Themba and Betty Kabeni are new houseparents at Bethesda Outreach. They began working in mid December when Fritz and Masello Shikwambane moved back into the community.
The Kabeni’s have known another one of our houseparent couples, George and Florah Sithole, for a very long time Themba grew up with George so they are long time friends which is how they first heard about Bethesda Outreach.
The two of them met at a football (soccer) match many years ago while Themba was playing for a local league. They are both HUGE soccer fans and make it a point to watch the Kaiser Chiefs whenever they get the chance.
Themba and Betty have been married almost 10 years and have a heart to help children who are in need of care. Their goal is to spend a few years at Bethesda raising children in their home and then moving back into the community and continuing to care for them on their own as a community home. They are currently learning a lot about raising children and they find that it is both very challenging and also encouraging. They went from no children to 7 children in the space of 24 hours so that’s a big adjustment no matter how experienced you are! So far, the adjustment for the children has been fairly calm and it appears that the children have adjusted to them well.
When the two of them have a day off and they are not at a soccer match, they continue working at their small NGO (Non-government organisation) where they have several people making and selling clay pots for plants. This is a job training enterprise to give skills to others in the community in addition to their work at Bethesda.
They will appreciate your prayers as they continue to learn about all the ways and means of caring for children within a biblical context, managing 7 children with a wide range of needs, planning meals and purchasing groceries for a large family, as well getting used to what seems like a ton of paperwork that naturally happens in a child care village such as ours.