Sweet Soccer Goodness…and Jesus too!

Ahhh!!!! That is a sigh of sweet relief and rest. The past couple of weeks have been a bit of a blur at times here as we have been preparing for a big soccer tournament and outreach at Hawane CLC. I have a pretty strong background in event management, so organizing an outreach day shouldn’t be too overwhelming of a task…until you add in the twist of being in Africa!!! I know what to expect at events in the US, but what do you expect in Africa? In the end, other than a bit of a late start, there was nothing to worry about!



Last Saturday was a beautiful day here in Swaziland for reasons greater than the weather! There were too many people to count on the Hawane CLC property…kids mobbing the jumping castle, teenagers kicking the soccer ball around getting ready for their game, mom’s sitting around talking. The only measure we have of how many people came to the event was that we handed out 700 hot dogs. Yes, 700!! It was such a beautiful sight to behold: men, women, and children of the community all gathered together laughing, cheering, and having fun. I don’t care what anyone says, but one of the most beautiful things in the world is a smile and there were lots of those on Saturday.



Of course, the best part of the day happened just before lunch as a team from Northern Ireland ministered to the people in song and dance, sharing the Good News at the end. They gave an opportunity for people to come forward if they wanted to commit their lives to following Jesus Christ, and the angels rejoiced as over 100 people stood up and walked forward!! It was an overwhelming response of children and teenagers. What an extra blessing, though, to see adults come forward. It is not common for an adult to come forward to an altar call here in Swaziland, it takes great humility to break the cultural norm and step out, and we had multiple adults ranging in age from their 20’s to 65!!



Thank you for your prayers for this community, please continue to pray for God to break through the hearts and mindsets of the people. Pray for the people that came forward on Saturday, for those at Hawane CLC, and for those that attend other churches in the area, that they will be disciple in the ways of the Lord and walk in His light!

Enjoy these photos from the event...... Julie

The Winning Teams:




Listening to the Gospel



Praying for People

My First Week in Swaziland - Chris Kavcsak

Being in Swaziland has been great so far. Here are a few things that I believe may surprise you:

1. It is much colder than I thought it would be, and there is no heat in the buildings that I am staying in. At night the temperature drops to the thirties, so I coverup with my sleeping bag and at least 4 blankets. One night I even wore a wool hat. I pretty much wear long sleeve shirts and often a jacket during the day. On a positive note, the showers are hot.

2. Almost everyone that I am around speaks English so communicating is not an issue. Apparently when we visit some of the poorer communities, they speak Siswati, so there must be a translator.

3. There are actually two different churches that I attend on Sundays. One is called Potter's wheel and is located in the capital city of Mbabane. This church starts at 8:30 on Sundays and is attended by middle/upper class families (Worship is a little more contemporary). The other church (CLC Church- Christian Life Community Church) is located on one of the orphanage properties about thirty minutes away and it starts at 10:30. This is located in a much more rural setting and is attended by all of the orphans and some members of the community.

4. There are two properties that are about 1 km apart where I spend most of my days (they are both 30 minutes from the capital city). The older property is called Hawane Farm and contains about 6 orphan homes (3-8 orphans per home), and has around 15 TCMI (Teen Challenge Ministries International) students. This is where the homeschool is (6 or 7 students), clinic, and a few other buildings. The other property (Timbutini) is where I stay (in 1 of 6 small cabins), and the church and preschool are located. There are also a small number of orphans and students that live here as well.

5. Everyone drives on the left side of the road.

6. Swazis drink hot coffee and tea almost all the time.

7. Swazis have the gift of patience.

8. There are actually some white people who are Swazi residents and they live mostly in Mbabane.

9. I watched the USA vs Brazil soccer game live in one of the homes in Timbutini. I was admittedly a little disappointed. The word on the street is that next year for the World Cup, prostitution is going to be legalized in South Africa. There are also talks of bringing in 150,000 prostitues from other countries. What a sad, corrupt world we live in!

What If......

3 miles doesn't seem very far to drive....but what if you had to walk it....twice everyday....alone....what if you had to do this early in the morning while the temperature is in the thirties (winter in Swaziland)....what if you had to walk only a few feet away from cars rushing by quickly....and what if you were walking to preschool....and you were only 4 years old....what if

Chris

I Can Do Nothing

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 24

Hey everyone, I am supposed to depart from the Dayton Airport in less than 24 hours from now, and I have been thinking about what is getting ready to happen. Over the past few weeks, the question that I have been asked quite regularly is “What will you be doing for six weeks in Swaziland?” I typically tell people that I get the opportunity to work with orphans, play some soccer, do some math tutoring, work with the youth in a couple of different churches, help with any construction, painting, or cleaning that is needed, take gifts to impoverished neighborhoods outside of property that I will be staying on (called homesteads), and the list goes on. I will admit that most people respond with words such as “Wow” or “You are doing such a great thing”, but the problem lies with the “great thing” that I will actually be doing. The New Testament book of Galatians has given me a different perspective on this. Reading from the message translation, there are a couple of phrases that have rocked me over the past week. “Doing things for God is the opposite of entering into what God does for you.” “Don't be impressed with yourself.” “It is not what you and I do…It is what God is doing.”

This leaves me with two contrasting options. The first is that I can start my journey to Swaziland with the best of intentions to make everyone’s life better, asking God to bless it every step of the way….or I can choose the second… that is to focus not on what I can do with God’s help, but instead on what Christ has already done and what God is presently doing.

It seems that even Jesus Himself chose the second option, making the following statement in John 5:19: “I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing.” God has been doing great things and working miracles in Swaziland, so who am I to think even for one second that I am going to go and do some great thing?

This leads me to another verse in Galatians. “For everything we know about God's Word is summed up in a single sentence: Love others as you love yourself.” So, God’s purpose for me going on this trip is summed up in one word….LOVE. It is not to do some great thing, give some great gift, or even have a great time, but it’s simply to….LOVE. My prayers have been that God would allow me to enter into what He is already doing in this country that so desperately needs a touch from God and to….LOVE.

That being said, I would like to invite you to not pray for me, but instead for the people in Swaziland. If you are not sure what to pray, here is a short but very important list:


-- The pastors, the church leaders, parents, and grandparents
-- The 60+ orphans that live in homes on the two properties where I will be staying
-- That the churches in Swaziland would continue making disciples
-- That God would save Swaziland from the predicted HIV-caused extinction (statistics show that in 10 years if the country continues in the same trend, it will cease to exist).

Until All Have Heard,

Chris

Together With Us

It is so cool the way God speaks to us and confirms things in our hearts. Last week I wrote about my inability to do all that I could dream here and the need for the people of Hawane CLC to go and reach their community. This week at church the pastor briefly mentioned Hebrews 11 and confirmed what I had written.

Hebrews 11 is often referred to as the faith chapter as it begins with a definition of faith and continues with descriptions of the faith of those that have come before. At the end, we are told that they didn’t receive what they had been promised, but God had something better:

These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised. God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect. (Hebrews 11:39-40)

Only together WITH US would they be made perfect!!! How amazing! Life is a story, not just of our own individual lives but all of our lives intertwined from the beginning of time. The great lives of faith that have gone before us are connected to us, because only together with us are they made perfect; and the same our lives are connected to those that come after us, because only together with them will we be made perfect!

As I am working here in southern Africa, I am honored to think that my meager work here is connected to the work of missionaries of the past such as David Livingstone. I am also greatly encouraged to know that even though I won’t see the things that God puts in my heart for this place, I will be made perfect through the work of those that come after me.

God has big plans for Swaziland, and He will use all that are willing to bring them about so that we can all fellowship in the joy of His Glory!!!

Julie Mitchell

Therefore Go

It is such a blessing to be here in Swaziland. I always love those moments in life when you look at where your life has come to and you have to ponder why God chose you to be so blessed and so fortunate. Any time I get to go to a new place, I feel like that. I have now been here for over a month and a half, and have partnered with some great ministries and met amazing men and women of God. During my time here, I have also seen so many areas that I would love to get involved with. There have been brief outlines of ministries that I would want to help start or serve, but then my time limit pops the thought bubble in my head. I only have 6 weeks left here, not enough time to get most of my projects done. I could very easily see myself plant down some roots in Swaziland and pour myself into this country and these people, but it is just not God’s calling for me at this time, and so I just dream.



Last Sunday morning’s church service at Hawane CLC was a bright light shining through the clouds of time that are limiting me. Pastor Augustine preached a wonderful message about going, challenging the congregation that they should go to their neighbors, families, and coworkers to share the Good News that they have received. At the end of the service, people came forward to make a commitment to God that they would go. I saw some of the teenagers from the homes at Hawane Farm go forward, and my eyes began to get wet. As I watched over 20 people walk forward, I had to worship God. He is so good. There, at the front of the church, where the men, women, and young adults that will follow through with not only my dreams for their country, but better yet their own. They will reach the people that I would never be able to reach, even if I remained here for the rest of my life.



In Matthew 28:18-20, Jesus said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." If He calls us to go to another nation to make disciples, we must follow His lead and go. We will be blessed for it. However, we must remember that much of the time He is calling us to make disciples in our own nation, in our own city, on our own streets. For this, we will also be blessed. As these Swazis go forth to their neighbors and the community of Hawane, preaching the Good News and helping the sick, poor, widows, and orphans, He will be with them and they will become more like Him. So to, as you go forth to your neighbors and your city, Christ will go with you and you will become more like Him.

Moving Mountains and Molehills

Well, it is officially the first cold day for me here at Hawane. Everyone else has been saying it is cold and calling it winter since I’ve been here, but it is just starting to feel like October and I am enjoying a nice night with my sweatshirt. A cold wind is blowing outside, but inside it is peaceful, quiet, and not too cold thanks to the thick cement walls. Lord, please protect the people out in the community who are not as blessed, huddled in their mud and stick homes as the wind sneaks through the cracks. Keep them warm in Your arms and let them rest in You.


I have to say that this week has been a good week, thanks to the prayers of many. Last Tuesday night, I arrived home to hear that one of the boys on the farm, Mncobi, was sick. They were getting ready to take him to the hospital, which is never a good sign when you have a nurse living on site. The nurse said that it could be meningitis, and I was sure she was right as I heard the symptoms: sudden onset fever, headache, and body pain. The prayer chain at the church in town had already been activated, and I quickly called Ohio to ask for prayers from the US. As the car was about to leave, I let Mncobi know that he had people in Ohio praying for him. He didn’t look good, and the usual smile that lights his face was gone. I was worried, but the prayers of many were heard! We never did find out what was wrong with Mncobi, all the tests were inconclusive and as quickly as his sickness came, it also went. By the time they were seen at the hospital, his fever that was pushing close to 104 on the farm was registering closer to 100. In the morning, he was feeling much better (well enough, I am told, to eat a few pieces of toast and a big omelet). This weekend, he was riding around the farm on his bike, the big smile back on his face.


Thank you for your prayers, both for Mncobi and for the entire Hawane community. You may never have the chance to come visit these homes and walk these paths, but you have the power to change lives and futures from right there in Ohio through your prayers. We sometimes forget how powerful our prayers can be, I know I do. It is hard enough to believe for the things before our eyes let alone across the ocean, but know that God is listening and waiting to move as you utter even the simplest of prayers. Mncobi’s health and this ministry are testimony to that.


Jesus said that if we have faith as a mustard seed we can tell a mountain to move from here to there and it will (Matthew 17:20). As if that isn’t enough, He goes on to say that nothing will be impossible for us. We can change the world, one prayer at a time, moving mountains and mole hills, and drawing closer to God each step of the way. May we all seek to have a faith as the mustard seed and the boldness to speak to the mountain and tell it to move!


~ Julie Mitchell