This month was filled with colds, celebrations, laughter, and tears. Through every moment, God remained faithful, caring for us and for each of our little ones. We would love to share more about this past season in our homes.
ATLARELA BABY HOME
Despite the colds and illnesses, we have continued to encourage the children in their learning. While we have had to slow the pace at times, we remain committed to helping them move forward, taking steady steps and celebrating each bit of progress along the way.
One of the clearest signs that they are feeling better is when the laughter, energy, and little mischievous adventures start up again.
Mr.K
New Challenges, New Growth
Our big boy continues to grow and develop well. He loves going to school and always enjoys coming home to share stories about his friends and what he ate during the day. Last week, his school hosted a Career Day, and Mr. K chose to be a chef because he wants to make delicious food. He thoroughly enjoyed dressing up and pretending to be a chef for the day.
We have noticed encouraging growth in his confidence, as he seems less fearful of new people, unfamiliar faces, and different environments. However, he has recently been struggling more with obedience and has shown increased disrespect toward his aunties. Please pray for patience and wisdom as we guide and disciple him through this season. His school is currently considering moving him up to the next class level, which would involve more advanced learning and academic expectations. Please pray that, if this transition takes place, he will adjust smoothly and thrive in the new environment. Mr.K was also very ill this month, but we are thankful that he recovered quickly.
Lady N
Progress in Communication
Lady N has also had a challenging month due to illness. Being unwell is particularly difficult for her, as she is not always able to clearly communicate where she is experiencing discomfort or pain. She has spent a great deal of time resting, and thankfully the medication has been helping. Please continue to pray for her complete and speedy recovery.
Her speech therapists at the University of Pretoria are currently on recess, so she has not been attending sessions there. However, she continues to participate in her Friday speech, occupational, and physical therapy appointments. One of the main areas we are focusing on with our sweet girl is purposeful communication and helping her understand that she can communicate her needs and desires effectively. Whether she uses signs, reaches out with her arms, or even cries, we aim to respond with verbal language to reinforce communication. For example, if she indicates that she would like more milk, we might say, “Does Lady N want more milk?” before giving it to her and reinforcing the phrase, “More milk for Lady N.” Before becoming ill, she was making encouraging progress in her awareness of her surroundings and her interactions with those around her. We look forward to seeing her continue to thrive as she regains her strength.
Mr.N
Strength Through Recovery
Our sweet boy has had a particularly difficult winter. He contracted RSV and has been fighting hard to recover. Over the past few weeks, he has had several doctor visits and was even admitted to the hospital on Sunday. Although he is still taking multiple medications and has not quite been himself, we are grateful to see steady signs of improvement. His body remains weak, but he is responding well to treatment, and we are encouraged by the progress he has already made.
Despite the challenges of illness, Mr. N. continues to do well in other areas. He is making excellent progress with potty training, and this month we introduced lessons on the calendar, emotions, and the alphabet. Thanks to some wonderful educational charts from Lesedi, the children have been thoroughly enjoying these activities. While they are still learning to understand the calendar fully, they find it very exciting. It helps them grasp concepts such as yesterday, today, and tomorrow, while also teaching them about weather patterns, seasons, and the months of the year. Mr. N. continues to attend speech and occupational therapy every Friday. He genuinely enjoys these sessions, and they remain incredibly valuable in providing guidance and practical strategies to support his ongoing development. Our sweet boy has an important court date this Thursday. We would greatly appreciate your prayers for a positive outcome, for a compassionate magistrate, and for the social workers advocating on his behalf as they seek a loving family placement for him.
Lady. L
Healthy, Happy, and Thriving
We are especially thankful that our little girl was the least affected by the cold weather and illnesses that moved through the home this month. Her little body has become noticeably stronger and healthier after catching up on her immunizations and benefiting from a balanced diet.
Lady L. continues to delight in putting on her backpack and heading off to school each morning. For Career Day, she chose to be a nurse and absolutely loved dressing up. Like many young children, Lady L. can be very emotional and sometimes struggles to regulate her feelings. This is entirely understandable for a two-year-old, but we would appreciate prayers for wisdom and patience as we help her learn healthy emotional regulation skills and continue to grow in this area.
Mr. L
Choosing Joy
Mr.L continues to grow and develop well. He loves school and especially enjoys sharing stories about his friend Jordan and his teacher. For Career Day, our boy chose to be a doctor and thoroughly enjoyed dressing up for the occasion. He also battled the flu this month but has recovered well, for which we are very grateful.
Recently, Mr.L has developed a habit of whining more frequently. Please pray that we would have patience as we guide him and that we would model joy and perseverance, even during challenging moments.
Mr.B
Celebrating Growth and Learning
Mr. B recently celebrated his third birthday! He thoroughly enjoyed his dinosaur-themed cake and had a wonderful time celebrating. Mr.B is a bright and eager learner who loves every opportunity for educational activities. He particularly enjoys the alphabet charts from Lesedi and participating in calendar lessons. It has been encouraging to watch his attention span grow, as he is now able to sit for longer periods while listening to stories and learning concepts such as the days of the week.
Mr.B is a deeply emotional child who often experiences his feelings very intensely. At times, he struggles to regulate those emotions. Please pray that we would have wisdom as we help him understand his emotions and develop healthy ways to express and manage them before they escalate into tears or frustration.
Muphamuzi Baby Home
The colds left the children feeling tired, low on energy, and uncomfortable, but even so, we shared many sweet moments filled with laughter and joy.
These little ones continue to grow, learn, and make progress every day, overcoming challenges and reaching new milestones along the way.
Baby T
Exploring Every Corner
Baby. T. continues to grow in curiosity and confidence as he eagerly crawls his way through every possible adventure. He loves exploring his surroundings, especially the places he knows he is not supposed to go! He is quick to let everyone know when he is uncomfortable or frustrated and is becoming quite a vocal little boy. One of his funniest habits is staring intently at people with a puzzled expression before suddenly breaking into a smile when someone calls his name.
We are delighted to see him reaching new developmental milestones. He has begun making sounds that resemble words such as "no" and "papa," and we would not be surprised if his first real words are just around the corner.
Mr. NJ
The Life of the Party
Mr. NJ is a true firecracker and often the life of the party. He makes friends easily, enjoys playing with others, and has a wonderful sense of humor that keeps everyone smiling. He is naturally curious and loves asking questions as he seeks to understand the world around him.
Like many strong-willed children, he sometimes struggles to follow instructions when he has his own ideas in mind. However, he also has a caring and helpful heart. He loves assisting his aunties and friends, whether by helping to clean up, fetching a tissue, or offering a comforting hug when someone is upset. One of his sweetest qualities is his desire to make sure everyone feels included—especially when food is involved!
Mr. P
Our Little Musician
Mr. P. is such a sweet boy with a love for music. He enjoys singing and playing his toy guitar, which he affectionately calls his "gootar." Because of this, he has earned the nickname "Mr. Gootar" around the home. He never misses an opportunity to strum along to a song or show off a few dance moves.
Although he can be a bit shy at times and may speak softly or use a silly voice, he is becoming increasingly confident in expressing himself. He loves riding his little bike, playing outdoors, and continues to do well in school. While he remains quiet and reserved around unfamiliar people, those who know him well get to enjoy his laughter, stories, and cheerful personality.
MR.Ph
Learning Patience and Perseverance
Mr. PL. is a sweet little boy with the most precious smile. One of the areas we are currently helping him develop is patience, particularly when tasks become challenging or frustrating. Activities such as puzzles and building blocks can sometimes test his perseverance, so we are working on consistently encouraging him to keep trying, even when things feel difficult.
He experiences emotions deeply and can move quickly from laughter to tears when frustrated. Despite this, he is a loving child who enjoys being around others. At the same time, he is often perfectly content spending time on his own with a favorite snack. He loves cuddles, enjoys sitting close to his aunties, and has a special fondness for tea!
BABY S.
Growing Through Discovery
Baby. S. is becoming increasingly curious and enjoys exploring the world around him. He is generally a cheerful little boy and tends to bounce back quickly after difficult moments. He loves music and can often be found clapping along to songs and bouncing with excitement. He enjoys chatting, babbling, and spending time snuggled close to those caring for him. He is currently learning to wave and will sometimes respond with sounds when someone speaks to him or calls his name.
Mealtimes are among his favorite parts of the day. He has been enjoying a wider variety of foods and continues to explore new tastes and textures. While some textures are not quite his favorite, he is usually willing to give new foods a try, which has been wonderful to see.
Before we close, we would like to share some wonderful news that has brought great joy and encouragement to our homes. Alongside this month's updates, we celebrate God's faithfulness through this special blessing.
ATLARELA BABY HOME Prayer request:
- With all the sickness the majority of our caregivers have got really sick, please pray for them to feel better soon. Please pray for the few ladies who are not sick, pray for strength.
- Praise the Lord for the many ways he has provided for the children this winter through generous givers.
- Please continue to pray for our children to find godly homes.
MUPHAMUZI BABY HOME Prayer requests:
- Please pray for our boys and caregivers as there is a nasty flu doing the rounds. Please pray for full recovery for everyone, so that they are all back to full health.
- Please pray for wisdom and patience as we continue to raise 5 boys ranging ages from 9 months to 4 years. Each one provides unique challenges as we seek to raise them to the glory of God.
- Praise God for his kindness through some very sweet donations this month. We have been so thankful for the kindness of God's people who are moved to love us in a practical ways.
- Praise God for unity and a sweet team of people. Please pray that we would continue to love and serve each other as Christ loves us and gave himself for us.