Day 9: Comments Work!

The Sweet Home Team playing with the kids before the business seminar.

Peter (left) and Caleb (right). They are two of the staff members here. Peter is leaving soon to continue his ministry in Tanzania. Please pray for him, he is an amazing man who has encouraged each of us. Please also pray for Caleb, as he is going back home to Utah at the same time as us after being here for about a month and a half. Pray that his transition home would be a great one and that God would comfort and continue to use him as he goes home.

The whole team with Peter. He's so rad!

Thank you to everyone who responded to the email sent out encouraging and loving on our team. Thank you also to all those who have faithfully commented, despite them not appearing to come through. . They may not show up immediately as they are being moderated by a team member that is in California, but we will get them eventually.

We spent a lot of time last night sharing the affirmations and comments from home and the whole team was so encouraged and full of joy to hear from you all, so thank you and please keep them coming!

Day 9 was another great one, it never ceases to amaze me how willing God is to show Himself mighty when we step out in faith.

Today we have three guest bloggers; Matt, Kristy and Jon. Enjoy!

"Today in Sweet Home, Michael and Jon did an amazing job of presenting the CHE's (Community Health Evangelists) with a step-by-step process of how to start and run a small business. For the past 6 months or so, a few of the women of Sweet Home have been in the process of starting a sewing business that is run out of the home of one of the women that specializes in making dresses, aprons, bags, and various alterations of clothing. Michael prepared a detailed business plan that included steps such as product selection, cost analysis, marketing, etc. It was incredible to see how actively involved all the CHE's were with his presentation and how they seemed to just soak up all this new information. Michael and Jon did a great job of presenting all the information in a thorough but easy-to-understand manner. The presentation could not have gone any better, and as we were getting ready to leave, all the CHE's expressed their heartfelt thanks. To paraphrase Sisanda, the advisor to the Sweet Home CHE's: "I had an idea of all the information that I wanted the CHE's to hear, but I wasn't sure if you would be able to present all these things. However, you were able to present all the information that I was hoping to share with them, and I could not have asked for better information. This was exactly what we needed. Thank you!" Overall, this was so exciting to be a part of, and we all left with the hopeful expectation of the great possibility for success that these women have with their business! For those who may not have heard, one of our team members, Jessica, broke her leg the Sunday before we left. The day before we left for Africa, I got a call from a staff member at Rock Harbor asking me if I would mind using my truck to pick up a wheelchair that Rock Harbor purchased from the non-profit group, Free Wheelchair Mission, for Jessica to use during our time here in Africa. (After you finish reading this blog, go check out their website at www.freewheelchairmission.org). The plan was to purchase a wheelchair that we could leave in South Africa for someone who has been in need of chair but has been unable to purchase one. Last night, I woke up in the middle of the night, and I rememebered that I needed to let Mama Lulama (the head of the all the CHE's in Phillippi and Sweet Home) know about the wheelchair that we wanted to leave with them. As we were leaving Sweet Home today and giving Mama Lulama a ride back to St. Paul's Church in Phillippi, I said to her, "Mama Lu, I've been meaning to tell you that we brought a wheelchair with us that we want to leave with you before we go home. Do you know of anyone who might be in need of a wheelchair?" She gave me a look that kind of said 'Are you serious?!' and then she clapped her hands together and raised them over her head, and said, "Praise the Lord!!" She then said, "There's a woman who needs one. We've been praying for weeks now for a wheelchair! The pastors met and said they'd try to get some funds together but have been unable to do so. Praise the Lord, you just made my day!!" I've been waiting for that moment during the trip where I just stop and say "Wow, God." That moment definitely happened today. How cool is it that we serve a God who works in such amazing ways! I can't wait for the moment later this week when hopefully Jessica and this woman are able to meet!" -Matt

"Today was probably one of my favorite days here. As a teacher myself, I really feel for the teachers/staff here. Today we were able to bless them by cooking them a special lunch (Tacos and Burritos-which was a blessing for the team as well). Our team was able to cover their classes, so that their lunch time could be extended. I think it was special for me because we were able to purchase gifts for the teachers and staff before we came, and it was just really cool to be able to bless their efforts here. Our team is only here for a few weeks, but the teachers and staff are here full time. Please pray for them. Pray that they would be encouraged, united, and refreshed from the day to day routines. The students are absolutely amazing, and we love them so very much, but we don’t want to forget those that support them daily." - Kristy
"What an amazing journey it has been to be with such an outgoing team. We are each blessed with special skills that contribute to the overall impact of this trip. One of my most favorite events of the trip is waking up at the crack-of-dawn to the most beautiful, radiant sunrise breaking on the most breathtaking landscape you have ever seen while starting the day with songs of worship and group devotions. This is definately a tradition I would love to keep. As Matt mentioned above, we had a great time teaching at Sweet Home. Michael just had amazing words flowing. But I must give props to the team back at the Academy! While we were at Sweet Home, they were busy doing a Photo scavenger hunt. That gave us so many goofy pictures of the kids just being together and having fun. What other way to spend a day. On a more personal note, I wanted to share my humbling experience at Sweet Home. I had an amazing encounter with a little girl at sweet home. She was not old enough to talk, but most certainly old enough to understand what true love is. This poor little girl was accompanied by a full package of diarrhea, but this little girl had shown me in her eyes that she could not remember the last time she had a real hug. She needed to be embraced as though her life depended on it. After holding her, I knowingly had hefty stains on my jeans and forearms-- but she needed love. We were doing our VBS lessons, and she had been wandering off from our assigned groups (probably because she didn't really know what was going on, let alone understand English). So I took her aside and sat down next to the car, and began to point out things on the car that she could touch and feel. Eventually, she made her way down to the wheel-- She found pieces of mud that she, absolutely, had to give to me. Out of kindness I smiled at her and accepted her gift. In my eyes, she had seen joy, and she wanted to make me happier... So she began to break off more mud and hand it to me until there was no mud left. She wanted to please me, but there was no mud left. As a result, she resorted to giving me her balloon... Her balloon-- She had found this balloon several hours before this moment, and this balloon had kept her occupied whenever she got bored. She had found it in the filthy trash and had been sucking on this balloon ever since. This balloon was special to her, and it was her last possession: and she wanted to give it to me..... Here we are, servants of the Lord most high-- Coming clear across the world-- Coming to serve them-- Coming to love them-- And this little girl is giving every bit of her possessions in order to make me happy? What greater display of God's Love and Affection than to serve the servant. The Lord is fascinating, he has picked us up with Love even though we are covered in filth, human waste, lies, deceit, and sin. He has every right to say that we are too filthy to be loved-- And yet He has embraced us, he has smiled at us with open arms accepting our gifts of gratitude. All he asks is that we give Him our balloon-- the balloon that we hold on to so dearly." -Jon



Another heartfelt thanks to all who have prayed for our health. So far everyone who has fallen ill has been restored pretty quickly.

Please also pray for team unity as this is the time in the trip where we can expect to get grumpy and turn against one another. Pray that our love and patience would just overflow with one another and with those that we serve.

Please also, as Kristy mentioned above, pray for the staff that is here year round. Pray that they would be encouraged and refreshed by our visit and that we could be support to them and affirm them.

Thank you all!