In addition...

When the team wasn't busy painting, they did gardening, and also hosted a "chicken day" for the Moneni carepoint.Yep, 20 chickens were delivered via kombi to the children's delight. They each wanted to hold one and pose for pictures. You know they didn't really seem to mind that we slaughtered them.
So that's me, plucking feathers.

Before During and After!

Take a look at these pics!
You know I've always thought the classrooms at Moneni were so ugly! Sorry, but pumpkin just isn't an appealing color.
So the team came (see preivous post) and painted them as a project! What a transformation! Now the classes are so beautiful!
Look how great it is!
Thanks guys, for all of your hard work.

“As if my day wasn’t bad enough,” Sandra said. “ I pulled into the gate to find 3 big dogs in my yard and a pile of chicken feathers,- no Victoria.”
Shame. She loves that dumb chicken.
Ring ring
“Never mind. She’s in your yard. I don’t know how she got through the electric fencing, but she’s there. Take Bethany home with you and she will bring her back.”
And so that’s what I did. I took Bethany home with me to rescue a pet chicken that had flown to coop to escape 3 big dogs that had mysteriously gotten into the yard.
Only in Africa.

That said...

I'm just gonna disappear from cyber-things for a bit. As you can see I'm just under a lot of stress and emotions right now.
So I'll be out of touch for a while. No worries, I just need some quiet time.
I'll be back.

My teacher Lungile has passed away.
It’s so strange for me to think of her not being in my Thursday meetings, or at the carepoint.
I considered her a friend.
I remember once last year when I dropped her and her son off near their home. “Thank you Christy,” She said to me, “You are such a blessing to us.”
I’ve given lots of rides to people, but it was like Lungile to be thankful.
She had been so afraid to ask me for some time off of work when the doctor said she must rest. I reassured her that she had been working for us faithfully for almost a year, and we would gladly give her the time she needed to rest. I drove her to her family’s homestead that day with a love offering of soups, juices, and fruits.
“You know I see now that Children’s Cup, they care. They really care.”
That was the last time I saw her as herself. The two times I’d visited her this week in the hospital, she didn’t recognize me. Her mind had started to go. She was confused.
But I remember her as she really was.
Good-bye my friend. May you rest in Peace.

New Shoes

Children's Cup was recently given a donation to purchase several thousand pairs of new shoes. My carepoint was one of the luck reciprocates.
Now this was quite to ordeal to pull off, and it took a lot of team work. We (and by "we" I mean Children's Cup, not just me) first had to measure each child to get their correct shoe size. Then we had to buy all of the shoes in South Africa, then we had to distribute them all to the correct child are the correct carepoint.
But after months of working on this project, you can finally see the beautiful blessing given to these children. And just in time for the winter months too!
Many of these children go barefoot, and those who have "shoes" usually have flip flops (no good for winter weather)are wearing hand me downs that are either too big, or too small, or have them so worn out they are hole-y, blown out, or broken in places.
It really is pitiful.
But now each of these children have pair of brand new, perfect-for-them shoes. Look at their faces!

Do unto others...

When Jesus said it, we called it the golden rule.
Do unto others as you'd have them do unto you.
Yesterday I saw it in action.
Teacher Lungile has been sick for almost a month. First they said it was pneumonia, now they know it's TB. She's been hospitalized this week.
At the teacher's meeting yesterday I told the group, "I'm going to visit and pray for Lungile today. If any of you would like to come you're welcome. Then I will just drop you where you want to go afterwards."
During our potty break Sindi came to me. "Christy, we all want to go. So we must take a kumbi. We won't all fit in your truck."
It was just that matter of fact.
So after break I went to RFM hospital with 13 teachers, 2 MOM reps, a driver, and ironically, Lungile's sister who I met along the way.
We poured into the women's ward single file while the other patients looked with wide-eyed confusion. And we chatted with her briefly, giving words of encouragement, a prayer and a song. As we filed out, (just as noticeably,) I saw a few teachers slip a few coins into her sister's hand.
It was a side of some of my teachers I haven't seen before, but hopefully it won't be the last time.
Sickness and hospitalizations is a way of life here. It would have been possible for them to ignore her, or say, "shame too bad." But they took time out of their day, when they could have been going home.
I hope she was encouraged and knows that she is loved.
She is our family.

I'm a spoiled brat

Yes, I know, that's not a surprise to any of you who know me well. But I've never had to be any other way. As a single career gal, it's how it happens
I do what I want when I want, how I want. I never have to consider others. I always get my way.
If I have extra pay at the end of the month, I decide how I want to spend it. Vacation? Savings account? New shoes? It affects no one.
Want to buy a house? Done.
Want to sell a house and move to africa? Done.
Want to eat cookie dogh for dinner? Done.
I call the shots.
No crying babies wake me up, no one needs braces, no one tries to take the remote from me.
Now I know some of you marrieds and mommies are reading this jealously. But let me tell you something. For about 5 months, I've been wondering if this is healthy for me.
Yes, I know it would be torture to have to not have things my way. I would have a temper tantrumn. But in the end it might be good for me.
It might be good for someone to say to me, "No, you can't have your way."
(I know, I can't beleive I'm saying it either.) It might be good for someone to say, "Regardless of the fact that you're tired, you can't eat microwave popcorn for dinner. Go and make a proper meal."
Is this what happens when you are in your 30's? Is this "Maturity?" You start thinking crazy thoughts like this?

Vain?...or just simple minded?

Is it vain to read your own blog?
Often?
And crack yourself up?

Crappy Birthday to you!

Birthdays should not be allowed on Mondays.
They're just doomed from the start.
But reguardless, thank you to all of you who sent e-cards, presents, pictures, emails and general well-wishes. It helped to brighten my special day.

just a thought!

Okay, this is what I've been thinking...please extend to me the umbrella of mercy, but it makes since to me.
Okay, can a person, like a celebrity, patent a baby? Like, the parents are the creator of that thing, so can they patent it?
Let me explain. With all the celebrity babies, the paparazzi are crazy and break into their houses and stuff just to get pictures. Then they sell it and the magazine that buys it makes a fortune because they are the first ones to have them.
But if a baby was patented, then any unconsented publication of the name or image could result in a lawsuit. Maybe the magazines would be less apt to publish a photo that they knew would cost them in the end.

If you are a celebrity you know you will be photographed and such, it just comes with the territory. But babies are innocent and should be left alone without the parent's consent.
So is that totally crazy?

Christmas in July!

Okay, I know it's cliche, but it really is the coolest way to celebrate Christmas.
Ben and Susan Rodgers,(shown above) our directors of Children's Cup threw a great party last weekend. It was the real deal complete with turkey, dressing, pumpkin pie, a tree, decorations, music, carols, and even some white elephant presants.
With our cooler winter weather, it really felt like Christmas. The coolest part was that it was in July so no one was stressed. When you celebrate Christmas in December, everyone is broke, tired, and rushing about. So if they come to a party it's only an hour or so before they rush off to another.
But In July.... there's no headache! It's the perfect plan!

Blessings for Moneni!

If you are coming along on the St. Albans Congregational Church trip next month, be prepared! Your support and donations for the Moneni carepoint have blessed their socks off.
They now have electricity every month, and just this week have recieved their freezer!
The community memeber of our carepoint is very active in soliciting donations for the carepoint from area businesses and churches. She has arranged for the carepoint to recieve 10kg of "beef" (yes, it comes from a cow, but..... hey, who am I to judge, the kids love it.) and recently we recieved 100 chickens to slaughter. Now y'all have to understand, these children rarely eat meat. So "beef" and chicken are a huge excitement! The number of kids dishing on a "meat day" are always the highest in the month.
So the freezer will now allow us to store meat and chicken to be used at will. This is huge for them! They were all so excited. The teenage boys helped to unload and install it, and the cooks were smiling from ear to ear!
So check out the pics!

New Classroom!

Our Carepoint in Mangwaneni Mbabane has their new classroom! After the months of patience, the roof is on, the walls are painted, and the kids and teachers were more than ready to move out of their cramped learning area into a new fresh class!
Sandra arranged a party to celebrate it's grand opening.
We had cookies, punch, stickers, balloons, and lots of smiling!
Check out the pics

Ready...Set...Pray

Okay, August 1, is the kick off date for 40 days of prayer.
Go to the children's cup web page, to oreder a booklet of the daily prayer needs or check back daily to see them on yor computer.
Order a few free booklets while your at it for your church or small group.
In addition let them know you are praying, and they will add your name to a very smart list on the side of the page. Hey, all the cool kids are doing it. Have you seen how many are already signed up?
C'mon, what are you waiting for?

Yeah Baby! Flint!!!

This wouldn't be so funny, except it's my home town! Well, we might be poor, fat and ignorant, but no one can accuse us of not being innovative and go-getters.

This was on Yahoo news headlines:

The Flint Journal reported Monday that nearly 400 cast iron covers and grates have been taken from streets in the past year. A cover can fetch $20 from a scrap yard but can cost the city more than $200 to replace.

Officials in neighboring Burton say they've lost about 200 covers and grates during the same period. Utilities supervisor Mike Holzer says it leaves behind holes up to 35 feet deep.

Genesee County officials say they've been able to reduce thefts of county-owned covers by outfitting them with a bolt that is turned by a wrench only they have.

How did I get old?

My birthday is coming. Didn't I just have a birthday? I'm fine with getting older, I am. But it just seems like I 'm getting older faster.
Maybe I'm feeling my age. I'm starting to get fat in places that I never worried about before. And my cousins and friends who are just a bit older than me have teenagers. How did that happen?

Do you remember this scene from When Harry Met Sally? It’s how I’m feeling lately.
Sally: (hysterically crying) …and I’m gonna be 40!
Harry: When?
Sally: Someday.
Harry: In eight years.
Sally: But it’s there.

Say what?

There are two phrases I hear often in Swaziland. The first one is, “Ahhh… I dunno… maybe…” and the second is “Let us start afresh.” They are kinda used in the following context.
The first is in a setting of extreme customer service frustration. Let’s say I was to go to the local grocery store to by a product, such as sour cream. Upon arrival I find that somehow the product is nowhere to be seen. I’m not talking about a specific brand of said product, but the entire line of product is missing. There is a huge gap of refrigeration space staring back at me because of lack of foresight in ordering. So then I would ask the nearby stock boy, “Is there no sour cream?”
To which he would respond, “Ah, no momma, it’s finished.”
Scratching my head at how and entire product could be overlooked in ordering (again this month) I would then ask, “When will there be sour cream?”
To which he will inevitably respond with a random, pull-it-out-of-your-rear guess in the first mentioned phrase, “Ah…I dunno…maybe…Tuesday.”
Now reader, there is no reason for me to believe that there will actually be sour cream on Tuesday. No manager has told him it is coming on Tuesday. There’s not a delivery truck scheduled on Tuesday. It’s only that Tuesday is the name of a day, and therefore the stock boy statistically has a 1 in 7 chance of it getting it right. (But the odds are stacked against him because he has a 6 in 7 chance in getting it wrong, which I usually discover is the case.)
The second phrase I usually hear from my teachers. I love sitting in with them as they teach and I love hearing them teaching the children scripture the most. But often as they rehearse new verses, the children confuse words, motions, or mumble as they struggle to remember how it goes. It ends up being a big jumbled, auditory mess. After struggling along, the teacher usually smiles in frustration and stops them. “Okay, okay. Let us start afresh.”
And then the children get a new start.
So what does any of this mean? Why am I telling you this?
Because, as I was reading my journal tonight, I recognized a pattern in some of my behaviors.
So often the Lord will prompt me in a direction. And not really knowing the full plan yet, I make a random guess as to what to do.
“When should I introduce this to my teachers?... When should I talk to my staff?...when should I address this issue?... Ahhhh…I dunno…maybe…” And pick any random choice hoping that my chances are at best 1 in 7.
I need to learn to wait on the Lord and listen for his perfect timing.
Like the stock boy I find that guessing gets it wrong more often than not. I can almost see the Lord throwing up his hands in frustrations as I mess it up once again.
“Okay Okay, Christy. Let us start afresh.”
Oh isn’t grace amazing? Thank you Lord for your patience in the absence of my patience.

my life story

I’ll admit, I suffer from delusions of grandeur.
Someday I will be someone important and recognized and they will make a movie of my life. And while I think it should be an awesome drama inspiring movie goers to follow their dreams and grab life by the horns, it will unintentionally play out as a comedy. I’d like it to star Katie Holmes, Julie Styles, or Reese Witherspoon, but it’ll more realistically star Rachel Ray.
First a scene with her father…any scene with her father is comedy worthy. Maybe the one when Rachel realizes that he has built an outhouse in the backyard,- not a real outhouse with practical purposes, but just an outhouse for decoration. He explains this as he hangs his confederate flag on it.
Or the one where she comes home from college to find that he has disposed of all the furniture in the living room, replacing it with multiple lazy-boy recliners, explaining that it will eliminate house guests who want to sleep over and over stay their welcome.
And a scene from the states where she is painting a room terra-cotta all the while her dog insists on sleeping in the most inconvenient spaces. The longer she paints, the more colorful the spots of the Dalmatian become.
There will be a scene in Swaziland where Rachel is desperately homesick, and shuffles in her too-big slippers and 40 lb robe named “old faithful” to the bathroom to get a tissue, wailing all the way in a very Lucille Ball fashion.
Another scene from the outside of the women’s toilet where viewers will only hear a sigh and “oh man,” as Rachel, realizes that in her coffee-reduced stupor she has put her panties on inside out…again.
Also, a scene where Rachel is feeling anti-social on the 4th of July and wants to spend a quiet evening at home. As she lights the braii for her own personal bbq, she inadvertently catches the bag of charcoal on fire resulting in a hilarious routine or blowing, shaking and stomping.
Perhaps an office scene where an African co-worker tries to pick her nose for her, thinking the dry skin was not actually from a healing pimple, but a “herpe.”
But of course, the movie will have a happy ending as all do…I’m just not sure what that will be yet.
Yes folks, this is my life. Very “Bridget Jones” meets “While you were sleeping.
Hope you are inspired.

I have quote-able friends

Strange to think that I'm at the age to have friends that say wise things.

Dr. Sarah, wrote:

"I have found that a lot of growth has to do a lot less with learning new things as with unlearning the things that were never true to begin with."

Wow.
That's profound

hey did I post this before?

Okay I can't remember. So maybe you have already seen these statistics. But just like a proud mama shows her children's honor roll slips more than once I will show you the results of our latest teacher evaluations again!

Our teachers have shown a tremendous growth this term,- Praise the Lord!!!!
Here are some of the comparisons:

Last term: 1 teacher was teaching with excellence
This term: 5 teachers are teaching with excellence

Last term: 8 teachers were at 80% or higher
This term: 14 teachers are at 80% or higher (and remember we lost two of
our highest teachers.)

14 of our teachers increased their scores, (7 had their first evaluation) 2 stayed more of less the same and… well we won’t talk about the other 3.

Of those 14, the smallest amount of growth was 4%, and the highest, a whopping 31%!!!!!!!!

With clear expectations and regular evaluations, our teachers are meeting expectations and reaching their goals. Their dedication to serving the children shows.

Christmas in July

While the team was here they bought a few products for the cooks at the carepoint: a new big metal bowl, a few knives, a peeler, a metal spoon for serving, ect.
The cooks were so excited as were the teenage boys who help them
But we inadvertantly left the prices on. They were so shocked by the super high prices and that we would spend so much money on these items. (I think the knife was $26R= $3.50 US) I just laughed to myself. Maybe they'll be sure to take care of them

Don't drink the water!

Yes, we are cautious about the water we drink here. But now I'm more affraid than ever. There is definately something funky in the water!
1 co-worker and 5 teachers have announced their pregnancies in the last 8 days.
I'm not kidding!
I don't know what swaziland is treating their H2O with but I'm switching to bottles.
(I was thinking my new fat tummy was from too much KFC with the newhope team...now I'm wondering.)
I know the winter nights are cold here, but jeeze people, buy a blanket.
What am I suppose to do with 6 pregnant women? Being so close to my friend Lauren through her whole pregnancy has shown me a whole new side of her.
Now I'm in charge of 6 more? I'm gonna have hormones, and crying, stretchmarks all over the place!
Pray for me!

new clothes!

Tenea brought a suitcase of little girl clothes from one of her clients. Look how cute my babies look in their new outfits!

An African Tarheel

This is imbali, a beautiful little baby I've "adopted" at my carepoint. (in my heart not in reality, y'all)
I love her

The coolest coffee house ever!

So after our sunrise safari, we stopped and had coffee and tea. Now it was no starbucks, (As molly says, "it's the best crappy coffee I've ever had!")but you will never beat the atmosphere. Sitting out in the fresh air, in the middle of the bush eating rusks, and watching the day break!

Too close for comfort...but still very cool.

Poor Marissa, she seemed to think the hood on her sweat shirt would protect her. But you can see why. This was the closest I've ever been to the animals at the game park. It was amazing!


These are actual pictures as it, no zoom lense. we were that close! You can see Joey's elbow in the picture. Yeah... that was why I shot it.


But the scariest of all beasts was the Sleeping Molly, a rarely seen sleeping teen from America, almost extinct in these parts. This picture was shot quietly, since rumor has it that the Sleeping Molly will attack and kill anything that rouses it from it's slumber.

And look at this sunset! It was amazing.

Too funny!

So I took my car in a few weeks ago to have some work done on it.
I dropped it off Tuesday and by Friday I hadn't heard a word. So I called them and asked if they had finished working on my car.
"Ah Christy...they're tired. They'll call you when it's done."
What? They're tired? So that is our new Swazi expression, when we see workers sleeping in bulldozers instead of building a new road, or men drunk and passed out on the edge of the road, "Ah, they're tired."

I'm back

okay there's lots of blogs to read now. and the one way at the bottom has cool/gross pictures to see so make sure you read all of them!

The second mile

Here’s an interesting thought to chew on.
In Biblical times, Jews could be required to carry a Roman soldier’s pack for one mile.
No one really likes to be forced to do something, hey? So I’m sure they knew exactly how many of their footsteps would equal one mile.
“one thousand-thirteen…one thousand-fourteen… and stop. That’s it. One mile. Here’s your pack back and you can kiss my toe.”
But Jesus told his men “If someone forces you to go one mile, go two.” (Matt 5)
Ech. We don’t like that do we?
But isn’t “going the extra mile” as a free choice of love what gets people’s attention? Isn’t it something beyond what is required of us that show others we’re different?
In his book “The Second Mile,” Mike Haman claims that it’s within the second mile of serving others that the true blessings come.
“[Jesus] is opening up for us a completely new way of thinking, a kind of perspective that totally cuts across the grain of our own human nature and egocentric desires for self-preservation and satisfaction. He is inviting us to rise to a higher standard of life, one that requires service, humility, sacrifice and unconditional love for other… …The second mile. It’s a challenge. It’s an invitation. It’s a risk, but it’s a thrilling adventure. It’ in this kind of living we will find our true self, the self found in Christ. It’s laying down of what is comfortable, what is acceptable, and it’s grabbing hold of a higher life…a life filler with a deeper satisfaction, precious personal sacrifice, and blessing beyond what we could ever have imagined in our wildest dreams.”
Kinda big claims I thought.
As a missionary I can’t walk 2 steps without finding someone who would love for me to carry their pack that first mile, second mile, third mile, ect. Therefore I have set some pretty defined boundaries for myself in an attempt to retain balance. It would be easy to see missionaries who are facing burnout because they are walking mile after mile with 20 packs at once!
“Nope. Not for me,” I thought. “I’m not a people pleaser. I have no desire to carry packs for all of these people who won’t even see it as a sacrifice or act of loving service. They will be all too happy to have me walk as far as I’d like, all the while chuckling to themselves, “Ahh. White people are suckers.” Nope. One mile is fine for me.”
And of course it’s when you make up your mind that you won’t do something that God asks you to do it.

My second mile moment came with my teacher Ruth. I’d hired her to work at our Zombodze carepoint knowing that she would be a perfect fit. But the only problem is she was living in Bulimbu… 2 ½ hours away.
“I need help moving my things down to Zombodze.”
Ech. That is so not in my job description. I hire teachers. I train teachers. Heck, I’ve even fired teachers. I don’t move teachers!
But I felt that’s what God was telling me to do.
“Fine. I’ll come on Friday.”
Yes, Friday, the public holiday.
My day off.
I’ll drive all the way to stupid Bulimbu and move stupid furniture to stupid Zombodze.
Stupid Mike Haman, and his second mile. Grrrrr.
So that Friday morning I woke up grumpy, and dreading the entire day.
Christy, I want you to do it with the right attitude.
Sigh. “Not only to I have to go the second mile, but I have to like it? I’ll try, Lord.”
So I drank my coffee, put my hair up and retrieved Natalie to make the journey , all the while trying to get my heart right.
And as we drove, the resentment began to fade away. I really enjoy the talks I have with Nat, and therefore I thought, “well that’s one good thing about this trip.”
As we journeyed we saw the most amazing sights, with rolling hills and gorgeous mountains. We stopped several times just to shoot pictures, and make silly videos. We were assigned hitch hikers at the village gate, (not as strange as it sounds) gave them a lift and had such as blast trying to talk to these little ladies in Siswati. So by the time we actually got to the house we were having a great time. My whole attitude had change.
After loading the items I asked Ruth, “Did you get to say good-bye to everyone in the village?”
“Everyone accept the children at the Abandoned Baby for Christ center. Can we stop there?”
By then, I wasn’t even phased by the third mile. “Let’s go.”
So we stopped by for Ruth to say Good-bye, but curiosity got the best of me and Natalie.
“What is this place all about?” Soon we found ourselves in the living room of Gerry and Robin, the directors and “mom and dad” to 37 children under the age of 4! They graciously took time to give us a tour, explain the history of the ABC center and testify about God’s provision for them and the children in their care.


It was amazing (I’ll have to put it all into another blog) They let us hold the babies, and introduces us to the kids.
By the time we actually left we were walking on cloud 9. It was such an awesome experience.
The rest of the afternoon we drove back together, the three of us laughing, singing, shooting more silly videos, and growing in friendship.
I still ended my day at a decent time and sat back reflecting about the day’s events.
I was truly blessed. It was an awesome day.
And all because I went the second mile with the right attitude.
Maybe this Mike Haman guy knows what he’s talking about.

Hmmmmm.......

I’ve been reading Gene Edwards’ A tale of Three Kings, a story on leadership based on Saul, David and Absolom.
There’s an interesting section that made me think of devisions within the church, and towards pastors.
How many times have we seen it? A pastor does something that someone doesn’t like and before you know it, there are whispers behind his back and trying to get others to side against them. Sometimes it results in the board of directors voting the pastor out, or at the very least a group of people leaving the church to find another.
But take a look at this:
“…In the spiritual realm, a man who will lead a rebellion has already proven, no matter how grandiose his words or angelic his ways, that he has a critical nature, an unprincipled character, and hidden motives in his heart. Frankly, he is a thief. He creates dissatisfaction and tension within the realm, and then either seizes power or siphons off followers. The followers he gets, he uses to found his own dominion. Such a sorry beginning, built on the foundation of insurrection… No, God never honors division in His realm.
“I find it curious that men who feel qualified to split God’s kingdom do not feel capable of going somewhere else to another land, to raise up a completely new kingdom. No, they must steal from another leader. I have never seen the exception. They seem always to need at least a few pre-packaged followers.
“Beginning empty handed and alone frightens the best of men. It also speaks volumes of just how sure they are that God is with them. Their every word, if seen true, speaks of their insecurity.
“There are many lands unspoiled and un-possessed. There are many people in other places waiting to follow a true king, a true man of God…Why don’t ‘would-be-kings and prophets’ simply walk away, alone, find another people in another place, and there raise up the kingdom they envision?
“Men who lead rebellions in the spiritual world are unworthy men. There are no exceptions…”
“Tell me, Sage, what is your name?”
“My name? I am History.”

My team.

My newhope team just left and should be back in the US. We had such an amazing time together. It was so cool to see old friends and make a few new ones. You know, I knew Marissa way back before she was married and had 3 kids. And Jennifer (Miss. Halsey to you at NCS) use to be a roommate, and co-worker. It brought tears to my eyes when I saw them at my carepoint dishing up pap and beans to my babies.
Annie and Molly (taking the photo so not shown) came along, which I thought was so cool. Even as I was planning to come, Annie was saying, “We’re coming to visit you in Africa.” And indeed they did. How awesome is it that an 11 year-old came all this way. How different would yours and my lives be if we’d had a world perspective at 11?
And what a great time I had getting to know Sarah and Tenea. Such amazing women who were willing to face the unknown and come out the other end blessed.
We had great times together, including getting chased by an angry elephant, playing games by lamp light, eating amazing food at Summerfields Botanical garden, shopping at the golden mile, and passing out Samaritin Purse Christmas boxes.
But I think that thing that I enjoyed most was just having friends who wanted to experience what I do here. So many times people in the states don’t want to hear or know about Africa. They want you to say “The lord is doing great things” and then change the subject. They don’t want to know about the HIV rates, the poverty, the children in government hospital, or the struggles that children face everyday. But these women were willing to face the ugliness of life knowing that they would become responsible for what they have seen.
I love them so much for that.

All together now! 1...2...3..."ewwwwww!"

So what does a missionary do on her day off? First she sleeps in, then she goes to a nearby carepoint where they are slaughtering chickens.
So for a snack she tries, (get ready for this one) chicken feet, and intestines.
No, I’m not kidding, here are the photos to prove it.
The intestines taste just like chicken liver, but I couldn’t stand to look at them. And the feet… well I don’t understand eating chicken feet. There is no meat on them. It’s just skin and fat and bone. But at least there was a claw on the end of the toe so I could use it to clean my teeth. ( I must have had some intestine stuck in them.)




Oh, the things I won't try for a blog!

heads up/out of the office

okay y'all. The newhope team will be here soon and therefor I'll be hanging with them for the next week adn some. So I won't be blogging but I'm sure I'll have lots of pics and such when I return
But in the meantime, please pray for the spiritual climate of Swaziland. Elections are coming in August and Swaziland has it's own unique turmoil that comes with it. Whle most African countries have beatings, riots, police intimidation around election time (think Kenya and Zimbabwae)Swaziland has ritual murders.
Candidates who hope to be elected visit witchdoctors for advice on how to get an edge over their opponiant. It usually involves body parts.
For example, find a very smart student and eat his brain, and then you will be smart. Or take this part and mix it with this and get this result.
Well the murders have begun. Three nights ago 2 bodies were found in the river. One woman was missing a foot, and the other (the maid of my friend) had had her genital removed.
this is sick and twisted and leaves many people, myself included, feeling unsettled yet ambitious to pray even harder for the spiritual climate of Swaziland.
While many westerners would look at the general witchcraft practice as old time superstition and silliness, I can tell you it is very real, very powerful, It is 100% demonic. Most of all it holds the power of fear over most of this country.
However we proclaim that Our God is more powerful and protects. He is mighty to save and more powerful than all the powers of darkness.
please pray about this, but mostly focus on the power and goodness of our God.
The dark forces don't even deserve our attention.

The monster Part 2

After sharing the story with the office staff, it’s assumed that my monster is a roof rat.
So while having tea with Jacci in the evening, there was a buzz at my gate.
“Hey I hear you have a critter problem?”
Sure enough, it was Pat and Jordan coming as my would-be heroes.
They were confident roof rat hunters with all of the right equipment. Now look closely. You will see 2 golf clubs, a cardboard tube, and a pellet gun with laser scope,- apparently all necessary to trap and kill a roof rat.
I thought the costumes were a bit much, but they explained that was actually just how they were dressed at the house. (Ummmm. I think I need to withdrawal from the Patrick-always-looks-good-fan club on Facebook. In fact the whole fan club needs to disband after this faux paux. )
So with video camera in hand we ascended the steps into the lair of the roof rat. The hunters experienced one slight set back as Jordan, trying to army roll over the bed, got tangled in the mosquito netting and bit the dust. But there were no serious injuries and the hunters made haste to the closet.
“1…2….3!!!!!!” they shouted trying to fling open the closet doors. But the rug was in the way so they tried again. "1...2...3!"throwing the closet doors open, they pulled out the sponge, the storage Tupperware… and found nothing but a whole in the floor.
Dag-gommit! That little rascal got wise to us.
So that was the very anti-climatic end to the hunt.
You might have outsmarted us this time roof rat, but if you do come back, you’ll be pushing up daisies!

Roger shared a version of this story:

A younge man once made himself a small boat.
He painstakenly carved it, paying attention to every detail. He laboured over it in love. He worked until it was pefectly crafted the way he wanted it.
When it was finally finished he went to test it out in the waters. He tied a string to it so that it wouldn't go to far, but the storms of the sea swept it away.
A while later he was walking along the shores near some little shops and spotted his little boat. He went to the shop keeper inside.
"This is my boat. I'd recognize it anywhere. I crafted it. I know this is the one I lost."
"Well, it's had a lot of attention, it's so nice." the shopkeeper replied. "I purchased it at a cheap price, but now I will only sell it for $1,000Emalengeni."
The man left the shop heart broken. He returned home empty handed, but began scraping together every last bit of money he had. Finally, he had the $1,000Emalengeni and returned to purchase his boat.
What a glorious day it was. He returned home so happy.
As he held the little boat in his hands, he began to speak to it.
"You are my little boat. You are mine twice over. Once because I made you, and once because I bought you back at a great price."

I will never tell my child, "It's nothing, go back to bed."

It’s every child’s fear to have a monster in their closet. And parents never believe them!
Well I am a 30 year old child and I DO have a monster in my closet! I don’t care if you believe me!
When I returned from the states I was awaken by a noise. It sounded like something digging into wood, a scratching sound. I woke up and went to the window. Nothing on the roof, the dogs next door weren’t out,- I couldn’t find anything. And by then the scratching ceased, and I went back to bed.
Well over the past week I’ve heard it again, always at night. But it quickly stops and then no more.
Well last night I started hearing the sounds from down stairs, even before I went to bed. I woke up and heard it loud and clear, never ceasing. Scratching, scurrying, tapping, on and on. I got up, and followed the sound to my first closet.
There is something living in my closet! It was midnight and I was terrified to open the doors. I have no idea what it could be but it is obviously nocturnal. And whatever it is, it is now bigger and more active than it was a week ago. I put a stool in front of the doors and went back to bed. I was petrified to go back to sleep in that room,- but there is no place else for me to sleep in the house.
So what do I do now?
They have such crazy things here in Africa. Snakes, scorpions, spiders as big as your face! I’m so afraid of what I might find if I open those doors!

Think about it... you'll get it

Usually our carepoints serve beans over pap, or sometimes rice.
We'll our carepoints have recently recieved a large donations of Bulgar wheat.
"It's nice Christy." the teachers told me. "The children like it. It's very nice....but if you are going to keep giving us wheat, you need to give us more toilet paper."
Too funny! I'm not quite sure how to write up that budget request.

No way!... Yes way!

This is a picture Pepe and Trinity.
Pepe on the left is a 12 year old, child that we have served as Children's Cup for years.
Trinity on the right is the 4 year old daughter of our directors, Ben and Susan.

Christmas in July...kinda

You know those little poinsetta plants that we put into 6 inch pots and sell at Christmas time? Do you know that if you plant them in a warm tropical African climate, they grow into trees?
Check it out, this is one of 3 poinsetta trees on my property here in Swaziland.
Pretty cool huh?

Please say a prayer for my mom

okay y'all my mom just found out that her sister has passed away. First my dad, then my dog ( hey you have dogs too, you know they are family) and now her sister has died. That's a lot for one person to have on her plate emotionally speaking. Please pray for her.

Wanna see me?

Go to natalie's blog y'all. she posted a video we made on May 13th. You can see me on the way to Bulimbu.
okay the hatchet-as-mic was her idea but it didn't really translate well. it just looks like I'm holding an ax.

As I sit in the airport, I write:

I’m leaving the states today.
It was hard to readjust at first and a lot of things got on my nerves.
But now after this month, there are things that stand out that I definitely like. They use to be everyday things that I took for granted, but now I see them as creature comforts that I will miss now that I know I won’t have them “over there”
1)Big appliances. I cooked on a big stove, and put my food in a big fridge. The washer machine was so big I put in my normal African load of clothes in, and then had to go and get more dirty clothes to fill it up!
2) High speed internet. Just click. You’re there.
3) Good coffee. Africa has crap coffee, which is ironic because good coffee is grown in Africa. I guess they export it all and leave us only with tea in Swaziland
4)Math-less days. I stayed here a month and never did math. I didn’t convert Celsius to Fahrenheit, kilojoules to calories, kilograms to pounds, kilometers to miles, or milliliters to cups. You have to be very smart to live in Africa. It makes my brain tired.
5) Free stuff. Free refills, free chips and salsa, free bread and olive oil, free gift card with purchase. America is the land of the Free.
6) Customer service. Have a problem? We’ll get it fixed. If we can’t fix it, we will find someone who will. Leaving a job undone is not an option. Not once did I hear “ah, sorry madam. I can’t help you.”
7) Now-now movies. See a commercial? Go and watch it. You don’t have to wait until a missionaries’ grandma sends it on DVD. And you can get butter on your popcorn.
8) House marathons. Episode after unseen-in- Africa episode.
9) Yummy high calorie, fatty foods- Coffee creamer, donuts, McDonalds, pizza, Mexican, sushi all at your finger tips.
10) Garage Sales- good stuff at cheap prices. One man’s junk is my affordably priced treasure.
11)Toilet seats in every bathroom stall- Guarenteed, or your money back. Oh that's right, we don't pay for toilets in the US. And each stall comes clean with toilet paper available. Very very soft toilet paper. It makes me very very happy. No explination necessary.
While I’m fine with going back to Swaziland, I have been very happily pampered in the USA

Freaks and Geeks

(Written last week)
As I’m sitting in the DC airport, I see a group of teenagers.
Teenagers are an interesting species to observe.
Take the kid who chose to buy and eat a dozen donuts for lunch. Or the friends who now try to get one of those donuts with the argument, “Dude, I gave you money.”
That seems to be a perfectly rational argument, earning him ½ a donut. He insisted on the “good half.”
But over the course of the last month, I’ve been “reacquainted” with many people I went to high school with via Facebook- that weird cyber addiction that everyone has insisted I join for so long.
Okay now it’s not actually like having a legit relationship with another human, but it is entertaining to look up people you use to know and now see what they are up to.
I’ve realized two things:
1) I’m old, and have been out of high school a long time, and
2) geeky boys aren’t eternally geeky. Okay let me clarify. The semi-geeky boys aren’t eternally geeky.
The weird kids who mumbled and didn’t bathe… we’ll they’re still weird. But the tall skinny guys with glasses and braces,- you know who I’m talking about. Maybe they had pimples, and were a little too good in math to be cool,- they’ve turned out okay! Somewhere along the line their metabolism slowed enough to put a little meat on their bones, the acne cleared up, and they stopped letting their moms cut their hair. Now they are doctors, or engineers, nice guys and successfully normal.
It makes me smile, and wonder what happened to the football playing boyfriend I thought was such hot stuff. He’s probably fat, bald, and selling magazine subscriptions.
So if you are a teenage girl, go find yourself a nice geeky boy. You’ll thank me later.

Bye-Bye my Baby

My mom wrote me. Baby died this morning.
I knew she didn't have much longer, but I'd so enjoyed being with her this past month.
It pains my heart. She has been a loyal companion for almost 13 years.

This is what i've been up to.

painting

catching up on important reading

hanging out with my childhood friend

Feeling the need to share

In January 1990, we got the shock of our lives.
We’d noticed changes in dad for a while. A personality change, headaches, and running into things.
“Why’d you do that dad? It’s right there?”
“I didn’t see it.”

The doctors diagnosed a cancerous brain tumor on the left side of his brain, which they thought had started in his lungs. On the vision center of his brain, it was quickly growing and causing dad to go blind. Dad explained some of what he was going through.
“I can’t see anything.”
He stood with his arms out to the side and began to swing them forward slowly. Finally when they were almost directly in front of him he stopped. “Here. I can see them here.”

As surgery was scheduled, family and friends began to pour into the house offering casseroles, kind words and promises of prayers.

One, my cousin Sherry, took it another step further. She wanted to pray with us. So even thought I thought it was “weird” (but at 13 everything adults do is “weird”) we stood together in a circle and held hands, while Sherry prayed a simple prayer for blessings, strength, healing, and guidance for the doctors.

Short, sweet, simple.

But that simple prayer caught the heart of God.

Later that afternoon I came down from my room and found my dad crying at the dining room table. At first I panicked.

“What’s wrong?!”

He looked up at me. “I can see.”

“What do you mean ‘I can see?’”

He put his arms out to the side again and began to swing them forward slowly. This time he stopped quickly, with his arms still out to the side.

“Here. Now I can see them here.”

I was 13, but that was the first time I understood that God interacted with us,- that prayer wasn’t just throwing up ideas, but someone was listening, and responding. And while I wouldn’t become a Christian for 4 more years, this was the beginning of my relationship with God. I knew the Lord as the God who Sees, and the God who Heals, way before I knew him as the God who Saves.

And while most patients with non-small cell lung cancer will die within 4 months of their diagnosis, my dad survived and lived well for 17 ½ more years.

I am so grateful for that gift of time that was given to my family. He was able to experience graduations, weddings, and grandchildren that the doctors said wouldn’t be seen.

I beleive this is what they call "reverse culture shock"

It's weird being here.
Like, drinking tap water is cool... but there are things that make me feel uneasy.
Like, when did Drew Cary become the host of The Price is Right? SO un-charismatic.
And why is it every motivation to do something fear? I can't turn on the tv or talk to someone with out getting hit with a scare tactic! Global warming, bad economy, war, soaring gas prices,fear, fear, fear! Do this or the earth will blow up! Do that or so-and-so will get elected!
Was it always that way and I just didn't notice it before? I've found myself turning off the television, just over the whole thing.
...And since when did Oprah become the authority on everything? Any question about Tom Cruise, the shape of poop, God, or morality can be answered by watching her show. The scary thing is she's so far out there and people don't even notice because she's a "nice person" and does "good things."
Wake up. She's misguided. I don't care how many schools she opens in Africa.
Ech...
And why do we need so much stuff? Walmart is huge, and all the aisles are filled with stuff! stuff for your house, stuff for you pets, stuff for your kids, and your kids' pets' houses. And if that's not enough, you can get all of that stuff in a variety of colors, so it will match your other stuff. Because God forbid your stuff doesn't match.
Im packing up my fathers house, and I find so much stuff! 2 George Forman grills, one small and one large. 4 crockpots. Yes 4. 3 sets of knives.2 tractors, 2 leaf blowers, 2 cans of tuna...and my dad hated tuna! but i'm sure there was a reason he felt he needed all of this stuff.
Someone probably used a scare tactic.