Jumbo Gerber posted this information about a storm that hit Nsoko where I had visited just two weeks before.  This is the location where we visited Grandma Frola and her grandchildren.  I hope she and her kids are okay, and her place is in tact.

Link to their blog:  Update on Storm that hit Nsoko Last Night [on 11-12-2009]

Here is an update on the Storm that went thru Nsoko last night. I heard about it and then decided to go down to Nsoko and just see what the damage was.

Then also the house that 2 orphans were living in was also flattened to the ground. Pastor Gift says that this touched him the most, because not only do they have no extended family, they also do not have a place to stay anymore.
If anyone wants to respond to the cry for help from down here at Nsoko please contact either Adventures in Missions or Childrens HopeChest.

I know, I know… you were all terribly disappointed when I did not post a pensee last week, and you’ve been eagerly waiting for another.  I won’t let you down again.  This one is near the end of Pascal’s pensees, when he is putting the finishing touches on his defense of the Christian faith and theology.  How about that final concluding sentence in this one?  That is SOOOO on point for what has been on my heart and mind lately, trying to figure out how God intended faith and works to work together, our role, Gods’ role… I really think Pascal has the answer here.  So insightful… so simple… and yet so challenging

This religion [Christianity]… strives equally to establish these two facts:  that God has appointed visible signs so that He shall be recognized by those who genuinely seek him, and that he has hidden these signs in such a way that He will only be perceived by those who seek him with all their heart.  Then, what advantage can critics derive when, unconcerned to seek the truth as they profess to be, they protest that nothing shows it to them?

We know well enough how people in this frame of mind behave.  They think they have made great efforts to learn when they have spent a few hours reading some book of the Bible, and have questioned some ecclesiastic about the truths of the faith.  After that they boast that they have sought without success among books and men.  But, in fact, I should say to them what I have often said: “such negligence is intolerable.  It is not a question here of the trifling interest of some stranger:  it is a question of ourselves, and our all.

Something was always missing from my life.  Not that I didn’t have a good family, good education, even good Biblically-based instruction.  But I always knew something was missing, and I felt a compelling emptiness and lack of purpose that I did not know how to fill.

I knew enough about the Bible to know that my peace and joy are promised as gifts from God.  I knew that true purpose and meaning could only be found in serving God.  So I tried.  I truly expected that my faith would ultimately bring about the full promises of peace, joy, completeness in God.  But it never came… until the past year.

What changed?  I began living my life differently.  I started to realize how consistently God calls us to act as if we really love others like we love ourselves.  I began trying to do that out of obedience.  Read John 14 and 15.  Depending how you count, there are 4 to 8 times in just two chapters where Jesus stresses that we must follow his commandments.  But there are so many… which ones? How? Is it the Law again?  God is good, and He knows that we aren’t too bright (at least I’m not).  So He does not leave us in doubt.  After stressing over and over that we must follow His commandments, He gives us a direct answer to the questions He knew we’d have.

“This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.”  - John 15:12

Sounds a lot like loving our neighbor as ourselves, like living a life that gives tirelessly of our time, our energy, our all – to serve those who are broken, needy, the outcasts of society.  Isn’t that what Jesus’ love looked like?

John 15:12 is preceded in verse 11 by: “These things I have spoken to you that that My joy may remain in you, that your joy may be full.”  It is so clear to me now.  I do have to rely on God and His grace to provide for me through faith.  But as we’re told in the book of James, faith without works is dead.  He provides what I was missing by grace – my works can never do that.  But my faith was dead, and began bearing fruit in my life only when I first followed His commands.

PS.  Did I say “read John 14 and 15”?  Please do.  Really, really good stuff in there.

On the second day of the carepoint visits we went more rural and off-road outside of Manzini, Swaziland.  The prior day we traveled mostly good roads to visit Bhalekane which is the most developed carepoint just outside Manzini.  After three years of support and capital projects, they have a fence, kitchen, community building, school, a water well, a freshly plowed field for planting rose geraniums, and lots of children with hope.  On our way to Ludlati, we bumped through some rough roads and a dry water way up to the top of a hill.  It was described as “The Tree Carepoint” because a nice shade tree was the cooking and gathering place.  In a bit of perfect timing by our hosts, we arrived seconds before the women who cook the food for the children.  We saw the ladies walking down a dirt path carrying large iron kettles, containers of water, a box of food on one’s head, cooking utensils and some bowls.  I am guessing these women walked a fair distance, but even a short distance becomes an event when it is done everyday.  They chopped some wood from the brush with a machete, started a fire and began cooking.  Our entire team was impacted by the conditions at Ludlati.

Some homes could be seen in the valley in the distance, but nothing was close.  There were three young children waiting near the tree when we arrived.  After the women started cooking, more kids began wandering out of the brush on worn trails.  Many are bare foot, and most had tattered clothes.  Watching the children slowly walking in spread out lines had significant impact on the team.  Everyone was filled with compassion, and some even angered that children have to live and survive such conditions.  We wondered which ones live in child lead households, which ones had a parent dieing of AIDS.  Maybe they have extended family, but no food and nurturing.  Without one meal per day provided at this carepoint, these kids would be starving.

This carepoint was started by a woman who lives in the area.  Because of the AIDS pandemic, children are orphaned at an alarming rate.  Children began wandering around looking for food, and she began about one year ago by feeding them at her home.  Keep in mind her limited resources and living conditions.  She would go around to neighbors in her community asking for help with food.  The number quickly grew to around 100 kids, and they would not even fit on her property.  So she talked to the Chief and said “We have to do something for these children, there are so many”.  He gave her a sizable piece of land on top of the hill she could use as a carepoint.  I also later learned that she makes school uniforms for some of the children so they can go to school.

There are several ladies who help cook food.  Our support will flow to these ladies working on the ground too.  They are provided with food for their families, and they can work on a purse and bag making project that gives them an opportunity to earn money from the sales.  While we were there one lady provided some preschool activities for the kids while they wait.  In addition to providing two meals per day, education will be more formalized with our support as preschool, school, health care education and discipleship training.  You can hear some examples of preschool songs, counting, and English training in the video.  She also began standing them in front of me one at a time asking them to say their name and age in English.  Most of the kids were still pretty shy.  But now that our community is starting to provide support, we will get to be part of an awesome transformation.  Maybe it will take three years to be like Bhalekane, or maybe we will be able to develop this carepoint faster.  It starts with God’s desire for these orphans planted in us.  But action and support flows from Him through us.  Over the next six to eight weeks, Children’s Hopechest will collect profile information on each child consistently coming to the carepoint.  Since I have already met some of our Ludlati children, it makes me feel like we have added 100 children to our families.  I look forward to letter correspondence from our community members to build relationships with each child.  And I am eager to go on return trips to our Connect Community Carepoint together where we can meet face to face and hug, laugh, cry, and play with these children and their carepoint care takers.

Ludlati Connect Community Carepoint from KnownToMe on Vimeo.
Music in the video recorded at Pastor Walter’s Church in Manzini, Swaziland on Sunday, Oct 25th, 2009

…in many ways I hope the whole world never looks like this.  In other ways, my heart cries out for the whole world to look like this.  The post below is from Katie Davis’ blog.  If you don’t know Katie, you should read her story… amazing.  But something in me screams that it should not be amazing.  It should be common among those who truly follow Jesus.  Her blog is at:

http://amazima.org/blog.html

I don’t even know where to start to tell about all that God has been doing in our lives since I last wrote. I know that my words aren’t even close to adequate to describe His goodness and love.

So hug your children a little tighter and hold them a little longer. Say thank you to people more often and say thank you to God more often. Love your neighbor well today. We will be trying our best to do the same over on our side of the globe. 

The Christmas season is upon us.  What could be more appropriate for the season than buying beautiful gifts for your family and friends that provide jobs to at-risk women and directly support orphans in Swaziland and Uganda?  Specifically, we will be selling hand rolled bead jewelry from Beads for Life (Uganda),  handmade purses from Timbali Crafts (Swaziland), and Just Love coffee that supports Known To Me’s efforts at the Ludlati carepoint, as well as coffee that supports church planting happening currently in Kenya and beyond. 

You can shop on Sunday, November 29 from 2:00-4:30 at Westside Church in Champaign (1501 W Park Ave. Champaign – 1 block west of Eisner Park between University Ave. and Church St.).  This sale will be an open house style complete with Christmas music, coffee and cookies.  Come and enjoy the beautiful selection of bags, jewelry and great coffee without the crowds and parking troubles of the mall.  You can also shop from 8:00-2:00 on Saturday, December 5 at the Christian Homeschool Connection garage sale at Windsor Road Christian Church (2501 Windsor Road, Champaign).  We hope to add more dates and locations in the next few days.

All of the proceeds go toward the programs that change the lives of widows, orphans and communities in Africa.  We look forward to seeing you at the sale. 

First, a round of applause for Don and Barbra.  Sometimes I worry that I’ll be perceived as putting the most into KTM because I do so much of the writing.  But that’s just because I’m a loudmouth (at least when I write) and I like to do it.  Don and Barbra have made this happen – the website would not even exist without many late nights from Don, and that doesn’t even begin to address the Swaziland trip and everything else they do.  Thanks guys.

We’ve given answers on WHAT and WHERE in previous posts, although we will be continually expanding on those topics.  Also, if you’re new or if you still have questions on WHAT and WHERE, comment on this post or contact us.  Please… we want you to know what we’re all about and get to know you.  We can do both if you ask questions.

HOW?

We will support our Ludlati carepoint in several ways:

Monthly financial support – We are seeking commitments of $34 or more per month to provide food, school fees for education, and regular visits from a team of Swazis who teach about God and his love.

Personal relationships – We will build one-on-one relationships with our kids at Ludlati - many of whom have no one to go home to (and no home for that matter) – through regular correspondence.

Capital projects –  Delivery of meals, education, and training can be done without shelter and facilities… but not nearly as well as it can be done with them.  A complete development plan is being prepared for Ludlati, but we already know that a well, kitchen, and fence are the first priorities.  That will require $15,000 - $20,000, and we already have $10,000 pledged toward this effort.  Additional capital projects in future years will probably require another $20,000. No problem.  God is big enough.  He will do His part.  Which, in this case, is to multiply our loaves and fishes.  Remember the widow’s mite.  Her gift was the most significant to Jesus.  Our first priority is to gather monthly commitments.  However, if God puts it on your heart to do more, this is the next priority.  If you can’t make an ongoing commitment, this is another option – no amount is too small (I’m going to digress on this point at the end).

Travel – We will travel to Ludlati 2-3 times every year.  “We” does not mean Jim, Jen, Don, and/or Barbra.  It means anyone and everyone from our group who feels led to go.  If that’s you… now or any time in the future, contact us.  God will make the way.

Ok, but HOW will we do the HOW?

Our financial support will go through Children’s Hope Chest (CHC), a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (tax term there, can’t help myself).  Delivery of food, discipleship, and coordination of travel will be a joint effort of CHC and Adventures in Missions (AIM), another nonprofit organization. Daily cooking and food distribution will be a volunteer effort of a handful of local Swazi women who are already giving of their own scarce resources to do what they can for these kids.  Combined, our monthly support, capital projects, travel, and the efforts of compassionate volunteers and CHC/AIM staff will turn an undeveloped piece of land into a source of life and hope for kids who currently have, at best, a tenuous grasp on both.

Details regarding the actual execution of donations to our carepoint are currently being arranged with CHC.  But we need to begin gathering our support now.  If you want to help in any of the ways listed above, comment on this post or contact us.  If not us, who? If not now, when? 

I promised to digress (of course you know by now that I’ll do that even without a promise to do so).  The widow’s mite.  Consider that for a moment.  Let me tell you a story.  A true story about a family that does not have much money.  A family with a lot of kids (I lost count a while ago).  When we invited our KTM group to participate in the cost of Don’s trip, they had nothing to give.  So these kids painted rocks, took them around their neighborhood, and sold them as paperweights.  They gave all of that money for Don’s trip.  Here’s the point: I don’t give a flying rip about the accounting measurement of what I have given compared to what they have given.  Their gift is immeasurably greater than mine.  From this day on, I will strive to live up to their example.  They gave all they had – their time, their effort, and when they generated money, they considered $0 of it to be theirs and gave it all.  I have given from my abundance, they gave their all.  Seems like Jesus had something to say about that widow’s mite.

Now here’s the really good part.  This is all joy.  None of this is a guilt trip, none of this is arm-twisting.  I spent 39 years searching, praying, fighting for the peace and joy that I knew should be part of my walk with God.  Never got it.  Maybe glimpses, but certainly not in full.  It was always there, but I was standing to the side while the river flowed by.  He will do His part.  He was always yearning to do His part for me.  All I had to do is step into the river to be washed over.  Stepping into the river is only accomplished by doing our part.  Not by standing outside His will and demanding that the river move to us.  Perhaps my experience cannot be generalized to all of us.  But read His Word critically, read the scriptures under “About” / “Perspectives” on the menu bar above.  Maybe I’m right… maybe.

Look, I’m not going to pretend to have it all together.  I don’t. That’s the beauty of this.  You don’t have to do anything great, just take one significant step into the river, the joy you receive will draw you in as deep as you are supposed to go.  He will do His part.  In this case, part of that is our joy and part is multplying our loaves and fishes.  If he is God, what is the difficulty?