LEAVING ON A JET AIRPLANE

Dark and early Friday morning, Jim and I will be leaving for Chicago. The We Will Go missionary family will be taking care of our kids so we can go up north for a Zion Evangelical Ministries of Africa banquet. This is the organization we are applying to go to Swaziland with. This will be our first time to meet the Stateside ZEMA folks.

On the past two trips to Swaziland, we've been blessed to spend time with ZEMA missionaries and on our last trip, we were able to attend a Zionist church.

Please pray for us as we travel, for our kids back home, as we meet the ZEMA folks, and as we continue to listen to the Lord and hear His direction for our future life in Swaziland.

Thanks, and as the Swazis say, sala kahle (stay well)!

IF WE SURVIVE PACKING FOR OUR TRIP...

...we can survive anything!

WOW! I've packed our big family for a lot of trips in the past, after all, none of our relatives live nearby so any family get-together almost always requires some packing and preparing. Heck, one time we even took six of the kids all the way out west as far as Nevada via lots of stops along the way.

But none of that compares to preparing for a two week stay in Africa plus the added travel days on both ends. I'm thinking that a whole lot of opportunities for repentance and forgiveness and growth is going to be happening...and that's before we even pull out of the driveway on Thursday!

So y'all keep on praying for us. I've got almost all the people packed so tomorrow I hit full-force the beautiful piles of donations that are going to bless so many in Swaziland. Pray that we use good organization skills, that we show patience and grace to each other, that good attitudes and work ethics prevail, and that we remember who we are doing all of this for and that our God is worth it. Obeying Him, serving Him, taking His message of love and hope to His precious ones in Swaziland is absolutely worth it all.

And introducing my kids to Swaziland and watching them discover the life that God has planned for us there is going to just be amazing icing on the proverbial cake.

For now, I'll share another day from last year's trip when I had the blessing of introducing Jim to Swaziland and my Swazi friends:

Friday, October 3, 2010

Today was spent meeting up with old friends in Mbabane.

The first friend was Josiah Matsebula. Josiah was one of the youth in the SWAT group I helped lead in the 1980's at Mbabane Int'l Baptist Church. Josiah is married to Goodness. They have two boys. She is a teacher's assistant at a primary school near Checkers and he is a Baptist pastor who also does carpentry and rabbit raising. We met him at the main Mbabane post office and then road with us to the Mbabane Clinic.

The Mbabane Clinic is a very modern, clean hospital and there we visited James Dlamini. James was the gardener for Patsy and Roy Davidson way back when while Josiah worked for Anda Littleford. James is now an accountant at the TIMES OF SWAZILAND but is presently on medical leave. He has extremely high blood pressure and has diabetes. He has been hospitalized and went blind a month and a half ago due to the health issues. James looked very much the same, just a bit older with whiskers. His mother was with him at the hospital. He was very surprised to have me visit and we spent some time catching up on news. We also sang "It Is Well With My Soul" with him and prayed over him. James is very concerned about what whill happen to him if he dies.

After we left teh Clinic, we stopped by the school where Josiah's wife works. We were unable to see her because she was in a meeting. But Josiah showed us some carpentry work he had done and then we left.

The next stop was The Mall. There we met briefly James' wife. She is a cashier at Pick-n-Pay.

We then went into the AFRICAN FANTASY shop. This is where they sell the darling African and Swazi themed cartoon items such as "Two Wild African Cats". I bought a "Children of Africa" poster and a Swaziland homestead t-shirt among other things. Jim bought a hat to keep the hot, African sun off of his head.

I have a lot more to type about this day but to be honest, my fingers and arms are really hurting and I need to stop. Tomorrow is going to be here all too soon and with it a lot of effort --- mentally, physically, spiritually, and emotionally.

Pray!

JUST TWO DAYS LEFT!!!

Crazy amazing but we've just got two full days and a few hours left to prepare and pack for our Swaziland trip.

It has been so fun to see how God is bringing in the needed provision. All of the items but two things on the "wishlist" have been provided. And to be honest, one of those things has been searched for high and low to no avail. Who knew Jiffy, white, frosting mix could be so elusive?

So as of now, the only things left on the list are:

*The a fore mentioned frosting mix (that apparently Amazon.com carries but they seem to be the only ones)

*A laptop computer battery for a house parent at a children's home.

Speaking of that children's home, here's an account from last year's trip journal which tells about our visit to that same ministry.

Thursday, 9/30/10

We spent three hours at Hwane Farm and Teen Challenge touring it, meeting staff, and talking with Timothy Makhanya.

He was very, very helpful, gracious, and informative. He confirmed the great need for more ministry and help in [the area of Swaziland that we believe God is calling us to live and serve]. Wow!

We then went to the coffee shop at Ngwenya Glass for lunch. It was very, very good food. The chocolate cake was especially great.

We then toured the glass-blowing factory, wandered thru the shops, and visited with many of the clerks and craftspeople. We especially had a good chat with the owner of a wooden toy shop (The Rocking Horse Company) who also owns the Chocolate Studio.

We left and drove just a it thru Mbabane before heading back to Manzini.

The Brittens, missionaries who have been in Swaziland and South Africa since 1967, joined us for a taco/burrito supper.

They shared with us how God led them to Africa and told us about the work of the Zion Bible College and gave their insight on many issues related to life in Swaziland and ministry.

After everyone went to bed, I spent some time online, especially messaging back and forth with David, Betsie, and Anna. It is nice to know that they want us back home.

Hopefully, the next time we are in Africa, it will be with them.

And how cool that this is coming true. God is taking them back with us this time. What an amazing, amazing blessing.

A couple of prayer requests before I sign off for the night.

Please pray for my full healing. I'm still feeling weak and headachey from the stomach virus that hit yesterday. Pray that no one else will get it!

Pray for us as we organize and pack all the donated items as well as our personal items. Getting nine people plus a wonderful amount of ministry supplies ready is a big task but I know God will give us what we need to get it done! Pray that we'll have wisdom to know the best way to do it and that all the things that need to get down between now and Thursday morning will happen with grace and perfect timing.

And most of all, pray that God is opening our ears to hear and our hearts to receive all that He wants to tell us and show us. I want even our pre-trip days to glorify Him and be used for His glory and our good.

Til tomorrow, as the Swazis would say, sala kahle (stay well)!
Elysa Thandeka

FIVE DAYS TIL TAKE OFF!

I feel like I need to keep pinching myself to make sure I'm not really dreaming. My family of a million kids is actually going to Swaziland for two whole weeks! It is better than a dream come true. It is the amazing, beautiful, crazy, good, miraculous life that God has custom designed for us. Wow.

And the blessings just keep getting heaped on us. We've been receiving packages and provision from people every day this week and just got two more boxes today. I wish every single person who has contributed was going with us and could see the faces on the children --- and happy adults --- when they receive their gifts. Socks and notebook paper and stickers are a big, big deal when you're an orphan living in a mud hut with six other children and no parents. Goodies from America are a huge boost when you're a missionary struggling with homesickness and wondering some days if anyone remembers you.

I promise to take lots of pictures, though. In fact, I'm sure my family will complain that I'm taking too many, but how can I not? There will be so many images that I will want to capture so I can hang on to them long after we're back in the States and preparing for the big move to live there.

In the meantime, I wanted to update you all on the last few things we're trying to get for the trip then I'll share some more from our last trip.

Here's the list of "love to have" items:

*Hard case to borrow for an acoustic guitar. My son David would love to be able to take his Taylor to play at the ministry sites we'll be visiting as well as lead our family in worship. Plus, he's a bit of an addict where his guitar is concerned.

*White Jiffy frosting mix for an American missionary.

*Size 3 casual sandals for my daughter LG. Even boys' leather or athletic types would work. Our stores aren't carrying sandals yet and it is going to be HOT in Swaziland!

*A laptop battery for a houseparent at an orphan home.

*An American teenaged missionary kid just asked me if I'd bring some sweets over for her from back "home". She loves Jelly Bellies, Lifesavers, Gummi Bears, Dum Dum Pops, Jolly Ranchers, any kind of CHOCOLATE!

We are also still accepting donations to help cover our expenses such as van rental, petrol, and food. Online donations can be made at our PayPal account. Go to this link to get there:

http://elysasmusingsfromgraceland.blogspot.com/2012/01/by-popular-demand.html

And now back to an account from last year's Swaziland trip. At this point in the trip, our Bheveni Carepoint Team (along with our daughter Anna) have returned to the States so Jim and I are on our own to explore Swaziland and seek God's will for our future.

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

After a nice, light breakfast with Inge and Dudley, we loaded up the car with clothes adn other items such as play-doh and party goods for the kids at the preschool.

We got to Moriah Centre in Big Bend a little after 10:00 and just as last time, it was lovely to see Di Hampson and spend time at the Moriah Centre. Many improvements have been made since last time including electrical lights in all the rooms, bright murals painted on the walls, and playground equipment in the back.

After a thorough tour of the preschool, we brought in the clothes and the teachers all selected one outfit for each dhild. I really enjoyed seeing the way things are progressing and chatting wtih the teachers including showing them and giving them photos from my last visit.

Afterwards, Di treated us to lunch at a very chic yet comfortable coffee house attached to the Spar grocery store in Big Bend.

She shared her heart about what she envisions for the Moriah Centre and ministry needs of the community. She was very kind and encouraging to us. She and her husband have been living in Big Bend for 19 years, and like me, has always felt at home.

AFter Di left, Jim and I did a little shopping and browsing in the Spar. We bougth soe food items to take home with us.

We then left BB and drove back to Manzini and went to the market. We visited vendors I had met on my last trip. I was disappointed that Prisca wasn't there as I had visited with her about 4 times last trip. I was also sad to find out that another woman (whose photo I had brought to give her) had died two years ago leaving her nine children to be raised by her sister Goodness. Goodness' husband died just a month or so later leaving her with not just her sister's children but her five as well. She asked me to pray that God would help her to expand her house as it is only one bedroom. We bought several items from her. We had not planned to but I wanted to do something to help her.

We also talked to a young man who I bought items from last time. From Sezar we boughgt a batik print and a wooden hair fastener. Sezar is Mozambican and asked us to pray for him as he is in Bible School wtih the Aseemblies of God in Maputo and desires to preach Jesus everywhere he goes.

Then it was back to the Donaldson's for a supper of sweet-n-sour chicken and afterwards games --- Farkle, Spades, and Nertz.

I have five more days in my travel journal and five days til we leave. Don't know if I'll get it all posted here or not but we'll see. Hope springs eternal in the heart of a procrastinator.

UPDATE FROM YESTERDAY & MORE FROM LAST TRIP

The outpouring of responses regarding the remaining items needed for our trip has been amazing. I wanted to take the time to say a heart-felt thanks to all who have donated items and sent us money. I also wanted to give an update on the remaining items that are needed.

Here goes, folks --- the last items needed for our glorious, amazing, upcoming trip to Swaziland!

*Balloons (Bheveni)

*Elastic waisted skirts (HN, carepoint gogos, teachers, and others)

*Laptop Computer - To be used by house parent at an orphan home (HFNM)

*Baby dolls (especially dark-skinned ones)

*Small toys such as Hot Wheels cars, plastic animals, balls, jump ropes, Happy Meal prizes, etc.

*Vacuum-air-out bags so we can fit more stuff in less space (for us to use on trip)

*Size 2 or 3 casual sandals for our daughter LG. Our stores aren't carrying these yet. It is going to be summertime in Swaziland.

I'll update this again in a day or two as I hear from more folks about donations. In the meantime, here is another excerpt from last year's Swaziland trip:

Monday, September 27, 2010

Today is our last full day together as a team. In the morning, Jim and I will return to Swaziland and the others will journey on to the airport in Johannesburg. Elliott the driver and the Brocks (Dennis and Zwakele) will drop them off --- including our Anna --- before returning to S'land the next day themselves.

I am eager to get back to S'land and see my new and old friends alike but yet I also miss the kids and will probably miss them even more once Anna leaves.

Today we did Kruger! And we actually saw all of the African "BIG FIVE"! We woke up at 4:20 a.m., left here at 5:00, and FROZE on the way there and most of the day. It has definitely been our coldest day in Africa so far. When the safari buggy wasn't moving, it was pleasant, but those sideless vehicles offer little protection from the wind, even when the plastic siding gets unrolled.

We did a lot of shopping at the gift store there and Jim and I had tasty meat pies for lunch.

OH! We had breakfast packs-to-go in the a.m. --- boiled eggs, yogurt, muffins, apples, and various soft drinks. For mid-morning tea-time snack we had some fancy packed sandwiches.

Lynn was our tour guide. She is involved with ministries related to Heidi and Roland Bakker with Iris Ministries. She is writing a book and shared some stories with us about how God is moving and working in her life and the lives of others.

The animals we saw included, but were not limited to the "BIG 5" (lions, white rhinos, elephants, Cape buffalo, leopards), giraffes, impala, sables (very rare -- more so than lions), hornbills, water buck, African vultures, hippos, crocs, klifspringers, baboons, monkeys, zebras, etc.

I learned that baby elephants must eat their mom's poop to get essential enzymes.

After Kruger, we freshened up at the guest house and then went for supper at the Detroit Spur located in the Riverside Mall. I had rump steak with monkey gland sauce. I was quite good and NO real monkey glands.

We also got to go to an internet cafe there and I blogged, posted at Five in a Row, visited Betsie's new blog, and did stuff on facebook, including instant messaging Betsie. It was less than a rand a minute (13 American cents) so quite a good deal.

Back at the guest house, Jim and I walked around the lovely grounds a bit, avoided the noisy, guard geese, and then transferred over a bunch of stuff for Anna to carry home.

LOOKING BACK and PLANNING FORWARD

Since we're leaving for Swaziland next week, it dawned on me that I better finish sharing from our last trip's journal of events before I've got this trip's events to share. But first, let me do something else.

A lot of folks have been asking us what we still need for our trip to Swaziland. I've gone thru and updated the list of items that we're still lacking. If you don't live locally, you've still got time to ship if you send it a quick way. If you don't think you can ship in time but you'd like to donate money so we can go out and buy the items ourselves, contact me and I'll send you our mailing address. And some have also asked if we still need funds for our trip. Yes, we are still very thankfully accepting money to go towards the van rental, food, and accommodations.

Okay, so below is the up-dated list of items that the carepoint kids, missionaries, Swazi leaders, etc. need or have requested. For some of the kids, these donations are HUGE needs such as school supplies. For others, like the missionaries serving there, little things like a new book or chocolate chips, give them that loving boost when they are missing home or feeling discouraged.

There are also a couple of things that we need to help us with our trip.

I am putting initials or names by some of the items so I can keep up with who the items are for. It also might help some of you if you are looking for items that would specifically go to the carepoint kids are a certain missionary or Swazi staffer that you know personally.


*pencils (Bheveni Carepoint)

*pens (Bheveni)

*loose leaf notebook paper (Bheveni)

*books by Francine Rivers (NM)

*stickers (Bheveni)

*balloons (Bheveni)

*pancake mix (NM)

*Clean, classic books such as ANNE OF GREEN GABLES, HENTY books, LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE, JANE AUSTEN, the old HARDY BOYS, etc. --- NO references to magic, witches, the occult, etc. (Bheveni Carepoint and others)

*Christian fiction --- young adult, children's, and adult (Bheveni and otherd)

*Children's picture books --- no references to anything magical (Bheveni and others)

*Colored Construction paper (carepoints and missionary kids)

*Mp3 player, any brand (TM)

*Elastic waisted skirts (HN, carepoint gogos, teachers, and others)

*Solid Stick Deod/Anti-perspirant (HN)

*Laptop Computer - To be used by house parent at an orphan home (HFNM)

*Monopoly Deal card game (HJS)

*Baby dolls (especially dark-skinned ones)

*Small toys such as Hot Wheels cars, balloons, plastic animals, balls, jump ropes, Happy Meal prizes, etc.

*Vacuum-air-out bags so we can fit more stuff in less space (for us to use on trip)

*Size 8 or 10 skirts that go to the knee or below for our daughter LG. Apparently, these skirt lengths are not in style right now and I've not been able to find her any.

*Size 2 or 3 casual sandals for our daughter LG. Our stores aren't carrying these yet. It is going to be summertime in Swaziland.

These items do NOT have to be new. Books can still be read even if they've been read a dozen times. Pancake mix needs to be uncooked, though. ;)

So now that I've taken care of that bit of business, here's the next installment from my 2010 Swaziland Trip travel journal:

September 26

[I got the team involved in this entry, asking them to write something about the day's events]

The Team's Day: One or more "things" about our day...

"Today we checked out of Tum's George Hotel. We worshipped at the Timbutini Church with our African brothers and sisters in Christ. We crossed the border into South Africa. Mbabane looks much more prosperous than Manzini. Much greener as well. The road to Nelspruit had breathtaking scenery and we saw a baboon and a giraffe. God is good - all the time!" J. Mac

"I saw a wild baboon!!" --- Kelly L.

"Looking out over several hills with the sun setting between all the trees as we drove close to Nelspruit [South Africa]. Also seeing the very well dressed women barefoot and eating hunks of meat and bread at the gas station." --- Erica Z.

"For me, it was nice to be at Timbutini EWC [Church] --- I had missed the last couple of weeks because of trips. It was great to worship the Lord with all hte brothers and sisters from America!! Church was long and hot (11 a.m. to 2 p.m.). But it was nice, especially at the end when the church did appreciation for Pastor Walter with a special cake and a bedroom duvet set." --- Dennis AKA "Masoma" [missionary who helped us out through out our time in Africa]

"Dad danced. Mom made me write in her journal. I listened to Enrique and Shakira. Waka waka (this time for Africa)." --- Anna [our oldest daughter]

"Enjoyed worship with Timbutini and Pastor Walter's message. Feel like our trip has gone very well, but shorter than I'd like --- tough I don't know it could be "long enough". Enjoyed hearing 'God is Good --- All the Time!' again." --- Mike Brower

"My favorite part of today was getting the Timbali purses at teh AIM offices. I'm so excited to take them home to my friends and family. Oh, and I really liked seeing Kelly see a baboon! :)" --- Danielle Brower

Thanks to my AMAZING team, I don't have too much to write which means I can go to sleep quickly. That's a GOOD thing as we wake up at 4:20 a.m. to leave for Kruger Game Park at 5:00!!!

Some other details ---

*Saw a little girl that Anna remembered at Pastor Walter's church from her AIM trip in 2009.

*Clyburns and McAdams family were present at service as well as the REAL LIFE team. They are families from Alabama that just arrived in Swaziland this week to serve for 2 years wtih AIM.

*Lunch --- sandwiches and crisps [chips] while parked in front of AIM office.

*Bought ice cream bar and dark chocolate at the store near Badplaas. Cashier thought we were German. I said, "we're American but I've lived in S'land so long I've lost my accent. ;)

*Supper at Jon Dory's at Riverside Mall.

*Guest house bedrooms are the most BEAUTIFUL rooms I've ever stayed in in Africa - maybe anywhere.

*I already miss Swaziland. Will be glad to be back there on Tuesday.

*I also miss my kids.

JUST CHECKED A CALENDAR...

...and we will be in Swaziland in exactly six weeks from today!

I am already so excited, I can't even imagine what I'm going to be like the week before we leave. I might have to be sedated.

THROWING A PARTY FOR AMAZING KIDS

I had taken a break from posting about our last year's trip because my travel journal was temporarily missing. Yeah, lost passports, lost travel journals, lost brain cells. Story. Of. My. Life. The absent journal has been located and so I'll now pick back up where I had left off.




September 25, 2010
10:22 p.m.

Today is Travis' 7th birthday back in the States so I am really missing him and his siblings today. As much as I love being here, I feel sad that I am missing his special day. We did celebrate it before our trip --- baked the cake and even opened gifts early. But still, this is one of the times that I really wish I could be two places at once. And shame, next Sunday I will miss Laura Grace's birthday. At the carepoint today, I had a bunch of the kids sing HAPPY BIRTHDAY while I videotaped. It will be fun to show it to him.

Okay - so here are the highlights of today:

*At breakfast, Mfana Simelane came to visit. He was one of the youth in SWAT back during my journeyman [missionary] days. He is 40 years old now! He is doing great. He is married with 2 daughters. He is a social worker for the government plus he ministers thru a teen boys'/young men's soccer team and has a Sunday School class in his home in Mondoza, a neighborhood of Manzini. His mother, who we called Granny at [Mbabane International Baptist Preschool and served as the cook and cleaner], died from a brain tumor. His sister Nomphumalelo [who was a teacher at the preschool in Mbabane] works at a creche [preschool] as something that sounds like what I did at the Mbabane Preschool --- training teachers, etc. He showed me many, many photographs and gave me one of him and his family plus a mug with his soccer team on it. [He also told me that the head teacher that I knew, Beatrice Dudu, has also now died. I hated to hear this. She was one of the Swazi teachers I really hoped to see again one day.]

*At Bheveni, we had the party. We did face-painting...

...a space jump, games...

...songs, the giving of gifts (sweeties, silly bands, bubbles, etc.) plus the backpacks that still were needed...

... plus a BIG feast.

The meal consisted of beef soup and chicken soup over rice, beet salad, and potato salad plus ginger cookies.




It was kumnandze (delicious) and we were able to watch them do much of the cooking while we were there, though some of them had slept at the carepoint so they could start cooking at 3:00 in the morning!




*We gave the bomake [mothers] and bogogo [grandmothers] a KFC meal as a thank-you treat after they served the kids. [Kentucky Fried Chicken is very popular in Swaziland.]




*Saying goodbye to the children was hard. It is hard enough knowing it might be a year or two before we return, but extra hard knowing some we may never see --- whether it is because they move away or die. I gave our sponsored child, Banele, extra hugs today and told her we would always love and pray for her.




*We were unable to see our other sponsored child, Nocolo, as she goes to a school "far away".

*After the party, we left and went to the Ezulweni craft market where we bought, among other things, a Noah's Ark set, beaded cups, hairbands, and a crocheted teddy bear.




*We ate supper at Quartermain's. Jim had "eisbein" which was a giant, pork shoulder that was glazed. I had beef curry. Dennis, Zwakele, Kriek, and Elliott (our driver) joined the B-Team.




Tomorrow we go to Pastor Walter's church at Timbutini. Dennis is the associate pastor. Then after church, we will leave straight for Nelspruit. I know it is going to be hard for the team to say goodbye to Swaziland.

SENDING OVER SOME BLESSINGS

As any even sort-of-regular visitor to Graceland knows, we'll soon be going over to Swaziland for two weeks. While there, we'll be introducing the kids to their future home as well as spending ministry time at some carepoints and other places.

Some of you might be interested in sending over items that the carepoint kids, missionaries, Swazi staff, etc. need or have requested just to make life a little easier. For some of the children, these donations fill HUGE needs such as for school supplies. For others, like the missionaries serving there, little things like a new book by a favorite author or chocolate chips, give them that loving boost when they are missing home or feeling discouraged.

If you are interested in donating any of these items, please let me know so we'll make sure we don't get duplicates or too many of one thing and not enough of another.

*pencils
*pens
*loose leaf notebook paper
*books by Francine Rivers
*pancake mix
*mint gum
*clean, classic books such as ANNE OF GREEN GABLES, G.A. HENTY books, etc. --- NO references to magic, witches, wizards, or the occult
*Christian fiction --- young adult, children's, and adult
*children's picture books --- no references to anything magical (Bheveni and others)
*Christian music cds
*colored Construction paper
*Mp3 player, any brand
*Twizzlers
*chocolate Chips
*People magazine --- the requesting missionary says that old copies are fine, too
*elastic waisted skirts
*blue jeans in size 8 or 10
*solid stick deod/anti-antiperspirant
*pepperoni - the kind that doesn't have to be refrigerated til after it is opened
*birthday party supplies (napkins, plates, etc.). If you have any left over from your child's birthday party or a Thanksgiving Day meal, they can be put to good use by folks in Swaziland!
*Mardi Gras bead necklaces
*blow-up beach balls
*side-walk chalk
*stickers
*small toys such as HotWheels cars and Littlest Pet Shop animals
*balloons

Most of these items do NOT have to be new. Books still read even if they've been read a dozen times. GUM, on the other hand, needs to be UNchewed. ;)

Here is a video of some of the children that are a part of the Moriah Centre ministry where we will be during a large part of our trip. They are singing their own version of "I have decided to follow Jesus".

Aren't they absolutely precious? Can't wait to get to know them better in January and absolutely overwhelm them with snuggly blessings and love!

BUT WE MUST

“Our charge is to both proclaim and embody the gospel so that others can see, hear, and feel God’s love in tangible ways.



When we are living out our faith with integrity and compassion in the world, God can use us to give others a glimpse of His love and character. It is God --- not us --- who works in the hearts of men and women to forgive and redeem. Coercion is not necessary or even particularly helpful. God is responsible for the harvest --- but we must plant, water, and cultivate the seeds."

Richard Stearns, THE HOLE IN OUR GOSPEL

LAST "REGULAR" DAY AT CAREPOINT

As I read the first five words of my journal entry, I thought, "can any day at a Swazi carepoint really be regular"? No, not really. Every day is a new day filled with brand new hugs and snuggles and familiar songs sung fresh. Here's what I wrote a little over a year ago in my favorite country in the whole, wide, big world --- Swaziland.


Friday, September 24, 2010

Last "regular" day at carepoint as tomorrow is a big party for the kids.




Highlights of the day:

*Noah's Ark Bible story

*Taught preschool children an animal game



*Preschoolers colored pictures


*Mealie meal pap and beans were tried by Jim, Kelly, Danielle, and Mike



*Some of the older kids put on a dram re-enacting when Joseph's brothers sold him into slavery

*Older kids decorated paddle balls


*Went on two home visits with Xolani, Anna, and Jim. First one was with Sandra Carmichael's sponsored child.


Her gogo [grandmother] had gone to a funeral and her parents have been gone since May to work in Johannesburg so we visited with her, an older brother, and an aunt. Special care had been given to the fruit trees around the homestead.


*The second home visit was to one of our sponsored children, Banele Dlamine's [Our church youth group is actually her official sponsor]. It was a long, long walk but well worth it. Her homestead was about 20 minutes walk from the carepoint up on the top of a big hill. The homestead was very simple but clean.


We had a very friendly, relaxed visit with Banele, her mother, her father, her older sister, and her sister's baby. All of us sat on mats except for the [father] who was sitting on a rock. Banele's parents seemed old. I would guess her mother is in her 50's and the father in his 60's.


Banele took me inside the building where they all sleep. There was a double bed and a twin bed. It was all kept up very, very neatly. Banele was very proud and stretched out on the bed with a happy smile.


*We had to walk quick, quick back to the carepoint where our van was waiting to leave. In our absence, the gogos [grandmothers] and makes [mothers] had gotten their gifts (aprons, scarves, shirts) and the school age children received their backpacks and school supplies.


*This evening [our team] ate at Ramblas again with Elliott, Zwakele, and Dennis. We also saw Julie and [and her daughter] Ellie there as they were leaving the Pick-N-Pay grocery store.



*After supper, we organized supplies for tomorrow and all the things we will leave for Kriek for the carepoint to use in the future.


Tomorrow is the end-of-the-week party at the carepoint.

TIMBALI CRAFTS, FEEDING CHILDREN, and NEW SHOES

Here's the next installment from the Swaziland 2010 Trip series:

September 23, 2010
10:22 p.m.

Today is my Dad's 74th birthday so after breakfast, I used the front desk's computer to send a message to Betsie and others asking them to please call and wish him a HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

At 10:00, we left (with Musa driving) to go to the carepoint where the Timbali Crafts women meet.


Our group joined a REAL LIFE team in examining and sorting purses. I spent a good long time talking to Michelle from Chicago. Their team has been here 1.5 weeks.


I also had the blessing during this time of serving food to the carepoint kids --- sour porridge [imagine cream of wheat mixed with yogurt] to the little ones and mealie meal pop [thick corn meal mush] with gravy for the big ones.


The whole time, Musa and Jim just talked and talked. :D




After a couple of hours, we left and went to Bheveni. We drove thru a dry riverbed on a the way there. We saw cans set in the dry sand for the water to rie up into so people could scoop water out. The Swazis desperately need God to send rain.



Our main activity at Bheveni today was to give the kids new shoes.



First, their feet were washed by a member of the B-Team and then they were fitted with their new shoes and socks.





I was the official photo taker plus I did other random things that needed to be done from time to time. It was so fun watching the whole event occur.

After the shoe-giving, the children sang songs and then Jim told the last installment of his African story. During this, Mike and Danielle made another home visit.

The children then left and we gave the D-Team members their gifts. They are such strong, amazing, loving young men and women. They do so much for the children of the carepoints and our week couldn't have happened without their leadership and hard work. Among the gifts given were a fedora hat for Musa, sneakers for Xolani, a baseball cap for Bheki, American flag map shirts for each member and fashion accessories for the girls.



When we got back to Manzini, Jim, Erica, and I went walking a bit around Manzini. Erica and I swapped a lot of Swazi stories as she had served as a leader of a Real Life team last year.

At the hotel, Erica, JIm, Anna, and I ate pizza from Ramblas out on the patio.




Danielle and Mike were spending time calling Danielle's Mom. Today was Danielle's father's funeral. [He died just a couple of days before we left the States for Swaziland.]

After supper, I got on facebook for approximately 15 minutes and talked to the bhuti [young man] at the front desk about God. Then we went to Erica's room for team time.


We cut out paper shapes needed for tomorrow's older kids' craft and then talked about our highs and lows of the week. Anna ended our night by praying for all of us. It was a long and beautiful prayer, a blessing in many ways. One of the things she prayed was that Jim and I would know clearly whether we are supposed to move over here or not. She also prayed that each of us would know what to do with what we are seeing and experiencing this week.

Then Jim and I tried to book our rental car via the front desk computer to no avail. [ We will need one for our extra days we are staying in Swaziland.]

Now it is time to sleep. We all are really ready for bedtime and rest every night.