Musings from Graceland

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"GRACE WORKS"

GIVEAWAY
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Did you know there is a country with a little over 1,000,000 population yet around 1oo,ooo of the people are orphans? This same country has the highest HIV/AIDS rate in the entire world and unless something profound happens to change the rate of infection and thus death, within a few decades, this people group will virtually become extinct.

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Swaziland is the beautiful mountain kingdom nestled between Mozambique and South Africa with approximately 1/3 or more of its people infected with HIV/AIDS. The Swazi people are facing a pandemic that is having tragic effects as elderly grandmothers, and in some cases, older children are often the only ones left to care for the orphans who are being left behind in staggering numbers...and in far too many cases, these little orphans are also dying from the disease or from malnutrition and other conditions, many of which are preventable and/or curable.

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Nearly 2 decades ago, I lived in Swaziland as minister to children and teens. I fell in love with Swaziland. Those laughing and loving Swazi little ones planted themselves in my heart. Those same children are now grownups who are facing a challenge that through the world's eyes seems nearly impossible to face and beat.

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But many on the outside are stepping forward and saying that they will not stand by and watch a nation die without it being given a fighting chance. For some, it means they're leaving behind their lives of comfort and transplanting their entire lives to Swaziland. Some will work to fight the spread and effects of the disease. Others will pour their lives into those children who have been left behind...to equip them to lead and rebuild their nation some day.

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My 12 year old daughter and I are going to Africa in 2008. We'll have a little over a week to bring some joy, love, laughter, and nourishing food to some of these precious ones . The Bible says that pure religion is to care for the widows and orphans and that whatever we do for the "least of these", we to Jesus. I'm a mom of my own seven children. Every day I read to them, sing songs with them, hug on them, make them laugh, feed them nourishing meals, pray for them, and make sure they know that they are loved immensely. It breaks my heart to think about babies who have no one to rock them, toddlers who are falling asleep at night with hurting stomachs from lack of food, elementary aged "big" sisters who are having to take on the responsibilities of their deceased mothers, and young adolescents who fear they'll be dead before their dreams of adulthood can ever be fulfilled.

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One of the ways that we are financing our trip to Swaziland is thru GRACE WORKS JEWELRY. A sweet friend has donated hours and hours of work (plus all the materials so far) to create jewelry that we are selling to raise the money for our trip that we'll be making with Children's HopeChest.

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To create an awareness of the need in Swaziland and to spread the word about our jewelry, I'm giving away the first HEART FOR AFRICA'S CHILDREN bracelet made by my friend Rhonda. I'm also trying to find out what colors and styles are the most popular so we'll know what to concentrate on as we make more jewelry to sell.

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If you would like to enter the drawing for the HEART FOR AFRICA'S CHILDREN bracelet, please leave me a comment telling which of the jewelry pictured below you like the best. As said before, you'll be winning the red and pink heart bracelet, but your feedback will help us as we make more jewelry.

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The first one is from the "Swazi Skies" Collection.

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The second one is "Rich Earth" reflecting the richness of the Swazi

soil and the value it has for the farmers of that country.

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This third one is "A is for Africa". The A could also be a reminder to pray for the Aids crisis on that continent.

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This green one reminds me of the lushness of Swaziland, often compared to the Scottish Highlands, during the rainy season. This line is entitled "After the Rains".

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This bracelet is from the "Shades of an African Savannah" collection. All these pieces are composed of browns, greens, golds, and blues.

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The last set is from the same collection as our giveaway bracelet, "Heart for Africa's Children". Some of the beads in the bracelet appear almost yellowish-orange in the photos but they are actually pale pink.
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Again, if you would like to be entered in the drawing for the bracelet pictured at the very top of this post, please leave me your contact information and which jewelry designs you like the best. You do not have to be a blogger to enter but I do ask that you live in the U.S.A. The deadline for the drawing is 1:00 pm. Sunday, November 4. I'll hold the drawing later on that day.
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Another couple of things...
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If you're someone I know "in real life" and you'd be interested in selling or buying some of our jewelry, please let me know. 100% of the proceeds go to our trip as all of the materials have been donated. Some folks have volunteered to take some of the jewelry and sell them to their friends and family as a way of helping us raise our needed support. In fact, my sweet mom has already sold almost all of the first package full that I sent her. (Thanks, Mom!)
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To find out more about the ministry of CHILDREN'S HOPECHEST and ways that YOU can be involved in making a difference in the lives of HIV/AIDS orphans, visit their website at: http://www.hopechest.org/
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And to read more about the journey God has us on, go to: http://elysasmusingsfromgraceland.blogspot.com/2007/10/huge-news-for-some-of-you-this-will-be.html
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