Prayer request Atlarela Baby Home
Overall, we are doing well, still battling sickness, but here are some points you can be praying for: Please pray for the ladies, as it has been a long year with lots of sickness, many tantrums, and plenty of changes. Also, please pray for unity among our team and that we would work for the glory of the Lord. We also ask that you keep praying for the children—pray that they would be placed in families soon, godly families who will teach them about our Lord. We are currently working on building relationships to meet the boys’ physical and educational needs, so please pray for provision in this area. Please also pray for provision as inflation continues to rise in our country. Pray that we would remain faithful and trust the Lord daily for strength and grace. And finally, above all else, please pray that we would continue to show the love of Jesus to these children for as long as they are in our care.
Our eldest princess
We are so encouraged by Lady. N’s progress this year. She has completed speech therapy and will soon finish OT, PT, and ST at the current therapy centre. All therapies will resume in the new year. We are still working on getting her on her feet more often—during changing, playtime, bathing, and anytime we pick her up—to help her bear weight.
Our precious girl returned to the hospital on November 13th to see the neuro-paediatric doctor, and we still have not received the results of her EEG. We hope to have an update soon. In the meantime, we can share that she has made wonderful progress in her relationships—especially with Pertunia, her main caregiver, as well as the five other children in the home and the house parents’ daughter, Hadley. She also seems much more open to sensory experiences, which is a significant step forward.
Lady L.
Our cute baby L. has learned the basic signs for many common words and uses them really well. She has such a sweet relationship with the other children. She’s learning body parts and can point to them when asked.
She’s also a very determined little girl and has plenty of tantrums—please pray that we’d stay consistent with her too. She’s walking well and has hit all her physical milestones. The one challenge is that she seems to catch almost every bug that comes through the house. Her immune system is quite weak, and we’re hoping to get her caught up on her immunisations soon.
Our little bundle of laughter—always spreading love and sharing smiles
Our dear Mr.B is doing well and growing beautifully. He is curious and exploring lots. Sitting still for school or story time is still challenging for him, but we continue offering opportunities for him to sit and listen for 2–5 minutes at a time. He is eating well and meeting his developmental milestones.
He still spends quite a bit of time in time-out and has frequent tantrums. Please pray that we would be consistent and that we would love him well as we shepherd his heart. We need much grace in this work.
Mr. N it's a 5 year old now!
Our boy is officially five! Praise the Lord! This month I was especially encouraged as I looked back to when Mr.N first came to us at 18 months—he couldn’t walk or talk, and now he is such a big boy: walking, running, and talking nonstop. God has been so kind.
Our boy is doing well and working hard on his fine motor skills. There is still progress to be made, but he keeps trying. He is also beginning to follow storylines much better. When we read to him, he remembers the characters and understands the basic flow of the story—something he previously struggled with. Mr.N is exploring more these days, along with a bit of disobedience, so please pray for patience and grace for the ladies as they guide him.
Our dear Mr.K is growing well and seems to have taken on the role of the funny, cool big brother. The other boys love copying him and laughing at his jokes. He is eating well, sleeping well, and enjoying school time with Ale. It has been such a joy to hear how much his vocabulary has expanded. He especially loves doing devotions with the house parents.
During the holidays, we hope to expose him to new and fun experiences to broaden his world, as he can still be quite nervous in new places or when trying new things.
Mr.L just turned three! We’ve seen tremendous improvement in his physical abilities—he now loves to run and jump, and he even hangs from the monkey bars (known in our home as “muscle man”). Recently he got into the pool without screaming, which is a huge milestone for him. We are so proud of his bravery and willingness to try new things.
He is also having fewer potty-training accidents and is now mostly trained during the day.
Prayer Request Muphamuzi Baby Home
Our main prayer request is for strength to remain faithful and loving in our work, especially as caring for five children can be quite exhausting. Please pray that we would not grow weary of doing good and that we continue to serve with joy and patience.
Our little one who’s not so little anymore
Our dear baby P. still loves being with others and snuggling with them, and with the arrival of two new babies, he has become even more so. He is quick to crawl over for a snuggle, especially if he sees he is missing out on one! He loves chatting to himself, singing tunes, and clapping, especially during his “nap time”. He is starting to laugh more (which sounds more like a “ah huuuuuh” and really makes us laugh!). He is becoming a fast crawler and is usually trailing behind the older boys and he follows them around the home. He loves books that make sound and loves copying noises. He is also starting to remember the aunties' names and some of the other boys' names too! He is a very sweet, snuggly little guy.
Last month we introduced you to the newest member of our home, Baby S, and now we want to share how his first month with us has been.
Baby S.
As the littlest member of our home, baby S. is so loved and cared for. He is still quite small and catching up development wise as he was a few weeks premature. However, he is quite a strong little guy! He does well on tummy time and other exercises. He loves being snuggled in the baby carrier as his aunties carry him around. He is still a bit too young to see any personality traits yet, but he is a real sweet little guy and we love caring for him.
Our little Baby T arrived just days after Baby S.He is such a sweetheart; he is so quick to smile when you talk to him. He is very observant and will usually watch you with a very curious look on his face, like he’s trying to figure out what is happening. He is also quite verbal as he is starting to coo and trying to make laughing sounds. He doesn’t really enjoy tummy time yet but he is continuing to grow stronger every week. He loves snuggles and being held, and we love spending time with him!
Our little curious one, Mr.P
While Mr. P is still a very quiet and serious boy, he continues to come out of his shell week after week. He loves tickles and copying others, especially mimicking voices and sounds. He usually laughs at himself when he does something he finds silly or funny. He is also still very caring and is quick to offer comfort. He loves giving “huggies” and loves kissing the little babies “on hims head”.
He is becoming a lot more verbal and expressive, especially when he gets excited. He loves “jumping” on the trampoline (which is really funny to watch as he takes so long to bend his knees before doing a little hop). We love this sweet, caring boy so much!
Our ever-smiling Mr. NJ
Mr.NJ can be a real goof-ball and loves to laugh with his friends. He loves joking around, dancing, running, and singing with music (He LOVES Lion King and Lion Gaurd). We love having this energetic little guy around as he keeps us busy. He loves exploring new places and is very adventurous.
He is also still very curious about how things work and enjoys problem-solving. His comprehension is also developing very well, especially in regard to reading and understanding storylines in books. He takes great care of the other boys in the home and loves entertaining them.