First taste of Swaziland…
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
Keep up doing God’s work. You are the hands and feet of God. May your love shine through to everyone you come in contact with. I love you, Kate, and I am proud of you. Love, Grandma
Thank you so much Seth and Kayla for the updates. It is so hard not to have any contact with Shannon but it is probably good to be totally immersed in the ministry being done there and the group becoming a family that depends on each other. I pray that God’s love is a constant light for your ministry, and you can form lifelong friendships with the Swaziland people and your fellow missionaries. God is working at home here too, with Shannon’s dad. He called to let me know that he was very hurt about one of Shannon’s past blogs about Paul Washer. I told him that he needed to talk to you about it when you get home. I’m not sure if it was hurt or anger. I maybe should not have put him on the trip update list, which can also see all the blogs of the Swazi team. Oh, well, I also told him that I have accepted that God is control over everything and He will take care of things as He wants them. I am not in control. I love you the most Shannon and pray for your health and guidance from your Heavenly Father. Only He can love you more than me.
Love, Mom
Sounds like God is Directing your time and your divine appointments. Be a BLESSING not only to people there….but to each other!! Some times are biggest areas in spiritual growth are while we minister to our fellow team members….”RAK”(Random acts of kindness) at the ministry house can set a tone of healing and ministry amoungest yourselves. Encouraging notes or making up a bed roll for a teammate can help you all feed each other’s Love tank while you are empty all your tanks daily with the people of Swaziland.
Praying for you all,
Lainie
The entire group is in my daily prayers.
I am so grateful for the safe arrival of the team, and can’t wait for more updates. God be with each and every one of you!
Kari
God is so good! God has something big for each of your lives as you minister to the Swazi people. I wish I could be there with you (especially in the orphanage!). My prayers and thoughts are with you all. Susan
Praying for you guys and can’t wait to hear stories of the fruit of your ministry. Keep sharing timelines and going deep! Hope the cookies were good! If they weren’t, blame that Pilsbury dough boy.
Seth and Kayla,
Thanks so much for keeping us parents so informed! Your attention to detail makes it easier to pray specifically!
Thanks!
Lorie Newman(Ian’s Mom)
God has led you all to this special mission, His plans for you are endless! Follow what He has in store for you, you will be amazed! My prayers are with all of the group, you are doing God’s work and you have HIS blessings! Be safe and follow His lead!! I love you Kaitlin!!
Hey hun,
I have enjoyed keeping up with the blogs and getting to know exactly what is going on in Swazi Land. The trip to the orphanage sounds beyond amazing! I will continue to pray for you throughout your trip. God is doing major things through you Kaitlin, Miraculous things. Keep spreading the message.
With Love,
Ashley