Live from Swaziland ... sort of!

This is the way God made me.

Wow! What a week. God never ceases to amaze me. This week I moved into a different house on the farm, my new room mate is my age and a TC Scotland grad, amazing women of God. It never ceases to amaze me how God even takes care of the little details like room mates. God has brought so many amazing people into my path while I have been here. With all the awesome came a challenge ... I like to call it a moment where God says "OK Danene how much do you trust me?" I got word that my Dad was not well, and I had no means of contact to get more information because of the time difference. While admittedly my heart skip a few beats I closed my lap top and went for prayer ... In Gods great timing I opened this email up in the church office right after church and all the way in Africa we were in agreement for healing on my Dad. People who barley know me, know the heart of God and reached out. Dad is in no immediate danger but I do ask for your continued prayers. In the midst of all of that though I feel i need to say that the same peace that I have felt since I came here didn't leave me, I had no plans of dodging to the nearest air port.

The work and the out reach is great, my eyes and heart is opened more every day. I am teaching Life Skills (kind of like PSNC) and English, the literacy rate is so low here so I am teaching young adults basic reading and writing skills starting with the alphabet. I am learning a lot in the process to, I didn't realize how much I enjoyed teaching till given the opportunity. I am starting to do something close to grief counselling with the older kids on the farm who have dealt with death more then anyone ever should in a life time, working through there feelings and beliefs. This is a nation knee deep in ritual and sin - the standard treatment for women is shocking, for me with my Western thinking, a wife here holds the status of one of the older children... the multiple wife thing is very happening and still unbelievable. However the contrast is great because Me, a white christian female from Canada is considered a Miracle Maker. So hard to wrap my head around. Amidst the twisted moral values and poverty is pure beauty though ... its like the ones who really "get it" with God do in such a big way.

I have stories of sadness for sure, but I don't know how that would translate in written form, my next plan of action is a video blog so I can really express all I am feeling and experiencing.

Truth be told I miss my family and friends back home but Africa for this season is home and I couldn't be more content with that. Keep me in your prayers, the kids here for healing, a young boy Bennellie on the farm is very very ill and beat the odds of death once but has fallen very ill this past weekend keep him in your prayers. Pray for provision for the ministry here and all that work so hard to do such an amazing work. While I appreciate all of your prayers for me and by all means keep them coming I ask that you hold up Teen Challenge Swaziland in prayer, I know that God will direct the prayers where they are needed. He is truly doing some amazing things here.

Much Blessings,

Danene

African Culture

Swaziland 101

Weekly letters and journals May 10, 2010

Animals and bugs seen: Geckos, mosquitoes, beetles, monkeys (Mantanga) haven’t seen yet but there is snakes. We have the farm animals, chickens, turkeys, rabbits and pigs. We have our farm dogs Roxie and Maxi (we think they are gay)

We went to the cultural village last week and to the waterfalls.

Attended the Potters Wheel Church (crispy cream donuts after service that info is for Sean)

Pastor Kevin had a car wreck, car was written off he came out with only a scratch, Praise God.

We had rain last week, comes down hard on the tin roofs some hail

Rain this week as well on Monday torrential like rains, lots of ditches dug to prevent flooding

Heat is about +30 or more nights are cool but beautiful typical Winnipeg summer night and this is there winter.

Figuring out what my place is here, teaching English and Computers and a dicsipleship class

Kids are amazing, Mothers day we did the foot washing for the moms as Jesus did with his disciples. Later treated them to a spa treatment of manicures and pedicures, we prepared tea and cookies for the moms. They were blessed.

Enjoying the company of my roommates Helen and Katherine, Katherine is here for 2 months and Helen for 4 feels like we’ve known each other forever … culture shock not to bad, feel like a fool for buying 6 months worth of things when the stores here have everything we have at home even some of the same brand names.

We are living in the Hospice, which serves as a clinic for Jane a missionary nurse that has been here for 2, or 3 years, she is sponsored to stay here from her church back home.

Missionary teams constantly come in and out, teams from all over the world. curious if one from Canada will come.

We are blessed with our house, we have a washing machine, fridge and gas stove and even a microwave all things that over the years have been donated, and we are very blessed. We have hot water (limited) and a shower and flush toilet. The tap water can be used for cleaning but we do have filtered water for food and drink. Teen Challenge Hawane prides it self on a non-poverty mentality. In fact it is like that almost everywhere.

Soon we will have the chance to do work in the very poverty-stricken communities, Jane our nurse goes there to help with any health needs, and we go and serve where needed.

The music and the song are beautiful; I don’t think there is a person here that does not have a beautiful singing voice and rhythm to dance. Some of the younger girls have agreed to teach me some African dance so that should be interesting. Overwhelmed by there faith in God. They have a spirit of Joy.

The driving here is backwards; the steering wheels are at the opposite side of the cars. There is a lot of steep hills so it does make me a bit nervous.

I will be teaching a class of grief and dealing with death. Almost all of the kids have dealt with loss in some way shape or form.

The vision is great to rise up communities like Hawane all around Swaziland.

We went into the community, there is poverty there like I have never before seen in my life …. You are face to face with absolutely nothing, nothing but God that is. Some houses are made from cement, rocks and metal pieces, others are like the traditional homesteads with the straw and dung structure with a fire pit in central for heating, there is no ventilation for the smoke but it works. The last type of home stucture is one made out whatever can be found, boxes, scrap wood or metal, plastic containers. There are no king size beds rather straw woven mats on the mud and dung floor, some have worn out single mattreses, a lot like you would see as a crib mattress by our standards. These homesteads are smack in the middle of knowhere. It is nothing to have a house 50 - 100 miles from the road and the next neighbor 20- 50 miles past. No stores, they live off of the farm and will walk miles for the nearest grocery stand, no Super Store or Walmart, there are regular grocery stores and shopping but it is much to far and expensive for the community people. It is poverty at its greatest but in all not depressing, they have such joyful spirits, I don’t tell you all of these things to make you feel bad about how you live, I mention them because it is surreal and really blows me away. You hear of this poverty but it is so impossible to wrap your head around it. We set up shop in a desolate community on Thursday morning for a medical mission, there are 2 nurses on the property that see people, we have translators and a few of us come to help wherever needed, child care, blood pressure readings or preaching a word and leading in worship. There are hurting and very sick people with good spirits, some are beyond the help we can offer but there is hospitals and aids clinics. There is something about singing worship in a homestead property atop a mountain over looking Swaziland in the midst of the poverty Gods presence is like I have never felt before.

I am learning so much here, much about myself, God, the world …. The list is very long. I could write pages and pages just from the homstead visits but I’ll spare you. A weeks worth of information happens in one day so you may have to way till I’m home to share all of the story’s .

God is so good. I feel like I’ve been here so long, and I mean that in the best way possible. All my entrys won’t be this long but I wanted to do my best to give you a snap shot of my life here in just under 2 weeks. My camera isn’t cooperating with me at the moment but when I figure it all out I will post pictures. Much Prayers and Blessings. Danene

Becoming A Swazi!

Well everyone I MADE IT! PRAISE GOD! what a journey. I was blessed with Gods favour and protection through this journey. The people here are amazing and beautiful people. I am staying on Hawane Farm which is where the Orphanage is, I have to amazing roomates from the UK that are a God send, they really make this whole adjustment easier. We get along great. One is like a mom and the other a few years younger then me. Everyone here informs me that I have a unique and lovely accent! How is that for a change me a Canadian being the one with an accent. On the farm there are 6 houses with a house Mom and Dad. In those houses are the Orphans, each day I am here they have each house mom has invited me over for a feast, very humbling. When I meet them they already know me as they have been praying for me for months and they tell me what a blessing I am. It is too much. I am bursting at the seams with all sorts of emotions. The Swazi people know nothing of a poverty state of mind, infact are some of the most generous people I have ever met. They have such faith in God like I have never seen. I am already learning so much from them. Swaziland is beautiful and breathtaking, there is not a moment that doesn't go by that I am not Thankful to God for bringing me here and loving me enough to provide for me on this journey. It is all very surreal. I've taken in what is called the Cultural Village where its a presentation and show of what Swazi life is and the culture, it is a culture deep rooted in witch craft, abuse and sin. Women are second rate citizens they are a step above the dogs. Hearing all of this is a hard pill to swallow but praise God there are people like Kevin and Helen Ward and many others extending the hand of God and spreading his word, many are being saved. So far my work detail here will be to teach English and Computer with the Teen Challenge students, I will be working to council abused and hurt women in the community helping teach self worth as well as work with the kids. The Kids ... amazing!!!!! Stories of such miracles and Gods hands upon them. I don't know where to begin. One day I was playing with a young boy and later found out he was dying of aids... he was given 3 months to live after being left for dead in a sewage canal .... a year later you would never know the boy was even sick. God used Teen Challenge and rescued this boy and for the past year he has been living and thriving on the farm. He has his rough days but what an amazing spirit. I have so much more to say but will leave you with that. God is so good, please keep me in your prayers. I only have weekly internet access and none to fb so any contact will remain through prayers, the blog and email. I don't doubt the enemy will try to have his moments with me but God is bigger and stronger then any of his attempts. Please keep me in your prayers as I will with you. I will try and post pictures soon. Talk with you all next week. Blessings. Danene

Almost there!

I am sitting from the comfort of my hotel room in Johannesburg after a long few days of flying. I left Winnipeg International Airport at 1:00pm Monday May 3 and the journey began. Its all really surreal ... I can't believe it that me Danene Goulet is now sitting in South Africa and in a matter of few hours going to be flying off to Swaziland to meet the Wards and to step foot on the property that will be what I'll be calling home for the next 6 months. I am beyond excited to really get this started and meet the kids. The flying part went well, the planes were huge and I totally found Gods favour with the border and customs crossings. Another total God moment was the first person I spoke to at the Minneapolis Air Port was a born again christian, I struck up a random conversation and it was so refreshing and what are the odds that she is a women of God, she was telling me all about missed opportunity in her life and how what I was doing was inspiring. Humbling, I reminded her that it is nothing I am doing that all the glory is to God. I touched base with my family and my TC family to let them know I'm safe and sound and i'm prepping for the final step in the first part of this adventure. How amazing is God that this is were he has me in this season of my life. Im sure I will have my moments but if God is for me then who can be against me. It really honestly doesn't seem real yet. At all. I will do my best to upload some pictures and update you as I touch down in Swaziland to the Lighthouse Orphanage. Keep me in your prayers, I was warned that the Swazi customs is a little intense, I am praying for Gods continued favour. I will be in touch.Thank you for the prayers. Much love and blessings.