Thanduxolo

I had the incredible opportunity to visit Thanduxolo in the hospital yesterday.  Clarice, Danielle and I went with Amy (one of the missionaries) to the Women's and Children's hospital in Manzini.  It is a beautiful facility that far exceeded our expectations.  Thanduxolo is in a private room and his Grandmother is by his side night and day.  He was sitting up on a stool and his family was with him.  His abdominal scar was large but healing well.  He had a grin on his face and was pleased to see us.  We chatted and laughed and gave him lots of fun things for school.  We prayed over him and told him how much he was loved.  It was thrilling to see this little miracle alive and well.  God has BIG things in store for him.  Thank you for your prayers - God has surely answered them.

- Suzanne

Enough talk, how about some pictures?

Coming Home

Yesterday I came home to Swaziland. After a two year hiatus, I returned to a place that captured my heart five years ago and forever changed my life. That place is the Mkhombokati carepoint in the rural area surrounding Manzini, Swaziland. Driving the familiar dusty road in the team van, seated next to another returning team member, we were giddy like children to see our friends again. I liken it now to one of my favorite recollections of my youth – the anticipation of Christmas morning. (My brothers and I would literally sit outside on the front lawn - in California mind you where in December one could easily do this - waiting for our grandparents orange buick to come around the corner. It was upon their arrival that all the festivities would begin.) What child-like pure and wonderful anticipation! Thank you Lord for rekindling such stirrings in my soul!

With each bend of the road, we began looking for signs of our friends and the carepoint. Ah, there are some children in Capital t-shirts –  last year’s shirts, no, from the year before! Oh what does it matter! These are our children and we love them so much and can’t wait to throw our arms around them! (Imagine how our Lord Jesus feels the same about each and every one of us!!)

Then there was another familiar sight. As we drive onto the carepoint grounds, I did not initially focus on the ongoing construction of the main building, nor on the newly tilled garden which will provide food for the children, nor even the small schoolroom where so many of our activities have taken place. I SAW THE TREE. The lone tree that symbolizes for me the beginning of our relationship with this community. The one that was in the first photo we ever saw of our future family. The one under which we spent all of our time on the first visit BEFORE there were any other structures. This tree whose branches now serve as the shady parking spot for the vehicles. Yet the tree alone, while it conjures up visions of our relationship with Mkhombokati and the early days, the tree to me is incomplete without considering the lives of those who have been protected by it, been nourished under it and simply relaxed or played under it.

Yes, the carepoint is an empty space until the children begin to arrive…

This was another familiar stirring within me. The first day arriving at the carepoint. Of course we arrive too early as we are still on American time and, remember, TIA (This Is Africa). There is no one there. Yet. (no one except the faithful S’bongile who is always the first one there. She is one of the mothers who cares for our children and serves as the pre-school teacher.)

But soon, a group of small children enter and sit down a short distance from us. We swarm them and they are overwhelmed. We back off. Soon enough it will be them swarming us and what joy that will be.

Then a few more arrive - a young girl with a toddler on her slender hip and another one in tow. They start trickling in and the subsequent joy that accompanies the anticipation of each new arrival is like one long Christmas morning!! Praise God for such delight!

Soon the carepoint is teeming with life! Amidst the chaos of so much activity -  the thrill of being reunited with old friends and the excitement of the new team members experiencing the wonders of this Spirit-filled place – I stop, take a deep breath and thank God for bringing me here. I am HOME. 

-  Dannele A.

We Bought The Farm

Earlier this year, we were blessed with a visit to Capital from lead Swazi missionaries Jumbo & Kriek Gerber. Nothing like being able to sit across from the people that actually live the Care Point management life and ask specific questions! Among many conversations during the visit, one particular seed was planted. Jumbo mentioned that he was considering building the first greenhouse at Mkhombokati.

It is Jumbo’s goal to have the Care Point system food sustainable by 2017. And yes, that means feeding 6000 kids every day with food they are able to grow themselves. Amazing! Returning team member Karen Mohr decided to add a little water and see if we couldn’t make this dream start to grow.

Karen and her committee began digging up all kinds of manuals on what and how and when to garden vegetables in Swaziland. Months of time and research later, she had an irrigation plan, lots of hard core gardening gloves and the hope that the start of a greenhouse garden might have begun by the time we arrive.

We arrived. And somehow folks, we bought the farm. SERIOUSLY.

There was no little greenhouse and no little garden. There was an enormous greenhouse and a football field of a garden ready for tilling and fertilizing and planting. Karen cried. And after she and her wonderful committee (and several of our awesome older Care Point boys!) made a small but decent dent in the tilling of the ground, she and the Swazi staff managed to get a tractor. For our farm. In Swaziland.

Since then, another tractor arrived, irrigation has been laid and seedlings will be planted tomorrow. And many miles away, we’ll watch this garden grow.

A special note is our deep gratitude for Nhlanhla (“Lucky”), the Swazi staff member in charge of this project who has worked  and is working tremendously hard to create this gift to the Mkhombokati children. He is who will tend to and care for this special piece of land and we thank God for him.

Tara

One Love

You find out quickly that one thing is critical to effectively distribute anything to 200 kids: organized stations. Today, at the end of Day One, our little stations went like this (right after anxious and ready-to-explode children were herded “swazi-style” into a group):

1.   Pick up “One Love” t-shirt

2.   Put t-shirt on

3.   Get picture taken in t-shirt

4.   Get personal card from your special friend

5.   Open Love Card from your special friend and; finally,

6.   Get a piece of candy after handing in your name tag (yeah, #6 was when the bomb went off)

My favorite station was number five. The Love Card.

This year, our Sponsorship Committee had each sponsor (around 120 individuals, couples and families) have their picture taken while holding a picture of their special Swazi friend. This was initially a daunting task. But, thanks to our responsive sponsors and a huge tip of the hat to Sponsorship Coordinator Dannele Alleman, all 169 cards, with pictures, were completed. A personal message from the sponsor was also included inside each card.

Dannele carried these cards close to her heart for many weeks and finally, they were put into eager little hands.

And sponsors, we watched your arms became 8,000 miles long. You gave a great big hug to these girls and boys with your image and your words.

Children of all ages opened up envelopes, carefully slipped out that precious card and either collapsed in giggles or gawked in awe. And that was before they figured out their special friend was actually holding a picture of them! And then began another whole round of giggles and gawking.

And after that, they read those words that so many of you wrote. They read your words of encouragement to study hard and pray harder. They read your words about God and about love, which are, after all, pretty much the same thing no matter where you are in this world.

One Love = Lutsvando Lunye.

- Tara

Mkhombokati Care Point—First Visit of the Trip

As I sit down to write I am uncertain where to begin, or what to describe. Our day was filled with some really awesome experiences, and also some difficult things to witness.

On the drive to the CarePoint, quite a while after we left the main road, we started seeing homesteads with children in the yard. One boy was close enough to the road for us to see that he was wearing a blue and yellow Capital Church T-shirt. We got excited and knew this was one of the children at our CarePoint. My heart grew heavy when I realized how far he walks everyday, as we were still a good 10-15 minute drive from our destination.

The children had not yet arrived when we pulled up, so we all explored the property. Karen Mohr was overcome when she saw the new garden area. She tells me that last year the plot was thick with scrub brush, sticker bushes, weeds and rocks. Now there is a greenhouse ready for seedlings and a tilled plot that will soon be ready for planting. We have heard that we will have a tractor tomorrow to help finish preparing the land. This is excellent news!

A small group of shy kids were the first to arrive. They gathered under a tree and just watched us from a distance. In the blink of an eye it seemed as though all the children arrived at once. Suzanne started bringing out fun things for them to play with. The parachute was the first and this was a big hit with the little ones. Then bubbles came out, and then streamers and Frisbees and soccer balls. The older boys love to play Football (soccer) and the older girls play Netball. 

Just before lunch, all the children gathered together and with their leader, Mbuso, sang a welcome song to us. There are no words for how incredible the voices of 200 Swazi children sound! This was music of the heart. It was beyond beautiful and moving.

The children received their love cards and T-shirts from their special friends. We took pictures of them making hearts with our hands to symbolize One Love, our Swaziland vision.

I witnessed a young boy of about 7 walk barefoot on a severely swollen foot. Tara examined it closer and grew very concerned about a cut on his foot. The two nurses on our team, Danielle R. and Clarice, set to work on cleaning and bandaging the wound. I also saw them pulling deep thorns out of his feet. They did what they could, but Neosporin does not do much for the sort of injury he is suffering from. By the end of the day, he was no longer able to walk on this foot. He was hobbling with a crutch and the help of his sister. He wanted to join in the games and the dancing circle, but couldn’t walk the 10 feet to the group. Allison, one of the full-time missionaries, and I carried him in a chair to the dance circle so he could watch and participate in the fun. 

I enjoyed connecting with some of the kids. I met my special friend today which was so great. I have been writing to her and receiving cards from her for a year and a half. It was so great to hug her and tell her she is beautiful. I also met an outgoing young man who was happy to talk about his dreams and goals. He told me his favorite subjects in school are geography and history. He wants to be an Archeologist and a Lawyer. He said, “I want to be big someday. I want to come in the room and have people think I am important.”

As the day grew chilly and the sun began to sink, the children began to leave. Almost as quickly as they came, they were gone.

  
Lori G.

This is Africa

Sorry we've been down folks!  Turns out that the internet at our hotel isn't what you would call the most reliable.  Undeterred, we have been preparing blog posts for you this entire time, even without access.  So hold on to your horses (or your cows, as they are more popular here in Swaziland), because we are going to throw a bunch at you at once. Stay tuned (at least for the moment!)  
In the meantime, enjoy the new posts! We love our fans!

- Tyler O