http://swaziland.myadventures.org Swaziland Missions Base - - Adventures In Missions en-us Fri, 4 Jul 2008 10:12:47 GMT 30 http://swaziland.myadventures.org/?filename=come-to-swaziland-this-fall http://swaziland.myadventures.org/?filename=come-to-swaziland-this-fall Upcoming Trip to Swaziland: September 8 - November 8   The people of Swaziland have few or no material possessions, are in the midst of a seven-year drought that has led to zero crop yield and are afflicted by a nationwide AIDS pandemic. And yet, they have an enduring spirit... "There is an unnatural resilience, a strength the Swazis find in their faith... Joy leaps out of them, in spite of all the adversity they face, and it comes directly from God. They are my inspiration." Sun, 29 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://swaziland.myadventures.org/?filename=the-sound-of-hope-buy-a-shirt-and-help-orphans http://swaziland.myadventures.org/?filename=the-sound-of-hope-buy-a-shirt-and-help-orphans The Sound of Hope is our brand new campaign at AIM - helping us raise funds and awareness for our orphans in Swaziland (and orphans we are caring for in Kenya and India.)BUY A SHIRT that HELPS ORPHANS!Clothes for a cause - why not? Get a cool shirt, help orphans, and then spread the word everytime you wear it! When you buy this t-shirt, you are giving hope to orphans in Kenya, Swaziland, and India. The proceeds from this shirt go to care for orphans in desperate need. Join the movement today! We Mon, 26 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://swaziland.myadventures.org/?filename=how-you-can-tangibly-help-swaziland http://swaziland.myadventures.org/?filename=how-you-can-tangibly-help-swaziland I have had many people ask me for specific ways in which they can tangibly help in Nsoko, Swaziland, and many have sent money for clothes (see Lisa's blog). Here is a list of what we need urgently and what will help us start educating the children and producing our self-sustainability projects... Most of Phase One is done - the Church is planted, (see video), the community center is built and paid for (we are feeding hundreds everyday, doing workshops on AIDS and teacher-training five da Sun, 25 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://swaziland.myadventures.org/?filename=kevin-and-christi-bowmans-story http://swaziland.myadventures.org/?filename=kevin-and-christi-bowmans-story Christi Bowman and her husband Kevin went to Swaziland a few months ago and it wrecked her. The ministry there does that to a lot of people. She went reluctantly and got ambushed by God. While visiting the Nsoko carepoint she felt God saying, "Pick up that little girl over there." And for an hour she resisted the Lord. Read what happened next from Christi:About an hour later, Jumbo showed up with some water, and Kreik mixed some drink mix in with it. We helped line the kids up to get thei Thu, 22 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://swaziland.myadventures.org/?filename=sexual-abuse-in-swaziland http://swaziland.myadventures.org/?filename=sexual-abuse-in-swaziland SWAZILAND: Every third woman sexually abused as a child, says report Photo: IRIN An alarming number of girls in Swaziland have been abusedMBABANE, 9 April 2008 (IRIN) - One in three Swazi women has suffered some form of sexual abuse as a child; one in Wed, 21 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://swaziland.myadventures.org/?filename=somebodys-baby http://swaziland.myadventures.org/?filename=somebodys-baby Ever left your crying toddler in the Church nursery, or your kindergartner on the first day of school, or even a pre-teen at a summer camp? They look up at you with "Please don't leave me, Mommy" tears brimming, lower lip protruding, arms reaching out to for you to pick them up. You know there is nothing you can do; the time has come and you have to leave, but you feel a little nauseated. And the second you get to your car, you let the hot tears flow. My last week in Nsoko felt just li Thu, 8 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://swaziland.myadventures.org/?filename=he-was-too-young-to-die http://swaziland.myadventures.org/?filename=he-was-too-young-to-die As I continue to answer God's call to care for widows and orphans, and to work with everyone at our organization with the same calling, we find it can be a heartbreaking task. This story has had me at my desk in tears for most of the day. All around the office we've been grieving. As we pray comfort for Pelile, and for our teams in Africa, I feel called to share this story with you...Read what these two World Racers have to say about Moses, the baby they were given to care for in Swazil Thu, 6 Mar 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://swaziland.myadventures.org/?filename=this-christmas-give-hope http://swaziland.myadventures.org/?filename=this-christmas-give-hope Dear friends and family,She was a beautiful little girl, probably not more than two years old. She toddled over to me in tears, inconsolable. I couldn't understand why she was crying. Even though I was in Africa, I thought through all the normal American childcare questions. "Is she hungry?" No, they'd just eaten - and though it was a less than appetizing meal of maize, her stomach was full. "Wet diaper?" No, the children here have never seen a diaper- this little girl wasn't even wearing Tue, 25 Dec 2007 00:00:00 GMT http://swaziland.myadventures.org/?filename=what-is-a-care-point http://swaziland.myadventures.org/?filename=what-is-a-care-point In Swaziland orphans and vulnerable children can usually find housing on a rural homestead of a distant family member. Homesteads are the way traditional Swazis used to live, and to this day many rural Swazis still live on or have rights to a homestead. Homesteads are usually brick and mud structures or huts or concrete block buildings. A homestead can have as many as 5 or 6 units on the property, and it is not uncommon for 15-20 children to be living on a homestead. Wed, 28 Nov 2007 00:00:00 GMT http://swaziland.myadventures.org/?filename=harsh-realities http://swaziland.myadventures.org/?filename=harsh-realities Thanks to our partner, Tom Davis for this video.Here Pastor Walter shares the stories of two Swazi families impacted by HIV/AIDS. This is a jarring account of what life is like for many children in Swaziland. It was hard to film, as you'll see. As you watch, please pray for justice and mercy for these vulnerable children. Wed, 28 Nov 2007 00:00:00 GMT http://swaziland.myadventures.org/?filename=the-nsoko-project http://swaziland.myadventures.org/?filename=the-nsoko-project The Nsoko project is our dream for Africa; it is in one of the most impoverished areas in Swaziland. We've been given 100 acres of land from local Swazi businessmen; much of the funds will be coming from within the country. It will be a community full of love, homes for the orphans, projects to teach them to build a business and provide for their families, and it's in full swing. We broke ground on October 11, 2007, building the community center, a guest house, and moving a few hundred Wed, 28 Nov 2007 00:00:00 GMT http://swaziland.myadventures.org/?filename=children-of-the-dirt-part-2 http://swaziland.myadventures.org/?filename=children-of-the-dirt-part-2 Continued from Children of the Dirt, Pt. 1:What would fresh water do? Poured over their heads, flowing over their bodies, filling their mouths? What would it feel like: pure, clear cool water washing them clean. Water on their parched, swollen tongues. Water wiping away ages of darkness. Water that flows from a fount that is eternal. What is the hope for the Children of the Dirt. What will calm the hunger and thirst? What will protect them from the evil that steals their future?Who w Fri, 19 Oct 2007 00:00:00 GMT http://swaziland.myadventures.org/?filename=children-of-the-dirt-part-1 http://swaziland.myadventures.org/?filename=children-of-the-dirt-part-1 In a land we call "Nsoko" live a group of people small in stature but not in spirit. They are a tribe of miniature baby humans that have adapted to life, carrying the load of several adults. They are born in the dirt; they eat, sleep and live in the dirt. Genesis (2:7) says we are born from the dust and will return to it when we die. Somewhere in-between the being born and dying, most of humanity lives. Most live in a home, eat at a table, dress, go to school, and have older people protect and p Wed, 17 Oct 2007 00:00:00 GMT