_____, Wealth, Contentment, Health

Greetings friends. As I (Tommy) woke up this Sunday morning and perused the CA headlines, once again, water (or lack thereof) was a major issue. I was reading about how Governor Brown declared 53 of 58 counties as natural disaster zones. I saw pictures from the Mt. Shasta snow cam that looked more like a barren Missouri field in mid-August. Things do not look good, and for this reason, I extend my thoughts and prayers to the many farmers affected by this dire situation back home. This week we have been joined by a few of Mandi’s college friends. One of the individuals in the “estrogen gang”, Jonnalee Henderson caught me up on some of the water challenges that farmers are facing. Brutal. As much as I despise political water battles, these challenges got me to thinking about our water situation here in Swaziland. Our main issue here: we do not realize how fortunate and wealthy we are. Nearly everyone here, including ourselves, have rivers and streams crisscrossing their property.

We have had rains that have kept our crops afloat. We have wells that are hitting water at 60 feet. Not only that, but as I stand on our veranda and look out towards Mozambique, I see puffy cumulonimbus clouds looking to burst again any time.

Poverty is a problem of the mind, under-appreciated and under-utilized resources if just a side effect of that problem. Mandi and I are often told by the Swazis how lucky we are that we are so wealthy. I do appreciate the situation that we come from, but we encourage our Swazi friends who envy our financial wealth to redefine wealth to include resources. Now look who is wealthy. As you drive into Modesto, CA, you see the city slogan that reads: Water, wealth, contentment, health. There is wisdom in including water first in the slogan. Without it, the other three attributes become much more difficult to obtain. This is true whether you do not have water (the case if California), or you do not realize what you have (the case in Swaziland).

For you, we pray for snow, rain, and common sense discourse as you discuss these challenging water issues. Please continue to pray for us as we continue to try to work to change the mindsets of people here so that they will feel empowered to recognize and responsibly utilize the resources that God has so richly blessed them.

On a side note, we would like to feature the two kids who are leading the unofficial mango eating competition on the farm.

Ndu (top right) and Vusi (bottom) spend more time in trees than on the ground (this is not an exaggeration). They also have the stickiest hands on the farm.

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.

Christmas Blessings

Some of our Swazi friends have given abundantly during this Christmas season. From a preschool party, to gifts for all the children, and even hosting a celebration at a nearby game park, they have acted upon their love for the children we care for!

Here are some of the highlights from our Christmas party at Mlilwane, one of Swaziland's game parks. Our friends and long-time supporters of New Life Homes, the Kellys and the Youngs, hosted this party and did an amazing job! They even made it relaxing for us!

The kids went on a hike though the bush, where we encountered blesbok, nyala, impala, warthogs, wildebeest, and monkeys.

Despite the cold weather, Bhuti Tom decided to demonstrate how much fun it would be to swim in the river. No wonder the kids are laughing!

I think Tommy was a little concerned about crocs, don't you? 

Phumlani has a close (too close?) encounter with a warthog.

After walking back to the lodge, the families organized games for the kids and even the housemothers were encouraged to participate. In this game, the moms blew up their balloons until they popped. You can feel the anticipation!

The kids were treated to lunch, cake, and ice cream. Some of the little ones had a hard time keeping up with the drips, and used the excess as a hair conditioning treatment.

We wrapped up the day with personalized gifts for EACH of the 39 children. Can you imagine shopping for 39 different kids? These friends really blessed everyone in a BIG way.

When God gives, he always gives abundantly!

"See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!" 1 John 3:1

Praying that you and your families also experience the abundance God promises.

Guest Blog: Tommy's Parents Visit Swaziland

We are POMs (Parents of Missionaries). When God invites a son or daughter into missions, He also invites the parents. For some POMs, the invitation from God is a complete surprise—for us, the invitation was somewhat expected.

“Your children are doing this because they love me and because I’ve asked them them to do it. Please let them go with your blessing and support. I know you will miss your children, and I’ll make sure you don’t have to face all this alone. I promise you it won’t be easy, but I also promise you joy.”

-Parents of Missionaries by Savageau and Stortz

With much prayer, we planned our trip to serve with Tommy and Mandi for two weeks in late September. We wanted to encourage, learn, teach, work alongside and share the joy that is promised.

After many flight hours, we were welcomed with open arms, not only by our children, but by the children they “parent” at New Life Homes. The house mothers, farm workers and teachers welcomed us into their community. 

We shared stories, hiked to the river, taught school, and prayed together. We sang His praises, danced, played soccer and cheered as each child’s gifts reflected the Lord’s goodness. We shared meals and worshiped at their church. And all was good.

 

 

We worked in the fields harvesting crops. Farm management ideas were shared, marketing strategies discussed. Long drives to town on very bumpy roads reminded us of our unnecessary constant complaints about American roads.

We wanted to know what a missionary’s life was like, and we found out. It’s a lot of work, and it doesn't stop at sundown. Little eyes appear at the doorsteps for any excuse to visit and share. Heart-to-heart

talks occur often, as each child finds the path that God has designed. And as in any family, discipline strengthens the soul’s resolve.

Now when Tommy and Mandi write about a child or adult on the farm, we can put a face to the story and a special prayer is lifted up. We see their challenges, joys and peace at the end of each day.

Some days, it is very difficult and lonely for us POMs. We miss them terribly and are so thankful for the opportunity God gave us to be with Tommy and Mandi. Continue to pray for them and for those on the

farm. Continue to pray for us, as we too were called by God to be Parents of Missionaries.

Dick and Ellen Nelson

Parents of Tommy Bottoms and his wife, Mandi

From One World to Our World

Have we mentioned that the kids at New Life Homes LOVE soccer? You can find them playing soccer at recess every day, and we even have our own soccer field (part of the pasture) and competitive soccer team. The problem is, with terrain like ours in rural Swaziland, the balls don’t last long. Traditional soccer balls will last a few weeks at best. That’s why we were so excited when a friend here told us about One World Futbols. These soccer balls are made especially for kids living in third-world conditions—where rocks, mud, and cow patties are part of the sport. My mom made a brief inquiry to the company to see if they would donate some balls for the kids, and we were shocked to receive such a generous and speedy reply. They wanted to donate 20 soccer balls.

Shipping became the most obvious obstacle, since the balls don’t actually deflate. Tommy’s parents bravely volunteered to transport 20 official-size soccer balls from California to Swaziland when they came to visit us in September. Nothing like adding some extra stress to your typical travel concerns! Their gigantic duffle bag caused a few raised eyebrows at customs and several requests to deflate the balls, but they did arrive to the farm safely, much to the joy of the children here. 

We laughed at their initial comments about the balls. 

“It feels like kicking a stone.” (Obviously not used to fully-inflated balls.)

“Sit on it!” (Marveling at the engineering.)

“This thing is a soccer ball?” (Skeptical of the color and material.)

Needless to say, they were a huge hit. Each of our classrooms has their own ball, as well as each of the orphan homes. We’ve also stashed a few away for the future. We (and the kids) are extremely grateful to my family for requesting them, One World Futbols for donating them, and Tommy’s parents for lugging them half way around the world. The kids have received so much joy from this gift!

Developing People and Their Pigs

Things have been hog wild around here lately and we would love to share some great news with y’all. This week we gave Masengwa, our local veterinarian, a lift to KaMfishane, where he works during the week. As we were catching up on all of the local happenings, he congratulated us on be
coming the largest pig farmer in the region. One of Masengwa’s duties is to monitor the movement of pigs in and out of the region while keeping a running census on each farm. 

Being the largest pig farmer in our very small area is not something that will make the front page of the Economist, but it has certainly been a fun and challenging lesson in how to invest in and expand projects. Over the past seven months we have expanded the pig operation more than 300%. We have more than 150 pigs on the farm and we take approximately seven pigs to the market every week. For a plant guy, this expansion in pig production has come with a steep learning curve, lots of prayer, and more than a few frustrating days. However with the help of some excellent staff here on the farm and your support, we have been able to scale-up this project into a sustainable operation that has had numerous benefits to New Life Homes. These benefits include greater income to support the children, more involvement and interest by the housemothers (as noted by their gathering around each sow that gives birth), while providing increased food security for the children we support.

As we developed the pig project and began to work with surrounding pig farmers, we realized that there was a great need to increase the amount of knowledge and sharing of information between homestead farmers and pig production experts. We recently organized a New and Emerging Pig Farmers Field Day on the farm that featured experts from all over Swaziland speaking on a wide variety of subjects such as feeding, animal health, budgeting, recording keeping, genetics, sanitation, and quality evaluation. 

e invited service providers to attend and display the goods and services offered as well as give out many freebies. Government vehicles provided transport from more than two hours away, the house mothers took care of registration and food, while our farm manager, Mthi, served as emcee. Despite a torrential rainstorm that came out of nowhere (it was the only time it rained all winter) we still had more than 75 people attend. It was a great opportunity to train and equip Swazi’s to care for their animals and generate income for their families.    

New Life Children’s Homes is becoming a hub for providing high quality products while also investing in the development of others. I hope this gets you as excited as we are here in Swaziland. The future for many of our agriculture projects is very bright and this will have a direct impact on our ability to serve the New Life Homes children and the surrounding community. We have dreams of continuing to expand and strengthen our existing production. Thank you for your prayers and financial support.

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!