Edward Stoffels is now caretaker and unofficial uncle with board and lodging (but no wage) in a home for young men. He has the opportunity to help and guide the young men.
Last week’s Restorative Justice follow up session went well. Men told of challenges they’d faced but had been better equipped to stay out of trouble. One, refusing to go with old associates to get drugs, later heard they’d been arrested. That would have landed him back in prison. Another, after an emotional encounter with his mother, said that now, if they disagree, instead of getting angry they talk, separate, consider, and come back together to resolve the issue.
Denzil, from the Drakenstein Maximum Bible study, asked prayer for his stepbrother (an ex-prisoner) who is drinking heavily, taking drugs, fighting with other brothers and being very disrespectful to his mother. Hearing about family problems that they can do little to help is one of the most tormenting factors for prisoners.
Fraser continues to struggle with a backlog of paperwork. The NetACT end-of-year office meeting was very positive with ideas and projects for next year. Their key figure retires at the end of 2021 and will need to be replaced.
Pray that there is no problem delaying Dawn’s visa application at the Department for Home Affairs in Pretoria.