When Something Clicks

Avery is a pretty calm and a very sweet baby. We are often asked, does she ever cry? The answer is yes. Though she has the ability to turn on the bright side when she leaves the house, there are times when Mandi and I long for the day when she is able to regulate her emotions. I find myself wondering when these certain steps to maturity will be taken. Though my overwhelming desire is that she stay small, cute, and giggly, maturity is a beautiful thing. This has become evident here on the farm over the past few months.

Over the past many years, the farm has hired the high school-aged students to work during the school break. They love the extra income and we love keeping their minds and bodies busy. Up until a few months ago, their work was helpful, but sometimes created more work for us than what we received in return. And then something clicked. Over this summer break, we have employed a group of boys who have become mature in ways that we did not know was even possible. They have played a huge role in not only getting the daily duties sorted, but have brought forth creative solutions to challenging problems. They have constructed and repaired, conducted all the breeding (natural and using artificial insemination) and record keeping for the pig operation, and completed a significant amount of the tractor work. And they have done everything with a great attitude. I would have never imagined some of the kids here being so interested in the interworkings of the farm. But now, they are having visions of what their future holds. High school students who want to go check pigs at all hours of the night? It is like a dream come true.

Anyone who has been to New Life Homes will say that the best part about this place is the kids. It is even more enjoyable now when I can look at a rarely-but-sometimes-fussy baby and hope that one day she will mature like the young men and women growing up here at New Life Homes.

Enjoy some pictures of these strapping young men in action:

Taking the Plunge

Not every day on the mission field is a joyous one. In fact, over the last two years we have faced our share of sorrows. Today, however, was a wonderful reminder that God is moving.

During our weekly chapel time in the children’s homes, we have been learning about things Christians believe. A few weeks ago, our colleague Mary Jean spoke about baptism. She shared with the children the importance of making your commitment to Christ known in a public way, just as Jesus did. Some of the children responded by sharing their desire to be baptized and publicly declare their decision to follow Jesus.

Today we celebrated the baptism of ten children. Ranging in ages from 10 to 17, the children stood before our community and proclaimed their intent to follow Christ. Many of them shared their desire to tell others about His life-transforming power. It was certainly a joyous celebration. 

So, with thankful hearts we were able to watch these children declare their relationship with Christ. It was a wonderful reminder that God is at work in Swaziland. He is being made known, and many of the children at New Life Homes have embraced Him with their whole hearts. 

We celebrated afterwards by eating ice cream, enjoying each other, and encouraging those who were baptized. Please join us in praising His wonderful work. Also, continue to pray for those who took this important step today. We ask God to guide them as they grow into mature believers who transform their communities for Christ.

Another Theft

One visitor who came on a short term trip to Swaziland commented that “things are always happening in Swaziland.” We can comfortably say that his observation is true.

On Tuesday night I was robbed at gunpoint. I was on my way to pick up Mandi and three visitors from the airport in Johannesburg when I was a part of a well-planned car accident. The accident happened in Swaziland, a few miles from the South African border. When I stopped to exchange details, the two men held me at gun point, threatened me, and stole everything—truck keys, passport, money, wallet, phone, and all forms of identification. Once they left, I ran to the guard shack of a royal residence close by and the guard at the gate pulled a gun on me too! Thankfully, the guy believed my story and offered to help. I used the guard’s phone to call the only number I could remember—one of the New Life housemothers. Peter and Mary Jean Kopp (our trusted colleagues) left immediately to meet me. They arrived about two hours after the incident and the police still hadn’t arrived after multiple calls from the guards and the Kopps. The police finally arrived, but were soon called away to a similar incident involving the same suspects up the road.

Obviously, this was a scary and frustrating event. We know that we are called to serve God and we also know that he does not guarantee our physical safety when serving Him. That being said, events like this wear on the heart and mind and we are asking for prayers of comfort and strength. We all realize there is much to be thankful for—I was not physically hurt, they didn’t steal our vehicle, and the location was close to help. I was thankful Mandi was not with me. Two of the soldiers from the royal residence stood at the scene with me in the cold for nearly three hours, assuring me they would not leave me until someone came. We are so grateful to those two kind men. 

Of course, I couldn’t continue to Johannesburg without a passport. The Kopps and I came back to the farm late that night and Peter and I got up at 4 AM to head back to town. Peter used the spare keys to take the vehicle from the police station to Johannesburg to fetch Mandi and company. I worked with the police for about three hours and then began to sort out passport issues, banking details, and phone replacements. Needless to say, it was a huge relief to see my wife! 

Please continue to pray. This is both disheartening to us and has caused a significant amount of trauma. Please pray for everyone on the farm. Some of our Swazi friends have experienced trauma associated with violence, and this act has stirred many emotions. 

Please pray for justice. 

Please pray for me. My mind has been racing since this happened with regrets, fears, and frustrations.

Please pray that the details regarding the forms of identification and money will work themselves out.

Please pray that our hearts and minds are not hardened and that we can still be ready and willing to accomplish what God has planned here in Swaziland.

(un)finished

Recently we have been considering what God has planned for our “next step” in life. Although some days we desire to board a plane (or helicopter, or boat, or just about anything!) and go home, we also face a deeper knowledge that our time here is not finished. We feel especially compelled to stay and invest more in the youth ministry. Strategically speaking, the school and farm development projects are not at a place where they are ready to run independently. There are still many ideas to share and relationships to development. There is much training to be done!

 We will continue to serve in Swaziland through 2015. We will return home for several weeks towards the end of 2014, and look forward to visiting with family and friends. We can’t wait to reconnect with you in person! I (Mandi) will be travelling back to California in just over a week to be with my sister as she gives birth to a baby girl, and am looking forward to meeting my newest nephew (her firstborn) for the first time as well. I will head back to Swaziland after spending two short weeks with family.

We can’t say it enough—we are SO grateful for your support and care. In some of our lowest moments we have received encouragement and prayer that has reassured us of our calling here.

Wanted: A Few Good Teachers

A new school year has begun! Our small school, located on the farm, provides education for all of our preschool and elementary-aged students and approximately 35 children from the community. This year I will continue to teach a third and fourth grade combination class. Let me introduce my students.

I am really enjoying my class this year. The fourth graders are an exceptionally gifted group, and the third graders are eager to learn. The students enjoy coming to school and are enthusiastic about most subjects.

Four days into the new term I received disappointing news. The young woman who had served as my classroom helper last year, Zanande, would be transferred by the government to school in a different community. I had spent a substantial amount of time and energy training Zanande last year. Our hope was that Zanande would be my replacement when our term here is complete. This was a significant setback.

The past two weeks have also been disappointing in another way. The vision for the school has always been for missionary and Swazis teachers to work side-by-side. The educational culture in Swaziland (generally speaking) is not excellent. Teachers may show up five minutes before school starts and they leave five minutes after. Sometimes they don’t show up at all. At some schools students are beaten regularly for minor infractions, such as not completing an assignment quickly enough or having their shirt untucked. Teachers aren’t committed to pushing their students. They teach the government issued textbooks, period.

Currently we have one missionary (me) teaching at the school with four Swazis. Two of these teachers are not credentialed. Our head teacher (principal) is also a Swazi. Since the school year started several weeks ago, I’ve noticed a big change in the attitudes of our teachers. I’m wondering if we’ve lost enough critical mass (two missionary teachers and Peace Corps volunteer are no longer teaching) that the culture of the school has shifted. The commitment to excellence seems to be fading. It has been a very discouraging few weeks.

Please pray for New Life Primary School. We need guidance and direction. We need wisdom to know when to push and when to let go. We also need help. 

Are you an experienced teacher that would be willing to join us in Swaziland? We need you.

Please pray that God would send the reinforcements we need to provide a quality education to the children at New Life Primary School.

Meet Siyabonga

Have you noticed how easy it is to miss changes that happen slowly? One of our little ones has been making slow but steady progress and we just had to share!  

Five-year-old Siyabonga became part of the New Life Homes family in August 2012. The circumstances leading up to his placement at New Life Homes were very poor. He was living with a grandmother who was unable to care for him properly. When he arrived he was obviously sick and very malnourished. 

Over the past year, Siyabonga has transformed into a happy and healthy little boy. He is constantly entertaining us with his rodeo clown antics (somersaults, chasing dogs, karate chopping, climbing trees, and other general mischief). He also loves to start worship songs at our weekly prayer gatherings. Looking at him, it is hard to imagine the child he was when he arrived. He is full of energy and life!

It is still amazing to us how children respond to a loving and stable environment. The kids at New Life Homes are fed in many ways—healthy food we produce ourselves, love and discipline from the housemothers, teachings about God’s bottomless love. It seems that for Siyabonga, this has been the perfect recipe for producing a happy and healthy child.

In Siswati, “Siybonga” means “thank you.” Will you take a moment to thank God for what he is doing in Siyabonga’s life? Pray that Siyabonga would continue to thrive physically, and each day would trust more and more in God’s love and grace.

Fearfully and Wonderfully Made

We’ve come to know the unique personalities of the 39 children that call New Life Homes “home.” For those of you with children, you’ve probably enjoyed watching your children develop their distinctive personality traits, especially in the early years. We have enjoyed the slow, trust-building process that happens when children let you see them as they really are. The one thing we can say with confidence is that God made each of these children uniquely wonderful, and we get so much joy as they reveal themselves to us!

Simphiwe is one of the most expressive children on the farm. By just looking at her face, you can tell pretty quickly what’s on her mind. This six-year old loves to hold your hand, show off her dancing skills, and her deep, gravelly voice has us constantly in stitches.

 

Thulani is an eager to please preschooler who is a relatively new addition to New Life Homes. We marvel at how quickly he has developed his English vocabulary. He cracks us up with his spiritual commentaries about himself (“I’m loving God right now!”) and others (“Vusi is not loving God right now.”).

Nothando has a very sweet and gentle personality. During our weekly prayer time, she consistently volunteers to pray out loud. Although her long, rambling prayers sometimes bring snickers from the older kids, we can see that even at a young age she is spiritually aware. 

Please keep praying for these children, and the nation as a whole. The farm is a very hope-filled place, but when we look at the bigger picture it can be really disheartening. The poverty, sexual promiscuity, fascination with the occult, and extensive impact of HIV/AIDS is widespread. Please pray for transformation for the country and perseverance for the laborers!

Pair of Ducks

We returned to Davis last night after spending approximately four weeks on the road, most of our time being spent at Mission Training International in Colorado. We are grateful for a challenging and engaging training and God's protection during several snow storms that we forged through during the drive home.

As 40 adults were learning upstairs in the training center, approximately 25 children were receiving similar training downstairs. Although most of our curriculum was different, there were some similarities built into the program. A pair of ducks is something we ALL learned about.

If you say "pair of ducks" fast enough, you'll hear something that sounds a lot more like "paradox." At our training, we learned that many of our experiences can be described by this word. In each "pair of ducks" there is a yay duck and a yuck duck.

In some ways, your heart will be saying "yay!" and it other ways it will be saying "yuck!"—often at the same time.

For example, we just purchased our tickets for the flight over. We leave January 12th. The yay duck in us is thrilled to finally begin this adventure, after much waiting and anticipation. The yay duck is so hopeful in this calling we're received, and we can't wait to see what the Lord will do in and through us. The yay duck says "Let's go!"

The yuck duck in us is experiencing great sorrow just thinking about the loved ones we'll leave behind. The yuck duck want to resist leaving our community in Davis, our careers, and some of our favorite hobbies. The yuck duck says "How can we possibly leave?"

As you can imagine, its a very emotional time for us. This week will bring many goodbyes. Thank you for praying and caring for us in the midst of the yays and the yucks.

Wonderfully Made

Over the past two months Tommy and I have received some very special news... both of our sisters are pregnant with the first little ones.
(Congratulations John & Beth Tinsley and Dan & Megan Quinn!!)
We are already blessed with a niece and two nephews (see pic of Ashley, Jack, and Charlie with Nana and Opa below) and we are thrilled about the imminent addition of two new little ones!

Like any proud Auntie and Uncle, we are more than happy to share pictures of our soon-to-arrive nieces or nephews!
This is Baby Tinsley (Tommy's sister and brother-in-law), due in late April.

Last week, Megan and Dan (Mandi's sister and brother-in-law) invited us to participate in the gender determination ultrasound appointment. What an incredible experience, to see this little one wiggling around! Baby BOY Quinn will make his arrival in early May.

Of all the things we'll miss, meeting these two babies when they enter the world is definitely at the top of our list. However, we know God is good and He is in control. We already feel blessed beyond measure and so full of love for them! Please lift their parents up in prayer--for safe and healthy pregnancies and for preparing them to raise their little ones according to His will.

"Just as you cannot understand the path of the wind or the mystery of a tiny baby growing in its mother’s womb, so you cannot understand the activity of God, who does all things." [Ecclesiastes 11:5]

Please pray! We drive to Colorado Springs this Sunday (with one pit stop in Salt Lake City). Please pray for safety for our long journey. We will be attending a three-week training session for missionaries entering the field. Pray that we would be willing learners as we soak in information about culture, life balance, and field work. Pray that we connect with other couples and develop some new friendships.