Vistarus Mission Station

Valentines Day by Chep

2012-02-14T13:01:00.000+02:00

Today is the day of love and everywhere you look you see people with happy smiles and wearing red to symbolise how happy they are for this day. Chep came by to give the people a special day filled with lovely snacks made by our kitchen staff and the musical talent brought in by Chep.

Faye Gatley was the entertainment for the day. We want to thank her for giving some of her time to entertain our people.

Having some fun 04.02.2012

2012-02-06T11:57:00.000+02:00

On Saturday our counselors arranged a night of fun by organising a karaoke night for the people at Vistarus. They had a blast blowing off some steam by singing their favorite songs and letting their hair down.

The teenage girls showing off their dance routine in matching outfits

The lovely trio

A full house

Our wonderful ladies responsible for the night. We want to thank them for all the effort they put into Vistarus and the time they give to our people.

Santa Shoebox Project 2011

2011-12-10T10:19:00.000+02:00

This project is held annually and is sponsored by various by people. Names of the children are put in a big box and each person draws a name. They then take the name, age and gender of the child and goes out to buy him/her little goodies and put it in a shoebox that has been decorated with pretty paper. This year our sponsors were, the lovely couple from Pizzaguys Pizzeria in Greenacres, Newton Park, Guy. Kim, the co-ordinator of the Santa Shoebox Project and various other people.

One of our toddlers, very happy with her present and the limelight!

Not knowing his present is on his lap, he continues to sleep and not be bothered with the world

They couldn't wait to open their boxes.

All I want for Christmas is sweeties :)

Fascination was poured into her new clothes and doll

This little girl was so protective over her box, no one was allowed to touch it and you would get a scolding if you dare try. ;)

Sheer joy was on these children's faces after opening their boxes and examining their treasures carefully.

Thank you all who made this possible. May God bless you and your families.

Pops Foundation Christmas Party

2011-12-06T13:11:00.000+02:00

Sunday 04 December 2011 - Boet Erasmus Stadium, Port Elizabeth

Our children had a blast at the stadium at the Christmas Party.

The little ones sat on the grass waiting for the party to start

Painted faces with big smiles because of the day they were given

Vistarus wedding

2011-12-06T12:34:00.000+02:00

Sat 03 December 2011 - Natasha Swanepoel and Andries du Preez got maried in our centre. The day was filled with laughter, love and of course nerves!

The beautiful blushing bride Natasha du Preez (nee Swanepoel)

The groom (to the right) and his best man

The bridal party standing at the alter in Vistarus Church

Exchanging wedding rings

Walking down the isle after the seremony. Happiness spread in the room.

We, at Vistarus, want to bless the newly-weds with years of joy and love. May God bless your marraige and give you many years of happiness.

Celebrating New Life

2011-11-29T13:12:00.000+02:00

On Saturday 26 November 2011 at12:15 Felecia Magalies, one of our residents on the program, went into labour. She was rushed to the hospital and a few hours later a beautiful little girl was born, she was given the name Sumaylin.

Born with a full head of hair, weighing 3.5 kg. Beautiful and healthy.

a new smile for a lovely woman

2011-11-29T13:02:00.000+02:00

Serena Els is one of our residents on the program. She came to Vistarus in January 2010 with her two children looking for somewhere to live and start over. She has grown a lot in her time at Vistarus and made her dreams a reality. This included getting dentures to hide the missing teeth which made her a little self-conscious.

Today, Serena is walking around with a big smile on her face. She has a new found confidence and spring in her step.
Thank you to Dr van Wyk who made her pretty smile turn into a gorgeous grin.

Christmas Toy Run, 26 November 2011

2011-11-29T12:41:00.000+02:00

This weekend our children were spoilt with gifts sponsored by the annual Toy Run organised by a group a bikers.

Excitement was all around as they waited for Father Christmas to give out the presents.

This boy was so excited he had to peer over everyone to see the man with the presents first. Sheer happiness spreading across the little one's face.

All the children were so happy about their presents.

After receiving the gifts inside a tent set-up for the occasion, they all went outside to admire their new found treasures.

We want to thank all of the people who made this day possible. Thank you for spreading the festive spirit and giving back to the community. Our children really appreciate all of those who spent the day with them.

Courses presented by Media Works

2011-11-07T14:26:00.000+02:00

Men and women on our program and our leaders attended courses. There were about 40 of our people who attended these courses. Only 20 are shown in the photo above. The one course was Business Practice and the other one was Safety in the Workplace. These courses were sponsored by the government and presented by Media Works. The main thing about these courses was to help them obtain a certificate that can help them in the future if they want to find a job outside of Vistarus but do not have the right qualifications for that job. Both courses were a week long. This was given to our people to enhance their skills in the work area as well as gaining more knowledge about the business world. This would also help to re-establish them into society again and build a better future.

PE Stadium Clean-up

2011-11-07T14:23:00.000+02:00

On Saturday 22 October 2011 Discovery and Algoa Fm organised an event they called ‘big walk’ in order to help raise funds for CANSA and the Igazi Foundation. Vistarus was asked to clean the Port Elizabeth stadium for our recycling project. It went well, we collected hundreds of bottles and plastic bags. Although this was just a trial run for another big event coming up, things looked positive for the future of the Vistarus Recycling Project.

Our team of helpers in their Vistarus outfits were happy to be there and help.

While walking around looking to see what is happening at the event, we were approached by a team of runners who brought bananas and naartjies to the event. He was generous enough to give away the rest of the fruit that was left behind.

Our custom made jackets for the recycling project.

Orange Donation

2011-11-07T13:25:00.000+02:00

09.09.2011

Oranges were donated to various organisations and Vistarus offered to pick up the oranges and distribute them to the other charities.

About 6 tons of oranges were sorted into big blue bins and people came to pick the bins up for their charities.

Group of helpers having fun being sticky of orange juice

They had a blast squeezing juice over others and laughing about it.

Sorting out some of the oranges for the charities.

67 Minutes - Engen

2011-07-19T14:40:00.001+01:00

Mr Mandela has his birthday on 18 July when he turned 93. The 67 minute project is to honour him for the years he dedicated to bring about change in South Africa. On Friday Engen Port Elizabeth chose the Mission as the place to do their 67 minutes for Nelson Mandela. The children was thoroughly spoiled.

Lots of fruit and cake to celebrate Madiba's birthday.

Clowns entertained our little ones.

Faces were painted.

Enjoying all the attention.

Mr PE 2011 with one of our babies.

Happy painted faces.

The DJ's from Bay FM supplied the music.

The lady from Engen that organised it all.

Mr PE with some adoring fans;-)

Lots of fun on the jumping castle.

Another cutie.

Giving these children a day of fun warms my heart.

On top of the wall of the jumping castle.

Even our social worker was pulled into the fun.

Update

2011-05-28T09:26:00.002+01:00

The entrance to the mission.

I am going to take you on a little of a tour of the Mission.

Another view from the play/school area.

Very early on we realised that people cannot be "uplifted" and helped to move on to a better future unless you look at ministry holistically. You cannot just say "I will pray for you". and walk away. Our ministry is based on the four major elements:

The rooms are small but clean and safe

SOCIAL SERVICE: We have to provide safe shelter ,(a place they can call home) decent clothing and good food. Our motto is " ...a place to belong...a place to become..." When a homeless person comes to us, they complete a three month life skill program and are allocated a work area. They are also encouraged to spend time with the social worker and the counselours. At present we have approximately 200 people on our program and a total of nearly 600 people living on the premises.

The kitchen provides three meals per day to 260 people.

We have seen how the Lord provides in every need...and not second best either. We are on the social responsibility program of a large retail company that supply us with their "sell by" food on a daily basis. There is no shortage of fruit, vegetables, jogurt and even luxuries. Our Lord is not poor;-)

2. HEALTH: Our people are seen to by a doctor, dentist and optometrist. These medical professionals give of their time to assist the precious people in our care.

3. EDUCATION: This is a very important part of what we do. We have an ABET (Adult Based Education and Training) school on the premises where our people are assisted to complete their schooling which will enable them to find work where they would be able to provide for their families.

The ABET computer literacy classroom

Computer literacy is also a very important component.

Shortly after we started the Mission we saw the need for a creche to care for the little ones. They need to be safe while their parents are working. We also found that people that are struggling to survive don't have the energy to spend quality time with the children. The children are not stimulated and are way behind other children in their development. We now have a remedial teacher that owns her own creche that allows our children that have to enrol for Grade R next year to attend her pre-school free of charge.

The baby room. (We have 17 babies/toddlers in this area)

The "bigger" class;-)

Adorable little things!

4. JOB CREATION: This have become a very important component of the Mission. THERE IS NO WORK out there, so we had to create work. Two very important reasons for this. Firstly the people on the program have to learn that they have to work for what they want. Life is not about hand outs. It builds their self esteem when they work and it gives them worth. Secondly, the Mission needs an income to survive. We don't apply for funding and are self sustained. When we started out we only had a few people and our job creation side of things started small.

The prefabricated pillars and posts or vibracrete panels - this was the first project we started. People with addiction problems are put to work. They need to be so tired at night that they would not even have the energy to think about getting the next fix.

Welding works are also done. We try to allocate people to "positions" where they have knowledge and feel happy to work.

Recycling the posters that are put on lamp posts with daily news headlines.

Recycling PVC products.

Woodwork

Every work area has a leader that have to care for his workers. Very much like a shepherd would care for his flock;-)

We are tremendously blessed. The work we do is not easy but it is SO very worthwhile and so very rewarding. We fall in love with the people that are placed in our care and our joy is when they overcome their problems and move on and back to society. Some people are able to do this in a short space of time and some have had such traumatic lives that it takes longer, and sometimes a few years before they are healed.

Stanley Street Christmas Party

2011-02-11T09:37:00.000+02:00

The children of Vistarus get taken out and spoiled over the Christmas season. This year was no different! Stanley Street in Central gets blocked off and the children get entertained and given gifts.

We want to thank each of our sponsors for making this possible again this year.

Santa Shoe box Party

2011-02-10T16:17:00.001+02:00

16 December 2010 11:00 am, what an exciting morning!!! Something to look forward to if you are a kid. Oh yes Santa Shoebox comes to Vistarus! The children were bubbling with anticipation and excitement as they came into the hall were the party was held, a long table was piled high with all the pressies from Santa’s Shoebox.

The party started with the handing out of sweet packets that was sponsored by Pizza Guys from Greenacres. The kids were so excited, and all you saw was packets being opened helped by the adults from Pizza Guys and Santa’s Shoebox. As they were enjoying the sweeties Kim told the story of how Santa’s Shoebox started. Then it was time for the real excitement to start as each child was called forward to receive their present, oh boy! And had to wait for everyone to receive theirs before opening it. Wow…. and was the excitement great as each kid opened his/her shoebox and saw what was inside, you can just imagine the noise level and loud appreciation when they saw what was in the Shoebox. The day ended as the kids sang their popular song “Ons se baie baie dankie”!!!

Our first 3 matriculants

2010-01-16T14:14:00.003+02:00

This article was in the Eastern Cape Today Newspaper and written by Lourens Schoeman.

The Vistarus Mission in Sydenham, Port Elizabeth, for underprivileged people is extremely proud of its first three matriculants.

Frikkie Eloff, Bianca Murray-Bates and Angelique Volschenk, were the first three learners to write matric in the mission's 11 year history. Both girls want to become lawyers, while Frikkie is aiming to become a chef. An excited Frikkie told Eastern Cape Today that he would be writing an entry examination at Port Elizabeth College next week. But, he hastened to tell how school was not always without difficulties. "While in Grade 10 I wanted to leave to get a job to assist my parents financially, but the mission's staff convinced me to work for my matric. It was difficult times, because I attended seven primary schools before I got to high school. Now I can't wait to begin my studies to become a chef," he said.

Bianca was in a serious car accident in June last year and could not write the winter exams. "I had a lot of catching up to do, but all the hard work I put in was worth it in the end. If I can just get the finances sorted out. I want to start my studies to become a lawyer this year already," the petite teenager said.

A confident Angelique said she also wanted to start studying this year. She made up her mind to become a lawyer a long time ago. Her studies suffered a setback in March last year when she had a baby, but it did not deter her. "I came back to school, put my head down and worked as hard as I could. I want to achieve my ambition and my results is one more step in reaching that goal." she said.

Mission founder, Kobus Jacobs said they were extremely proud of Frikkie, Bianca and Angelique's achievement, adding that the mission would continue to support them wherever they could.

Vistarus PRO, Fatima Collins, said study funds have already been secured for Angelique and Frikkie, but that they were still negotiating on behalf of Bianca. "We are confident that someone will come forward to support Bianca to also reach her dream. Their achievements is proof that one can rise above your situation. It really is not where you are coming from, but where you are heading." she said.

Sadness that goes with our ministry

2009-01-09T09:16:00.002+02:00

Last year little Chuma's mother came to the Centre. When Chuma was born it was found her gall bladder was not functioning, after several operation it was found that her liver was infected and she was placed on an emergency waiting list to receive a liver at the Red Cross Childrens hospital in Cape Town. The family's finances were depleted by all the medical costs and we decided to be of assistance to them with food, clothing and linen.
We are so sad, the wait just proved to long for the little one and the seven-month-old girl died on Tuesday and her funeral is today. Our PRO, Fatima pictured here with the christmas hat, helped with the funeral arrangements and the Centre will assist in the provision of food for the funeral.

Carols by Candlelight

2008-12-27T08:25:00.005+02:00

We had an open air "Carols by candlelight" evening last Sunday. We set up in the park in front of the Centre and first had a "boerewors" braai. When it started getting dark we lit the candles and started singing Christmas Carols. There was such a festive air about the evening that we would like to see this type of service more often in the future. People in nearby houses set up their deck chairs in front of their homes to listen to the singing...it was magical. A lot of the children from the surrounding area also came to take part and see the nativity by our children in the Centre.

The nativity: The children practiced for weeks to get it perfect. They were so well behaved, we are so proud of them.

The animals...you actually saw the little lions playing with the lambs:)

A pretty little goat.

A lamb.

Our little angels.

The three wise men.

More little angels

A lamb eating a boerewors roll...how did she stay so clean?

Another angel.

Beautiful little angel.

Modern looking shepherds.

A little donkey.

An angel and a lion.

Little cow.

We wish all the supporters and friends of Vistarus a Blessed Christ centred Christmas.

A journey inward...

2008-11-17T15:37:00.003+02:00

I have neglected this blog so terribly....I promise to post a run down of the past month and some pics in the next few days...but first things first.

This wordart is by Melanie of http://mmdcreations.blogspot.com/.

In this past week we have come to know just how difficult the journey inward is. Oh boy....where to start....when we start reflecting on our own lives, often times we don't even want to be honest with ourselves. For the past 10 years (from 8 July 1998) we have been in full time ministry. We take care of approximately 450 people, providing accommodation, food, spiritual guidance, etc. You know how bad the weather was last week...well when I started thinking up excuses to not go to work, I knew I was in serious trouble. When we started the Centre 10 years ago I can truly say that we did what God called us for, with DIGNITY and DELIGHT. Why did I lose the delight I had, what happened, why was it no longer a pleasure to serve? Was it burn out....or something more serious?

Many years ago the Lord gave us this scripture from 1 Corinthians 3...on how to do the work He has called us to. That whatever we do, our foundation had to be Jesus.

1Co 3:7 The one who plants and the one who waters really do not matter. It is God who matters, because he makes the plant grow.

1Co 3:8 There is no difference between the one who plants and the one who waters; God will reward each one according to the work each has done.

1Co 3:9 For we are partners working together for God, and you are God's field. You are also God's building.

1Co 3:10 Using the gift that God gave me, I did the work of an expert builder and laid the foundation, and someone else is building on it. But each of you must be careful how you build.1Co 3:11 For God has already placed Jesus Christ as the one and only foundation, and no other foundation can be laid.

1Co 3:12 Some will use gold or silver or precious stones in building on the foundation; others will use wood or grass or straw.

1Co 3:13 And the quality of each person's work will be seen when the Day of Christ exposes it. For on that Day fire will reveal everyone's work; the fire will test it and show its real quality.

1Co 3:14 If what was built on the foundation survives the fire, the builder will receive a reward.

1Co 3:15 But if your work is burnt up, then you will lose it; but you yourself will be saved, as if you had escaped through the fire.

Last week when I felt so despondent I was reminded of this scripture again. Those first years were hard. We were out of our comfort zone, we had given up everything that we always thought so important...and we were so incredibly dependant on Him. To finance the ministry we had to start various projects...we believed in being self supporting. Not to beg, or ask the government for help...after all this was God's project not ours, surely He will sustain us. Well He did...and today we can truly look back on a project that is very successful, and not by our doing.

But somewhere in all of this our vision changed slightly and we were no longer on the solid foundation of Jesus. This had to be rectified and quickly. At this stage we have more than 150 people on our destitute program, and all we are allowed to build with is Jesus...the business side of things cannot ever become more important than Him. The admin and financial side of things have become such a burden that I no longer wanted to be part of it. So on Thursday last week it was with heavy hearts that we called a meeting with all our leaders and told them that things are going to change and we must go back to the order that God has for the Centre. With many tears I told them that lately I had found so many excuses not to go to work...that all I saw was the admin and finances...and that is not what I live for. I get so bogged down by the admin that I no longer have time for the precious people that God has entrusted to us.

I live to see people led back to Jesus and I live to see them grow in maturity and wholeness. I want to work with people not paper...paper and finance is not what God had called me to. I want to be part of their process of healing...that has substance...that is what will have everlasting worth.

Please pray for us, that we will keep our eyes firmly on Him who is the author and perfecter of our faith. Please pray that we will continue to build on the Solid Foundation of Jesus and that the work that we do will not be burned up by fire.

Lynette

Praise and Worship week

2008-08-10T15:06:00.004+01:00

For the past week we have had Praise and Worship services every evening at 7'o Clock. We felt that we had to give thanks to God who has brought us through the past 10 years. He has been our Provider and nothing would have been possible without Him. Last night we were blessed by the Hineni Praise and Worship group who came all the way from Uitenhage to lead us in worship.

10th Anniversary pics.

2008-08-10T14:58:00.003+01:00

Some photo's taken on our 10th Anniversary breakfast.

Brian Strydom from Pick 'n Pay handing over a cheque

Here I am telling the guests how it came about that we got involved with Vistarus

Here we are with a group of our supporters from Woolworths

Tenth Anniversary

2008-08-08T15:17:00.003+01:00

Psalm 46: "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change, and though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea; though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains quake at its swelling pride...The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our stronghold."

Today is our tenth anniversary celebration...and God is good! The Herald set the record straight with the following article in todays news paper.

Destitute find a haven at Vistarus
Mawande Jack LABOUR CORRESPONDENT

THOUGH not much is known about the Vistarus Christian Mission, a haven for the indigent, foreign refugees and recovering addicts, the services it provides to these people underlines what a caring society ought to be.

On her visit to the haven last year, former Eastern Cape premier Nosimo Balindlela praised Vistarus for its unique involvement with the community with an undertaking that this kind of institution would be replicated in other parts of the province.

The shelter – which will celebrate its 10th anniversary this weekend – has provided a home for destitute people who have spent their lives living on the streets, recovering drug addicts and alcoholics, abused women and children, the elderly, and psychiatric patients.

“Vistarus is a light that shines and a haven of hope to people who are in need,” founder Kobus Jacobs said as he referred to the scores of people whose lives have been touched by him.
The haven has been under the spotlight after some people complained about being forced to work to produce concrete slabs for 19 hours a day and being paid only R100 a week, without been given protective clothing.

Jacobs denied these allegations, saying he had started Vistarus in response to his calling as a Christian.

Speaking last week, a number of people, including Jacobs‘s wife, Lynette, and DA councillor Jeremy Davis, commended the work that Vistarus did. Each one of them rejected outright, allegations that people at Vistarus were subjected to appalling work conditions. Over 40 homeless families, including 91 children, who live at Vistarus, are provided with food, clothes, accommodation, life skills and medical care.

Social worker Heloise le Roux said people under the three-month life skills programme were given jobs in concrete slab manufacturing, gardening, cleaning and recycling. Le Roux said the kind of work they do, where they get a gratuity and not wages, was designed to keep them from reverting back to drugs and alcohol.

Pensioner Vincent Cherry, 71, who once spent his life in the streets, was full of praise for Jacobs and his wife, saying they had welcomed him to the haven and gave him something in life.
“I take my hat off for this man. He has done a lot for me.”

Yvette Bird, 31, a former chef who was accommodated at Vistarus after suffering from a rare neuropathic disease that includes rapid development of muscle paralysis as a symptom, said her life had also turned around. “I was not fit to do any job. They provided everything for me and I now enjoy working in the kitchen.”

Former street kid James Kamiso, 17, recalled with sadness the days he used to stay under the bridge, hungry and in cold weather. He now helps off-load bakkies.

The centre also accommodates refugees, including Moise Okenke who said he found Vistarus after spending months homeless after he fled from the Democratic Republic of Congo. “I went to many places for help. No one wanted to help me. Here I‘m getting everything for free.”

Vistarus which was established in 1998 in a building originally used as a railway hostel in Sydenham.

We had a wonderful breakfast this morning with many of our donors and sponsors. Thank you for supporting us...and stood with us in the past 10 years.

Vistarus Golf day

2008-07-21T19:55:00.002+01:00

Vistarus will be hosting it's annual Golf day at the Port Elizabeth Golf Club on 30 July 2008. This is an annual event where money is raised specifically for the needs of our school going children. We believe that our children is the future and that they need to have everything that is required to make school attendance a pleasure.

Wedded bliss

2008-07-21T19:38:00.006+01:00

This has been the month for marriages. On 6 July Joey and Deon was married during the Sunday evening celebration service.

And on Saturday 19 July, Jolene and Bernard got married. We wish to thank all the benefactors for the dresses, wedding cake, flowers and all that was done to make their marriages something that they will always remember.

The lovely "eats"

They were surrounded by friends and family and we believe that they will have a solid support system.

Our website is live at www.vistarus.co.za

2008-05-21T08:08:00.001+01:00

This blog will be the place that keeps you up to date with the goings on at the Centre. This will also be the place that we can communicate, your questions can be answered and you can get to know the various people and programs that are part of this Centre. So there now...do not be shy to leave a comment or ask a question.

How did it all start?

2007-06-11T17:07:00.001+01:00

In 1998 we followed our dream to bring restoration, dignity and hope to a large group of suffering families as well as homeless women, children and men. Originally the building was used as a Railway Hostel, in the period 1996 - 1997 the building was taken over by gangsters, a shebeen operated from the office. Strong-arm tactics were used to ‘collect’ rent. At this time, the department of health threatened to close the building down due to poor health and living conditions. The police were planning to establish a satellite station at the entrance due to the high crime rate in this concentrated area. The 1997 period has been well documented in the press, the landlord at that time experienced power and water cuts as a result of his not paying for these services, families who were living under these appalling circumstances were powerless to respond. My husband Kobus, and I were moved by the news reports of the dire circumstances of that communities suffering. In a great leap of faith we decided to actively engage the problem and our vision was born: The upliftment of the occupants in body, soul and spirit, with specific reference to bringing the Gospel of Jesus Christ, teaching of life skills and creating job opportunities. By eliminating child abuse, prostitution, unemployment, drugs and alcohol abuse, the community’s lifestyles would be improved. Our vision was to create a place of safety where every person could experience equal opportunities in all aspects of life. After countless battles and obstacles the vision still lies ahead, but there are now many landmarks along the road, that celebrate the successes enjoyed along the road to empowerment and restoration, some of the are: TV Lounge for the occupants of Vistarus, Library, Doctor’s surgery, Dentist, Crèche, Clothing bank, Soup Kitchen, Coffee bar, Lecture room, Counselling, Prayer room, Laundry, Free breakfast for children, Place of safety, There are various job creation opportunities being launched. Currently over 400 people are being accommodated. Approximately 40 homeless families are being housed and fed.