All kinds of posts!!!

So I posted all my blogs from Africa so that if you wanted to you could read them all on one site. : ) Enjoy!

Homestead Tour Video

A look at my life for 3 months!!

Never Again 5/1/08

I have been home for two weeks now and what a whirlwind! Life in America is so different and although I am embracing running water and two ply T.P. I am missing my team and the relationships I built there. I continue to learn of God's love for me and His plan. Trusting Him is a daily decision.

I just thought I would share lyrics to a song that met me where I am at... The words are powerful and bring me to tears everytime...

Never Again
Through the grieving of the broken
Hold them in Your hands
And You listen to their prayers


You hear the crying of the orphans
You hold them in You hands
And You listen to their prayers


Wake up God
Move Yourself
Wicked men have crushed You children
We pray
We wait
How long until You say...
Never again
Never again

You see the bruise on the victims
You hold them in Your hands
And You listen to their prayers


You are King forever and ever
You Kingdom come on down
Let justice roll like water, like water
The wickedness will drown.

(Enter the Worship Circle 4th circle)

My Baby Love 4/10/08

So it is no shocker to you all that as I come here I have fallen in love with the little babies.
I wrote before about a baby named Benjamin who I love! He had gotten discharged but I saw him again in the outpatient clinic. He is not doing well and has continued to lose weight since going home but his mother denies his malnutrition and will not readmit him. The American doctor asked if I wanted to start taking care of him. It took everything in me to not say of course I will. Realistically I cannot take care of him, but God can… a harsh reality as they talked of his closeness to death. I have been waking up every night around 2 or 3 and my heart is heavy for him. I spend anywhere from 10 minutes to an hour praying for this beautiful boy. I haven’t seen him again but God has clearly been asking me to intercede for him. Feel free to join me : )

I also have some new babies in my life here. ☺ At the Mbabane hospital we go to each Saturday I have been loving on a set of twins for three weeks now. They are almost 3 months and weighs about 5 lbs each. They are so sick and their mother in the in the woman’s ward and the doctor’s do not expect her to live much longer. My time has been spent with the babies and pouring into Pumzile. Pumzile takes care of the babies and now the mother as well. She works at an orphanage in Mbabane. She has an amazing heart and radiates love in her actions and words. Each week I go to see them Pumzile will tell me of how close the babies came to death that week. They just cannot seem to gain the weight for their body to function. As I sat in the hospital holding the precious little girl I couldn’t help but have tears stream down my face as I ached for her realizing the reality of her mom being HIV positive so she has a high possibility to be sick with it. And just the closeness of death each day here is so common. Ahh—My heart is being stretched in so many directions, it hurts for the people here.

“ Lord, You reign in every situation. You are so good. I trust in Your perfect plan even when I don’t understand it. Give me wisdom in how to pray and serve and love the people I come in contact with. Bring Your healing power over these babies. Claim them as Yours that they may grow to be women and men of You. Let them be lights in this country that seems so dark. Bring peace to my heart. Amen.”



** Some of us on the team are memorizing Romans 12. It is only 21 verses. Try to challenge yourself this week to even memorize one. : ) Or pray through the verses for us and our team.

Community 3/28/08

Week ten of our trip and the reality of living with 14 other people has set in. All the little habits of people are out. As frustrations or annoyances grew I went to God searching. How do I love the people who rub me wrong, who are just plain difficult at times? As I sat in a field near a waterhole last week I decided to listen to a podcast from my church at home. I had 17 on my ipod but only one would work and it was no coincidence that it was on authentic community. It hit me in the chest as he challenged the congregation to change their view on community. He explored the difference between finding worldly community that is centered on affinity or lifestyle commonness and the community we are called to as Christians. We are called to love and be in community and our commonness is solely Him. We as a body should have diversity and learn to embrace that.

I finished the podcast feeling so convicted about how I love my team. But God was not finished with me yet. I woke up the next morning to read in 31 Days of Praise (day 20) and it was based on praising Him for the seemingly difficult people in our lives. And then asking for His wisdom and guidance as we learn to love and accept them as He does. Wow, what a challenge. He was not going to let this community idea get away from me. He continues to challenge the way I respond and react. He is morphing my mindset to be fully focused on love. It is so hard and challenging at times and He has to remind me all the time of His love for each person.

Please be praying as we have less than a month left. Pray we finish strong. Pray we stay united as a team and that any issues will be handled with wisdom and love from Him. Pray that we strengthen together to make lasting friendships as we serve together.

Ruth 3/28/08

Again we headed to the Manzini hospital as I enter the children’s ward I was so excited to hear that baby Benjamin had been discharged**. It was kind of bittersweet because I had been spending most all my time with him so now I prayed for His direction in how to minister that day. My mind went to a woman I had prayed with only a couple times who had TB in the woman’s ward. As I headed to the woman’s ward I prayed that God would give me guidance in what to talk about/do.
She beamed as she saw me. I sat and chatted learning she had at least a month left in the hospital. Her English was good but she was weak and I knew my questions were becoming too much. I asked if she liked stories. She quickly and with a smile said “yebo!”
I read the book of Ruth to her. She was intent to listen and watched as I spoke each word. The whole time I was wondering if she understood any of it. As I finished she smiled and simply spoke, “ It is a story of faith and how God provides.” Wow, she hit it right on. This opened a whole new door where I was able to explore God’s provision and plan. She even brought up that it isn’t always how we plan. Naomi did not plan for her husband and sons to die yet He was glorified and provided for her. She did nto plan to be in the hospital and wanted to be home with her kids yet she was here and she said she know there has to be a reason.
I closed my visit and prayed for her.

“Lord, you know this woman’s heart… Let her know You. Use this door that has been opened. Guide my words and actions as I continue to visit. Comfort her as she is away from family. Let her know your Love and praise Your Name. Amen. “

** I saw Ben on April 1, 2008 and he is not doing well. The doctor said he is malnourished and his mother refuses to admit him. Please pray for her to change her mind and for him to be able to keep the nutrients he needs.

Benjamin 3/21/08

Today as I walked into the Manzini hospital I eagerly awaited seeing Benjamin’s tiny little face. Just a month ago I walked in to find a weary mother and the smallest two month old I had ever seen. She spoke no English but through the other mothers around her I learned his name was Anton but she wanted him to have an English name. I named him Benjamin. I was not able to communicate so I began to sing. I sang Jesus’ name over and over. Ben had not slept in two days and as I sang he was soon fast asleep in my arms. His mother went out in the courtyard to sleep. My ministry had begun. This started a pattern, for the next visits I came in and sang him to sleep and then she would go rest. I would sing with the other mothers and enjoyed chatting. Ben was always my focus. He was only 2.3 kilograms when I met him. He could not keep any nourishment in him and I prayed fervently his body to heal.
Now after a month he is finally gaining weight. Today he weighed 3 kilograms and is even smiling at me. My relationship with his mother has amazed me. We still cannot communicate much but this morning instead of me starting the singing she said “sing akeko” and we then sang together. I felt so connected with her and after I prayed at the end of our visiting time she kept saying thank you and gave me a big hug. What a blessing to love on this family.
Please be praying for Ben and his family. He is 3.0kg today and needs to be 3.8kg before he can go home from the hospital. His dad is very sick and his mother is so fearful after having already lost two children.
“Father, heal this beautiful baby boy. Let him get the nourishment he needs for his body to be healthy again. Grow him up to be a man of You. Let him be a light to his family. Cover him with Your comfort and love! Amen.”