IT WORKS

I was sitting helping Mrs. Rehmeyer, Teresa, pass out medicines at the Ngwane Park Carepoint the other day. As I looked around I couldn’t help but feel satisfied. The Ngwane Park Carepoint is fulfilling its purpose and manifesting the vision of Children’s Cup. We were in the process of handing out de-worming pills to around 200 children and checking them for rashes and other illnesses. We were taking time to take stock of these children’s health and providing simple treatments. We weren’t doing anything spectacular but we were taking the time to look a child in the eyes, care for them and leave them better off because of our efforts. I can’t really say our efforts because I truly believe that every good and pure thing comes from the Lord. God has allowed us to be in Africa and provided us the resources to take care of these children. I digress, the Carepoint was in full action that Tuesday afternoon. The ladies were cooking up some Pap and Beans for the daily meal, Gugu was holding a bible club and Babe(Father or Mr.) Dlamini was in the garden with a couple kids planting spinach. The Carepoint had an atmosphere of hope, community and a place where these children could feel like they belonged. There were kids sleeping on mats, playing on swings, playing soccer and laughing about their day over a meal. I don’t have many days where I get to sit back and be present at a Carepoint. Later on that day Nathie and I got to talk to a local Pastor. We talked him into having his church come on a regular basis to the Ngwane Park Carepoint. I can not express how important it is to have the local church involved in the Carepoint. The local church is in such a position to care for, love and adopt these children into God’s family. The situation here parallels the situation with the hurricanes back in the States. The local church was in a position to demonstrate God’s love and truly act as life savers. It is a unique position that allows it to touch loves and care for people in a relational way. I am so encouraged by what God is doing through these Carepoints. Although we are imperfect workers, God can still work through us to touch the lives of the hurting. Praise God for his faithfulness.

Mozambique

A recent trip to Mozambique opened my eyes and excited my heart to a country that is truly poor but amazingly rich. There is energy in Mozambique that is irresistible. The country struggled through a 17 year civil war starting in … and ended in 1992. The country was then devastated by floods in 2000. The international community has heard this cry for help and it is amazing the rebuilding that is going on in the country. Mozambiqueans know how to work which is such a refreshing sight when coming from Swaziland. In Southern Africa the Mozambique work ethic seems to stand out. These people have barely anything but that doesn’t stop them from working for a better tomorrow. These people are also hungry for the Gospel. The communist factions fighting in the country suppressed any kind of religious expression…so it is exciting to see the seeking nature of the people there. The country also possesses a rich history and culture as it brings together Portuguesse, African, Arabian and Indian influences to produce a melting pot of culture, architecture and food. I’m excited about starting to work in the country and am even thinking of staying there for extended periods of time next year.

Execution Rock

Here is a picture from the top of Execution Rock with the AIM team. They are a group comprised of Americans, South Africans and a Canadian. Some will be here till May while others are leaving in December. I see them about once a week for worship night/dinner that they host.

Execution Rock is the place where Swaziland use to execute people. I'll try to get a picture up from the bottom so you can see how nasty the fall would be.

Beauty

I drove the long route between the two major cities in Swaziland: Mbabane and Manzini. I was rewarded with a resurgence of life in my soul. This truly is a beautiful country that I live in. The road twists through mountain ranges that vary in vegetation from Arizona, the Pacific Northwest pines, to the grassy highlands of Scotland. As I looked out over miles of hills, woods and rivers I couldn’t help but be amazed by the creation of God. What is crazy about the whole experience is that there is so much more beauty in a single human being. I mean we are God’s greatest creation…we are in his image. Guys, slow down look someone in the eye and be amazed. Let yourself see the wonder and majesty that is around you. Clear your minds of the distractions and busyness of life. Enjoy those you love, the air you breath, the beautiful taste of food…its funny how you can pass a life changing image hundreds of times but its only when you slow down, drink it in that an image, a moment, a person can change your life.

Camp Review...the objective version

We had a camp with 130 of the kids from our various Carepoints in and around the Manzini area. We had around 20 staff volunteers mainly comprised of our Bible Club leaders and AMICAALL Peer educators. It was a weekend camp with the kids arriving around 4pm on Friday afternoon and leaving on Sunday around tea time or 10am. Tea time is very important to Swazis, I really don’t know what they would do if there ever was a world shortage of tea. They are intense about having their tea time.
The 130 kids were the older children from our Carepoints ranging in age from 12-16 years. The theme for the camp was “Love and Relationships”. We had one of our Bible Club leaders give the first talk on Friday night on the nature of God’s love, your relationship with him, yourself and others. She used the story of Joseph to stress how God sticks with you through the tough times.
On Saturday morning we had some 3rd year Nursing students come and give talks (boys and girls were separate) about puberty followed by an extensive Q&A session. Two of our Bible club leaders then did some follow up on the biology with some biblical input on the subject.
We then had a local youth pastor come and give a talk around lunch on the subject of Love and Respect towards others. He shared a story in the bible where Samuel was called by God. The youth pastor stressed how much Samuel respected and loved Eli. The basic point was even though Eli wasn’t Samuel’s father…Samuel still obeyed him, loved him and respected him. He also made the point of how God can use anyone, even the fatherless.
Saturday Night the Beat the Drum Team (Dream for Africa) came and did a sketch about abstinence and purity. They did a fantastic job and the kids really enjoyed it. I think the skit really helped because the kids can now visualize how casual sex does not only expose them to AIDS and pregnancy but that it also gives away pieces of their hearts and devalues sex.
Besides the teachings and various talks the camp was filled with laughter, games, singing and dancing. The kids love to sing and dance…basically show of their skills. The different Carepoints all performed songs and there are some little girls with some major talent. We also had dance where 2 or 3 kids would get up in front of the whole group and duel off in dance. It was good being able to take these older teens away from the harsh realities of their life and just let them have a good time and feed them some great meals. We had soccer games, Die (a local game that is like dodge ball), sheet races, wheelbarrow races, Simon says, “Do what I say not What I do”, and other various fun activities.
I firmly believe that this camp has saved some of these kids’ lives from the clenches of AIDS. It probably has saved other lives because these kids won’t be out spreading the disease in acts of casual sex. Please pray that the spirit of God goes forth throughout these kids/teens and their hearts desire God and his perfect plan of purity. Thank you again!

Some Pics

Some Pictures from Camp

Death and Camp

Death is so common here. It seems as if the Swazi people we work with are always going to funerals. This is an exhausting reality both because of the emotional weight of constantly losing people and because of the funeral rituals and customs of Swaziland. Funerals are all night affairs and can include a multitude of people because it seems as if everyone is somehow related in Swaziland.

The lady we prayed with a couple of weeks ago got better for a couple of weeks. She went from lying all day on a mat to sitting up and smiling. Then this past week we heard that she got admitted to the hospital and then yesterday we heard that she passed away. She died, she’s dead. It is sad and it rips you up and it frustrates you. That lady didn’t have to die; there are multiple things you can point to. She could have gotten ARVs to prolong her life, but even before that, she could have avoided getting HIV. The morality of this Swazi society is non-existent. There is no character, righteousness, purity in this society. It probably wasn’t this lady who went out and got HIV. Her husband most likely brought it back to their marriage bed. The need for Godly men is huge in Swaziland.

I’ve kind of had some time to be silent before the Lord lately. I’ve realized the awesome responsibility that I have for setting up this camp. It truly is a life or death situation, I say that not to prop up what I’m doing or scare up images for y’all. I say it to get it in my head how important this camp will and can be. The camp can save lives; it can keep 130 or so young people from getting HIV/AIDS or spreading it. It can be a foundational turning point where these kids learn to value themselves and their lives. So much of the problem here in Swaziland is apathy and a lack of self esteem. These kids don’t have hope and so they don’t really care if they go out and get HIV/AIDS. I hope our bible club leaders, volunteers and camp counselors can get across the message that God loves each and every one of these kids. Hopefully we can build the love of Christ into their lives. Most of the kids here don’t understand just how much God loves them. We in America think of God the father and it conjures up images of a loving Dad, caretakers, the strength of the family. Most of these kids cannot translate that image of Father because in Swaziland fathers are usually absent (getting that way in America, sad to say) or cold and distant. So these kids are afraid of God and view him as a Father that is ready to beat them. It is so opposite the true nature of God…a God of love, grace and mercy. Hopefully we can reach these kids with some practical stuff about sex and puberty but more importantly, hopefully we show these kids the restorative and transforming power of Jesus and a life lived for him.

Down for the Count

So, bought some corn on the side of the road and then went to a Carepoint and ate some pop (mealie meal, corn stuff) and beans. Well about 7 hours later the puking began and it didn’t stop for 7 hours. Then I could get anything down for another 20 hours until finally some Sprite and Gatorade stayed down. It kind of sucked but I almost feel that it was an African experience for this Mulungu(white guy). I’m starting to feel better now and am glad that the experience is behind me. My lesson learned is to be more careful in the hygiene and health areas.

Today marks the day I’m getting my car here in Swaziland. This will give me some freedom which will help me to sort of get on with it. I’ll be able to start working more instead of just learning from Ben and Beano.

So I’ve realized that I really need to sit down and start learning Siswati. Before the illness I was starting to make some progress and hopefully I’ll stick with it now that I’m back to health.

Lots of Stories

It has been a busy week followed by my first weekend of rest since I’ve gotten to Africa. Last Saturday I got up early and ran a half marathon. I was pretty impressed with my result of 1 hour and 46 minutes considering I didn’t really train for it. Ben and Gabby Rehmeyer(daughter of Daran) were going to run with me but they both bailed last minute. There were some serious African distance runners that smoked me but I held my own against the average runner. That night I went to a barbeque at the AIM team house. AIM stands for Adventures in Missions and the Swazi AIM team is comprised around 15 college age kids who are here for 4 or 8 months to volunteer and intern with different ministries. It’ll be cool having some Americans here that are my age so that I can go off and let the Rodger’s family have some time alone. The AIM Team is also comprised of South Africans and a Canadian.

On the work side of things, we had a photographer from Mission of Mercy kind of fall into our lap this week. Our Children’s Cup server had been down because of Hurricane Rita and so we didn’t get the email about this photographer until Monday the day he was arriving. Eventually, we found him at a hotel. We had until 1pm on Tuesday to get the shots he needed. So we drove around like crazy trying to find certain children he needed to take pictures of. It all worked out despite many frustrating attempts to find one girl at a school only to find out later that she goes by a different name at school. Mission of Mercy is partnering with us to open up 4 Carepoints next year and these pictures were for their program launch and fundraising drive.

Nathie and I are working on a camp for 12-16 year olds from our various Carepoints. We’re working with the bible club leaders and teachers to organize the camp for the 21st-23rd of October.

Ben and I got to introduce a service group from a local high school to our Moneni Carepoint. They are going to come weekly to play games with the orphans and do some basic teaching. It is hopefully the first of many such partnerships that get churches and schools involved in our projects.

Daran, Ben, Beano and I went down to the Lowveld (basically where it’s dry and flat) and into the rural area to talk with some people at a Catholic Mission. We basically picked their brains as to the struggles and obstacles that exist to working in the rural areas. It was a good meeting and will hopefully help us as we transition into the rural areas. The contrast between urban and rural areas is the system of laws. In the urban settings there are established laws, regulations and a judicial system. Once you are in the rural areas the basic ruling party is the regional chief. The chiefdom system is complex with cultural intricacies which make it difficult to work in these rural areas. There is no such thing as judicial recourse…basically what the chief says goes. Pray that we have discernment as we start to work in the rural areas.

Ben and Beano went to Mozambique last Friday to sign registration papers and start the process of working with the orphans in that country. Ben had been asked to speak at a high school on Friday and so instead Daran and I spoke to them. I thought there were about 150 of them but Daran later told me that there were at least 400 kids there. Anyway, we got to tell them that God loves them and can do great things through them. Daran spoke first and I wrapped things up. This country has a lot of hopelessness and we told them that following Christ gives life purpose and hope. Daran did a great job and I didn’t screw it up too bad. Pray that I continue to be challenged to step outside my comfort zone.

There is more I could talk about including a man running around town with a spear in hand, rural irrigation systems, monkeys, cultural issues, AIDs statistics and such but I’ve written enough for now. Much love, thanks for the prayers and emails.

A picture from one of our Carepoints. A chuch in Memphis donated the green dishes for the children. I'll try to get more pictures up soon. Much love!!

Busy Times

I've had trouble getting on the internet so here is a post I wrote a couple of days ago:

Today, Sunday, we had a grand opening for 5 of the Carepoints in the Manzini area. Most of these Carepoints have been feeding the children for about a year now. Only 3 out of the 5 Manzini Carepoints have been finished with 2 currently under construction. We partner with AMICAALL(a swazi NGO) who is responsible for urban HIV/AIDS projects. The grand opening consisted of a tour followed by speeches by the different government ministers, Ben Rodgers and entertainment (songs & dances) by some of the kids. The government ministers included city councilmen and women from the different districts where the Carepoints are located, the head of Health and Social Welfare and the minister of Housing and Urban Development. There was also a traditional leadership representative and the mayor of Manzini. It was quite an exhausting day for Ben because he wanted all parties involved to be happy with the ceremonies. In Swaziland there is a power struggle between government and traditional leadership as well as power struggles in-between different segments of government. We are hoping and praying that everyone involved saw the value of partnership and everyone was satisfied with the Grand Opening.

So I’ve driven around some and it is pretty difficult. I have to drive a stick shift on the wrong side of the road in a city that is full of hills. The turn signal is on the wrong side as well as the mirror both of which have made me look pretty ridiculous while trying to drive. I’ve manage to stay out of the right lane though, so that’s good.

Ben and I got to pray with a lady who is probably 2-3 weeks away from dying of HIV/AIDS. It was the first time the reality of the sickness really hit me. We gave her some diarrhea medicine in hopes that it will give her the strength to take ARVs(AIDS medicinal cocktail) without throwing up. We saw her a couple days later and she was sitting up instead of lying between two houses on a mat. We told her she needs to live because her kids need her…hopefully God will heal her or provide her with the strength to get treatment. What is sad is that she is one of thousands in Swaziland and millions on this continent. With AIDS the ARVs can work but there are a lot of obstacles to making them work. People that are HIV positive have access to medicines but sometimes managing the bus fare to pick up the monthly allotment is beyond their income level. There is also stigma which causes many to not get tested. I could go on and on with obstacles but lets just say it’s a sad situation. Our organization Children’s Cup main thrust isn’t to provide home based care but it seems like other organizations aren’t doing a great job or can’t handle the amount of work. We’ll help where we can but our mission is to firstly take care of the children through our Carepoints.

Y’all be praying that:
-I stay in God’s spirit and submit to God’s will
-Children’s Cup can effectively manage and coordinate our partnerships
-That I get connected to some of the other people my age
-I stay safe while driving

Thanks so much, Shout out to my cousin Kelly…you rock, how’s Jacob doing?

*Went to South Africa this past week (Durban) and figured out the car situation. It was a little more expensive than planned, but I'm thankful to have a car on the way...they ship it to Swaziland.

First one from Africa

First couple of days here in Swaziland and I’m still a little lost as to the fact that I’m actually in Africa and that I’ll be here for a year. Right now I am living with Ben and Susan Rodgers in a nice hillside house. I have a spacious room and my own bathroom. I almost feel guilty about how nice my current living situation is. Ben and Susan have three kids: Kayla who is 7, Levi who is 5 and Trinity who just turned 2. Kayla is very talkative, outgoing and smart. Levi has a great imagination and has already written 2 books since I’ve been here about the battle between Rats and Mice. Lil Trinity is a future cross country runner…she moves around faster than any 2 year old I’ve ever seen. Ben and Susan are both 30 and are fun to be around.
I’ve been with Ben to a youth group he leads, church, a bible study he leads and then last night Ben and Susan had a parenting class they led. It hasn’t really felt super busy but looking back on it I’ve definitely done a lot so far.
Today was full of adventures and activity. I went into the office which is in Mbabane(the capital city, also where I live) to check in for the day. Ben and Beano(Dave Van Rensburg) had a meeting with Health and Social Welfare officials. I went with Nauti and ran errands for the day. I got to see our various Carepoints(in and around Manzini, Swaziland’s largest city) as well as visit other organizations we partner with such as UNICEF and AAMICAL. I also witnessed an accident involving a cow, got a sim card for a cell phone and met a woman named DooDoo. I can clearly see why Ben needs people over here to help out. It is going to be busy and exciting.
The country is aesthetically beautiful especially here in Mbabane where we are surrounded by hills. Right now we are at the beginning of spring and it’s about 70 degrees during the day and gets down into the 50s at night. That’s enough info for one post. Peace out y’all.

Pat

Check It Out

Got this blog site up for now, might do my own website though...this is pretty cool though