Youth Ministry Swazi Style

Tommy and I recently returned from a youth retreat (where do they get off calling an event like this a retreat, anyway?) with 14 New Life Homes teens. We enjoyed spending time with the kids in a more social setting, and in an environment where we could watch them interact with other teens. Many of the other kids attending the retreat are “city” kids that go to some of the most prestigious schools in the country. We were so proud of how our kids immediately got involved, participated in spiritual discussions, led prayers, exceled on the soccer field, and even indulged in unrecognizable dishes during an eating contest unlike any we have ever seen! 

The theme of the camp was “unstoppable” based on the Philippians 4:13 verse, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Tommy and I both served as team leaders, which meant shepherding a group of approximately 15 young people in everything from an intense water balloon fight to small group discussions. We also taught two devotional sessions. In one session, highlighting the providence of God, we shared our dating experiences that led up to finding “the one.” The kids REALLY seemed to get a kick out of this. Isn’t it funny how kids think it is totally weird/funny/gross when older folks talk about loving each other? Kids in Africa are no exception to this rule. The second devotion focused on God’s strength in the face of temptation, and how “when you are tempted He will show you a way out so that you will not give in to it” (I Corinthians 10:13). We enjoyed sharing some of our life experiences with teens going through the complicated years of adolescence. 

Highlights from the weekend include: 

· A swimming competition where one of our boys forgot he couldn’t swim until he reached the deep end (as further evidence of their impressive confidence despite being orphans!). 

· A talent show that included some of our “farm” boys showing off their dancing skills. 

· Observing how respectful, kind, and helpful the New Life Homes teens are. 

· A “Swazi-style” Fear Factor activity which caused about half the participating kids to vomit. This would not fly in the US! 

· Watching approximately 40 students recommit themselves to living for Jesus. 

Thank you for praying for our time at camp. We still have some follow-up conversations to pursue, and we are still considering strategies for a more structured teen ministry.

Something to Squeal About

The drive out to “the farm” is not for the weak or the weary. After turning off the tar (paved) road, there is a 45-minute jaunt up and down hills and around blind corners that shakes your innards and tests your fortitude. Once you pass through the farm gate, you will be met by a smell that brings you to attention and also provides extraordinary comfort for all those who call the farm their home. It is the smell of pigs. Why are the pigs located at the entrance? According to Peter Kopp, “so people know they have stepped onto a farm.” As if they did not know already. That beautiful stench from the pigs has increased a bit lately and I wanted to give you a sneak peek as to why. 

When we arrived, the farm needed to increase their revenue stream. A natural for me to focus on what I am comfortable with—vegetables. But as you may know, agriculture is about finding and seizing opportunities to fill or create markets. There is a huge market for pork in this country. The supply (quantity and quality) is generally poor and we can easily sell any high quality pork we produce. So we have expanded. A lot. When we arrived there were about 40 pigs on the farm. Today, there are about 120. Though we rear and raise our own, most of these new pigs were purchased from nearby pig farmers at weaner stage (approximately 5 weeks old) and will be grown out until about 20 weeks. We’ve been busy converting some existing chicken houses into pig growing rooms, and have made progress in maintaining pig health and resolving feed issues. For the farm this is a big investment. As you can imagine, as we have been expanding we have also been waiting for the cash flow to begin. It has been a balance of patience and aggressiveness as we work to ensure a more consistent cash flow for the months ahead. While we are not totally in the clear, we are beginning to see the light. The first group of pigs that we purchased after we undertook the expansion will be ready for market next week. Praise God! This has been a team effort—from the local homesteads supplying the weaners, to Mpush, who leads our pig operation, to the kids who work and clean the pig unit—everyone has chipped in. 

We are confident in the direction we are heading but can still use an immense amount of prayer as we continue to move slowly through the development stage. Everyone on the farm is excited at the potential to produce our own value-added meat such as bacon and sausage. Please pray for wisdom in making decisions for this project and for everyone involved—even the pigs! If you were to ask the kids and the moms about the smell on the farm, few would turn away in disgust. A more popular response would be “THAT is the smell of money!”

Making feeders using plastic drums (barrels).

Home Away From Home

In December, Chico’s Bidwell Presbyterian Church invited us to be part of their special Christmas Eve offering. As long-time supporters of New Life Children’s Homes, they wanted to financially invest in a project that would strengthen the capacity of the mission to care for orphaned children in Swaziland. Since the farm is in a very remote location, housing for missionaries has been an ongoing challenge. Bidwell Presbyterian Church decided to meet this need by funding the construction of two adjoining one-bedroom flats. The first flat is complete, and Tommy and I moved in last month. 

We are extremely thankful for the generosity of Bidwell Presbyterian Church. Living “on the farm” allows us to have a constant presence in the lives of the children here. In the evenings we’re able to give homework help, play soccer, and lead evening devotionals. On the weekends we can take the kids to the swimming hole, show movies, and host game nights. We really feel like we’re part of the farm family. 

Additionally, it is so nice to have the comfort of “our own” place here. The construction team—led by local construction guru, Bomber Sibandze—did a fantastic job, and thanks to the craftsmanship of our colleague Rob Taylor, we have beautiful tile in our bathroom and kitchen. It’s much more than we expected, and we feel very blessed! Each morning we are treated to an incredible African sunrise as we sip our coffee (Mandi) and tea (Tommy). 

Prayer Update: We give all PRAISE to Jesus for the healthy arrival of nephews John Joseph Tinsley (March 16) and Cardon Henry Quinn (April 25). We are just so delighted by them! 

Please pray for the teens we are taking on a youth retreat this weekend. We pray that they would be encouraged and challenged in their faith and that some would make a commitment to follow Christ.

An Adoption

It’s hard to believe we were only here a few months when we found the perfect kid to adopt! Tommy and I recognize our potential to be somewhat negligent parents, so we made our choice carefully. This kid needed to be pretty self-sufficient: able to feed itself, already beyond those troublesome first years, and able to play unattended for long hours. Meet Sidwaba (she’s the one in the middle!). 

Her name (sids-dwa-ba) means nothing to you at home, but Swazi’s recognize it as the traditional goat skin apron that women wear. Some of the workers and moms here have gotten a big kick out of it!

Sidwaba has a purpose here on the farm. We have an incredible amount of grass here. The cattle graze in the pasture, but this grass is too close to vegetable fields to allow the cattle to roam freely. Sidwaba is on a long tether, which allows here to graze and browse while keeping the vegetables out of reach. We’ve quickly realized that one goat is not enough to handle the abundant amount of grass here on the farm. And it turns out when we bought her, we got scored with a two (or three?) for one deal. We recently learned Sidwaba is pregnant! So, there are even more kids on the horizon for us.

Additionally, Sidwaba is a meat goat. We plan to eventually sell her, and make a little extra cash. Goats are a relatively small investment, so she makes a great model for the kids and the workers on the farm. We are considering the possibility of helping some of the kids raise their own goats—they would manage them and keep any profits from their project. The children here, especially the girls, seem quite keen on the idea. 

We are so grateful for the love and support we feel from you all. We will hit our three month mark tomorrow. Although we are feeling more and more settled, we realize we are also entering a season where many new missionaries begin to feel discouraged by their new culture and really feel the sorrow of missing family and friends. Please continue to pray for the relational aspect of our ministry here. It is easy to work, but it is much harder to develop and maintain relationships. 

P.S. Check out the spitting cobra we found a few steps from our veranda! 1.2 meters!

Between Prison Walls and Shady Trees

A few days ago I was walking home from a morning of teaching and I noticed a Swaziland government vehicle pulling onto the farm (New Life Homes). The distinctly colored green bakkie van (a four door pickup truck) had big white letters that read “DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS.” I watched four baton-wielding men get out of the vehicle while I went inside to change from my “school clothes” into my “farm clothes.” Minutes later, I received a knock on the door and one of our workers proceeded to tell me that I was needed immediately. By this time I was racking my brain trying to figure out what I, or Mandi, did wrong. It turns out that they were less interested in me as a criminal and more interested in learning about how to grow moringa at the prison’s farm (go here to learn more about this awesome crop). We gave them a tour of the moringa fields and drying facilities. They mentioned eventually having us out to the prison the see their resources. Lo and behold, the next week I was headed to prison. After touring the future moringa growing site at the Bhalekane Prison Farm, we went into the prison to talk about the details of growing—water, opportunities for growing other crops, pest control, and fertilizer management. 

The challenges that they face are very similar to the types of challenges that face many growers both in America and other parts of Africa. In fact, two days later I found myself under a tree meeting with seven growers and three extension specialists discussing how to revive a beautiful piece of ground that has sat fallow after the crash of the sugar market. Their desire to start growing vegetables on this land (about 40 acres) was being challenged by theft of electrical equipment on their pump, knowledge of fertilizer and water requirements, and market accessibility. 

Though these two meetings could not be more different in their environment, they both are examples of opportunity that exists for Swazis to capitalize on the gross shortage of vegetables that are grown within the country (more on this later). These types of meetings are encouraging-they lead me to think that Swaziland, at least agriculturally speaking, is headed in a positive direction. 

Quick Hits:

Thanks to your generous giving, we were able to purchase a pickup. This second-hand Toyota Hilux (seen in the picture above with kids and pig heads, yum!) has already proven to be a great asset to us, the farm, and surrounding community. We will be moving into our new one-bedroom flat on the farm next weekend. We have been busy collecting and organizing household items needed to move in and we are beyond thrilled about making it happen! Thanks for praying. We appreciate your support while we do God’s work together.

Meet The Students

Tomorrow will mark the fifth week of school. The students and the teachers are finally settled into a routine… finally. My class is now up to twelve students: six third graders and six fourth graders. They are an absolute joy to be around, and are also very rambunctious. I am delighted to have three students that were previously in my preschool class back in 2007. 

One highlight has been reading Charlotte’s Web aloud to the kids. They have loved it! Classroom activities have included letters to Wilbur (“Dear Wilbur, I love you!”), field trips to see a real runt and a real spider, and creating spider webs using chalk. The kids can really connect with the setting of the book, although the idea of “saving” a pig from being eaten is a little counter-intuitive for them. 

As you know, Tommy has volunteered to teach 6th and 7th grade math in the wake of one of the teachers leaving after the first week of school. He’s doing a fantastic job… he really keeps the kids laughing with his Americanisms like “winner, winner, chicken dinner!” and “it’s on like Donkey Kong!” I think the older boys will be particularly heartbroken when Tommy goes back to being a full-time farmer. 

Thank you for praying for us! The first month here (yes, it’s already been a month!) has been wonderful, challenging, joyful, and stressful. Many yays and yucks. We would really love prayer for wisdom in investing one-on-one time with some of the older kids and for continued profitability for the agricultural enterprises on the farm (which is the primary support for the children who live here). Many crops are being planted now and we are all praying for good weather, abundant water, and the eradication of pests!

We Made It!

From here on out the blog posts might get a bit more interesting… 

We made it to Swaziland exactly one week ago. We spent our first week reorienting ourselves to Swazi life--including reuniting with kids turned teenagers, meeting many new faces, adopting early bed times, navigating muddy roads and creative driving, defending against countless ants and mosquitoes, and enjoying stunningly beautiful mountains and valleys. Mandi was introduced to the curriculum that she will be teaching and I spent time familiarizing myself with the farm and work crew.We both began to ask many, many questions. To say we are in the “learner” phase would be an understatement. For kicks, we thought you might be interested in what we are doing today. 

Mandi has a school staff meeting in the morning and will be spending the rest of the day preparing for the first few days of class, which starts on Tuesday. She always has plenty of helpers (kids and cows) stopping by her classroom door. 

I (Tommy) will be taking eight pigs to the abattoir early tomorrow morning in Manzini (1.5 hour drive), picking up some feed, and running a few errands. Later in the day I will meet with Mhti, the farm manager, to talk about his vision for the farm in the coming years. 

Please continue to pray for our transition. There are a number of small frustrations we are facing, including credit card issues and minor computer problems, which would be easy to fix in the US but are testing our patience here. Despite all of that, we have so much to be thankful for. The missionaries who we are working with have been awesome in helping us get settled and the kids have come running with open arms. Our stomachs are full and the mornings are peaceful. What more can we ask for? 

Thank you for praying.