July 2026 Newsletter

Sometimes My Heart Breaks. Sometimes It Overflows with Joy.

From the Desk of Murray Parr

~

My dear friends of Our Neighbours,

There are moments as Director of Our Neighbours when I struggle to find the right words. This month has been one of those times. Within the space of a few days, I found myself celebrating the joy of one little boy finding his way back to family... while grieving the heartbreaking loss of another.
It reminded me just how precious and fragile life really is.

Remembering Winston

For the past three years, fourteen-year-old Winston Moyo (click here for video) had been part of the Lighthouse Christian Academy family through one of our education scholarships.
Winston wasn't just another student on our register; he was one of our children. His smile would light up the room.

His family had already endured so much. They had escaped domestic violence and spent years battling extreme poverty. Only recently, his mum, Honor, had found work as a security guard, and for the first time in a long while, life seemed to be turning a corner.
Then, in a single moment, everything changed. While playing outside with his younger sister, Winston fell from a fruit tree. He was rushed to the hospital by private vehicle because ambulances don't travel to the area where the family lives.

Doctors discovered a blood clot in his brain. Surgery followed, and like so many others, I found myself praying for a miracle. Sadly, that miracle wasn't to be.
Winston was declared brain dead, and after his father and grandfather were able to arrive to say their final goodbye, Winston’s mum made the incredibly brave decision to let him go to God.
I wish there were words that could take away a mother's pain. There aren't.

What we could do was simply be there. Our team had visited Winston in the hospital. We prayed with the family. We supplied medication, provided groceries to help feed the many mourners who gathered, contributed towards the funeral costs, continued grief counselling, and stood beside Honor as Winston was laid to rest. None of those things had changed the outcome, but they reminded one grieving family that they were not facing their darkest days alone.  Sometimes, that's the greatest gift we can offer.

Then Came a Different Goodbye...

Just a few days earlier, our team had been wiping away a different kind of tear. A little five-year-old boy, whom we'll call SM, left Isaiah's Home of Love to begin a new life with his maternal aunt. He had entered our care as his mother had severe mental health challenges, and his father was unable to care for him due to unemployment and alcohol dependency.

Over many months, our social workers carefully walked alongside the family. There were assessments, conversations, home visits, supervised contact and, most importantly, time. Because bringing a child home should never be rushed. It should always happen when it is safe, loving and in the child's very best interests.

The day SM left was emotional for our carers. They had loved him like one of their own. But that has always been the heart of Isaiah's Home of Love. We are not here to keep children. We are here to help children find loving families whenever that becomes possible.
Today, SM is thriving with his aunt, and that's exactly the ending we pray for.

Two Stories. One Mission.

As I reflected on these two children, I realised something. One family needed our help to let go. Another family needed us to help them start anew. Both needed someone to walk beside them.
That is what ONM does every single day. Sometimes we celebrate. Sometimes we cry. Often, we do both in the same week.

To every one of you who supports this work, thank you. You may never have met Winston. You may never meet SM. But because of your kindness, one family knew they were not alone in their grief, while another little boy now has the chance to grow up surrounded by the love of family.
As Director, I feel incredibly privileged to witness these moments. They remind me why this work matters.

They remind me why kind and generous people like you matter.
From the bottom of my heart, thank you for walking this journey with us.

"I've realised that success isn't measured only by the lives we save. Sometimes it's found in quietly holding a family's hand through unimaginable loss. Other times, it's watching a little child walk back into the arms of family. Both are acts of love. And I believe that's exactly what God calls us to do."

Transforming Young Lives Through God's Love

"Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and He will reward them for what they have done."
Proverbs 19:17

Join Us Today
Together, we can wrap these precious children in the healing love they so deeply deserve.

With heaps of heartfelt gratitude and faith,

Murray Parr
Director, Our Neighbours
 +61 414 399 658
heal@murrayparr.com.au 
ourneighbourszim@gmail.com
www.ourneighbours.org