Design educator at Curro Heritage, Melissa Gouws, is a passionate believer that each of us has unique God-given gifts, not by chance, but with a specific purpose: “I encourage my pupils not to allow their particular gift to go unused. They have it so that they can serve others, bring hope and glorify God.” She gave concrete expression to this when she took up her paint and brush during the school holidays and decorated the one wall in the dining room of The Domino Foundation’s newly refurbished Babies’ Home.
Melissa drew her inspiration from American writer and multi-faceted artist, Suzy Kassem, who said: “Family is like branches of a tree. We grow in different directions yet our roots remain as one," and designed an image of a vigorous tree and its root system which she and her small team of her mum, Carol Harris, and Kiera Clements, a past pupil of hers, then transferred to the freshly painted surface. To make the mural very especially appropriate to the home, in eight hours of pains-taking work. Kiera created stickers, one to be stuck onto each leaf on the spreading tree with the name of one of the 182 babies and toddlers who have found a safe haven at the transition home before going on to become part of their new adoptive “forever families”.
Precious Thabethe, Crisis Mom at the home, was delighted at the transformation Melissa’s mural has brought to what was a rather sterile space after the home’s total make-over: “It not only is very decorative but it also says so much about we aim to do here. Psalm 128 says that our children will be like healthy young trees and we want the little ones we nurture and love here to have strong roots before they leave us.”
Melissa had the last word when she said: “We really feel that, with this project, we stepped into the purpose God designed for us, and we believe that this mural will have a true impact on all who live here, work here and volunteer here.”
