How Does Your Garden Grow?

This past week we've been going throughout the Hawane community and following up on the Seeds for Swaziland gardens that members of CLC Dayton planted last August.(Remember, Swaziland is south of the equator, so right now it's late summer. Here are some photos of those gardns.











As you can see from the pictures below, we have also been doing some fall planting. Gardening with people such as Gogo (grandmother)Phiwa and several other members of the community has really made this suburban girl adjust to life on the farm. Community members taught me how to plow, plant, water, and anything else you can think of. Several of the students from the Lighthouse Life Skills School were able to oversee the planting and turning of the gardens and help gogos and "makes" (Siswati for "moms" and pronounced "magays") throughout the community.












Hawane CLC is also partnering with a local school to have a garden for the students. One day during school hours, several parents of elementary age children came out to work on the school garden. It was really nice seeing the whole community come together through gardening.

It was also fun watching Pastor Augustine of Hawane CLC attempt to plow a local garden. After slipping on several rocks, he finally found his part as “distributor of the fertilizer.” Haha! I really respect him for trying but more importantly the community is really thankful for his hard work.

Gardening has been an effective outreach to meeting the needs of the Hawane community - both physically and spiritually.

Posted by Waheedah Pugh - CLC Extended stay traveler to Swaziland

What Part of the Body are You?

Hawane CLC is doing well and I especially love the women’s Bible study. When I first attended we had only 4 faithful women coming. Now we have reached a total of 21 women. Many of the women that were coming were older but now we have had a sudden increase in young women, which is exciting because I was starting to feel like a baby! This week we talked about what it means to be a part of the body of Christ and how everyone must do their part. Some are singers, some are intercessors, and some are sweepers of the church. It is really cool to see how everyone is coming together to provide for the needs of the church.

One exciting thing that will be happening is that a feeding station is going to be added to the preschool next door. Three times a week children from the community will be feed. The women of the Hawane CLC Bible study will be serving and preparing the food. Also, the children will do a short time of work in the church garden and the food will be used prepare their food. This is creating a sustainable community and this kitchen is for them and managed by them (think of FUBU clothing line). Now, they are a Jerusalem and their Judea is Luvumisa. I am so excited to see all the women of the church stepping up and doing what they can to help not only their sisters in Christ but the whole Hawane community.

Over at Hawane Farm, this past week I finally shared my testimony in full and it was powerful. I don’t know what I wasn’t saying before that moment of sharing but now every night my house is filled with girls and young ladies who want to talk about God and problems or dance and sing. I’ve even made some connections with some of the people who at first were hesitant to talk to me. The girls are hanging out with me as soon as they are done with school/duties and the boys are speaking out words of encouragement constantly. I feel like I have an extended Swazi Family on the farm. I’m learning that one of my contributions to the body of Christ is an ear to listen. Most of you know me as a really talkative person but God is teaching me to show love by lending an ear. I’m sure my friends and family in the US really appreciate God dealing with my lack of listening skills!

As I am beginning to understand what part of the body of Christ I am, I’ve found myself doing things and displaying gifts that I’ve never thought I could do. In Swaziland there is a different (can’t think of a better word) releasing of supernatural events that leave people like me growing at an unusual rate that is beyond description. I think it’s because the way of life here is different than back at home and it's much slower. However, this same influence and power is evident in the United States and every where on this planet. But why is it that many people in the US miss these things or have a temporary lapse of memory on what the purpose of our life is? It's probably not fair to limit this to only Americans as I’m sure there is this same struggle for Christians in every culture. My life verse is 2 Corinthians 10:3-6 and I am just now starting to understand what these verses really mean. Also, putting on the full armor of God has a whole new meaning for me.

Finally, I am trying to understand this kingdom on earth and the spiritual gifts that God himself has given to me. We all have are own special gifts but sometimes we struggle to use them. For me the roadblock in using my gifts is my mind. At the women’s Bible study ( Hawane CLC) many women came broken and of need of prayer this past Tuesday. For some, Hawane CLC has been their refugee and time of comfort away from home. We started with worship and went on to put on the full armor of God. We all stood up and locked are arms so that nothing and I do mean NOTHING could penetrate the body of believers. As we lifted each and every one of our sisters in Christ up, I can remember being afraid to pray. However, I can also remember thinking “This is not about you Waheedah.” We are often afraid to do things because we are too busy arguing within are own mind. This week I tried to stop not believing in myself and know that God is using me as a vessel for His kingdom. When we all use our spiritual gifts the body is complete and can work effectively.

What part of the body are you?

Submitted by Waheedah Pugh - Extended Stay Traveler to Swaziland

Say "Yes"

What I keep telling myself for this week is “If you want to grow, then say 'YES' every time.”

Praise God Almighty for calling me to Swaziland for three months. I am so excited to share with everyone what He is doing in Swaziland, and in particular at Hawane CLC. I have finally adjusted to the altitude both physically and mentally. This past Sunday the pastor explained that “Attitude is Altitude,” and I am accepting this thought to the fullest. I am here to not only serve, but connect with others, connect with myself and most importantly connect with my Lord and Savior.

First, I must acknowledge the amazing soccer team that opened up 2010 with an incredible soccer camp. Regardless of how I feel about soccer, I cannot begin to tell you how much of a blessing the camp and the team were to the whole Hawane community. I still see Camp Victory shirts hanging on the stick fences all throughout the community and everyone keeps asking about their coaches. Aside from the huge blessing of leading many Swazi children to Christ, we were also a huge encouragement to the staff at Hawane CLC and the Teen Challenge Lighthouse. Several people have shared how heartening it was to see how well our team bonded with each other over the week, like we’ve known each other for years. Personally, I miss that bond and I can’t wait to see you all again!!!

Connecting with myself- Where to begin? I live in an amazing house just like I’ve always wanted. The first night here was scary but that all changed. The following day, an Australian family with 10 kids came to live with me for a couple of nights. What a blessing it was to learn what it is like to live within a huge family. Everyday I woke up to a 1-year-old baby that only knows how to say “Hello.” Now picture that with a cute little Australian accent. At night we sang praise songs and spent time in prayer as the little children fell asleep to our voices. It was an international experience within another international experience. Right now the biggest thing I am learning about myself is to take control over my mind and exercising what I’ve been learning. When we are made new, sometimes we expect everything to change instantly but for me I needed to exercise a completely new way of thinking. I have finally said "YES Lord, I know you give me authority to have control over my thoughts and I will no longer have a passive mind, which allows Satan to influence freely." Another thing I am learning is to step out of my comfort zone. Actually, I’m pretty sure I don’t know what a comfort zone is anymore!

Connecting with others- EVERYONE and I do mean everyone thinks I am Swazi; not only because my completion matches but also because I wear braids and I carry packages on my head just like several Swazi women. Throughout the community and town, I find people constantly speaking Siswati to me. For the most part, if there’s no translator I just pretend I know what they are saying. On the farm, I really have connected with several of the young ladies here and maybe that’s because at heart I’m a 13-year-old stuck in a 23-year-old body. At the church, one of the coolest things is that I am able to represent our church during a women’s Bible study. These women travel very far to come to Hawane CLC’s Bible study. One day, after the study we gave each woman some of the food packs our church (CLC Dayton) put together. I can’t describe how thankful they were. In particular, there was a woman about 65-70ish who held up the food pack and openly thanked God for always providing. You don’t have to be here in Swaziland to bless those in need and I want to personally thank each and every one of you who participated in the “Kids Against Hunger” food packaging event. From that group of women present, there were 53children represented. Thank you CLC for saying "YES, I can do that!"

Connecting with God- God loves me and I am so thankful that he sent me to what I'm calling "Believer Boot Camp" here in Swaziland. Of course, many people believe the purpose of going on mission trips is so that we can help people in a certain place, but it’s also because God wants you to grow as well. As I had mentioned before, I have eliminated all comfort zones in a matter of two weeks. I find the Holy Spirit taking complete control over my mouth and my whole body. The answer here for me is always "YES!" At home in the U.S., I would always put up some sort of "fight" if I were ask to step into leadership- whether it be something small as in praying out loud, leading a Bible study, or just talking about my beliefs. What I mean by "fight" is that there was always some sort of hesitation that presented itself through fear and/or laziness. Among all the many things He has placed into my understanding in this past month, I wanted to share that it is imperative to continue this “Boot Camp” when I return home; to not let hesitation be the reason someone didn’t get blessed that day. Finally, just say "YES" to Him and then be like Nike.... and just do it!

Posted by Waheedah Pugh who is serving at Hawane CLC until March 31st.