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.

Waheedah Begins Her Extended Stay Assignment

The soccer camp team not only left a part of our hearts in Swaziland, we left a member of our team! As we departed, Waheedah began an 11-week extended stay assignment with CLC Hawane and Teen Challenge. She moved her belongs from the temporary living quarters at Hawane CLC across the street to Hawane Farm. During her time there, Waheedah will:

*Assit Pastor Augustine with outreach visits to the community and food packet
distributions
*Help Pastor Augustine organize his weekly tasks
*Assist in leading the women's Bible Study and teen girls cell groups
*Tutor kids at Hawane Farm
*Assist Nurse Jane with community health clinics
*Other duties as assigned (This is always the biggest responsibility and the
chance for the greatest growth!)

During the camp, Waheedah became friends with Musa and Jared from Potter's Wheel Church. We are grateful they are there to continue to support her and encourage her. She also connected with several of the teen girls from the community. We know she will be a great source of strength and encouragement to them.... not to mention some one to have fun with!

Please keep Waheedah in your prayers as seen begins this spiritual journey, and be sure to check back with the blog for updates from her.

Soccer Camp Reflections

The Soccer Camp team arrived home safely in Dayton on Wednesday morning, January 13th. We were greeted at the airport by family, members of the CLC pastoral staff and friends. It was a blessing to see so many smiling and welcoming faces, especially after a 20.5 hours of airline travel!

Ask anyone who participates in a mission experience and they will most likely tell you that, while it's great to be back with loved ones, it's hard to return home. It's amazing how quickly you can develop relationships with and an affinity for a people you have never known before. Each member of this team knew with certainty that God had called them to serve at this specific time and for this specific purpose. We spent 10 full days living in the center of His will. We were not distracted by cell phones, job demands, family issues, television, the internet or any of the other things that can interfere with our daily interactions with God. As a result, we could be focused on discerning what God wanted us to accomplish on any given day and at any given moment. He used us to share His love, His compassion, His mercy and grace, His joy, His forgiveness, His gift of salvation and His gift of hope. When you have the privilege to be used in this way, it's hard to return home. The fear is that you will somehow loose this connection with God. The realization is that God is always there, ready to interact with us; we are the ones who must become disciplined enough to continually seek Him despite our busy lives.
We covet your prayers that each member of the team would not loose site of this as we adjust to being back at home.

As we reflect back on our soccer camp expereince, one of the things we will remember most is the joy we experienced with the kids. We interacted with more than 300 kids over the course of the week. If the statistics are correct, 150 of them are HIV positive; 90 of them come from child-led households; half of the boys who participated in the 18+ bracket of the tournament will not live to age 30. Several of the young girls have, most likely, already been sexually abused. Those figures are staggering and depressing. Yet, that is not what we experienced. What we saw in the campers was joy! There was singing, dancing, praising and worshipping. There was teaching, discussions, words of encouragement, words of gratitude, promises of hope and forgiveness. There were first-time dedications to Christ and rededications. There were hugs, good touches, pats on the back and snuggles. We spent an entire week focusing all our attention on the youth of the Hawane CLC region and they responded by returning day after day and bringing new kids to the camp. For this brief period of time, they had a place where they felt loved; where they were safe; a place that fed them physically and spiritually; a place where they could have fun; a place where people listened to them and valued them; a place where they mattered; a place that literally changed lives - theirs and ours!

We ask that you continue to pray for Hawane CLC and the children and youth it serves. The soccer camp team sowed seeds during our time with them. We now ask that God would equip the church there to water and nurture those seeds so that they may bring forth fruits. May God be glorified!

Wrapping Up - Monday

Today is our last full day in Swaziland. It will be a team day. We have to sort through all of the equipment we brought with us that we will be leaving behind with Teen Challenge so that they can hold future soccer camps and tournaments at Hawane CLC. The leadership here was impressed with a program that combined Bible teaching with sports. Their goal is to organize at least a couple of camps for the coming year. It was helpful for them to see how to organize a camp. They realized it requires a lot of manpower and preparation time. We are confident that they will be able to replicate the model.

We will also be leaving rice meals behind for distribution to the community when Pastor Stan and Pastor Rich arrive in February.

We will end our day at the Ward's home where we will share a simple meal with Kevin and Helen, Pastor Augustine and Elizabeth, Pastor Wafuka and Lilly and Pastor Tim and Tcincle. We look forward to a time of fellowship and prayer.

In between, we will be tourists as we visit some of the local shops in order to pick up remembrances of our time here. We realize, however, that nothing that we purchase here will have has much meaning to us as the memories of the children whose lives were touched by our being here.

Meeting the Community

This morning was another beautiful day in Swaziland. Our morning began with worship at Potter’s Wheel Church. Pastor Kevin shared an inspiring message and we heard a testimony from a woman in the church that Tracy could really connect with. Joe greeted the congregation on behalf of CLC Dayton and he gave an update on the week of camp. We also received an urgent prayer request from a women names Hester. Her daughter, who was raised in the church, went off to boarding school in South Africa. While she was there she became connected with a Satanist group who has now “abducted” her. Hester is trying desperately to get her back home. Please pray for both Hester and her daughter Simone.

After attending Potter’s Wheel, we headed to Hawane CLC for a second round of worship. The electricity to the church went out just before we arrived, but that didn’t stop the service from moving forward. To be in the midst of people who have so little in terms of material possession, but so much in terms of their faith, joy and dependence on God is inspiring. At one point in the service, the congregants, under Pastor Augustine’s leadership, prayer for the team. Here we had come to Swaziland to serve them and they were praying God’s blessing upon us. It was humbling.

After a simple lunch, we headed out to visit some homesteads. It was a beautiful day for a walk and to visit. At the first homestead, we prayed for a Gogo who was bedridden following a stroke. One of the previous teams donated money so that an additional building could be built on her property. The Gogo is currently staying in that building.

We then went on to visit 3 additional homesteads. At each place we were able to leave several of the Kids Against Hunger food packets. This was a special and humbling experience for Christina, since she organized the entire packaging process at CLC Dayton. The recipients at each homestead were so grateful and so appreciative for this small gift. It many ways it was heartbreaking to see the joy on their faces after receive something so simple. To those who participated in the packing of the meals, please know that you work was not in vain and that lives were changed today because of your efforts.

We were also able to visit one of the homesteads where the Seeds for Swaziland team planted gardens. The seeds had taken root and the harvest was bountiful. We saw full ears of corn, green peppers, pumpkins, beets and more. Not only is CLC providing spiritual food for the community, in this instance, they are providing physical food as well – both of which are needed in Swaziland.

It was good to have a day where we could get a bit of rest and team time. Camp and the tournament took a lot out of us, but it was worth every minute of it and more. This mission trip has been a blessing to us all.