Merry Christmas from South Africa

Wrapping up the work for the year and wishing you a joy filled Christmas!

Hello!

The work of 2023 is coming to an end- the students are home for their summer holidays, counseling rooms are booked in January, I finished another year of my master’s program, and it is time to celebrate Christmas.

Before we go, I want to give you a few pictures of the last few months of work as it has been very busy.

I would not have made it through the year without Kaylin, the new administrative assistant for Courageous Care. She has made my life smoother and Courageous Care run more professionally by managing the schedule, invoicing, taking over social media, and in general being a willing hand to any crazy project I undertake. For those who sponsored her salary, she is an answer to prayer!

While I cannot take photos of the counseling room while working, I want you to know that I counted 240 hours of direct counseling hours in the last four months (that’s without prep or follow up!). Those hours represent families, children, parents, and individuals who are allowing me to join them on their healing journey. Thank you for making that happen!

I still get invited to teach at the girl’s church group. I cannot be there every week, but it is always a joy for me to join them. It is also a blessing because one of the girls I started a girl’s group with eight years ago is now a part of the leadership of this group. The discipleship legacy is amazing!

And of course, we are still training and teaching! While a lot of the class is learning, PowerPoint, and conversation I often have the group break up the heavy topic of trauma with games to keep the amygdala regulated and our hearts connected! This is a group of soccer coaches with the organization training4changeS- check out their Instagram here!

Since August, I got to do my internship for my master’s with the Zoe Project. This amazing organization offers maternal health care with information, counseling, classes, and doulas. This was my antenatal group the day we made mobiles for their cribs. In our three-month course, we also talked about healthy pregnancy, birth, and newborns. This class helps with anxiety, bonding, and preventing birth trauma. I loved it so much, I’m already to teach it again in February!

As a part of the Zoe Project, I had the opportunity to take the breastfeeding class. This week-long intensive allows us to be breastfeeding coaches in government hospitals. This is so important for helping mothers bond with their babies and ensuring babies thrive! It also means I get to meet and pray over many newborns on their first day on earth. With this training, I am helping many mothers process their birth stories before they leave the hospital and helping them feel comfortable in their new role. I’m always excited to have more skills to help parents and kiddos and I love that I get to do it with the other volunteers from the community at the Zoe Project.

Also, here is a pic of Venesch playing with our god-daughters. Aren’t they all adorable?!

Over Christmas, I will be helping buy some school packs for children in the community who cannot afford to have the supplies they need to start the school year in January. (The school year runs from Jan to Dec here.) Each pack will include the basics like pencils, crayons, a backpack, and other essentials on the list. These will cost about $30 each, and right now, I have enough for 2, but I need three more for the children in the community. If you are willing to add to our school packs, click here to donate and email me by responding to this message.

Thank you for your support in 2023. I often feel the prayers of our community- in South Africa and in the US. It is a joy for me to tell people that I get to have my dream job because people all over the world financially support the work of healing and hope in Cape Town. The gratitude makes my heart full!

Merry Christmas from South Africa,

Autumn & Venesch