21/08/2021
On Friday the community leaders of Kampies, Phillipi met with their Ward Councillor Mr Jansen at sub-council offices in Lentegeur.
It was an opportunity for Sandra and her team to discuss the way forward for the implementation of upgrades and systems for their community in alignment to what the city has planned for the growing informal settlement.
Communication is by far the most important asset in our current time of crisis.
There must be a clear understanding of the objectives needed to help their community develop, heal and flourish and the organisation of different initiatives needs to take place across all welfare platforms simultaneously involving the community to ensure a holistic and sustainable approach.
It is encouraging for community leaders to get support from their Ward Councillor which motivates them to become better equipped in their roles to guide and teach with authenticity and compassion, using firm discernment when needed.
Leadership roles within informal settlements come with an enormous amount of pressure and challenges as there is such a vast difference in the cultures represented in the community and so many basic needs to fill.
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God's Leadership Lesson
The Freedom to Serve
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
The words independence and freedom can be used to describe a variety of situations. We may describe ourselves as financially independent or perhaps free from debt. We are free to vote for an independent candidate or for political party. We can be emancipated such as free from slavery. You may even have heard of the term “emancipated minor”, a legal tern meaning freed from control of a parent or guardian.
The Collins Dictionary states that if a country has or gains independence, it has its own government and is not ruled by any other country. The dictionary defines freedom as the state of being allowed to do what you want to do. We use these terms so interchangeably that that they can be confusing; but freedom and independence do not mean that we are not subject to societal boundaries or the rule of law.
Can you imagine what it would be like if parents had no rules for governing their homes, employees had no policies or procedures to guide them at work, or if there were no laws to hold us accountable? The failure to adhere to societal boundaries leads to anarchy, or at best chaos, where no one pays attention or adheres to rules or law. Independence and freedom do not imply that boundaries do not exist in our environments; rather that independence and freedom are exercised by the choices and decisions that we make. We call this “free-will”; another God-given gift.
We are first introduced to the concept of free-will, in the book of Genesis. God provided Adam and Eve with all the riches of the world, with only one constraint, not to eat from the Tree of Knowledge. Rather than proscribe how their lives should be ordered, God grants them free-will. When Adam and Eve eventually disobey His commandment, God expels them from the Garden of Eden. His lesson is very clear, you have the independence and freedom to choose but there are consequences to your decisions.
Throughout the Bible, God continuously demonstrates his commitment to independence and freedom. How many times does God deliver his children from slavery or persecution? Time and time again, He delivers his people from their enemies. However, in exercising our free-will, we see the associated consequences; especially, when our decisions are not in alignment with God’s plan for us.
-Gilbert Camacho
Believe in God's plan 🙏
From left to right:
Elton Jansen; Marilyn Meyer; Sandra Barnes; Keith Africa
With thanks to IndiPam - Karma means action
Pamela Tosh Public Relations and administration.
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