3913 US Hwy 64W Apex, NC 27523
(919).362.8974

Newsletter - February 2022

February 10, 2022

Changing lives by sharing God’s love and hope with children in need

“I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.”  Matthew 25:40

Love is in the air

A group of  love messages compiled by Ya Bana’s 4–18-year-olds

                  1 Corinthians 13:13, “…the greatest of these is love.”

  • We love and appreciate you all.   May God richly bless you and your families.
  • It really means a lot that you choose us each and every day.  
  • We thank you for everything:
  • for your prayers, hard work, effort, determination 
  • for time spent with us
  • for the real love you have for each and every one of us since our coming to Ya Bana
  • for bicycles, toys, nice and beautiful things, good food, good clothes, sweets, presents
  • for the care and support you give to us
  • for the homes we now have
  • for our education, an opportunity to attend a good school (We love it!) 
  • for our beautiful mothers
  • for teaching us how to take care of ourselves
  • for our trips at Christmas
  • for teaching us about God and that, without Him, we can do nothing.  I never knew who God was, but you taught us.
  • for making our dreams come true
  • for teaching us how to love one another
  • for helping me and my brother

Our hope and prayers for you: “May God protect you and your families, shower you with more blessings, give you good health, bless you with many more years to come, give you your heart’s desire, help you to continue doing good, and give you a lovely year and all the best in 2022! “

Sending you lots of love & hugs this HAPPY VALENTINES’ DAY!!!

race to 300 praise

God demonstrated His love again with an outpouring of love and assistance towards our Race to 300 campaign. Praise the Lord, seven additional children started their new school year at our partnering private Christian school.

Thank you all for joining this race and providing this ongoing opportunity!

For nothing is impossible with God.”

Luke 1:37

HEARTS AND HANDS

The Saintly Sorters: (left to right) Frances
Blanchard, Gayle Green, Helen Lawrence, and Mary Stoll. Missing from the photo is Alisha Sagraves.

This month we are shining our spotlight on the Saintly Sorters who work so diligently in the Pricing Room and are most worthy of our Hearts and Hands recognition. This article is written by Mary Stoll who is the newest member of the group and whose story of how she became connected with Mabopane you may never have heard before.

“Prior to moving to Apex from Mebane to be close to my daughter and her family, I traveled back and forth with some frequency—often passing the Mission House, seeing yard sale signs, and wondering exactly what went on there. More than a year later after moving to Apex, I decided to find out. So I drove to the Mission House, found that there were a few cars on site, and saw someone entering a door to a building on the back of the property. So I knocked on the door of what turned out to be the “Pricing Room”. I was greeted by a lovely, smiling face which belonged to Frances Blanchard.

After introducing myself and learning more about Mabopane, I inquired if there might be an opportunity for me to be a volunteer. (As I was preparing to move from Mebane to Apex, I had been praying for the Lord to show me how and where I might serve as a volunteer and make new friends. I had volunteered for many years at my church in Mebane.) Frances stopped and looked at me and said I was the answer to her prayers as she has been overwhelmed with so many things to sort, clean, and price.

Working in the pricing room has become the beginning of a wonderful new career as a volunteer. We have a great group of sisters to work with—gals who are like-minded in many ways and caring friends who pray for each other, worry about each other, and share our joys. There are 5 of us known as the Saintly Sorters who show up once or twice a week to work in the pricing room. We each have a specialty: Frances is our lead person. Helen sorts items. And then Frances handles bedding; Gail and Alisha handle household items; and I handle toys and games. It’s almost like Christmas every day in the pricing room. You never know what you are going to open up and find. Treasures galore!! And learning about the function of some items and how to price them keeps our activities always interesting.

Unfortunately, for health reasons, our long-time leader and friend Frances is stepping down from her responsibilities in the pricing room. This does NOT mean that Frances is leaving Mabopane and the Mission House. She will continue to be involved but in different ways. With Frances leaving the pricing room and as our inventory continues to grow, we are in search of several volunteers to help out. Training will be provided. Anyone who decides to join the Saintly Sorters will be blessed by the opportunity to fellowship with a wonderful group of women.”

Editor’s Note: Mary’s volunteer involvement is not confined to working in the pricing room. She volunteers at nearly every Pop-Up Sale and has covered almost all areas of need. One summer, Mary invited her high-school aged grandson, Gabriel, to join her as a volunteer at the Pop-Up Sales. Willing and happy to do whatever was asked of him, Gabriel was quite popular with the other volunteers and some great relationships were formed. Getting young people involved in volunteering is a wonderful way to teach them about being mindful of the needs of others, approachable, grace-filled, bold, and self-giving. It is an act of love.
And speaking of volunteering, we appreciate the willingness of Holly Donaldson and her friend Jennifer Compton to pick up Panera Bread products for the next six months and deliver them to the Mission House on Thursday nights before our weekend Pop-Up Sales. THANK YOU SO MUCH!

SOLOMAN’S STORY

“My name is Matlhomola—also known as Soloman. I’m thankful to say I’ve had the opportunity to stay at Ya Bana since I was a young boy. This has been a big experience. I was able to learn how to be responsible and, most important, how to love God and become a man of honor. Even today, I’m fighting to become that man. And, I must say, it’s not always easy.
There have been and always will be rules and regulations; but I’m happy to try my best.

Thanks to all of you, I’m now a trained, professional baker at Ya Bana. I’ve always been passionate about cooking but never really thought of baking. I’m happy to see people being proud of me.
Now all the bread is made on site for our Village and ELC. It’s no longer necessary to purchase it outside. I am also learning to make pizza as well as other things. It is my wish to work with other young people to pass these skills along. As a young man, I’m addicted to positive growth. I don’t think I ever want to stop learning. For me, it means a better future.


I am looking forward to working with the Ya Bana Food Shack in the near future. This provides additional hands-on Business training. This small shop will offer basic needs,
many of them made by me, for our neighboring community. I’m happy for the steps we are taking as an NGO. For me, these are the true indications of good growth.”
“Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established.”
Proverbs 16:3

ATTENTION GARDEN LOVERS!


We are happy to announce that this year’s annual PLANT SALE will take place on April 29 & 30. This much anticipated event always brings a smile to all of us outdoor gardening enthusiasts. There will be a variety of perennials, ground covers, small shrubs, and occasionally even some house plants available for purchase. Please mark these dates! We are asking and would really appreciate our friends and volunteers helping to supply cuttings, plants, bulbs, rooted house plants, and anything you have growing around your property that can be shared with us.

PLEASE, PLEASE identify the plants you wish to donate by labeling them. One easy way to do this is to write the name of the plant on a popsicle stick or plastic knife and insert it into the soil. This will be a huge help to us and eliminate the guesswork of trying to figure out what each plant is.

Questions? Call Heidi Soden at 919-302-1171. Thank you so much for your support!

NEEDED: EXPIRED STAPLES INK CARTRIDGES. Store credit is given at Staples which helps with our office/sales expenses. Please leave your expired cartridges under the Drop Off Shelter.
3913 US Hwy 64W Apex, NC 27523
(919).362.8974
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