The teams are arriving home shortly and God used the teams in great ways. It was great reading the updates and watching God at work in their lives and in the lives of those they ministered too.

If you are picking up your son/daughter by car, you can pick them up at the hotel between 8AM and 11AM or at the airport between 8AM and 12PM. Below is the address to the hotel that debrief is conducted. 

Debrief is the night before and parents are welcome to attend, but do realize that this is the last time they will be with their team and good-byes are hard for them. We have seen parents come and yes, your child is excited to see you, but they want to be with their team that they bonded with and will not see again. So don’t go into it expecting too much.

Thanks for entrusting your child with our organization. We count it a privilege to have worked with you and your child.

God Bless!

“Give me all of you…”
Robert De Graff 
      Greetings from Swaziland! Things have been quite intense throughout this trip. A daily surrender of our hearts, minds, and even our bodies is required for this trip to be successful. Today we especially had to give God our all, it was the first day where we did ministry without our leaders completely guiding the groups. We started with asking the Lord what he desired for us to do as we hiked up the mountain. So we started off not knowing what to expect, to be honest I was a bit doubtful about what God would tell us, if anything. I was so wrong to doubt the voice of God though. So as we started to pray things came to our minds, objects, animals, clothing patterns, Bible verses, song lyrics, movies, all sorts of things that were very random, but they were almost all something that related to the ministry that we did today, signs of where God wanted us to be. Lauren had a vision of the place that we went and the woman God has called us to minister to. I met the woman with my leader Seth one time at her homestead, and behind her there were about 30 bottles of liquor. Today we found out that they were all consumed by that woman we met about a week ago. We didn’t even plan on finding this out because my group only stopped again to pray for her son who is paralyzed. Now she is extremely sick from drinking and we have been called to pray for her, minister to her, and if God has enough grace, to bring healing to her body and soul through the power of Christ. We were told where she was staying, but the people there lied to us, so we went back and had her mother go with us, and then we found that she was at the doctor and she will be back later in the week. God spoke in more ways than I can explain at the moment, but today was from God. If we did not give God all of our hearts, minds, and bodies, we wouldn’t have gone looking for someone we didn’t really know. There are other people we have met already that we greatly desired to talk to and visit, but God wanted something different for us, so we followed the Spirit’s calling and went into the unknown place, and now we have an opportunity to bring healing to a person who has no hope. This is what Jesus wants. For Him to save this woman and use us in the process we have to give him all of us. Pray that we would decrease and Christ would increase in us. What does God require of you today? What are you holding back? God wants it. He will use you if you give all of yourself to him.  John 14 & Isaiah 43

NOT FINISHED!
Jennifer Heath
         So hey from Africa I hope all is well back in the States. Here everything has been going AWSOME! From the first week here meeting all the great people of Swaziland doing what we call homestead ministry and visiting the orphanage and the government hospital. God has been doing some amazing work in all 21 of us here. It’s great to see how we all have grown throughout this trip. Mainly we have planted seeds in the lives of these people. And when we are with the children, I just think back to the Bible story when Jesus said let the children come to me. I can’t help but to just love every one of them and smile the smile Jesus gave me and give them a sense of Hope. Just a simple thing of having a family we can take for granted at times I know I am truly blessed back home to have such loving support. It’s hard watching kids and even adults having no one to turn to. But here we are giving the message of Jesus to them. He is someone who will never leave. To be honest I’m not ready for home yet. I really want to stay here at least another month to watch all the seeds that we planted in these peoples lives begin to grow. But I know that God has people coming after we leave to do that. Ecclesiastes 3: 1-8  June 14^th 2008 was the time for 21 complete strangers to come together as one body in Christ to minister to the people in Swaziland and it’s been an amazing journey. On July 14^th it will be our time to go back home into our every day lives. Time here, this one month it can’t be measured in days or hours. It’s measured in the love that we have all built and the smiles that we have put on peoples faces. Well only a few days left God’s not done yet I’m ready to see what God has planned for us. Please be in prayer for our team, that God will continue to work in all of our lives.

Hannah Russell

    Salbona! Greetings from Swaziland! The trip has been amazing so far, and it’s hard to think that it will be over in just a week! I’ve learned SO much since we’ve been here in Swazi! We’ve been going to an orphanage (the Sandra Lee Center) a few times a week, and there’s around twenty children presently living there. The mothers caring for the children are so kind, and the children are absolutely adorable! About a week ago, I was talking with a boy there named John. We were talking about some cars that were passing by, policeman, school, just anything that came up randomly in a conversation between an eighteen-year-old and an eight-year-old – interesting conversations! And out of nowhere, John says, “You know – the devil just throws you out! He is bad and doesn’t love you. But God wants us, everyone, and He loves us!”
    It was a simple expression of love, and God used it to turn my heart upside down for these people! To be perfectly honest, I thought I would come to Swaziland to change hearts for God – but instead, God has used, and is continuing to use, the beautiful people of Swazi to change MY heart. Sometimes God has a funny way of speaking to us. And the message that would do us all some good to listen to is the one that I learned from John: “God wants us, everyone, and He loves us!”

For me the best part of ministry is going to the hospital, but it has also been the hardest part. We’re only allowed into the children’s ward, and at the end of the hallway is a room for abandoned children, some who are mentally disabled. The Lord broke my heart over one boy in particular in that room. His name is Sena and he is seven years old. When I first saw him he was outside in a wheel chair. In his eyes I saw a lot of fear, frustration, and loneliness. He couldn’t walk or talk. Many times he would bite his hands, throw his head back, and kick his feet. When I grabbed his hand, he clung on to it tightly. When he would get frustrated or start to cry I would sing Amazing Grace to him, even though I know I can’t sing, but I guess it didn’t matter because he started to calm down, smile, and laugh a bit. Every time we go back to the hospital I go straight to Sena. My heart both breaks and is filled with joy when I see him. When we went back to the hospital a second time, he was sitting on the floor and the nurses had me feed him and clothe him after they gave him a bath. That in itself filled me with joy. Sometimes when he gets frustrated he pulls my hair or hits me on the head. I realize that all I can really do is be there with him, and I won’t even be able to do that for much longer. God has been showing me so much through the time I spend with Sena. God has been teaching me about His own love for His children and how we are completely dependant on Him, just like Sena is dependent on others. There is great comfort in knowing that God will never leave us nor forsake us. He will never let go of His children.

It’s not about the physical body
John Luke Laube

    Walking through the hospital room seeing one child at a time sitting devastated on their beds as they lay there either to heal or to die. Watching HIV take it’s toll. As I spent time with one child bringing joy to their spirits with not necessarily words just a simple song or simple … touch. Just to be in the arms of someone who cares, someone who loves… someone like Jesus. Walking through the hospital rooms I got to the end of the hallway as a mentally challenged kid is with a girl from my team (Shannon). As I approach the child fear came through his eyes. So much pain so much fear it seemed beyond nature. I walked closer to this child who seemed to be tormented. I touched his arm and he pulled his right arm out and pulled my hair with a unnatural anger and with his left hand he tried to push me away. For some reason the song “Jesus Loves Me” came to mind.. I put my hand across his chest and just sang Jesus loves me. Then as this moment happened I won’t forget he gasped for air and breathed with a soft breath again.  He looked at me and let go of my hair and brought his hand in a gentle smooth way and held mine. It was like he was in peace finally. As this happened I became weak both physically and emotionally, but spiritually I felt stronger than ever.. It’s not about the body.. it’s not about a disease.. beauty is only skin deep.  It’s about Spirit..the Spirit is what will last forever.

 
Broken and Beautiful
Tawney Carlson

        “People do not come to this hospital to live they come for a place to die.” This is something I heard as I sat in the common room of our Ezulwini house. An AIM member told us what to expect while attending the Mbabane government hospital. The team was scheduled to visit the hospital two days later and I was now very unsure of how to come into this hospital and show these people the love of Christ.
        Two days later walking down the hallway of a dilapidated government hospital I knew not what to expect; little did I know that in Ward 8 God had placed a 9 year old boy named Mhlonishwa Mabuza who would hold a piece of my heart for all time. As I entered Ward 8 I briefly talked to a woman by the name of Grace who is staying with her granddaughter Dem who has TB. After saying goodbye to Grace I turned to leave the room and was drawn to a child in the corner. The child was a nine year old boy named Mhlonishwa Mabuza who had one eye swollen shut and his left hand was swollen to the size of a peach. Mhlonishwa was unresponsive at first and did not seem very happy to have a white girl staring at him. I felt God calling me to sit and simply love on this child as I began talking God brought the words to my lips and I began to whisper to this child how he was a child of the Lord and that God was going to heal his infirmities. I was amazed that God put these words on my tongue and Mhlonishwa began to nod ‘yes’. I sat with him for about an hour wiping his face and reading bible verses till the lunch cart came and the mothers asked me to feed him. I was very confused at where his mother or grandmother was for he had been alone all day. As I fed lunch to Mhlonishwa I learned from Grace that he was brought in by a Good Samaritan and orphaned at the hospital. No one in the ward knew what his illness was so I being the curious person I was I decided I was not leaving Swaziland without knowing what Mhlonishwa had. Unfortunately I could not find out that day because we left at 3 o’clock. The team returned a day later and I entered Ward 8 to find Mhlonishwa with two eyes open and his hand was half as swollen, but most importantly he lit up with a smile as I entered. I pulled up a chair next to his small crib and sat talking and praying for about three hours. I found his charts and medical records under his bed blanket and quickly read through about twelve pages of medical notes. I found out he has had many blood transfusions and has Anemia, but beside that I still have not found why he had hard knots all over his body and his trunk and limbs are like cement. Mhlonishwa has taught me more than I could possibly have taught him. Mhlonishwa is a broken child in his physical body but God has shown to me how he is constantly in Ward 8 with his child Mhlonishwa and will never forsake him. God has taken a piece of my heart and forever placed it within Mhlonishwa in Ward 8 of the Mbabane government hospital. I anxiously await a return visit to the hospital and ask all who read this to pray for Mhlonishwa Mabuza.

            As we enter our final week here in beautiful Swaziland, God amazes me in the ways He works. From the moment we all entered training camp to now, God has been proving new things to each of us in different, powerful ways, and changing each of us into the men and women He wants to work in His name. Though I can only speak for myself deeply, I know that God is working on each of us specially. For me, the trip has been all over the place, but in each experience, God has shown Himself to me. I am going to tell one story specifically, from training camp. We were having a night of worship, in an upstairs room appropriately called ‘the sanctuary’ (hence the title). After the worship, which I had the privilege of playing my guitar in, God had been labeling a couple of things in my thinking and life that I had not completely laid down to His will, which I needed to lay down to allow work in my life. More specifically, a previous relationship was sometimes a priority in my thinking. So as I went forward to pray and lay that down to God, I didn’t have the words to describe the problem. For me, that seems strange, because I often have the words. Nonetheless, I decided to pray for a proper way to describe it. While I was praying, one of the camp leaders named Luis came up and talked to me about a charge from the Holy Spirit. He said that God had told him to tell me (confusing, I know), that there was a calling on my life to be a pastor. One thing that confirms the truth that this came from God is that Luis spoke truths about my life that you could only know if you knew me previously. I had met Luis one time prior to this, and there was no way, except from God, for him to say those things. I am still getting a picture from God as to what that looks like, but God hasn’t particularly shown me that I need to be giving up certain activities that I enjoy, like skiing, worship, or sports. I am still thinking that I will continue with the plan for the coming year, but I am going always make sure I leave the option for God to step in, prove me wrong, and put another plan in my life. I am praying that God always reveals more to me, but I am also learning more and more every day that his timing is absolutely not my timing and that His timing is perfect, and mine is not. Prayers are always appreciated, particularly for the growing relationships we have with people in the surrounding community, and we are all missing everyone back at home. God is our constant companion.

Deli
Kirstie Appler

 As our time here in Swaziland comes to a close, I’m trying to identify a defining moment. A moment, that I can say not only changed my life but also my relationship with God. Throughout all that we have done here in Swazi, one event stuck out in my mind. Our first time visiting the Sandra Lee Center, an orphanage for abandoned children; I met a little girl named Deli. I’m not sure why but within the first minutes that we arrived, she grabbed a hold of my hand and claimed me as her own. Deli was taken into the center after years of abuse at the age of three. She is now five and very feisty. This might be the reason we get along so well. During the first few visits I learned that Deli can count to thirty, knows all the colors of the rainbow, and that she loves story books. Last Thursday, Robin Pratt the missionary who runs the center gave me and one of the other team members an assignment. We were asked to go to each of the three group homes and find out when each child started to sit, stand, crawl, walk, etc. Little Deli was happy to come along and help. When we reached the third and final house, Deli’s house, we sat down to interview the “mother” Lillian. She handed me the health records of each of the children. While Deli sits on my lap, I flipped through the records. I saw Deli’s name and my heart dropped. Her record was stuffed full with blue hospital slips. Confused, I asked Lillian what this meant. She plainly replied, “AIDS”. This was the first time that reality truly hit me. Three out of every four people in Swaziland are infected with HIV and the little girl sitting on my lap was part of that statistic. In my bed that night I asked God, why? Why did my little girl have to be sick? Then I realized, even through extreme hardship he is there. Deli was sick, alone, and broken before she was taken in the center. God provides. He brought her into a loving home and gave her all she needs to maintain health.  All is in his control.

The beauty of pain
Bekah Fernandez

 Our first time at the government hospital was on the 28^th and when we first got there, I went into this one room and in the first bed closest to the door was a little girl who was super skinny. I talked to her and then Chris called me over to where he was. I walked over to the bed he was at and there was this little boy probably 2 years old lying there in so much pain. His head was swollen. His eyes were very puffy and swollen. His body was a little deformed. You could see the veins in his head. And he could hardly breathe. You could hear how much pain he was in… it was horrible. I just stood there in shock looking at this tiny little boy in so much pain not even a grown man could handle. He started crying from all the pain, and I knelt down next to him and grabbed his little hand. His skin was very soft and squishy because he had no muscle there. As this little boy looked me in the eyes, eyes filled with pain…. My heart was crushed, and I knew after that moment that I would never be the same. I tried smiling at the little boy, but it didn’t help. I walked out and my eyes teared up. Well, each time we went back, it got a little easier for me since I was getting used to it. Each time I would visit that little boy and just sit there with him. Well, we went back a 4^th time to the hospital, and when I walked in that room to see my baby boy, the bed was empty. There was a woman sitting next to the empty bed, I said “Excuse me, ma’m… where is the little boy that used to sleep here?” She looked at me like it was no big deal and said “Oh, he passed away.” I didn’t know what else to do so I walked out the room, down the hallway and started crying. Just as I was getting used to it, God broke my heart again… in a good way. I was so devastated that my baby was gone, but deep down inside… I’m glad he’s in a better place with Jesus running around. No swollen eyes. No swollen head. No deformity. No pain. While it’s been hard, God has a reason for everything. He breaks our hearts in those ways so that we understand and appreciate what we have, when we have it. They say you never know what you have until it’s gone….. but I knew what I had. I had a beautiful baby boy who I loved, and I’m glad he’s gone… because he’s with my Jesus.. and he’s smiling… with no pain, any longer.

Hello family and friends of team Swazi!  I know you guys prey on the computer waiting for the next update about your kids so here you go.  Today is a beautiful day here and the team is out at an orphanage loving on kids.  It makes my heart smile to see them fully engaging with these kids and loving them out of the overflow of their hearts.  Later this week you'll hear more stories on here from your kids, and tomorrow afternoon we'll bring the entire team into town to email home.  I know you look forward to hearing from them.

One of the team’s favorite ministry locations is the homestead area located just behind our house.  Several times a week we spend the afternoon hours in this rural area. We can be found trekking up the dirt paths of the mountain leading to people’s homes, talking to people on the roadside, playing with children who always seem to find the visitors, yielding to the cows that roam freely, getting to know our new friends, and fully embracing the Swazi culture. God has simply dropped this ministry in our lap…it was such an unexpected surprise.  The team is engaging and investing in people – focusing on building relationships.  During this ministry we split into 3 groups and each group returns to their specific side of the mountain to visit with the same families several times a week.  It’s fun to watch these relationships develop and to talk about what we saw as we process at the end of the day. The students have started taking ownership in this ministry and we’ve heard on occasion references to their “Swazi family.” Praise God for him crossing our paths with these incredible people. 

One of the other ministries that has impacted our team greatly is the hospital. On Saturday we visited the government hospital in Mbabane and have gone back a few times since then to volunteer in the children’s ward.  The team has been completely wrecked by this!  The Lord has opened up a door for us to simply love on His children at the hospital, both the kids who have family and the abandoned children. I was specifically struck at one moment on Saturday afternoon. As we were all sitting in this back room holding the abandoned babies, all got quiet as if a wave of silence swept through the room. I looked around to see all of our students holding babies tight against their chests with tears in their eyes. It was at that point that the reality of this hit everyone in there.  Soon it was time to leave and we all reluctantly put the babies back in their cribs. As we walked out of the hospital in silence, everyone was inwardly processing in their own ways.  It was a tough thing. That night we had a great time of debriefing all of this and sharing our hearts.  We’re all wrecked for sure!  But the team is choosing to be vulnerable and real and to walk through hard things together. In this God is glorified!!

Wow! So this is the first blog that I’ve had a chance to post since the start of our trip! What a privilege it has been to spend these past few weeks living life and ministering with these 18 young men and women and my 2 incredible co-leaders! Christ is at work in Swaziland in huge ways… starting with each one of us!

There is so much that I could share about how the Lord has used and worked inside this team! One amazing thing the Lord has shown me through this group is true brokenness for what breaks the Lord’s heart. We have spent some time loving and getting to know the children and their mothers/ caretakers at the Government Hospital in Mbabane. The hospital is truly a dark place… death is everywhere. The back room of the children’s ward is filled with precious children who have been abandoned and have no where else to go and one nurse to “care” for them. The rooms are filled with hurting kids fighting for life, and their caretakers who must stay constantly by their side. Honestly, the place is far from inviting and almost hopeless. Praise our God that He is the God of hope!

The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. Psalm 34:18

Hello friends and family of team Swazi!  Everyone sends their greetings.  We're doing well here and are loving being a part of what God is doing in Swaziland.  Here's some first hand accounts from a third of our team.  The rest of the team will be writing soon.  Thanks for your prayers and notes of encouragement!
Much love,

Amber Palo
"Swaziland: the land of miracles"

Sarah Charrier
"The Kingdom of Swaziland"
    This mission trip to Swaziland has definitely been an adventure so far. I have learned so much about myself and my calling into ministry. You hear and see on television the horrible stories and visions of African poverty, but you do not realize until you see and experience it yourself how real it is. We are all having a great time, surrounded by people who love the Lord and have the same desires for missions. I was able to go to an orphanage, which was amazing; I built a relationship with a girl named Iris. She is beautiful both in personality and appearance. Please keep Iris in your prayers along with the Swaziland team as we continue on God’s journey.

Derek Schoffstall
"The Children of Swaziland"
    When I learned that I had to write a blog post this week, there was no doubt in my mind that I was going to write about my experience with the children in Swaziland. Since I have been here I have connected with most of the children that I have encountered. I have a real heart for children and God has really been guiding me toward talking with the children we have seen. I just love to meet them, at first, shy children and by the end of our time together for the day, have them running and laughing and playing with me. The feeling that you get when you look in the eyes of a young child, and their eyes light up, and they become overjoyed to see you, is just an indescribable feeling. It’s amazing to see God working through not only me, but everyone on the team. Not only continue to pray for our team, but pray for the children of Swaziland, they need our prayers the most.

Chris Reed
"Miracles of God"
    On the second day of our trip in Swazi, half of us went to this orphanage and while I was there that’s when God opened my eyes to the hurting children. God’s love was shown to me by a little boy named Bonginkosi, meaning “God Answers”. I saw Bonginkosi sitting by a tree alone, soccer ball in hand. I felt I should build a relationship with this little boy. So I went up to him and started talking to him and this little boy and I connected right away. Then we started playing ball and then after awhile he wanted to race me on his bike and beat me and said “You a loser, Chris!” And that’s when we really bonded and I made him my little brother. Then I asked him how old he was and he was all “I am 5 years of age”. After that we had a little bit of time to just sit and talk. It was sad how he just grasped me and needed me to love him since he never had that from his parents who just left him who knows where. After we had to leave that’s when God really showed me that being a missionary isn’t exactly going around using words to show God’s love, but also just showing it and applying it in our lives and the lives of others. When we came back the second time, he came up to me and said “Hey, Chris! Lets play!” It was a really good feeling knowing that the first time I went I actually made an impact in his life because he remembered my name and was super excited to see me. And also that God could use something so small to make this whole trip worth while.

SarahLaine Redding
"Officially a Swazi"
    One of the ministries that our team has started is a homestead ministry. Basically what we do is just walk up the mountain on some dirt roads and visit people in their homes, which Swazis do not hesitate to do because they’re AWESOME. On our first day our team met a family named the Dlaminis they live on a homestead with at least 20 people. They all came out and talked to us the first day and asked us if we could come back the next morning at 9:00 to help them with some things. So the next morning we walked back up and met them at their home. You could just see how excited they were that we had kept our promise and were back to see them. Well, it ends up they decide to take us on quite the adventure. Three of the older Dlamini sisters named Jabu, Cebinle, and Bheke took us on the hike of my life. We literally climbed a mountain. They took us all over the place and almost in to the game reserve (some of the team even saw monkeys). These women are incredible, they make this journey at least twice a week and being the out-of-shape American that I am; I couldn’t believe it. When we reached the top of the hill, Cebinle called down to her family and told them to “get out all the beef.” After we helped them carry firewood back down the mountain, we went back to the homestead to a traditional Swazi meal. It was incredible how these people that we had just met the day before were willing to literally cook all the beef they had for us. After playing with all the children and talking some more they asked us when we would be coming back; we told them Friday. Friday came and as we were walking up the mountain a lady named Ntombie stopped us and gave our group all Siswati names. We then walked back up to the Dlaminis and they were so pleased to see us, it has just been the most heartwarming experience. It’s incredible to me how in the big scheme of things, these people that I came to minister to, are really ministering to me. The amount of love, and acceptance, and hospitality that I have been shown by the Swazi people is overwhelming. I officially feel like a part of the community, and the relationships we are building are incredible. Love to all, Temalangeni (formerly known as SarahLaine)

"My Bonsile"
    The work of the Lord has been so amazing to see, here in Swaziland. Every day we have amazing experiences and enjoy building relationships, although my heart has been pulled towards one of those relationships in particular: on Wednesday, my group went down the street to a local church preschool to spend time with the little ones there. As soon as we walked through the wire fence, a mob of children surrounded us, yelling “How are you? How are you?” We greeted them with hugs and they pulled at our hands and shirts, begging for attention that we were so ready to offer. A small girl on the outside caught my attention and I walked over to meet her. Staring into her beautiful brown eyes my heart ached for her. I learned that her name was Bonsile (Bon-see-lay) and I spent the next few hours, holding her and getting to know more about her. We were playing on the swings at the playground, when she lost her balance and fell to the ground. I reached to pick her up and the little boy on the swing next to her accidentally hit her in the back of the head and she started to cry. I stood her up and held the back of her head, saying “Don’t cry, there’s no blood.” Only as I pulled my hand away did I see that it was covered in blood and took her over to the teacher to be cleaned up. Thankfully, it was only a small cut and she soon cried herself to sleep in my arms. I fell in love with my new friend and my heart is entirely captivated by her, as I continue to visit her and build that relationship. In her eyes, I can see the world’s children and I understand why I am here, and why I was called to this great work.

Yesterday was really our first day of true ministry. 10 of us went to an orphange for abandoned babies, and the rest of us went on prayer walk around our neighborhood. For us that went on the prayer walk, the Lord revealed to us what He had planned! As soon as we walked down our road, we ran into a preschool that just got out. They were all sitting in the yard waiting for their parents to pick them up. As soon as they saw us, the started yelling "How are you?" repeatedly! We couldn't resist but laugh and we played with them for like and hour and a half! They would yell "Shoot Me" which meant they wanted us to take a picture of them, and we could then show them the picture we took...thanks to digital. As soon as they saw the picture, they would laugh and yell, That's me! After that, we walked around the neighborhood talking to people, trying our hardest to speak Swati. They laugh at us when we speak to them in Swati, but it's a good laugh, they really respect us. We met a pastor on Sunday that has lived here 7 years and still doesn't know how to say thank you...it's really sad and disappointing.

Sawubona (Hello) from beautiful Swaziland!!

After 3 days of travel, we finally made it to our home here in Ezulwini, located 10km outside of the capital of Swaziland, Mbabane. As I write this, we’re embarking on day 3 here. We’re beginning to settle into our home here and are currently making ministry connections. As you pray for us, pray that God will continue to open doors of opportunity for us to love Him and His people here.

The team continues to bond as we discover the joys and challenges of community living. We’re quickly becoming family…one VERY large family of 21! Each evening we gather to talk about the day and share our experiences with each other. We’ve also had some time for people to share their timelines. We’ve all been tremendously blessed by this time that we can grow closer as a team.

We also have an addition to our team. Her name is Khanyisile and she has come to live with us to help with translating. She’s also a great resource when it comes to us navigating our way around town. We are excited to have her with us and are looking forward to learning more about the Swazi culture through her. We have a lot to learn!

Yesterday afternoon, we split into 2 groups for ministry. One group ventured off on foot towards the homestead (neighborhood) located just behind our house. John, Amber, Tawney, Rob, Derek, Bekah, Jennifer, Shannon, and Seth enjoyed an afternoon of getting to know the people in the homestead. They met many people and were able to encourage them and simply share life with them. They also had fun playing with the kids at the school located a few blocks from our house. They returned home yesterday evening bright-eyed and full of stories. We are planning to spend many afternoons in this neighborhood investing into people and we’re all excited for what God is going to do through this time. 

The other group made up of Chris, Ian, Peter, Lauren, Rachel, Hannah, Kirstie, Kaitlin, Sarah Laine, Sarah, Whitney, and Kayla spent the afternoon at the Sandra Lee Centre, which is an orphanage for abandoned children. The missionaries that run this ministry are friends of AIM and it was great to connect with them and serve them.   We had a full afternoon of loving on the 20 children there. We returned home with new friendships built with these kids and we cannot wait to get back to them. 

Thank you for all your prayers. We’ll continue to keep you updated as best as we can. Please specifically pray for:

• Continued good health
• Team unity as we continue to grow together
• For God to open doors for us to take part in what He’s doing here.
• Discernment as we choose ministry locations for the next few weeks