Good Eatin' in Swaziland

Kwazi

Kwazi roasting marshmallows for the first time

At 14 years of age Kwazi is an example of the all too familiar life of kids in Swaziland. As of July he is orphan. His mother died 8 years ago and his father died last month. Kwazi has 2 younger brothers, Mbulelo age 11 and Majawonkhe age 8. Fortunately, unlike many children in Swaziland, all three brothers have people to stay with, however, they are not living together. Kwazi is currently living with Lori and Pastor La’Salette. Mndeni, one of the young men and a leader at church, takes him to school each day on his way to work and picks him up each evening. In the next few weeks Kwazi will move to a house 3km away and live with Jabulani, one of the assistant pastors. Mbulelo is staying with Angie, another elder at the church. Angie also cares for Zwelakhe, her 12 year old nephew, who lost both of his parents several years ago. Angie and Zwelakhe have been together a long time and call each other mother and son. Majawonkhe remains close to the only home he has known. He is good friends with a neighbor boy and now lives with his family. The boys see each other on weekends. This becomes a treasured time to play together, laugh, and simply hang out as brothers should. Even Zwelakhe is now part of the “band of brothers”.

Kwazi hangin' with the boys

Many people are coming together to raise these boys, many people who choose to live in love, to be their family and ensure their future. Praise God for the love.

Can you build a house in 1 day?

You can in Swaziland. All you need are the right materials, the right people, and the love of God. An older woman’s home in the squatter community of 19 was literally falling down on top of her. With the help of dedicated people from the community, the leaders and youth from Christian Family Church and the K-Team from the US (Kay, John, and Tom on a mission trip serving in Swaziland), a house was constructed on a sunny Saturday in June.

The materials for a stick and mud house are self-explanatory. Adding cement to the mud, rocks to the walls, and some nails and wire to secure the long branches ensure a stable structure.

Loading trees that had been cut the day before. These will be used for the frame of the house.

The frame of the house

Jabulani assess the structure

Filling the frame with rocks – watch your fingers!

Mixing the mud

Playing, uhh, I mean using the mud to finish the walls

Night fall did not stop us. All you need is a candle and the Live in Love Rav.

Checking out the new house

Welcome home!

Beauty and the Beast

Beauty is her name, the Beast is the burns. It is common in Swaziland to cook over fires. Almost a year ago Beauty’s family was preparing to do just this when she fell backwards into the fire. The burns span from her shoulder blades to the bottom of her legs, including her genital area. The pain is unimaginable. For the first many months she used the wall to lean against when she walked, to help keep her balance and hold her up. For the past few months she walks freely without the assistance of the walls but still moves slowly and stiffly. She has not been able to sit since the accident so she is always standing or lying. Despite all of this Beauty remains true to her name, inside and out. No matter how long it takes her to walk and how difficult it is, this doesn’t stop her from getting where she wants to go - usually to play and hang out with the other kids in the children’s ward at Good Shepherd Hospital. The Beast doesn’t stop her from playing, coloring, laughing, and being silly. The Beast doesn’t affect her heart, her smile, or her appetite.
Beauty is not just her name, it is who she is and the Beast will never keep her down.

Hot of the press!

Syndy just returned from a trip to Swaziland to visit Lori and here are some action shots to brighten your day! Lori is doing great and loving her work. Check it out:

Hangin' out with the kids at '19' (a community feeding location)Talking with Abraham about delivering food to the care points.
More fun with the kids.
Delivering food in one of the villages.
Helping Lomasantfo with her medicine.
Teaching the kids some of their alphabet letters.
Lori and her friend 'Loma'
Teaching 'health' class at CFC School.
Reading the bible with the students.
Striking a pose for all of us here in the States that miss her so much!

She's Back!!

Ta-Da! Lomasontfo ready to leave Pretoria in her new "going home" outfit

Lomasontfo returned home to find her sisters, their babies, and several children from the community waiting at her home to greet her. While it was dark when we arrived (and I mean DARK as there are no lights due to no electricty) the greeting was full of excitement after Lomasontfo’s 2 month absence.

Lomasontfo continues to do well. Her biggest challenge has been adjusting to her return to Maphiveni including the change in her diet. While away she had the opportunity to eat relatively well. She had 3 meals a day and even had special treats like eggs and chicken. She gained weight and looked strong and healthy. At home the reality is much different. She will get 2 meals a day, Monday through Friday, at the care point, a bowl of soft porridge in the morning and rice or pop with beans for lunch. As for the remainder of the week's meals there is little consistency. Eggs are quite rare and chicken is a once a month treat at her home when her oldest brother gets paid at the end of the month. Needless to say her hunger has been significant the first week as her body adjusted and she has lost a little weight. The good news is she is happy to be back in school, back with her friends, back to church on Sundays, and most of all she knows Jesus loves her.

Dr. Mohamed removing the wires that had been holding Lomason's jaw in place while it healed

Showing off and looking pretty

Live in Love: Kid Style

Live in Love has no age restriction. Anyone – young, old, or comfortably in between – can choose to Live in Love everyday. Here are 2 kids who choose to Live in Love, all on their own, no prompting from the grown-ups in their lives. They are remarkable and have an early start on how they want to live.

Logan, age 7Logan, like most kids, loves to eat at McDonald’s. While most kids are playing with their Happy Meal toys, Logan does something a bit different. At the age of 6 he thought about children who may not be able to eat at McDonald’s. Logan had the simple idea to donate all his McDonald Happy Meal toys to children’s hospitals around the country. His heart reaches out to other children who need something special to brighten their days; children who are sick, lonely, hurting, or afraid. Logan gives what he has and does so with a smile, no pretenses, no strings attached, nothing expected in return.

Aspen, age 8Aspen has always had beautiful long hair and never wanted to have it cut. That is until, at the age of 5, she heard about Locks of Love, a program that receives donations of hair (must be at least 10 inches long) to make natural looking wigs for children who have lost their own hair to illness and medical treatments. Aspen asked her mom to measure her hair and take her to get it cut. A few days later her hair was on the way, to help other girls. And get this: Aspen did it again last year, her second donation of hair to Locks of Love.

Logan and Aspen are the young ambassadors of Live in Love and we are so thankful for their thoughtfulness, generosity, kindness, putting others first, and, of course, their love. They simply give what they have to those who do not. We can’t wait to see how they grow, give, and love as they continue to Live in Love for many years to come. Thanks, Logan and Aspen!

Return to Pretoria

The day has arrived for Lomasontfo to return to Pretoria to have the wires holding her jaw removed. On Wednesday the Live in Love Rav will hit the road. On Thursday Lomason will have the wires removed. On Friday she will return to her home in Maphiveni. She has been away for 2 months and quite excited to see her friends, go back to her school, and attend church on Sundays. What a joyful day Friday will be for her!

Lomason continues to heal well. The swelling has decreased dramatically. Look for new photos of Lomason later this week!

Swazi Reality: Lunch