Dear All. I greet you in the precious name of Jesus. I pray you are all well. This year is rapidly drawing to a close, and time is spinning by faster every month. It is difficult to believe this will be my last letter to you precious beloved, till 2010. This will be a new experience for South Africa, hosting the 2010 world Soccer Cup. Frantic activity is everywhere preparing for this momentous event. It all seems pretty surreal - and scary to say the least. I really cannot imagine everything being ready on time. I would like to ask you to pray for opportunities for the gospel to be given to the thousands of visitors who will visit for this event.

Summer is here, at last, after many attempts, and flowers blooming everywhere. I have added a little birdbath to help the birds I feed also keep cool. I just love the hot weather. Cape Town has wonderful climate, I even love the wind here as it blows away all the viruses and pollution.
Also in the hot weather there is less sickness in the Township for the children, and the old folk can cope better with their frugal lifestyle.

PRAYERS ANSWERED
Thank you for the wonderful prayer support I have been given, from you all locally and worldwide. This truly kept me from sinking into depression as the stress mounted. We won the case! Praise God. However the battle is not yet won as they have appealed against this decision. Please pray for this appeal to be rejected - Thank you. The eviction cost the Ministry dearly, with great financial cost - from which the Ministry is still trying to recover.

This is still difficult due to the economic climate. However, we shall trust our God who always supplies our needs. Please pray for the renovations the preschool is undergoing to be completed and paid for by the end of the school year which is Mid December. URGENT - PLEASE - FUNDS FOR EQUIPMENT, LIKE MATRASSES, TABLES, CHAIRS AND UTENSILS --BLESS YOU FOR ANY DONATIONS - to: KHAYELITSHA MINISTRY THANK YOU.

The Board decided to assist the local authorities, by allowing the preschool children to remain and use the facility till the end of November, by drawing up a temporary lease for 4 months. Both Patricia and Elizabeth are not allowed near the preschool. Prayer request, that the closing and final eviction will go smoothly without any incident.

The Church and Board will draw up a new lease with the preschool to be under the authority of the church. We will select the principal and teachers. A new lease will be drawn up, taking into account all the previous lessons we have learned. We hope to get this all together early in 2010. Pray for wisdom for choosing staff.
Another prayer request that the meeting with Helen Ziller [The Western Cape Premier] -to show the plans for Phase 4. Helen wanted also wanted us to supply her with plans and a proposal

for a Language school .We now have this ready, and are waiting on her for an appointment date, together with our Architect and QS. Helen is an extremely busy at present [She is in the middle of the budget for this Province - which may just be a bit more important than us - Ha!]

AUGUST
This time was and still is devastating, as Patricia and Elizabeth went to the Media, on Radio, and distributed pamphlets in the area. They spread lies by saying I chased the children into the streets in the rain and cold, stolen money donated to them to build the preschool, and was rightfully theirs! There were hit men out to kill me, petrol bomb the Van, and so many death threats, that I had to lie low, and not go into Khaye for a month. Elizabeth crying crocodile tears, had meetings with Social services, Education Board, Khayelitsha Development Forum, where she stated I had ruined her inheritance for her children, used and abused her by taking advantage of her poor education, she had trusted me and I stabbed her in the back and ruined her business, and that I had a reputation from other preschools I had established in Khayelitsha.

The Board responded on the local radio, informing the community, who Uyesu Unathi was, Charity organization, non-profit, with the sole purpose to uplift the community, by means of giving the gospel to all, and assist in many areas, one of which was to provide, a preschool building for their children. This will give them the opportunity to have good start in life. Slowly the parents have begun to realize just who is really doing the cheating! The parents are seeing where their fees have been going! God has His own ways of showing up lies and deceit.

On the 23rd of August we moved the Sunday school back into the preschool premises -even though they hid all the remaining chairs - the children simply sat on the floor. This turned out to suit us perfectly as we were rehearsing for our first ever play in Xhosa - David and Goliath - lots of fun for everyone - it involved everyone marching - so most of the time the children were standing!

In the midst of all this drama - a very bright spark of encouragement when I visited the "super Sixties " plus - group at St. James, who have prayed so faithfully for the Court case and Ministry all these long months.
Mission’s month at St. James Church. This year, Kathy Noland motivated me to have a display table with photos and progress of the Ministry, including a little wooden shack in sand and complete with wash line, barbers stool, fence, even trees [from twigs from church garden!]. This was indeed a delightful time to renew long-standing friendships and catch up on people and their lives.

SEPTEMBER
The highlight in amongst all the stress, was a visit by my dear friend Irene [who cared for me for 2 months when I had my broken foot] arrived for a very brief visit - and we were able to put the play on for her in Church, much to the amazement of the parents and congregation - as they had never seen this done before. The play was not difficult for Irene to understand as we all know the story, and she thoroughly enjoyed them. After church we all piled into the Van [Kombi] - kids too, and took her for a delicious [cheap] meal of fish and chips -[in the pan!] Nozizwe wanted to know if these people in the restaurant were short of plates! - Then this ‘novelty’ was explained - other cultures [us] are weird sometimes!

We had just one week with Irene, and this time I could drive her around! It was the perfect time to show off the Cape in spring, and we had a long drive up the West Coast. She was enthralled with the fields of wild white lilies around a quaint place called Darling and then fields of flowers in the Langebaan area and Reserve. We had delicious take away, calamari and chips, parked on the side of the road overlooking the fields of flowers and the sea, delightful!

September is break time at school - for a week - and we had a Kids Holiday Club. Fortunately our Youth came out in force to assist - as we had record numbers of children every day almost 250 by the end of the week! This took lots of management especially making lunch for so many - when we normally have half the amount of children everything had to be doubled, but well worth it. The children were also very attentive at all the bible lessons, and learning Bible verses, impressing us ALL!

One huge blessing for these hundreds of children -was the amazing gift of T-shirts for every single child at the Holiday Club -even the leaders, guys and girls had their own ‘uniform’ t-shirt -ALL gifts from a very generous Christian, Trevor, who wanted to give back and thank God for all God had done for him - firstly - the massacres at St. James. God spared his life then and again recently, from a heart attack. He has given scores of children’s track suits, beanies, t-shirts, denim jackets, t-shirts for adults, youth, waist coats for men for summer, to be given out at Christmas -Thousands of Rand, for God’s work to the poorest of the poor, all brand new! May God richly reward him.

OCTOBER
From This month work starts piling up, getting ready for all the programmes we have to have completed by the end of November - Kids Parties, and Bible studies, asking and collecting toys to be handed out in December. Raising funds for party goodies, gifts for the elderly and congregation for Christmas, Unfortunately the Minister’s car has now packed up completely, seriously hampering all the ministry work. All the "running around " that he does now falls to me, as I am the only one with transport! Collecting food, taking staff to register and pay for their children for next year to attend different schools outside Khaye. The education has deteriorated so much it is frightening! Teachers are not being paid and constantly leaving and being replaced by people who are NOT qualified teachers, confusing the children.

[Prayer - that we can get all the children into descent schools that will teach them well]
Colin Banfield from DCC, did a fantastic workshop with other ministers and churches in Mitchells Plain on Leadership and Missions and 20 of our congregation attended, mostly Youth. We are hoping this will be the first of many training sessions.

The Youth have been kept busy as well. Assisting in protest marches with Charl van Wyk from Frontline fellowship, against abortion. Singing at the Goodwood Baptist Church, as a guest of Colin Thomlinson, who teaches English classes at church, and helping with the children in general. We are very proud of their work.

A container from Germany arrived in Cape Town and the contents delivered to St. James Church. It was filled with neatly packed boxes of beautiful clothes, for men women and children -shoes, blankets - and warm winter coats. We were blessed, to have been given, scores boxes of clothing [mostly for women which they were thrilled with and vanished like "hot cakes "!] - then another batch of boxes filled with children’s clothes and shoes. Most welcome and used immediately, as the weather was changing from summer back to winter every few days - I think maybe closer to December we will have more summer weather! So these clothes were such a blessing for all the winter days with lots of rain, and very cold temperatures.

The staff and volunteers sort all these gifts out laying them on small tables in different piles, trousers, tops, coats etc. before we let in the hoards of people desperate to get clothes. They are allowed into the small preschool 10 at a time and can choose 10 items - but only one coat or pair of shoes - in order that more folk get something. We found this is the fairest way to do the dividing, otherwise it would end up in a "free for all " - chaotic scramble - with much fighting and over garments! Amongst the boxes we found this delightful bundle [This is Emma - daughter of Sipho and EB - she has grown and her name has finally been settled - Liema - as Nonzukiso’s daughter is also called by the same name - so distinguish between calling them, she will be Lili - and the baby ema or Emma for us.

PERSONAL
I would like to ask for prayers for the ongoing financial support of myself, and the 4 people I support. Without support this Ministry would stop. We ARE the Ministry here. There has been a drastic decline in the monthly support due to the economic climate, people all over are suffering to survive and, like me my sponsors are aging, retiring or going home to Heaven. This does make budgeting difficult every month. God will provide I know He has done for 22 years here, however, I am asking for more support for younger folk looking for a worthwhile ministry to become part of. Please pray about supporting us. This is an extra burden having 4 other families I am responsible for. Things financially will be provided for, when I die - as a trust fund will be set up to cover them, but while I am still here, I need more partners to work together with me for God’s Kingdom.

COMPASSION
You will remember that in August Lulu, one of my staff had the traumatic episode of having her mother and 5 members of her immediate family killed in an automobile accident. She is recovering slowly after all this grief and infighting over the family home. Added to this the trauma of her younger sister now on drugs and missing. Please pray for her. May I ask you to continue your prayers against drugs and child abuse. Violence and death are daily occurrences. That is why I had to take the death threats seriously. Both Thozamile and I were attacked, in our cars, and reports to the police were futile.

Have a very peaceful and blessed Christmas holiday period. May God keep you and yours safe and well? All my love, Laura.
Your Missionary in Khayelitsha Cape Town - in AFRICA