Moreson Children Haven

Pictures of butchery being painted on inside

2010-02-22T12:54:00.001-08:00

Some Pictures related to the pottery

2010-02-22T12:48:00.001-08:00

Some pots waiting to be baked.

Pots out of oven after they were baked.

Pots still in oven.

Clay molded for the wheel

Children watching a pot being made

Our latest newsletter February 2010

2010-02-22T12:45:00.000-08:00

Dear Friends

As most of you probably know, Moreson Children Haven as a project forms part of the broader work of Moreson Mission. While at the moment things are standing still regarding the reconstruction of our children home after the fire, we experience that 2010 started at a very fast pace at Moreson Mission. Regarding the reconstruction we have done all the preparation work and still wait for approval from the engineers. Recently they informed us that they were not completely happy with the plans, and want to make changes to the layout. Once finalized with the engineers, we then can obtain approval from the local municipality and then go ahead with construction, as the Lord provides.

Happenings at Moreson Mission

During October 2009 Rev. Theunis de Wet and his wife (co-workers at Moreson Mission) left to join another sister mission in Virginia, Free State. Rev. De Wet and his wife used to manage a lot of the administrative duties of Moreson Mission. After they left I had to take over their administrative duties, which increased the work load considerably. The mission had never been as full as it is at the moment, with literally a waiting list of people who want to come for help for whom we do not have enough accommodation. We conduct two services on a daily basis, morning and evening, and would appreciate your continued prayer for those who are in need of spiritual help. Those for help come from diverse backgrounds, some from drug or alcohol abuse, others with spiritual confusion from involvement in different religions and others from a fallen back condition in their Christian life. Some come from a background of prostitution and Moreson Mission over the years tried to make a difference in many of these women’s lives by leading them to Christ. Over the years we at Moreson accommodated these women on the farm and provided them with Christian counseling. This is an ongoing ministry, especially with the growing need as increasing numbers of women get drawn into this spiral of destruction. Unfortunately accommodation is a continuous problem. Please pray with us that we will find ways of accommodating more of these women.

Income Generating Projects

Some income generating projects on the mission have grown over the years. Some of these include our farming with cattle, butchery and our new pottery project.

Butchery

We nearly completed the renovations of the mission’s butchery, which will grant us legal status from the local municipality. On completion we will again be able to produce meat products, including sausage, patties, mince, “droëwors” (dried sausage which is very popular in South Africa!) and “biltong” (dried meat). In the past we used to run the butchery without legal status from local authorities, but our marketing increased to such a stage that the local municipality required registration. The butchery has the potential to generate a good regular monthly income and we are looking forward to get everything in place. We have finished painting the interior with a gray epoxy paint that is very strong and washable. Currently we are busy installing the sewerage, and hope to be in operation within the next month or two.

Pottery

There is much excitement on the mission about our new pottery project. Most of the grounds on the mission are of extreme clay content, something that we only really found out after the fire happened on 18 March 2009. When we did the excavations for the new house after the fire, we had to excavate some big clay deposits. One of the people at the mission, James, is an experienced potter by trade with many years of experience in pottery. He started experimenting with some of the clay and came to the conclusion that our clay could be quite good for pottery. After some tests, we came up with our first results that we baked in a studio of a nearby potter. We have now obtained three potter wheels and two ovens and trust that we will be in production within the next few months. This in itself was a miracle in the way that the Lord provided all the equipment at even less than the cost of one new pottery wheel!

The pottery will serve a twofold purpose; firstly it could be a means of income for the mission and secondly it could serve as skills training for some of the ex-prostitutes and drug addicts that we help at the mission. The big advantage of course is that we do not have to buy our clay, but can dig it out on our grounds.

Numerous spiritual lessons can be learned from the pottery. I have already preached quite a few sermons in which I used examples from the pottery trade. To me the most profound lesson is the changes that the clay undergoes when it goes into the oven. Until that point it still stays clay, whether in dry or wet form. Once that clay goes into the oven and are subjected to extreme heat, the physical characteristics of the clay changes and it can never become clay again. If a pot should brake after it went through the fire, it is impossible to use it again as clay. It is only good to throw away. I thought of how we as Christians go through numerous trials to strengthen and perfect our faith, but when the ultimate test come and we go through God’s fire, that are when lasting changes occur in our Christian character. May we stand that day when God put us through His fire.

Mal 3:1-3 "Behold, I send My messenger, And he will prepare the way before Me.

And the Lord, whom you seek, Will suddenly come to His temple, Even the

messenger of the covenant, In whom you delight. Behold, He is coming," Says the

LORD of hosts. "But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand

when He appears? For He is like a refiner's fire And like launderers' soap. He will sit

as a refiner and a purifier of silver; He will purify the sons of Levi, And purge them as

gold and silver, That they may offer to the LORD An offering in righteousness.

My eldest daughter Martie gave me the following story about pottery:

The Tea Cup and the Potter

One day, a lady saw a beautiful teacup in the antique shop. She liked it very much and asked: “May I see that? I’ve never seen one quite so beautiful.”

When the lady had the cup in her hand, suddenly the tea cup spoke. “You don’t understand,” it said. “I haven’t always been a teacup. There was a time when I was red and was clay. My Master took me and rolled me and patted me over and over and I yelled out, “let me alone”, but He only smiled. “Not yet.”

“Then I was placed on a spinning wheel,” the teacup said, “and suddenly I was spun around and around and around. Stop it! I’m getting dizzy! I screamed. But the Master only nodded and said, ‘Not yet.’

Then He put me in the oven. I never felt such heat. I wondered why He wanted to burn me and I yelled and knocked at the door. I could see Him through the opening and I could read His lips as He shook His head, ‘Not yet.’

Finally the door opened, He put me on the shelf, and I began to cool. ‘There, that’s better,’ I said. And He brushed and painted me all over. The fumes were horrible. I thought I would gag. ‘Stop it, stop it!’ I cried. He only nodded, ‘Not yet.’

Then suddenly He put me back into the oven, not like the first one. This was twice as hot and I knew I would suffocate. I begged. I pleaded. I screamed. I cried. All the time I could see Him through the opening nodding His head saying, ‘Not yet.’

Then I knew there was not any hope. I would never make it. I was ready to give up. But the door opened and He took me out and placed me on the shelf. One hour later He handed me a mirror and said, ‘Look at yourself.’ And I did. I said, ‘That is not me; that cannot be me. It is beautiful. I am beautiful.’

‘I want you to remember then,’ He said, ‘I know it hurt to be rolled over and patted, but if I had to let you alone, you’d have dried up. I know it made you dizzy to spin around on the wheel, but if I had stopped, you would have crumbled. I knew it hurt and was hot and disagreeable in the oven, but if I hadn’t put you there, you would have cracked. I know the fumes were bad when I brushed and painted you all over, but if I had not done that, you never would have hardened; you would not have any color in your life. And if I had not put you back in that second oven, you wouldn’t survive for very long because the hardness would not have held. Now you are a finished product.

You are what I had in mind when I first began with you.

Mission related projects

Medical Outreach

Our leader at Moreson Mission, George Ochse, has just returned from a Doctors For Life medical outreach in Harare, Zimbabwe. He formed part of a team who helped to logistically assist some eye surgeons who performed over 200 cataract operations on those in need. They also had numerous opportunities to present the Gospel to people waiting to be helped. We rejoice not only for those that were physically helped, but also spiritual.

Human Trafficking

Apart from the work of the mission, I am also involved with an international organization called Christians for Truth (CFT). I am the vice-chairman of the Western Cape branch. One issue that occupies a lot of our attention is the whole prostitution debate. There is a renewed interest in the whole legalization of prostitution debate, especially with 2010 World Cup around the corner. Especially in the Western Cape there is much involvement from Government side in clamping down on the sex industry trade, with churches and non-profit organizations working together with government to provide exit programs for the prostitutes. One of our co-workers, Abraham Warren, is representing Doctors for Life on the task team who are advising the churches how to put these exit programs in place. CFT Western Cape are involved in two ways: We give training to key persons and churches how to warn young people against the dangers of human trafficking, and secondly we go to schools and youth groups and warn the young people about the dangers of human trafficking. Many young girls are “recruited” by organized crime to be used as prostitutes for the 2010 World Cup tourists. In November 2009 we had our first training session and a team from Moreson Mission just completed a weeklong outreach to schools, churches and youth groups in the southern Cape area at Oudshoorn. In total they have addressed over 3 000 young people on the danger of human trafficking. Currently we are addressing schools in the Western Cape as the opportunity arises.

In conclusion

We would like to thank everyone for your prayer and support. Let 2010 be a year that we will commit more of ourselves to our Lord Jesus, Who had given nothing less than Himself for us. Our Lord was willing to become the servant of all for us so that we could be saved, how much more should we not be willing to become servants of all to one another. This truth confronted and challenged us deeply at Moreson Mission the past few months. Are we really willing to become the servants of all, not to the world out there, but to one another? Dear friends, if only we could grasp this truth, then so much would change.

Joh 13:14 - 16 If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also

ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example, that you should do

as I have done to you. Most assuredly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his

master; nor is he who is sent greater than he who sent him.

Joh 13:34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have

loved you, that you also love one another.

Php 2:3-5 Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness

of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only

for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. Let this mind be in you

which was also in Christ Jesus.

God’s richest blessings.

Gerhard le Roux

Engineer plans, drainage ditch, access road

2009-09-13T09:44:00.001-07:00

Dear Friends
We finally completed the digging of the drainage ditches. Now we have to insert the drainage pipes and stones in the remainder ditch and then fill the ditches again. Hard work, but we thank the Lord that slowly but surely the preparation for the foundations of the basement level is coming to an end. We also praise God that our access road is much more solid after it had more time to dry out. We also compacted more coal ash into the top surface and thus making a very hard surface. If this road can hold the heavy trucks with different building material, it means that we can get the material much closer to the actual site than before. This saves us much labor.
A prayer request:
We will soon hand in the engineer plans to the local authorities for approval. Please pray with us that everything will be in order and that they will accept the plans.

A Word from the Lord

2009-09-13T09:42:00.000-07:00

Eze 36:33-36 So says the Lord Jehovah: In the day that I cleanse you from all your iniquities, I will also cause you to dwell in the cities, and the wastes shall be built. And the waste land shall be tilled, instead of being a ruin before all passing by. And they shall say, This land that was wasted has become like the garden of Eden. And the wasted, deserted and ruined cities now are fortified and inhabited. And the nations that are left all around you shall know that I Jehovah build the ruined places and plant that which was wasted. I Jehovah have spoken it, and I will do it.

Naomi's Birthday

2009-09-13T09:33:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends
On the 8th of September we had the privilege to celebrate Naomi's 9th birthday. We praise God for the nine years that He has been with her thus far. Naomi asked that we put the following verse next to her picture on the blog:

Ecc 12:1 Remember now your Creator in the days of your youth, while the evil days do not come, nor the years draw near, when you shall say, I have no pleasure in them.

Drainage of water

2009-09-05T02:05:00.000-07:00

In a previous post we described how we need to insert a water drainage system to keep water from the foundations of the basement. This work continued yesterday Friday 4 September. As you know our labour force consist of people that come for help. We have found that the work is a very good way to help rebuilding their health, since most of them come from a drug background and really destroy their health through this habit. We also found that the work is a good way of determining whether someone is serious about changing his life. In the past few days many left the mission and we were really short of labour. On Friday only two of us, a young man and myself, were left and we had to move stones into the drainage ditch. While we were progressing at a very slow rate, suddenly the children came and asked if they can help. God really worked wonders through them and at lunch time we were greatful to God that we could have completed the work. So many times God meets us at that point were we don't have the answer anymore. When we are at the end of ourselves, then God can work and reveal Himself.

Staircase from basement to ground floor

2009-09-05T01:58:00.000-07:00

Last week Tuesday the architect Warren Simpson visited us and recommended that we place the staircase from the basement to the ground floor underneath the position where the staircase will be from the ground floor to the first floor. This meant that we had to do some extra excavations which were done Thursday 3 September. On the picture you can see the new section that was excavated.

Engineers on board

2009-09-03T13:37:00.001-07:00

In our recent meeting with the local authorities, they indicated that they require engineer approval of the project. By God's grace we made contact with Riaan Davids of BSP Consulting Engineers, who is willing to assist us. We ask you to please pray for the companies involved, since without their help it would be impossible for the project to continue.

A word of thanks to Warren Simpson

2009-09-03T13:34:00.001-07:00

We especially want to thank architect Warren Simpson for his willingness to aid us in this project by drawing up and changing plans for us as we go along. His assistance has made this project possible to what it is so far. We pray God's richest blessings for you and your company.

A Word from the Lord

2009-09-03T13:26:00.000-07:00

Psa 131 A Song of degrees; of David. O Jehovah, my heart is not proud, nor my eyes lofty; nor have I walked in great things, nor in things too wondrous for me.
Surely I have behaved and have quieted my soul, as one weaned by its mother; my soul on me is like one weaned.
Let Israel hope in Jehovah from this moment and forever.

A Word from the Lord:

2009-08-18T03:04:00.000-07:00

Mat 6:31-33 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, With what shall we be clothed? For the nations seek after all these things. For your heavenly Father knows that you have need of all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added to you.

Preparing the basement for the casting of the foundation (continued)

2009-08-18T02:47:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends
By the grace of God we have now finished preparing the ground for casting the basement foundation. The next step would be to put the plastic (damp course) on the sand in order to prevent dampness from rising up from the ground and into the concrete. Then we have to do the steel re-enforcement before we can cast the concrete. We finalized the casting of the floor with the ReadyMix concrete company (Afrimat) and once all the preparation is done, we can start casting. We will have to hire in a concrete pump in order to pump the concrete from the concrete truck into the basement at ground level. At the moment the weather is the one factor that slows us down, since it is winter and the clear days are often followed by stormy rainy weather. We appreciate your continued prayer.

A Word from the Lord

2009-08-18T02:45:00.001-07:00

Hebr. 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please Him (God) ...
Sunday 26 July 2009

Job 42:1-2 Then Job answered the Lord, and said, I know that thou canst do every thing, and that no thought can be withholden from Thee.
Friday 24 July 2009

Psalm 127 Except the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain. It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows: for so he giveth his beloved sleep.

Preparation of the basement foundation

2009-08-06T10:53:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends
We are grateful for the progress that by God's grace we could have made thus far. It is hard work, and I think that all the brothers involved in the project will agree with me when I say that it were a long time since we were this tired after a day's work!
We are now inserting the drainage around the basement foundation, since a lot of water drain out of the clay and could damage the basement foundation. We also compact the sand on which we will cast the foundations. The layer of sand between the foundations and the clay is very necessary to counteract the movement of the clay.
One of the problems that we are facing is that the surrounding clay walls are very unstable and with every rainfall some clay come loose and we have to dig it out again. The site access road also continue to be a big problem and we already had a truck full of sand who got stuck. We had to offload half of the truck by hand before we could tip the rest! Luckily a tractor from a neighbouring farm came and helped to pull the truck out.
In spite of the all the challenges, we are happy that the work is going forward and hopefully within the next few weeks we can cast the foundations.
Please continue to pray for us and that the Lord will continue to help us in the wonderful way that He has helped us thus far. We can testify of so many miracles that God had done so far, and through that giving us confirmation that He is with us in the project.

Above: Preparing and inserting the drainage around the basement.

Above: Removing clay that had fall in because of rainfalls.

Above: Compacting the sand that we put on top of the clay to counteract the movement of the clay.

Profiles for the foundations for the basement level

2009-07-28T12:18:00.000-07:00

While the digger loader was excavating the basement level. we started to put up profiles to mark out the foundations and walls of the basement level.

Building of a new road

2009-07-28T12:15:00.000-07:00

One major challenge that we faced was that there was no access road for construction vehicles to the site. We literally had to build a road from the clay that we excavated for the basement level.

Excavations of basement level

2009-07-28T12:13:00.000-07:00

Removal of old foundations

2009-07-28T11:49:00.000-07:00

The old foundations had to be removed before we could start with the new building. Someone remarked that it is the same in our spiritual lives, the old must be removed before God can give us the new.

Front and Back elevation of new building

2009-07-28T11:41:00.000-07:00

This would be the front elevation of the new building. The little building in front is the part of the old house that remained after the fire.

This would be the back elevation of the new building.

Building of new home started

2009-07-28T11:23:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends
By God's grace we could finally start with the building of the new Moreson Children Haven, in place of the one that burned down. After months of much planning we are so grateful to our Lord Jesus Christ that finally we could start building the new home.
One of the very first miracles God did was to lay it on an architect's heart to help us draw up the plans for the new home. Please see the proposed front and back elevation pictures of how the new building most probably will look like.
We plan to do most of the construction ourselves, since labour is big factor which could well be up to 45% to 50% of the cost of the whole project. God in His grace send us a brother in Christ from Kwasizabantu Mission in Natal to help us with advise on the construction. "Uncle" Jack Terblanche is an elderly gentleman with many years of experience in the construction industry.
One of the first challenges that we faced was the fact the ground had a slope of at least 1,6 meters from the highest to the lowest point. We had one of two options, fill up the slope and have a house that is situated high above the ground, or excavate the ground and incorporate a basement level. The second option seemed to be the better choice of the two. We started excavating last week Wednesday and it seems as if we will finish by Wednesday 29 July.
Our second challenge that we faced was the discovery that underneath the ground we had a solid clay bank. For any building clay is one of the biggest enemies since it creates movement in the ground when it expands or shrinks. This causes a house to crack. The way to overcome this is to do a specialized foundation with sand underneath the foundations and the foundations re-enforced with steel. Luckily uncle Jack could help us with sound advise and planning.
Please continue to pray for us we continue, we are thankful for God's blessings in the whole project thus far.

More fire photos

2009-07-12T08:03:00.000-07:00

Fire at Moreson

2009-07-12T07:30:00.000-07:00

Recently on March the 18Th 2009 more than half of Moreson Children Home were destroyed by a fire that started due to an electrical fault. Since then continuous planning are made to rebuild the home. Please pray for this endeavor.

History of the start of Moreson Children Haven

2009-07-12T06:54:00.000-07:00

Moreson Children Haven was originally started as Talitha Home. Since then the name of the home has changed to Moreson Children Haven.

Talitha Home - fulfillment of a vision

Since 1997 Gerhard and Elmané le Roux saw the need to start a home for abandoned babies. For nearly three years this vision was discussed, put aside, taken up and discussed again, until finally in May 2000 the first baby was taken in by Gerhard and Elmané le Roux.
One of the major obstacles in starting Talitha Home was the need for a married couple to act as foster father and mother for the babies. When Gerhard and Elmané got married in October 1998, this obstacle was overcome and they were ready to take in the first baby. Still another year and a half passed before the first baby arrived.
More babies have since come to Talitha Home. Not all of them are abandoned babies, some come from families where they were mistreated and neglected. The Home also takes in babies orphaned by AIDS, and babies whose mothers would have aborted them but changed their minds. At the moment Talitha Home has two abandoned babies that are in foster care with Gerhard and Elmane and four babies that are in safety care. All the babies that come to the Home are treated as their own children, becoming part of their family, while full-time volunteer co-workers help in the daily responsibilities of feeding, changing diapers, bathing etc.
Young girls that are pregnant but unmarried are also accommodated by Talitha Home and are thus given an alternative to the option of abortion.
When older, the children of Talitha Home will attend a private pre-primary and primary school registered at the Western Cape Education Department and run by people directly or indirectly involved with Talitha Home.
The latest exciting news is that Talitha Home is moving to a farm about 50 km outside Cape Town, near a town called Malmesbury. This will offer the children a healthy farm atmosphere in which to grow up.
Although the Home also helps on a short term basis in crisis situations with safety care, it has a long-term vision for abandoned babies, helping them to grow into responsible adults who, in the future, can make a difference in their society.

Meridith Hall joined MCH for a few months ....

2009-06-19T14:19:00.000-07:00

Publish Post

God in His grace had been good to us by allowing an young lady with the name of Meridith Hall from America to come and visit us for a few months at MCH. On Monday 22 June 2009 she will go to Kwasizabantu Mission Natal for a few weeks. Tonight she also went with us on a True Love Waits outreach to some of the young people in Malmesbury. We addressed a group of 80 to 100 youth on the topic of abstinence before marriage. This was her first time in speaking on the topic of True Love Waits. We had a good response from the young people. They thanked us for addressing them on the subject. Again we just realized how big the need is and how important it is to go out and give light to these young people.