Missions from IEC
JILL KINSEY
Our Missionary in Lesotho
Jill was born in Nottingham, England. She married
at eighteen and moved to Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe). During this
marriage, which ended in divorce, she had three children.
Staying in Rhodesia, she married again, immediately ‘inheriting’
two more children and, within short time, giving birth to
two more. In 1980, Jill and husband Geoff retired from their
business in Rhodesia and moved to the Algarve with the three
youngest children, where they ran the restaurant ‘O
California’ in Carvoeiro for a few years. It was during
this period that Jill was first introduced to our Church at
Vale Judeu which, in those early days, held its services in
the farm house where she found the Lord.
Sadly, in 1990, husband Geoff died after a very
short illness. Eighteen months later, Jill moved to South
Africa. Already aware of a strong compulsion to work with
the needy in war-torn Mozambique, she offered her services
to any organisation that would listen - initially with a total
lack of success. Once the property in the Algarve was sold,
Jill - needing a diversion - decided to use some of the money
to have flying lessons! Significantly, it was her flying instructor
who introduced her to a contact in the South African Jesus
Alive Ministries (JAM) where Jill again spoke of her ‘calling’
to Mozambique.
In 1993 the Mission did employ Jill and, after
training, sent her to various locations in Mozambique before
finally sending her to Inhaminga, which was in ruins. Her
first horrified reaction was to say, “Oh, no! No way
can I stay here!” However, she drew strength from her
fervent prayers to the LORD who instructed her with: “The
LORD will guide you always; He will satisfy your needs in
a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will
be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters
never fail. Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins and
will raise up the age-old foundations; you will be called
repairer of broken walls, restorer of streets with dwellings.”
Isaiah 58:11-12.
Jill, now a grandmother, worked in Inhaminga
for many years. In 1996, she moved from JAM to the Dutch Christian
Charity Dorcas Aid International (DAI) and became a long-term
volunteer worker for this organisation, which entitled her
to a small local salary and housing. The main advantage of
this arrangement was that she could count on receiving support
and back-up as part of this large organisation.
During an interview with Pastor Peter in 1998, Jill said that
she felt that her work would be ongoing, adding, “Sadly,
as the war-children grow up, the problem of the AIDS children
is fast becoming Africa’s greatest crisis”, a
prophesy that is now fact.
In discussions with Dorcas Aid whilst in Holland
in 2000, it was agreed that Jill would hand over the Inhaminga
project into local hands and would move to Mutare in Zimbabwe
to help with the AIDS’ children in and around Mutare,
in conjunction with The Victory Tabernacle Church and Dorcas
Aid International. However, Jill would act as Consultant Administrator
to the Inhaminga project from her base in Mutare and would
travel to Inhaminga four times a year for a one-month stay
to give the local staff on-the-spot assistance.
The Inhaminga project has been a huge success
and is now in very capable hands enabling Jill to move on.
In 2002, DAI asked Jill to become Child’s
Sponsorship Consultant for Lesotho to be responsible for identifying
poor children for educational support, establishing a sponsorship
programme and helping whenever possible in a feeding scheme
targeting poor and needy families. A position which she eagerly
accepted.
By February 2003 Jill was established in Semonkong, a mountainous
area, situated 120 km from Maseru, the capitol of Lesotho.
Successfully she set up a child sponsor programme
for the neediest children in the area. Also she initiated
a scheme “Adopt a Granny” when she became aware
of the elderly who had no financial support, yet were expected
to care for many grandchildren orphaned by the Aids epidemic.
As Jill became more familiar with the area,
her concern for the children grew. The Lord put a desire in
her heart to establish a children’s centre for the destitute
children as many have nobody to care for them. This desire
did not agree with the DAI plans for Semonkong. Therefore,
Jill decided to go it alone and resigned from DAI at the end
of September 2005.
Jill sought God’s help.
When she was approached by the Superintendent
of the Lesotho Methodist Church with the request to establish
a Children’s Centre in the Methodist compound in Semonkong,
it was an answer to prayer.
The Methodist Children’s Centre in Semonkong
was officially opened on 1 February 2006, housing 21 of the
most desperate orphans. By September 2008 the count was up
to 72 children!!!
In November 2007 Jill’s daughter, Tara and her husband
Patrick Baanen took over the centre to release Jill to start
up a new children’s project in Pulane (North West of
Lesotho).
Jill is now officially installed as a deaconess
of the Methodist Church of Lesotho. However, this does not
allow for any financial support. Now, more than ever Jill
requires our prayers and financial help. We must continue
to raise funds in the form of regular pledges, support the
Jill Table in the marquee and other fund raising events.
Vale Judeu, October 2008
“You must each make up your mind as to
how much you should give. Don’t give reluctantly or
in response to pressure. For God loves the person who gives
cheerfully.” — 2 Corinthians 9:7
Click here to visit Jill Kinsey’s website:
http://www.freewebs.com/semonkongchildrenscentre/
Jill Kinsey’s e-mail address: Jill@leo.co.ls
For further information, please contact:
The International Evangelical Church of the Algarve
PO Box 109
P 8100-910 Loulé
Portugal
Tel. (+351) 289 328 635
Lesotho
The Kingdom of Lesotho is a landlocked, mountainous country
of 30,355 km2 that is completely surrounded by South Africa.
Three quarters of the country is made up of highlands, which
rise to nearly 3,500 meters in the Drakensberg / Maluti Mountain
range. The remaining one-quarter of the country is lowlands
with altitudes between 1,500 and 2,000 meters.
More than 40% of Lesotho’s population
of 2.2 million (increasing at an estimated 2.1% annually)
are below fifteen years of age. Three quarters of the population
live in rural areas.
Lesotho is one of the poorest countries of the
world. With a per capita income in 1999 of US$ 415, the country
is grouped among the 49 Least Developed Countries.
The country continues to struggle with low levels
of economic growth and an estimated 58% of the population
is trapped below the poverty line. Progress made in human
development and poverty over the past decades is being rapidly
reversed by one of the most severe HIV/AIDS pandemics in the
world. National prevalence rates are estimated at 31% - over
40% in the capital district of Maseru. The pandemic threatens
to undermine the productive sectors of the economy, the delivery
of social services and indeed the entire social fabric.
The immediate causes for the humanitarian emergency
are thus the combined effects of reduced agricultural output
due to adverse weather conditions since November 2001 and
the steep increases in prices for stable foods that have excluded
vulnerable households from bridging the food gap through market
channels by weakening their purchasing power.
(From the United Nations Consolidated
Inter-Agency Appeal
in Response to the Humanitarian Crisis in Southern Africa
- July 2002)
