On Friday August 26th I was not able to post, but I wanted to share the highlights of the day, even though we are now home.  Logistically, it was one of those days when things go wrong with the vehicle, communication errors, too hot weather and forgotten water. Even so, the team stepped up to the opportunity to be extra flexible, and they had a great day with the kids.  The day was planned to be an open day.  This allowed time to just hang out and be with the kids during most of the day.  It was a day of just being present, and sharing the blessings and joy of relationship.  A day to grow closer together, learn more about each other, and simply appreciate each other.  Building relationships is a big part of our role.  By our role, I mean the KnownToMe community.  As the leader, I found myself caught up in running errands for the carepoint, and I missed out on most of this part of the day. The Lord used this day and my team to teach me an even deeper meaning and understanding of the importance of being present with Him, and with the Ludlati kids.  I am continually amazed how the Lord uses me and us as flawed humans to accomplish His will and bless and teach us at the same time. While I missed the early part of the day, I arrived at the carepoint in time for the planned lesson of the day.  That Friday was Gospel Bead Bracelet day. The evening before, Sierra accepted an invitation to be the teacher for the Gospel Bead Bracelet activity.  Actually, her classmates at school helped put together the packets for the project; so it was good to see her finish out the effort as the teacher.  She did a great job!  The packet contained five colored beads, a piece of twine string, and a printed paper which described a bead color and scriptures in Siswati associated with each bead.  The gold bead represents the fact that God prepared a place for each of us in Heaven (John 3:16-17).  A black bead represents sin that separated us from God (Romans 3:23).  The red bead stands for Christ’s blood shed for us to pay for the sins of all men for all time. A white bead represents the purity we gain in Christ Jesus as our Lord and Savior (Isaiah 1:18). The green bead represents our growth in Christ (Psalm 51:12-14).  These kids are smart and capable. They did a great job of putting together the bracelets.  Some of the smallest kids needed help, but the older kids jumped in to help.  The project was done in a much shorter time than we expected!

That evening we split into two groups for the home visits.  This was the evening I visited the household of Mduduzi Dlamini’s homestead and farm.  If you have not read it yet, you can read about this wonderful, godly family, and the answers to prayer and blessings God has given to this family. “Home Visits and Church in Swaziland”

It was also the day we gave a special meal to the Bomake.  Their favorite KFC-  Kentucky Fried Chicken! You can see in the last picture that Jabu is really enjoying hers.These ladies work so hard feeding and mentoring the kids each day, and it is fun to provide them with a meal just for them.