Thsepo Generation

One of the reasons for moving back to South Africa was to help feed the poor as best we could. We thought it was a couple years away after we had our house built and got the hang of gardening. It was so cool how we met Pastor John and Nsoaki and they also had a vision for the same thing. We didn't expect things to happen so quickly, but in early May Thsepo Generation, the soup kitchen, was kicked off. (Thsepo, means hope, and in Sotho, the “h” is usually silent, and “t” sometimes, so it's pronounced “se-po”.)

The first day, at two o'clock, no children showed up. About two hours after they were suppose to arrive, 7 children had their first meal at Thsepo. The goal is to provide children of single, unemployed parents a quality, high protein meal, as well help them with their schooling, some spiritual exposure, and some sport and leadership development. Pastor John originally thought to start with 10-12 children. Well, there was quickly twenty on a regular basis. That moved up to thirty and stayed there for awhile. Lately, there has been around fifty! It's too many for the kitchen now, some children must be outside. When spring gets here, hopefully we can set up some tables outside.

I must say, when I walk into the kitchen, it smells very good. The food is really amazing, the cooks- Mirjiam, Agnes and Evelyn, do an amazing job. The children wipe their plates clean with their fingers! Some of the big boys sit next to little ones, and when they are finished, the big ones swoop in and eat the remainder in a jiffy. A funny thing is that when Corné asked the children for their favorite foods, spinach was number one! Cabbage was second, beans third! Would never hear that in the US! The only meat they get is off the soup bones. We plan to raise rabbits (when we are finally on de la Harpe) which are very high in protein and treat the children to grilled rabbit one day! That will be a real treat.

Another reason Thsepo has been so successful has come from the support of the community. There is one farmer that gives 50kgs/110pds of meilie meal/pap a month; another gives 10 liters of fresh milk a week, and plenty more. It has really been encouraging the way the much of the community has become involved in one way or another. There have been repairs on the stoves, and plans for painting the outside and putting in a cement floor (it's currently just dirt covered with black plastic.).

Recently there was a “wool-storm.” People knitted hats and scarfs and donated them for needy children. They brought these to Thsepo, and the children loved it. Actually, they love clothes donations, which are sorely needed by some. It is hard to look at some of the children in their school uniforms that are torn, have holes in the sweaters, shoes very much past their prime, and collars missing.

God has been so good. This was obviously His plan, and it's come together in such an amazing way. We are really excited about the future. Things we know are that it will grow; we would like to start a reading program-in 3^rd grade all their books are in English, to be academically successful, they need to be fluent in English. Sadly, most aren't. A Christian school is also in the plans, starting with Preschool and Kindergarden next year and adding grades every year afterwards.