Nkobe Opening

Sunday, the grand opening of the church/CarePoint at Nkobe. Blue sky & a beautiful day. The church was packed. Dinner on the grounds went great with well over 400 meals served! Elevate did a great job of preparing the church during the week and SERVING all day Sunday. A great day, a great church in Nkobe. Issac & Carol are doing a great job there. We count it a blessing to have them as friends and co-workers for Christ.

Easter 2007

We had a great Easter, we visited with a Pastor and her church out in a rural area near Simunye, where we are planning on building a new CarePoint. The youth did a drama for Easter. It was wonderful to see those kids showing how Satan was defeated at the cross of our Lord Jesus. We spent the afternoon with the pastor and had a great time.

Today, as the kids and I were boiling, decorating, coloring and eating Easter Eggs, I couldn’t help but think about the kids at the government hospital in Mbabane. I wondered if they had gotten any candy or special treats for Easter. I asked the kids if they would like to come with me to get some candy and bring it to the kids at the hospital. So, we visited the kids and handed out suckers to all of them, including the adults. Everyone seemed pleased and very grateful, all saying “Siyabonga” (thank you), as we went from cubicle to cubicle. We got to the third cubicle and I saw a beautiful little girl sitting up in her bed, with a beautiful smile as we approached with a sucker for her. As I touched her shoulder, I realized that it felt like just a bone with skin stretched across it. I looked at her arms that looked like little sticks and my heart broke. I asked her name and how old she was. She said that her name is Rebecca and she is 9 years old and in grade 3. I introduced her to my little girl, Joelle , who is also 9 and in grade three. She seemed so happy and peaceful in spite of her physical condition. I feel sure that she knows the Lord. It makes me think, do I show the love of the Lord on my face like that, even when my circumstances aren’t what I think they should be?

We then went on to the abandoned children’s ward, where the kids were already in their cribs and it was only between 5 and 6 pm. There are several toddlers, who thoroughly enjoyed the suckers. I had my children watching each of them so they didn’t get choked on the suckers. Gabby fell in love with one of the little baby boys, who had just been brought in a couple of days ago. He was so cute, and full of smiles while eating his sucker. There are several mentally handicapped kids that live there on the abandoned children’s ward. These are definitely, forgotten ones. They have lived their whole lives there at the hospital on the abandoned children’s ward. They help with the little ones. They were telling us all of the babies’ names. The babies will usually be placed in homes like my friend Robin’s Sandra Lee Center or adopted. There are six babies/toddlers there now, waiting for a home. My kids were begging me, “Mom, please can we take this one home?” I don’t think that I am quite ready to start over with another baby at this point in my life. Danielle and Joelle were intrigued with a beautiful little baby girl with a lovely smile. Nathan was going from bed to bed, asking questions about each one. I pray that my children will always be aware of how blessed they are, and that there are little ones that are forgotten and that need our love, attention, and prayers.