Over-due Update on the Lenexa Team

Due to the lack of internet service while the team was here, it was difficult to give you updates on what we were doing. But now here are some highlights of our time with the team and what they accomplished. Thank you for all of your prayers!! As you can tell, it was a great week and God richly blessed all those involved.

The team arrived Friday, May 29, and we were there in Johannesburg to pick them up at the airport. Saturday through Monday were spent in Manzini, during which the team was introduced to many of Swaziland’s Nazarene leaders. On Sunday the team worshiped at Sharpe Memorial, and on Monday we toured the hospital, visited clients with the HIV/AIDS Task Force, and spent time at the New Hope Centre (an orphanage run by Dr. Elizabeth Hynd). Tuesday through Saturday of that week were spent working at Endzigeni, preparing an interim nurses’ home so that extensive renovations could be done on the existing home.

The team’s work there caught the attention of Prime Minister Barnabas Dlamini, and he visited the work site on Wednesday, adding his own financial contribution to the clinic. This was a wonderful day and a huge event for our team to be involved in!

The community rallied around the project and there was a great deal of support from community members – both in encouragement and helping to do the work. One of the local chiefs gave a cow to the team to show his appreciation!

Along with the construction work, there was also a large group of the team who focused on providing a VBS for the area children. Each day of the VBS they saw over 500 children! Kids and adults both enjoyed the lessons and activities. The team also made significant contributions of food, supplies, and clothes to the HIV/AIDS Task Force.

Additionally, on June 3, Rev. Rob Prince of Lenexa Central and I led a workshop for the pastors of the Hhohho region, organized by DS Rev. Philemon Dlamini. This was a great time of discussion, teaching, and fellowship with many of the pastors in the district. Thank you for all who prayed for that day, and my part of it. I felt that the Lord really guided us and used my teaching on discipleship and mentoring young leaders in the church.

We ended our time in Swaziland by visiting the rock on which Harmon Schmelzenbach received his call to seek and save the lost of Swaziland. The view from there allows you to see a vast territory of Swaziland, and it was a breathtaking sight. Even more special was to know that all of us were there, 100 years later, because of the message that Harmon received from God on that very spot. The picture is of the team on that rock.

Thank you for your continued prayers! God is continuing to lead us into exciting and surprising new adventures all the time!