Written by: Gerda Potgieter
Lidia Dube is a community builder with a heart for young people and the Lord. She spends quality time with everyone who comes to her with their problems. Help seekers, including Royal households and community leaders, come from far and wide to see her. In short, she gives hope to the helpless! She has done pioneering work in various fields. Still, most remarkably, she planted the seeds for a sustainable youth conference fifty years ago – a youth conference that has grown tremendously over the years and has made a significant impact on the lives of countless young people.
Lidia is a shining example of a woman with exceptional qualities and a deep love for her community. When confronted with the truth of the Gospel in her youth, she bravely confessed her past mistakes, dedicating her life to the Lord. Since then, her life has been a testament to others. At first, Lidia was opposed to the Gospel, but in 1968, she felt a divine calling to collaborate in the ministry of Rev Erlo Stegen. This marked a significant turning point in her life, leading her to promote the Lord’s work. In 1970, the small congregation acquired a farm in the Kranskop community and started the KwaSizabantu Mission. Since then, she has helped build a sustainable and independent mission station that helps communities and uplifts them through various programs. They started to plant vegetable gardens, which later grew into Emseni Farming and still feed the workers, collaborators, and the community. Over the years, Emseni has developed a blueprint for sustainability and diverse farming and taught the community how to farm sustainably.
In 1974, Lidia was inspired to invite young children to small youth services at KwaSizabantu where she shared the Gospel with them and her testimony. This marked the humble beginnings of the KwaSizabantu Youth Conference. Since then, these youth conferences have been held twice yearly at the KwaSizabantu mission station, attracting thousands of mixed-race children each time. This year, the 50th anniversary of the Youth Conference was celebrated with a Thanksgiving service, attended by over 12,000 people. What Lidia started has grown into a sustainable program to guide young people who need help from the Lord and assist them wherever possible.
Lidia’s concern for children led her in 2009 to the young drug addicts on the street and those who sought shelter in cemeteries. She began to bring them to the Mission, where the Gospel was shared with them, and their needs were met. The result of her care and help was that young people were cured of addiction, relationships with their parents and communities were restored, and they also had more hope for their future. Thus, the CYPSA program (Concerned Young People of SA) was born under the leadership of Lidia. It is a holistic spiritual restoration and support program that provides services to the desperate people without charging the,. CYPSA also helps schools raise awareness of the great evil of addiction and has already visited an enormous number of schools and provided free help. Also, across national borders.
The CYPSA program has grown from strength to strength over the years and has helped more than 20,000 young people since Lidia took the first step. Many of those who restored their lives chose to stay behind on the mission station and were provided with work in numerous farming and other projects that grew to great heights over the years. The income from the projects is used to promote the Gospel, carry out outreaches to other young people, and uplift work for those left behind.
Lidia was part of the KwaSizabantu Mission from the beginning, which in 2023 celebrated seventy years in the ministry of the late Reverend Stegen. Since the mission’s existence more than 54 years ago, she has contributed physically and spiritually to its growth. KwaSizabantu is currently considered one of the largest mission stations in Africa, with several branches throughout South Africa and abroad. Through difficult years, she persevered to serve God and remained faithful. The ideas and suggestions of the strong woman with a heart of gold bear fruit, and her contribution to the community speaks life.
Read more about Lidia’s work by following the link to the special publication: https://online.pubhtml5.com/asxvv/heul/
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Date published: 15/07/2024
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