Monday, October 29, 2012

The Moment We've Been Waiting For

This quote was posted on Facebook last week by one of the Lesibovu leadership. I love it and agree with it so much:

"Orphans are easier to ignore before you know their names. They are easier to ignore before you see their faces. It is easier to pretend they're not real before you hold them in your arms. But once you do, everything changes.” David Platt


Five months ago, Alli and I returned from Swaziland. Emotions we felt included:
elation, exhaustion, frustration, concern, joy, love, pain,

and above all, HOPE. 

We knew that our eyes were opened to something we could not forget. When a friend recently was researching the situation in Swaziland more on her own, I got hours of texts from her. Sobbing, angry, amazed that this kind of poverty, illness, and abuse is going on, seemingly unnoticed by the majority of the world. Her question was, "So now what? What do we do?!"

That's exactly how Alli and I felt. I described to my friend the incredible sense of being pulled toward a challenge and commitment we could not ignore. I told her there was only one thing we knew to do, so we were doing it. That one thing is to help find sponsors for a group of children at a carepoint that we visited. And today, we get to show you the profiles and the precious faces of 82 children who need support from us. 
...deep breath, tears of joy and amazement....

Please look at this link. Pray for these sweet kiddos, aged 2-15. 

So, what can you do?
  • Please consider if you can sponsor one or more of them. 
  • Share the link with people you know. 
  • Join us this coming weekend, as we celebrate our friends' return to the US, and come visit with them, and see these profiles in person.

We will be hosting three events over three days. We tried very hard to make opportunities easy for you all to choose how you can be involved even during a busy weekend. We would love to see you, introduce you to our Swazi missionaries, the McAdams and Clyburns, and also Wil Crooks, from Children's HopeChest, and share a meal or dessert with you.

Details about the events: These are family friendly, easy events. You can drop in, visit, hear about the work HopeChest is doing, and have dessert on Friday. Same with breakfast Saturday. Sunday is a lunch just after our worship service, and since the time changes the night before, we will all be hungry and will eat immediately. Wil is going to share during the meal, so no one has to linger too long with tired little people.

11/2 Friday night: 7-9 pm Dessert and coffee bar (no charge) at The Church at Shelby Crossings, 532 George Roy Pkwy, Calera AL 35040

11/3 Saturday brunch:
9-11:30 am Breakfast buffet (no charge) at the Weatherly Clubhouse, 100 Wembley Way, Alabaster  AL 35007

11/4 Sunday lunch: 11:45 am -1 pm Lunch ($5 adults, $3 kids) at Shelby Crossings,
532 George Roy Pkwy, Calera AL 35040

You can also follow us on Facebook and keep up with the events here.

We are praying for God to prepare those willing to sponsor children, and that His goodness will be evident through the testimonies given. Thank you for your encouragement as we have anticipated this day for so long!

Friday, October 26, 2012

Why I'm SO Excited about November 2nd - 4th!


This post is my attempt at sharing the burden on my heart about Swaziland. I feel like I have talked with anyone who will listen, and posted on Facebook and blogged, and on and on, but that it's not enough. This is not about a humanitarian action, though it is that too. It's not about a bandwagon I've jumped on, though I sure am passionate. The reason is that children's lives are at stake.

Next weekend will be the culmination of what God has led us toward since Alli and I returned from our trip in May.  We will host three events over three days, to reach as many people as possible with the need of the Swazi people, and how we specifically can help the children there. This is an effort to reach out to our community, with a feasible way that folks here in Alabama can hear in person the impact of sponsoring children. We have the amazing privilege of hearing from Wil Crooks, who works with Children's Hope Chest, and his job is his passion. Speaking with him for a few minutes makes that clear. He helps churches and communities like ours connect with a care point to facilitate sponsorship.
Wil and his family

Steven and Amy
On hand at different times throughout the weekend will also be the precious friends who first really educated us on Swaziland and shared their hearts for the place they were going to make their home.
Allison and 2 carepoint children








I'm so grateful for the fact that God worked out details so they could be here for the weekend!

Here are the details on each event. We would love it if you could join us for at least one of them, and consider sponsoring a child at Lesibovu. $34/month is a life-changing investment. If you realize the great good that HopeChest does, and the way those funds truly go to support their community, $34 is such a small amount.

Feel free to invite anyone who is interested in orphan care, vulnerable children, Africa, or reaching those who need to be loved on with Christ's love!

Friday night free dessert/coffee bar -  https://www.facebook.com/events/340913202672303/

Saturday morning free come-and-go brunch - https://www.facebook.com/events/425091370887720/

Sunday lunch details - https://www.facebook.com/events/423276887721992/

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Another view

I recently read an article by a new Facebook friend who is living in Manzini, Swaziland right now. I asked for her permission to share it because it touched me deeply. Kimberly shared her thoughts after working on the profile information for these children mentioned below, some of who walk three hours daily to get food. These are children from Lesibovu, children we met and hugged on in May, little ones who were scared of us, and big ones who held our hands and asked for photos to be taken with us.
These are the kids whom we are seeking sponsors for, beginning November 2!

I cannot imagine walking three miles for one meal. I surely cannot picture my 4 year old doing this every day. Yet, there are kids around the world so desperate for food that they really have no choice. We know of these children, and of this community, and we can help them. They have a pastor, a church building, and a few adults already willing to invest of their time and cook for them. However, they need more.

They need: 
- hope and the knowledge that they're loved and valuable.
- to know that there is a Sustainer who sees their hardship and their tenacity.
- to hear of the Savior who provides so much more than physical nourishment.

They are worthy of time, prayers, emotion, resources, and the efforts here, by some folks in Alabama, to try to make a difference, to give them opportunities to hear the wonderful news 
that He loves them, and we do too. 

Please read this beautiful perspective and pray for these children, and for the Lord to provide partners for their futures.

It’s Just a Three Hour Walk

by kimberly woolridge

I’ve been helping Adventures in Missions with some administration here in Swaziland. Doing admin can start to feel tedious and it’s easy to lose focus on the purpose behind it. However, I am realizing that I kind of enjoy doing admin, especially when God helps me see the impact it really has in a ministry.

One of the things I was able to help with was entering children’s sponsor profiles into the system for the new Lesibovu care point. A care point is a type of community center where often hundreds of kids come for a safe place to be during the day or after school. It’s also a place for them to get a meal and in some cases, get education if a school is attached to the care point. Lots of children and young adults from surrounding areas walk to the closest care point every week day. The children at each care point have papers filled out with all kinds of information about their families, schools, and homes. The profiled children are then put up for sponsorship by people all over. One of the questions asked during profiling is how long it takes them to walk to the care point. Many children walk only 10-30 minutes to get to their care point. As I was entering this information for the Lesibovu care point, I saw that most children don’t have too far to walk. But every now and then, I discovered that some children have to walk for three hours to reach their care point.

Did you hear me? A three hour walk. To a place where their basic needs can be partially met. A walk to a place where they can be a little safer. Each care point offers something, but even so, not all needs are met. My point is that many children walk barefoot, for three hours, to reach a care point that offers a little bit more than their families can. The Lord is using AIM to come along side care points and help support them. People here with AIM are getting to know the Swazi people in order that they can meet basic needs and also spiritual needs. It’s so important to meet physical and spiritual needs, and God is equipping his people here to do so.

When I saw that three hours, it really gave me some perspective. I’m still not sure how to connect how seeing that children walk for three hours fits with the importance of administration, but I know it does, and I’m trying to process it. But I do know that it hit me like a ton of bricks. There is purpose in the tedious.

 {originally posted at http://kimberlywoolridge.wordpress.com/2012/10/07/its-just-a-three-hour-walk}