During a recent trip to the government hospital to visit those who are sick, I had the privilege of leading 2 girls who accepted Jesus & decided to begin a relationship with God. Both girls shared that they had never heard of Jesus before. We (myself and the Teen Challenge Ministry Institute students I work with) found Nosippo, a 12-year-old girl who was suffering from severe malnutrition, laying on the dirty hospital floor with just a towel over half of her body. Her eyes with empty of hope as she shared that her family experiences poverty and often doesn't have enough food. After she listened to the gospel - how God loves her SO much and has a purpose for her life- and prayed, inviting Christ into her heart, she was smiling and reading the Bible we gave her. She's such a precious girl and a future leader in Swaziland.
The TCMI student ministry team and I at the hospital (rules prohibit pictures being taken inside)
Lavumisa, Swaziland -Last week I spent 3 days in Lavumisa, the location of the ministry's newest church plant and orphan homes. I was asked to accompany a Teen Challenge missions team that was here from Oklahoma. This team was from a girls' adolescent Teen Challenge, a drug treatment center. It was a joy to serve them in practical ways (cooking meals, praying, accompanying them in the community) during there time here. Our 3 days in Lavumisa was complete with powerful times of worship and prayer for this village with the highest rate of HIV infection in the world, visits to community members' homesteads for encouragement and prayer, and taking outdoor showers inside a shack made of tarps :) We even had a little visitor one night - a rat that had made it's way out of the team leader's mattress during the middle of night to make an appearance. :) TIA - "This is Africa" is a common saying here among missionaries...
An old
bridge at Lavumisa
(community members walk across this daily)
bridge at Lavumisa
(community members walk across this daily)
Me on the bridge (walking across is a little scary, tests your faith:)
The Teen Challenge Oklahoma Team and I (we all made it across!)
Building the orphan homes by the church (using sand bags)
Our youngest little helper
ok.. youngest AND cutest volunteer
Visiting homesteads in Lavumisa
homestead visit with the team
children playing in the river at Lavumisa (it's super hot there, not surprising to have temps over 100 degrees F)
Support volunteers and I with Pastor Sabelo
CLC Lavumisa
I'm honored to be involved in assisting in leading the women's Bible study at Hawane CLC Church. Many women from the rural community walk far distances to attend this meeting every Tuesday morning. It's exciting for me to see them growing in their faith and in their handling the Word. Now, some have even begin to preach to us, sharing the message! Praise God! Jesus told us to make disciples of all nations, including teaching them to obey everything he commanded. What a blessing to see this happening before my eyes!
THANK YOU for making a difference through your prayers, encouragement, and support! Together we are making disciples in Swaziland and seeing people's lives by changed through God's power!
