My God is Mighty to save!

Right now we are in our spring season, the nights are less cool and the mornings are much warmer. We have welcomed and said Goodbye to different mission groups everywhere from America to Northern Ireland. The kids right now are half way through there school holidays, it’s a great time because we get to spend more time with them in the day. A cause that God has laid on the hearts of myself and fellow volunteers is to teach the kids what it is to be a blessing and to give back. The approach we brought to teach the kids to be a blessing is our own version of “Love Winnipeg” or Splash’s “Random Acts Of Kindness”. Before I get into what we do I should start off by saying that while our kids are Orphans and some are sick with HIV they have a very good life here. The Lord has really provided for this ministry they are given an extraordinary opportunity to be educated and mentored, they are fed and sheltered, medically treated and loved. When they leave this farm the prayer for all the kids is that they will go out and be a blessing, that they will walk in the full potential God has for them, some teachers, some preachers and even some missionary’s. The prayer is that they will be example of rising above poverty and being strong leaders in this nation and others. So the first step for us after keeping them grounded in the word, teaching them that it is more blessed to give then to receive. There are many homesteads surrounding our farm high in the mountains, many of them suffering great poverty, some homes can have gardens and have water to maintain, many cant have a garden because they have no water to keep in growing. Most homesteads have 5 – 12 people living in a home, employment in this nation is 30% and for those who do work the average wage is $5 a week. So its poverty at its height. So we took the kids for a walk and prayed for God to direct us to the right house to plant a garden and help maintain, he lead us to a home of a women who has 7 in her home but is trying to expand her garden because when she can she gives vegetables to others around her. So the next day with seedlings and tools in hand we went to the homestead and helped plant a whole other garden plot to help feed the area around her. At first the kids didn’t love the idea of going to do work on there holidays but when they got there and saw the need, heard her heart they were so eager to do the work. The highlight for sure was watching the kids gather around the women of the house and praying for her, second highlight is hearing them talk and plan to help the next home. This is our ongoing project through the holidays.

I was very blessed to take part in a medical mission called “The Luke Commission” what it is , is a Missionary family from America who now call Swaziland home, they are medical professionals (doctor and doctors assistant) that set up mobile clinics in the most remote parts of Swaziland and offer medical attention, they have eye care, dentist as well as basic medical care. They set up early in the morning and don’t leave until every person has been seen and treated. Wheelchairs are built on site for those that need them; HIV tests are done and minor procedures. This ministry is absolutely phenomenal, one doctor to see upon hundreds of people. A high light for me was being a part of handing out the gifts from Samaritans purse, Christmas in August in Africa, I can’t explain the joy of sitting amongst approximately 5- 700 kids and watch them open what could very well be the only gift they will get that year. I’ve made and sent out these boxes from home but it is something else to be right there when these gifts are opened. I was trained in eye testing and fitting for eye ware as well as doing HIV testing. When I wasn’t working in one of the clinics I was spending hours praying for people and just showing Gods love. Our day started at 8 am and we left and took down and packed the clinic around midnight. It’s busy and intense but rewarding and amazing.

I love being a house mom and getting to know my 6 girls. I’m growing a good relationship with the house aunt that I am training and mentoring to be a full time mom when I leave. These girls are amazing, I find it funny how in the second half of my stay here God called me to be a mom to a house of teenage girls – sometimes I feel out of my element but this gives me the chance to grow that much closer to God, I daily rely on his strength and wisdom while he has allowed me to impart into these young lives. I honestly can’t imagine leaving my girls and I do have my fair share of surreal moments when I have to have talks with them about homework, studying and cleaning up – It gives me a greater appreciation for parents of teenagers everywhere but these girls are teaching me so much. I am learning to love these girls from my Mother heart while I solely rely on the father heart of God.

I ask for your prayers for wisdom and guidance, know that God has surrounded me with many wise men and women of God that walk along side me as I have been called into this season of leadership here.

Much love and blessings,

Danene

Half Way Mark

I can hardly believe that I have reached the half waypoint, it’s amazing and surreal but it saddens me a bit because my next major milestone here will be one of completion. While life is busy and lots happen day to day it is getting increasingly harder to write my blogs because so much of what I want to say just doesn’t translate in written word, these stories are meant to be told aloud. Would you believe that after three months I have moments (regularly) where I still can’t believe I am in Africa having the honor to serve in this nation. Seriously.

So what is new, most of my jobs that I have mentioned in previous posts are the same, I still weekly work through a grief class with a group of kids, weekly I minister to the women of the community both in a church study and a women’s refuge center. I still teach the Teen Challenge students as well as help mentor and teach kids here on the farm. But soon my schedule will start to look a little bit different and some jobs will change. I have been prayerfully asked by the leadership team here to be the Volunteer Director, in short the position is kind of like the job of dean of students – I will be moving out of the house I am currently living in and moving into one of the girls homes. This house has about 8 girls in the age range of 18-21 some were orphans on the farm others Teen Challenge students, they are to old to be in a house with a house mom so they are moved into what they call a "halfway house" its teaching them life skills etc. to prepare them for when they are ready to leave the farm. I have developed a close relationship with these girls and God has placed them heavy on my heart, this was a divine answer to prayer really and I am so excited about it. Another side to that job is also me training up a Swazi women to do the job or mentoring/parenting when I leave.

Last week I had the honor to be a part of my first community feeding station, for 2 days many loaves of bread were baked in our mobile kitchen and 10 massive pots of soup were made, a ministry Soccer tournament was the draw for people to come as well the food. We served many. First prize for the winning soccer team was a goat, second place 4 chickens and third place was 2 chickens. Only in Africa. As you can see in the pictures I had the once in a lifetime opportunity to take in Kruger Wild Animal Park with my roommates, we saw Elephants, giraffes, zebra’s, rhino’s, and hippo’s. It was surreal to see all of these animals roaming around in their natural habitat. It was a great three days we were all blessed. That about sums things up for now please keep me in your prayers and continue to pray for the ministry it is growing and God is moving. Much love and blessings, Danene