These past eight months have been full of impact. Impact on my life, on our ministry and on the community we serve. I am partnered with Emoyeni, Hands and Feet, and Spark Foundation here in South Africa. Ministry looks different every day, but I am where I belong. I feel peace from the Lord like never before even through the emotional rollercoaster called ministry.
The greatest impact I have seen is from the Lydia Circle. This is a group of ladies working in the local garbage dump to make a living. People in the community constantly shame them; but I am constantly inspired by their willingness to work for their families. The area that I live and serve in currently has a 40% unemployed rate. Each week I meet with these women and speak life into them by sharing Christ, having fellowship and becoming family. The flies are swarming, the temperature is scorching and the smell is overbearing, but Jesus is present. None of the ladies previously knew the Lord when we started the circle, but they were open to hearing. That is where the name Lydia’s Circle came from, specifically Acts 16:11-40. They have asked for and received bibles in their native SiSwati language. 12 of them have accepted Christ. I am grateful to the Lord for the way He is working and know He is not finished with them yet. I am praying about and investigating future micro-business opportunities for the ladies or other ways to help create self-sustainability.
Our ministry’s farm continues to grow. We currently have 400 macadamia nut trees and will have a total of 1600 trees by March 2016. This is a crucial step of sustainability for decades to come for the ministry. We currently are feeding about 1,300 children 3-5 days a week, which takes quite a bit of funding. These feeding sites all are in connections to the local churches and the cooks are volunteers from the community. In the future we hope that the harvest of the nuts along with the food grown in the farm’s garden we will be able to provide fully for the kids.
Other areas of ministry:
– Running 2 local preschools
– Empowering teenagers through mentorship
– Training Pastors on Biblical views
– Pouring into and loving on people as Christ did through home visits and prayer.
– Teaching life skills through bible studies, skills training and soccer
– Hosting a local church in English on Sunday nights.
All of these areas of ministry are ways we hope to continue teaching about Christ and help people develop relationships with Christ.
I rely on monthly support as well as one-time gifts to provide the funding I need to continue my work the Lord has called me to in South Africa and to help fund the current programs. Thank you if you’re already supporting my ministry either through monthly or one-time donations. If you feel passionate about these ministries please consider making an end of the year donation this year. It is a huge blessing and will leave a lasting impact on many. Above all, please pray for us!
To donate please visit:
https://worldoutreach.org/index.php/missionary-support-2.
Or mail a check to:
World Outreach Ministries
PO BOX B Marietta, GA 30061
Mention Claire Brown in the memo line
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Lydia’s Mission empowers and teaches women skills in rural South Africa to feed, educate, and care for their children by earning a living wage. When a woman begins to grasp her value in Christ through discipleship and Biblical training, her life becomes the first ripple of hope…that will last for generations.
© 2018 Lydia's Mission
Lydia’s Mission is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
Our mailing address:
6724 Perimeter Loop Rd.
Suite 139
Dublin, OH 43017
