THE WONDERFUL STORY OF JABU
Mercy House was founded in order to help refugee orphans and young people whose lives have been disrupted by war in Africa. So we have always only helped refugees. This time, we have made an exception, since the mercy of God is for everyone!
Jabu is a young Zulu boy who lost both parents when he was quite young. He had to drop out of school in Gr 10, as there was no one to pay the fees. He stayed for a while with his sister, but when she acquired her partner this was no longer possible. When I, Diana Beamish, met him, he was sleeping on the hillside above Bienvenu and survived by begging on the corner of Mons Street and Observatory Avenue, where you will still find him. I watched him for several years as I passed and always wondered why this very fine looking young boy was not at school. I befriended him and found out about his life, to see how we could help. He started to come to Mercy House for food and managed to find a South African couple who rent a room in Bertrams, and allow him to sleep on the floor in their cooking area.
This year I asked Jabu what he would really like to do, what he is interested in. He said that he would like to do sewing. I found out about a training school in Johannesburg, called Sew Africa, where he is now enrolled for Saturday classes learning how to make trousers, skirts and jackets. We hope to go to schools and ask if we can offer his wares there in the future. We trust that other opportunities will arise. An unknown man, called Vincent, also befriended Jabu at the corner, and he too wanted to help. He has donated money for him to buy materials for his work. Likewise, he is going to ask his personal tailor to accept Jabu as an apprentice for the month of September, so that he can learn more about the trade. Another bonus is that one of our co-workers, Felicity Borland, has got Jabu a sewing machine, so life has looked up for Jabu – even his appearance has changed. He has hope and a goal and we ask our readers to pray for him. Any further progress will be reported in our next update. As I often told Jabu, God always lets down a rope!
