Inspiration
M a Boshoff is the mother of Ps At Boshoff, senior pastor
of the Christian Revival Church. She lives in Bloemfontein and is well-known for her kindness and for the Christian relief programs and projects she founded to help children and the poorest of the poor in the immediate communities.
Stories of triumph over adversity exist in all fields and walks of life, and Ma Boshoff is one such example. She emerged from hardship as a leader and role model. She has gone through 18 operations, of which nine were back operations. She is literally a woman full of steel, yet, it is her strength, tenacity and passion for the work of God that makes her a real woman of steel. She just keeps on going when nothing and nobody else does! As I was welcomed into her home, I sensed that serving comes naturally to her. There is a passion in her voice that lights up her eyes when she shares her stories about the ministries she is involved in. Coming from the business world, she never dreamt this is where God would place her. Yet, now she only follows the dreams God has for her and would never wanted anything differently. “I have so much I still want to do; I feel like a 16year-old in a 70-something-year-old’s body,” she says about her passion for the ministry. Through it all she keeps the perspective that she is merely serving God by loving and caring for those who needs it the most.
“Me Ma Sopo” emphasises that the food provided is secondary to the message that each person is valuable and special. Looking them in the eye and having a message of hope, acceptance and reminding them how valuable and special they are – that is what matters most! This approach has built trust and many of the adults who were helped through the feeding scheme now work as volunteers. The Pethoho ministry has expanded into a number of other projects over the years, all of them growing from strength to strength under the watchful and tender eyes of our Ma Boshoff. The Sunday schools and cell structures ensure that the more than 12 000 children are receiving ministry throughout the squatter camps. The Community Children’s Church (C3) ministry is growing and involves children not only in terms of salvations but true discipleship and teachings in the Bible. The C3 truck visits the different areas and the Word is spread, the message of God’s love, forgiveness and grace is made real by kids for kids. Needy children have become volunteers and the youth are making this possible! Ma Boshoff believes it is this success of the outreach programs that makes it all worth the effort. Ma Boshoff has a passion to help the most vulnerable in our societies. Over the years she has been providing love and attention to thousands of abandoned babies and orphans. She created a model of a home that accommodates a mother and also men with the heart of a father who need to step up as role models for our generation. These mothers and fathers then look after 6 children and function as a family unit. The long-term goal is to have homes like these throughout greater Bloemfontein, providing a safe haven for at least 300 to 400 children.
"I have so much I still want to do; I feel like a 16-year-old in a 70-something-year-old’s body"
Through personal relationships she was made aware of some of the core needs of the vulnerable children and their families in her community. A casual visit to a small school prompted her to identify various opportunities for empowerment and sustainable social change. This birthed the vision of the feeding scheme to help starving children. This all started with a big pot under a shed behind the church and just kept growing. Today the feeding scheme helpers make more than 1 350 litres of soup daily (that is approximately 4 000 cups a day) at the Pethoho centre, situated on the outskirts of the informal settlement in Bloemfontein. The ministry is aimed at bringing hope and transformation to the unemployed. The vision is to uplift and transform the community not only by supplying food, clothes and blankets, but to teach Christian values and morals and in doing so, cut down on crime.
5