Lots of news from Wilma

Volmoed Prayer Vigil for the National Day of Prayer for Covid-19, 31 May 2020

Gracious God, you walk with us through the valley of the shadow of death. 

We pray that those who suffer and are overwhelmed by the Covid-19 virus, by hunger or poverty, by fear or grief, be surrounded by the incarnate presence of the crucified and risen, ascended one.

 May every human being be reminded of the precious gift of life you entered to share with us.  May our hearts be pierced with compassion for those who suffer, for those who live daily on the frontlines of the pandemic, for your love is the only healing balm we know. 

May the dying and the dead be received into your enfolding arms, and may your friends show the grieving who must walk alone, that they are not alone as they walk this vale of tears. 

All this we pray in the name of the one who walked the road to Calvary.Amen.(Adapted from a prayer by Bishop Katharine JeffertsSchori)

Dear wonderful Volmoed friends,

Warm greetings as winter is upon us. May was a month of abundant grace!

We were able to give a R1000 salary top up to all our staff.  This was much needed as the UIF money has not yet begun to reach them. We were able to buy food vouchers and pay for a couple of dentist visits.

There was substantial food boxes funded by the President’s Solidarity Fund. It was distributed through St Peter’s Church and Hope Africa, the Anglican Church’s social development NGO. The staff said it was like Christmas to open the boxes and see the array of non perishable groceries inside!

Deo Gracias and thank you! We would love to personally thank everyone who donated, whose names are known to us. If you need a receipt, please contact the office. For those we can’t thank personally, we thank you in this letter, with very full hearts of gratitude.

Volmoed staffing fund has received as of 31 May:

R35,937 from crowdfunding websites

R22,381 from UK donors–  special thanks to Di Miller who collected the money and sent when it reached 1000 UKpounds.

R100,000 from local anonymous donor ‘Yahweh’

R124,405 from combined SA and Forex donations  

R113,000 from a UK friend of a Volmoed friend.

R395,723 Grand Total !  

VolmoedYouth Leadership Training Program:Sadly we mourn the cancelation of the 2020 VYLTP program due to Covid-19 and miss the presence of young leaders at Volmoed at this time of year.We are using this time to formalise our infrastructure, and creatively work towards online leadership training, that will supplement our in person leadership program hopefully  in 2021. Find us at https://volmoedyouth.org.za

Prayers:Little Zoe is still receiving chemo at Tygerberg, and had an MRI on 4 June. This showed that surgery is not yet possible to remove the tumour in her liver. Please pray for Peterus, and Evette who is with Zoe at the hospital. She was able to come home for a weekend at the beginning of the month. News are that she might be operated on next week…..

Covid-19:Our hearts ache for those who are isolated, lonely, anxious, depressed, frustrated, hungry, unemployed, unable to pay rent and losing their homes, ill, unable to have previously planned surgeries, or simply tired of it all. Our daily prayers reflect all these concerns and more. Do contact us with any particular prayer needs. Our community prayers continue every weekday at 10am.

On a personal note:Another exciting month!  My shipment of boxes from the USA arrived after a four month long circuitous journey. Just in time to bring warmer clothing for the chill. I have been staying in Faith Cottage for the past two months. The trustees decided that I can stay there until such time that the long awaited permit arrives and a house can be built. I am very grateful. It’s been a nomadic journey of sorting, packing and unpacking, for two years now and I am ready to settle. The Spirit continues to lead and guide. Thank you for your prayers as my new life here at Volmoed and in South Africa continues to unfold. It continues to be a wild adventure ride of faith and trust!

Blessings and Peace in these times,

 THANK YOU!                                                                           June 2020            

A huge thank you to those in SA and around the world who gave to our campaign!  

 Travel and accommodation are among the most affected sectors. With no sustainable income until probably the end of the year, Volmoed needs to continue paying staff (at 60% and 3days/week) and also pay  electricity, insurance, pension, and funeral plan bills, as well as ongoing maintenance. Ideally we would want to pay our staff at 80% or even 100% if we can raise enough money, as UIF money has not yet come through.

Please help us to sustain Volmoed all the way to December 2020 and beyond, by supporting us in any of the ways below.  It will help sustain this beautiful, peaceful place, that brings healing and renewal  to so many people in more need than ever.

WAYS YOU CAN SUPPORT VOLMOED IN THESE COVID-19 TIMES

*             Are you tired of lockdown and need a break for spiritual/physical rest and renewal? Do you know someone who would benefit from the beauty and peace of Volmoed? As we are self catering, we are able to open, for renewal and refreshment. Strict protocols are observed so everyone stays safe. If you are interested, please contact the office at   [email protected]  or [email protected]  for more details.

*.        Do you have photos of favourite spaces, or a favourite memory of Volmoed? Post a photo on your Facebook page and write a couple of lines about why you like it!

*.       Do you like to make short videos on your phone? Record why you love Volmoed and your favourite houses to stay in or spaces.  There are so many stories to tell about Volmoed, the history, eg the leper graves that Mike Guy is uncovering on the property, the beauty, the peace. 

*.     Are you celebrating a birthday or anniversary or significant moment in your life? My former church members used to take those opportunities to ask people to give to a non profit or cause that is dear to their hearts, instead of gifts of ‘stuff’ that were not needed.

*             Are you someone who likes to give a little money to a cause you love and support? You are invited to pledge for July - December 2020. It helps us know what income to expect and helps our planning. Contact Wilma below for details.

*             Do you have friends abroad or local, with the ability to give financially? Send them the new BackaBuddy link and invite them to give. It works with PayPal, SA and international credit cards, and is easy to use: https://backabuddy.co.za/help-Volmoed

*.        Bank info for electronic transfers:  First National Bank; current a/c 524 700 27156

The Volmoed Trust;  Hermanus Branch: 200412;  SWIFT: FIRNZAJJ

*.        UK donations: Email Di Miller, [email protected] for easy, local UK donations

Blessings from our God of unending love and grace, as we pray for wisdom, resilience and grace in these Covid-19 times.

Wilma Jakobsen

Volmoed Chaplain

[email protected]

+27 60 754-0348