Bubbling Over

We all have seasons in life and ministry that are intense. This is one of those times for me. Ministry wise, my schedule (and my team's) is full right now with getting individual pictures of ALL the 2600+ Mission of Mercy sponsored children. It is a delightful but a daunting task especially alongside of continuing to do all the little things I need to do in the office, to keep others updated and to get ready for a trip back to the states, (schedules and making sure everything is covered here). It is just a season and I wasn’t worried about it. But on top of that season, my dear friend and “boss” was hit with medical emergencies that for a while seemed like the list kept getting longer and longer rather than just “here is the problem let’s fix it and get well”.

He is recovering now but it has been long and it is projected to be a very long road to full recovery. He is far away and though Char is by his side and so many of us visit often, the mental, spiritual and physical battle he must face is hard to see him go through. It is not taking on his work load that has been intense (we share that so none of us bare it alone), it is seeing someone you and sooooo many others care about struggle and you feel so helpless.

In addition a young child from our church passed away yesterday morning. I don’t understand! I cry out WHY God???? But then…. God reminds me that He IS!!!!

This was one of those encounters when I have a time with God and come away just bubbling over!! No rushing, no real agenda except to spend time with my heavenly Father. Was challenged last Sunday to be obsessed with the desire to know God more and been wrestling with how that looks and what God wants from me . . . go in isolation with Him? He said no, there are times for that but not now now. Fast and pray fervently for those on my prayer list? Again, I got a not now now, there are other times when I will ask that of you. "Let my bible be my GPS" was the opening last Sunday. One question that was also mentioned was “am I willing to be possibly wrong?” (I extend that to am I willing to not have all the answers?) Since Sunday God has been saying all week to focus on Him, not the circumstances. This week, that has been hard to do (sometimes I was able to do it but at other times I let frustration take over). It was so good to see Mitch yesterday for a few minutes but difficult to not look at how frail and weak he is and focus on God instead of the situation. None of the circumstances have miraculously changed this morning but God has shown me more of Him and I am renewed and more obsessed with getting to know the Creator better and better!!!

“So we don’t look at the troubles we can see right now; rather, we look forward to what we have not yet seen. For the troubles we see will soon be over, but the joys to come will last forever.” 2 Corinthians 3:18 NLT

Going to start bubbling over here… more for me to process but I hope you are encouraged and blessed like I was. In my Beth Moore study she was talking about David and the battles to regain his throne in 2 Samuel 21. “Satan is the counterfeit god of perfect timing. He’s waiting for just the right moment to pull the rug out from under us, but even that rug is under God’s feet. (This was so good for me!) And He always has victory in mind. He will NEVER allow Satan to discourage you without a plan to lead you to victory.” We have the choice to follow God’s plan or not but Christ is ALWAYS there to lead us to victory. “One of the most important truths we can apply from David’s ongoing battles with the Philistines is that God will always lead us to victory, but He will lead us His way." I would love to do it my way but my way might not lead to someone else’s (or my) victory. I don’t have to know the “whys” as much as I want to; I just have to continually trust the One who does. I might not like the process but I trust the One who is allowing it. God brought to mind this week about the hatching of a chick. If as the chick is pecking it’s way out, you break the shell for him, he will usually be too weak to survive. He needs the process to make him strong and able to live to his fullest. Obsession = pecking away at the shell. And the outcome is having the strength to live a life in all the fullness.

“God forgive me for questioning You, but thank you that You always allow me to do just that and for strengthen my journey because of it. Amen."

“But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of Him.” 2 Corinthians 2:14

God is getting me so excited about my trip to the states! I want to share about what God is doing in me and in Swaziland and be able to hear what He is doing in you!! I will be in Oklahoma, Georgia and Missouri during June and July! (I will also detour through Baton Rouge.) If you would like to host a dinner of your friends to hear about the ministry or if you have a church or organization you know that would like me to share and challenge us all to trust and obey, please message me on FaceBook or at sandra@childrenscup.org. Our God is AMAZING in whatever season we are in!!! Thank you for reading my blog and for letting me share my journey with you!!!

(P.S. I promise my next blog will be full of fun pictures of the active pictures of some of the children we are shooting for Mission of Mercy, not just my thoughts.)

New Newsletter

Life is hectic especially with Mission of Mercy taking pictures of ALL the children at our 18 CarePoints and with our director and friend Mitch being in the hospital and away from us. It was also great having my son, Michael come and visit it me for the month of March. I did find a little time to get a newsletter together. Enjoy the update on what all has been happening!

Thanks for all your support and prayers!!!

Good Friday!

It is Good Friday and I just wanted to share my Draw Near Devotional, as today we remember Christ's sacrifice on the cross. I so agree with the ending statement. "We are saved to serve." What it doesn't say is how blessed we are as we do!!!! Have a glorious Good Friday!!!!! The verse they use is John 15:14 about being Christ's friend by doing what He commanded. The verse that comes to mind to me is John 13:35 "By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."

"The plane carrying Dr. Frederick Banting, a famous physician-scientist, crashed in a snowstorm in a forest near Musgrave Harbor, Newfoundland. One of Banting's lungs was punctured by crushed ribs, but he used his waning strength to bandage the wounds of the pilot, the only survivor. Then he lay down on the pine boughs in the snow and went into the sleep from which he never awakened. This great doctor, who had done so much for humanity by discovering insulin, died as he had lived, in selfless service to others.

Jesus talked of such men: Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends. Jesus Himself later did this, sacrificing His life for all the sins of this world. We admire men like Banting but we adore Christ, because He was not a mere man; He was God's only Son Who came to die that we might live.

The premise of the Gospel Christ preached is that we should selflessly serve Him. Jesus often talked of crosses to carry, burdens to bear, and enemies to love. He then said that if we obey His commands, we are indeed His friend and He ours. However, love is not optional with the believer: This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. The real believer is one who has given up his own selfishness to serve Christ and those about him. We are saved to serve."

Not To Be Taken For Granted!!!

One fact I have found hard to ignore as I live and work in Swaziland is . . . .Life Is Fragile!!!! There have been several friends in my women's bible study sharing and lifting up in prayer friends of theirs with life threatening cancer, serious illnesses, pregnancy of a unborn child with fatal diagnosis once he arrives and more. And then with the suddenness of Mitch's (our Swaziland director) decline in health and surgeries (3 now and over 2 1/2 weeks in hospitals) and a toddler boy from our church here in Swaziland who had a brick fall on his leg a couple of months ago and is now fighting for his life due to infection I am once again faced with issues of God's sovereignty and eternity.

Life is fragile . . . . here on earth. . . . but eternity lasts forever.

With these reminders that my days are numbered, that my life is fragile, I am blessed to know where my eternity will be. I am reminded that as fragile as this life is, it is not ALL there is.

It is not to be taken for granted though! Each day people die without knowing the Savior I know and the peace that brings. There are people who live not knowing there is a choice to make. A choice that matters for eternity. God hates sin (doing things we know are wrong). You can't earn an entry ticket to heaven no matter how "good" you try to be. So God sent His Son to pay the price for your sins and my sins. He sent Jesus Christ. Jesus lived a sinless life. He allowed himself to be killed, to die, to go to hell and conquer death by rising from the grave!!! When we accept that Jesus was God's son and the ultimate sacrifice for our sin we also conquer death and hell. When Jesus Christ is in us, God sees Him, blameless and holy instead of our sins!!! Amazing how that works!!! How amazing that the Holy Spirit, in us, confirms that and encourages us to fellowship one on one with God, our Father!!! As I am reminded by the current situations that life is fragile I am renewed by the Easter season and to know that eternity is not fragile. That Jesus is real and through Him my fragility doesn't matter. I pray that everyone that reads my blog knows Christ as their Savior. If not, just cry out to Him and He will hear you AND RESPOND!!!! (Maybe not how you think He should but in a way that is best for you to KNOW Him.) Go to a local christian church this Easter and hear about Christ's love and sacrifice for you!!! Don't take you life for granted or death!!!!

Praise God through every joy, every tribulation and every moment of my life here on earth!!!

Chicken Day!!

I am enjoying time with my son Michael as he experiences the different aspects of the ministry at Children's Cup. It is great having him around this month. This picture is from his arrival. As you can tell he is keeping me laughing!

A week ago, Friday, we got to help with a chicken day at Mangwaneni. They had won an award in a contest and chose to use the winnings to bless the children with a chicken day.

The staff decided to have 25 live chickens instead of frozen pieces because then they could use ALL the parts. The only thing that was not cooked was the gallbladder and stomach! We call it walkie talkie soup because if you look at the picture below closely, you can see the heads and feet. Michael and I (okay I only did one) helped kill the chickens and I helped the cooks and one of our new teachers, Lungelo (the young gentleman) and Zanele with the plucking. It is a little yucky to slaughter chickens, but will do it any day so that these kids can have meat in their diet. This is the only opportunity for meat for most of them and it only comes along a few times a year! All the hard work was worth the joy in the faces of the children and staff that day!!

(Be warned that some of the pictures below are not suitable for squeamish persons . . . just look at the last 2 if that is you!)

My first official newsletter!

Since I first came to Swaziland I have tried to keep people updated by my blog and on FaceBook. Now I have found that a newsletter might be a preference for some. Below is my first attempt. Email me at sandra@childrenscup.org if you would like to get further newsletters by email or FB on a regular basis. If you know of someone who would like it by postal mail then you can email me their physical address and I will try to do handle those also.

Thank you to all who pray and support the ministry here in Swaziland!!!

Good Things Happening!!

I just wanted to take a moment and share about good things that are happening throughout all of Children's Cup!!! We have a new missionary on the field, Beth Young, a teacher with a lot of years in education and full of great ideas for our preschool program!! She has hit the ground running and at her first facilitator meeting (just 3 weeks after arriving), she gave out practical tools to teach the preschoolers in bite size pieces not the whole apple all at once. She gave great practical ideas to make learning lots of fun and easy. She has purchased some simple picture books for teachers to use. They will be able to turn them in and get a different set each month. As Beth told the facilitators, our preschools are going to ROCK this year!!!!

Another good thing that is happening we have several new arrivals of little bundles of joy coming this year to many of our facilitators!!! No one had a baby last year but there are around 6 or so expecting later this year. In Swaziland, you don't really let people know until late in your pregnancy, if at all, that you are expecting. But, in sharing with the facilitators the tradition of "baby showers" we are working on finding out who might need a new infant outfit in the months ahead. :) Our hope is that at May's meeting we would have cake and punch for all the facilitators and little gifts for those expecting. (One is due before then so we will give hers to her early.) Please be in prayer for all of our facilitators and for those that will be adding to their families!!! Below is one of our expectant mothers, teacher Dorah (she said it was okay to share the news)!!! She is at my Mangwaneni CarePoint and we are so excited for her!!!

Mangwaneni's youth lock-in went great. Mvutjini had their's last Friday and Makholweni had one this coming Friday. I'm glad younger people than I are doing them. I lasted until midnight at Mangwaneni's but just stole the picture below from the Mvutjini lock-in.

GLA (Global Leadership Acadamy) has started their new year with a great group of young adults, some coming from our CarePoints, who are seeking God and already sharing God's love at the local high school. Soon they will start serving at Healing Place Church and working at the CarePoints besides all their classes!!! It is exciting!

Our cook's ministry has also started off with a HALLELUJAH!!! They have had two of several prayer meetings where a few of the CarePoints gather in a central location and pray for each other, for their CarePoints and the children and youth who attend!!!!! God is moving!!! (Below are some of the Mangwaneni cooks who attended earlier this month.)

This is just a few of the pieces of a ministry that God is using to change a nation!!!! Watch out as more amazing things to happen throughout the year!!! We have a great team (only a few of which are pictured below) and we each do our part!! But in the end, to God be the glory, great things He has and will continue to do!!! Thanks to all who help support Children's Cup ministry and/or one or more of the missionaries who serve!!!!! You are helping make a difference!!!