Joy of Giving !

When we receive a donation of clothes for one of the settlements ,it is a great opportunity to share the Word ,of sweet prayer ,giving thanks to the Lord ,sharing blessings and having fun !!          

 

        

 

 

  


























 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.

Macetuka and Section 19 Bible studies

I decided to use the self-timer function on the camera to show you two of the bible studies that I am teaching.  This first picture is of the group in Macetuka. 

One of the men took it upon himself to build a structure where we will have our meetings. That way we will be out of the rain/sun. It is encouraging to see how the people are taking initiative and responsibility for the bible studies.  Both of these bible studies are growing in number. We continue to pass out bibles to those who want it (that is always an ongoing need we have, for money so we can purchase more Bibles.)

This group is the one at Section 19. Both groups were so amazed that I can actually have the camera take a picture of the group with me in the picture (and not touching the camera). They enjoyed seeing themselves in the picture when we were finished.

Jenn has started going to Khomba weekly since the people there are so hungry for the word of God. She taught on Matthew 18 about forgiveness to Khomba and the people were really responsive, saying that there is a spirit of disharmony there. However, when she taught the same message at Mgldzangcunu there wasn't a lot of positive feedback. Bongingkosi even said it was too hard of a topic and shouldn't be discussed. Well we share what the Lord has placed on our hearts and we know that He will cause the growth. 

Keep praying that we would be given wisdom and for soft hearts of the people in the communities. 

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.

Visiting evangelism team from Kentucky

We are so thankful for the Team from Kentucky who came on the 22^nd of July and spent four days visiting the communities served by Chips.  Rodney, Miles, Peggy, Alvin and Michelle were a real blessing and encouragement to us and we really appreciated their prayers over our ministry and lives.

The gospel was shared with many people hungry to know God in Mgldzangcunu. 

We were refreshed and renewed personally and so glad to see that the "embers were stirred" among the people that we serve.

The team was wonderful to work alongside of as we prayed with adults and children for healing. Some people prayed for Salvation and others for release from abusive situations.

We ask for continued prayer for the Swazi people that they will  receive discipleship and encouragement as they continue to grow spiritually through the different churches and our Bible studies that are in the communities. 

Peggy and Jenn praying for healing at section 19

Michelle and Bonginkhosi praying for children at section 19

So many wonderful things happened when God shows up! Healing miracles take place, people are set free from the bondage of  spiritual darkness and oppression, and lives changed when redemption and salvation come into their lives. Amen to God be the Glory!

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.

Salt of the World

As you know we have been doing bible studies in several of the communities that we serve. The response has been great, with more people in attendance each week. The people are so hungry for the Word to be planted and watered in their hearts, and keep asking for Bibles that they can have in their own language. (Providing Bibles is an on-going request. If you would like to contribute towards this need, you can follow the instructions at the bottom of the post to donate towards providing Bibles.) We spend a lot of time each week teaching in these various Bible Studies.

Here are the Bible Studies that Ian has been teaching.

Section 19 has just started their Bible Study and meet every two weeks on Wednesday afternoons. They have been covering Acts 1, Acts 2, the early church and Peter's Sermon. About 30 people have come and this group loves to sing! 

Macetuka meet every week on  Tuesday afternoons. The past studies here have included Joseph, the Exodus, Holy week etc. They are currently in a 4 week series of Ruth and will study Acts next. 

Chips devotionals  Ian teaches the devotional Monday and Friday mornings every week and teaches what ever the Lord shows puts on his heart to share. 

Jenn has been teaching at these locations

Khomba is a fairly new Bible study and they meet Thursday afternoons every other week. They have covered Simeon and Anna, and Hannah. Bonginkosi has shared his testimony from a man's point of view about supporting one's wife when she is going through difficult circumstances. There are several people willing to share their testimonies. 

 Chips devotionals on Wednesday mornings every week and teaches what the Lord puts on my heart  such as faith, or walking with God. 

Mgldzangcunu meet Monday afternoons every other week. They have covered Esther, Lot's wife, Hannah, Ruth, and Rahab. One Bible Study at Mgldzangcunu was  titled “Salt of the world" based on Matthew 5:13. We had 22 people who attended the Bible study and they all received an amazing prize of a bag of salt for  having the correct answer! It was a fun afternoon and lots of interaction. 

Attendees with their salt. 

Please continue to pray for us that God will give us wisdom on what to teach about and that He would speak through our words and impact the hearts of those we serve. We have come to see ourselves, not as pastors, but as teachers or shepherds and we know that only God can implant His Word into people's hearts. Pray for the people that they would come to know God in a very personal way and that their lives would be changed.  

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.

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.

A team from the States and a struggle to walk

Nowlnuga 3 years old

Nowlnuga has had bad rickets which has left her legs bones growing and fusing together in such a way that it is difficult for her to walk. She also falls over a lot, which is very painful. We are asking for prayer that Good Shepherd hospital will provide her referral to the main hospital in Mbabane and that  Nowlnuga will see the right doctors and be completely healed. Her mother takes excellent care of her and works hard at a fruit and vegetable stall near the Chips office in Timbankulu.

Nowlnuga, her elder sister, and mom are all in the Chips program

Our hearts goes out to this shy little one.

We had a meeting on Monday 11^th Feb with the owner of a private sugar estate owner, Bruce James, in Mchele, a village about 10 minutes away from our house. Our goal was to see if this would be a good area for Chips to expand into, but he takes adequate care of his workers so there is no need at this time for Chips to go into the village. We will be going back to Mchele on March 4th to do education and testing for Bruce James' new employees and will be available should he ever want Chips to help in someway. 

Prayer need

The medical/construction team from the States came on February 18 and will be here until the 22nd. Please pray for their safety and that they would be able to do a lot of good and help many people. Also, we've had a problem in Section 19 with dogs biting visitors. There have been a couple people who have been bit over the last couple of months and there is an ever present threat of rabies from the dogs. We had a meeting with the people of Section 19 to explain the importance of chaining the dogs up for everyone's safety and we are especially concerned with having our team here this week. 

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.
•  
• 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. 
•  
•  Sibusiso, from Maphiveni, is very sick and wasting away. He is 25 years old and we took him to the hospital yesterday.
•  
• We saw Vusile last week and he is a happy boy running around. 
•  
• Gogo Doreen, from Maphiveni, has shingles and is in a lot of pain. 
•  
• 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.

Lollipops make new friends

 On a recent visit to Section 19, we met some new friends. 

 Do you think the lollipops helped?

 

This friendly gentleman wanted to get in on the camera action. We have made so many friends here in Swaziland and we 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.

Broken hearts

Babe Shongwe

We learned this week that Babe Shongwe, an older man in Section 19, has died and it just broke our hearts. Babe Shongwe was left to die alone, no one- not even his own children- was there to care for him at the end. Daran and Teresa found him lying in his own urine, hungry, sick and dying in a dilapidated hut at the beginning of the week. The neighbors (including some of the women that have been involved with the Sewing Project and whom we have mentored) only had excuses why they weren't able to do anything to help Babe Shongwe. A few days later, Babe Shongwe went to be with Jesus. During his life, Babe Shongwe had often talked about Jesus and how he relied on God.

This news upset us greatly as we have known Babe Shongwe since we first came to Vuvulane and he was such a sweet man. It is a hard existence, one of survival, for these people, but it's frustrating to see that so many, who profess to have Jesus in their hearts, aren't willing to care for the elderly who are sick and dying. We regret that we weren't there with Babe Shongwe during his last days here on earth. Daran and Teresa had a good talk with some of the Sewing Project ladies, explaining that we show how Jesus has changed our lives through caring for others. It's our prayer that God's word would transform the hearts of those who profess God; that others around would see God in their actions and be drawn to Him. Our heart breaks for the abandoned, the elderly and children who can't take care of themselves, the sick, and the ones dying alone.  (To read more about Babe Shongwe, here is Daran and Teresa's post about it http://rehmeyers.blogspot.com/2012/05/new-command.html)

This whole time we've been in the UK and the US, we have realized that our home is in Vuvulane, where God has called us to pour out our lives ministering to these people and to train up godly leaders in the community. We pray that God would do a incredible work in these communities where the people are marginalized and have no hope on their own, that this area of Swaziland would be so transformed that it would be a light for the entire nation. Please join us in praying for the people 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.