| Picture found here |
I am SO excited to share the news that I have the opportunity to serve alongside brothers and sisters in Christ this July in Swaziland, Africa!
I’ve always hoped to one day have the opportunity to go to
Africa, and the day has finally arrived. A group from Dawson (the church where I work) partners with the
organization Children’s HopeChest in a “community to community” partnership
model where a local congregation from the US joins together with a community in
Swaziland for a few years or more to help build up the community, provide for
orphans, and share the name and love of Christ.
The statistics surrounding Swaziland are staggering. This
small country (roughly the size of New Jersey) is a landlocked country,
surrounded on all sides by South Africa and Mozambique. Over 60% of the population lives on less than
$1.25 a day. The HIV/AIDS epidemic has spread so rapidly among the people of
Swaziland that the United Nations has said that if something is not done soon,
the “long term existence of the country will be seriously threatened.” The HIV
infection rate is the highest in the world at 26% of adults and over 50% of
adults in their 20s. Swaziland has the lowest life expectancy in the world,
with an average life expectancy of 32 years. 32 YEARS! That is unfathomable to me.
Consequently, the number of children left to fend for themselves is astounding,
with close to 150,000 orphans in Swaziland alone. These statistics have earned
this country the nickname of “Nation of Orphans.”
| Picture courtesy of DMBC |
My specific roll on the team is to be in charge of the Child
Sponsorship portion of the trip. Similar to Compassion International
Ministries, Children’s HopeChest has a Child Sponsorship Program where we here
in the states can “adopt” a child from around the world who is connected with
one of their CarePoints. Sponsorship consists of praying for your child
regularly; sending money each month for the child’s food, clothes, health, and
spiritual development; and writing letters to your child to shower him or her
with love and encouragement. My job will be to take the newest batch of letters
from our sponsors here at Dawson, hand the child his or her letter, capture a
picture of the child reading the letter, and then bring a photo back to their
sponsor. I am overjoyed at this opportunity to love on these kids and see their
faces light up when they receive their letter. If you’ve never sponsored a
child before and are interested in learning more, PLEASE take some time to go
to http://www.hopechest.org/sponsor-a-child/
and read through the details of how you can help. It is such a unique way to
show the love of Christ to these children.
If you're reading this, may I ask that you
keep my team and me in your prayers as we head to Swaziland on July 21-31.
Please pray for the hearts of the children we will be working with, that they
may see the love of Christ in us as we play with them. Please pray for unity
among my team that we may encourage and support one another in a
Christ-honoring way. Please pray for good health, that we may have our full
strength to serve these children! And lastly, pray that hearts will be soft and
receptive to the gospel, that they may see the truth of who our God is and that
He truly is the “Father to the fatherless.”
I can't wait to share all that God does and shows me while I'm in Swaziland! Stay tuned for an update blog with details about the trip when I get back!
