From the Cup team

In honor of all the father’s out there, we wanted to share a letter with you that Ben wrote for his father.

A Tribute to My Father by Ben Rodgers

Like many kids growing up I tended to be focused on the things that my father wasn’t. I have largely overlooked the things that he is and the great things he instilled in me.

Here are just a few things that my dad is:
1. My dad loves people and has taught me to do the same. My father is not a pastor or a touchy feely kind of guy but I have watched over the years time and time again where my dad would go out of his way to meet a need of a neighbor, an employee, or someone who was hurting.

My dad ran his own business for most of my growing up years and my brothers and I were personally involved for working for him. He always pushed people to work hard but also demonstrated servant leadership in that he would never ask someone to do something he wasn’t doing or willing to do. He cared for his employees and would try his best to meet their needs. His businesses goals never seemed to be how much money he could make but it was more about being a person that treated people fairly.

2. My dad taught me how to work hard. It’s very true that most of my growing up years I really didn’t appreciate this character attribute very much but I have seen through my life that this one character attribute (other than giving my life to Christ) has been the most responsible for any success that I’ve experienced. I remember my dad putting a little shovel in my hands as a little kid as I was planting little trees for his nursery and landscaping business. It was through a lot of experiences with landscape crews (which always had a few questionable characters) that I learned to lead, care for people, and work as a team. Those experiences and the example that my father provided me the foundation of who I am today.

3. My father is comfortable being who he was made to be. This is one character attribute that I did not get from my father. I’ve always admired it greatly and I’m growing in this area of my life but I have always marveled at regardless of the situation my dad is himself. It’s like he has a shield around him that protects him from what others think of him. He isn’t prideful in this but just REAL. His ability to be real always makes people comfortable around him and willing to be themselves too.

Thanks Dad

This is Sindie Mngometulu’s story, one of the Savior King’s precious baby girls. Both her earthly parents have died and her 25-year-old brother is in charge of taking care of the family: a 9-year-old sister, a 7-year-old brother, and 4-year-old Sindie.

Sindie was sleeping next to the fire one cold winter night when her jacket caught on fire. Not only did she receive 2nd and 3rd degree burns on her shoulder and right arm, her leg was also badly burned when pieces of her jacket melted and dropped onto her leg. Her siblings were able to get her to a hospital where they were able to clean her wounds. The hospital sent them home that same night with nothing to care for her burns or to sooth her pain.

After the weekend had passed, Jessie, Children’s Cup’s nurse, received a call from the CarePoint teachers at Murray Camp that Sindie needed medical care.

Before she could be seen Sindie wet her pants. A visiting volunteer with a missions team from America compassionately cleaned her up and miraculously found clean clothes in the clinic for her to wear. An over sized t-shirt was ripped and tied around her arm to prevent the burns from being touched and a flannel vest was found to keep her upper body warm on the cold winter day.

Sindie cried into the volunteer’s chest as the nurse, Jessie, dressed her burns. Jessie and the volunteer sang worship songs in SiSwati to help distract, reassure, and comfort Sindie through her pain and anxiety. When Sindie’s wounds where dressed, she was driven back to her homestead in Murray Camp.

The Children’s Cup medical ministry continued to care for Sindie weekly by checking on her healing burns and instructing the teachers at Murray Camp to dress her wounds.

With continuous care and by the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, Sindie’s burns have healed with no infections and minimal scarring. The scars from the burns that encircled her arm have healed so well that she has full function of her arm. You can find Sindie now at Murray Camp CarePoint playing, laughing, and smiling.

This precious one, a princess in the eyes of the Lord, has been cared for by the Almighty. All glory and honor and praise are His!

Psalms 10:17-18: You hear, O LORD, the desire of the afflicted; You encourage them, and You listen to their cry, defending the fatherless and the oppressed, in order that man, who is of the earth, may terrify no more.