Ian and Jenn Stephens are missionaries working with C.H.I.P.S, Children HIV Intervention Programme in Swaziland, to help the orphans and vulnerable children affected by HIV/AIDS pandemic in Swaziland, Africa. Their home base is in Vuvulane and they travel around to various communities testing for HIV, assessing medical needs and treatment options, teaching job skills, providing workshops, and occasionally conducting Crossroads training (character building/positive living/HIV & abstinence). Ian and Jenn's main desire is to share the love of Jesus for each of these precious children while working towards fulfilling the vision of a HIV free Swaziland.
The tractor is delivering wood poles to be used in the construction of Gogo Doris' new home.
The poles are being set around the perimeter of the house and will be cemented in place.
The guys are hard at work with rebuilding Gogo Doris' home.
Here they are raising the roof the the proper height. Having a new, secure house will be such a blessing for Gogo Doris. We are thankful for the donations that made this possible. Thanks for helping us love the elderly, who are often neglected by their own families.
Moses is standing at the corner of his field. Thanks to donations we will be able to put a fence around the field so Moses can grow moringa and sell it. Moringa is a very nutritious and fast growing plant here in Swaziland.
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.
I (Jenn) like to learn new things and so this week's challenge was helping the Ladies Group at Maphiveni make Vaseline with Aloe. How hard could this be?
Bethusile prepares the aloe
The aloe is prepared in a special way. The first thing the ladies had me do was to grease my hands really well with Vaseline, to protect them from being irritated by the aloe sap. They gave me a very large knife
and told me to slice the aloe leaf in two.It is like
cutting leather with a butter knife!
Preparing the aloe for frying.
Once the aloe leaf is in two, I then had to pull off all the
white stringy bits inside. After 15minutes, I had two one-inch squares of
aloe ready for the next stage and was feeling as though I was getting to grips with it. Then I was told I needed to fill a large mixing bowl with aloe pieces. Whether it was the look
of desperation or despair on my face, the ladies quickly took me over and showed me the next
stage of frying the aloe to extract the sap.
Taking a well deserved break!
My attempts at least made
everyone shake their heads and laugh. Some things are just not me! You have to know your limits.
These ladies are melting the Vaseline.
The ladies gather around the finished product which is ready to go to the market.
We are thankful for the donations that allow these 10 ladies to learn a marketable skill and earn some income to provide for their families. Eventually some of the proceeds will be going back into Chips.We want to start up quite a few of these micro-industries so that Chips can become self-sustaining and that the people, especially women, of the area can have a viable income through honest work.
This is a building that we are hoping to use for a chicken house to get that project up and going soon with the donations we have received.
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.
As I look at the beautiful mountains and the flowering jacaranda trees, it's hard to believe that we first came to Swaziland six years ago. It has been an amazing six years seeing how the Lord has worked in our lives and all the people He has brought across our path. We are continually blown away by all the opportunities we've had to share the amazing hope love of Jesu with the people here. We never thought we would call Swaziland home, but it is our home. Ian heads to Children's camp this weekend. I don't know who is more excited, the children or Ian! Please pray for them that they would all be safe and that Jesu would work in the hearts of the children. Mary's dad, Joseph, passed away earlier this week and she has gone back to Mozambique for a while to take care of all the details. Please lift her up in prayer during this time of sorrow. Our Vaseline project will be starting soon and the ladies are all very excited about the project. The Chicken project has received a donation of $300 which was matched by a generous supporter, so that should be able to start soon as well. Progress is being made on building a new home for Gogo Doris. The weather has been a little bit cooler which is a relief and the internet is working better. Love and Blessings! Jenn
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.
Thobili, our house-cleaner, receives a Bible in her heart language! Thanks to donations, we are able to purchase and pass out Bibles in SiSwati so that the people can read and understand the Word of God in their own language. Please pray for Thobili that God would reveal Himself to her as she reads His Word.
Bongsile, our newest Chips mum, had her twin boys. All are doing well and we can't wait to see them when they return from the hospital. We'll post pictures of the new babies. Please pray that both little guys are HIV-. We won't be able to test them for 6 weeks to get their initial status. After the first testing, they will be tested again later as well.
Eric and Fanzile have both come by recently needing school fees taken care of and new pencils. It was good to see both of them, and we were able to take care of their needs and send them on their way (Fanzile with a lollipop and pocket money:-)
We had to go to Mbabane to sort out our passports and renew our resident visa. Thankfully, everything went very fast at Swaziland
government offices and they were so polite and helpful. We even had time to go
to the mall in Mbabane and enjoy lunch with Daran
and Teresa.
Daran and Teresa have another idea for an income producing project for the people we serve, to make logs out of Marula nut shells, and they are working on getting approval for this new project. All of us want to see the ministry of Chips be self-sustaining and that the people served would be able to earn an honest living in order to help lift their families out of poverty. The Marula fruit is an abundant local resource and is used in great quantities to produce the local alcoholic brew. Once the brew is made, then the nuts are discarded. Daran had the idea to harvest the nuts, package them and sell them to local grocery stores and restaurants. As he saw the mounds of discarded shells all over, another idea came about to use this discarded resource and press the shells into logs which could then be sold as firewood. Not only does this project use readily available supplies and provide yet another income opportunity/marketable skill, but it connects back to the Swazi heritage as in years past the Swazis' had used Marula nut shells for fuel.
Please pray for the approval for this project and the funds to start it up.
Here is a video Daran and Teresa made that highlights Philemon's Story (Siphewe's father) and the Marula Log project.
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.
What a blessing for Gogo Mamano when she saw her new house and also received a food parcel which will feed her for more than a month. (You can see her old home behind Gogo Mamano and Jabulane in the picture above and her new home in the picture below).
All Gogo Mamano could say is Niyabonga,Niyabonga (thank you thank you)!
We join with Gogo Mamano in saying Niyabonga, Niyabonga! Thank you for your persistent support of this ministry and for your heart to help provide the blessing of a safe, sturdy house for Gogo Mamano and other vulnerable elderly like her. We give God praise for you and your generosity, it's only through His power and wisdom that we, all of us, are able to be part of His work in changing lives.
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.
Gogo Mamano is another recipient of our Housing for Elderly project. We had our builders refurbish her home.
Gogo Mamano was born in Mozambique and has lived here for many decades. Because she never became a Swazi citizen, she doesn't receive the elderly government grant of $10/month and relies on handouts for food and clothing. There are many others in the same position as Gogo Mamano and we desire to minister to to as many as we can, sharing the love and gospel of Jesus Christ. Many Mozambican refugees are often shunned here in Swaziland.
Gogo Mamano's home before we came to refurbish it.
First the house got re-framed.
Fana, one of our builders, inspects the long grass he'll use as thatch for the roof.
These bundles of short grass will be used to fill in the thatch.
Here, Fana is sewing the thatch together to make a good roof. Notice the wood frame has been filled in with rocks and mud making sturdy walls which will protect Gogo Mamano from the elements.
Jenn learns about thatching.
Gogo Mamano's house has been finished! We are thankful for the quick work that our builders did and for your contributions that made this possible. The builders will began working on Gogo Doris's house next.
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.
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