Pease porridge hot, pease porridge cold

I am blown away at what God is doing.  We are just getting started and already it feels like we are just hanging on for the ride.

I was with Momma Mkhize last week and she was telling me that she was talking to some of the teachers at the primary school.  The teachers are complaining how weak the students are in morning because they are only eating one meal a day at eleven o'clock so by the next morning they are very hungry and weak.  She was telling them about the Saturday soup kitchen and the teachers asked if there was anything that could be done in the mornings.  So, as we are meeting the need, the need is getting bigger, but God is not surprised or unaware.

I have been googling and emailing anyone I could here in Africa to see about getting food donations for our soup kitchen.  So far, I have not heard much from anyone.  The day that Momma and I talked I got home and had an from someone called Food 4 Africa.  I called them back and they want to help us.  What they do is provide vitamin enriched porridge to organizations that have feeding programs.  So we are going to speak some more next week, but maybe this is the solution to help with the schools.  Can we really take on an entire school.  We are such a small Church, but "for such a time as this".  Could this be why God has brought us all here.  There is such great need here, but I know that God is able.

This is why we are here, for now anyway.  This is what God has put before us,and I will not shrink from this task.  My God is able, and he cares about the cries of the hungry.  He loves, He loves, He loves.

Yesterday, Pastor Shaun and I met with Pastor Emmanuel.  Emmanuel pastors the church that meets at Kulanikahle.  We are just wanting him to be aware and involved in what we are doing at Kulanikahle.  In addition to feeding them physically, we want to feed them spiritually, and Pastor Emmanuel is an important part of that equation.  He informed us that no one, let me repeat that, no one is doing a soup kitchen in Molweni, and the need is even greater than we imagined.  We were explaining that we would love to do this every Saturday, but we were praying about just doing it once a month until God opens up the door for us to do it more often.

As of Friday night, with donations, God has provided us for us to feed 100 people for almost 20 Saturdays.  Praise God.  We are still in need of more sponsors.  We have material to buy and desperately need to get Mamma a deep freezer in order to keep ingredients from spoiling from week to week.  We are also excepting to this to grow from 100 people very rapidly as word in the township begins to travel.

Please keep this in prayer.  We are still trying to figure out the best way to get money from stateside to here with the least amount of fees.  We are also still trying to connect with people, business, and ministries here to help us.  This is bigger than any one person, or any one church.  The need is great and will take an equally great response to help meet it.

Next week, I want to try and visit the school with Momma.  I want to meet the teachers to see what we can do about the need for breakfast, and I am also very curious what this one meal looks like that they get everyday.  

Thanks for your continued prayer and support.

Soup Kitchen

We have been kicking around the idea of the soup kitchen at Kulanikahle since last year.  With the recent events that have happened, the need for this ministry has once again been brought to the front burner.  At our monthly KulaniKahle team meeting, we made a plan.  We are trusting that God wants to use us to help meet this need.  First, what is the need?  There is poverty here that is hard for us as Americans to imagine.  I have heard the stories, met the people, and still have trouble wrapping my head around it.  If the kids go to school, they are provided a meal at the school.  One meal a day.  For many of the children and teenagers in the town ships, this is the only meal they get everyday.  So what happens when school is out, holiday and weekends, many of them don't eat.  Some of them will try to find work in exchange for food, but sadly enough, many will just go without.  Two days without food.  Many I am told will sleep, more than normal, because of their lack of food.  Imagine being the teacher that has to teach these kids early in the mornings on Monday.

Thats the need.  Our response to the need will be to start a soup kitchen at KulaniKahle on Saturday's.  We are trusting God to provide all that we need to get this going.  We are not planning anything fancy, just soup and bread.  We are starting this on March 5th, and hope to hit the ground running and do this every Saturday.  We have figured that for $40 we can feed 100 people.  We are doing all we can on this side to help raise awareness, support, and donations.  We are also, giving you stateside the opportunity to sponsor a 100 people or 50 people.  You can take one Saturday, or one Saturday a month.  You can do a $20 donation or a $40 dollar donation.  All money will go towards the soup kitchen.  If we have above and beyond what we need for soup and bread, we will add some fruit or extra meat for the soup.

There are two ways you can give.  We have set up a bank account here through the church that is only for KulaniKahle.  I can give you all the necessary information to wire money directly into that account.  Or, if you give to us through our website; www.therenderfam.com, there is a note tab, just write soup kitchen and we will transfer money from our account to the one here for you.

Please keep this ministry in prayer.  We are meeting a huge physical need, but we are also praying for opportunities to sow into the lives of these people spiritually.  There is a church that meets at KulaniKhale on Sunday Mornings, so we are hoping to be able to direct people back here for additional ministry.  We will also be organizing all the clothes that are donated to KulaniKahle in such away that we can start a clothing bank that will run at the same time as the soup kitchen.

Thanks for your prayers and support, we are excited to see what the Lord will do.

Shelby