HAPPY BIRTHDAY 4THE1!

On April 26th, we celebrated 5 years of 4THE1! To God be the glory! The children danced, sang, and shared what 4THE1 meant to them and what they have learned about Jesus. It was such a sweet time, and we are so thankful to all who helped make it happen!!!

2 Corinthians 4:13-16

"And since we have the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, “I believed and therefore I spoke,” we also believe and therefore speak, knowing that He who raised up the Lord Jesus will also raise us up with Jesus, and will present us with you. For all things are for your sakes, that grace, having spread through the many, may cause thanksgiving to abound to the glory of God. Therefore, we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day."

TRAIN them up in the way they should go...

If you've travelled through Sir Lowry's Pass before, you might have noticed train tracks running through the middle. The children of 4the1 have often seen and waved to the train as it has passed. Now, it was their turn!!! The Ceres Rail Company sponsored 22 of our children and 8 of our tannies to ride the train to Elgin. This was such a special experience. From our train station dance party, to the yummy pizza at Elgin, to the unique playground, this outing was one to remember. As the train passed through Sir Lowry's Pass the children waved and waved to their families and friends. 

A Term to Remember...

4the1 finished Term 1 of 2024 on March 22nd. Looking back at Term 1, it was exciting and overwhelming and unbelievable all at the same time. It was, as said in Afrikaans, "Deurmekaar!" At the start of the term, we were in 3 different locations in 3 weeks. And now, to have land that we can call "home" and begin to develop, is such an exciting reality! God has done it ALL! Praise Him for what He did during Term 1. Praise Him for His faithfulness, goodness, and provision. Praise Him that the children still come! Though difficulties may come, the kids are why we go and why we stay. The ONE is worth it.

Popsicle Sticks and Pom Poms

Last Friday, we had a little party with the children to celebrate the wordless book colours (see below). We finished going through the Wordless Book! If you are unfamiliar with this way of sharing Jesus' story, let me give you a quick sneak peek:

Gold Page: God is perfect and is in Heaven. He is our Creator! He made everything good.

Dark Page: We are all sinners! Sin is anything that we do, say, or think that is not of God. It separates us from God.

Red Page: Jesus died on the cross for OUR sins. His blood was shed on our behalf.

Clean Page: Jesus did not just die; He rose from the dead!! He is alive today! He died and rose again so that He can make us "clean" from sin. Now we can choose to have a relationship with God! If we confess our sins and turn to Jesus, trusting that He did die and rise again, then we can be saved!

Green Page: If we choose to follow Jesus, we can grow in a relationship with Him by spending time with Him, reading our Bible, praying and going to church!

Face paint, sack races, and potato races were a special time for the children! Then, they had the opportunity to work on two crafts: First, they made bracelets with the wordless book colours. Then, they made crosses using popsicle sticks and pom poms. We hope that both serve as a reminder of the Good News of Jesus Christ and become a way for them to share Jesus with those around them!

Auntie Alvina

The telephone rang. The weather is beginning to turn and Auntie Alvina asks if we can find some Fall leaves. Thankfully, the backyard was full of little yellow ones.

Tuesdays, we host a pre-reading group. This is our youngest group of children, and Auntie Alvina does a wonderful job helping the little ones with various crafts. This past week the children made autumn trees by glueing crisp leaves onto their coloured trunks. They were absolutely beautiful! The children also worked on the capital letter "I." Learning is often best when you don't know you're learning!

MINISTRY PROFILE

We have some very exciting news! 4the1 has been approved as a SIM (Serving in Mission) project. You may ask, "What does this mean?" 4the1 can now come under the "umbrella" of SIM, which is a global organization, with all financial support flowing through them. This is a 5-year project proposal that will help 4the1 to expand beyond a 2-day program. In 2024, 4the1 hopes to start a 3-day educational program for 7 children. The Tuesday discipleship and reading program will continue, as will the Friday evangelism program.

4the1 will celebrate its 5th birthday THIS April! God has done so much in a short time. This ministry profile highlights both where 4the1 has come from and where it is going, by the grace of God! There are so many people who have supported, prayed for, volunteered at, and been a blessing to... 4the1. This is God's ministry and we just get to be a small part of it. Please join us in prayer, and if God leads you, in financial support as well. We are raising $71,161 in operational costs for the next 5 years. He who has called us to this work will be faithful to complete it. Thank you for praying with us and rejoicing in what God is doing!

Early Childhood Development (ECD) Fun at 4THE1

Summer has arrived and so has time for outdoor fun. Snakes have woken up from their winter slumber and are active again. A hot sunny day presented the perfect opportunity to teach our Early Childhood Development (ECD) children about their safety and the role of snakes in nature. Using recycled plastic bottles and those SINGLE socks, the children had such fun blowing bubble snakes. We experimented with colour as well, first white bubbles, then a single primary colour of their choice until we mixed colours to make secondary colours and finally some rainbow bubbles. A light breeze blew some of the bubbles away adding to the fun by trying to catch them in the air or stamping them on the ground. We have a loyal, regular group of ECD children who love participating in the various activities.

Happy 75th Birthday - Somerset House

On Friday the 3rd November 2023, the children of 4THE1 in Sir Lowry’s Pass Village, celebrated the 75th birthday of Somerset House. A new tradition has been established, since 2020, and we are the humble recipients of the Founder’s Day cake. What a joy it was seeing the children gaze at the remarkable cake. Once the cake was cut, it was time to enjoy the delicious treat. This special cake was divided among the 75 children who attended 4THE1 on Friday. A fitting way to celebrate the 75 years that Somerset House has been in existence. Next year, we celebrate our 5th birthday, and we are so thankful to God for our partnership with the School. As you can see from the photographs, the children appreciated and enjoyed each bite! Thank you for sharing your cake with us and for always living out “non nobis solum.”

Term 4 Team Meetings

On Tuesday the 10th and Friday the 13th we got together as Teams to be encouraged by God’s Word, pray and plan for Term 4.

We look forward to continue sharing God’s Word, loving and caring for the children at 4THE1. We praise God for growth in our teams as we seek to faithfully serve Him!

Tuesday Team Meeting

Friday Team Meeting

Sir Lowy's Pass Village Flood Relief Aid

Sir Lowry’s Pass Village Flood

Sir Lowry's Pass Village has been badly affected by the flooding from last week.

We want to say a special word of thanks to our amazing Team for assisting on Tuesday! Thank you for stepping in and assisting as and where you could. Thanks to those of you who made sandwiches, baked muffins, and brought other goodies and treats.

Thank you to everyone involved for assisting on Friday. We praise and thank God for who He is and how He cares. He gets all the glory 🙌🏼 80 children received a food parcel today. A number of children and families, in the most affected areas received items of clothing and warm blankets. Tomorrow we will distribute adult clothing to the Uitkyk leaders who will be responsible for distributing the rest of the clothing. Thank you to those who have worked tirelessly throughout the week to make today possible. We stand amazed at the Lord’s abundant provision.

Latest Flood News on 30th of September

Flood Relief Donations

Flood Relief Donations

CAR 4THE1

Dear Partners,

I thank you for your prayers and the support you provide to 4the1. We are very conscious of how dependent Tracy, her team and this work is on the Lord’s guidance and provision.

It is why we value all the prayer support which goes before the ministry for 4the1.

Jesus told us, “And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.” John 14:13-14.

There is a great need for a ministry car. Currently, Tracy uses her own car. The work is at a stage where her car is not suitable. Together with future plans of a USA missionary joining Tracy, a larger and more practical vehicle is required as soon as possible. Also, children and all sorts of ministry items need to be transported and Tracy’s car is too small to accommodate the need. A minibus is the ideal vehicle but because of the issues associated with this type of vehicle, the board is looking for a 7-seater such as a Toyota Avanza or similar.

The Board is asking for your urgent prayer and practical support in obtaining such a vehicle. To this end, I would like to direct you to www.4the1.org, the website. It provides comprehensive information about the ministry. The bank details are on the ‘Partner With Us’ page.

In Christ,

Esther Visser
Chairperson 4the1

COURAGEOUS CARE TRAUMA-INFORMED TRAINING DAY

Our 4the1 team went for a Trauma-informed training day with Autumn Williams. She is the director of Courageous Care.

It was a great time together as a team, learning about different kinds of traumas and how to support and speak about this with the children and adults in our ministry.

We've done the first of two Saturdays. Our team is looking forward to the second Saturday.

On the Courageous Care website (www.courageouscaresa.org) it says the following about the training:

"We care, but what do we do?"

This training will get you started! It is 8 hours of material that is tailored to your needs! It covers:

- The effects of trauma: The 5 Bs- Brain, Biology, Body, Beliefs, & Behaviour

- Neuroplasticity (the brain's ability to grow and change)

- Community-care & Self-care

- Healthy relationships in the midst of trauma.

Courageous Care's vision is to provide this training in communities that would not otherwise be served.

Thank you mountain View for supporting our hygiene drive

On behalf of the children of 4THE1, we would like to thank you for caring about the basic hygiene needs of the kids and for this act of love and kindness. Thank you for the soap, facecloths, toothbrushes, toothpaste, roll-on, sanitary pads, beanies and the special handmade bookmarks that were generously donated. A special word of thanks to Dawn and her sister, Joan for packing all the bags. We distributed the hygiene bags on Tuesday the 1st of August. The children were overjoyed, as you can see from the photographs.