A great video made by Natalie, capturing the spirit of the Nsoko Project in Swaziland. Check out Pastor Gift's blog and be praying for the working going on in Swazi.
A young woman 18 years old, has living by herself since she was 10. Zodwa had a mother and a father and lost them both 8 years ago to HIV. Zodwa remembers nothing about HIV from their deaths, or maybe she is too ashamed to talk about it. She recalls coming home from school and her neighbors saying her mother had died earlier that day, and no one knew why.
Shame literally crushes the frame of this young girl, who sits with her shoulders hunched as if to hide any emotion stuck deep with in her, making eye contact is a challenge for her. She is confined to a one room cement block home which reminds me of a prison cell. "House on Fire" is painted carelessly in red letters on the wall by her bed. I asked her the meaning behind the strange phrase, Zodwa went on to describe the pain and meaninglessness she feels about her life. How lonely it must be to have spent 8 years of your adolescence alone. Her mother's grave is less than 10 feet away from her door step as a constant reminder.
At age 14 she began to sell her body in exchange for money and food. To her, this was the only option. In Swaziland, you must have a uniform and shoes to attend school, in addition to the tuition. So when her parents died, there was obviously no way to pay for school. Zodwa has only completed grade 4 and therefore cannot obtain a job...other than prostitution. This way of living is not looked down upon in their culture, it is accepted by the majority. I believe my new friend must have conviction about her way of life but justifies it because of her struggle to survive. It is her way of life.
Two of us (Ali and Amy) had the opportunity of staying at Zodwa's house for one night. We spoke to her of Christ's love and encouraged her to meet with Him. As I was struggling to fall asleep that night on her floor, (listening to mice and bats screeching), I thanked God for the works He has yet to do in her life. She told us that she spends most of her time sitting in her house doing nothing accept sleeping. I asked if she could spend some time talking to the Lord and listening for Him. She said yes, but I don't know how she can do this without a mentor. Upon my goodbye to Zodwa, I left her with enough food for a few months, and some new clothes to add to her 1 dress and 2 tee shirts. As I was hugging her goodbye I looked down at her bare feet and felt compelled to kick off my worn out flip flops to leave with her. I know I also left her with some hope and truth of Jesus.
I asked Zodwa what her dream was for the future. She stared at me with a blank look for several minutes. Finally she said, "I cannot read or write. I am alone here. I have no dreams." This young woman may have no dreams, but God has plans for her that are beyond imagination and that plan includes me and you. Pray, pray, pray for Zodwa and her future romance with Jesus.
At a point in her life, Neli found alcohol to be her ruler and she had been consumed by it. Her son was taken from her when he was 7. She was left with her daughter who then died of stomach cancer at age 12. Her AA sponsor came into her life when she worked for a local sugar cane company. He gave her AA leaflets and challenged her to put her faith in God.
The God of redemption has turned her life around. She is now the teacher and carepoint contact for one of the Nsoko Projects 8 carepoints. She gladly cares for, feeds, and teaches 20 orphans daily. She does this without payment only receiving delight in what she has to give...love from the Lord.
Neli will never be able to refuse a God that has drawn her out of addiction and now uses her to care for orphans. I could never refuse a God that has saved someones life by completely wiping their slate clean and giving them an open canvas.
Neli's deliverance is going to be used to bring freedom and hope to other alcoholics. We are in the process of raising funds for Neli to be trained as a counselor and mentor for Alcoholics Anonymous. We hope to find monetary contributions that sponsor each addict in the area. With alcohol being a huge stronghold in this area, we pray that the Lord will use Neli and her gift in the ministry of deliverance.
I waited patiently for the LORD;he inclined to me and heard my cry.
He drew me up from the pit of destruction, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure.- Psalm 40
"With the AA in my hand and the God of my understanding, I started to pick up the pieces that I had. Right now I am a sober alcoholic. I am living without alcohol. To add to this I had somebody that I made to be a role model in my life, my grandmother. She never had a home, had a husband or had work. But she never had to go as far as having a drink so that she could live better. Right now, I know that I am sober but I still know that I am one drink from drunk. So, I am keeping my sobriety one day at a time.
I have no space for alcohol right now. Alcohol with never close the gaps in my life...The only thing that I can tell any other alcoholic is that you must take up the arms and fight against alcoholism for yourself."- written from an interview with neli viewed below
This three part blog, compiled by Natalie, is about three Swazi women and the stories that we uncovered about each one during our time in Swaziland working with Pastor Gift.
PART I-The story of Redemption
I have been thinking about a verse from a Death Cab song that has always caught my attention, "Love is watching someone die." And as morbid as it sounds, it has been real to me this month. I think I was so interested in the line because I have never understood what it is like to see someone in the end of there life and agree that it is time that you let them go.
When we were here for the vision trip we met Dudu. She is a 24 year old with HIV, and Tuberculosis. She has a seven year old that lives with relatives and a seven month old currently in her care. We were able to assist Pastor Gift by taking her to the hospital to pick up her medication. We had the opportunity to spend time with her, love her, and pray with her. God gave us truths to share to eased her into goodbye.
Her religious background is in the Zion church where witchcraft and ancestry worship are basic principles. Part of what they believe is a fear of death. Needless to say, she will fight for her life until the last minute. This was evident even on the day we left that she was gasping for air. The TB had taken over and she was choking on her own fluids.
She had only become a Christian in the last few months of her life. It is never too late to turn back to the Lord. No matter what you have done or haven't done can cause him to love you less. There is nothing that you could do that has not been covered by the blood of Christ. He meet us where we are and if you wait until you are clean to come before Him, you will wait forever. Come broken or dying, just come. He waits for us as He is faithful to his word.
The Lord is not slow in His promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.-1 John 3:9
I still have $3500 to raise in order to finish the race without being in debt to AIM. Compared to the $12,000 raised so far, $3500 is small potatoes,but it is still funding that needs to come in.
If you are reading this, I challenge you to give a little. Your gift does not need to be huge to make a difference, just give as generously as you feel you can. (click "support me" on the left)
Would you also join me in prayer?
Without this additional funding, I am concerned about my financial situation when I go home, so be praying
for the Lord's provision.
Be praying for team unity as we have hit a difficult patch
We are currently headed to Romania as the Africa leg of our journey comes to an end. I am sad to say goodbye to this place, because Africa has and always will capture me in a way that is hard to explain. I am captivated here...by the people with smiles and laughter that do not make sense in their circumstances...by the landscape that is beautifully desolate...by faith that literally shakes you. All of it has captivated something in me that has always been in search of a homeland. More to come on all of this later, as the Lord and I process what my heart and Africa will have to do with each other.
We are on our way to Bucharest for debrief, followed by a few weeks of ministry among the gypsies. I am excited for the change and the cooler weather. Pray that we can all keep our heads in the game as the end of the race is closing in on us.
Awesome video by Jen Crane capturing the soul of this place called Africa.
A place with more heart than you can imagine in the face of near insurmountable pain and hardship.
I know that you have been following my journey around the world, and I hope reading about what I have seen the Lord do has encouraged your own faith as much as it has encouraged mine. In hopes of being finished raising support once and for all, I am making a final push to get the rest of my funds in. I am writing because I am hoping you will join me on this journey by becoming a part of my finance team. I know the economy is not on our side right now, but the thought of having to leave the race early for lack of funding is heart breaking. God has/is changing my life and I would love for you to be a part of that work.
I have raised $11,315 which is such a gift, but I still need $4100 In order to finish my adventure. I am praying that the entire amount would come in by March 15th, so I can finish month 9 with a weight off my shoulders.
Would you consider helping me meet this goal? Do not feel that any amount is too small, but please seek the Lord and give as generously as you can.
CLICK "SUPPORT ME" IN THE LEFT HAND COLUMN TO GIVE NOW!!!
The other day, as we went out for ministry in Malawi, I was struck by the four women I have spent this year with. At training camp we were told not to expect our teams to stay the same through the entire year, and there was some accuracy in this statement. I think I can safely say I am on a different team than I was 8 months ago. Eight months ago, as we launched in Palenque, Mexico, I was on a team of five strangers, both strangers to each other and strangers, in many ways, to the God we worshipped. Eight months later you find us operating as a family, with all the ups and downs a family experiences. More than that, we are operating as God's family.
It was this new reality that struck me the other day as we led a small meeting of believers on the outskirts of Zomba. Each of the women on my team has seen God this year and I have seen God through each of them. Through the highs and lows of being known by the most high King, these four women have rarely given up or given in. Their dedication to making God less of a stranger and more of a lover is unshaken by eight months of sacrifice, sweat, and sadness as well as days of more joy, laughter, and faith than most of us have before experienced. So the other day as we sat in this prayer meeting I looked around at the new women with whom I am surrounded. They pray and preach with more authority than we could ever muster before. They seek the Lord for one another and for strangers here in Malawi. They admit failure, sort comings and fears so we can operate as a body and surround each other in times of need. It really shocked me, because I am not even sure when it happened; when we stopped operating like strangers in the house of God and started to live as Disciples of Christ.
Yesterday I was reading in Galatians about Paul's desires for the church he loved. He says that he labors and prays for Christ to be formed in them. I think I have some sense of what he was feeling as he gazed on the family he loved and watched in expectancy as Christ took over their lives. We are a small church of just five, but in the course of the past eight months, I have watched Christ be formed in each of these women. I wonder if Paul ever had an experience like I am having now, looking at his beautiful church family and not being able to keep himself from smiling.
I know that you have been following my journey around the world, and I hope reading about what I have seen the Lord do has encouraged your own faith as much as it has encouraged mine. In hopes of being finished raising support once and for all, I am making a final push to get the rest of my funds in. I am writing because I am hoping you will join me on this journey by
becoming a part of my finance team. I know the economy is not on our side right now, but the thought of having to leave the race early for lack of funding is heart breaking. God has/is changing my life and I would love for you to be a part of that work. 
It was this new reality that struck me the other day as we led a small meeting of believers on the outskirts of Zomba. Each of the women on my team has seen God this year and I have seen God through each of them. Through the highs and lows of being known by the most high King, these four women have rarely given up or given in. Their dedication to making God less of a stranger and more of a lover is unshaken by eight months of sacrifice, sweat, and sadness as well as days of more joy, laughter, and faith than most of us have before experienced. So the other day as we sat in this prayer meeting I looked around at the new women with whom I am surrounded. They pray and preach with more authority than we could ever muster before. They seek the Lord for one another and for strangers here in Malawi. They admit failure, sort comings and fears so we can operate as a body and surround each other in times of need. It really shocked me, because I am not even sure when it happened; when we stopped operating like strangers in the house of God and started to live as Disciples of Christ.