Dear Friends of St Martin's Village,

Advent is turning into Christmas. A good time to sit down and reflect on, share and say thank you for the first year of village life. To everyone who helped and got involved in which ever way in the last year, we say a heartfelt "thank you"! Countless hours were spent planning, meeting, renovating, cleaning, preparing, advertising, taxi driving, shopping, fund-raising, taking and editing pictures, writing articles, meeting, changing nappies, feeding, caring for sick babies, reading, playing, doing laundry, cleaning the house, donating, sorting, social working, growing, weeding, building, and last but definitely not least praying. Thank you! Siyabonga! Danke! Dankie!  We are continually humbled and amazed at how God has opened doors, touched hearts  and has used you to provide as the caring Father He promises to be.

It is no coincidence that when God chose to visit us at the first Christmas, he did so in the form of a needy baby: A baby from a backwater town, born of a seemingly illegitimate relationship, taking His first step on his way to the cross, thereby giving all of us access to Him through the forgiveness of our sins. He became a brother to us so that we could confidently call on Him as our Father. He still comes today, sometimes giving us the opportunity to serve Him in the form of "the least of these" [Mt. 25].

Of course, much more than that which is captured here happened in the course of the last year. It is but the tip of an iceberg. These things were written to give you the opportunity of staying informed and involved.

It takes a village to raise a child – thank you for being part of this village!