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

Visit from the US Embassy

Visit from the US Embassy
Friday, February 13, was a special day for the children in the rural communities of 19 and Komba. Connie Parker, the American Ambassador's wife, arrived with 150 crocheted bears to share with the children. Her message for the children was of love and comfort. Each bear was unique with multiple colors and shapes. As Mrs. Parker handed the bears to the children there was a multitude of laughing and smiles. Children hugged their bears, held them by the arms and legs, showed their bears to each other, and 1 little guy quickly figured out how to carry his bear without hands, just like his mother carried him as a baby (and how all the women carry their babies).Ah, multiple colors and shapes… sounds like a description of the innumerable ways to Live in Love. Thank you, Connie, for showing the children how you Live in Love today.

Back to Swaziland

On Friday, February 6, Lomasontfo was released from the hospital in Pretoria. Her progress and healing has been much faster than anyone expected. She is staying in Manzini, in the clinic at the Mahkolweni Care Point for the next 4-5 weeks to ensure she is receiving proper and sufficient nutrition as her healing continues. The 2nd week of March she will return to Pretoria to have the wires stabilizing her jaw cut. Lomasontfo is enjoying her time in Manzini and is even attending the school, second grade, at the care point.

Lomasontfo's progress in photos

2 days after surgery with a special friend from Pastor LaSalette

Incision needed to tie off external carotid

3 days after surgery - talking with sister in Swaziland

World problem: How much do you have to mash food so that it will fit in a 9 year olds mouth when her jaw is wired shut and she only has an opening on the lower left side?

Looking beautiful!

1 week after surgery

Stitches out!

Lomason works the camera - she's getting good!

A little school work

Back to silly

Thank you for all your prayers!

Surgery Day

Silly Faces Always Welcome

Wednesday, January 21, the morning of Lomasontfo's surgery, began with a rousing game of Go Fish. She learned to play this game a few days prior and asks to play it everyday. At 10:00am it was time to go to the theater - no, not another movie, it is what the operating rooms are called here. Upon arrival in the hall outside the OR it was learned the anesthesiologist was running late. Time was passed with reading the bible, talking, being a bit silly, and Lomasontfo taking a brief nap. An hour and a half later it was really time for the surgery. After a prayer Lomasontfo rolled away, more calm and peaceful than I had ever seen her, praise God.


7 hours later Lomasontfo arrived in the ICU. Wow she looks different! The cyst was gone and lots of swelling contributed to her new look. The swelling will eventually go away but the cyst will never return. Her progress has been good and more updates are forth coming.

It is amazing to see God's hand at work, using so many people to make this happen for Lomasontfo. Without this surgery and reconstruction her prognosis was not good. The cyst would continue to grow rapidly and potentially create life-threatening challenges. The love of God, the love of many people here, and the love of people around the world praying for her are a beautiful display of the power of love. What a wonderful way to Live in Love everyday, caring about a child in need, whether near or far, whether you know her or not. Prayer and love - a great combination.

Lomasontfo returns to Pretoria

The call came from the surgeon that it was time for Lomasontfo to return to Pretoria for the big surgery to remove the bone cyst. A week later the Live in Love Rav4 was packed up and headed across the border into South Africa. Upon arrival the vascular surgeon did his assessment and shared his plan for tying off her external carotid artery to greatly decrease the risk of excessive bleeding during the surgery. With the weekend and nothing scheduled for Lomasontfo her doctor agreed to her leaving the hospital, getting a break before the surgery when she will need to be there for several weeks. So, what is it like for a girl who lives in a rural area with no electricity or running water to spend a weekend in the city? She was in another world...

Everything was new and so unlike anything she had ever seen or experienced before, from the bath tub at the hotel to the escalator at a mall. She went to a movie, Madagascar 2, and simply being in the lobby was on the verge of overwhelming. When the lights went off and the previews started she leaned into Lori and asked,"Is it night?" This was the only way for her to relate to a place so dark despite it being the middle of the afternoon... outside. When she saw an escalator she once again had the expression of confusion, intrigue, and excitement all at once. Something so simple to many of us, something we use often without thinking twice, became an amusement park ride to Lomasontfo. She wanted to try it. As she stood at the top and watched the stairs moving she was hesitant, unsure of how to get on. With brief instruction and a strong hand to guide and steady her she stepped on and instantly was amazed. At the bottom, with a 1-2-3 and another helpful hand, she didn't merely step off but made a great leap, a triumphant accomplishment completed. She had so much fun with this she went up and down at least 4 more times. By the last time she was determined to do it by herself, no "helping hand". The smile, the bright eyes, the energy in her steps and jumps - you would have thought we were at Disneyland. Actually, for her, it was Disneyland.

Another Reality: Road Signs

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