SWAZILAND PRAYER REQUESTS

There are specific things going on in Swaziland right now that really need to be prayed about. Would you join me in taking these matters to the Father?

First off, our missionary friend Dudley Donaldson has pneumonia. Would you please pray for him to receive rest and healing? He especially asks for prayers because he is scheduled to start a new round of Bible classes this Saturday for Zionist pastors and church leaders.

Second, please pray for the VanderWal family. They serve in Swaziland as medical missionaries. Echo is due to deliver their new baby in less than 24 hours. Please pray for the expectant mama and precious baby daughter during this time of waiting, labor, and delivery.

Third, please pray for a tragic situation. A father was walking his young daughter to a school and carepoint that is located across from the Manzini dump when a car hit him, the little girl, and the baby he was carrying. The father and little girl were killed. The baby was injured, admitted into the local hospital's ICU, but later released. Please pray for those grieving in Swaziland right now. This is a carepoint that Adventures in Missions and Children's HopeChest is involved with. I've personally spent time there as have both of my teenaged daughters and many of our friends. The little girl's mother had to be admitted into the hospital for a while after learning the news but she is home now with the released baby and that baby's twin. An entire family, community, and network of short-term missionaries around the world are hurting right now. Please pray for them and pray that somehow, good will come out of this horrific situation.

Thank you.

NEWS FROM THE SWAZI AMBASSADOR TEAM

Just received this update:

Hello All-

We just finished our move to Timbutini, where we will be until the end of the trip. We will be ministering there, but we will also be commuting to Manzini once or twice a week to continue ministry in sites we've been working at this past week.

During this past week, we've been working with the Luke Commission (helping them prepare for weekly clinics they hold), working at a local care point, at the Manzini hospital, at the Hope House, and at many other sites throughout Swaziland. We hearts have been broken by the poverty, suffering, and neglect we've seen, and we're continually casting our burdens on the Lord and trusting in His provision and love for all of His children.

We've been incredibly blessed by this team's heart for ministry. The students constantly give all they have, tiring themselves out on a daily basis because they are so excited to put all of their efforts and energy into ministry. It shows in the way the team conducts itself, in the relationships they team has built, and in all the team has seen and experienced in our short time here.

The team has been working so hard that we've decided to take an "off day" tomorrow and attend a 4th of July celebration in Ezulwini. We are also going to use the first part of the morning as our one communication day, so you might be receiving a call or email very early in the morning tomorrow.

Thank you for your continual prayers--they are a blessing and encouragement to us. We really feel that we are being transformed by the way that God is renewing our minds and spirits here in Swaziland. If you can continually pray for our good health, safety, and a fruitful ministry, we would be most appreciative.

We look forward to sharing about our upcoming ministry in Timbutini!

~Swazi Leaders

http://09sw0619amb1.myadventures.org/

Photo taken by Adventures in Missions staffer Christine Chenoweth at Timbutini. To read about her ministry in Swaziland, visit her blog at: http://christinechenoweth.myadventures.org/

WHEN I WAS SICK, YOU VISITED ME

.

This article was written by Dennis Brock, a staff member with Adventures in Missions, who lives in Swaziland and spends the majority of his days helping to care for God's precious "least of these". My daughter A and her team will be ministering at Timbutini and assisting the Luke Commission written about here:

"On Friday May 15th 2009 we @ AIM Swaziland experienced a breakthrough in our ministry. The 15th was the day of our first medical clinic in our new partnership with The Luke Commission (TLC). In case you do not know of the Luke Commission, let me first begin by telling you that they are awesome! They are the real deal here in Swazi! TLC are a mobile medical mission based here in Swaziland, which focuses their efforts in the rural areas. They offer free medical care, free medications, free HIV testing and counseling, free vision care, free eyeglasses, free Bibles and the Hope of the Gospel. In fact everything they do, all the care they provide, is infused with getting out the message Jesus. We are so excited to begin our partnership with them, as they have pledged to regularly run clinics at our care point locations. Please feel free to check out the Luke Commission @ their website. Their web address is: www.lukecommission.org

The location for our first partner clinic was @ the Timbutini Church/Care Point. I was so excited that we were finally able to provide this type of service for the community. Usually, we have to take our children into the city to be seen @ a hospital. It is always a long, difficult, and frustrating process. Most of the poorest people in Swaziland live in the rural areas. They usually do not have the funds to be treated by a doctor, let alone the money to even travel to the city to get to the doctors. What usually happens is that people suffer, and even die from simple treatable ailments. What a blessing it was to have very good doctors and knowledgeable medical staff come into our community to see the people right where they live! For me this was a total dream come true! It felt like "Finally we are rolling here!" It was another step, an improvement in what we (with God's grace and power) are able to provide in terms of care and support to all our orphaned children as well as the larger community. Thank you Lord!

The community clinic started at around 10 am and finished with the last patients at around 9:30 that night. It was a long day for sure, but so worth it! Many people were seen by the doctors – in fact no one is ever turned away by the Luke Commission, as they will stay until the last person is treated. Everyone who saw the doctor was dealt with care and shown the love and compassion of Christ. It was so great to see the TLC staff take time to explain to the people what their medical problem is. Almost always here a doctor will simply give you pills and not explain anything to you about your medical condition. And it is looked down upon for a patient to ask the doctor questions. Crazy right?

For now I am also functioning as the liaison between AIM and TLC helping to coordinate our future clinic days. It's this marriage of the compassion, love, and the hope of Jesus, along with the tangible help of great medical treatment that gets me very excited! This was truly a dream come true, and it's just the beginning! Our goal continues to be partnering w/ the Lord to bring his work of restoration in our communities. Our partnership with TLC is just one more tool in which He is making that happen.

Thanks for taking the time to read this. I am happy to be kicking off my blog again! Hopefully I will be a lot better updating it now...Blessings to you! "

To read more about Dennis and his wife Thulile's ministry in Swaziland, visit http://dennisbrock.myadventures.org/ .