Friday, April 3, 2009

Beth Shan opens

So much has happened since last I wrote! Beth Shan (house of quiet) is a shelter for women victims of domestic violence, has been a part of a bigger programme called the Family care programme for a long time now. We had so many problems mainly that the ladies would enter into relationships with the men staying at the centre. Broken lives were helping other broken lives.

We knew something had to change. Thanks to the Envoy at the centre we started to dream of a shelter away from the care centre. We were given a legacy and allowed to start looking for a house. We found one in a lovely quiet suburb of Pretoria, South Africa.

It has a flat at the back and we have decided to make the flat for the exclusive use of victims of Human trafficking. We can accomodate 17 ladies all in all.

We are a very qualified team Carla - our social worker and Innocentia our aux. social worker as well as me - the manager. We are having a lot of fun getting started in our new home.

We have made a decision to be an example of excellence in all that we do. We want the ladies to leave our shelter ready to face whatever the world has to throw at her.

Presently we have 7 ladies in one is a pregnant mom with two little children. She will have four tiny children in a short while. We want her to be so well prepared for her future even her children will be safe and have a good start to life.

God is teaching me so many lessons. I have so much to be grateful for. We have a home and a family that is really well adjusted to the stresses and strains of today. I have so much to say thank you to God for. I have a loving husband - we have been married for 23 years this year. I have four beautiful children and I have a career I love (sometimes) which allows me to grow in so many ways.

Just hearing some of the stories of the ladies in our care I know that God has really spoilt me so much. I would love these ladies to experience just a small amount of the joys I experience daily.
We have not had any Human Trafficked ladies yet but I believe that when we are ready they will come.

I had the privilege of joining a friend on a ladies camp. It was in Bronkhorstspruit set next to a beautiful river. It was amazing. I just love worshiping God in such a beautiful and peaceful setting. There were 120 ladies all ready to worship God and allowing God to speak to us.

Preparing for Easter Weekend I have once again been reminded that sometimes we get so pedantic about details with regard to this weekend that we forget the focus needs to be on Jesus and on God and on the fact that Easter is all about His love.

I've been doing a lot of awareness training on Human Trafficking and have four workshops lined up before the end of the may. All in all life has suddenly become more than hectic. Keeping the balance is going to be difficult. But I hold on to the fact that God is my Father and He looks after me and keeps a check on my diary. He also gives me the strength I need to keep going.

I am so grateful for the people that God has placed around me and how he places just the ones I need to hear from or listen to at any given moment.

Please pray for Beth Shan and for the team who will be leading these women into a new way of living.

2 comments:

anon said...

Hi Margie - so pleased to read another one of your posts and to read that Beth Shan is now open. You are ministering in a powerful way and without you and your team these ladies lives would be even more desolate but don't we serve a might God who enables, equips and empowers us to do so much in His name. Take care, Love to all, Judith

Margie Stafford said...

Hi Judeth Thanks for the kind words.
I am exhausted because on Sunday we had the entire cabinate present as we the offical opening of the shelter.
But it has been good and God has been amazing. I'll tell you all about it in the blog.

Blessings