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