Praises due to God

Sometimes we do not celebrate the Lord's miracles enough. This picture is of Jabu's recent wedding.  Two years ago she was so sick; her one year old son  had died from malnutrition, liife was very grim and the future very uncertain. Now Jabu lives in Macetuka and is fit, healthy and running a successful business that employs 13 people. This is how the Lord has worked  in her life over the past two years and we continue to pray that she will one day except Christ as Lord and Savior. 

Another praise is that Eric came 3rd in his class of 53 students last term and he had an excellent report. Eric is doing so well in school and we know God has great plans for this young man. 

In the last couple of days, Eric's mother has taken ill  with TB/HIV and had to be taken to Good Shepherd Hospital. Please lift her up in prayer, that the Lord would work amazing healing, both physically and spiritually, in her life just as He has worked miracles in Eric's life. 

  

Prayer need Andile Mbebe is 18 months old and is new to the Chips program. This little guy was sick and malnuourished last month when we got him started on ART. Praise the Lord that we had food to give to his family thanks to wonderful ministry partners who have provided food parcels. 

Mpopoli is doing well since he has returned from the TB clinic. He still not put any weight on, but feels well. His home will be next in line. 

Gogo Doris' home was finished last month and she was so thankful to have a good roof over her head. 

 
Chips was given 300 pairs of children's shoes and we were able to pass them out among several communities. Often the pair of shoes was the first shoes these children have received in their life. 

  
The floor polish and vaseline groups are doing well and have made several batches which have all sold. The ladies who are participating in the Chicken project have been doing a lot of research and getting ready for the launch of their project. They just got chickens and we are praying that this opportunity is a viable one just as the floor polish and vaseline projects have been.  

All these are examples of God's great provision through wonderful supporters like yourself and the work that we have the pleasure of doing here in Swaziland. Your donations and gifts really do make a difference in so many lives, from necessary life-saving treatments of ART's, food, clothing, scholarships, housing repairs, and micro-industry projects. We can't thank you enough for allowing God to use you in this way.


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.

6 years and we're home

 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.

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.

Needs and Projects

We continue to be amazed at God's faithfulness and provision, as well as your outpouring of generosity!  In the last couple of months we have received several requests from our supporters asking if there is a project that they can help with and donations towards the reagent supplies, school costs for the children, houses for the elderly, and bibles in SiSwati among others. 

Here is a list of ongoing needs to choose from if you have it in your heart to give a gift that makes a difference in someone's life. 

• Reagent Supply-$1,000/month. The government is still not supplying the reagents needed to test CD4 levels. This is such an essential ongoing need that often means the difference between life and death as we find, through testing, people who are HIV+ who need to be initiated onto Anti-retroviral (ARV) treatment immediately in order to survive. 
•  SiSwati bibles for distribution--$10 each. A bible in their own language is something many Swazi's would love to own and simply can't afford to get. Also, we pass out bibles to those who come to know the Lord and it would be great to have a supply on hand!
  
• Home Care Kits--$30 each. Each kit includes personal hygiene items, laundry powder and bleach that we pass out to the many home bound clients (often elderly and very ill) we continue to meet. A supply of Home Care Kits on hand is a definite need. 
• Housing for the Elderly: New Roof--$150ea or Complete Home Refurbishing--$300ea. There are a lot of homes belonging to the elderly that are in a sad state of neglect and disrepair in all the settlements. The elderly people are often abandoned and neglected by their family and neighbors and have no strength or resources to fix up their homes. 
• Food Parcels--$30ea. The price of maize and other food continues to rise making it more difficult for people who are either out of work or earning very little to afford basic food staples. 
• New Baby Parcel--$30ea.  This package of clothes, diapers and other supplies is given to a new mom for her baby, often the only gift of new clothing the baby will receive. 
• School Sponsorship: Primary School--$200/student for a year or High School--$300/student for a year. Families don't always have the money for school fees and uniforms for their children to attend school. A school sponsorship will cover all the fees and will provide a uniform. Educated children will grow up to be the country's future leaders. 
• Micro-Industries: Start-up costs and ongoing supplies. These micro-industries provide opportunities for women, especially, to learn a marketable skill and to earn an honest income, which gives a sense of hope and the ability to provide basic necessities for their families. 
  
• The Sewing Project at Section 19 is ready to expand. The cost of a basic sewing machine is $150 and there is always a need for other supplies and material. Each lady who participates in the project will receive a sewing machine to use with a portion of her monthly profits being deducted to pay for the machine, which can take up to 2 years. These payments are used to purchase more machines and supplies, giving other women an opportunity to join the project. We are hoping to start a second Sewing Project in another settlement in the near future with 10 additional women. 
• The Vaseline Project at Maphiveni--initial setup $200. Ladies from Maphiveni have come up with the idea of making Vaseline with Aloe as there is a market already available for this item. 
• The Floor Polish Project at Maphiveni--initial setup $200. The support group at Maphiveni is very excited about this opportunity to earn income by producing floor polish which has an immediate market available. 
• The Garden Project at Maphiveni--$100 to fence one garden.  If the garden is fenced so chickens and other critters can't destroy the crops, that will allow for an individual to grow vegetables providing food for their own family and generating income as they sell the surplus.
• 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. 

We want to thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your generosity and kindness to people that you have never met. Each gift greatly impacts one or more people and allows us to share God's love in a very practical way. It is such a blessing to us to see the many requests to come along side and help this ministry that God has given us to do, without even having to ask you to help. It is our prayer to plant seeds with each donation and trust God to do the watering and bring the increase.


Any gift that is earmarked is used for that specific thing or held until that need once again presents itself (ex. all school fees are due in January, but any scholarship money collected prior is kept for when the school fees are due).

The fastest way to make a donation is to go online at www.WorldOutreach.org Go to 'Donate' and select our name, Stephens, Ian and Jenn SWAZILAND or you can mail your gift to World Outreach Ministries, PO Box B, Marietta, GA 30061 and designate for Ian and Jenn, Fund Code #97. Once you have donated, please email us at piggwr4647@aol.com and tell us of your designation of your gift.

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.