Journey to Ludlati Carepoint from KnownToMe on Vimeo.
We sincerely thank God and everyone who gave time, energy, skills, supplies and finances to make the trip possible to visit our neighbor kids and people in and around Ludlati Carepoint. KnownToMe started on the journey with Ludlati in November 2009 with a long term development plan to raise support and provide resources for the Swazi ladies (Bomake) who faithfully work at the carepoint, and build infrastructure and relationships. All these things help to meet true needs, but relationships are the only way to deliver encouragement, love, hope and life.
Everything we did during this first visit is part of the overall objective to build long term relationships at Ludlati. Here is a concise list of highlights from the trip:
- Several if not all the Bomake are true believers doing the daily work at Ludlati. Now we see that they feel our love and support, and make excellent use of the resources received. They are very thankful to God for His abundant provision, and look forward to continued growth in areas of remaining need.
- Extra funds raised for the trip provided two (very much needed) large iron pots, two large wooden cooking utensils, net ball hoops, net balls, daily fruit for the kids, meat for the fun day meal, towels for foot washing, batteries for a talking bible in Siswati, and home visit gift packs heavy with food and things considered luxuries in Swaziland (e.g. sugar, coffee).
- Got to know personal situations and struggles of many kids, the Bomake, and Disciplers, and we were able to share compassion and pray with them.
- Letters written to the kids are very well received. They feel love and friendship communicated through your letters. It is another effective way to build relationships that give hope. We also received a response letter from one of my family’s matched kids to bring home.
- Two American men (myself and Dennis Brock) and two Swazi men (Bheki and Pastor Walter) visited a home of abusive parents to show our concern for their children, and invite them to join the carepoint festivities for the week. When men show this kind of loving concern for a family, and gently confront their situation, it is a significant event in Swaziland where men are generally not involved. The Lord used our presence and concern to influence the mother to let her kids come and share in the fun at Ludlati. Please pray for abuse in this family to stop, and this family finds freedom and peace in Christ.
- We visited a mourning family where an Aunt of two kids had died. While we were following the kids to their homestead down the rough paths, Bheki asked me to share scriptures of encouragement with the family. Our whole team, both disciplers and many of the Bomake attended. Discipler Bheki started with a couple worship songs, followed by interpretations of the scriptures and words of encouragement shared. Two men of the family responded with gracious, genuine words of acceptance of the songs and scriptures, and thanked everyone on our team for coming so far to visit their family. They also thanked us for the work being done at Ludlati Carepoint. They told us the whole community finds hope and appreciates the work being done with the children at Ludlati Carepoint. It was humbling to receive their thanks on behalf of the community in the face of their personal loss. We thanked them for welcoming us into their home to share in their families time of loss and hope in Christ. We gave them two large home visit packs as gifts.
- We got about 10-12 home visits completed during the trip. Having visitors come to a home is an exciting event in Swaziland. Some visits were easy and pleasant. Others revealed challenging living conditions and situations. One of the more common prayer requests was for fathers to leave new wives or girl friends, return home, spend time with their children, and at least send money home to support their family. In either case, we were able to pray with each family, and leave a nice home visit gift pack.
- Shoes, foot washing, dresses, shorts, hats, school supplies, toiletry bags, fun day activities and fruit and candy treats were all well received by the kids. We were glad these things were accomplished, and there was a lot of physical work involved. The team did a great job, but the week was almost too busy. We saw the benefits and need for more interaction time with the kids, and thought we will build more time for relating this way into the next trip.
- One month after we returned from the trip, we received messages from Bheki and Londiwe, the Discpileship Trainers.
- “Everytime I go there now it feels like there’s more life…the kids are such an encouragement…I really am enjoying my time with them, so thanks a lot for all y’all did to impact the kids while you were here! Keep blessed then!” - Bheki
- “Your trip had a great impact in our lives. It gives us hope to know that we are not alone, and it encourages us to know that you are praying for us. Be blessed in your families” -Londiwe
Many thanks were expressed by the children, Bomake, Discipleship Trainers, one man working at the carepoint, and people in the surrounding community for coming to visit and for bringing hope. Many requests were offered for us to stay and not leave. Everyone on the travel team expressed much thanks for the blessing we felt from each person we met during the trip. As we left in the van after giving our final goodbyes and hugs, we all felt a load of compassion and saddness for the kids and their circumstances as well as the joy of getting to know them and sharing a great week together. There were not many dry eyes in the van as we departed down the rough gravel road.
Above is a video of the trip titled “Journey to Ludlati Carepoint”. From it’s earliest beginning as “The Tree Carepoint”, much transformation has taken place over the last few years at Ludlati Carepoint. Because of God’s blessings of provision, infrastructure that we can see with our eyes has been built. Because of God’s blessings of community and relationship, friendship, encouragement, love and hope has been shared and continues to grow between our communities.
Posted by Don at 04:00 PM. Filed under: General • Travels • Care Point • Ludlati Visit 2010 •
