We Can't Do It Alone

The CarePoints cannot do or be everything for a child. We try to do as much as we can to nurture the children who attend. We want them to know God, know they are loved, that they are special but also to care for their needs. We offer free preschool, free meals each day and regular visits by our medical staff. But is it enough? Sometimes it is not. Sometimes we work with other agencies and churches in an area to minister to a child or family in need. Shelly Magongo and her two siblings are one such family.

Shelly is 12 years old and attends a local school and is in 4^th grade. She is a good student which is significant once you see all the obstacles she has overcome. When Shelly was an infant her family came to Swaziland from Mozambique. She has no extended family here and has never returned to Mozambique to know any family there. 3 years ago Shelly’s mom passed away. Earlier this year her father became ill. Without asking for help she looked after him and cared for her younger sister, Nanusha who is 7 and younger brother, Bruno who is 6. The local Baptist Church they attended reached out when they were evicted and let them stay in a small room on the church property. Nothing fancy but four concrete walls to give them shelter during the cold winter.

Before their father became ill the CarePoint had encouraged him to let Nanusha and Bruno attend the CarePoint preschool program. They had never been in school before. Shelly had graduated from the program 2 years earlier when it was preschool through grade 2. The father agreed and Nanusha and Bruno have excelled. Just over a month ago, Shelly’s father passed away. Our facilitator worked with the local church to try and make a plan for the now child headed household. Shelly, 12 years old, is now the head of the home. The local church is providing shelter and Children’s Cup is helping with food. Both parties are helping with love and support and checking in on them regularly. The death and situation has been reported to the Mozambique Embassy and they are looking for relatives in that country. We are trying to keep the family living locally until the end of the school year in December so Shelly doesn’t have to repeat the 4^th grade and the other two can finish preschool and be ready for first grade.

We praise the hands on ministry and love of the local church in ministering to this family! We praise God for our devoted CarePoint staff who go above and beyond the ordinary and shine God’s light in their community!

Please lift this family in your prayers! Pray that extended family can be found that is safe and loving and know God. Pray Shelly can finish the school year strong and also rely on God to give her strength and direction for her future!!! If she gets to stay locally, she is a perfect candidate for our scholarship program next year.

Thank all who support Children’s Cup and help us partner with local agencies and churches to help those in dire need!!!! We cannot do what we do here by ourselves, we need local agencies, churches, and  you helping us from where you are! Thank you so much!

I Don't Belong On A Pedestal!

Worked on the holiday Monday so getting to enjoy a Friday off. It is cold and rainy and the electricity was off most of the morning. Electricity is back on and having a hot cup of tea now. After having a little pitty party first thing, I had a nice quiet morning of sorting through things and reading. I want to share some food for thought from Max Lucado. He's discussing the story about Mary and Martha. He's talking about Martha. We know it all too well. We know the personalities (I am definitely a Martha.) But I found the insight of how the enemy uses our ministry to turn our eyes from Jesus very thought provoking and so true. How often do we give credit to others of what should go to God? As you read this, realize I should not be on a pedestal and neither should you. Our work should point others to God not ourselves!

"As she began to work for Him, her work became more important than her Lord. What began as a way to serve Jesus, slowly and subtly became a way to serve self.....

I know what it's like to set out to serve God and end up serving self. I've labored long and hard over sermons only to have my feelings hurt if the aren't complimented. I've pushed myself deeply into a manuscript only to catch myself daydreaming about the postpublication compliments. I've spoken to conference audiences about the sufferings of Christ and then gotten frustrated that the hotel room wasn't ready...

Satan knows that. This tool of distortion is one of Satan's slyest. Note: He didn't take Martha out of the kitchen; he took away her purpose in the kitchen. The adversary won't turn you against the church; he will turn you toward yourself in the church. He won't take you away from you ministry; he'll disillusion you in your ministry.....

 By the way, this story could easily have been reversed. Mary could have been the one to get angry. The sister on the floor could have resented the sister at the sink. Mary could have grabbed Jesus and dragged him into the kitchen and said, 'Tell Martha to quit being so productive and to get reflective. Why do I have to do all the thinking and praying around here?'

What matters more than the type of service is the heart behind the service. A bad attitude spoils the gift we leave on the altar for God."

May my ministry only reflect Him more, not me. When you see me, I pray that you see so much of God that you forget I am there! That is my goal. That is my heart. I fail often, just like Max was saying. I can get caught up in the praise, the hugs, the spotlight all too often. But that is not what it is all about.

God, guard my heart against desiring the praise and attention. May my service be sincere and for you alone!

It's Relational!

As I was reading my Bible today about Martha and Mary in Luke 10, I continue to ask God to help me have a Mary heart and not a Martha’s to do list.

What a friend I have in Jesus! Sounds so simplistic, so old fashion but without the relationship, He is either a genie in a bottle or a judge. I want the friend. I want sit at His feet, lean against Him and breathe and feel His heartbeat.

I was reading a book “Same Kind of Different As Me” by Ron Hall & Denver Moore. I keep rereading a paragraph near the end of the book (several years after Ron has lost his wife).

“The pain of losing Deborah still brings tears. And I cannot mask my profound disappointment that God did not answer yes to our prayers for healing. I think He’s okay with that. One of the phrases we evangelicals like to throw around is that Christianity is “not a religion; it’s a relationship.” I believe that, which is why I know that when my faith was shattered and I raged against Him, He still accepted me. And even though I have penciled a black mark in His column, I can be honest about it. That’s what a relationship is all about. Still I can’t deny the fruit of Deborah’s death---Denver, the new man, and the hundreds of men, women and children who will be helped because of the new mission. And so, I release her back to God.”

In the end, it won’t be about what I know about the Bible or what tasks I have done. In the journey and in the end, it is about my relationship with my Lord. Up or down, happy or sad, giddy or mad, understanding or in complete confusion…..He is there. I am in awe to be where I am in this journey!

I trust Him completely!!! If you do not have a relationship with Him, I encourage you to get down on your knees or sit in your favorite chair and ask Him for that! He’s there, He’s listening. Ask Him to make Himself real to you in a way that you can feel His presence. Any honest words will do. And then just share, whether it is your fears, your shattered dreams, your pain….Then listen, let Him show you the next step and follow Him willingly, whether that is excepting Him as your Savior in an intimate not religious way, or taking steps of faith that you feel He is telling you to do or releasing your emotions on Him. It is okay, He’s the best!! You won’t be sorry to be His friend!!! I’m sure not!

Let it Shine!

The theme of this year’s Power Camp (a VBS on steroids) is Let Your Light Shine!!! We are so blessed at children’s Cup to have a discipleship team and group of GLA (Global Leadership Academy) interns who brought the message to so many children across Swaziland! God loves you! You are special!! And we need to tell others about Jesus’ love!!!

Mangwaneni CarePoint was blessed to be on the first day of Power Camps and I got to participate. Enjoy the pictures! Thank for all those who help make Children’s Cup and the Power Camps possible and for letting your Light Shine!!!

  

    

    

  

   

  

  

For those of you who have visited Mangwaneni you should recognize Dorah’s girls and then that tall child at heart guy who stopped by to check it out! Note: We did not let Mitch go on the jumping castle or do the hoola hoop yet!

This little light of mine; I’m going to let it shine! Let it shine! Let it shine! Let it shine!!!

Stirring Things Up!

Just when I think I have it all down pat, God has a way of stirring things up!!!! Since I returned from Swaziland God has reawakened my senses to His hand reaching and touching and moving in mighty ways. Sometimes we get a little complacent and serve Him out of routine and stop seeing through His eyes! God has been mixing things up and I have been having several opportunities to see Swaziland (where I have been working for almost 5 years) in different lights!!! WOW!!! God is working!!!
I have gotten to spend some full days at CarePoints (a missionaries dream) and realize what a hard working, love giving staff we have. I spent 2 1/2 hours walking and doing "home visits" at one CarePoint and hearing their love for the children and the community. I have hiked up and down hills at another and hear the pride and joy from other facilitators. I am honored and humbled by their dedication.
I also have had the privilege, the past couple of weeks, to visit some feeding sites where we are helping with some Feed My Starving Children rice packets. I, along with Stephen Prince have met some ordinary, every day people who are striving to help the young, weak, orphaned or lost people in their community!!!! Do you ever think you are the only one doing anything? We are not!!! Let me tell you!
I was humbled today as we went to a community that took 1 hour and 55 minutes to get to from Ezulweni which means another 15 min to our office in Mbabane. 55 minutes of that drive was on the roughest  and longest dirt road that I have ever traveled. (It would make a pregnant lady give birth!) We bounced along for 30 kilometers to a community that not even transport ventures so far. Here is where Pastor Mkhonta "Em-cone-tah" has his church. Here is where he brings back food to feed over a hundred children from his community with distended bellies, many who are orphaned. Here is where he and his congregation are building a church, piece by piece, little by little with visions of helping his community. He has a vegetable garden and raising chickens to sell and he has a heart that is soooo big and soooo moving! How he can do any of this so far out there is a testimony to perseverance and courage and faith!! This is a pastor that has no vehicle to bring in food or building supplies but has to try to organize somehow to get it there. This is a community that if someone gets sick they have to be carried by friends down and up the next mountainside to the road where transport comes. I think of the story in the Bible where the friends carried the man on the pallet to Jesus. Pastor Mkhonta is letting His light shine and changing his community for the better.
Again and again, whenever I get comfortable with being labeled a "missionary" God opens my eyes to see that we are all missionaries! Whether we are ministering across the ocean or in our back yard we are called to share Christ's love with a hurting world! A world that need to know, really know His love!!! God is at work through each one of our facilitators at the CarePoints, through pastors and communities across Swaziland and through us if we let Him!!! Our God is an amazing God!!! I am honored to get opportunities to see God working through others! May I be inspired to let my light shine for Him even brighter and longer and with less whining!

Recap of My Journey Back to the States

Sorry for the lack of updates. It is amazing how out of sync you get when you go across the ocean and back. It was fantastic getting to visit family and friends but when you don’t have your computer and your routine, it is hard to post or send out newsletters. And then, when you come back you think everything will flow easily back into place but it doesn’t. So, I am doing this blog to try to get back in the swing of things and hope to do several back to back to bring you up to date.

First let me recap my trip to the states. I got my needed medical checkups that are not done in Swaziland for a female of my age. I have a clean bill of health. I will post no pictures of these weeks of my trip but will suffice to say thank you to the organizations which help provide screenings for those of us without American insurance. There was such a heart of caring and compassion! They marveled that I was a missionary as I marveled at their generosity and willingness to serve those in their community who were in need.

The second aspect of my trip was seeing family. I even got in a little sightseeing!

including seeing my childhood homes…

Took some family photos!

  

     

And even got in some planking??? Way to go mom!!

 

The other aspect of my trip was traveling over  4,000 kilometers (2500 miles) and visiting churches and friends who support me (financially and with their prayers) or ones who were interested in hearing about the ministry of Children’s Cup. Unfortunately, I did not always remember to bring my camera so forgive me for those I saw but took no pictures! Thank you to all who loved on me, listened to me and for those who gave me a warm and friendly place to stay!

   

    

If anyone else took pictures of us together while I was visiting, please send me a copy!

I just want to say that I had a blast!!! I loved having blueberries and salmon and cruise control and Taco Bell and coupons and garage sales and taking walks without worries and seeing cardinals and bunny rabbits and ducks!

   

There are a lot of things that I might do without when I’m in Swaziland but it was fun to have dishwashers, disposals, massage chairs for a pedicure and a chiropractor (Tony you are my favorite cousin) while I was there. 

You all made it special!!!! 

Thank you!!!!

And although I loved my trip back to the states , my next post will show you some of the reasons I love being in Swaziland!!!!! Stay tuned . . . . .

All my bags are packed and I'm ready to go.... Ok, not really but also I am (I miss Swaziland). It has been such a whirlwind! I am blessed!!! I love blueberries and cruise control on vehicles (all the good food wasn't so bad either as I gained several pounds)!!! All my medical visits showed me to be fine. Got to love on and be loved on by my family!!! Was loved on and blessed with financial gifts from churches from Broken Arrow, OK to Clarksburg & St. Louis, Missouri to Loganville, Georgia and then in Baton Rouge, Louisianna!!!! Pray for my return to Swaziland. I  know some of the monthly donations that are planned to be coming in on a regular basis. It is not where they say I should be but I am trusting God that either I need less or others just didn't tell me that they plan to send on a regular basis! Thank you Oasis Church, Mt. Pleasant Church and Christ Church for your monthly commitments!!! Thank you to all the individuals who gave one time, plan to give monthly and those who have decided to pray for me on a regular basis. I also want to thank the donation from the car ministry from Christ Church to help me fix my truck or replace it if needed. That is such a blessing!!!
Anyway, as I litterally shut down my computer and get in the car to start my 3 day journey back to Swaziland I want to ask that the Lord bless you and keep you! That He make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you! That He turn His face toward you and give you peace!!!! Numbers 6:24