This afternoon we had a very special time set aside for Mission of Mercy sponsors to meet with their sponsored child.  We had a special KFC lunch and a time for writing to their sponsors.  What an absolute joy this was.  For some sponsors; it was a first time meeting for others however, it was a wonderful reunion.

 

For the Schmidt family, this was a wonderful first time meeting and their daughter Lindsy now has a new friend.

I had the awesome joy of hanging out with this little fellow who is sponsored by Corey and Stacy, friends of Curt.  Jane and I also had loads of fun playing soccer with him and his friends.











And here we are sharing a special moment with children before they had to return to their Care Points.  Look at their beautiful smiles........all of them!

 As we walked through the community near the Care Points, we had an opportunity to interact with the staff.  These precious ladies care for the children by providing instruction, education, and feeding.  Jane and I got to love on, encourage, praise the staff for their kindness and compassion for the children.  Jane was trying to figure out how to carry rice.

 We also met some of the cooks and Jane took a moment to encourage her and tell her how much she is appreciated for what she does for the children.  At the bottom here am I stirring the pot of food that is being prepared for the children.  The packets of food are provided by Children's Cup and they are a rich blend of rice, soy, dehydrated vegetables, and beans fortified with the essential vitamins needed for nutrition.  They are wonderfully named  "Manna Packs."  Thirty six of these packs feed around 200 children. Thank you ladies for your part in caring for the children of SZ-012.  We love you!

This is why we are here.

So excited to meet Mitch and Charlotte for the first time.  At Highland we have prayed so much for this couple.  Thank you for what you do for the worlds' impoverished children here in Swaziland.

Today will be our first visit at one of the care points and we will also do a community walk.  Pray for us as we begin to love on kids and their families.

Here we are at the airpoort clowning around waiting for our ride.  Tonight we meet some of the missionaries here in swaziland.   Their work, their testimonies to Gods, amazing Grace touched us all.  More to follow as we see all God is going to show us this week.  Love you all.

Swaziland...not sure if this is a sunrise or sunset... but it sure is beautiful.  Thank you Lloyd Rachels from Christian 107.3 for this awesome view.  We can't wait to see this with own eyes.  Just three more days!!!!!

  Finally....Here is the picture that we promised.  I told Jane that the background behind my head looked like a halo but she didn't buy it.  She told me it hid my horns.
  In just a short week we will be on our way to Swaziland, Africa with our hearts filled with the joy and expectation that we are prepared for whatever the Lord challenges us with during this trip.  We have been blessed by our family, friends, co-workers, and our church family.  More than once we have been told to fully rely on the Holy Spirit to lead, guide, and direct all that we do for the Father's Glory.
  Please pray for us and our team that we will be able to accomplish all that God has planned for us to do.  Please pray for the children and families of the little ones we will meet in Swaziland.  And please pray for our families.  We are so thankful for your support!  We will try to keep sending posts and pictures as best we can with the resources that will be available to us in Swaziland.  Blessings......Proverbs 31: 8-9!

As Jane and I consider all that we will see and experience in Swaziland, we have asked ourselves and prayed over the question...."How do we prepare?"  God has been so amazing by providing many things at just the right time.  All this week our Church, Highland Baptist, has been hosting an "On Mission Celebration."   Each night guest speakers have been presenting an aspect of their missionary experiences and offering a challenge to us to pray and support Missionaries.  Wow!  Perfect timing Lord.  Here is what the Lord has been telling us:

  The first night we heard from Milton Hollifield, Executive Director-Treasurer, Baptist State Convention, NC and he challenged us with Matthew 9:  35-38.  In this passage, Jesus looked at the crowd and saw their condition and had compassion on them.    Then Mr. Hollifield reminded us of our commission from  Matthew 28: 19-20.
  Monday night we heard from Steve Schwarz, a missionary serving in Northern Zambia.  Steve challenged us with Romans 10:1.  Paul speaking of Israel says "Brethren, my heart's desire and my prayer to God for them is for their salvation."  Steve's challenge was this... we should have that same heart's desire; to share the gospel with the purpose of introducing people to the saving grace of Jesus Christ and desire their salvation.  Again, wow!
  Tuesday night we heard from Myron Whitmore and his wife, Lana, who serve in Northern India.  They challenged us with Acts 1: 8.  In Acts 1: 8, Jesus tells His disciples that in the coming days they will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon them.  With this Holy Spirit power they will be witnesses for Him in every corner of the world. Myron reminded us that whatever we do for the Lord it must be, and can only be accomplished through the power of the Holy Spirit, our Enabler, our Guide, and Leader.  Nothing that we do for the Lord in our own strength is going to be sufficient.  
  Wednesday night we met Susanne Arnold, a very delightful, young lady, who had just completed a tour in Venezuela.  She shared with us her ups and downs as a missionary, her training, and her joys.  On one of her initial training rotations she found herself in Canada on an "intermediate, white water rafting trip filled with adventure....more adventure than she was prepared for.  This trip was designed for the young  missionaries to realize their limits, potential, and build team skills.  On one of the final legs of this rafting trip was a "cliff jump."  After much prodding and the realization that she was going to have to jump, she kept hearing her guide and trainer say, everything is fine....."You're good to go."  She said this trainer must have said that same phrase a hundred times before she finally mustered the courage to jump.  That phrase, "You're go to go" kept resonating in her mind.  So as she prayed to the Lord to give insight on what to do.  One night the Lord ministered to her and lead her to Matthew 28: 19-20.  There was that one word that stuck out......Go.  She challenged us with this.....If you are a Christian you already have a mission....."Go and make disciples"; you're "Good to Go"

So here is what we heard....As we prepare and when we get to Swaziland we need to see their condition, have a Christ-like compassion for them, and realize our commission.  We need to have a heart's desire of salvation for the people that we will meet and see.  We must also realize that none of what we wish to accomplish can be done with out the Holy Spirit's enabling power.  We need to fully rely on the Holy Spirit's power, not our own.  Finally we must realize that we already have everything we need through Jesus Christ, our Savior..... We're "Good to Go."  Pray for us....Blessings

By the way....as soon as we can we will post a picture of both of us.  Thank you for following along with us in this most awesome journey!

Speak for Those Who Cannot Speak for Themselves

Hi everyone this is Jane and Dave's Swaziland Blog that we are going to use to keep you informed of what God is showing us on our trip.  Our trip is scheduled from October 5th through October 14th.  We are looking forward to bringing you news and pictures from all of our experiences.  What we need most now is your prayers.  Please pray for our team, Mission of Mercy, and most of all, for the children we will serve during our trip. 

We will be conducting Vacation Bible School for approximately 200 children and work on projects at the Mercy Center in Swaziland.  We have received our "Travel Book"  that contains specific instructions, dos and don't s, the nature of our projects, and a projected itinerary.  The orientation power point presentation contained one particular eye catching phrase for our VBS........ "Plan for Chaos".  While "chaos" may be unintended, it sure does sound fun to me.  Jane, our VBS leader may not think chaos is much fun but, loving these precious children and sharing Jesus' love with them is our priority, even in the midst of chaos. 
If you would like a preview of what Mission Of Mercy does and what this trip is about, please visit the Mission of Mercy web site;  www.missionofmercy.org