Molly Update

So in case you haven't heard, Molly departed for her mission trip this past Wednesday, September 23rd. She left out of San Francisco at 6 am (!) and arrived in McAllen, Texas later that day. AIM staff met participants at the airport and drove them across the border to their home for the next two months.

During the training portion of their trip, the entire Novas group will be living and working out The Gateway, AIM's mission base in Matamoros, Mexico. Molly is bunking with 26 girls in a giant room. She reports that it is beautiful and raining right now. The day after arriving, the participants began a two day period of solitude to focus on prayer and connecting with God. They were given reading and journaling assignments. Molly has found this time challenging, but valuable.

On December 1, Molly will be flying to Swaziland with her teammates Jessica, Lila, Katie, Bryan, and John. They will be working with orphans at the Nsoko care point through next May.

Here are a couple of team pics from their training camp last month:



You can follow along with Molly's journey at her blog by here: http://mollymcrae.myadventures.org/.

Also, here is an address where you can send letters while the team is in Mexico:

Molly McRae
C/O: Tag Thompson
Adventures in Missions
6000 Wellspring Trail
Gainesville, GA 30506

They will keep the letters there and as staff goes down to Mexico they will take any mail which comes in. Make sure to send a message of encouragement!

Molly's New Blog!

A couple of months ago, we were thrilled to find out that Molly, the young woman that my husband and I are mentoring through shared life, was accepted to Adventures in Missions' "First Year Missionary" program in South Africa/Swaziland. She will spend nine months with a team in southern Africa experiencing intentional discipleship in ministry and missions.

As part of the preparation process, AIM sets up each participant with their own blog site and gives them specific assignments to complete before the trip begins. Once on the field, the participants use their blogs to keep friends and supporters updated with prayer requests, stories and pictures.

You can visit Molly's site here. She has already blogged about her expectations of the trip, her calling to missions, and the reality of life for orphans in Swaziland.

Here's a snippet from her bio:

I have felt for the past couple years that God might be calling me to Africa, and more specifically He has begun to break my heart for Swaziland. When I found the First Year Missionary Program, I learned that I could serve in Swaziland and be mentored into my future in missions. This program was exactly what I had been looking for. So now, I have begun the journey and look forward to what God has for me next.

Please feel free to visit Molly's blog and leave a comment of encouragement!

The Politics of Poverty

This kind of stuff frustrates me to no end...

Mbabane

The irony is not lost on Swazis: the population is among the world's poorest, and yet the kingdom is classified as a "middle-income country". How come?

According to Musinga Timothy Bandora, resident coordinator of the UN Development Programme (UNDP), "A nation's wealth is measured by several factors; this includes gross national product." In the case of Swaziland, ruled by sub-Saharan Africa's last absolute monarch, if the nation's wealth were equally distributed, each Swazi would receive US$100,000.

In per capita income terms, Swaziland ranks somewhere between Armenia and Paraguay, with export earnings based on agriculture and textiles; but, in terms of the share of the national wealth, the richest 10 percent of Swazis control over 50 percent of the country's income, a level of inequality worse than in Brazil or South Africa, and beaten only by Namibia.

"Swaziland isn't a poor nation when you measure its gross domestic product; the problem is that the wealth is being siphoned off by a few people, with the king and the royal family top of the tree. What's left, and it isn't much, goes to the people," said Richard Rooney, associate professor of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Swaziland.

UNDP figures show that about 70 percent of Swazis live in chronic poverty. A record 60 percent of the population relied on food assistance from the World Food Programme and other aid groups in the past year due to drought, and the country has the world's highest HIV prevalence rate.

The Coordinating Assembly of Non-Governmental Organisations (CANGO), has expressed concern that Swaziland's classification as a middle-income country - despite the desperate need of its people - hinders fund raising for development projects.

"It is not fair that poor people be denied aid because Swaziland is so small that a handful of super-rich skew the income demographics to make the country look richer than it is."

Timbali Crafts

When I traveled to Swaziland in November of 2006, I was blessed to stay with missionary Julie Anderson and see her ministry first-hand. She has launched a website to promote the craft co-op that she runs; anyone can now order the fabric purses that Swazi women make to support themselves. The co-op is a great group that is making a real difference in the lives of women and children in Swaziland. For more info about the country and this ministry, read below or click the link here.

(fyi, Swaziland is the country Molly will be ministering in on her nine-month mission trip)

Swaziland is a small country in Southern Africa.
Over 40% of the population is HIV positive, there
are more than 120,000 orphans, and the life
expectancy for women is the lowest in the world, at
only 33 years.

Around the country, feeding centers have been
created to help provide regular meals for the many
orphans who lack proper care. The majority of
these care points are run by women, who
themselves are also facing many hardships as the
result of the HIV/AIDS crisis.

Timbali Crafts was started in 2006 to help
generate an income for the 45+ women who work
as volunteer cooks at the eight feeding centers in
the rural area of Engculwini. Crafts sales allow the
women to earn an income for their families, and
also continue on with their volunteer work, which is
vital to their community.

Timbali Crafts also seeks to reach out to the
spiritual needs of the women, through regular
Bible studies, retreats and special events.

As Timbali Crafts continues to grow, even more
women in Swaziland will be able to become
involved in this income generating opportunity,
and further outreach to underprivileged women will
be funded.

Timbali Crafts is directed by Julie Anderson,
missionary with Adventures In Missions.

Portrait of a Disciple

Discipleship is a huge passion of mine - I believe it's what our role in the Christian life is all about. About a year ago (to the day!), I posted this while imagining what modern discipleship could look like. I think y'all are due for an update.

I'll start with an excerpt from my post: "Late-night ramblings of a would-be disciple-maker"

Imagine…

if we chose to share a home with a disciple, intentionally sharing all aspects of our life with them? It would be costly… maybe we couldn't spend so much time at work, pouring into a career. Less time to spend on self-fulfilling hobbies. We’d have to develop our own faith, make it worthy of sharing. Maybe get a little flexible with the definitions of “mine” and “yours”.

What if...

over dinner, we dreamed together of what could happen in our church, our community? What if we shared our God-given passions and encouraged one another to follow them shamelessly? What if, over breakfast, we prayed and devoted ourselves to living out His call?

...The question is, are there people out there that would be interested in being the disciplee in such an intense relationship? If I (or anybody) actually offered this up, would there be any takers? I do believe there would be. Not everyone, sure, but a few. And those are the ones I want to pour into.

One year later, I'm proud to say that I took my own challenge. And every day I marvel at how God has blessed our family because of our openness.

Molly graduated from high school last June, and moved into our home immediately following our Guatemala mission trip in July (she was one of the partcipants). So, how's it been going?

Molly and I meet regularly to read God's word and pray together. No, we're not perfect at this, but we've seen great blessings come out of these times. And that's not it!

We sing praise songs together. We laugh (a lot). We challenge one another. We help her with her math homework (ok, that one's all Gary!). We discuss ministry, church, what Christian community could be. We make up silly songs. We dream about Africa, about caring for orphans in Swaziland. In essence, we're living shared life. "Doing life together", as I've heard some say.

Would this work for everyone? I think it depends. What makes it so successful here, I think, is Molly's desire to grow and to contribute. She is pursuing her relationship with God wholeheartedly, which is a beautiful thing to see in anyone.

God has placed in her a heart for missions, and has given her the incredible opportunity to serve as a First Year Missionary in Swaziland. She'll be leaving next September to serve a nine-month internship.

She will be a light in a dark place, ministering to the poor, caring for AIDS orphans, truly caring for the least of these. I am honored to be her prayer/accountability partner, supporting her from back home while she's on the field. I know that God will work through her in a mighty way, and I am humbled to be a part of it.


"The Fam-Bam"

"This Should Shock and Outrage Us"

The latest post on Seth Barnes' blog:

We have a team in Swaziland, that nation in Africa where nearly half the adult population has the AIDS virus. I received this email from Gary Black in Swaziland today and it wrecked me:

"The team found a four week-old laying on its dead mother yesterday, they kept it - we are getting it to the abandoned baby hospital Friday."

What do we do with this? That's my son's team down there. I don't know about you, but I'm outraged by a world that produces situations like this. And while that may seem like a world away to many, for my son, it's as immediate as it is heart-wrenching.

The only thing that appalls me more is that so many of us Americans who can do something about this are more interested in stuff that will only ultimately burn up in the big fire. God help us. God, help us to wake up. Help us to see how much you love the widow and the orphan. God help us to break as you are broken up over this four week-old.

God, help me to lose this tortoise shell religion that sheds these kinds of tragic situations like water. Forgive me God for not praying more. Forgive me for not emptying my bank account for your little ones. God, we have lost true religion. We have sought finer sanctuaries and better parking lots.

We have tried to fill our church pews with seekers, but we have not sought your children dying on their mother's chests. We need to see a way out of this mess that we've got ourselves in. God, help us in this 21st century mindset that we've acquired. I don't even know what else to pray.

What are we waiting for?

A passionate, convicting plea from a Children's Cup worker in Swaziland (with my response at the bottom):

What Will it Take in 2008?

A buoyant great joy and an unspeakable sorrow both sweep through my soul as I remember 2007.

Children’s Cup grew to double the number of CarePoints and the number of children we care for (about 7000 now) whose lives we have seen Jesus change.

But how quickly other scenes ambush my heart as I look at the ones still waiting for our help.

I can tell you how it feels to watch a sobbing child’s body shut down with AIDS.

I have heard dying mothers plead for someone to care for the children she will leave behind.

I have watched orphaned children—in one case a 6 year-old girl—become the sole protector and breadwinner for her younger siblings.

I know of dozens of unwanted and unnamed toddlers who were handed off to village men to be sold for sex. If the children wanted even a morsel of food they would have to do whatever the man wanted.

I can tell you the problem is growing faster than we have the funds to respond.

I can tell you that the twin destroyers named AIDS and Hunger are measuring and defining the church—the Body of Christ—as they gallop in unrestrained apocalypse destroying families and nations.

But I can not tell you why or how so many of my fellow believers who call upon the name of Jesus for their own needs refuse to respond to the needs of a dying generation.

What can be said or done in 2008 to reach past indifference and ignite the hearts of God’s church?

The power of geography is unfathomable to me. I happened to be born here in America, with every resource available for me to grow up healthy and strong. Too many children are not so lucky.

The thing is, I know that if a child knocked at my door, if their parents had died and they needed a safe place to stay, I wouldn't hesitate to take them in. But when our doors are too far away for their little hands to reach, what then, shall we do?

What will I do? Go take care of orphans myself? Stay and send them money? Look for American children in need to take in? I don't have THE answer yet, but I believe it's coming, and as I wait, I do what I can.



Me & my little friend at the ABC ministry orphanage in Swaziland

World AIDS; Every Day...

MBABANE (AFP) - Nearly a third of Swaziland's children are considered orphaned and vulnerable as AIDS takes its toll on the country, a study commissioned by the state's emergency response council said Friday.

"There are currently 130,000 OVCs (orphaned and vulnerable children) in the country, which represents 31.1 percent of all children countrywide," the study said.

"However, it is projected that the OVC figure could rise to 200,000 by the year 2010."

It added: "HIV and AIDS is permanently altering the structure of Swazi society. It is expected that by 2025 there will be a thinning of the older age groups and the very young."

Life expectancy in the country dropped from 60 years in 1997 to the world's lowest of 31.3 in 2004, while the mortality rate has sharply increased across the entire population over the past 15 years, the report added.

According to UNICEF's website, HIV prevalence among 20 to 30-year-olds is nearing 50 percent, higher than the national adult average.

In Swaziland, close to 40 percent of adults are living with HIV and AIDS, the highest infection rate anywhere in the world, UNICEF said.

World Race 06 Video

This week marks the ONE YEAR anniversary since Gary and I arrived home from our mission trip around the world. It blows me away how quickly the time has flown by.

When we first returned to the states, we shared a slideshow with pictures from our trip at a special dinner with our supporters in Sacramento. For those of you that weren't able to join us, I finally posted our slideshow video on Youtube for all to enjoy.

Here's our video:

Breathe Africa

Here's a way to support women and children in Swaziland while getting your Christmas shopping done:

Check out Breathe Africa.

In May 2007, members of Breathe Africa found almost 40 orphans in Nsoko, Swaziland. The children had been without food for about a week. These are the poorest of the poor, the worst we’ve seen in Swaziland. It was at that moment that we knew we needed to do something…. Presently we are helping to make sure that the children have enough food, as well as working on getting them all clothed.

We also have long term goals, as we are working on building a children’s village – it will have a community center, gardens, fish ponds, 6 – 8 homes that will house double orphans and have a mother and father in it to care for the children, a home for a gogo (grandmother), lodge (to house teams that want to come and serve), a market and café (there will be sustainability projects, so that they do not need to always rely on the support of others but can provide much of the money for themselves).

Purchasing items from Breathe Africa allows us to continue to move forward in our endeavors to provide, protect, and encourage these children and others like them.

Everything Counts

As much as I think and pray about helping orphans in Africa, especially Swaziland, it surprises me sometimes how (relatively) little I blog about it. I've continued to investigate opportunities for getting involved, and thought y'all are about due for an update.

Saint's Coffee - This is a brand-new Christian-run company that was started with the primary intent of raising money for orphans in Swaziland. Each purchase feeds an orphan for a month, and the website claims that in their first five weeks of sales, they've already been able to feed 270 kids 8,100 meals! That's great!

I've now sampled three of the blends that Saint's Coffee offers on their website. The mild and medium roasts are unfortunately too subtle to stand up to my Starbucks habit, but the St. George is not bad. If you'd like to sample any of the blends, please let me know.

Christmas in Africa - Children's Cup is a ministry that feeds children in various Care Points around Southern Africa. Each year they provide a huge Christmas party for the children, and this year they are encouraging a personal connection with sponsors around the world.

What you do is order a Christmas card from Children's Cup (preprinted in Siswati or Portuguese), write a note to a child, attach a picture of you and your family (if you like), and send it back along with $6. The money will cover the cost of a Christmas gift and dinner for the child. The child will then fill out a note and send it back to you. I just ordered a bunch to do as a youth group project, and am really excited to see our students connected to African kids.

5 for 50 - This is a charity that Tom Davis talks about in his new book Red Letters (I just received a copy - haven't gotten to read it yet). Each copy purchased results in a donation that goes directly to feeding orphans. On his blog, Tom talks about how they are able to do this: all the money raised pays for shipments of donated food. Not sure this is the right thing to do? Watch some of the videos posted on his blog. Keep tissues handy.

Wherever you are, whatever place you are in life, I pray that you will respond to the tragic need. I believe that we in America have been given rich material blessings, not for our own pleasure but to partake in the joy of giving to others.

So, if you can sponsor a child, do it! If you can send a Christmas gift for $6, do it! If you believe that God answers prayer and wants to heal the brokenhearted, do it! In the kingdom of God, no gift is too small.

I did it!

As many of you know, I have been praying for quite a while about the children of Swaziland. I feel that God has really broken my heart for that nation, and I have been praying about what my response should be.

Well, this morning, through World Vision, I decided to sponsor a little girl named Nothando. She is four years old, and as precious as can be. I would post her picture here if I could, but security measures won't allow me to do that. Just trust me when I tell you that she's the cutest thing ever!

If you are also interested in sponsoring a child in Swaziland, you must click on the "Find Child" button on the left-hand side of the World Vision home page. This will take you to a search page with a drop down menu of countries you can choose from. For some reason, Swaziland only shows up on this list, but not the one on the home page.

It always blows me away how much God has blessed those of us in the States, and it is such a joy to be able to give God's blessings back by helping those in need. I pray that little Nothando will come to understand just how much God loves her, and that my sponsorship will help her and her family to stay healthy and safe.

Swaziland Update

Last week I blogged about the orphan crisis in Swaziland, and how badly I desire to do something that would make a meaningful difference. I've been investigating some options, and praying that God would direct me in how to respond.

(Bonnie's already committed to joining me on this journey. Anybody else out there?)

Here are some opportunities I've found:

ABC Ministry in Bulembu,Swaziland. I had the privilege of visiting this orphanage when I was in Swaziland last November. Robyn & Gerry, a wonderful South African couple, have dedicated their lives to caring for abandoned Swazi babies, until they are adopted out or are old enough to join the 'orphan village'. They are currently caring for about 30 young children.



World Vision. This is a well known organization that provides assistance to an entire community, benefitting all the families through the means of child sponsorship.


Children's HopeChest. This is the group that found the 95 orphans I wrote about last week. They are currently developing a way to support these kids, and I have plans to speak with the director when he returns to the states next week. Their organization is working to connect churches in America as sponsors to individual orphanages in Swaziland. If your church might be interested, please contact Tom Davis.

Ultimately, I know that there really isn't a wrong time or place to give to the poor. But, I want to be wise in making commitments I can follow through on, that will hopefully bless the most people, and will encourage others to join along with me. Meanwhile, keep praying that God would provide, and be open to the possibility that He may want to provide through YOU!!!