We have now been given a court date for our land eviction appeal. It has been set for the 24 November! We were so disappointed and discouraged by this news, as it means that we will be evicted for a further 3 months before the case is heard. We were evicted at the end of February which means that we will not be able to occupy the new home until next year and we were hoping to be in it by this coming Christmas.
On the 3rd, we celebrated our little Gee-gee’s first birthday. We have been informed, by her social worker, that a ‘forever’ family has been found for her and that she will be going for adoption in the near future. She is a sweet little girl, who gives us no trouble at all and is constantly smiling at life. She never complains about anything and is very laid back and relaxed. She is an absolute pleasure to have in the home.
On the 4th, we were called to meet with our lawyer, Marisa, to sign documents for another court case on the 22 September, concerning the present house we are living in and renting, as the owner, Rose, is trying to get us evicted once again. We are so grateful to Marisa and all that she has done for us over the years, in keeping the baby home here until we can move to our permanent ABC Home.
As we were feeling discouraged over these court dates and cases and felt like giving it all up, we agreed to take in another baby who desperately needed a place of safety. It always helps us to stay focused on what it is all about and why we do what we are doing. Little Nathaniel, needed urgent placement and was supposed to arrive on the 15th but eventually arrived on the 25th. The social worker had decided to get all the paperwork in order before bringing him to us and he arrived with his birth certificate, court order and social report, which makes it so much easier for Robyn who handles all the paperwork on all the babies.
In the meantime, on the 19th, while waiting for little Nathaniel to arrive, we were blessed by our friends, Dave & Kathy Proff, who made it possible for us to get away for 4 nights and 5 days for some well needed R & R. It was the first real break that we have taken since November 2022 and so we really needed it! We relaxed at Mantenga Lodge, Ezulwini, and enjoyed plenty of peace and quiet, although we did have monkeys visiting us once a day at our room. We are also very grateful to our daughter, Dominique, who came and ran the home while we were away, which made it easier for us to take this small and much needed break. She did an amazing job and everything ran smoothly while we were away.
On the 22nd, baby Gareth’s mother visited him as she was also now on school break. We always love it when the mothers are able to come and spend time with their babies. It is so good for the babies to be able to bond with their mothers through these visits, especially when we know that the baby will eventually be returned to their mother.
Recently, we have had a few of our past babies, who have now finished school and grown up, come and visit us and it has been very encouraging for us to get to meet them and see them again and to see how well they have turned out. There is a special bond between us which, we believe, was formed when we nurtured them and held them close in our arms, as babies in our home. It is almost as if we are now reaping a harvest from all those sleepless nights and hard work put into rescuing and saving their lives, the fruit of our labour, making it all so very worth while.
Prayer Requests:
- Give thanks for the Lord’s provision for the running of the baby home and enough finances and provisions for us to continue running the home.
- Please pray for ABC’s favour in the court cases coming up and that our land situation can be resolved so that we can continue building the new baby home, which we desperately need.
- Please continue to pray for good homes to be found for our babies who need to move from our home once they turn 2 years old.
- Please give thanks to God for all that He is doing in ABC!
We are extremely grateful to everyone who assists us with finances which allows us to continue to pay the staff, the rent for this house and all other necessities needed to run the baby home. Our words cannot express our gratitude to everyone who supports us, who prays for us and encourages us to keep on going. We are extremely grateful to everyone and appreciate all that everyone does to assist us with the running of the ABC baby home. Without you, we cannot survive. THANK YOU!
God bless you
Gerry & Robyn
