No More Vegetables

Today the vegetables stopped. It was nice that we were able to add vegetables to the children's diet for so long. Hard choices have to be made but God has not forgotten us. He allowed us to start supplementing the pap "pop" and beans with a rice mixture that is packed with nutrients. It's not as filling as potatoes and carrots but it is extremely nutritious.

I don't honestly know how God will answer our need to continue to feed, do medical care and bible clubs and keep the teachers at my two CarePoints, but I trust He will. It might not be in the way I'm thinking and that is what is so exciting to step out in faith! It was sad to say we couldn't provide the vegetables any more but maybe God is working in the heart of the communtity to work more consistantly regarding gardens and take on more of the responsibility to provide for the children. Wouldn't that be awesome!!!

How is God calling you to step out of your comfort zone or the box you think you or He should be in? For me it is in expecting God's miracles and to verbally proclaim that. "The seed for a miracle is not in difficulties but in impossibilities." I have often thought that if I said something, "what if nothing happens?" but now I'm starting to think of "how will it happen?" What an awesome opportunity to witness God providing in this time of financial struggles.

A "Mission of Mercy" team just left today and @ the New Village CarePoint they left a soccer field behind. Was it from their hard work or money? -- NO it was such a God thing! Missionary Randy saw a bulldozer go by, followed it with some team members and asked. God opened the heart of a South African business man who let his bulldozer and team of 6 guys come to the CarePoint and level the land. We were expecting one or two passes to scrape the top for a level area but 3 hours later and a lot of diesel fuel, we had a professional grading and a great field for

these kids to have a safe place to play!

This just doesn't happen here. It's not like everyone comes running to do something nice for these CarePoints especially something that would costs hundreds of US dollars to do if we had paid for the service. What if we hadn't been inspired to ask? What if the gentleman had not had a softened heart? What if I fail to do what God asks me to do? May I never think I have all the answers of how things should be done and ignore God's promptings and therefore miss His blessings for me or others. May the impossibilities only grow us in our faith. May we take bold steps as we feel led by the Holy Spirit, even if they seem silly or impractical or contrary to what we have always thought or IMPOSSIBLE and in the process see a multiplication of His miracles all around and through us!!!!!

Siphamandla Kunene

So much going on these days but so little time to get on the internet to write a blog. -- Sorry!

I hope all are participating in the 40 Days of Prayer With the Children! If not, please join us for the next 24 days. "40 Days of Prayer WITH the Children"

Today I want to take the time and share with you my little friend Siphamandla "see-pah-mahn-(z slur)lah" Kunene (Goo-nay-nee). He is actually 13 years old though he does not look it. He fortunately lives with both his parents although they make little income. Unfortunately, he had never had the opportunity to go to school because he is the youngest of 8 until he came to the CarePoint. Now he is excelling in his 2nd year there and will graduate in Dec. He is in the center brown shirt below during a bible club.

Every weekday morning @ 8 am at the CUP office, our staff have been joining together for the 40 Days of Prayer. My two CarePoints I oversee, Fonteyn and Mangwaneni, Mbabane are doing it as part of their morning class routine when they do their pledges to the Swaziland flag, the Christian flag and the Bible. I have enjoyed the days I have been able to join them in this. This picture is of them dancing during a praise song and then the other one with Siphamanla singing, he is in the red t-shirt.

One morning, when we were praying for the teachers, I shared with the kids that people all around the world were praying for their two teachers, Teacher Dorah and Teacher Nomvula "No-mvoo-lah" and the other teachers at all the other CarePoints today and would one of them like to volunteer to help us pray for their teachers. Siphamandla did. Now I have asked for kids to pray before and just like in the states someone finally agrees to do it and they whisper a quick couple of sentences, parroting what you had said. I had told Siphamandla that he could pray in Siswati and boy did he pray. I couldn't understand what he was saying as he was praying but I was ready to get the child a pulpit. The Holy Spirit was present and it was awesome!!! Teacher Dorah later translated the fervent prayer that Siphamandla had asked that the "teachers have wisdom". "That they not do anything on their own." He prayed that God would "give them more heart". That He would "give them love so the children can make good results". I definitely could not have said it better! Teacher Nomvula said he comes from a praying family. I can't wait to meet his parents at graduation!

Anyway, the story does not end there. I was so excited about his prayer that I was telling everyone at the office about him and saying "where is the video camera when you need it so we could share it on the website". Then I saw it. If you go to the 40 Days of Prayer link (above) and click on Day 6, there is a clip of a child praying. It is Siphamandla. Then just a couple of days ago I pulled up the Children's Cup web page and would you believe that Siphamandla's prayer letter and his picture (I had several kids at both CarePoints write letters before 40 Days of Prayer started) is on the main page and he was asking for prayer for his teachers!! (And boys wear pink jackets here without a thought of it might be girlish -- it's warm.)

So please check out our own Mangwaneni PRAYER STAR!!!!! And join us in the 40 Days of Prayer WITH the Children. God is AMAZING!!!

Tito Update

For those of you not familiar with Tito. He is a youth (15 years old) from the Mangwaneni

CarePoint who was recruited by one of our staff, Thabo (Tah-bow) to help with making round bricks for the retaining wall for the Fonteyn CarePoint which the Oasis mission team of Oct. 2008 built. Tito was the only worker who was not currently in school, but he wanted to be.Even after the bricks were made Tito proceeded to help Thabo, without pay, while the team was here and then every day after that from 8am - 5pm until the Christmas holiday. Even during the January break he worked hard during the remodeling of the Cup offices and HPC (Healing Place Church). Children's Cup and the Oasis church has helped pay for his school fees for this year so he could enter "Form 1" which is equivelent to a freshman in high school. He is studying, working hard and doing well.

Every Saturday he works at our house caring for our lawn. He really enjoys working with plants and yard care. He works hard and with excellence. He is active in the youth at HPC and is getting mentoring from several strong Christian men at our church.

It has been so exciting to see his growth over the past year. Last month, Tito came to me and asked me not to pay him anymore for the yard work but to save it for him. This is huge!!!!!! Whether it is because of poverty or the culture, it is rare, really rare, for a poor Swazi let alone a Swazi youth to initiate saving money. The truth is, the mentality is you get paid and you spend it immediately. Tito says he wants to save to buy some new clothes. I am his bank and he has made only one withdrawal, for a school party at the end of this term but otherwise it is growing weekly as well as my pride in him. I am proud of Thabo and Karabo and Roger for pouring into this youth and for molding him into a young man who will be a light to other Swazi youth. I don't know how we will be able to help with his school fees next January but I know God does and I

thank Him for letting me be a part of witnessing the tranformation in Tito! And I can't wait to see what the future holds for him!

40 Days of Prayer WITH the Children

I'm Hungry

40 Days of Prayer WITH the Children started today. Today talks about hunger. I see it all the time, kids on the street begging for food. But I see it with a full stomach. In my quiet time today I was impressed to know what it feels like from the inside. I've fasted before but then my focus was always on God not the hunger. I tried to ignore the physical to concentrate on the spiritual. Today is different. I'm focusing on what it feels like to want; to want something to eat, to want what someone else has, to want to think about something else besides my hunger, to want to not go to bed hungry.
I don't like it and the day is only half over. If I had no hope that tomorrow would be different than today, would I be one of those digging through the garbage -- probably. Would I let someone bribe me with food for sexual favors -- I pray not but what if I had no hope?
I am so thankful that we are able to give so many children HOPE!!! That we are able to show the love of Jesus in a tangible way. We are making a difference!
But what if we stopped being able to provide the food. May it never be, but what if? Today I'm thinking of the what if in regards to only the food. I'm hungry! What if the children we serve had no hope that tomorrow there will be a hot meal for them? My heart is breaking. How can they think of anything else when they are hungry? Please pray! Pray for provision! The economy in the states is tough but God has not forgotten these children. May we be able to feed even more children next year!!! And may satisfying the physical hunger give us a chance to teach them how to fill their spiritual. Thank you for praying with me these 40 days and everyday!

“I will abundantly bless her provision: I will satisfy her poor with bread."
Psalm 132:15 (KJV)

40 Days of Prayer WITH the Children

40 Days of Prayer

I want to thank everyone for their prayers this past week as I and others have been struggling with being sick. I am lousy at it. I snuck into work the first few days for a few hours and started getting others sick so I stayed home the rest of the week. The thankful part was I was not running a high fever or was so bad to just stay in bed and sleep. But I was sick enough to not want to do anything but be bored and tired and lazy. No time for that! Today I'm going to get something done around the house, even if I have to nap in between. Ha!

For fear of spreading my germs, I have not been to either CarePoint all week and I miss that. The children have been working on prayers for the Children's Cup 40 Days of Prayer With the Children. It's start's August 1st and I hope everyone will participate online. Click on the photo below which is linked to the site.You will not be praying for us but with the children we work with. I will be sure to point out if the prayers from any of the children at Fonteyn or Mangwaneni, Mbabane are on a particular day. In this next year we want to take another step forward beyond the supplying of physical needs and speaking of God but in transforming kids lives. Without Christ transforming these children from the inside, this generation will be cursed to the same mistakes as their parents. We have laid foundation of consistency of the fundamentals at the CarePoints but now we are working to find ways to disciple a few kids at each CarePoint who are showing spiritual hunger to know God deeper. Our prayer is that God, working through these children, will start setting examples of making Christ-like choices in a society where the opposite is so prevelant. We want to raise leaders living lives of integrity and purity and searching God's Word for answers. Showing other children and youth that there is another way. And most importantly growing in their faith that nothing is impossible with God! Pray with us!!!

I'm Back!

I'm back in Swaziland and hard at work! I was blessed to be greeted at the airport by several of my African staff, Nathie, Gugu, Zinty and her fiance’, Lu when I arrived. I was then surprised by being taken to local restaurant for a traditional Swazi dinner with several of my Swazi staff, Nathie, Gugu, Queeneth, Bheki and Roger. I felt soooooo special!!!

That was on a Thursday night and then on Friday I went to both of my CarePoints and the office to let everyone know that Make “mah-gay” (mama) Sandra was back. I was told many kept asking if I was really going to be coming back. My teachers at Fonteyn said, in a little more blunt manner, that America had been nursing on Make Sandra way to long and it was about time they let go and let her come back to nurse her “babies” in Swaziland. There was also a grabbing of a part of the body (theirs not mine) to emphasize this. Guess you have to have been there to catch the Swazi humor in their statement. No offense was intended or taken and it did make me laugh and know I was missed.

The weekend was the point of catch up on jet lag because by Monday I was back in full swing. My name is now heard over and over in the office “Make Sandra” this and “Make Sandra” that. It is good to be back!

It is cold here though and that was hard to come back from summer to winter. It gets dark by 5:30 pm. The cold and dark makes it hard to be motivated. Now back to internet except in the office. The good news is that Swaziland now has a form (slow form) of broadband I can get on my home phone line and Jessie and I have applied. That will make Skype and email so much easier. Jessie had gotten season 4 of the show “House” and we have been watching that a lot. No will power to watch one episode a week.

The monkeys are still around and have come by the house a few times since I arrived home. They are getting bolder. They are stealing the avocados from our tree though (or the tree on the other side of the fence that drops on our side).

Anyway, I wanted to update my blog that I’m back in Swaziland and busier than ever! I do want to ask for those who read my blog for assistance. What kind of things do you want to hear about? What do you want to see on my blog? More life stories, kid stories, personal spiritual growth stories? What in the past have you enjoyed the most? And don’t say you love everything I write but help me focus on which areas you want to see more of. You can comment on the blog (just need to sign in under a google or aim or there is one other but I can't remember it) or you can send a comment by email or through facebook. Thanks ahead of time for your input and for your constant prayers and support!

Sala kahle! “sah-lah gah-(slur out sides of mouth)lay” (Stay well!)

Friends

I'm missing Swaziland but it has been nice to be able to touch base with old friends. I am so blessed! Here are a few of my friends, there are so many more but I forgot to take out my camera.



















Update: My breast biopsy and pap smear have both come back with a thumbs up. Thank you for your prayers.
The first flight back I can get a seat on without a larger cost is on the 23rd of June. So I will be spending my 50th birthday here with my mom in the sunshine and long daylight hours. That was probably the hardest thing to hit me in Swaziland -- my birthday being on the near shortest day of the year! It will be good to be able to spend Father's Day with my mom though and next week I will start my 3 day journey back to Swaziland!!!! I apologize for not taking my camera to get most of my church friends but here is one that they sent me. I also want to say a big thank you to Dixie and Grady for giving me lodging and fellowship the 3 weeks I was in Atlanta. I wish I had thought to take our picture!!! Thank all of you for your prayers and support. If you have not joined the top left hand "Tuned In" section of this blog, please do. Some days it is hard to take the time to write blogs and it helps if I know that you are following me. This will also allow you to be able to make comments on my blog which is encouragement that I cherish. I am joyful for my 50 years of life and celebrate the family and friends that God has blessed me so richly with!!!