Prayer Letter 09/03/14

Cathcart News and Prayer Letter…

Dear Friends,

It has been such a whirlwind this last 2 months! So much has happened it is hard to know where to start. It has been a very exciting time with seeing the start of Mihlali Children’s Haven and seeing God working amazingly in Greenbushes Township. However, there has also been a hefty dose of frustration as we continue to wait, to hear word on Mamosa.

Update…

Mihlali:

We have finally opened the doors of Mihlali Children’s Haven. It has been a long road. On Thursday 6th March we welcomed a 14 month old girl into our care.

 She is settling exceptionally well & Joseph & Reuben are adapting well to sharing the house with her. Accepting the first child into Mihlali is a massive milestone for us. Everything we have done since moving into the house in December has been aiming toward this moment. We have been shifting our focus from only having paper work, maintenance and networking to think about, to providing 24 hour care for this little girl. Part of getting Mihlali registered with the Department of Social Development included us finding someone with a South African ID to work as a live-in caregiver for the children. We have met with a number of people about this position and unfortunately had two fall through. However we are excited to announce that as of the 10th March, we’ll have a wonderful lady called Thembu coming to work as a live-in caregiver. This is an exciting but tentative step as we do not need to get an “employee” who is only good at their job, but rather someone who will form a vital part of our Mihlali family.

Greenbushes:

There is a preschool in Greenbushes Township called Sunrise. Infinite Life Church, the church we attend in PE, has been partnering with Sunrise for a few years now. This has opened the door for us to partner with them too. Any donation we receive that is unsuitable or that we cannot use, we have sent to the preschool. On one of our trips to drop off a donation we had the privilege of seeing God healing a man with throat cancer. After receiving prayer the Samuel went to the doctors to receive more treatment. He was told they could not find any cancer to treat. In response to this and other healings, Infinite Life Church moved the service to Greenbushes, last Sunday. We were all amazed by what God did that day. We saw three people give their lives to Jesus, all the pain & stiffness for arthritis leave, & a lady who could not read her Bible due to poor eyesight able to read perfectly! We are still hearing back more and more stories of God’s amazing grace and glory poured out for transformation!

Mamosa:

We are still in the process of trying to foster Mamosa with a view to adopt her in the longterm. We met Mamosa when she was 10 days old & she is now 6 months old. We have now given in all the paper work & can only wait & pray. Last news we heard was that the case had been passed on from the social worker that we were working with, to her manager. From there it has been passed onto the manager’s manager!! We are following up as best we can but just get told that we have to wait for an answer. The manager’s manager is currently looking at the law to see how to move forwards. Needless to say we are praying and appreciate everyone who has partnered with us so much for praying with us. The verse the Lord has given us throughout this whole process has been Exodus 14 verse 14: “The Lord will fight for you, you need only to be still.” Still later in the story of Moses crossing the red sea, the Lord says to Moses: “Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to move on.” We will continue to rest in the Lord, but we will also continue to push at this door, as we are certain that the Lord will make a way for us.The Cathcarts: 

As a family we have just had the huge blessing of having Granny Liz out to stay with us for a month. Liz blessed us hugely with getting the house ready to receive children & having her here really helped Joseph and Reuben settle into our new home and school. We are all excited to be finally looking after a child in Mihlali. Although the preparation we have been doing has been vital, there has always been a feeling of “but we’re not actually doing this thing yet“. Having Liz and welcoming the first child into Mihlali has made everything seem real. This is a dream come true for us. Please join us in praying that the other 5 children we have space for in our home, will arrive soon. And that Mamosa would be able to come home from Joburg soon too.

Thank you so much for your support. Without your support this dream could not have become a reality. When I look back at the last month & everything we have seen God do, His kingdom expanding, God receiving the honour and glory due to Him, I know that there is a great big “thankyou” from God to everyone who has had a part to play. Without all the support this could never have happened. Thankyou…

Richie, Kate, Joseph & Reuben. xxxx

Prayer… Please pray: For a miracle. That Mamosa would be placed in our family. That God would give us all grace as we learn to live with Thembu, our live-in caregiver. That God would bring more children to fill the empty spaces. For provision so that we can open up all 6 beds. For remaining donations of permanent cots, bedding etc.

News… We are thanking God: For His huge faithfulness & mercy shown to us. For Joseph & Reuben settling into school & life in our new home. For our partner churches: In South Africa, Ireland & England. For His provision of everything we need. For the outpouring of His Spirit in Greenbushes For the Social Workers & Department of Social Development in PE. For other safe havens in this city serving these children.