Meet the team - Lucy!

Hi, I’m Lucy, married to John, have 4 children who have all been to South Africa over the 10 years of our partnership; this is my 3rd trip to South Africa with Hands at Work and I am very much looking forward to it . Each visit is different and I feel this will be the case this year! I’m sure we will refer to Chris Parker, many , many times and I thank Chris personally for setting up this partnership and sure all who have visited feel privileged to have gone and spent time with those in South Africa, and found their faith deepened in doing so . This will be particularly poignant as we wash the care workers feet on fellowship (previously appreciation) day, on my last 2 trips I sat alongside Chris in completing this powerful and privileged task. 

I am interested in seeing the team at Mafambisa and how the Carepoint has developed since my last trip. I made a personal connection with Kitsewe on my first trip and delighted that she is now the lead amongst the Careworkers at Mafambisa; her situation resonates with me, we share a connection with both having had 4 children and having the gift of hospitality. I am excited to see the children at the care point, I’m sure many familiar faces, it will be good to see how they are developing and see how the Holy spirit is working within that setting and the surrounding community. I look forward to hearing and seeing updates from previous Holy home visits. I’m excited to visit the communities of Pfunani and Seville B this will be my first visit to them, each community have their own characteristics and it will be great to see how these operate. 

I look forward to our team bonding, seeing each person on this journey and excited to see how the Holy Spirit works within each of us whilst in South Africa but also on our return to England. 

Each trip I have taken I have swept leaves at the Mafambisa Care Point, a small therapeutic act which is something the care workers then don’t need to do … I hope they still have a rake ! 

I would be wrong if I didn’t say I am slightly anxious but place the trip in the hands of the Lord who will be with me and us all of the way; please pray for us, read the blog and comment it’s such a support to read them.

Meet the team - Rachel!

Hello, I am Rachel and this will be my second time going to South Africa. I had the opportunity to go last year and I decided to go again as I want to continue building relationships I started making last year and now I have more knowledge of how things are there I think I will be able to get stuck in more. 

I am looking forward to going to two new care points for me Seville B and Pfunani. I have matured so much in the past year and i feel when I was there last year it brought me so much joy and peace and I can’t wait to be able to share my stories of going to South Africa when I come home.

Meet the team - Freya!

Hi, my name is Freya, I am 15 years old and about to go into my GCSE year at school. I enjoy lots of sports, in particular netball and golf.

This is my first time going to Mafambisa and I am very excited to be able to experience everything God has in store for me. I have grown up watching all the other Africa teams travel to Mafambisa and hear about all their adventures with the children and care workers which has made me want to experience it myself. I am very excited to be part of this years team. Please pray for the team as we travel out to Africa together, may we be safe as we ask for Gods guidance when needed and the strength to share his love.

Meet the team - Lesley!

 

Hi my name is Lesley. This will be my 3rd short mission to SA

And second with 

'Hands at Work.. .

Last there in summer of 2017.

I love all those smiling faces of children and the care workers. Feeding , playing, caring, sharing faith and visits to homes. 

The joy is infectious for those who have so little. You just can't help falling in love!

At 75+ I'm the eldest in the team of 10 but eager to give my best in serving these wonderful people.

Meet the team - Sally!

Hello – I am Sally and am I excited to be part of the 2026 team from St Andrews. I first went to South Africa as part of the team in 2024. We went as a family - my husband Christopher, our children Adam and Pippa and myself. It was a life changing trip for all of us and I was so proud when both the children chose to return again last year. Adam could only get one week off work - but still went anyway for the time he could - and Pippa was brave enough to go without her parents (with Alice volunteering to becoming her legal guardian for a fortnight!).

I would have loved to have gone last year as well, but at the time I needed to commit I was still in the middle of my main breast cancer treatment. And of course I was not the only person to be frustrated at not being able to travel last year. I visited Chris Parker at Lister Hospital a number of times during the time the team were away including on the way back from dropping the team at Heathrow and on the middle weekend while Adam was flying back on his own from Skukuza to Johannesburg and then onto Heathrow. We enjoyed reading and commenting on the blog together over a cup of tea and monitoring the team’s progress thanks to the fact I could track both my children’s phones. We both were determined that we would do our best to make the trip this year whatever condition we were in! Sadly in Chris’s case this was not to be and he will be very much on all our minds while we are away.

I am looking forward to returning to the communities in Mafambisa, Seville B and Pfunani which we visited back in 2024 – meeting the care workers and the children again and seeing how things have changed and developed. You may recall from my intro blog in 2024 one of the things I was concerned about was whether our two-week visit really could make a difference to these vulnerable communities. I can confirm that I saw first-hand that simply by going and supporting local care workers, listening to caregivers and sharing God’s love with the children, we can provide encouragement and hope in extremely challenging circumstances. It is a real privilege to be going again and having the opportunity to do this. Whilst I am still coming to terms with the ongoing impact of my treatment and worrying how I will manage the trip with my fatigue and aches and pains, I am acutely aware that I have been blessed with access to excellent healthcare and support over the last two year and in the big scheme of things and compared with the challenges these communities are facing I have much to be grateful for. 

 

Meet the team - Jack!

Hi I’m Jack and the reason I have chosen to go back to South Africa this year is because I believe that the last time I went I didn’t quite fulfil the true meaning of what it was like as I was quite young. So this time I feel there is more to learn and achieve while I’m there as I have matured since last time and I would love to make the same connections with the same people and make more connections with others. I also feel that God is pushing me towards South Africa again because he also knows that there are gaps that I need to fill since 2022 and I know that there are gaps so this time I want to make another massive difference when we are there by helping at every possible opportunity that comes towards me. I am excited to travel to Africa with our team this year and I hope that everyone will hold all of us in their prayers as we go and stay there for 2 weeks to help with Gods work as he looks down upon us keeping us safe.

Meet the team - John!

Hi, I’m John, I’m married to Lucy, we have four adult children and two young grandsons. I have worshiped at St Andrew’s church for many years and have been involved in various aspects of church life, but few things have given me greater pleasure, and belief in God at work in the world, than our partnership with Hands at Work.

I witnessed firsthand the effect going to visit and share in the work of Hands in Africa had on my daughter, Jessica, and my eldest son, Oliver, about a decade ago; and have had the privilege of being part of two previous teams in 2022 and 2024. I have been thrilled by the way our relationship with Hands, and our partner community of Mafambisa, have developed and grown over the last number of years.

The visits were humbling, inspiring and uplifting; to see the work of the Hands team, the kindness and dedication of the Care Workers, and the pure unbridled enthusiasm of the children was a real joy. Along with that was the strengthening of the faith we share, seeing God’s love for his people in action and feeling God’s presence amid challenging situations. We prayed, we ate, we played, we laughed, and we shared in moments of difficulty and anxiety, but it certainly made me think again about the priorities of life and what I consider to be important. One of the things that made a great impact on me were the Holy Home Visits; being invited into the homes of people in communities, listening to their stories, however challenging, was very special and something that has stayed with me. Since my return, amidst all the busyness and strains we experience in everyday life, it has made me appreciate things more and be thankful that I am truly blessed.

I’m eager to see what our visit this year may bring; I’m excited about going back, seeing how things have progressed, meeting old friends and new, and traveling with this year’s Team. I’m looking forward to join again with the fantastic work of Hands, and walk alongside the care workers as they cook, visit homes and care for the children of their communities.