Hey, I'm back...been on the road and offline for awhile now. I'm back with thoughts, experiences and pictures of Swaziland. Last week we had a retreat for our bible club leaders and our teachers. It was a time where we learned child development skills, how to spot abused children and how to help kids deal with grief and loss. It was a great time away where we grew closer together, we grew closer to God and we started to make a plan for 2006. Here are some pics, I'll fill you in on more details later.

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!