Welcome Home

On May 21, 2008, a team of 7 men departed for Swaziland. The focus of their 10 day construction project was to begin converting an existing storage building on the Hawane CLC site into a home that would be used by Pastor Augustin and his family. Though the task was straight-forward, it was no small undertaking!









The second construction team included a general contractor, a certified plumber, a couple of men with electrical enegineering backgrounds and some general "handymen" with hearts to serve. They worked diligently and made a lot of progress during thier time in Swaziland.













After the team departed, local laborers were hired to help with the interior finish work; installing cement board, laying tile, installing trim work and cabinets, beginning priming and painting, etc. Things really began to take shape:




















The work that began in May by our second construction team, came to completion over the last few weeks. We received word this week that Pastor Augustin, his wife Elizabeth and their children began moving their belongings to Hawane. Last evening, Saturday, November 22nd was the first night the family spent the night in their new home!

What a blessing it has been to serve God and this family in this way. Please keep Pastor Augustin and his family in your prayers as they become salt and light to the community they were called to serve. May God work mightly through them!

WELCOME HOME AUGUSTIN FAMILY!!

Transformers

Tests. Obstacles. Challenges. Whatever you call them one thing is for sure - they exist in each person's life. Yesterday we encountered a few obstacles including a poisonous snake, our car getting trapped in mud, and a hail storm.

Before going out to the community for the weekly medical clinic and outreach, my roommate warned me that she saw a green snake in front of our house. About 1 hour later I was walking with one of the house mothers at Hawane Farm and I found myself within 1 foot of the snake and, although I did not see it, I heard it hissing. After I safely passed by the snake, the mother I was with exclaimed "it's a snake! Quick! Let's get out of here!" She explained that she waited until I walked past the snake in order to avoid me pausing to react and possibly being bitten. We thanked God for keeping us safe. The snake was later captured by Bruce, a man who lives by the new Hawane CLC and has been assisting the CLC construction teams. We later discovered that this snake was highly poisonous and extremely dangerous. Its venom attacks your nervous system and mucus membranes.
You die within 24 hours from internal hemorrhaging if you do not get medical treatment. Then, we really praised God for His divine protection. (See picture of snake being captured below)



A small group of us headed to the community and our 4x4 vehicle was driving through a field when it got trapped in mud. So, after trying to get out for a few minutes without success, we all decided to push the car while the nurse, Jane, pressed on the gas. (The picture below captures the experience pretty well) We were all thoroughly covered in mud by the end.




Immediately after we made our way out of the mud a big storm moved in and hail began falling from the sky. Thunder and lightening crashed around us. We decided to head home after seeing only 5 people for the community clinic. On the way back we discussed that God has a plan in all He does.

As you go through your day remember that God probably has a different plan than you do. You may experience some unexpected obstacles along the way and when you do trust God. His Word has much to say about trials and obstacles, big or small.

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance." (Jam. 1:2-3)

"…we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope." (Rom. 5:3-4)

God tells us "what I have said, that will I bring about; what I have planned, that will I do." (Isa. 46:11)

May God's purpose unfold in each of our lives as we decide to embrace trials as part of God's plan to transform us into His image. So, they are not just "obstacles" and they are not just "trials". Rather we can look at them as "transformers" transforming us to be more like Christ Jesus who "died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again." (2 Cor. 5:15)

Written by Kylee 11/21/08

Reality

The gogo who attends Hawane CLC and has 16 children at her homestead came to Hawane Farm Monday to ask the nurse here if she would accompany her and her daughter, the mother of the sick 8-month old boy, to the Mbabane Hospital to pick up the child. The family of the baby's father had taken the child to the hospital to be treated for some soars that had developed on the baby's body since we had last seen the child. Upon arriving at the hospital the doctors did not take the gogo, the baby's young mother, and the nurse directly to the child. So they waited. They expected to just pick up the child, allow the nurse from Hawane to assess his condition, and return to their homestead if taking the child to receive medical attention was not needed. Then, they received the horrifying news that their precious baby boy died around 10:15 a.m. that morning- Monday November 10, 2008.

A heart the world was blessed to have in it stopped beating that day. One of the youngest members of Hawane CLC gone from this earth. He was a sweet child with big brown eyes and soft dark hair. He lived among a family of believers in Christ. "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." (Romans 8:28)

This little boy was the nephew of a child here on the farm, a child who shares the same gogo. So Monday afternoon we gathered together- the child here, her house mother at Hawane, her gogo, and her sister- the mother of the deceased baby, and I to share the heart-breaking news with her. Tears flowed, prayers were offered, and God's Spirit comforted. He alone is worthy of our praise- in the good and in the bad. " 'For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,' declares the Lord. 'As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than you ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.' " (Isaiah 55:8-9)

A Posting by Kylee

His Will Be Done

Certain experiences remind me that I am in Africa. They wake me up to the reality of the world we live in. A place where sickness, AIDS, orphans, poverty, hungry children, and death exist. Wednesday morning I was told that there was a sick 8-month-old baby boy who needed medical attention in a nearby homestead of a gogo (grandmother) who attends Hawane CLC. The concerned grandmother had called to ask if we could help. Having visited her about 2 weeks before, I remembered holding a small, beautiful baby who appeared lethargic. I knew in my heart the urgency of the situation and the prompting from the Holy Spirit to act. Pastor Augustin agreed we should visit the homestead to assess the situation.


There are 16 children total in this gogo's home made of mud, stone, and sticks. They do not have enough food or clothes or even enough space to sleep comfortably. They do not have running water and many of the children do not attend school because they cannot afford the school fees. The children's clothes are tattered and dirty. Yet when we arrived the gogo greeted us with a warm smile and a few of the kids waved. One life-changing, hope-giving thing this family does have is JESUS.

The gogo informed us that the sick child had not eaten in 6 days. He appeared pale, dehydrated and very tired. He was not keeping food or liquid down. We decided to transport this precious small child and his gogo to a respectable clinic where he could be seen by a doctor. After a surprisingly short wait, the child was seen by a doctor, given a solution to hydrate him, and prescribed a few other medications to help him get well. Informing us that the child is not getting enough to eat on a regular basis, the doctor asked for vegetables and meat to be added into his diet. The reality is that many people around the world simply do not have enough food to eat.






With prayer we left them back at their homestead with food. The gogo expressed her gratitude and the words she had spoken to me earlier in the day ran through my mind: "God is working out everything He desires." Yes, He is and I believe the more we merely cooperate with His plan, the more we see His will being done on earth as it is in Heaven.

Written by Kylee