Thank Goodness!

Another school year is underway in Swaziland. 

In fact, our first term is almost over. I can't believe it! This school year has been different than others. The biggest difference is having a tiny sidekick. For a couple hours each day, Avery joins me at school. She gets absolutely giddy when I strap her into the baby carrier and we head toward school. She brings much joy to all the students and teachers. 

Before school starts she plays a few games of peek-a-boo, is jostled and bounced, and of course her outfit is thoroughly inspected by all of her friends. 

Another positive change is the addition of a competent, cheerful, and loving teaching assistant. Her name is Goodness. She has been such a blessing to me! She encourages and works with struggling students throughout the day. She marks almost ALL my papers. She stays after school to clean up, close up, or meet with students when I have to run home. She has made my transition to a working mommy SO much easier, and I am so thankful for Goodness! 

She has become a good friend and her daughter and Avery enjoy spending time together, too. 

Although she's not formally trained as a primary school teacher, I'm praying that Goodness will feel confidant enough to take my place next year. She has all the qualities of a good teacher, and I'm working with her on adopting additional techniques and teaching strategies. Please pray with me! 

I have 14 students this year, and a wide range of talents and abilities. Thank you for praying for their growth: academically, spiritually, and socially. 

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:

Our Village

We welcomed Avery Grace Bottoms into the world on 27 August… just over two months ago. In those two short months, she has brought much joy and fullness to each and every day.

Parenthood brings its own set of challenges, and such a steep learning curve! We are so lucky to be surrounded by people who adore Avery. They have helped us adapt by sharing their time, cuddles, wisdom, and love.

 

As one of the moms said earlier this week, Avery will soon visit her “really, really” home. She will also meet her “really” family for the first time. In the meantime, we’re feeling so grateful for our farm family. We’ve heard it takes a village to raise a child. This is our village, and we couldn’t do it without them!

Packing A Fresh Perspective

I’ve noticed that guests have the awesome ability to help us see where we live and what we do with a fresh perspective. Last month, we had a short-term team from University Covenant Church visit us at New Life Homes. They enthusiastically joined us in our life here, from the mundane to the exceptional—and helped us recapture a fresh perspective about ministry in Swaziland. 

Nick Bua, Mandi, Christine and Andres Zarate, Ellie Kammert, Amber McIntyre, Tommy, and Rod Layman

From the get-go they were intent on showering the children with tangible love. They brought soccer cleats, shirts, and gear for all the kids. I think we’ve mentioned that soccer is practically an obsession here. The kids were absolutely delighted.

One of the most exciting projects they organized was the purchase and construction of a new play structure for the children’s homes. We’ve had the same structure for at least ten years, and it was beyond the point of repair. Check out the wonderful gift they left us!

One of our visitors, Andres, was kept very busy with welding projects. He even trained a few of the older children and employees in some basic skills. After working some incredibly long days, it was amazing to see what he was able to accomplish!

The team completed signs that have been on our “to-do” list for over a year. Now, when you drive by New Life Homes, you know exactly what we have for sale. The signs turned out really well, and we’ve already had new customers because of them.

Some of the ladies kept the children busy after school and on the weekend with crafts and dance classes. They learned everything from ballet to hip-hop. I also appreciated help in my classroom, with team members teaching lessons, listening to children read, and marking papers.

We finished their two-week stay here with a weekend trip to Hlane, one of Swaziland’s game reserves. Tommy and I especially enjoyed getting to spend some downtime with them. What a special group of people! They worked selflessly and really encouraged us with their love, support, and heart for missions. 

Did I mention they even brought an entire baby shower with them? We were blown away by the gifts they carried with them, from our family at home and our “extended” family at UCC. We felt really blessed!

Cape Town Getaway

After being in Swaziland for more than two years, we finally made it to one of our bucket-list destinations: Cape Town. Since our holidays typically revolve around picking up agricultural supplies in Johannesburg, we relished the opportunity to relax and explore such a beautiful region. We just wanted to share a few pictures to prove we made time to get away for a few days!

A view from the plane...

Visiting Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela was held for 18 years.

Boat ride back to Cape Town from Robben Island, with Table Mountain in the distance.

View from the top of Table Mountain, looking East.

Meeting some penguins along the Cape.

Cape Point

Hiking up to the top of Cape Point, with the Cape of Good Hope in the background.

Kirsetenbosch Gardens

Wine and cheese tasting in the Stellenbosch Winelands. 

Visiting American friends from Swaziland who recently relocated to Stellenbosch. We had a wonderful time visiting them and their sweet kiddos in their new home.

We feel so lucky to live within a short, 2-hour plane ride from Cape Town. There are few cities that stand out as being so culturally interesting (for better or worse), geographically diverse, and absolutely beautiful. The food was exceptional, and we even got to eat at a Mexican restaurant!

Tommy and I both agreed we felt more refreshed and relaxed than we have in a LONG time. 

The Value of Quality

Perhaps my most enjoyable weekly indulgence in Swaziland is enjoying an ice-cold glass of Schweppes’ Dry Lemon. 

The second most anticipated indulgence is reading Farmer’s Weekly. A South African publication, it is an excellent mixture of technical, market, and political information. It even has a few sections that Mandi enjoys, most notably, The Hitching Post personal ads.

I recently read an article that shared tips for investing in business opportunities in Africa. One of the nuggets shared was that people, even if they are living in poverty, value quality. In fact, it gave several examples of companies that have actually increased the quality of their products when entering into lower per-capita economies.

In Swaziland, we have also seen how people value quality. Let me give you three quick examples from the New Life Homes’ Farm. 

Broilers: Typically, in this part of the world a broiler chicken is grown out for 5 weeks (from hatching until harvest). If taken care of properly, that would yield a bird that weighs 1.8kg (about 4lbs). We have realized that people like a bigger bird and we grow ours out to 6 weeks, weighing 2.2kg (4.8lbs). We charge more, create a more comfortable margin, and make customers happy. 

Pigs: We have made every effort to improve genetics over the past two years. We believe that if we can provide high quality pigs consistently to the market, we will never have a difficult time selling the pigs or demanding a higher price. So far, we have found both to be true. Recently, we have begun to artificially inseminate (AI) some of our stock using semen from top producers. We are excited about these opportunities, even if it makes our current boar incredibly frustrated (as he is temporarily unemployed).

Goats: You probably remember us buying a goat about two years ago, although for more of a hobby than a serious enterprise. Since then, we’ve learned that the market is massive and the supply is low and inconsistent. In many rural communities, there is frequent inbreeding within herds and animal health is poorly maintained. To make a long story short, New Life Homes now has 30 goats, half of which are Swazi indigenous goats (hardy with less meat) and half are Boer goats (less hardy, but with lots of meat). People are clamoring to buy our goats, especially the Boer goats, because of the quality. We sell these goats as breeding stock, which helps rural farmers increase their profitability over time. 

We are surrounded by people who live in poverty. Yet they still have eyes that allow them to recognize quality. The future for these enterprises is bright because we maintain a high standard of quality. The margins are good and the people on the farm (moms, kids, workers) are really excited about the direction we are headed. This is a huge win. Please continue to pray for wisdom and guidance as we seek to provide for these precious children.

A Cultural Adventure

Things have been a bit of a whirlwind lately, but having just finished our last school day for a few weeks, I (Mandi) find myself taking refuge from the chilly weather and finding time to finally get an update out.

We took a school trip this week to the Swaziland National Museum, King Sobhuza Memorial Park, and Cuddle Puddle Hot Springs (yes, that's the real name). We had a great time, and here are some pictures to prove it!

During part of the tour, our guide told the kids that Swazis believed in ancestors and pray to them. Lihle asked the guide, "Do you believe in ancestors?" The guide responded that she did, and then posed the same question to Lihle. Lihle responded, "No, I'm a Christian so I pray to Jesus Christ." I was pretty proud of my bold little student!

 The students were able to sit in the late King Sobhuza's classic car.

My growing belly has been a constant source of curiosity and in some cases, concern. Upon donning my "swimming costume" the kids exclaimed, "But you're too fat!" I assured them that my entrance would still leave a *little* bit of water in the pool.

It's been a long week at school, and I had a particularly frustrating encounter with one of our teachers today. Dealing with conflict in an open way is very counter-cultural here. However, I feel like it was resolved and I continue to pray that the teachers we work with would understand we are for them, yet we will still hold them accountable to do excellent work.

Thank you for praying for us. Stress has been higher than normal lately, and we really appreciate your commitment to pray that we would receive the wisdom, patience, grace, and joy we need on a daily basis!