HAPPY NEW YEAR and greetings from a down-sized, new ABC Home. We received Rose’s eviction notice giving us just 2 weeks to be out of the rented house by the 27th December. We were in a panic and a shock as we didn’t know what we were going to do or where we were going to go, but God had it all under control. Within a week we had been offered a house in Mbabane to rent, for however long ABC needs to use it. We were amazed at this offer. Then social welfare, suddenly, placed 6 of our babies into foster care with the intention for adoption. A further 3 of our 2-year-olds were returned to their biological families, which was the agreement with their families when they were first placed into our care, leaving us with just 5 babies to move with to our new home. We will be able to care for up to 6 babies in this new house. ABC will not be shutting down as the need for emergency placement for babies is so great.
Then came the difficult task of down-sizing our staff as only 4 aunties could move with us to the new home. Sadly, we had to say ‘good-bye’ to 9 of our staff with the promise that when we move to our new premises and buildings, they will be reinstated if they are still in need of a job. We have 3 aunties and 2 staff children, living in the new house with us and the 4th aunty lives in town with her sister, just walking distance from the home. Sam continues as our driver/gardener/go-to man.
On the 19th December, a truck came in to move our container cottage to the farm across the road and we were grateful to be able to use it as a storage container. We are extremely grateful to our neighbours for allowing us to store it on their farm. Our son, Luke, helped us so much with organising the trucks and the move, as we had to rush and down size everything and be out of the house in such a hurry. It was extremely overwhelming for us but we did it! Our other 4 sons, Sam, Josh, José and Angus helped with the packing up of the old house and the moving of all our furniture.
By the 27th December, we handed the house keys over to Rose and her lawyer and said ‘Good-bye’ to all the troubles and court cases that we had Experienced with Rose, and also to the lack of maintenance which was causing the house to deteriorate at a fast rate. The 13 years that we were there, were good years as we had rescued and saved 90 babies during that time and given them a home and the love and care that they needed.
Then came the task of making it all fit into the new house. We didn’t celebrate a proper Christmas or New Year as we were too busy down-sizing yet again, unpacking and turning the house into our new ABC Home. We are extremely grateful to our landlord who made this house available for ABC to use indefinitely and who also pitched up with his sons, to help us move in. What a difference from our previous ‘Rose’ experiences that we have had.
In amongst all this happening, on the 3rd January, we celebrated our 50th wedding anniversary with a dinner for 2 at a nearby restaurant. Robyn was very concerned about moving back into ‘city’ life as we had been living out in the country for the past 42 years, but God even had thought of that and gave us a house with an amazing view of a few mountains in front us of our new house.
PRAYER Requests:
- Give thanks for the Lord’s provision and for the new ABC Home in the city
- Please continue to pray for ABC’s land situation so that it can be resolved quickly and that we can complete the buildings and move to our new and permanent baby home
- Please continue to lift us up in prayer as we care for these babies and for our staff, for our health and for strength to keep on keeping on.
- Please give thanks to God for all that He is doing in and through ABC!
God Bless
Robyn & Gerry
Babies returned to their families
