Our South African ministry partners were incredible! Lydia’s mission gave us the opportunity to teach, sew, farm & fellowship. Lydia’s Mission is a ministry in Badplaas, South Africa that empowers women to impact generations. They “provide jobs for women, feed children & care for the elderly, creating an open door to present the gospel & allow the Lord to transform hearts”. Their mission statement is the exact opportunity we got to witness.
Claire has hired many women to work in different areas on site for the opportunity to secure a regular income for mothers eager to feed, educate & provide for her family.
The Farm
70+ South African women work in the ministry at Lydia’s Mission to be equipped with farming skills, tending to over an acre of gardens & another acre of greenhouses (tunnels). They also care for farm animals to help feed the surrounding area & generate funds to support a self-sustaining economic ministry model. The food grown on the farm feeds community children at the Hope Centers & supports the work of the ministry financially. They envision expanding the farming initiatives to support food supply year round & create additional job opportunities for local women while growing the capacity to serve the community & change hearts for the Lord.
Garbage Dump Bible Study
Everything began here for Claire in 2015 when she was introduced to women working in the garbage dump, desperate to care for their families. Claire’s heart was broken for these people & with prayer & support, God began to piece together a program to empower these women out of the dump & into income-generating work that makes them proud. Claire continues to visit the 80+ women at the dump weekly, hosting bible studies & connecting women with resources. When Lydia’s Mission looks for new hires for the farm in any department, they first visit the dump.
Sewing Center
The women in the sewing center are equipped with tangible skills & discipled. Stuffed animals are sewn to empower women with skills & sold to offset salary costs & build a sustaining economic ministry model.
(Claire will be updating the shopping page for purchase in a month!)
Hope Centers
(my absolute favorite!!!!)
Lydia’s Mission feeds hundreds of children a day & have implemented holistic child development programs. These centers are hosted through local churches in the community & serve as a safe place for local kids. They provide tutoring, medical care & basic biblical education to each kid in their care with a desire to reach more vulnerable children in the region. Hope Centers not only feed children but train future leaders. Kids growing in their faith, receiving healthcare, and enhanced education will present them with generation-changing opportunities.
Gogo Centers
Lydia’s Mission cares for hundreds of elderly men and women in the community. They encourage this forgotten and often discarded group of special people by nourishing their bodies and souls with daily praise & devotions. They also provide transportation and offer greater medical services to those in their care including visitations to homes for wellness checks and food deliveries that have strengthened relationships.
“We had stopped reading our bibles because we couldn’t see the text anymore. Now we can read our bibles again!” -One of the Gogo’s response after handing out reading glasses to everyone one day
Other random involvements
Community 🙂
Lydia’s Mission also hosts many missionaries throughout the year from all over which I hope to one day bring a team back from Portland!
Our last month in South Africa has been one of the best yet from the many opportunities to teach, grow in fellowship with the one another, laugh with the teens & share many meals together. Lydia’s Mission is a flourishing ministry that is strategically bringing God’s Kingdom to its region.
With love,
P
