About

“Because of the oppression of the weak and the groaning of the needy, I will now arise,” says the Lord -Psalm 12:5

After growing up in a remarkable family in Oregon, getting a bachelors and masters in social work in Oklahoma, and working in child welfare and international adoptions, I moved to South Africa in January 2008 and am living the DREAM! Now I am a missionary/social worker in a township called Masiphumelele (Masi). I have started a baby rescue operation for Masi and other surrounding  impoverished communities (www.thebabysafe.org) that focuses on desperate new mothers and providing an alternative to throwing their babies away (a common problem here). We do pregnancy counseling and adoption facilitation for birth mothers, as well as receive abandoned babies. I also am meeting with and seeking out those that Jesus is calling out to follow Him. Its my passion to see Him receive affection from the hearts of the people that He came for. I love the poor. I love when the poor recognize His love, and when His love and power transform living conditions, income opportunities, addictions, relationships, habits, hearts and minds. He is doing this in Masiphumelele!

I am a member of the All Nations family here, a missions organization focused on simple church planting (small home based communities of faith); a beautiful means of discipling followers of Jesus. All Nations has a vision to raise up African leaders who change the tide of this continent. We are a community of believers that prioritize love and are fiercely intentional with creating self sustaining house churches among the poor.

Activities for 2009

  • I will continue to direct Baby Safe, with special focus to raise awareness about our services and implement our services to all of Cape Town.
  • I am developing a foster care program for Baby Safe, so our babies are actually placed in the personal care of foster homes rather than the baby houses. I will need to recruit, screen, and train these families.
  • I will continue to be involved in our Vulnerable Children project that I helped start last year. This is where we have found international sponsers of 20 children in Masiphumelele who are orphans or whose parent are dying of AIDS. These kids are remarkable, and through the help of sponsors we provide them with food each month, and one on one attention and care, showing them the Father heart of God.  www.vulnerablechildrensa.org
  • I will continue to lead a simple church in Masiphumelele, as a means of spiritual growth and support for women, this includes many of the sick mothers of the children who are spondered by the Vulnerable Children project.
  • I also do training with leaders in Masiphumelele each week. This is a focused and intentional effort to train followers of Jesus to make more followers of Jesus, through  a teaching and application program that focuses on expanding God’s kingdom of love.
  • I will continue to lead my teen girl’s bible study in Masiphumelele, mentoring specific girls and empowering them as leaders in their community.
  • I am involved in Justice Acts- Human Trafficking prevention training.

JUSTICE ACTS ( Alliance of Christians against Trafficking)

www.justiceacts.org

I am involved in a focused effort to counter human trafficking in South Africa. We have formed an alliance of Christians against trafficking in South Africa, called Justice Acts. Because 100,000 women and children are suspected to be trafficked to South Africa for the World Cup in 2010, we have become the official World Cup response to human trafficking. We have multiple plans for combating this. My role is that I will be presenting Traffick Proof. This is a training that we have created as a simple tool created for Africa, which educates the “at risk” on how to recognize signs of being trafficked, empowers them to take preventative measures, report trafficking and how to out if victimized. I will train, other trainers who will present traffic proof in schools, townships, and villages through out South Africa.