She was five, maybe six years old — and she was crying before the service had even started.
Salomie du Toit noticed her right away while setting up to present at Impak Church in Eswatini. She asked Pastor Makhosi why the little girl was so upset. His answer was simple, and it stopped her cold: the child had eaten almost nothing that week. In some homes nearby, there had been no food at all for days.
“If you’re very hungry, you don’t listen to anything but your stomach,” Hugo du Toit explained. “We feed them the gospel, but we’re going to give them food also — just to be able to feed them physically.”
Some children in the area walk nearly 5 miles (8 km) through the bushveld just to reach Sunday service — not only for what’s preached, but for what’s served afterward. Pastor Makhosi and his wife, Zodwa, provide lunch for the children who come, often sharing from very little themselves.
For months, donations helped Hugo and Salomie keep that lunch on the table. But those funds have run out, and the need hasn’t. They’re now asking for help to sustain the Eswatini feeding program directly.
For Hugo and Salomie, feeding a child on Sunday is never the whole story. It’s one piece of a much longer commitment to discipleship and education — the kind that follows a child for years, not just a season.
Take Mutinta, the du Toits helped sponsor her through school and later through nursing training.
“It’s like Mutinta — we’ve been able to sponsor her,” Hugo shared. “She’s married now to a male nurse, two lovely children, twins and so on. It’s just completely changed her life.” Today, the du Toits simply call her their daughter.
It’s part of a pattern they’ve seen play out again and again: Ruth, another young woman they’ve supported, is finishing her nursing course this year. “It makes a big difference for them,” Hugo says, and for the families and communities they go on to serve.
“What can I do for somebody else to make their life better for them?” Hugo asked. It’s the question that shapes everything else they do. “Do it small, little bit by little bit. If you help one child, that’s good. But just do something.”
On a recent trip into Eswatini, Hugo and Salomie also taught children about the meaning of Communion — many hearing it explained clearly for the first time. They walked through what it means to “break bread” in remembrance of what Jesus sacrificed on the cross, and what it means to remember, through the cup, that His blood brings forgiveness of sin.
Little Eagles Preschool: New Bathrooms, New Hope
That same heart for the next generation is why the du Toits have spent months raising funds for Little Eagles Preschool, in South Africa’s Limpopo province, after severe weather destroyed the school’s original bathroom facilities. 
“On behalf of Little Eagles ECD center and parents, I just want to give a word of gratitude for helping us with the toilet project,” the school’s principal shared. “It was not easy, but you gave us hope again. We just want to say we really appreciate every effort you are making. Children are happy to have their new toilets.”
Government support for the school isn’t always consistent, so gaps like this one tend to fall to the du Toits and supporters to fill directly. A storeroom for the school is next on their list — a smaller, less urgent need, but one more way of making sure Little Eagles has what it needs to keep going.
Whether it’s through a meal or a bathroom, the du Toits’ heart for discipling the next generation is one of the many ways MV goes from anywhere to everywhere.
Click here to learn more about the du Toits’ work in southern Africa.