A few simple actions done with a Compassion

When a 10 year old girl named Paula arrived at the Mustard Seed in April,she was an emaciated little girl covered in sores and suffering from acute malutrition. When I gave her a pair of shoes to wear, she could not put them on due to a serious fungal infection. Becuase Paula has been living in extreme poverty, all she has been able to get to eat was maize meal. This has left her protein starved and anaemic. One day when I began to raise my hand to fix her hair, she whimpered and her body started shaking. At this time, I knew that she was also physically abused. Now that she knows that I am here to help and not hurt her, she clings onto me and became very angry when other children needed a hug. I have became the only constant in her life. And to top it off, Paula was! constantly being bullied by her peers because she has incontinent issues.

This precious girl needed care, love and support in order to live! So, the Mustard Tree started feeding her fortified porridge and malt with vitamins added. That is as far as our finances would go. Every now and then I would slip her some brown bread with peanut butter on. As I help her with homework daily, she tells me stories of her life which includes terror, insecurity, and low self worth. To help her realize that she is important, I told her of another that suffered and was rejected by almost all He know - Jesus. Paula was so special that this Jesus suffered just for her!

All these things have helped this little angel named Paula begin to see herself as worthwhile and valuable, "A Child of God". She is healthy, on medication, and her incontinence has subsided. Though Paula has a long way to go, I know that with the help of the Mustard Seed ministry, showing her the love of Jesus, and constant prayer, she is well on her way! A precious little life is now living normally and has developed a gurgling little happy laugh. All this took was a few simple actions done with a compassion and love. If you feel the Lord Jesus placing something on your heart today like helping a elderly church member a sad young person, a sick suffering friend, or struggling neighbor, DON'T HESTITATE because your YES may also save a precious soul!

Julia O'Connell

Mother Teresa's feet....

A couple years ago at a Christian festival I heard a talk by a man named Shane Claiborne. He is a an activist who ministers to the poor and is a bestselling author of The Irresistible Revolution. His website is www.thesimpleway.org

Anyway, one story he shared still rings in my mind and heart today. This was a story about when he was blessed to work alongside Mother Teresa in Calcutta:

When entering the church to worship, it was customary for everyone to remove their shoes, and it was during these times that Shane noticed that Mother Teresa's feet were very deformed. So deformed, in fact, that Shane thought that it was perhaps due to leprosy.

But, he didn't dare ask her.

One day, while talking to one of the other sisters, the subject came up. The sister asked if Shane had noticed Mother Teresa's feet. She went on to tell him that they get donations of shoes only once and a while, and there are only just enough for each person to get one pair. When the shipments come in, mother Teresa would sort through all the shoes. She would look for the worst for wear pair, and then she would claim them for herself.

Mother Teresa never wanted anyone to wear a pair of shoes that were in worse shape than her own.


Hearing this story brought tears to my eyes and still does. Mother Terasa was a true servant of Christ, living like Christ and loving like Christ. I can't imagine wearing shoes that are so dilapidated that it would make my feet deformed. The pain she must have experienced for years.

This picture shows one of the Qwa Qwa children and his shoes.

As you can see, the Qwa Qwa children are in need of shoes. Some of them don't even have shoes like this. Miss Julia would like to give each of her Qwa Qwa children a new pair of shoes, a nice pair of socks and a school supply kit for Christmas. Friends, Christmas is 76 days away and she needs 65!! I know that I am not as selfless as Mother Teresa, wearing the worst so another can have better. But, I can put a new pair of shoes on the feet of one Qwa Qwa child!!!!!! How about you???

It is only a $20 donation for 1 pair of new shoes, a pair of nice socks and a school kit! This will make a poor Qwa Qwa orphan feel loved, proud, and happy. Please pray about it and see if the Holy Spirit is calling you to help 1 Qwa Qwa child this Christmas.


“Mother Theresa always said, "Calcuttas are everywhere if only we have eyes to see. Find your Calcutta.”
― Shane Claiborne, The Irresistible Revolution: Living as an Ordinary Radical

Feed My Sheep

One of the Qwa Qwa orphans named Emily had a dream last night. She dreamt she was eating meat with stew and bread piled high with lentils curry and there was so much she could even share with her large extended family. When she was telling all the other Mustard Seed angels, they oohed and aahed. Our sweet Louis told us this dream is a sign that The Mustard Seed is going to be abundantly blessed. Maybe he is right. But, it also showed Miss Julia that while this little girl goes to bed hungry only 6 miles away people are throwing away food that their children do not want.

Some 850 million people go to bed hungry. Seven million tons of food are thrown away every year yet three million children die from malnutrition. For these children, early hungar leaves a lifelong effect of cognitive and physical impairment.

Such hunger is not due to a shortage of food – globally there is enough to go round and if we make the right decisions now, we can continue to feed the world despite population growth and climate change. If we find ways to stop the waste of food after harvest due to poor storage or transport methods, 1/2 of that waste should be then in our kitchens. The number of overweight and obese people in the world who are suffering their own health problems and the sharp rise in heart disease and diabetes, is roughly equal to the number of hungry people a round the world. the biggest underlying cause of world hungar is the extreme levels of inequality, both within and between countries.


When Jesus fed the 10 thousand, do you like he wanted children like Emily and the other 849 million people to be going to bed hungry?? I don't think so! He calls us all to feed His Sheep both spiritually, emotionally and PHYSICALLY. What can you do as a Follower of christ today to feed a little girl like Emily who goes to be hungry?? I know that life gets crazy, but we cannot forget about the plight of the hungry.


"There is a lot that happens around the world we cannot control. We cannot stop earthquakes, we cannot prevent droughts, and we cannot prevent all conflict, but when we know where the hungry, the homeless and the sick exist, then we can help". --
Jan Schakowsky

From and Orphan to a Queen

This is a story one of the Qwa Qwa angels told Miss Julia about her life. Get a tissue!

Ten years ago, a woman gave birth to a baby girl in a chilly shack to her utter surprise. She didn't know she was pregnant because she was so busy foraging for food to feed her sick twins who soon died of H.I.V. This mother realized she could not feed her her new infant because she had no milk because of malnutrition and A.I.D.S. This baby was named Mampho. Mampho was given to neighbors when her mother passed. Unfortunately, she was not wanted by them because little Mampho was not "blood". Some villagers whispered about her saying she was a devil carrier because all of her family died except her. Mampho often wished for death as she was continually sick and rejected by the villagers. Every night, she thought about the hell she was living and her heart hurt so bad.


One day a white woman came into live in the village. This woman talked to Mampho about Jesus Christ and gave Mampho her first hug. Mampho found she could now eat and not be scared. It was a relief for her to also meet other girls who were in the same position as she was. For the first time, Mampho knew she wasn't bad, she was normal and she did fit into this world. Now Mampho wants to live, love, learn and acheive great things. She know that God has created her for a special purpose. She has learned that she has a long string connecting her to Jesus, and she knows God is in her heart so she never needs to be afraid again. She NOW FEELS like a Queen!

Being Strong and Courageous at at 6!

"Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” Deuteronomy 31:6

The Mustard Seed has a little 6 year old boy named Thato who is a twin. His twin is very quiet and reserved unlike Thato who cannot stop talking and hugging. Both of them cannot speak one word of english but that has never stopped Thato who rattles off to everyone in Sesotho. Thato has learned one English phrase from a Christian dvd.- "God is in me I will not be afraid". When we walk past the drinking tavern, I hear him saying, "God is in me I will not be afraid". Thato is trying to be brave and fierce in a world that has treated him and his brother harshly. They are both alone in this world except for a fourteen year old sister. Nothing is ever a certainty for them so at the young age of six he recognizes that the only person that can protect his little soul is God.

Throughout the world, overall about 15% of orphans are 0-4 years old, 35% are 5-9 years old, and 50% are 10-14 years old. The loss of a parent/parents to AIDS can have serious consequences for a child’s access to basic necessities such as shelter, food, clothing, health and education. Orphans are more likely than non-orphans to live in large, female-headed households where more people are dependent on fewer income earners. This lack of financial income puts more pressure on orphans to contribute financially to the household to which leads them to the streets to work, beg or seek food. The majority of children who are orphaned continue to live with extended family, but often have to take on the responsibility of doing the housework, looking after siblings and caring for ill or dying family members.

Can you imagine being 2,4,6,8 or 12 without your parents?? What would you do? You certainly couldnt be a child, because you have to learn how to survive and help your siblings survive. Your only concern would be how to survive another day alone. The thought of playing and laughing in the schoolyard with your friends, having a nice big meal that makes you so full you want to rest, and learning how to read and write so you can become a doctor or a nurse to help others is NOT EVEN A THOUGHT!

This is why the Mustard Seed ministry exits. It gives Qwa Qwa children a chance to live, laugh, love and become the people God created them to be. Treat the orphans kindly, though they are alone in the world, God never leave them. Care about them with all your heart and you will help mend their broken hearts.

Washing the feet of Christ

In the Qwa Qwa village, there is not a garbage service. They dig a hole and burn most of their trash. Miss Julia has a separate hole for any food that is thrown away. This is kept to a bare minimium as they are so poor and any food they can save is given out to orphan Angels who have even less. The Mustard Seed is now known as a safe haven for any villager who has a pressing need. One Friday morning, Miss Julia went to empty their garbabge and was met by a desperate cadaverous teen of about 14 years picking ants off a slice of sandy green moldy bread. He looked like a beaten dog. When he saw Miss Julia, he ran away there was a look of pure terror in his eyes. Miss Julia wanted to meet this boy so she got the word out through her little angels and the "bush" telegraph She started leaving clean bread outside my door and in the morning it was gone. One day, Miss Julia heard a timid knock on her door. As she opened it, her eyes were fixed on that very same skeletal boy she so longed to meet. He lifted up one dirty foot and showed her the reason for his distress. She was confronted with a grusome looking abcess on his upper foot. When he was seated, Miss Julia washed his poor feet. In doing this, she was keenly aware of what Christ did for His disciples so long ago. This poor teen had never had anyone that touched him so gently. Miss Julia felt as if Christ was kneeling right next to her helping her wash the feet of this hurting teenage boy. Remember when we said Jessie looked like a beaten dog?? With new eyes, Miss Julia now saw Jessie as a disciple of Christ who is now a part of the Mustard Seed family. His health is not good and he cannot socialize as of yet. But, he knows that Christ sent him to the Mustard Seed home.

Would we too be able to clean and tend to Jessie's sore and infected foot?? Or, would we be afriad and hope someone else would fix it??? As followers of Christ, we are challenged to do things that may be outside our comfort zone in order to love one another as Jesus did. Acts of mercy, service, and charity can be quite difficult at times! But Jesus never backed away. He ate with, healed and forgave those who were considered the lowest in society. Can we be humble and show the love of Christ as Miss Julia did to the poor, starving, hurting and sick people that cross our paths everyday who have no one to tend to their hurts and needs??.

John 13: 12 - 17

When he had washed their feet and put on his outer garments and resumed his place, he said to them, “Do you understand what I have done to you? You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you. Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant[c] is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.

Thank you for your prayers and support of the Mustard Seed home! We cannot serve the children of God without your help!

Looking to be loved and learn how to love! One boys story...

From Tracey, I have learned not to judge a "Book by Its Cover".

Tracey is a 14 year old tall boy who came to the Mustard Seed ministry awhile back. He was the kind of boy that would grab all the biscuits, kick the dogs and seemed to be just plain unlovable no matter how much I prayed for him. I watched him sit down every afternoon and color with great care. Also, he would try to studiously read a big childrens book using his big finger to follow each word about Jesus in the Storm. Now as he reads, he is surrounded by little giggling, pushing and shoving seven year olds yet not bothered. Slowly, I have finally started to see a very sweet just rough boy.

So, I finally asked Tracey to come and have tea with me one day. He came dressed up in his best shirt and trousers, which was full of holes. During our visit, he sat in my kitchen and told me his story. He had a mother who was a continual drunk. She drank all day, everyday. From a very young age, he would collect the money from the men who sought favors from her which paid for her alcohol. He told me of the men, how they looked and smelt. His Mother ended up with HIV and became very sick for a long time. Tracey was the one who cleaned up the vomit and changed her faeces infested clothes until he was twelve years old. He lived by begging and stealing from neighbors. One day, he entered the house and found his mother dead on the floor. He looked at her, felt nothing,sat down over her and searched her pockets to see if she had any money. When he found nothing,he stood up and out of anger he kicked her really hard and walked out the door. It was finished. The whole sick mess. Then, four years later, The Mustard Seed came along and he explained how happy he is now to be able to play with toys, read and color, watch movies and get a good meal once a day, even biscuts.

I sat in silence and repented becasue my initial attitude towards Tracey was wrong. I pray that from now on, I will see each child as our beloved Christ sees them. This will allow me to never again judge a child by their outside appearance but only the precious heart that the Lord created. Each child has a story. A story that made them who they are. Tracey is tall and rough boy, but also a hurting, scarred child inside who is looking to be loved and to learn how to love! May we see through the eyes of Christ.