Sometimes it's like a 3-ring circus

It has been a crazy last couple of weeks here in the village above and beyond the work with Chips.

Mary's father had a stroke about a month ago, physically he is doing well but mentally he is very depressed and suicidal. Mary goes to Mozambique as often as she can to care for him. Please pray that he will find the God of all comfort and joy.

A week ago Sifiso had an allergic reaction . He could not breath, his face swollen and he was grey. That resulted in a quick trip to the emergency clinic where they gave him shots and medication. He is doing a whole lot better but after I questioned him at length about what he had eaten etc. he told me raw wild honey. I told him to not to eat any more, he was very frightened. Sifiso is still trying to start up his photography business and still has chickens but now they have fleas. He is also on the lookout for a good Christian wife. Please pray for Sifiso that God will bring a godly wife and that his business ventures will prosper.

Lately Newman has been really struggling with the alcohol addiction. Last Wednesday he showed up for church and we discovered he was as drunk as a skunk.  He did not act out in church but sat right at the back away from everyone. The next day Ian talked to him and then he came to apologize to me. I told him I was upset by his behavior and my heart was sad but I forgave him. If we have any further incidents we are going to suspend him for a week and send him back to Macetuka to think through what he has done. He has shown up to work after drinking once or twice since that incident. Newman is still coming to bible study which is good. Please continue to pray that this spiritual battle would be won and that Newman would come to acknowledge Jesus as his savior and his life would be changed.

Newman's son, Colani, comes and stays with him on the weekends. Colani just turned 16 and we celebrated with chocolate cake. Colani attends church with us when he can.

Nchlachla was very quiet and upset about Newman drinking. He told me that he had forgiven Newman and Newman is the lost sheep and we needed to keep praying and supporting him.  So we prayed and cried together it was a special time for both of us. So now we go on waiting for the lost sheep to come into the fold. Nchlachla went home this weekend, his elder brother died last week and his three year old son, Bongimenzi, needs surgery. Bongimenzi  has a problem with breathing. There is a defect in his nose that needs to be corrected by surgery. The surgery will cost about $200. We will be helping with transport costs to the hospital and have arranged for Nchlachla to see a financial counselor to work out a monthly payment plan. Please pray for Nchlachla and his family during this time of grieving for his brother and for the stress of having to take Bongimenzi into surgery and the costs related to that. We are thankful for Nchlanchla's strong faith in the Lord.

We tried calling Bonginkosi but with no success.The last we heard he was in South Africa but we aren't sure where he is or how he is doing.

Other than that, we have really been enjoying the bible study on Wednesdays at our church. Chips continues to keep us busy. We have been making plans to return to England and the States in the spring. Please continue to pray for us, that we would have strength and wisdom to deal with whatever comes our way every day and that God would continue to use us to minister to those around with His love. 

P.S. - If you want to support our ministry, the fastest way is to make an Online Donation via www.WorldOutreach.org
Go to "Donate" and select our name, Stephens, Ian and Jenn SWAZILAND. The system can process USA and International cards.
Or simply mail your gift to World Outreach Ministries, PO Box B, Marietta, GA 30061 and designate for Ian and Jenn, Fund Code #97.

Ngiyabonga (thank you) from Shandu

Shandu is living in his house.  He is still overwhelmed that people in the States would care enough to provide him with a warm dry home. Shandu's few possessions look lost in the new house but he is so happy.

Shandu  is standing in front of the old house and Jenn is standing in the door of his new place.  We all say Ngiyabonga (thank you)! Thank you for caring so much and being so generous allowing us to show Christ's love to Shandu. We pray that this outpouring of love and support will be a true example of how much God loves Shandu and provides for his every need.  

P.S. - If you want to support our ministry, the fastest way is to make an Online Donation via www.WorldOutreach.org
Go to "Donate" and select our name, Stephens, Ian and Jenn SWAZILAND. The system can process USA and International cards.
Or simply mail your gift to World Outreach Ministries, PO Box B, Marietta, GA 30061 and designate for Ian and Jenn, Fund Code #97.

Surprise Visit

Remember Popovdo? and his adventure the first day of school? Well, we found out that Popovdo is a mean nickname that the kids were calling him, something about a flat head, and that his real name is Fanzile Lulane. We will be calling him by his real name from now.  When our friend Charissa was visiting back in July we made a surprise visit to Fanzile's classroom to see if he was in class. He was! 

The teacher called Fanzile to the front of class as we were asking about his attendance. He stood there, grinning from ear to ear, almost embarrassed at the attention but loving every minute of it. It was obvious that he knew that he was someone special with sponsors putting him through school. 

The entire class was thrilled with the break in their studies. Ian and Charissa went around giving high five's to all the children and made them all laugh. They were also excited to see the gifts of brand new pencils and lollipops that we had brought (to be handed out at Teacher Angel's discretion). 

The arrow is pointing to Fanzile sitting proudly at his desk. Teacher Angel doesn't have much materials, resources or supplies to work with and we commend her for her love and care for these children. 

Now whenever we see Fanzile, or he sees us, he comes running over to say hi and see if we have any candy or pocket money to give to him. Fanzile has stolen our hearts and we are thankful we can make a difference in his life. 

January marks the beginning of the new school term. We are sure that there are other children just like Fanzile who are running around town without proper care and attention from family members, who are unable to afford the school fees for the children to attend school. If you would like to sponsor a child's way to go to school, the average annual cost is $200/student or $17/month/student. You can donate at www.WorldOutreach.org under our  account and then just drop us a note letting us know of your intention for the donation. 

P.S. - If you want to support our ministry, the fastest way is to make an Online Donation via www.WorldOutreach.org
Go to "Donate" and select our name, Stephens, Ian and Jenn SWAZILAND. The system can process USA and International cards.

Or simply mail your gift to World Outreach Ministries, PO Box B, Marietta, GA 30061 and designate for Ian and Jenn, Fund Code #97.

Post updates by email?

Are you too busy to read our blog? Do you forget to swing by and see what we are up too? Now you can sign up to receive any new updates in your email!

Just to the left of the blog post, there is a couple of options for you to more easily receive our updates. The first one under the words Subscribe To will allow you to subscribe to the blog in your favorite reader.

The second one under the words Follow by Email simply requires you to enter your email address and then submit. You will then receive a confirmation email and will just need to click on the link. After that, every time that we post something, you will automatically receive the update in your inbox.

We would love to hear how you are doing and how we can pray for you. Drop us an email, leave a comment on the blog, or send us a letter!
Thanks for all your continued support!


P.S. - If you want to support our ministry, the fastest way is to make an Online Donation via www.WorldOutreach.org
Go to "Donate" and select our name, Stephens, Ian and Jenn SWAZILAND. The system can process USA and International cards.
Or simply mail your gift to World Outreach Ministries, PO Box B, Marietta, GA 30061 and designate for Ian and Jenn, Fund Code #97.

When the Lord builds a house

We are so thankful for God's provision! Not only did we receive more than enough donations to re-build a home for Mkhulu Shandu, the actual building has progressed really quickly especially in light of how long everything normally takes here in Swaziland to get done.

A beautiful new roof that fits snugly on the walls!

Shandu will have a window in his house for the very first time! 

The inside of the house looks very spacious when compared to the old house. 

We showed up at the Maphiveni care point just in time to join the children for breakfast. Jenn is trying sour porridge. Sour porridge is a basic Swazi breakfast, maize meal is soaked in water overnight and it starts to ferment and then in the morning it is cooked.  It is a very thin porridge and it was different but I (Jenn) could get used to it. The sugar did help, but I don't think I will make it on a regular basis. 

Both Nchlachla and Newman have been joining us for Bible Study on Wednesday's. Nchlachla is such a good role model for Newman and patiently explains the things of God to Newman. Newman is seriously contemplating the gospel and has expressed an interest in going to church. Please pray for Newman at this time, that his heart would be drawn to knowing the One true God and that God would completely deliver him from the addiction of alcohol. Jabulane and Mary have also expressed interest in joining us on Wednesday nights. Pretty soon we will have to load up the khombi and will be bringing half the group!

Ian and Jabulani took the khombi to Manzini this week to get it checked out and were able to pick up the Rav which had been in the shop for repairs. They returned with the Rav but had to leave the khombi for a week to get fixed! It seems like we just switch the vehicles in the shop every week.

Another ministry partner, Corrine, is providing an income opportunity for some of the ladies in Section 19. They had their first meeting on Thursday of this week and will be sewing hand bags to sell. We ask that this venture would be blessed and that it would open up many doors for the women of Section 19.

The rains have come and we will soon be planting maize. The rest of the crops are all doing well. We recently have heard from several of our ministry partners back in the States and have been blessed and encouraged by the correspondence. Living here in Vuvulane can be quite isolated at times and we struggle with feeling isolated, lonely and disconnected from those we love.

P.S. - If you want to support our ministry, the fastest way is to make an Online Donation via www.WorldOutreach.org
Go to "Donate" and select our name, Stephens, Ian and Jenn SWAZILAND. The system can process USA and International cards.
Or simply mail your gift to World Outreach Ministries, PO Box B, Marietta, GA 30061 and designate for Ian and Jenn, Fund Code #97.

Chips Success: Jabu Dlamini

Jabu Dlamini is 39 years old and lives in Macetuka. Jabu was tested positive in April 2010 and was in denial about her status for a while. Chips staff counseled her about the importance of starting HAART but she refused and remained in denial. In August 2010,  she became very sick with TB/Aids  and finally she was initiated on to HAART. Jabu's 1 year old son was also tested but he was negative. He was admitted to Good Shepherd hospital where he very sadly died, from malnutrition. 

Jabu has now been on HAART for year and has completed a course of medication for her TB and is clear. During the past year she had several hospitalizations and at times we were not sure if she would live. God has provided the miracle of healing. Jabu is fit, stable, in good health and providing for her children. She is hard-working, aspiring business woman who owns her own small business. Jabu obtains contracts from local farmers to weed fields and then hires women to do the work. We are thankful for God's work in Jabu's life and in her family's lives. Please pray that Jabu will continue to grow in the knowledge of the God who has given her a second chance at life. 

P.S. - If you want to support our ministry, the fastest way is to make an Online Donation via www.WorldOutreach.org
Go to "Donate" and select our name, Stephens, Ian and Jenn SWAZILAND. The system can process USA and International cards.
Or simply mail your gift to World Outreach Ministries, PO Box B, Marietta, GA 30061 and designate for Ian and Jenn, Fund Code #97.