Shoes Delivered to Old Naledi

After I got back from Botswana, I sent out an e-mail to friends, family and mainly people that helped me go on our trip, about our trip and what the Lord did in my life through our trip.

 

One of my friends, Jamie Caselli felt moved to do a shoe drive for the children of Old Naledi. Jamie and her Air Force family moved to England from Shaw AFB two years ago. Their family use to attend Alice Drive with us, and she was very involved in our church and the community while she was here.

 

When she finished her shoe drive, she had collected 143 pairs of shoes. She mailed these THREE HEAVY boxes of shoes and paid out of HER pocket the $643 to mail these boxes to Old Naledi. I sent her a copy of the letter I got from Mark Partin (about us mailing these things over there and they would not be resold, and what not) so she could get HER Chaplin at her church on base in England to do up the same type of letter. This way Moruti James will not be charged the customs fees on each pair of shoes.

 

Moruti James e-mailed me on Monday to tell me that he got the three boxes of shoes! Praise GOD! They arrived right before Christmas! I am so excited about this, because now so many children in Old Naledi will now get some new shoes and won’t have to continue to pick the thorns and glass out of their feet. I watched this the week we were there and it broke my heart!

 

I pray that you all have a very Merry Christmas!

 

P.S. Sharon can you please forward this to Amanda Adams, I have misplaced her e-mail address. (AGAIN)

 

In His Steps,

Kim  

Video clip

Here is a video clip I put together today of some of our men playing with some of the children of Old Naledi. It turned out really good. Enjoy! I really miss our friends.

Blessings,
Kim Wright

First Night in Old Naledi, August 31st, 2008

The Vacation Bible School flyer we passed out.

This is a page from my journal while we were in Gaborone, Botswana.

Dated August 31st, 2008

The first night we were at Old Naledi Baptist Church, I gave my personal testimony and Mathutha translated for me. It went very, very good. I wasn't even nervous, like I thought I would be. Praise and worship was very awesome! Something I have never experienced before.

Before we had church Moruti James split us up into groups. He had two of our church members and two of their church members at Old Naledi go out and pass out the flyers we had printed up in Setswana. The flyers talked about the VBS we were going to be doing at the church this week. We also were asked to invite the people to church that evening.

The two young ladies that went with Kristi Hipkins and I were very beautiful young ladies. I don't remember their names.

It was very humbling to see the living conditions in the village. To see how small these houses were was very, very humbling to me. Each of the homes had little fire pits in front of them. The people of Old Naledi did not have electricity, so they used the fire pits to cook over, heat up pots of water, to wash clothes in and to wash their small amounts of dishes in. Everywhere I looked I saw all these fire pits.

The people were very, very friendly and excepting of the invitations to church, unlike back in the states.

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That is all I had written on that date. More to come from my journal at a later time.

I sure do miss our friends from Old Naledi. Whenever I listen to my video clips and hear their voices, it makes me miss them even more.

Before this mission trip, when I would think of Africa, I would think of all the beautiful animals. After the mission trip that is NOT how I see Africa. I see it for all their beautiful, kind, loving and caring people and I cannot wait to return.

Have a very blessed day today.

In HIS Steps,
Kim Wright

http://www.jesusfollower.wordpress.com/

New Photos: Inside Church

Moruti sent me some new pictures today of the church meeting inside the new building. Be sure to check it out and sign the guestbook! I know they read it as they have posted there as well! Hope you had a great Thanksgiving. We have so much to be thankful for here and it's amazing what God continues to do in Old Naledi, Sumter, Greer and around the world!

In His Steps,
Mareko

Photos

Susan Holladay's pictures added

I have added Susan's pictures from the trip as a slideshow to the blog. Still waiting for some of you to get over to the http://oldnaledifellowship.org site and sign the guestbook. Nudge, nudge, nudge :-)

In His Steps,
Mareko

Old Naledi

Added some more pictures of the building today sent from Moruti James.

http://oldnaledifellowship.org/photos.html


In His Steps,
Mareko

Update from Open Baptist: Old Naledi

Subject: Naledi update

Dear Scott,
Greetings from Gaborone. Trust you are well and being blessed.

We would like you to thank you all at Alice Drive for the investment in Naledi and for the blessing you have been to the folk there.

I went there last night to inspect the Naledi Building. Very, very impressive!! Not complete yet - still some finishing to-do - but in true African style the people are using it already.

By the way there is great excitement in the whole Naledi community - not just the church. Alice Drive can really be proud of what they have done for the Kingdom.

Naledi Church would like the official opening of the building to take place the first weekend of March.

God bless you richly,
Norman and Gabi