This has been a hard week for me.  Not only is school over with and I do not get to see my kids everyday, but I have heard some very sad stories.  One of my teammates and I have decided to support a few students from our school for the coming years so the head teacher wanted us to hear about the students' lives directly from them.  We talked with one 14 year old girl in grade 7 for a while and it brought me to tears.  This young girl, Sebenzile, lost her father in 2000, her mother last month, and is living with her 18 year old brother.  Her mother left her 20 Emalangeni when she died, which is the equivalent of just under $3.  She does not have any family members living besides her brother who is not in school and does not have a steady job.  They have no money and therefore she has no money for food, much less school fees.  As she was talking about her situation she started to cry, and the desperation of her situation hit me hard.  What hit me almost harder than her story is the fact that she is not the only child in Swaziland in this situation.  There are countless orphans in Swaziland who have no place to go and no way of acquiring food.  The head teacher tried to encourage her and took some time to explain to her the importance of trying to be strong.  The head teacher made sure to tell her not to resort to selling her body for food, because she will be approached by men for that reason.  It's hard to believe that this is definitely not an uncommon situation in this country or in the world.  I often feel like, well there is no way for me to help every orphan in Swaziland so is it really going to make a difference if I only help one?  However, I have been called to help orphans even if it is just one.  I have to trust that God is bigger than Sebenzile and her situation, as well as every other orphan's situation in Swaziland and He knows each one. 

"Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction…"                                                      ~James 1:27

"There are thousands of people in Swaziland who are disappointed in the Jesus that has been presented to them."

The pastor of the church I attend here in Swaziland made the above statement at church a few weeks ago.  It is a very powerful statement that many people may not agree with at first, but I agree wholeheartedly.  At least with my experiences here and the people I have talked to I would say this is very true.  About a month ago I was struck with the fact that what this country needs more than anything else is the true gospel.  More than a cure for AIDS, or an abstinence program to encourage kids to wait until marriage for sex, or food for all the starving kids, the Swazi people (and many other people across Africa and the world) need to know the true and living Jesus Christ.  Many people in Swaziland are presented with the Jesus of prosperity or a "quick fix Jesus" and then quickly become disappointed.  Our pastor said in this same message, "Jesus is the answer, but not for what you want done, but for what He has done."  This is so key in understanding who Jesus is.  It's not about what He can do for us and how He can fix our problems.  Jesus has already made the biggest sacrifice by giving His life for us and redeeming us from the pit of darkness, He owes us nothing.  This concept is often hard for me to grasp and doesn't seem fair sometimes, but it is true.  The need of pastors who receive good, solid Biblical training is crucial.  The Swazi people do not need to be told to believe in a Jesus who will solve all your problems.  Who will cure you and your family of AIDS and provide food in abundance for you at all times.  They need to understand who the real Jesus is.  They need to hear over and over again of the simple and true gospel of Jesus Christ and Him crucified.  The sadness and desperation of people in need is extremely grave here.  The way AIDS is ravaging this nation is outrageous and the number of children who have lost at least one parent is heartbreaking.  This is why the people need to know who Jesus really is and this is why good pastoral training is in such great need in my opinion.  As Paul says in 1 Corinthians 2:1-2, "And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom.  For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified."

Hi Everyone,

Well, we have made it to the first week of March and I am missing, yet again, another birthday. Happy (early) Birthday Austin! This has been another good week. I showed up Tuesday morning to school and found out that the teacher I’m working with would not be at school all week. So I had the class all to myself all week! I was a little worried at first, but I actually enjoyed it a lot. I was able to do whatever I wanted with the kids. I came up with different centers for English and I think the kids really enjoyed it! Wednesday afternoon Nicole and I walked a couple of our students home and briefly met their family. It was a lot of fun to see where they live and to meet their family. In Swaziland most people outside of the big cities live on homesteads. These are basically a large area of land with multiple little houses where the entire family lives. There is often a farm of some kind with maize and possibly other vegetables. The homestead we went to on Wednesday overlooks a game reserve so it was beautiful. The girls’ gogo, or grandmother, gave us some of their maize as a gift. Receiving gifts when you visit a family is the norm here as well, so that works out nicely for us:) We stayed after school this week for sports, or running. All of the fourth, fifth, and sixth graders have to stay after school to watch their fellow students run. Only the best students are chosen to compete in the competitions coming up in mid March and all the rest just cheer on their friends. Nicole was talking to the running coach and told him that she ran track in high school and he told her to come next week with a change of clothes ready to work with the girls. So Nicole is now the girl’s running coach for Mahlanya Primary School…pretty exciting. For family ministry on Saturday we went to our school to play with the kids. We made a slip-n-slide for the kids and they loved it! At first only two kids were brave enough to try it, but then they were lining up and were sliding down it for at least an hour. This week we are leaving on Thursday to go to South Africa for a prayer retreat. We will be gone from Thursday morning of this week through Monday night of next week. I guess March Madness will be starting soon, too bad American College basketball is not a big deal in Swaziland. I’m sure my family will root extra hard for the Tarheels in my honor though;) I hope you all have a good week. Keep me posted on the basketball tournament:)

Love in Christ,

Allison

I have been reading through 1 Corinthians over the past couple of weeks and have really been enjoying it. I do not have anything extremely profound to say, but decided that God’s Word is sufficient on its own. I found many verses while reading through this book that stood out to me and found them all to be reminders that it is God working in and through us to produce anything good. I pray that these verses will be as much an encouragement to you as they are to me:

“For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.”

                                                                                                                                     ~1 Cor. 1:17

“He is the source of your life in Christ Jesus, whom God made our wisdom and our righteousness and sanctification and redemption.”

                                                                                                                                     ~ 1 Cor. 1:30

“For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.”

                                                                                                                                     ~1 Cor. 2:2

“So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.”

                                                                                                                                     ~1 Cor. 3:7

“Only let each person lead the life that the Lord has assigned to him, and to which God has called him.”

                                                                                                                                     ~1 Cor. 7:17

“So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. Give no offense to Jews or to Greeks or the church of God, just as I try to please everyone in everything I do, not seeking my own advantage, but that of many, that they may be saved.”

                                                                                                                              ~1 Cor. 10:31-33

“Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.”

                                                                                                                                    ~1 Cor. 15:58

My team and I do some form of ministry together as a team every Saturday morning. This Saturday morning we spent a few hours at the hospital in Mbabane and I spent my time in the abandoned baby ward. In this ward are all the children that have been abandoned by their mothers after birth. They range in age from one year to 10 years old or older. Most of the younger ones are fairly healthy except for one little boy who looks very sick and is extremely skinny. The older children all have physical and/or mental disabilities. The children stay in the hospital until they are adopted or are taken in by an orphanage. I spent the whole time playing with one little girl named Bongiwe who is about 3 years old. At first she was a little shy, did not smile, and didn’t really know what to think of me. She started warming up to me and by the time I left she was pretty much clinging to me. I had so much fun spending my morning with her. She has such a great personality for a little girl. Bongiwe started talking to me non-stop which was so cute, but since she was talking SiSwati I had no idea what she was saying. It hurts me to think that this amazing and sweet girl could be stuck in this hospital for years. I am thankful that she has a place to sleep and someone to feed and clothe her, but I hate that it has to be in a small room in a hospital. She cannot run around outside and explore like so many other children. Praise the Lord she is still loved by God. Her mother and father may have abandoned her and it may seem like she will be living in the hospital forever, but she is still known and loved by the Lord so much. I pray that God will reveal Himself to her in the coming years and she will live a life that brings Him glory.

Tomorrow I'm heading back to Africa.  This semester I will be living in Mbabane, Swaziland.  I do not know very much about where we will be living and what ministry opportunities there are since our trip was changed at the last minute.  However, I am excited to be heading back to Africa and am looking forward to how God will use my team and me in the coming months.  Below I have attached all the information I have received about my trip and a map of Swaziland.  Thank you for your continued support.  I will hopefully post another update soon from Africa!

Mbabane/Ezulwini Area

Mbanane is the capital of Swaziland.  It is the Governmental center of the country.  It has about 80,000 inhabitants.  The US embassy, a full service mall, and the largest government hospital are all located in Mbanane.  It is in the higher altitude part of the country with beautiful mountains and greenery everywhere.  The climate is cooler than that found in Manzini.

Ezulwini means "Heaven" in siSwati.  The Ezulwini valley sits below the city of Mbanane and is in some ways a suburb of the capital.  There are tourist amenities in Ezulwini including the countries largest craft market. 

The house is located  in a new housing development and has good security with a guard, high wall, and electric fence protecting the whole neighborhood.  The FYM program in Swaziland was actually housed in this same area beginning 2004 and there are still multiple ministry contacts in the area.  The house is less than 2 years old, has 4 bedrooms and will have modern bathroom and kitchen facilities.

Transportation will involve primarily public transport - although the team will have an AIM vehicle as well.  Public Transport is a 5-10 minute walk from the house.  A "Kombie" ride  up the road to Mbabane is about 20 minutes up  (and about 10 minutes down!)

Ministry opportunities include:

·         Hospital in Mbabane - men's ward, women's ward, large children's ward.

·         2 high schools in Mbabane where we have done discipleship and abstinence groups in the past.

·         Teacher assistants in 2 elementary schools in Ezulwini.

·         3 vulnerable children care points located in Ezulwini.

·         English Teacher for a program designed for older kids who are unable to go to school but need English for jobs.

·         Street ministry in Mbabane.

·         A Mosque is located on the road behind the neighborhood where the team will live.

·         Several NGO's are located in Mbabane.  With some networking, there may be some ability to help with some of their activities.

I have been going to a coffee shop/bookstore with Carrie everyday for the past week and getting to know the owner and have been reminded of a very comforting fact….it's not up to me. God doesn't need me to accomplish anything, but He allows me to take part in what He's already doing. Carrie and I have been talking with this lady for a week and had not felt like we needed to share the gospel with her, but to just sit with her and show her that we care about her. Yesterday we got clear confirmation that we are not the ones that are going to make a huge difference in her life, but the people she lives around all the time will. We met one of her good friends yesterday and found out that she is a Christian and Carrie and I both feel that she will make the biggest impact in our friend's life. It was as if God was saying, "See, I don't need you. I'm already at work here." It was really encouraging and the reminder helped to take pressure off. I feel like the American church has put so much pressure on "evangelism" and it has become something that we often feel like has to have results that we can report. But to me, that limits what we expect of God. That puts all the pressure on us and then we feel like it's a job and if we don't get positive results we feel like a failure. Praise God it's not on us! If it were we would be in serious trouble. God is good and He is at work even when we can't see it. It's also more fun this way. We can just live life and share the love of Christ not just in "sharing the gospel" (which is still very important), but also in how we act around others. I love that the Lord always finds a way to remind me that it's not about me:)

Click Here to Check out our FYM program