Home visits are a really good way to learn and understand the situations and issues facing families and children who attend the carepoint.  Not all the home visits have pictures.  These are typically home visits where it seems inappropriate to take a picture.  Our first home visit was to Bhonke’s Grandmother. Bhonke is a rambunkscious 6 year old being taken care of by his grandmother (a.k.a Go-go) and his sister who is about 12 years old.  Go-go could hardly walk when she first emerged from her home with pain written on her face. I had to help her move around by giving her an arm while she limped toward a mat on the ground. We sat down to talk, and she went straight to asking for prayer for her failed health.  She has had sickness after sickness this past year.  She also described her inability to grow food so they will go hungry, she was ashamed of her home and the leaky roof. She has no money for seeds, no ability to finish putting up a fence around the homestead, and her daughter is away most of the time working for another family to earn school fees. It was a tough home visit.  So we prayed in faith using truth from God’s word.  We told her God loves her and so do we.  We encouraged her with God’s words that say we all need to trust God to provide everything we need. We prayed for God to heal her according to his word and will.  After the prayer was done she thanked us so many times for coming to visit.  She had not had any visitors in months.  We gave her the home visit gift bag.  As we were leaving this Go-go was smiling and happy.  As we left her homestead, it was very difficult to walk away knowing more about this lady’s struggles.  It is part of sharing in compassion and suffering of people God loves.  Even though that was a tough visit, I have some good news to share.  Bhonke’s Go-go was able to come to the carepoint each day after the visit.  She reported to me that she was feeling much better, and getting better each day. She also had a big smile to share whenever we saw her at the carepoint and spoke with her.  We praise God for his healing of this lady’s body.  She is walking so much better, and feeling better too.

Our team member, Liz visited a homestead of a young man about 17 years old who comes to Ludlati Carepoint. He is relatively shy, but is industrious and respectful.  Both his parents are dead, but he lives with his Grand mother.  She has taken him in along with other kids at the homestead.  He is also fighting diabedes.  Liz and the other team members at the visit noticed this woman’s Godliness, and the peace it brings to this family. Liz gave her a blanket from the gift bag by wrapping it around the woman’s shoulders.  The Go-go really appreciated this blanket and loving gesture. This family is struggling, but they still had peace and trust in God and His provision.  The team prayed for provision of the things this family needs. They were very impressed with the love of God that they saw in this woman.

We also visited Babe (bah-bay) Mosumo’s homestead and family.  He is Lenhle’s grandfather, and is the same man who did much work around the kitchen at Ludlati last year.  We and his family were so happy to see each other again, and share some kind words and prayer.  We brought a big gift of clothing for him and his whole family. He commented, “Now I can walk around like a man”.  We also left them a home visit pack.  It was a great reunion. I hope to meet with him again next year.

I don’t have a picture of the next home visit I am going to describe.  Last year we visited this family while they were in the process of mourning the death of an Aunt.  The grand father of this family is a wonderful man. He made very kind comments and expressed much gratitude to God fro the people who support Ludlati Carepoint. This year I was able to visit again, and found him suffering from pain.  He is hardly able to walk and sit. He and I expressed our gladness to see each other again, and this man again was so thankful for the hope brought into the community because of Ludlati Carepoint.  He and his wife asked for prayer for their health issues and need for school fee money.  In the midst of their suffering, they expressed much gratitude and joy.  What a Godly family.  It was great to shake this man’s hand and give him a hug again this year.  I also met his son named Mduduzi.  He is a man of about 28 years old, and really loves God.  He says he only wants to follow Christ and is proud to be a Christian.  He said that God has provided him with the idea to farm the ground around their homestead.  He also said after we met and prayed with his family last year, that God has provided some great things to this family.  They were able to finally purchase a car, and get some more property from the Cheif for farming.  Mduduzi said God’s word says a man must work.  He said a man should not sit around and do nothing. So he got busy farming about 4.5 hectres of Maze and butternut squash.  He is trusting God for an abundant crop. Please agree with us in prayer for Mduduzi’s farm to produce an abundance so that this family’s needs will be met.

This morning the team attended church at Enaleni Weslian Church. This is the closest church to Ludlati carepoint, but it is still too far for any of our Ludlati friends to walk.  Everyone at the church was really friendly, and was excited and surprised that we attended church with them this morning.  They made us feel welcome, and asked us to sit in front.  They also brought us on stage so we could introduce ourselves.  Dennis Brock lead the introductions by sharing about our visit to Ludlati carepoint.  Consistent with the kids from the carepoint, there was so much wonderful singing at the church.  They are excellent at singing and dancing.  Every transition between praises, prayers, offering and teaching time, everyone sings a short praise song while people adjust the stage and microphones and get into position.  I really enjoyed the preaching as well.  The Pastor taught from 2 Timothy 3:1-9.  He preached in Siswati and a woman would translate to English for us.  He talked about how sin is sweet, but in the end it leaves us dead.  He referred to Revelations 2:7 which says to the people of the church:  To him that overcomes, God will give eternal life.  The pastor was encouraged kids to obey parents because this is obeying God.  He encouraged everyone to live a holy life.  We all CAN do everything the bible says when we walk with God.  God was with the Isrealites when they crossed the Red Sea.  God was with Noah when He flooded the earth.  In bad times, we can walk with God, and He will lift us up so we can worship Him.

This church is also a carepoint with Childrens HopeChest.  It is great to see a church body in Swaziland doing the same work with orphans and at-risk children.  The pictures below also show a huge difference in the church buildings on the grounds. The building made of logs was where this congregation was meeting.  The new building was given to this congregation by a church in Cananda.  The Canadian church has a relationship with Enaleni, and often have visitors that show up unannounced. The leaders actually welcomed us as their friends from Canada before they knew we are from America.  It is awesome to meet people who are brothers and sisters in Christ.  This is not just a phrase.  It really felt that way.

We also met a man named Mandla.  He works for an organization called “Swaziland Action Group Against Abuse”. He counsels people who are perptrators and victims of Gender Based Violence.  Most of the abuse is happens within families and their homes, and much of it is sexual abuse.  They work to discover these issues, and give people who need help a way to escape.  Since much of this violence is within the families, these problems have been hidden under cultural and social pressure to not let any problems be known outside the family.  The work Mandla is involved in has given people real help and support.  Tough economic times have decreased and delayed funding for this organization.  Please pray that God will provide the financial support needed to keep this organization working and effective.