared, feeding and then bathing, lunchtimes (12pm) can also be hectic, and early evening when some tummy's are empty but others energy levels are bouncing.

There are many "needs & wishes" at the home, ranging from groceries to cleaning materials, to garden tools and even minor maintenance jobs. If anyone has a handy-man hiding in your cupboard please let them out and direct them to our Home. Our old and rusty tin roof needs a coat of paint, and the walls would love one too if anyone has "paint-connections" or would love to take on this task. Our recently finished store-room has "shelving shells" which need some inner planks - if you have anything suitable for this, or know someone who could provide strips of wood, we'd greatly appreciate it. Seems such a waste only having the shells, and a home across the road has very kindly stored some of our donations and now that the room we built is secure we'd love to unpack these onto these shelves, just as much as they'd love to have their store-room emptied of our stuff.

As this update/newsletter draws to an end, we are sad to say that just as the children were getting used to him, Skippy has gone missing ! We do not know if he may have wondered down the driveway and gotten out of the gate or if he has been "lifted" to a new home. Nonetheless we are all very sad so where ever Skippy is we hope and pray he is ok.

We trust you, our friends, are all well and thank you for your continued support, encouragement and prayers. If anyone is interested in becoming more involved, drop us a line or give us a call and we will help as best we can to place you in the area you see you want to help. If you feel something has been placed on your heart, feel free to share it with us and if you don't mind we'd love to share it with others. Until our next update, remember to give God the thanks and praise He deserves for his Mighty work within us.

God bless, Luv and friendship always

Sis'Bee

Baby Nobuhle - Update 2 from South Africa

Dear Friends

We are very excited to share the miraculous recovery of our Baby Nobuhle, what a living testimony of God’s love, grace and mercy she is.

As we previously shared this cardio-thoracic surgery was a very complex one in which they cut down the centre of her chest, open the chest up to remove the mass which was attached both to the front and back of her chest, also lying on part of her lung.

She spent 3 days supported on the ventilator, each day gradually reducing the support as she began to breathe more and more on her own. Her suture line seemed so delicate and already had begun to heal closed, the wound from where the drain was removed had also begun to heal. On the 5th day after surgery she was able to suck on her bottle and there now was no need even for a feeding tube. The Paedatrician was delighted with her amazing progress made and felt she was now ready to go home as long as she was able to cope without the oxygen. Six days later Nobuhle was discharged from Netcare’s Parklane Clinic, able to breathe freely without any obstruction in her chest. What an amazing sight to see !!
The results of her tumour histology showed the mass was non malignant, therefore no chemotheraphy was required. Praise The Lord for this result. It has been concluded that the tumour is of TB origin, turns out it's a type of tumour usually only present in adults. She is now receiving TB treatment which is a course over 7 months, we ask that you continue to pray with us for a successful treatment.

The question now remains with us where did the TB originate from? It could be anywhere??, it could have been formed in the mothers womb, it could have been contracted at birth when placed into hospital prior to being placed into the custody of Isaiah’s. Where-ever or what-ever, the greatest fact is that TB is a curable disease.

We shall be leaving South Africa on Good Friday with hearts so full of thanks and praise for everything which has taken place in Nobuhle’s life. We thank you all for your love, support and encouragement through this time of ill health.

We serve a mighty and awesome God, one who does exceedingly above what we could ever imagine ! Praise and Glory 2 His name.

Thanks, God bless,
Luv ‘n’ friendship in the Lord always
Sis’Bee

Dear All

Please find below a slightly out-of-date update about Isaiah's Home of Love for anyone who is just hearing about this ministry. Please see below for our email contact details.

Isaiah’s Umuzi Wothando (Isaiah’s Home of Love) is a project established in March 2004 to assist abandoned babies in Bulawayo Zimbabwe, and the surrounding areas. It is a faith-based community initiative. Our vision is to see abandoned babies being integrated into loving families and communities, to the glory of God.

Isaiah’s Umuzi Wothando (IUW) is located at 57 Heyman Road, Suburbs, Bulawayo, and currently cares for 18 babies/children. Rapid expansion occurred late in 2007 after we obtained our full registration with the Department of Social Welfare. We have cared for 33 babies/children since our home opened, with 13 already fostered to be adopted by loving families, and another 3 of our current kids are to be fostered/adopted soon. One of our girls is in the process of being reunited with her family soon, and unfortunately 2 of our babies have passed away.

The mission of IUW is to lovingly care for the physical, emotional and spiritual needs of abandoned babies in this home, and to help facilitate the fostering and adoption of these babies to good families. We believe that the low levels of fostering and adoption currently can be increased by raising greater awareness of the plight of abandoned babies, and by encouraging a high level of community involvement in this project. We have seen this already.

The need arised, unfortunately, because a number of babies are abandoned by their families. Some babies are left at the hospitals by their mothers soon after childbirth, while others are left in the bushes.

In the last seven or so years the number of abandoned babies in government hospitals in Bulawayo has increased significantly, due to both the number of abandoned babies and the lack of available places at orphanages. The growing number of orphans in Zimbabwe, contributed to by the HIV/Aids epidemic, is a significant factor in the creation of this scenario. The economic situation has also greatly impacted on the ability of the ‘extended family’ to care for orphans.

What a privilege we have been given to care for these adorable babies.

Wherever possible we will assist babies/children to stay with their family (often their extended family) or community. With a little assistance from us 2 babies who were referred to us already have been able to stay with their families when they didn’t see how that was possible.

We are also partnering with another organisation to establish homes for those babies that aren’t fostered and adopted (or reunited with family), and other orphans. We believe that this project provides a holistic approach to orphan care. Where babies aren’t able to be reunited with family, fostered or adopted, they will progress from our babies home to the home for orphans where they will live in a family-type environment.

Our first home, Rehoboth, has already began, and we had 8 children move to this family. The house parents want to foster and ultimately adopt all of these children, praise God.
We believe that God has guided us to show His love and care to these babies, and given us the above-mentioned vision and objectives. We have seen His hand of guidance and provision in many ways in the development of this project. To Him be the glory.

If you would like to find out more information about the Home, or support this project in any other way, we would love to hear from you. Please come and visit us our Home at 57 Heyman Road in Suburbs or contact the Home on telephone +263 9 230504. At our town office, Martin Barrow can be contacted on +263 9 64472 or Belinda Wilson on +263 9 64474, email addresses are martinbarrow@hotmail.com and isaiahs@yoafrica.com, alternatively belinda@isaiahshomeoflove.org.

Dear Friends

Word spoken to me on the onset of Nobuhle’s illness was “Do the best for my child, and my child I will do the rest ! ”. I have stuck with this promise from the day Nobuhle was admitted to Mpilo Hospital on the evening of 16th February 2009, and will do forever more for all of His precious children who are and who come into our care. God asks us to do our best in everything we do and sometimes in doing what we do we forget that He can and will take care of the rest.

On Friday 27th March 2009, we boarded UM213 with our precious little princess and flew into Johannesburg International Airport where we were transferred by Special Passenger Service Bus to Customs & Immigration. Thankfully Nobuhle travelled very well through the flight and we did not need to use the oxygen cylinder we were travelling with. It took time for Immigration to clear us on our medical waiver of the visa requirement, and from there we came direct to the Hospital for admission. Our Host patiently waited as we cleared through.

Nobuhle is currently in Netcare’s Parklane Hospital - one of the best private hospital facilities in Johannesburg, South Africa where she was brought for surgery and treatment of a thoracic tumour. God has granted her the blessing of the best surgeon, the best anaesthetist and a very good paediatrician – we were at incredible peace prior to, during and even after the surgery knowing they were the gloves upon God’s hands.

On consultation prior to surgery with the anaesthetist he expressed great anxiety at the surgery which was needed to release the tumour from Nono’s chest. God was able to use us to reassure him that whilst he could only do his best God would do the rest, and we were encouraged that his response was that of a Godly man.

The complex surgery was expected to be about four hours, going through the front of her chest, cutting behind the tumour and also cutting from the front to release it from where it was attached. We were a little surprised when she came back into ICU after only 2 ½ hours. Maria and I decided to spend the night at the hospital so to be available when and if needed, naturally we did not get much sleep, so much emotion, excitement at the prospect of a successful surgery. We giggled at the blessing of having a mother’s lounge to wait in as opposed to having a hard wooden bench, small blessings you often take for granted !

Prof Beale, later shared that the tumour is a kind he had never seen and will now await laboratory test results to reveal more information. This result could take anything from 4 days to come back from the Lab, so we continue to pray all that is revealed be within His plan.

Nobuhle has continued to make steady progress, the first 24 hours are most critical and she pulled through those with some fight still within her. She is on a ventilator and receiving morphine to subdue her pain. The night nurse could not believe that even under heavy sedation she was fighting to suck her thumb, and each time we entered the room she would stir, as if she could sense our presence. What it is to feel loved, especially when you’re the one there to love !!!

Nobuhle has passed the 48 hour mark now and continues to make good progress. She was more settled today however is fighting the ventilator pipe down her throat, which assists her breathing. She is struggling with a distended stomach however x-rays have revealed that this is air from the surgery, it will pass naturally.

We had a wonderful afternoon with Nobuhle today together with our Pastor from Bulawayo. Whilst we have felt much at home with so many Zimbabweans working in the hospital it is always wonderful to have your own “family” there by your side. Friends, ex Zimbabweans now living in South Africa, have come to visit and though the visiting is very strict it has been encouraging to know Nobuhle is covered in prayer by so many near and far.

Maria and I have been blessed with an amazing loving dedicated Christian family who have hosted us. These wonderful people have done so much to make us feel at home, at every meal we feel like we are in a restaurant being served by the Head Waitress, we have been chauffeured backwards and forwards to the hospital, and have shared so many wonderful testimonies of God’s love and grace. Each and every person has played such a special part in this work, as one said – everyone has been God ordained ! Thank you Jesus, when God says “I will never leave you, nor forsake you” we can wholeheartedly testify to His Word.

When God says I will take care of the rest, we have seen his provision for this little one – so many key people in her treatment have agreed to offer their services pro-bona – the surgeon, the anaesthetist, the x-ray department and the paediatrician. We Praise God again for his provision always.

We thank you all for your support in prayer and ask that you continue to cover Nobuhle as she recovers and heals. We thank you for the love and encouragement which has been received in the numerous emails, and apologise for the slow-communication on her progress reports. We will be in hospital for sometime however will endeavour to report back as much as possible, please know that if we have not reported back it’s for no other reason than communication logistics with not being at home, and a shortage of time on our part!

God bless.

Luv ‘n’ friendship in the Lord always
Sis’Bee, Maria Maliki and Baby Nobuhle

January 2009 IUW Update

Dear Friends

Compliments of the New Year to you all, despite already being in the 2nd month of the year, these wishes come to you all with just as much love, if not more than if it were 6 weeks earlier. There was no Christmas update and mainly because time again ran away from me, and there was just no catching it!! I look back feeling very guilty for not having shared so much of this special time with you all, many people blessed us in amazing ways and it again showed us in reality God's provision for these projects and the Ministries here in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe.

I must share on one of the blessings which came as a big relief, when one donor gave some funds specifically to be spent on the staff. I was able to go to Botswana with friends and purchase a grocery goodie pack for each staff member, at a time when finances were extremely low and much stretched. Whilst I realise the babies home is a Ministry which should focus on the needs of the babies I have to be honest in my thoughts and share that without the staff compliment the project simply would not function, and so being able to give them something back for a years dedication to the children was important. We would have loved to give them each an annual bonus but funds did not permit and we are thankful for their understanding on this part.

When I look back to December, my heart smiles at how the spirit of giving is revived even in the most difficult financial times. A friend of a friend, of a friend, and her family and friends got together and made up beautiful gifts for each and every child within our project, this did not just include the babies at Isaiah's but also the children of Rehoboth, Windles and the Halfway Home for the children once living on the street. Each gift, appropriately selected for the age of the child, was packed in their own special Christmas bag with some sweets and treats and a lovely time of fellowship was shared with the staff and the children. We trust each of you enjoyed your Christmas, however it was spent we trust the reason for the season was your priority.

So as I look upon 2009, I am grateful for another 365 days full of opportunities to share the love of Christ, and may we focus on our abilities to seize every moment we have.

In 2008, we had two very special additions to our staff compliment at the Babies Home.
Firstly, Jeanette Ncube joined us in July as our Social Welfare Liaison; she comes with the "field experience" and has her hands full tracing the families and histories of our children. She has to deal day in and day out with the Social Welfare Department and this can be a challenge all in itself and so our hats go off to her. She sometimes has to be "the bearer of bad news" but we are glad that Jeanette has the leading of God our Father and with Him alongside her we can only trust "His Will Be Done". She has a special love for all the children, especially the chubby ones!!!
Secondly, in October we were pleased to see Maria Maliki come on board as the Matron of the Home. Sister Maliki, as she is well known to many, has years of nursing experience and it's a relief to have her hands on at every moment. Her firm, caring, loving and laughing personality has brought a new life to our Home and we are thankful that she chose to take care of these precious souls in the special way that she does.

Towards then end of 2008, I was beginning to feel that the remaining days of the year would be spent up and down with children to the Doctors; we had our fair share of illness and spent a number of hours at the Mater Dei Hospital. Now I think back upon that time, and am grateful that we actually had a hospital that we could go to that would accept our children for treatment and be able to settle the bill at a later stage! We don't have that benefit anymore, as the situation in our country worsens so has the provision of essential services deteriorated. The Mater Dei Casualty Unit had a chronic shortage of nursing staff, not to mention the lack of necessary provisions to maintain such a facility and as a result they have had to close, thus leaving us with only one other private facility. The local hospitals pretty much have run on bear minimum forever and whilst it is an option for treatment it is the last resort option. The only advantage to the local hospital is that there are good paediatricians who attend there, if you have to go then you have to be prepared to take literally everything.

In December, through the Our Neighbours Ministry, we assisted a young lady and her one year old baby. She was a single parent without a job, no place to stay and most of her possessions had been sold by the person she had trusted to take care of them. She has had a history of depression and her relationship with family was restrained, so through prayer, love and guidance we are helping her regain her self confidence and her life. One morning in early January as I approached our offices I was stopped by a gentleman working in the next building and asked if I knew anyone looking for a job as he was in need of a receptionist. Straight away I was reminded of Tamara, and whilst I could not fully recommend her, I suggested her and to cut a long story short, she went that afternoon for the interview and started work the following day. We offered to take care of her baby whilst she sought a place in day-care for him. Baby Joshua took ill a few days after she began her new job, this clearly a spiritual attack upon her as she had begun to regain her life. Despite us trying to rehydrate him at home his condition did not improve and we were left with no alternative but to have him admitted to Galan House, the only casualty facility at the time other than Mpilo Hospital. The costs of this facility are very high but at this point it seemed the only option available for Baby Josh, sometimes we feel it's not about the cost but about the care and we know God will always provide for His work, we trust Him to do this. Mrs Maliki struggled with the Nurse for hours to insert a cannular and eventually they managed to get a vain in Joshua's head. The rehydration went well so the drip was removed; however he did not seem to overcome the lethargy so he was kept in. Having spent 3 nights at Galan House with only a slight improvement the nurse suggested we transfer him to Mpilo where he could been seen by a Specialist. We did this late on Friday night and again we struggled for hours to find another vein in the end being left no option but to insert a feeding tube. Thankfully Mrs Maliki was present to do this as the nurse there seemed reluctant stating his condition was too weak. Josh was released from Mpilo after 4 days as his condition was slowly improving, the vomiting had stopped and his temperature had normalised. Tamara's boss was very accommodating during this time and allowed her 10 days off with her sick child, when he was released from hospital we insisted she stay at the Babies Home where he could be monitored and assisted by other staff when necessary. It has been a week now and Josh is still very weak showing only little signs of improvement. Last night he had another temperature rise and today we have noticed his hands and feet are swollen, we are not certain of what may have caused this so tomorrow we will take him to the Doctor for further review. We would ask you to pray with us now for Joshua's restoration of health and for strength and comfort for his mother in these difficult times.

We held a blessing ceremony for the babies, the staff and the home on the 29th January and as I shared there, it is as though God has hand picked the very best of all his children and given us the privilege of caring for each one of them. Pastor Ray gave us a special message using the Prayer of Jabez in 1 Chronicles 4 vs 9&10 "Jabez was more honourable than his brothers, His mother had named him Jabez saying, "I gave birth to him in pain." Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, "Oh that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain." And God granted his request. It was an amazing message where the significance of the name Jabez being "sorrow and pain" gives a strike against him from the day he enters the world, yet he refuses to accept that strike. Instead he demands more than the sad heritage his family offered him and he claims a blessing from God "I want your blessing... Nourish and grow me beyond my present situation, direct me with your powerful hand and help me to rise up above my painful, depressing past" and God did just that! The significance for us working in the project was that even though these children of ours have had a rough start to life, in asking God's blessing upon them they will nourish and grow beyond these circumstances!! Beautiful and all God's people say "AMEN”!! Pastor Levi Masuku blessed the home and all that s within it, whilst Eileen thanked God for the many hands who make the work light! This was such a special day for all present.

So onto our babies now... each one of them is growing rapidly and each with their own character.

Sarah and Davis are both in the process of being fostered and no longer stay at the Home. Also being fostered is Taponeswa and as you can see in his picture his growth shows that this home surely agrees with him!! Junior pops into the home every now and again and it's very difficult to capture him on the camera, he does not like his picture being taken at all, he'd much rather be playing in the toy room or out in the garden. Bheki is also one of the babies being fostered and he has joined his 8 other siblings at Rehoboth with Dorcas and Mark!

Nomalanga is now the oldest of the children at Isaiah's. Her father has recently expressed interest in reuniting with her and we are working with the family to do what is in the best interests of Noma. My heart aches at the thought of Noma being taken from the home but I do trust that she is a child of God and all the plans He has for her are to prosper her and not to harm her so again we commit all of this in prayer and know that God will be done!

Pride continues to make steady progress and growth. He is beginning to talk now and can identify people by name; he does this repeatedly which is kinda cute. His father recently returned to their rural home to try and get their mother to return home however there was a family altercation and he returned back to Bulawayo without her. His love for his wife and his children is unquestionable as he continues to visit Pride weekly. He earns a meagre salary and is finding it exceedingly difficult to provide for his other two children, please pray for Pride's dad - Runesu.

Ruth doesn't seem to grow any taller but is known to keep the children in check! Her mother who lives in Gwanda was here to visit her this weekend. Her extended family are keen to have mother and child reunited however this process will take some time. We have to be certain that this is her mother's desire too and not a pressured decision!

Bridget now has the biggest smile out and it's beautiful to see, especially considering as a young baby her smiles were very few and far between. Bridget is leader of the pack to walk and talk! Her vocab has become more varied now and she chatters off to anyone who will listen.

Amanda - Mimi - Zuvarashe has become our little nonsense - always ready to challenge! She loves to do exactly that which she knows she should not be doing just to see the reaction she will get! She copies just about every phrase spoken, and is quick to climb up wherever she can. The other day she was spotted climbing onto the table and then danced to the music playing in the background - all we could do was laugh at her!

Sibusiso has settled well back into the home, he had been taken for fostering however the tough economic circumstances of our country has forced his foster mother to return to cross border trading. Unfortunately that set-up is not conjuducive to a young growing baby, as he is unable to travel with her until the adoption is finalised. He had previously been left in the care of a younger sister however she was now unable to provide for him and had no alternative but to return him to the Home.

Prince joined the "walking" group before his first birthday in early January; he is a little monster always dashing about the home up to no good, keeping the staff on their toes. He likes to be out in the garden with Taurai, our yard worker, preferably playing in the dirt or in water.

Caleb has recovered from his recent chest complaints and is now crawling about all over the home. You have to watch anything left lying about as in no time at all he will be getting stuck into whatever he can. He loves to be thrown up and about and has a very deep chuckle when tickled. His bottom teeth are now through and looks like his top two are not far behind.

Mthandazo is doing well. He has a slight squint and loves to try focus on his hands, he spends quite a while looking at them, moving his fingers about. He is very ticklish and his smile is contagious, he chuckles when tickled. Mthandazo's mother passed away just after he was born and his father is unknown to the family, however he has a loving grandfather who though unemployed every month brings him a small package of soap, aqueous cream and an item of clothing. It's little "acts of love" like that which mean so much!!!

Daniel Praise is such a happy little fellow, he makes all kinds of baby sounds and loves to be spoken to, and as long as he can see a presence of people he is happy.

Shamiso is one of our recent additions to the home, she was brought to Bulawayo by the Beitbridge Police and it is suspected that her mother must have been a border jumper as she was left close to the border in a bush. On her arrival she did not like to be left alone at all but she seems to be settling now and smiles a lot, she has one of the biggest smiles ever and is generally a very happy baby. She was well nourished and is a very chubby baby.

Craig Siphobenkosi was brought to the home two weeks after his mother had passed away. His extended family were unable to feed and care for him and he was in a much compromised state on his arrival. He was not feeding well at all and one Sunday we anointed him and prayed for him and within a few days his feeding habits picked up dramatically. He is making steady progress and now 2 and a half months old, he is beginning to smile and has realised he can cry for attention. He has beautiful big brown eyes and little round cheeks like that of a squirrel hiding his food!

In December we received 4 abandoned baby girls from Mpilo Hospital. There was Blessing, Jessica, Nobuhle and then Faith. As we had 6 babies under the age of 3 months our staff were pressurised as all of these babies required extra care and attention. Blessing had a slight skin condition which has been treated whilst Nobuhle and Jessica both were very weak feeders. Faith was slightly bigger in size to the other three girls so she had a slight advantage. A granny of one of our volunteers expressed an interest in helping with the small babies and offered to take one of the girls home for the first week. Let's just say she fell in love with Nobuhle and the little girl has spent over a month with her. Nobuhle has a beautiful head of soft curly black hair and has been given the nick name of Topsy, a resemblance of a doll granny once owned as a child! Already there is a strong bond between granny and baby and although she receives the attention any baby should have granny does not spoil her totally as she is aware that sometimes she has to come back to the home and won't always have total undivided attention. Jessica, a tall and slim baby with light complexion, is now picking up well.

Mthabisi is our most recent male addition to the home being placed into our care early January after being found under a tree in one of the high density areas of Bulawayo. He spent a few days at Mpilo Hospital before coming to us. He has gained a fair amount of weight and is doing considerably well; he has a good set of lungs which has the staff back on their toes.

So that's the update on all our children and the recent happenings at the Home. Thank you all for your prayers, support and encouragement in 2008 and we look forward to another year taking care of God's precious children. If there is any way in which you feel compelled to assist us and/or would like further information, please feel free to drop me a line and I'll get back to you as soon as I can. Thank you all for being the special part of this project that each one of you are.

God bless, Luv 'n' friendship in the Lord always
Sis'Bee