Chicken Project Update

Maphiveni Ladies Chicken Project update

From small beginnings the Lord will grow this business. 

The Ladies were very happy and thankful to the Lord for providing the opportunity to work. We were very impressed with the organization. They had a schedule in place for when each of the ladies would be working a twelve hour day selling the chickens and caring for them. There is a nightly security guard  to prevent theft

The initial purchase was for 100 chickens but due to extreme heat about 40% died .they have sold 35 chickens at $4.50 each. The ladies were able to sell all the remaining flock within three weeks and had to make a second purchase of chickens. The women are now buying the chickens earlier and keeping them a little longer so the chicks can get a little fatter.  The first batch turned a profit of over $400. We only need to help them cover the cost of the security guard and some additional feed for the chicks. All the rest of the financial needs are covered from the profits of the business. 

Make Phumzile, Christinah, and Busisisiwe are three of the women involved in caring for the 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.

A snapshot of what we spend our days doing

Here are a few things that we have been busy with doing lately.

Last week, we did prayer home visits in Maphiveni and visited five folks including Shandu. The last homestead we visited one of the ladies told us that on Sunday she heard a voice saying  'Someone would visit you tomorrow to give you a word from the Lord'. She thought she was going crazy! So the next day when we show up she was just astounded at the special touch from God. God is amazing! She was saved some while back but does not go to church because no one took the time to disciple her after she accepted Christ. We did say we would visit again. We did prayer home visits in Mgldzangcunu (Tuesday) and one at Section 19 (Friday)

Devotionals with the Chips staff are going well and we are starting to get more more response from the lessons. Ian teaches on Mondays and Fridays and Jenn teaches on Wednesday.  We have made a prayer sheet for each of them to write down any confidential prayer needs they may have and Ian and I will pray for their requests at home. It has just come to our attention that when the staff have been on their phones during the devotional (occupied with what we thought was SMS'ing/texting), they are actually inputting the Bible verses that we use so that they can read them later. A couple of the staff have started doing their own mini study over their lunch hour. Please continue to pray for us that God will give us wisdom on what to say and how to answer their questions and please pray for the Staff that their hearts would be fertile soil for the Word of God to fall and that they will grow in their faith and knowledge of God. 

This past Monday, I, Jenn, started the Ladies Bible study at Mgldzangcunu about 26/27 ladies came, we sang praises, prayed and went through John 4:1-15. Part two will be in two weeks covering verses 15-30. Bonginkhosi, who came as my translator, was a little nervous to start with but he really got into his stride and did well.  He did say he learnt a lot. Then I asked if there were any questions and one lady put her hand and asked, 'Are we really meeting in two weeks?' I said yes. A second lady put her hand and said 'So if we are meeting in two weeks, will we meet two weeks after that again?' I replied, "Yes, as long as you need me to come or until the Lord tells me stop.' Then a third lady raised her hand and said she had a Bible and was going home to read the second part so she would know the end! Please pray for these woman that they would grow in their knowledge of the Lord. 

Wednesday Bonginkhosi and I did food parcels/prayer/visited several home bound old folks at Khomba.  I always really enjoy going out in the communities and visiting with the people here.

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.

Construction Team

Ian was in Maphiveni with the construction team from the States. 

 We repaired several houses that were in disrepair, by reinforcing the walls with stick, stone, and a mud mixed with concrete.

 

 

The construction team worked in Maphiveni, Section 19 and Macetuka. All of the houses were stick and mud; we reinforced them with cement. 

 

 

Here is a finished house after all our hard work. 

There were 4 guys on the team plus Ian and Jabulani, who all worked very hard. One lady was moved to tears that these strangers from America cared enough to build her a home. 

They guys built 3 houses and left money for another one to be rebuilt. Since the teams returned to the States, there was a donation by one of the supporting churches to build a new home for an elderly lady, who has been homeless since her home collapsed. We are so thankful for this very tangible blessing and are impressed with how much was able to be accomplished in such a short time. Ian became good friends with Nate, one of the guys on the team. Nate plans to set up another team to come out to help in the future. We look forward to his return. 

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.

Medical Team

The medical team worked tirelessly seeing patients all day over the duration of their stay here. 

Patients were seen in Maphiveni, Section 19, Mgldzangcunu, and Khomba for a multitudes of ailments. 4 nurses and two pharmacy techs were able to see patients and prescribe medicines if necessary.  

Mary was doing HIV testing for those who were interested in knowing their status and Kay West (our neighbor here) was doing spiritual counseling.  

We lost count of the total patients seen after we reached the number 400. 

It was several long and hot days, but many people were able to receive care and treatment for their complaints. We are thankful for the willingness to serve that everyone in the team exhibited. Our prayer is that the Swazi people would not only receive physical care but that this act of kindness would in turn show them the love of Jesus and that they would be drawn to Him. 

Pictures about the construction team will be coming soon. 

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.

Prayers for healing

There has been a lot going on and so we thought we would take this time to send an update. 

•  Sifiso started a 4 year civil engineering course on Monday in Manzini. We pray that this will be a good fit for Sifiso and that through this path God would use him in a great way here in Swaziland.

• Eric's mom is home from the hospital and doing well, praise God

• We have a lot of sick Chips clients, mainly adults as the Chips children seem to be well. Please pray that the children continue in health and that the adults would return to health. We know that God is the ultimate Healer and we trust in Him for these requests.
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• Please pray for Dudize, from Section 19, he has defaulted on his medication which resulted in him getting sick. He was re-initiated on  ART's this week. Dudize wanted to know if there was hope for him, and Jabulane assured him that there is always hope. 
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•  Sibusiso, from Maphiveni, is very sick and wasting away. He is 25 years old and we took him to the hospital yesterday.
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• We saw Vusile last week and he is a happy boy running around. 
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• Gogo Doreen, from Maphiveni, has shingles and is in a lot of pain. 
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• Jabu, from Maphiveni, is sick but we aren't sure what is wrong. We took her into the clinic for treatment. 

Besides dealing with all this sickness , we are looking forward to our trip next week. We will be heading to Zambia, Zimbabwe, and to Victoria Falls. It will be a nice time to get away, reconnect with God and each other.  We've realized that we need to take more time to do mini-retreats to keep our focus centered on God and seek Him for direction and guidance regarding Chips.

 

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.

Sick patients and a long nap

We have several sick Chips patients at this time. One is Lungile from Khomba. She is the rural health motivator now is bed ridden because she was in denial about the fact she could have TB and she did not want to go on ART's. We have persuaded her to the hospital and I know she is not a believer.  Fana at Maphiveni (he roofed one of the houses) is sick with a reoccurrance of his TB has reoccurred. Gogo Doris her asthma is really bad but she should be in her new house very soon,that’s a praise. Please lift up all these patients and ask that God will heal them both physically and spiritually.

 

Gogo Doris' house is almost complete. We're praying that this new home will be a blessing to her. 

There is so much grass that is needed to thatch a roof.

Bomenze, Nchlancla's 4 year old son, came to visit Nchlancla. He was so worn out and very much appreciated a long nap under the fan. 

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.

Know your limits!

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.

Trip to the big city!

Trip to the big city of Manzini.

Jabulane and Mary came along with us when we went to Manzini with two goals: get the supplies for the Vaseline Project so that the Ladies Group of Maphiveni can start production and to gather enough food to make up 10 food parcels to hand out (each food parcel will feed a family of 4-5 for a month). It was a hot day and we went to several shops to compare the prices for the best deal. We finally found what we needed and headed back.

 

Ian and Jabulane are bringing the supplies to the khombi.

 

Jabulane is loading the supplies for the Vaseline Project. This project will provide an income earning option for the ladies of Maphiveni. Often, women here in Swaziland don't have many honest opportunities to earn an income to support their family. It is the desire of Chips to use the readily available resources of Swaziland and to train the women, especially, marketable skills which will empower them and change the course of their family.  Quite a bit of the profits will be paid to the ladies, with a portion going to Chips and the remainder going towards purchasing more supplies.

 Mineral spirits are used in the production of Vaseline. Unfortunately, Bethusile, the coordinator of the Ladies Group at Maphiveni, is out of town this week and we'll have to wait for her to return to start up the Vaseline Project.

 Mary is unloading the maize meal which will be separated into the food parcels which we'll pass out to those who are in most desperate need for food and nutrition.    

Thanks to your generous support, the Vaseline Project will be able to start helping several women provide for their families and several food parcels will be given to the hungry. If you would like to help with either of these projects/needs you can donate at www.WorldOutreach.org into our account. Please drop us a note to tell us how you want your donation to be applied. 


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.

Crippled Vehicles

The Chips khombi (bus) continues to be in and out of the shop being fixed. The latest problem is the suspension. Last week, when the khombi was in the shop getting fixed, Jabulane had to drive the Rav (the other Chips vehicle) to take patients to the hospital for check-ups. Jabulane and his pasengers were in an accident that totaled the Rav. Thankfully everyone is ok, but now we are down a vehicle completely and still don't have use of the khombi, which seats 13.   This puts a great strain on us as there are still patients that need to get to the hospital for check-ups or emergency care and we have to use our personal vehicles at this point for transport. There is 3-5 hospital runs per week since we have so many clients.   We at Chips desperately need another khombi that is in top shape in order to continue the constant transport of patients.   We are joining with Daran and Teresa in asking our faithful supporters to share with your circle of connections this great need that Chips is facing. A good vehicle/khombi will probably cost about $50,000 USD. It is costly up front but in the long run it will save us money and time as it won't have to be constantly repaired.   Having the second khombi (that's reliable) and the first as a back up will allow us to continue to serve the needs of our many clients and get them to the care that they so despartely need.  We have to continue with transporting patients to/from the hospital several times a week until God opens the door so we can have our own clinic in the Maphiveni area. Please pray with us that God would provide our immediate need of a vehicle and also that He would provide a way for the bigger need of having a Chips clinic/community center.   If you would like to help with this need, 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.

Once you donate, please drop us a line to let us know the intent of your gift.

Speaking of gifts, we still have the matching gift challenge for the Chicken Project going on, would you like to help?

We couldn't do any of this without your continued prayers and support and we appreciate you very much. Thanks for joining with us in petitioning our God who supplies all our needs.

Chicken Houses: Double Match!!

 One of our faithful supporters has come up with an idea. He will match all donations up to $1,000 that are earmarked for the Chicken Project!

The Chicken Project at Maphiveni--initial start-up $1,000. There is always a market around here for chicken and this will be a community operated project. The start-up will consist of building chicken houses and buying day old chicks.

This project will be a viable way for many people to earn a living, especially since there will double the amount of money towards the start-up, selling chickens. The Chicken Project will also teach the participants how to work together, budget their resources, plan for the future and develop leadership abilities while providing an income to support their families.

Would you be interested in helping towards this project?

If you are, 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.

Please email us with the designation of Chicken Project to be counted for the match. We are so thankful and incredibly blessed by our generous friend's gift. Won't you join us is making this Chicken Project a reality for the people of Maphiveni? 

Thank you!!

Thumbprint of God

Vusi is a new Chips client in Macetuka. He is very sick. Jabulani took him in the last couple of weeks to Good Shepherd to get him initiated on to treatment. He was admitted into the hospital. Vusi has a wife and young baby, and he is a believer so we spent in prayer with him before he went to the hospital. Please lift up Vusi for strength and healing. Also, pray for his young family that they would continue to trust in the Lord during this difficult time. We continue to pray that young married believers, like Vusi and his wife, would be willing to go against the cultural practices of  having multiple spouses and no regard for family and instead choose to follow God's design for a family. That they would be witnesses to those around them and good examples of the blessings that come from obeying God and living a positive lifestyle.

Last year when we were at Macetuka, a young woman asked me to test her and  sure enough she was positive. But she refused any further help because of her husband, he would not allow it. When we were in Macetuka recently, she came to ask if we would test her and her husband.  They are both positive and so they will go next week to the hospital to get initiated onto treatments. There are no coincidences with God! Please pray for this couple that they would come to know God in a very real and tangible way and that they would also have the courage to live a different life than those around them, one that honors God.

We are planning to start the Crossroads training for some of the youngsters in Tmbankulu Hall in the next couple of weeks. We'll wait until  schools get settled in again. Thankfully, it appears as though the teachers' strike is over. Crossroads is a highly effective curriculum dealing with issues including character building, positive living, HIV, and abstinence. This is something that we have done in the past and have had on our hearts to restart the training for the young people around here.

The houses for the elderly are progressing and that is good news. We are so thankful for all the donations that made it possible.

The ladies of Maphiveni have formed a support group and there are 15 ladies with Mkhulu Shandu as the leader. We meet Thursday the 16^th to hear income generating ideas ranging from strawberry growing, chicken raising, making Vaseline and floor polish. The ladies and Mkhulu Shandu are very excited about this new venture and they have already have a treasurer, secretary and are checking out markets.We're thrilled to see them take initiative like this in developing ways to bring in life-changing income through honest work. Please pray that this group would have unity as they work together to better all their lives and that of their families. Pray that God will use this to break the chains of poverty and bring life changing hope and trust in Him. Pray that there is a good market for these goods and that these women would be rewarded well for their hard work. 

There is one more thing, while we have had a large supply of reagents and have been able to get many tested and onto life-saving treatments, our supply of reagents is running out and the government is still not supplying any more. Please pray with us that God would provided the needed amount each month.

If you would like to help with the reagent shortage or the micro-industry or the housing for the elderly or any other project please follow the directions below on how to donate. Your gift does indeed change lives for the better. It is our desire to use every dollar of your gift in a wise and responsible way in order to touch lives with the thumbprint of God, and we pray that God will continue to use your gifts to bless and change lives. Thanks for being God's thumbprint on us and the people that we serve here in Swaziland. We all are blessed!


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.

More people able to get needed treatment

The supply of reagents has allowed us to identify more than 15 people who desperately need to be initiated onto life-saving ARV's. We are so thankful that we are able to get these onto treatments! There was a government decision to change the CD4 threshold number of 350 to 550, which will be such a blessing. This means that now people will be allowed to be initiated onto ARV's when their CD4 levels are at 550 instead of waiting until their levels reach 350. More people will be able to receive proper treatment before getting so sick and it is a dire need to start, which will increase the effectiveness of treatment. 

Thandi is one of our Chips clients in Khomba and she is very sick.  We guess her age to be around 30 years and we are not sure what is wrong with her, either breast cancer or she has TB mass (not on ARV's as she has a high CD4 count). Thandi is also not a believer but we talked and prayed with her about God being the great healer and about faith, which she said she does not have. We will visit with her again. Teresa is talking to a surgeon as regards this mass. Please pray that Thandi will come to know God as the great Healer and that the doctors/surgeon would have wisdom for her care and treatment. 

In Section 19 this past week we tested six children who are not well. Thankfully, all their results came back as negative.

Little Gavin, from Maphiveni, was initiated onto ARV's this past week. He is doing well as well and is quite the ham. You can catch up on his story here.

 

Please lift up Thandi and Gavin as they start their various treatments. We know that God is the great healer and we ask for his mercies on these two especially at this time. We praise God for the supply of reagents and the change in the CD4 guidelines.

 
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.

5 new houses:ready to build

 

Due to several generous donations, we have the funds to build a sturdy house for 6 elderly clients, Gogo Doris, Gogo Mamano, Mkhulu and Gogo Sifundza, Mkhulu Phineus Matimba, Mkhulu Mpopli. All live in Maphiveni except Mkhulu Mpopli who lives in Macetuka

These houses will be such a blessing to these abandoned wise souls and will protect them from the elements by providing a safe place. Now if we can just get our builders to start and finish before the rains come! The two builders spend a lot of time in the forest cutting down trees or in jail for something or other.We look for the most vulnerable and needy among the elderly in the communities that we serve to be beneficiaries of the Housing for the Elderly project.

Many thanks to our friends who have donated towards the Housing for the Elderly project. We pray that this generosity will impact our elderly friends in a way that they can see the love of God. Please pray that the building would commence and go smoothly. If this project is something that you would like to be a part of, please consider donating in the ways below and drop us an email letting us know where you desire your gift to be used.

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.

clothing, classes and chili sauce

Gavin is a 2 year old, almost three, little boy who has been very sick. We tested him and he is HIV+. He was quickly initiated on ARV's. His mother died from unknown causes and Gavin now lives with his Aunt and three small cousins. It's hard to find such a little one who already has HIV, but we pray that the ARV's can give him the longevity and quality of life to fulfill the purpose that God has for him. 

The Simunye Church has given us several bags of clothing to pass out. Clothing give-aways can get crazy and we need to come up with a better system to give the items to those who are in most need and will actually use it rather than selling it for beer. 

Jabulane and Mary have started a six month business course. Jabulane is doing Business Management and Mary is doing Office Management. We hope that these classes will give them extra qualifications to pursue the dreams that they have, since neither of them have a college education. Jabulane wants to do business management consulting and Mary wants to own her own business. They both continue to work hard side-by-side with us in Chips and we are thankful for them. 

Several of our more stable clients in Maphiveni want to transfer to the Simunye clinic as it will be more convenient for them to make their appointments. Bethusile, the rural health motivator at Maphiveni, makes a reasonable income from selling chili sauce and Vaseline with aloe. She thought that it would be a good idea to share with to some of the Chips ladies and see if there is any interest in learning these skills in order to make an income. Bethusile even suggested a stall at the side of the road to sell the items. We're hopeful that this will turn into another micro-industry for the women.

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.

Housing for the Elderly

Our hearts have been burdened for the elderly who, along with the Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC's), are extremely vulnerable to being neglected, cast off, and isolated. Babe Shongwe was not just another statistic but he was our friend and we were horrified to find out that he had to spend his last days alone in filth and squalor of a home falling down around him with no food or comfort. 

As we mentioned in our last newsletter, it's our desire to come alongside this fragile population and show them care, love and Jesus in every way possible. 

One elderly gentleman, Mpopli, is in the TB clinic getting treated for multi-drug resistant TB and will be there for several months. His house is decrepit and we would like to refurbish it before his return. We can't build a permanent new home due to regulations but can make it a better and safer place for him.  

Mpopli's house

Our rural health motivator in Maphiveni has pointed out Gogo Mamano's house that desperately needs a new roof. Gogo Mamuno is not a Chips client but is very frail and in the most need of assistance at this time. A generous friend from the States is providing the funds to help restore her roof, which is so appreciated. Hopefully this project will be done here in the first couple of weeks. 

Gogo Mamano's house

If you would like to help with making housing safe for the elderly and to provide for their other needs please donate at the link or address below and drop us a note letting us know the intention of your gift is for Housing for Elderly.  Please pray for these people, that God would reveal Himself to them as the One who never leaves nor forsakes them, and that He would give us wisdom on how best we can help each very special elderly person. 

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.

A little of this and that

All the Chips clients are well and thankfully there are no sick ones at this time. We have been giving out packets of dehydrated soup mix for these chilly nights to those who need the food. We visited with Gogo Maria, the lady who has terminal cancer who has been abandoned by her family, who loves to hear the Word and Prayer. 

Last week, we checked in with Fanzile. His Gogo had run out of food and Fanzile was home as the teachers were on strike. Fanzile was so dirty and had not bothered to bath in a while so we left him with soap. He was so thrilled (not really) about the soap, just your typical 8 year old boy! Another reason Fanzile was out of school was that he supposed to pay about $12 towards a school copier. Of course his Gogo did not have the money so they sent him home from school indefinitely. We solved that problem quickly and made sure he was back in school.
 

 Thankfully, God has provided another vehicle for us which we will collect next week. Having a second vehicle will enable us to minister in a broader scale as we can do some things separately. It will also be a good backup when our other vehicle is in the shop.

 There was a report that Vusile had TB again, but thankfully we found out it was pneumonia and that he is being well cared for. We will nee to visit him soon. 

Starting this Saturday, we will be doing community meetings again. It's time for a refresher course, especially in Maphiveni. Soloman is the overseer at Maphiveni and was just delighted to see us back and more than happy to set up the community meeting for us. 

Since being back, we have had many frustrating difficulties with our computer and internet connection. Please pray that God works this little detail for us, as it's our main connection with our friends and supporters outside of 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.

Here and There

News from the home front Swaziland.

Eric received and excellent first term report from Mhulme high school. There have been three new "Chips " babies born; one in Maphiveni and two from Mgldzangcunu and all are doing well. Julia Dlamini, 75 years old, went home to be with the Lord. She will be missed very much by Jenn as she was our oldest lady client. 

News from the home front in Conway.

Jenn continues with therapy after receiving a good report from the doctors visit on the 29th of April and has one more appointment on the17th of May. We continue to speak at different churches each Sunday about Swaziland and how the Lord is working there. So many wonderful people have crossed our path during our time here and we know that God is using us to minister to them, and they to us. The opportunity has come about so that we can visit our friends and supporters in Phoenix for several days in late May. Additionally, we are finalizing travel plans for our return to Swaziland on the 29th of May (we're counting the days!).

Prayer  Needs

Continued healing for Jenn as the therapist work to strengthen her knee.

Healing for Pastor Dana (Swaziland) who is having some health problems

Our car will be repaired and ready for our return home. 

We are still a little short on our ongoing monthly support and will need to purchase another vehicle upon our return. 

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.

2 Walking Miracles!

In our recent visits to check on our Chips patients, we were amazed to see Vusile and Thembi both walking! 

Vusile is doing amazingly well. He is actually talking and has about 60 words in his vocabulary. Not only that, but believe this miracle, Vusile is walking!! Vusile's father's “new wife “ has done a lot of work with him and this is such an answer to prayer. When we were there, Vusile wanted to go for a ride in the car. Unfortunately on that trip Vusile didn't get to ride as we were on a tight schedule, but hopefully we can get back over to Maphiveni and take him for a ride soon. 

When we visited Thembile in Khomba, we were amazed to see her walking without any aid. She was showing us how well she could walk and was saying 'Look at me, Jesus! I can walk!', giving all the credit to Jesus for her healing.  Thembile has been on ARV's since 2008 and had a stroke in 2009. When we first met her last year, she was bedridden and unable to do anything for herself. The last time we saw her was six months ago and she was able to sit up in a chair.  It is amazing she has come so far in 18 months!

We give God all the glory for these two miracles and thank Him for His mighty power at work in the lives of the people 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.

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.