An Opportunity

Originally posted on 2/28/09

I mentioned that God has been breaking my heart and showing me more of His ways this week but I want to take time to share the things going on. I found out at the beginning of the week that one of the girls that was in my class last semester at Ithemba was raped. She has been staying in Joburg since before Christmas but is no longer safe there. Her life was threatened if she told anyone, which she eventually did. The man is either in hiding within the town or has escaped but when people found out they went to beat him. Luckily, they believed and supported her but if the man is still within the town her life is in danger. The situation is complicated now because the social workers are involved, as well as the police but it's going to cost around $80 US dollars to bring her back from Joburg to Jeffreys. My team is waiting to find out when we can help but the political aspect of it has to be sorted out first.

Later in the week I was able to talk to a few of the girls from Zimbabwe that are in my class. To give a bit of background the situation in Zim is not good. There have been many people coming from there to stay in South Africa until the political situation settles down. There have been difficulties with communication, medicine, schools and basic necessities for awhile now. Needless to say, those who were able to leave have left. These two girls are actually two of 5 girls staying with their aunt here in Jeffreys until things settle down, which nobody really knows when it will be safe again. They were sharing their hearts and what has been weighing them down, which was a really good opportunity to just encourage them. Neither one of them are able to go to school because their school fees would be $42 US dollars a month per person and there are 5 of them. They both shared with me though that it would really help their family and them if their younger sister was able to go to school. She struggles the most out of their family with her English and it's very important that she learns it. It's something I have begun praying about and would like to ask that you would join me in that. These are two very big needs that have come up just among my class at Ithemba and I'm seeking out the Lord's provision. I would like to get enough funds for at the least the youngest to go to school for 6 months (the rest of the school year here) and be able to bring the other girl back from Joburg. If you would like to be a part of meeting this need, let me know by leaving a comment or writing me an e-mail at mkroege1@gmail.com and I can give you more details.