Three NFL football players, Cornell Green, George Foster, and Anthony Hargrove, went on a trip to Swaziland to offer their time and energy in service to children and people in need.
The video linked below gives a brief overview of their trip. Once again it is illustrated, when a person meets people where they live in poverty and the weight of so much death around them, a person gets to know the people, and begin to understand the situation. It is quickly realized that something must be done.
One of the players said, “How can I live the American Dream knowing that Swaziland people are dieing everyday.”
“Help is needed…we can’t let Swaziland disappear.”
You can see their story after you get through the short NFL commercial. Click on the image below to see the video.
Scott Borg who works with Adventures in Missions and Childrens HopeChest was their trip host and leader. For more details of their trip, you can read how God answered these men’s prayer for protection and rain for a family of orphan children headed by two teenage girls with a garden of crops facing drought.
We have assembled a team of nine wonderful people planning to travel to Swaziland to visit our Neighbor Kids at Ludlati Carepoint Sept 4th through the 14th, 2010. As Christ works in and through the team members and each of you, there are many things planned for the trip, but…
...one need we want to meet is making sure every child at Ludlati Carepoint receives a new pair of school shoes.
For many of the children, this will become their only pair of shoes. It is estimated we will have 100+ children attending Ludlati carepoint during our visit, and shoes cost between $10-$20 a pair. This is our initial presentation of an opportunity for everyone following or involved in sponsoring a child at Ludlati Carepoint to contribute to the purchase of shoes for the children. We currently have just under half the children matched with sponsors.
So to cover every child we are hoping for the 1 for 2 deal! “1 sponsor for 2 children”
If you can give the gift and/or make the sacrifice, we suggest donation of $30 to cover your sponsored child and one more child.
Even if you are not currently sponsoring a child, we ask you for the same gift of $30 to cover two pairs of feet.
I look forward to sizing up and shoe-ing the little and big feet of our Ludlati Neighbor Kids, and sharing pictures back home of their and our smiling faces as we help them come to know Christ through this tangible gift of God’s love.
As best can be expressed through a blog post, I sincerely and humbly thank you for letting us make you aware of this need. We will send out a couple more notices and updates on progress with the shoe drive over the next 8 weeks. It will work best if gifts are sent before August 7th, 2010.
No gift is too small or too large for God to multiply. Please consider sending donations in the following ways:
In the “NOTES:” box on the web page, please add the following information:
Trip identification: SZ100901T - Shoes
Donation by Mail:
Make checks payable to: Childrens HopeChest
Add trip identification to memo: SZ100901T - Shoes
Please mail to:
Don King - Swazi Team Leader
860 CR 2100E
Sidney, IL 61877
I am collecting and organizing donated funds for the trip, and will forward your mailed gifts to Childrens HopeChest.
Thanks in advance for your interest, support and love for the Ludlati Neighbor Kids and the people in their community. We also appreciate your prayers for the trip and team members fund raising and planning efforts. To God be all the Glory!
Yours in Christ,
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) 217-390-6798
p.s. Jumbo and Kriek Gerber will be helping us in Swaziland during our trip, and are the full time missionaries working with CHC and AIM. Here is a recent post on their blog describing another travel group bringing shoes for two carepoints. There is also some fun news about Jumbo and Kriek’s coming baby.
http://jumbogerber.myadventures.org/?filename=world-cup-and-another-great-trip
I met a man by the name of Todd Harrington on the vision trip to Swaziland in 2009. Todd is a pastor from Dawson Church in Birmingham, AL. He is in Swaziland this week with a team of men and women visiting their carepoint called EsKhaleni (es-kuh-lah-nee). We visited EsKhaleni during the vision trip. This carepoint is near the mountains and is a place of awesome beauty, but there are real dangers that exist for the kids in this area. We found the younger children at this remote carepoint were much less responsive than kids at other carepoints. They had not been exposed to many people (native or foreign), and their homes are much more spread out in this region. Many of them were left at home daily by themselves while usually a single mom tries to find work (12hrs at ~$3/day wage) or food to somehow get by. Now that this carepoint is sponsored, the kids will get two meals a day, emotional support, education opportunities, and discipleship training and mentoring.
It is exciting to read in their blog and see pictures of the team with the kids, Gogos, and men working on the carepoint. Blog posts and comments show how God is doing much of His working and blessing through relationship. Relationships fostered by working and playing together and during home visits. Similar to our calling to relate with Ludlati, God is using His people to bring His gospel of love, hope, salvation, and meet some basic physical needs for orphans and at-risk children in Swaziland.
I look forward to following the rest of their trip, and continue the planning for our trip to Ludlati this September!
While following the Dawson Church team’s trip, it is also fun for me to recognize some of the kids in the pictures. See the shy little girl in the lower right corner of this picture from the Dawson Church team? She is the same girl in the video below from the vision trip in 2009!
As we assemble team members and make plans for a trip to our Ludlati Carepoint in Swaziland in September 2010, I have enjoyed reading a blog from a team that visited their Swazi-Carepoint recently. They worked hard for a week with the children from their Carepoint called Mpholi. They put on a VBS, sang songs, played games, gave hugs, shared snacks, washed feet, gave shoes, gave special provisions, and visited homes. Typically, a person who meets the kids and their families (if they have one), develops a love and understanding that is deeper than stories and pictures they share - even though the stories and pictures are quite moving to the heart. The latest post from one team member moves my heart as he shares his deep thoughts and expressions of compassion for the children and people in Swaziland. To me it sounds like a cry out to ANYONE who claims Jesus as Savior to remember the great gift He freely gave to us, and please remember to help those suffering and in distress. God’s word to us in James 1:27 seems particularly applicable to the post shared by dmicah.
James 1:27 - Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.
As many of you are aware, the Salem Chapel Swazi team is home. I am processing some of my thoughts from the trip and I want to share some food for thought. I want you to turn off the TV, radio, Pandora, Itunes or any distraction for just a few moments. I want you to unload your brain for a short time. I am asking you to just use your imagination as I throw out some scenarios from Swazi. These were just from a week of our experiences. The needs are deeper than these, but this should start you down the path. Needless to say things are a lot different in Swaziland than in America.
Imagine dropping off two little girls 5 and 7 years old at their home. No one is home. The house is locked. It is getting dark. This happened at one of our team’s home visits. After VBS, we would split into two teams of three and visit homes of our sponsor kids. We would give extra supplies for the home and try to get to know the family, whomever that might be since it usually was not a parent. On this particular occasion the other team had to leave two young girls with no supervision at their home and hope they would be ok.
Imagine sending your 4 year old with their two 4 year old friends walking along a busy two lane road, mind you without shoes, to a Carepoint. These little ones would walk a mile or more with no supervision to get a meal. This happens every day in Swaziland.
Imagine sending your 9 year-old daughter with her 18 month old sibling strapped to her back on the same one or two mile journey to get a meal. Happens every day in Swaziland. Don’t believe me? I have pictures. At least three came to our Carepoint. I choked back tears on more than one occasion as I saw an older sibling unwrap their baby brother/sister and split their bowl of rice with the little one. The next time you have trouble deciding which restaurant to go to, stop a minute and thank God for your blessed life, and pray for the kids at Mpholi.
Imagine knowing that your child will never be educated beyond the 2nd grade because you can’t afford the whopping $100 per year to pay for tuition, since you only earn $1 per day. Government stops free education beyond the 2nd grade. And 953,000 people are fighting for about 100,000 jobs.
Imagine for a minute your kid having one outfit. Literally one set of clothes. And second-hand charitable gift clothes at that. I watched children show up to the Carepoint every day in the same ill-fitting clothes, some without shoes or undergarments.
Imagine knowing that your life expectancy is roughly 31-33 years.
Imagine living with the fact that almost ½ of your friends will die young because of disease. 45% of Swazis have HIV or full blown AIDS.
Hard to imagine isn’t it?
As I’ve mentioned before in this series on Swaziland, I am not attempting to lay a guilt trip. I am just throwing out some information that has rocked me. If you give it serious thought, it should open your eyes to a world around you. Hopefully you will be able to draw from the deep well of Christ’s love. He didn’t look at his world and think, “Well they did this to themselves. If they just wouldn’t sin, they wouldn’t have these problems. They are just so far away. I have plenty of things to do here. They just need some education.” Jesus did the opposite. He sacrificed, gave up his own will, left his own comfort zone and experienced our world in order to lead us to a new life. Keep that in mind when thinking through the challenges in Swazi.
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Thank you dmicah for posting your thoughts and experience in a public forum. I appreciate the challenge and reminder your words are to me. In light of today’s post and the previous series of posts Jim has shared on KTM about thankfulness, I offer a prayer of thankfulness, encouragement and intercession for Swaziland. Please share in this prayer and add to it in the comments!
Lord God, Creator and Father, Thank you for giving us relationship with you through your gift of salvation. I want to humbly receive your gift of life by giving up mine to you daily. I want to humbly receive all Your provisions as a steward without ownership. Help me to remember to obey your commands to love You first and my neighbor as myself. Thank You for each of Your children who currently gives love, hope, prayer, money and time to help the least of these. May more abundance You provide to me and all your children be released and used as You will. I press on to these high goals in love and compassion with Your help to share in the discomfort - the suffering shared with us by Jesus. Please use your body - use me - to pray and watch over each child in Swaziland and all the people who face death all day long. Defeat the source of their fears, send them peace, give them hope, send them love. Help the full time Swazi-workers, myself and others collectively to do these things one person at a time. Save my life and each one of their lives eternally. Amen.
Remember the miraculous multiplication of the bread and fish Jesus performed to feed thousands of people? We have experienced a multiplication of our financial gifts to Ludlati for the building of a kitchen and fence that will be used to feed Ludlati! I received word from Childrens HopeChest that the government of Swaziland donated enough money to build two Carepoint kitchens. Ludlati is selected to receive one of these kitchens! The financial gifts we sent for the kitchen will be diverted toward installation of a well! We are so thankful and excited about this news. I thank God for everyone who gave out of the resources given to them. Thank You God for the compassionate gift from the government of Swaziland to Ludlati. Thank You God for the multiplied blessing on our Neighbor Kids at Ludlati Carepoint! Thank You God for letting us share in the joy of You and Your kingdom work! Sometime this summer the committed and compassionate Ludlati Gogos will have the facilities they need to efficiently feed the children. I look forward to seeing pictures of the new kitchen after it is built. I also look forward to our team of eight people planning to visit Ludlati in September to get a group picture with the Gogos and kids by the new kitchen.
Jesus disciples saw Him break the twelve loaves of bread and two fish to feed five thousand people. They saw Him break seven loaves to feed four thousand. Later that night the disciples saw Him walking on the water, and they freaked out. The disciples were baffled by the miracles and His words, and they struggled to figure out the meaning. Jesus stopped their discussion, and asked in Mark 8:21, “Do you still not understand?”. A few verses later in Mark 8:31 Jesus plainly explains to the disciples that he was going to suffer, be put to death and rise back to life again. Peter did not like this plan, and he tried to rebuke Jesus for saying such things. But Jesus wound up rebuking Peter as if he was Satan for trying to get in the way of God’s plan. Jesus knew they would not understand. They would not understand until they received the gift of Holy Spirit.
Fortunately for us, we have the Bible and Holy Spirit to give us insight and the opportunity to understand. Jesus helps us understand the deeper meaning behind the miracle feedings with the broken loaves of bread. In John 6:47-48 He tells us: “I tell you the truth, he who believes has everlasting life. I am the bread of life.” Read the whole chapter, and we learn Jesus is the bread given to us from Heaven by God. He was broken for our sins, once for all, and He came back to life. Yesterday, Easter, is an annual reminder that after Christ died for our sins as full payment, He was resurrected to life to bring us life. Mark 8:34-35: 34Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 35For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it.
Do I understand? If I may include us all…Do we understand? I believe the gifts multiplied to Ludlati are His exciting miracle. He gets all the glory, and we are blessed to receive joy from life given through Him. Our Ludlati Gogos and Neighbor Kids are blessed with the same joy and with physical nourishment. Thank You Lord for teaching and giving all of us life both physical and eternal through fishes and loaves and kitchens and wells.
Letter writing is an important part of sending messages of encouragement, love and hope to each child at the Ludlati Carepoint. Children’s HopeChest makes it quite convenient for sponsors to write to their children. You can directly type your letter and include a picture on their website at the following link:
Please follow the guidelines provided on the website for the recommended frequency and suggested “Do’s and Don’ts”. For children who are able and wish to reply, they will have the opportunity to respond to your letters one or two times a year.
We can all be encouraged by a testimony for the type of work we feel God is doing through sponsors who write letters and people who visit and work in Swaziland with our Ludlati Neighbor Kids. The following video shows how God used a sponsor’s letter to impact one man’s life. He was a child in Kenya sponsored by a young man through Compassion International.
GREAT NEWS!!
We are excited to report that some really big giving has been going on and the kitchen and fence at Ludlati are now fully funded. We are amazed at the giving of a few families who have stepped up and made a difference. Thank you! We know each of you gave in Jesus name, and we give God the glory!
This video was made by some of those who work with AIM (Adventures in Missions) and CHC (Children’s Hope Chest) in SWAZILAND. They remarked that this video, unlike ones they have made in the past, was able to show the hope alive there!
During this video you can see a glimpse of our Ludlati Carepoint from 2:25 to 2:28. The tree and some of the Go-gos and kids faces are familiar. You can also see our Ludlati Go-gos at 3:53 to 3:54 standing near the tree at the carepoint holding a box of the food our support helps provide.
“If there were no Carepoint I think my whole family would be dead…I pray for God to help me live a good life and my future be like a miracle.”—Quote from a Swaziland Teenager shared by Tom Davis, CEO of Children’s Hopechest on his facebook page. This quote provides a real word picture for the life giving hope we plan to give to Ludlati. A Ludlati Development Plan is set up to intervene in the lives of Ludlati orphans and at-risk children by helping them come to know Christ, provide support needed to thrive physically, and teach the skills needed to sustain themselves and their family as they mature. A critical aspect of the development plan provides support to native Swaziland community leaders and mentors who already show a commitment to help these children, but lack the resources to do it. This promotes in-country growth and sufficiency for long term development and sustainability.
Ludlati Development Plan:
1. Obtain land from the village leadership, typically available as an empty plot. - DONE
2. Provide food, water, and basic preventive medical care to orphans and at-risk children in the area using the land as a gathering place. Funded through monthly contributions. - IN PROGRESS
3. Develop facilities: Fence, kitchen and a well (if possible at this location). Funded through capital project contributions. - IN PROGRESS
4. Provide support for school fees and on-site schooling for all children at Ludlati Carepoint. Funded through monthly contributions at 100% monthly funding level.
5. Develop facilities: Build a building for school, training, and discipleship activities. Also used as temporary shelter on the grounds. Funded through capital project contributions.
6. Deliver ongoing care and education to provide immediate and long-term hope. Funded through monthly contributions at 100% monthly funding level.
7. Move beyond orphan care into the community to develop micro-enterprises that provide a means to earn both income and dignity. Funding plans for this stage will be developed at a later date with the goal of long term self sufficiency.
We are excited to be started on working through the development plan steps, and are currently in the midst of Step 2 and 3 above. 50% of the monthly support needed is raised for Step 2. We are thankful for each family and individual who has committed to give! But there is 50% more to go…help spread the word. Step 3 is a capital project to build a kitchen and fence around the carepoint grounds. We were given a quote from Children’s Hopechest of $15,000 to build the kitchen and fence. We are so thankful and blessed to have $12,500 raised for this project before wide spread publishing of the need for Ludlati capital funds! If you will help us close the funding gap, we want to raise the remaining $2500 in the next two to four weeks. Pick this link to learn how to give by mail or on-line to the Ludlati Capital Project.
Please understand how a Carepoint effects the life of children in Swaziland from another true story given by a boy in Swaziland named Musa (from Children’s HopeChest):
“My name is Musa. I am five. My mother and father are dead from AIDS. Now my sister Zodwa is taking care of me. She’s 12. After my parents died, we ate grass for food, but now that is changed. Every day the go-gos cook food for us at the carepoint. At the carepoint, Zodwa and I eat two meals each day. I no longer think about food so much. Now I dream of school. Thank you for making this place for me and Zodwa. Please do not ever forget us. I do not want to be hungry again.”
A story from Children’s HopeChest shows how the Lord called a poor pastor in Swaziland, Pastor Walter, to give out of his pocket. Pastor Walter describes how his heart was so moved to obeyed God’s word and call in James 1:27 Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress….
Watch how God has blessed and continues to bless Pastor Walter’s obedience and work…
During my visit to Swaziland in October 2009, I met Pastor Walter and his wife, saw the carepoints he started and are now supported by people through Children’s HopeChest. The video below shows progress made toward Pastor Walter’s vision by October 2009 as the walls are built onto the Church building at Bhalekane. It is not shown in this video, but a primary school is also added to the grounds, and a field on the grounds was freshly plowed to grow cash crops. More importantly, there is a noticeable improvement in the countenance of the children at Bhalekane carepoint relative to children of Ludlati carepoint who did not have this level of care and resource. We are so happy to get started with Ludlati, and we look forward to watching love turn into hope and joy.
Though we are not “pastors”, all followers of Christ are instructed by Jesus to obey God’s commands to love one another and care for the needy, and we are blessed with joy when we obey. We can share in some joy now by reading a young swazi boy’s perspective how his life is changed through the support of a carepoint…
Story from a boy in Swaziland named Musa (from Children’s HopeChest):
“My name is Musa. I am five. My mother and father are dead from AIDS. Now my sister Zodwa is taking care of me. She’s 12. After my parents died, we ate grass for food, but now that is changed. Every day the go-gos cook food for us at the carepoint. At the carepoint, Zodwa and I eat two meals each day. I no longer think about food so much. Now I dream of school. Thank you for making this place for me and Zodwa. Please do not ever forget us. I do not want to be hungry again.”
We thank God and we thank everyone who has joined in providing financial support to the children of Ludlati in Swaziland Africa. We have 50% of the carepoint monthly financial support raised. More importantly, we have 35 of the 70 children who have an individual or a family committed to send letters that show individual children that someone from far away knows and cares about them. It may be easy to dismiss the value received from a gift of a few simple letters. Try to understand, it is the difference between life and death. A great gift of hope in a child’s distress.
It has been proven many times over that people who have hope in difficult or impossible situations are much more likely to get through than someone who does not have it. I know a true story how a touch on the shoulder and a simple statement of “See you in the morning.” made the difference between giving one’s life up, and fighting to live on to the next day. Another story about a man who was in a bad car accident and the doctors projected the need to amputate his leg due to decreasing blood flow and gang-green. In his pain and weakness he had given in to the inevitable loss until a volunteer advocate came along side this man. Through simple visits and encouragement, this man was able to find hope. Over time this man’s leg was saved, and he was able to walk again. He said the visits and simple acts of kindness made the difference for him to have hope. Without this hope, he would have lost his leg.
Do you remember your own excitement as a child receiving a letter in the mail? If not, I can tell as a child I loved it, and my own children receive mail with great excitement. They treasure the letters and cards. Now imagine a child who has nothing but a few tattered clothes, maybe some worn shoes, and lives each day wondering if he/she will eat. When this child receives a letter in the mail, the value to them is extremely high. I have been there, and seen the excitement from a simple handshake greeting, playing together and many hugs. Much hope is drawn by these children from these encounters. The letters are equally valued, and will be kept as a treasure. We call the children of Ludlati our “Neighbor Kids” because we know if Ludlati was our neighbor hood, we all would reach out to help the many orphans and at-risk children. If you visit your “Neighbor Kid” someday as I plan to do this September, you will find this child values your letters and care, and you will never forget the true joy you share together.
I encourage one or two more people to decide today to become an advocate for an orphan or at-risk child in Ludlati. We have two children taken from the front and back of our list featured today.
Sethu is a girl who is turning 5 years old this year. Sethu’s current home is a 30 minute walk to the Ludlati CarePoint where she lives with her Grandmother who is unemployed and lives with six other children. Both of her parents are living, however they are both unemployed. The unemployment rate in Swaziland is 60%. Even if someone has employment, jobs often pay $3 per day for more than 8 hours of work, and the cost of living is the same as here in the midwest of the United States. Sethu needs an advocate to give her hope along with the meals, school support, health training and discipleship to give her a chance to grow and live.
Thabo is a boy who is turning 13 years old this year. Thabo’s current home is a 25 minute walk to the Ludlati CarePoint. Thabo currently lives with his Uncle who is employed. Both of his parents are deceased. Thabo lives with four other children on his Uncle’s homestead. Thabo receives an education at Joy Primary School and is in the third grade. He is one of the 45% of the children who are able to go to school in Swaziland. They do not have a public or government system to provide education. Fees must be paid in order for children to go to school.
All of the children who come to Ludlati carepoint are children at-risk. The development plan for Ludlati carepoint includes providing basic food needs, education and support of school fees so children can be educated, health training to teach children about AIDS, and discipleship training by young men and women Swaziland mentors and role models who show the kids how they grew and changed through tough circumstances, how to love God, love each other, and find hope for improving their families and community.
I believe if many of you met either one of these children in person and saw the living conditions they have to deal with everyday, you would be moved to act on your compassion. It’s as if one of these children showed up at your house in their dirty tattered clothes seeking just one meal. Let your heart and mind be moved to action as other KnownToMe members have been to give hope to a Ludlati child. The development plans we have in cooperation with Children’s HopeChest rescues children from starvation, and provides support through native Swaziland workers and role models committed to lead children toward self sufficiency through education, health and AIDS training, and discipleship. I have seen the work personally in Swaziland. I have met the devoutly committed people on the ground in Swaziland, visited carepoints where kids are getting care, met the ladies cooking the food and teaching the children, seen the inspiration given by the young men and women discipleship trainers, and I have been to carepoints just getting started where starvation, neglect and dangers are still a heartbreaking reality. I am looking forward to visiting our and hopefully your Ludlati Neighbor Kids in September this year. Please start now by picking this link to select Sethu, Thabo or another available child on our list. I know you will find joy added to your life as we have through this act of giving.
“Khisimusi lomuhle” (sounds like: giseemoosee lahmoolah) is how to say “Merry Christmas” in the language of Swaziland, Siswati. On October 24, 2009 in Swaziland, our team traveled to Mahlabaneni Carepoint to participate in a Christmas party with nearly 200 kids. I want to share with you a group of young boys I met around the ages of 10-12 years old.
Several of them spoke English well enough to carry on conversation with me. I felt a real connection with them, and it seemed they had the same with me. I was able to encourage them with actions and words. They were so open and eager to allow me to do that.
In this picture, you can see my hand on one of the boy’s chest in a gesture of acknowledgment and reassurance that I think he is alright! At the same time, he is holding my hand in a gesture of acceptance and appreciation which touched me in return.
I met these boys as I was standing on the outer edge of the shade provided by the open shelter where the Discipleship team was giving a Christmas program for the children and adults in attendance. They came up to me with smiles and a chair which I accepted. Then they gathered around my chair, and we began to get to know each other. We shared about our families, and I learned about some of their needs and struggles.
The young man in the yellow shirt is named, Siyabonga. He seemed to be the leader of this group of boys, but also seemed to have the biggest needs. He did not have shoes like the others and his shirt has several holes and tears. He mentioned that he would like to have a pair of soccer shoes size 6. He also mentioned he would prefer to have shoes so he could go to school without feeling uncomfortable. He has to live with his grandmother during the week so he can walk to school. During the weekends he goes home to be with his father. I asked him if I could pray for him and his needs, and he agreed. We thanked God for the day, that He is the provider, and that He knows Siyabonga’s needs and requests. I told him I have seen God answer prayers, and I believe God answers his prayers. I hope I get to hear how this young boy’s needs and requests are met. I wanted to run and get him what he requested, but logistically could not get this done on the trip. On this Christmas Day, Siyabonga’s requests are still on my heart. I hope he has what he needs today, but I hope to find out his status through letters. And I just want to get to know him and his friends better.
My wife and I love this video. Please listen to this young man of 11 years (in the olive green collar shirt) sing verses from the well known 23rd Psalm. He wanted to show me he could sing well, and chose this song. Of course some of his friends joined in and added some great supporting musical lines. I feel these words have significant meaning considering the poverty in Swaziland in this region near Big Bend.
I would like to say “Khisimusi lomuhle” to you young men. I know you can’t hear me or most likely read this post, but I really enjoyed meeting all of you. You have a place in my heart, and I pray for you. I know life is too hard for you, and I hope to see conditions improve. It was a special time for me to hang out, shake hands, put arms around each others shoulders, share troubles, pray, sing and have fun together. I hope I can see you on my next trip.
Don is downloading the profiles now. We will be preparing them and getting them out to you! More details to come.
The children range in age from 2-16 years. We cannot wait to meet them on paper (and in person).
Speaking of that, REMINDER, we will have a Swaziland travel meeting Tuesday night December 22nd at First Christian Church from 6:30-8:00pm near the Play Area. Please come if you would like to hear more about travel to Swaziland anytime in the future! A trip is being planned for fall 2010. Plus, we just might have some of these profiles prepared by tomorrow night’s meeting.
Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world. James 1:27
Visiting orphans and widows in their distress. What must a visit be like for those orphans and at-risk children? For me, the only thing that I can think of that could possibly compare is my memories of summer time visits of my California cousins. Our mundane summer days were exchanged for full days of cousin fun. So refreshing. This was my experience as a child who was never alone, never at-risk. Imagine what a visit could mean to a child who is alone and very much at-risk in her society. Could it be the joy of what visitors mean that causes the squeals of delight from the kids when a team arrives at the established care points in Swaziland?
If you have watched the kids approach the Ludlati carepoint,
you can see that these kids aren’t all together certain what these kind of visits are like. The more established care points are the places where the kids know the joy of interacting with new friends. The Ludlati kids have yet to experience the days of games and loving attention. None of them have received letters and pictures from someone far away who cares about them, followed by the chance to meet them face to face at last. Do not underestimate the value of hope and self worth this communicates to the kids! What a change is in store for all of us! What hope will be realized in this community here and there! If you are interested in supporting a child, please click here for the application instructions.
In the fall of 2010, a trip is being planned to visit our Ludlati neighbor kids! We will get to spend time with our Ludlati kids, possibly do some home visits in their area, and visit some other care points as well. Depending upon the timing of the trip, there could be other projects for us as well. This is the first of what we hope to be semi-annual or at the very least annual trips. I am not sure we are going to be able to keep Don away from Swaziland any longer than that! Warning to all who travel. You may want to go more than once!! The kids will definitely want you to come back!
Let’s get together and talk about travel. Tuesday, December 22 from 6:30 - 8:00 pm at First Christian Church (in the Playground area) we will have an important planning meeting about the fall trip and travel in general. We will share information, discuss plans and answer questions. While we have yet to have our official launch of the Ludlati Carepoint, it is never too soon to discuss the upcoming trip. If you want to know more about the trip, are considering travel this year or another year, or want to support others travels, this meeting is for you.
We want the meeting to be as efficient as possible so we encourage you to send any questions you already have ahead of time. Click here to go to the forum thread available for posting questions for the trip meeting (you must be a KTM member to post in the forum) or you can post them in the comments section after this post. You can also send them to .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
On the second day of my trip to Swaziland, we visited a total of four carepoints. This is a lot considering it takes several hours just to say ‘Hi’ to the many many kids at one carepoint. Below are four kids I met that had a personal impact on me from two carepoints visited that day, Thembini and Mpholi.
This little girl from Thembini in the white sweater was shy for about 15 seconds. She warmed up to me very quickly, and was sitting in my lap in no time. When I got up to move around, she wanted me to hold her. So I did. My arms were in shape since I am often carrying one (or two) of my own children. And when it was time for me to leave she did NOT want me to put her down. So she would fully pull her legs up such that I had to place her on the ground. Her tactic worked a few times, because it was difficult to put her down knowing that the holding time she received that day is some of the few moments of holding she would receive in her life. Plus I enjoy holding the kids. I am glad this carepoint is fully supported by a church in the United States, and has visitors come a couple times a year to spend time with the children and people at this carepoint.
The next child is an older girl who was hanging out at the carepoint. I was able to say hello to her, and she responded with a shy reply. There were a few other kids her age at the carepoint, but this girl was isolated. She seemed lonely and sad. Maybe on a warmer, brighter day with more kids around she has some others to interact with. But my heart went out to her because she seemed like one of those kids who gets isolated because they are different in some way. I am glad she has access to a really good carepoint.
The picture below is the first child I met at our carepoint, Ludlati. Evidence of his adventurous spirit is marked in scars and dirt on his face and legs. He loved to climb the dirt hill and run down. He was happy to shake hands and give a smile. You can see him in the Ludlati video showing more expressive clapping and stomping while the kids where singing. He was a fun little boy.
We really like this second picture of him taken by Hannah Leman. To us this picture is an artistic expression of hope for children climbing out of the dirt reaching for a brighter future. I look forward to seeing him again on our next trip to visit our carepoint. I hope some of you will make plans to come along on the next trip to meet him as well.
If you have followed our blog entries about the trip, you have seen this young lady carrying her baby sister on her back. She is actually one of the older children watching a younger sibling. I heard and read about these circumstances, and felt sad, and wanted to do something to help. When I meet this circumstance face to face, yes I felt sad, but I was impacted in my mind, heart and gut. This girl and her baby sister’s cry are permanently marked in my soul. Now these kids are my neighbors. Now I really really want to do the right things to help, and I am thankful you are along since I can not do what is needed by myself. It’s one thing for a child to learn to care for a younger sibling, but it’s too much for a child to be the provider and protector of their siblings. This young girl does what she has to do (I hope it is not the worst of things) to take care of her sister. Thankfully she has Mpholi carepoint as a life saving resource and support for her. I look forward to seeing our collective support, letters, visits and actions of love sent to Ludlati in the near future.
There are many more children I want to share in future posts…
Go-go is the Siswati word in Swaziland for Grandma. We love the Go-gos who feed and teach our Ludlati children, but we are not talking about them right now. It is finally time to START! Many of you have communicated your desire to give one or more child contributions to our Ludlati Carepoint children. Pick the following button link to learn how to apply after you read the rest of this post of course
You will see three options for completing the two step application process. Please feel free to contact us by phone, email or forum posts with questions or comments.
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Or call or write Childrens HopeChest directly with questions: Teresa Hansen - Accounts Receivable Manager
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) 719-955-4008
We are EXCITED to get started with support for our Ludlati neighbor kids. Over the next couple of months, Childrens HopeChest staff will collect detailed profile information on each orphan or at-risk child that consistently comes to Ludlati Carepoint. The current estimate is about 100 children come to Ludlati each day. Once profiles are completed, members of our community will be given a profile for your child (or children) to correspond with through letters [click here for a sample profile]. The contributions we make are based on a per child cost, and the finances benefits all our Ludlati Carepoint children. In order to provide two meals per day, schooling and discipleship, we need to reach 80-100% funding level. Operating at a lower funding level cuts into the budget for these basic things. In addition to the profiles, Childrens HopeChest will write a three year development plan specific to Ludlati Carepoint. We will share this information with the community as soon as it is available. This may take several months to complete, but will include infrastructure items needed such as a fence, kitchen and well. A more detailed description of our vision and relationship with our Ludlati Carepoint are described at the following link:
Community > Swaziland > Connect Community
With regard to your giving, multiple forms of payment are accepted to assist you as the payee. Please select the method you prefer. But please note automatic debit payments from checking accounts (i.e. Electronic Funds Transfer or EFT) reduces overhead costs for Childrens HopeChest which means more funds go to benefit our Ludlati children. Quarterly or yearly payments also help to save payment processing costs.
Thank you for your love and commitment to our Ludlati Carepoint children. I look forward to working and relating together with you and our carepoint children. Spread the word!
Ludlati Carepoint Support Level 41 Kids Funded; 42 Kids To Go
About - KnownToMe
We have begun to ask ourselves...What would we do if our neighbor was starving right before our eyes? Would we not help? Today, their plight is not hidden from us. It is known. We believe there is a clear mandate that we must care for societies most vulnerable members, the widow, the orphan, those in extreme poverty. If you are stirred to a similar belief, if you know there is more that you must do, Known To Me will make you aware of specific needs and opportunities to help.
She is actually one of the older children watching a younger sibling. I heard and read about these circumstances, and felt sad, and wanted to do something to help. When I meet this circumstance face to face, yes I felt sad, but I was impacted in my mind, heart and gut. This girl and her baby sister’s cry are permanently marked in my soul. Now these kids are my neighbors. Now I really really want to do the right things to help, and I am thankful you are along since I can not do what is needed by myself. It’s one thing for a child to learn to care for a younger sibling, but it’s too much for a child to be the provider and protector of their siblings. This young girl does what she has to do (I hope it is not the worst of things) to take care of her sister. Thankfully she has Mpholi carepoint as a life saving resource and support for her. I look forward to seeing our collective support, letters, visits and actions of love sent to Ludlati in the near future.
