South Africa
“It was my first time doing something big for my kids that required me to cook,” reflected ITMI’s Fifi Smith, about the Christmas event she organized at the end of 2022.
Fifi ministers to the children in three Zulu villages in KwaZulu Natal, South Africa.
“A few years back, I made sandwiches and juice for the kids for Christmas, but I noticed they didn’t enjoy the sandwiches as much as I thought,” Fifi explained.
For Christmas 2022, Fifi recruited her sisters and a friend to make a meal of cooked rice and chicken curry with salad, a meal that is eaten in the village on big occasions.
To accomplish this, Fifi had to drive all over to find large pots, gas stoves, tables, spoons, and plates.
The week of the party brought a deluge of rain, filling village bridges with too much sand to get across them. She had to take longer routes, use more gas and spend more time to reach her destinations.
Losing an hour stuck in a river
The morning of the party, Fifi’s vehicle became stuck in deep mud, delaying her for an hour while it was being pulled out.
“I was getting worried that things were already not going well,” Fifi wrote, “But I kept reminding myself to trust in the Lord always, (Prov. 3:5).”
It took Fifi all day to do all the driving and setting up for the party. A missionary friend pitched in later to help Fifi make up for the setback and get the necessary items in time.
Fifi and her team of helpers worked hard to make the meal special for the kids.
“The Lord kept reminding me to trust Him and not to worry. I got so comforted as I was working," Fifi remembers, "and the Lord kept reminding me of verses that were comforting. Also, knowing I had people praying for me all day, as well as the kids who would attend, was comforting.”
One of the children enjoys the special meal.
December falls during summertime in South Africa because it's in the Southern Hemisphere, and the day of Fifi’s party was a hot and humid one.
After the kids played games and were refreshed by clean water that Fifi transported to the site for them, she shared the Christmas story with them.
Fifi shares the Christmas story with the children.
"Blessed is he who trusts in the Lord," Proverbs 16:20
As she shared the Christmas story with them, Fifi discovered something that she found exciting.
“When I was sharing I kept asking them questions to see where they are in their understanding of the birth of Jesus," she explains, "I was so excited and impressed that they remembered all that they learned from Mr. Smith, who used to teach them before I took over the kids' ministry.”
One of the kids even recited all of John 3:16, and that meant so much to Fifi that she found herself getting emotional.
“Sometimes it is so easy to be discouraged in ministry, not knowing if they understand what you are teaching them,” she confides, “But God showed me that day that it is not in vain. He is working in His own way. I just need to trust and obey.”
Fifi's ministry to the kids in the three villages of KwaZulu Natal is a tough one. The kids she ministers to are incredibly vulnerable. They are at risk in many ways; nutrition is a challenge and sexual attacks are commonplace.
There are not a lot of programs tailored to children available in the village, so the parents and kids alike deeply appreciate Fifi’s ministry.
However, it takes a lot of time and many conversations before they become convinced that Jesus is a better Savior than their ancestors and the witch doctors the Zulu have always turned to for their answers.
“I keep praying that those who are not will be saved,” she writes, “I’m looking forward to seeing what the Lord has in store for the kids this year. Please pray that the Lord would continue to help me be a godly example and put Him first in everything.”
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