Christmas in Swaziland

The children had a great opportunity to celebrate at the annual Christian Family Church and Children’s Cup Christmas Party. Almost 1000 children and a few hundred adult volunteers were on hand at the soccer stadium in Tambankulu. Children were bused in from numerous rural areas. The children participated in activities including face painting, soccer, water slide, and jumping castles.

Pastor LaSalette gets in on the face painting.

Make shift water slide: long sheet of black plastic, sprinklers, hill....

Look out, comin' through!

A wonderful lunch was served including stew, pop (a Swaziland staple), beet root, cole slaw, and juice. When the children departed they each received a gift bag to take home.

mmmmm....... stew

Can you say "cole slaw"?

African woman are some of the strongest women in the world.

1 potato, 2 potato, 3 potato, 4.......

9 large pots were needed to cook the stew, pap, and rice. The fires were started at 5:00 am to ensure the pots would be hot enough to cook all the food.

While Swaziland couldn’t be further away from a white Christmas, a great time was had by all.

On a side note, do you know how much food and preparation it takes to feed 1300 people?

Take a look…

230 kilograms of meat

(1 of the many uses for a Rav in Swaziland)

Beet root...

...and more beet root

A small sampling of the food waiting to be prepared.

Bongi, Praise and Worship Leader at Christian Family Church International, shreds cabbage at lightning speed.

After hours of shredding, Bongi takes a well-deserved break as the food preparation the night before the party continues through the night.

Grab a knife, grab a veggie, start chopping....

Mother and daughter team Teresa and Danielle tackle the carrots.

Lori chopping and shredding, too

Are we done yet?

The final count:

230 kg's of meat (507 lbs)
50 kg's of potatoes (110 lbs)
20 kg's of carrots (44 lbs)
150 kg's of rice (330 lbs)
30 cabbages

30 kg's of green peppers (66 lbs)

Way too many onions to remember

NEW MAILING ADDRESS

Effective January 1, 2009 Heartworks/Live in Love will have a new corporate address.

Heartworks/Live in Love
Attn: Synthia Miller
35333 180th Ave.
Pleasant Hill, IL 62366

Thanks to all our loyal and generous supporters for the wonderful year we've had. Please update your records with our new address and keep those donations coming!

Lomasontfo update

Lomasontfo returned to Pretoria last week for a brief visit and biopsy before the big surgery. Although the doctor was unable to complete the biopsy due to excessive bleeding the trip was good. More information was gathered about the upcoming surgery and after care.Lomasontfo also had her 2nd visit to McDonald’s with her first cheeseburger and several more firsts including a bubble bath, stay in a hotel, eating an omelet, learning to take photos with Lori’s cell phone, learning to use Pastor Mike’s calculator, and shooting straw wrappers. She also enjoyed watching her classmates in a video on the laptop sing songs and praying as they do each morning. She sang along and prayed with them as she watched it over and over again. It was like she was there with them.
On the return drive to Swaziland she said,”Lori, I want the songs.” And spent the remainder of the drive smiling and singing.

In the first week or 2 of January she will go back to Pretoria for surgery to remove the cyst/tumor and her jaw and reconstruct this area of her face. This is expected to take a minimum of 5-6 hours and a hospital stay of 2 weeks if all goes well. Please pray for Lomasontfo, her doctors, nurses, and all those caring for her. Updates and information will continue as well as photos of her progress.

Catch up with Lomasontfo

(If this is your first encounter with Lomasontfo, check out the previous posts in the blog to learn more.)

Lomasontfo is doing well, back in Swaziland and at school after 1 week in hospital in Pretoria. During her hospital stay the doctor, did extensive x-rays and CT scans. Although the aneurismal bone cyst has grown significantly, at least triple the size in 5 months, the good news is the vascularity has decreased and it is surrounded by bone which will make it easier to remove. The current plan is to remove the cyst and her lower left jaw then reconstruct with a metal plate. The metal plate is modeled after her right lower jaw using 3-D images from the CT scans. Since the metal plate is specifically made for her, it will take 1-2 weeks to be ready. In the meantime, Lomsasontfo has returned to Swaziland until a date for the surgery and return to Pretoria is set, hopefully within the next week. The next hospital stay will begin with a biopsy to determine what is inside the cyst and if it is benign or malignant. The biopsy will begin with a small needle to assess the level of bleeding. If the bleeding is too much the biopsy will not be done and her carotid artery may need to be tied off during the surgery. Along with the maxilo-facial surgeon, there will also be a vascular surgeon and neurosurgeon involved. After the surgery, Lomasontfo’s jaw will be wired shut for 6 weeks. At some point in the future, bone grafts will be attempted and if they work the metal plate will be removed so her jaw and mouth can continue to grow as she does.

While this all sounds, and is, invasive and overwhelming, Lomasontfo is strong, both in health and in spirit. She has many people praying for her, her doctors, and everyone involved in caring for and supporting her. God’s hand has been in this process and will continue to be. He is involved in every aspect, including the considerable financial burden; a refund on the x-rays (has anyone ever heard of a refund from any type of medical cost?), the doctors in the radiology department at a different hospital deciding to do the CT scans for free, and the hospital where she stays taking 20% off all the remaining charges! No doubt He has a plan for this remarkable girl and we can’t wait to see what He does next.

Clarification and corrections from previous posts: Initially Lomasontfo was reported to be 11 years old. She is 9 years old. The confusion originated from her being the 11^th of 12 children. All 12 children have the same mother with 5 different fathers. Of all her siblings, Lomsasontfo is the only child from her father. Both her mother and father are no longer living.

Swazi Reality: Laundry & Cooking

We Are Marching to Pretoria!

Finally! Lori and Lomasontfo have made it to the hospital in Pretoria. After lots of waiting, red tape and more waiting, the cyst on Lomasontfo's neck is being treated by the doctors in South Africa. Please keep her in your prayers over the next week as she undergoes treatment so far from home.

Can you see me now?

The longer Live in Love is in Swaziland, the realization grows of how easy many things are in the US in comparison. This week brought a trip to the Eye Clinic at Good Shepherd Hospital, a 45 minute drive to the closest eye care. The Live in Love Rav 4 was full: two 11 year old girls with undiagnosed eye problems, an elderly man who is blind, Abraham the wonderful interpreter, and Lori behind the wheel. The breakfast menu during the drive consisted of bread and bananas. Upon arrival at the clinic it took a few wrong turns before we found our way to the Eye Clinic. What relief to discover a much shorter line compared to the line of at least 120 people where we started. The wait to see the doctor was about 2 hours. When we (yes, all 5 of us together) entered the exam room there were other people being examined; you could call it a “community exam room” with minimal privacy and confidentiality. We took our seats in line, once again, on a bench.The older man was seen first. He was diagnosed with glaucoma and cataracts in both eyes. His left eye is completely blind and beyond any repair. The good news: the doctor believes a small amount of vision may recoverable in his right eye. The older man was admitted to the hospital, scheduled to have surgery the next day, and then return home the following day. What joy he will have at seeing his young grandson, a dedicated boy who walks with him, guiding him wherever he goes.Manswane is the first of the 2 girls to be seen. Her left eye rolls back several times through the day. The doctor informed us she has a lazy eye but is too old now to patch and strengthen her eye. The good news: There are no other problems with her eyes.Then it was Hlengiwe’s turn. Her eyes have been red (almost darker in appearance), itching, some bleeding, pain, and her eyelids seem to not open as much. All of this has been getting worse. Upon examination the doctor discovered several things including allergies, significant dryness of the eyelids, conjunctivitis (pink eye), and a staph infection. The staph infection is also in and around her nose as well as her forehead. The good news: the doctor prescribed 3 medications – eye drops, antibiotic ointment, and oral antibiotics and the pharmacy had all the medicines and no line.

The great news: When I asked about the cost for the prescriptions and the older man’s surgery the doctor, a kind Christian himself who has been in Swaziland for many years, said, “Don’t worry about it.” Sure enough we got to the pharmacy for Hlengiwe’s medicines and there was no charge. And the older man? 2 nights in the hospital and surgery for free!

Follow-up: When the older man was discharged from the hospital Friday he had a huge smile on his face… he can see!

The greatest news of all? God is good and still performs miracles everyday, big and small, whether we notice them or not. So, keep an eye out…

Update on Lomasontfo

While I had hoped to write a post that says something like, “Lomasontfo arrived in Pretoria as scheduled. She has been receiving great care and the cyst is beginning to shrink.” Unfortunately, she never made it out of Swaziland. One word: government. The appropriate actions and documents needed to obtain a medical visa were not complete. Almost 2 weeks later and there is no progress. The good news is that Lomasontfo continues to go to school everyday, church on Sundays, and play jump rope with her friends. Updates will continue…

Swazi Reality: Home

Welcome to this first post in a series about the day to day reality of life in a squatter community in rural Swaziland.

Love in Action: Betty the Quilting B, Part 2

Love in Action: The Quilting B, Part 2

TV News Coverage:
http://www.wgrz.com/video/default.aspx?mid=880653512

Last year Live in Love introduced Betty Miller who makes quilts for vulnerable children including 100 quilts for orphans in Kenya (check out the blog post). This year has been no exception.Along with her regular quilting projects, Betty once again joyfully accepted a special quilting mission: the children of Swaziland. Betty’s hands are skilled to make the quilts, but her heart is as much, if not more, a part of the process. She is not satisfied to simply make a bunch of quilts. Oh, no, Betty thoughtfully selects the material. With the children in mind she chooses beautiful colors and patterns, some for boys and some for girls. Each quilt Betty handmakes is unique in color and design. Betty crafts each quilt with gentleness, kindness, and love.When Syndy arrived in Swaziland her bags were heavy and packed full with Betty’s quilts. One bag was ready to bust at the seams! It was so important for the quilts to get to the children that many other items were left in the states, including items requested by missionaries, most of Syndy’s clothes, and all of her shoes. (Thankfully, Syndy and Lori where the same size.) With some sleep, a shower, and a meal, 12 hours after Syndy’s arrival Live in Love hit the road and headed for the pediatric ward at Good Shepherd Hospital in Siteki near the Mozambique border. The percentage of children at Good Shepherd who are HIV+ is staggering. It never drops below 70% and the majority of the time it is 90%. In addition to HIV, many of the children have burns, are severely malnourished, and some are abandoned.The quilts were received with an abundance of smiles, thank you’s, and disbelief that the quilts now belonged to the children, that the quilts were for the children to keep. One young girl spent the rest of the morning strolling around the ward, clasping her new quilt around her shoulders like the elegant cape of a princess. There was no doubt how special she felt.
On a personal note, I can not express fully how honored I was to carry the quilts into the ward on Betty’s behalf. I wanted her to be there to personally select a quilt for each child. I imagine her gently laying a quilt upon a sleeping baby then wrapping a quilt around another child, covering them with her warmth and love.
Betty reaches across the miles, sewing love in the hearts of children. I am thankful to know her and to be a tiny part of her ministry to children in need. Thank you, Betty, for all you do.
If you are interested in donating quilting supplies to Betty's Love in Action Quilting Project, please contact us for additional information at LILBlog@aol.com. The average cost of supplies per quilt is approximately $10 if everything is purchased on sale. Each quilt requires 2 yards of print fabric, 2 yards of matching solid fabric and 2 yards of batting plus the necessary thread, yarn and ribbon for completion. Betty does not accept cash donations for her quilting project but she gladly accepts donations of cotton fabric, thread, batting and gift cards for Joanne Fabrics. Fabric donations must be cotton or poly-cotton blends that are child appropriate. Please NO patriotic patterns or symbolism.

Meet Lomasontfo

Lomasontfo is like other 9 year old girls. She likes the color pink, likes stickers, and likes to jump rope with her friends. One thing that makes her different is the large vascular growth on the side of her face. She has had this for many months and despite hospitalizations in Mbabane, Swaziland, and Pretoria, South Africa, the cyst has not decreased in size. So, Tuesday morning, she is returning to Pretoria. Lori with Live in Love will be there with her to help her settle in, adjust to being in hospital again, and cope with difficult procedures and being away from the community she knows.

Lomasontfo is representative of many children in Swaziland and Africa. She is an orphan and although she stays with a few older sisters, they have babies and consider Lomasontfo an outsider because she has a different father.

While in Pretoria the doctors will continue their work on decreasing the cyst. The biggest challenge comes from the significant vascularity of the growth. This means they can not cut into it as they would not be able to stop the bleeding and Lomasontfo would not survive. The days ahead may be hard but the “L” team is on it and we’re pretty tough – that’s Lomansontfo, Lori, and Live in Love. Please keep her, the doctors, and those caring for her in thought and prayer. I will post updates this week so please check back.

Word from the Frontline

Thank you friends for all your prayers and financial support during the past many months while Lori has been getting set up at her new home in Tambankulu Swaziland. I just returned from a 2 week trip there and want to let everyone know first hand that she is doing great! My trip was wonderful and humbling as always and it was amazing to see the work that Lori has begun in this small Kingdom.Over the next several days, I'll be posting stories and pictures from my trip so that you can all share in the mission that God has called Lori to. During my stay with Lori, we visited 6 different Care Points, 2 of the 6 hospitals in the country, the local elementary school run by the Christian Family Church where Lori has plugged in, and 2 countries. We put over 500km on her new 'old' car and enjoyed countless hours of laughing, sharing, praying and at times, even a tear or two.
Please check back often and read about our Excellent Adventures in Swaziland. To be continued soon... Syndy

Photo Tour Update

It’s day 7 of the Live in Love Photo Tour 2008. Syndy’s cameras are smoking with over 1600 photos and there are 5 days to go. We have traveled to many rural communities, bumping and jostling down dirt roads that were more holes, rocks, and ruts than actually road. We have been a few feet from the Mozambique border. We have seen children smiling with a sparkle in their eyes, wrapped in their new quilts made by "Gogo" Betty. We have seen children so malnourished they are literally starving to death. We have been hugged and thanked. We have had small children grab our hands and hold on tight, wanting nothing more than safe and comforting touch. We have seen poverty, illness, tears. We have seen thankfulness, love, and hope.

Please continue to pray for Syndy while she is traveling, for her safety, health, and return home. Stay tuned in the weeks ahead for Syndy’s photos.

A common sight in Swaziland

Limited clothes… and if you find something to drink, grab it, don’t wait.

A note from Lori...

As I begin my 4th month in Swaziland it is difficult to put words to all I have seen and experienced. I am still adjusting to a vastly different culture and socio-economic environment. The poverty, illness, malnutrition, and abuse are, at times, overwhelming. But love is alive here. I often find it in the eyes of a mother comforting her child or in the grasp of a child’s hand in mine.

Live in Love is making strides with the development of the Children’s HIV Intervention Program in Swaziland (CHIPS) in partnership with our good friend Teresa Rehmeyer (view earlier posts about Teresa and check out the blog at http://www.rehmeyers.blogspot.com/). This program will provide access to HIV testing and treatment as well as individual and community support for children and their caregivers. During a 4 hour clinic in the Maphiveni area in August, Teresa saw 64 children. One-third of these children were identified as needing to be tested for HIV simply from current symptoms and limited family history. This does not include the many children who are HIV positive but are not yet symptomatic. There are at least 300 children in the Maphiveni community and Maphiveni is 1 of 7 communities we will reach with this program. You can do the math.

There are more Live in Love programs and projects in the works and we look forward to sharing them with you as they grow.

Thank you for continuing this support journey with Live in Love as we serve the children of Swaziland. Thank you for your support prayerfully, financially, and with words of encouragement. To continue to assist the children in rural Swaziland we need your help. Tax-deductible donations may be mailed to Heartworks, Attn: S. Miller, 150 St. Charles Rd, Carol Stream, IL 60188. Please write Live in Love on the memo line. Prayer is most welcome anytime and anywhere. Encouraging words may be sent to the above address or e-mailed to lorilil@hotmail.com.

Yes, love is alive here… an ideal place to Live in Love.

Live in Love. Everyday.
Choose it. Live it. Do it.
Lori

Children: The Heart of Live in Love

Next time you think your chair is uncomfortable...

These are the chairs from the school near Maphiveni. Ouch! Fortunately some of the men who work at Christian Family Church are building new seats and backs for the chairs. They are also painting them bright colors. Stay tuned for an updated photo of the new chairs!

Live in Love: Meet Thobile

She has the heart of a warrior and a beautiful smile. Her body, however, is wasting away, as fragile as a baby bird. She has HIV/AIDS, multi-drug resistant TB, malnutrition, and pain in her legs that make it difficult to walk. She has been in the hospital twice in the past 3 weeks. When we visited her during the most recent admission the sight was almost too much to bear. The hospital ward was so crowded we found Thobile lying on the floor, under another patient’s bed.

Her mother sat faithfully on the cold, hard floor next to her, where she also slept each night. Thobile was shivering, breathing hard, had high fever, could not walk and weighed less than we had ever seen. We knelt down beside her, leaning in under the bed above her. Then we realized she was reaching up to us. Not with her arms or her head, but with her beautiful smile, shining through her darkness for a moment to convey her joy and love at seeing us, of us simply being there with her. That’s the thing about choosing to Live in Love. It doesn’t matter what you can or can’t do. It doesn’t matter if you’re sick or healthy, rich or poor. What does matter is being there, reaching out with a simple smile in the midst of pain and suffering to ensure someone knows how much you appreciate them, how much you love them. Thobile did not speak that night but her smile said more than any words could. Take a moment today and smile. Really smile. A genuine meaningful smile. It’s another simple way to Live in Love.

A few days later, Thobile was off the floor and on a small cot. Her pain had decreased, her fever was down, and her smile was strong.

Photography Trip Scheduled

On September 11th, Syndy will be traveling to Swaziland for a 12 day visit with Lori, LaSalette and the Rehymeyers. The list of photographic requests is long but the visit will be filled with energy and excitement. We will be sure to post updates and all our favorite 'pics' later in September when Syndy returns. If you have anything small and lightweight that you'd like delivered, please send it to Heartworks Inc. 150 E. St. Charles Rd. Carol Stream, IL 60188. All deliverable items need to be at the office by Wednesday, September 3rd.

Photo's from Lori and Kay - 1st Week in Swazi

Lori with a little guyKay teaching Bible study at a Care Point
One of the housemothers--8 toddlers in her care--can you imagine?!LaSalette... sporting her new Live in Love t-shirt imprinted with "Born to Feed" on the back