{"id":46921,"date":"2024-02-27T06:00:24","date_gmt":"2024-02-27T04:00:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/mitchells-plain-stands-with-diazville-community-praying-for-return-of-missing-joslin-smith-7-20240227\/"},"modified":"2025-03-19T22:12:51","modified_gmt":"2025-03-19T20:12:51","slug":"mitchells-plain-stands-with-diazville-community-praying-for-return-of-missing-joslin-smith-7-20240227","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/mitchells-plain-stands-with-diazville-community-praying-for-return-of-missing-joslin-smith-7-20240227\/","title":{"rendered":"Mitchell\u2019s Plain stands with Diazville community, praying for return of missing Joslin Smith (7)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

While Saldanha Bay may be more than two hours and 160 km away, the case of seven-year-old Joslin Smith has touched the hearts and lives of many around the province.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Friday 23 February, Broken Crayons Still Colour hosted a mass prayer event at the Kilimanjaro Street Community Hall from 10:00 to 11:00 calling on divine intervention to help bring Joslin home safely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ursula Peters, the founder of the organisation, has been involved in several missing children cases, organising marches, prayers and search parties, mobilised for what became high-profile cases, including 11-year-old Stasha Arendse from Tafelsig and three-year-old Courtney Pieters from Elsies River in 2017. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a safety parent and founder of an early childhood development centre, children are at the forefront of her community work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Peters says this event was a call on the community, and while there was a good turnout, it was a time for unity and packing the hall to capacity with mothers and pastors who are home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis could have been my child. That is why it laid so heavy on my heart. If we can just get together as a community to do a mass prayer. It is so important, our people forget sometimes that unity is the best thing for progress in our community,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cA church is not a building, a church is any individual that stands in the gap and goes on their knees to ask God. People all over the world are in prayer calling for this child to be found, and Joslin will be found,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Joslin Smith (7) was last seen on Monday 19 February near the Diazville clinic wearing a light blue T-shirt and denim shorts.PHOTO: Supplied<\/div>\n
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The residents and organisations who attended the event in Tafelsig.PHOTO: Supplied<\/div>\n
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A human chain in closing prayer was created following praise and worship and individual prayers.<\/div>\n
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Locals gathered to pray for Joslin in Tafelsig.<\/div>\n
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Pastor Leon Jacobs visited Saldanha Bay on Sunday 25 February to show support for the family. Here he is pictured consoling Joslin\u2019s mother, Kerry during a service in the community. PHOTO: Supplied<\/div>\n
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Joslin was reported missing by her mother on Tuesday and was last seen on Monday 19 February. Reports indicate she was left for home from school with the mother\u2019s boyfriend on Monday and was nowhere to be found when her mother returned home. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mass search parties have gathered in Diazville Saldanha since her amber alert, including teams from Mitchell\u2019s Plain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pastor Leon Jacobs, founder of Kingdom Christian Church Mitchell\u2019s Plain and founder of the Leon Jacobs Foundation visited Saldanha on Sunday 25 February and prayed with her mother, Kerry and the community. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis moves us all, that this child has not still not been found. There was a massive crowd,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jacobs reiterates that it is better for closure when you may know a person has died, but when encountering something like this, being in the dark about where the child is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat is a pain on another level. Myself and a delegate team decided in church on Sunday that we were going to Saldanha to be a blessing to this community. We went to tell the community we were standing in the gap for the entire Cape Town. That their pain is our pain. We were well received and they gave me the honour to address the crowd during the church service. It was not planned, but it was decided. I encouraged them that Christ is still our hope in this case and if this is the way God wants to restore and bring a community together, then so be it. Beautiful things happened, with lots of healing, deliverance and salvation.\u201d The entire community of Diazville was touched. \u201cWe were really honoured to be there,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jacobs, who has worked in the crime analysis space across the province, aims to make a difference through the use of his foundation with various outreach efforts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the search continues, Peters says prayer is a powerful tool in bringing her home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere is only one that knows exactly where she is, what is happening and who it is, and that is God. That is why we are all here today, on our knees, calling unto Him. As He has said, if we ask Him, He will answer,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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