After working in the Embo Valley for more than five years, God gave us vision to start doing more, We have space on Hope Farm to do all the things God has put on our heart . This is a list of the ministries God has called us to.

Hope Farm is a place where we can bring children that are abandoned or lost in some way. We have space, so that when God sends us children in distress, whatever the problem we are able to say “Come home, let us help”

This year we have been able to help a number of teenage boys on the brink of making really bad decisions. Instead of ending up in jail they have come and shared in our life and experienced a different way of living. A home without violence, alcohol and drug abuse and a chance to get over bad habits like smoking drinking and drugs. We have also adopted Bethany and are in the process of adopting April. Bethany is nearly two and April is three. Both of them were abandoned at a young age.

It is a place where people can come and volunteer, share in our life and find their place in God’s kingdom building plan.

We have had volunteers with us since we moved to the farm, with the last one for this year leaving last week. We share every part of running the ministry with the volunteers and introduce them to what it’s really like to serve God , To trust God and depend on him for everything. Our ministry is impossible with out God.

It is a place from which we run Thembisa. The farm is a base from which we are able to impact the Embo Valley. The vision is to help form a community that ensures that every child affected by the HIV/AIDS pandemic has a primary caregiver, a suitable dwelling, access to food, health, education and counseling.

The project is caring for 64 Grannies that are caring for 398 children.

This year we have been able to distribute food every week, provide a community Garden for vegetables, Pay school fees and provide uniforms for about 60 children, distribute blankets and clothing and facilitate a bible study/prayer meeting, which has become an important counseling time and time of sharing for the Grannies. We recently became aware of about five homes that are in shocking condition (These mud homes have walls missing, roof badly leaking and the children sleeping on the floor with no mattresses)

We are looking to urgently build new shelters for these families and provide them with basic things like mattresses and blankets.

Hope farm is about duplicating the Thembisa model (volunteer driven community project not needing vast resources) in other areas and communities in Africa. I have begun talking to other communities and encouraging them to copy what we are doing at Thembisa, All of the ministries at Thembisa are being run by the community for the community. This taking ownership is so important and somehow my testimony and experiences encourage other people. We really believe that everything God has taught us has been freely given and we are so keen to share what we know.

I feel called to encourage churches both local and international to form relationship with poor communities. My life was changed the moment I went into the valley and saw the poverty there. I feel passionately that the more people I can expose to the truth of how bad it really is the better. It must make a difference. I have seen how both individuals and Churches are blessed when they give.

God has promised us that he will bless people that are involved.

Love Andrew and Rae