South Africa

Our missionary Shelley Brake spent the last year in South Africa working in various capacities. Shelley and her team members worked in both urban and rural areas of the country. There was large focus on spending time with the people and sharing the Word with them. The team spent a great amount of time with the local children and helped them with reading, games, crafts, studies, and any other facet of their everyday lives. The children really enjoyed their new found companions and soon became a tight knit family with the group. There was also a special ministry that focused on spending time with individuals who had been diagnosed with the HIV/AIDS virus. The people in South Africa tend to isolate the infected persons by not including them in activities and not coming into contact with them. These individuals are left with no one but God to turn to in times of need. Shelley and her team members really ran with this ministry and reassured each and every one of the infected persons that God loves them just as much as everyone else. There were numerous hours/days spent just getting to know each other and creating memories just like the noninfected people of South Africa experience. Thanks to Shelley and her team for letting these individuals realize that God loves them even if the world attempts to forget about them.