Peer Educators Receive Christmas Gifts; Not too Late for Year-End Contributions! |
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Merry Christmas to the Peer Educators, who received food parcels as gifts to share with their families. Area Coordinators bought and organized the parcels. Thandy reports, "We love it when our team of frontline workers know that they are loved and appreciated. We thank you all for your giving which enables us to show appreciation to the Peer Educators in this way. We appreciate all the prayers and support we have received from you throughout 2021, and wish you and your families a blessed New Year!" Schools are closed most of the month of December, ahead of the new school year, which will begin in January.
Thanks to those of you who gave on Giving Tuesday! Year-end contributions can still be done on our website. On the second page of the donation form, select "Reach4Life" under the projects drop-down box. You can also mail checks to Prevention Time, 30020 2nd Ct. S., Federal Way, WA, 98003. We appreciate your support as we finalize our 2022 budget.
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Port Shepstone Leaders attend Durban Pastor Training |
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Pictured here are the Port Shepstone Peer Educators who came to attend the Durban pastor training. (See related articles below.) They are leaders in their local churches in different departments, and the skills they learn will serve them well in their local churches and with the R4L program. Thandy is in the back row, center.
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R4L Gets Involved with Crime Awareness in Johannesburg
The R4L team received an invitation from the Johannesburg police commissioner to participate in their Crime Awareness program in December. They were able to present the program to seventeen police authorities who invited them to work in partnership with their stations. They will be helping them especially on the issues of drugs and suicide, the biggest challenges in their areas. R4L facilitator, Monica, is at right.
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Pastors and Program Workers Want to Try Reach4Life |
Above, left - Local pastors who attended the Crime Awareness program formed a long line, wanting to know more about Reach4Life and how they could participate. Sixty-eight pastors committed to starting Reach4Life in their churches in January, after their youth leaders have been trained as Peer Educators.
Above, right - Nontombi Zikalala (left), a drug rehab worker, shares, “I love what R4L is offering to the young people. We admit over 200 each week and most of them don’t recover well as they run away. But what has touched me in working with the youth at the Rehab is that drugs alone are not their problem. Most of them, its broken family structures that have led to kids on the street or living as they please. Others, spiritually they are in the dark and have been introduced to things like Illuminati (learn more) and other dark cults. Now R4L is going to help us address all those issues at once. This is a tool we need.”
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Medical Student Returns from Cuba |
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We shared previously about Happy Shezi (third from left), who got a scholarship to Cuba to study as a doctor. On Christmas day her family celebrated her graduation and return home. She now works as a doctor in Newcastle. Her family and village are very proud of her and her colleagues. She had introduced R4L to all her friends who were also studying in Cuba to become doctors. They secretly studied R4L while they were there. At far right (blue dress) is Thabisile, the Ladysmith R4L Coordinator who introduced this young woman to R4L years ago. Happy shares: “All glory and honour belong to the Lord, I could have not succeeded if it was not for the grace of God. I am thankful to my mom who was great throughout my years of studying. I am also happy to have mama Thabisile here today. She came to our school when I was going through a very tough time as my brother had just passed. This book comforted me. Each lesson spoke life to me, I was able to make the right decisions throughout High School because I had accepted Christ as my Lord and Savior. This little Bible has played a big part in my success. May you all continue touching many young lives through the Reach4Life program.”
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Pastors Need Help; Welcome Reach4Life Program |
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A training was held November 20 in Durban for pastors and church leaders. Host Pastor Blose (with wife Pinky, 3rd and 4th from left, top row), shares, “We were so nervous planning this training. Such a gathering to learn has never happened in our region. Pastor Emmanuel sent me the manual weeks ago and as I read through it I knew this was what we all needed as leaders of churches, in our townships and villages. The team taught every chapter so gracefully and the Word was the final authority in all the subjects. I am refreshed and I feel I am ready to focus on my calling again.”
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Pastor Training in Johannesburg |
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A pastor training was also held in Johannesburg in October. This training included pastors and church leaders from Soweto, Katlehong and Cullinan. (Thandy and Emmanuel are standing, far right.)Thandy reports that a positive outcome from the trainings is that pastors who didn't know each other form ministry relationships. After the training, they travel to each other’s churches and help each other. Anna Sokhela (middle, front row) says, “I am a nurse by profession, and I lead the women’s ministry in my church. Every page of the pastoral training manual is medicine to our soul. As a leader you sometimes feel like all your efforts are fruitless. But today we have learned skills to lead better and to be led by the Word not our own thoughts or styles of the world. I am glad I drove 2 hours to get here, it was worth it.”
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6,753 Bibles Distributed in December! |
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The last rollouts of the year took place in Swaziland, Mozambique and Cape Town, with 6,753 Reach4Life books distributed in December. The picture at left represents the rollouts that took place this month.
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Angie Moloi (left), Lesotho, says, “I got my book in my school when the R4L teachers came. I have finished the 3 journeys, now I am doing journey 4 in the book. I love the stories of other kids who have questions like me and they are answered kindly in the book. I also teach my younger brother whatever I am learning in my book. Thank you for my R4L Bible.” |
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Thamsanqa Nkomo, age 12, reports, “Kids used to laugh at me because I am bigger. That made me to not want to go to school. But in 2020 R4L came to my school and I got my book, I have been part of the groups since. I have new Christian friends who do not laugh at me, now I go to school every day with a smile and when I get home I tell my mom (right) all about what we learned in my R4L group.” |
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"Now I See School as a Tool for my Bright Future" |
Daniel Dlamini, Swaziland, reports, “Being a young person has a lot of challenges. High school has been hard for me, the amount of schoolwork just overwhelmed me most times. There is a lesson in the book about work and school. It encouraged me to not see school as a burden but as a tool for my bright future, from that time I felt better about school and now I am doing very well. Thank you Reach4Life for not just talking about spiritual matters only but for addressing my daily life issues as well.”
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Percival (left), shares, “I am a recovering Drug addict. Reach4Life came to our Centre in my lowest moments in life, I was not far from being killed by drugs. Emotional pain is a lesson that healed me from the root cause of my Drug problem. Learning that God loves me and that though I might have lost my parents, I am not a reject, but I am loved and cared for by the Lord. I am clean for 8 months now and all this thanks to R4L and the team that comes to our Centre.” |
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"The R4L Book Was My Guide" |
Mandlenkosi Sibiya, Grade 12, Engqondweni High School, shares, “I am so happy I am finished with high school.....My teachers, parents and the Reach4Life Program have been my strength. I started with Reach4Life when I was in Primary school, the program has influenced me to be a good person… Peer pressure did not become a problem in my High school years because the R4L book was my guide….I thank my R4L Peer educators for the encouragement all these years. I will live for the Lord and continue to be an example.” |
"Need for Training is Big" |
Above are Happy (R4L Office Administrator) and Bongi (Sokhulume R4L Coordinator). They were responsible for registration, sanitizing, and taking temperatures at the Durban pastoral training. Bongi shares, “I have sat in one of the workshops and I knew I wanted to be involved and assist. Leaders have welcomed us warmly. There’s a joyful atmosphere to learn and fellowship together. The need for the training program is big, everyone who comes to our table is full of appreciation." |
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Sandile Sontonga, pictured above (center) with Thandy and Emmanuel, says, “I am a youth leader in my church and coming here has helped me a lot. Leadership is definitely not just occupying a position, but it is to serve God’s people faithfully. I thought I was too young to come to this (Johannesburg) training, but my Pastor insisted and I am happy I came. I am going to invest in God’s word, today I learned a leader must be full of the word and be obedient to the word. I want to be a doer of the word not just a hearer. I loved every chapter we were taught.” |
The current Rand exchange rate is very good at 15.5 Rand per dollar. |
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"Taught in Love Yet So Direct" |
Principal Mr. Lukhele, Eastern Cape, says, “I have said yes to the R4L team who have requested to come and teach the Program in our school. My reason for saying yes is because all the issues we are facing in the schools are fully addressed in this small book. The truth is taught in love yet so direct. I welcome the Program and the Peer educators to teach all our grades next year.”
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Please partner with us in the Amazon Smile program! Go to smile.amazon.com. Sign in with your Amazon.com credentials. On your first visit, you're prompted to select a charitable organization from a list. Please select Prevention Time! (To change your selection, from your desktop, go to Your Account and select the option to Change your Charity. Or, from your mobile browser, select Change your Charity from the options at the bottom of the page.) We will receive 0.5% of purchases made at Amazon. Thanks for your help!
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Prevention Time thanks you for your interest in our organization. We are a 501(c)3 organization and all donations are tax-deductible. Prevention Time has no paid staff, so our administrative costs are minimal. To help support the ministry in sub-Saharan Africa, please click on the donate button below. |
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Sincerely,
The Prevention Time Board
Lorna Packard
Mindy Sauerlender
Mary Schumacher
Kim Ives
John Packard
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Pastor Ed Kelley IV
Margaret Kiyohara
Janis Schlepp
Sara Dickinson
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