Living Passionate Faith in God's Character - Jumbo & Kriek Gerber

80 Kids been raped since January

Mon, 8 Mar 2010 00:00:00 GMT

We have seen great progress in Ministry here in Swaziland, but when you read articles like this in the Observer this morning you know we still have ways to go to protect the children of Swaziland from all the predators roaming around. We are moving into the Marula season and alcohol abuse will be much higher the next 2 months.

Please join with us in a special prayer today for the protection and healing of the most precious in the eyes of our Father. Here is the article in the Swazi Observer of March 8, 2010

"ABOUT 80 children have been raped in Swaziland in the last two months, police have said.
Statistics released by late last week indicate that from January to the end of February, at least 121 rape incidents were reported in the country, and more than two-thirds of these involved children.
Such alarming figures have fuelled the call for urgent passing of the Domestic Violence and Sexual Offences Bill into law.
Police Director of Domestic Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences Senior Superintendent Leckinah Magagula has raised an alarm, especially to women and children - who are major targets of abuse.
Senior Superintendent Magagula encouraged parents to keep a hawk-eye' on their children, particularly during the current marula season. The seasonal marula brew and alcohol abuse had been cited as the leading cause for most rape cases in the country.
Magagula said a number of children were raped on the way home after school and some at their respective homes.
Police have warned that most children were raped by people well known to them. The statistics show that they are in danger from their siblings, parents, uncles, neighbors and helpers.
The unprecedented increase in rape cases has fuelled police to call upon parliament to urgently pass the Domestic Violence and Sexual Offences Bill to Law.
Senior Superintendent Magagula observed that the country was using outdated laws with light penalties against the perpetrators.
She prayed that parliament would apply the same urgency it show when passing the Human Trafficking Law.
The country is stuck with pre-colonial laws such as the Crimes Act of 1889 and the Girls and Women's Protection Act of 1920.
In essence, such laws cripple the efficiency of the judicial system and do not effectively address the evolving trends of abuse.
"It is high time perpetrators are given harsher sentences," she said.
The Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Bill have been tabled in both Houses of Parliament and this legislation seeks to address some major gaps which appear in the current laws dealing with sexual offences and domestic violence.
For instance, it has broadened the definition of rape to cover not only unlawful sexual intercourse with another but also unlawful sexual acts committed under certain circumstances, including any coercive manner, under false pretence or by fraudulent means, under duress, fear of violence or psychological oppression."

There is LOVE ...

Sun, 21 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Hey!

During our time here in the States we have been showing this video to churches and friends; it is an update of the ministry. (The video was made by Julie who works with us. Thanks, Jules!)

After looking at this video a few times, we realized that this video has a different feel to it than our previous 2 presentations ... it is no longer a feeling of desperation, but a feeling of HOPE!

Some Swazi news

Tue, 16 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Hey friends!

Our time in the States will soon come to an end; we are flying home the end of this month. We've had a good trip; we were blessed and overwhelmed by the goodness of friends and other people and by the favor of God. We had time to relax and do some real fun things, but we also had a couple of meetings with different people and we are excited to see what God is going to do in Swaziland. We are seeing more and more people wanting to get involve in the ministry and we know it is from God.

Because we are still in the States, Scott and Marcia Borg are currently in Swaziland leading 2 trips. Here is an update from their first day from Scott's blog:

Marcia and I have been leading a group of men these past few days and it has been a great experience. To see 12 men giving of themselves in this country is rare. Among these men are three NFL players who are very large - bigger humans than the Swazi's have ever seen. The response is amazing. The players have hearts of gold and we are having a good time together. Wish there was time for a picture or two!

Today was not an easy day. We started at a care point that serves 261 children. These kids come from very rough backgrounds and live across the street from the city dump. The teacher told me that when a garbage truck comes to the dump the kids leave the care point to run across the street to pick through the new trash. One little guy around 4 years old was chewing on a chicken wing and the teacher said he got if from the dump.

Then we went to visit the homestead where a mother of 5 died last week. She left behind 2 children in grade school and two teenage/20 year old daughters who each have their own babies - one only 3 weeks old. They live in two mud houses and have nothing. 7 more orphans in Swaziland now. The guys prayed and shared and we stood in a circle to surround the women to pray over them - a group of men protecting Swazi women and standing in the gap for them. We saw the crops around their house were failing from drought and prayed for rain. It started raining just a few minutes ago - now 7 hours later.

Then we went to the homestead of an 8 year old girl who drowned yesterday in a pond. We sat and prayed and cried with the grandmother and father and some other family members. Very sad and tragic.

In each place we took some food. In the first home one daughter who is 19 has 2 years of high school left. She has no money to pay the school fees. The guys dug into their pockets and paid the year's school fees - $250. Amazing.

We have seen highs and lows in our first week here - and more often than not the internet has not worked to even try to update you all! Please pray for us as we travel tomorrow to Nsoko - the hardest hit area of Swaziland. We have another group coming in, so the logistics and overall work will double for Marcia and I. We are already a little tired - although as I type this, Marcia is visiting at the hospital. I don't know how she has the emotional or physical energy to do it.

Well gotta run. Pray for us please -

Scott

Please pray for Scott and Marcia as they lead these teams; also pray for strength and wisdom as they minister to these local people hurting and grieving the lost of loved ones.

Please also pray for our staff (especially the D-team) who is daily surrounded by this desperation and death.

PS You can follow the updates on Scott's blog at http://scottborg.myadventures.org/

Christmas Party Video

Sun, 27 Dec 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Meg Williams made this great video of one of our Christmas Parties in Swaziland. What a great job. This party was at Timbutini and it was for Nthaba's, Thulwane and Timbutini. We had great fun and the kids had a blast.

Thanks to everyone that made this possible.

Merry Christmas!

Fri, 25 Dec 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Merry Christmas to all our friends and family! Hope you had a wonderful and blessed day. We surely enjoyed our Christmas and we are thankful to be in the States. We ate a lot, laughed a lot and sang a lot of Christmas carols.

We are enjoying our time here with dear friends and we will soon start traveling a bit and we are looking forward seeing more friends.

A crazy end to another crazy year

Sun, 13 Dec 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Sorry for this update to be so late. Sooo much has happened in the last 2 weeks.

On December 5^th we had our last Christmas party. Somehow the last one ended up being way more chaotic than the previous two together. (?????) But it still went pretty well and the kids had a blast. I think we had a blast too! It was nice to see the kids so excited and having fun.
Jumbo led an all ladies vision trip with a few of the ladies being wives of NFL players. We enjoyed listening to all their fun stories and it was great watching the Lord working in and through them during the trip.
We moved house! Well, we have everything packed into boxes and out of our old house; waiting for us to return to Swaziland next year. (We are moving to another house in Manzini.)
We are on our way to spend Christmas in the States!!! We will be there for a while. We will hopefully be able to rest some, and then we will also visit a few of the CHC sponsoring churches, visit the AIM and CHC head offices and attend a mission conference in Alabama.

Well, I am typing this blog as we are sitting at the airport, very excited about this trip. God has blessed us and we are thankful! Please pray that it will be a good flight.

Happy Thanksgiving

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Thankgiving

This afternoon I am just thinking of one of the best holidays there is - Thanksgiving!!. I love the whole idea of thanksgiving and what this day stands for. So even if we do not celebrate this holiday formally down here in Africa, I am still asking myself the question: What am I thankful for. So here is a little list.

I am thankful to be alive and living in this exciting time of tomorrows history

I am thankful to Father God for just being Him and that He is part of every aspect of my life.

I am thankful to be married to the most precious wife in the world

I am thankful for all the people that is helping out

I am thankful to have a great D-Team and staff

I am thankful for a happy thankful faces

I am thankful for the ladies cooking everyday to feed the children

I am thankful to see change and be part of it in the lives of the Swazi kids

I am thankful to every person that is supporting us personally and the work down here

I am thankful for great friends - Here and over the water

I am thankful to be able to live my dream here in Swaziland

I am thankful that we can help so many people in need

I am thankful for the Lords provision

I am thankful for health

I am thankful that I can pay the rent every month

I am thankful for humor and people that makes you laugh

I am thankful that the Lord has not given up on the World

I am thankful for organizations like Adventures in Missions and Children's Hope chest for wanting to make a difference .

I am thankful that the Lord is still in control

I am thankful for the rain and the sunshine

I am thankful for every person that has build into our lives

Well I am sure there is still more things I am thankful for, but this is a few. Please share some of the things you are thankful for so that we can bring joy to each other and remind each other that live without being thankful is a wasted live.

Happy Thanksgiving.

A rainy Christmas party

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

It had been pouring the whole week and Friday morning we had to decide about canceling the party or continuing with it; most probably in the rain. The D-team decided: Let's do it!

Well, the sun didn't start shining just because we decided in faith to continue with the party! The rain continued to pour down and it ended up quite an eventful day! I decided to play it safe and not drive out to the carepoint on Friday, but then Ncobile (driving the D-team van) had a little collision with one of the AIM vans right in front of the office. Thirty minutes later another driver knocked an electricity pole over across the road from the office! By then I was freaked out and I didn't want to drive any where!

By Saturday it was still raining and we loaded in the rain. At the carepoint we put the jumping castle up inside the building and this created some excitement for the kids. They showed up in all kinds of winter wear, (I promise you; it has been colder this past week than what we are use to during our real winter!) but the rain didn't really stop them. We did have fewer kids than originally expected, but we still had a bunch. The D-team did a great job of keeping them busy inside with games, dancing and competitions. And then when it was time for a really yummy lunch ... the rain stopped! We were so thankful! The kids could go outside and enjoy their nice Christmas meal.

After their meal they received their gifts, candy and cake and they all went home with full, round little tummies!

Update on Storm that hit Nsoko last Night.

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Here is an update on the Storm that went thru Nsoko last night. I heard about it and then decided to go down to Nsoko and just see what the damage was.

The church structure got some damage on the roof, Gift's Car port blew over, Pastor Gift's House got some minor damage and the Centre was without electricity. As I was driving to the centre I noticed that a significant number of the electric poles were either broken or leaning to the ground. It must have been quite a wind.

Pastor Gift and I then did a few quick home visits to see what has happened in the Community. In short one of the Gogo's , that cook at Nsoko, house is in tatters. The roof was blown totally off and the whole family was wet to the bone after the storm. They had to hang out everything they owned to try to get it dry. The family tries to look brave, but I could sense that this was really a huge disaster for them.

Then also the house that 2 orphans were living in was also flattened to the ground. Pastor Gift says that this touched him the most, because not only do they have no extended family, they also do not have a place to stay anymore.

If anyone wants to respond to the cry for help from down here at Nsoko please contact either Adventures in Missions or Children's Hope Chest.

Party #1

Mon, 9 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Thank you to all of you prayed for me after my accident and for the Christmas party this weekend and thank you for all the encouraging messages we received! My body is still sore, but I have no visible bruises (praise God!!!) and I am feeling much better! And the Christmas party went really well! We have seen and experienced God's faithfulness and goodness continuously throughout this weekend!

We had lots of help leading up to the party and by early Friday afternoon we had everything ready! The AIM Real Life team helped by packing gift and candy bags and they also decorated cakes ... a lot of cakes that my poor mom baked! (Yes, we even have my mom here this year helping!) The team and my mom are a huge blessing to me. We also had a team from a South African church that came to help us. They decorated the inside of the building and they even put up a Christmas tree! It was the first time we had a Christmas tree! It was so fun.

The kids arrived with much excitement on Saturday. For a lot of them it was their first time to see the huge playground and they immediately ran to it and started playing. It was more than satisfying hearing the laughter of kids playing and running around. Lunch was of course another big favorite and the kids enjoyed their big plates of food. After lunch they received their gifts, candy and cake! It was awesome to see their little faces.

Everything went so well and so smooth and there was no chaos at all!!!! We thank God for this!!!!

Accident

Sat, 7 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

How do you explain the total chill that goes thru your whole body when you get a call that says:" come immediately your wife was in an bad accident". Well it is like everything just stops. Kriek was in an accident yesterday afternoon on her way to one of the Care Points where we had a Christmas Party today.

She is doing okay. She is sore and bruised, but still the trooper I know she is. She still ran the Christmas Party although she had all the reason not to be there. We will give an update on the party Monday.

A Drunken driver was speeding and he and she were in a partial head on collision at a sharp turn on the gravel road to Thembeni. The other driver is still in hospital and is not looking so good, luckily there were no passengers in his car, because I am not sure if they would have made it. His car was pretty smashed up.

There are a few things I am very thankful for:

That the Lord protected both drivers

That the Lord has shown in even this He is always in control.

That Kriek was driving our Pajero, because if she were in a smaller car she would have gotten hurt much more.

For all the prayers of friends last night so that she would be able to go to the Christmas party.

For all the phone calls from friends - it really means a lot.

Kriek's car needs to go to the shop to get fixed, but we know even in this the Lord will provide.

Here are a few pictures of the 2 cars.

Thanks again for all the prayers and calls.

Pre School Graduation

Wed, 4 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

This past Saturday I got to be part (and attended) my first carepoint pre-school graduation! I think it was the first pre-school graduation of all of our carepoints, and I was just as excited as the kids! (For those who know the carepoints a little better ... it was at Bhalekane carepoint!)

The kids rehearsed throughout the week, the parents and guardians were invited, we printed programs for them, we printed certificates for the kids and we rented them graduation gowns. We even had refreshments for afterwards!

I was amazed at what the 2 teachers had achieved with the kids and I was so proud of the kids! (I even thought that the kids' English skills were better than their cultural dancing skills!)

PS I got to hand them their certificates and shake their little hands!

5 years!

Thu, 8 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

We are enjoying a wonderful break while also celebrating our 5^th wedding anniversary. We are immensely blessed to be on an island and to be staying in a very nice hotel right on the ocean. We are enjoying every minute of being here! Long walks on the beach, swimming, being together, reading, watching beautiful sunsets ... the works, but we are also glad that we have a real life' to go back to, even though it is hard at times. This is like a special gift from God, almost like Him showing us that He sees our every effort to let His kingdom come here on earth'. But for us there is definitely more to life than sitting on the beach!

Even though the island is off the coast of Africa, a very large number of the population is from Indian descent and the Hindu religion is very big on this island. Every where you go you will see shrines and temples. On one of our island tours we visited an important Hindu pilgrimage site. I think it was a hard and sad visit for us. We believe that we serve and worship the One and Only true God, but so do they. How do we convince people otherwise? How do we share what we believe as true without coming over as arrogant?

I don't think we can! I think God has to reveal Himself to them, and many times I think He wants to use us. People need to see something different in our lives. Something that they don't have, but want! People need to see our passionate faith in God, especially when times are hard. People need to see our passionate love relationship with Him where it is not about rules or laws, but where we follow Him with our whole being because we love Him. People need to experience God's love for them through us loving them, accepting them, caring for them.

People need to see that our God is real!! First we need to LIVE the Gospel and once people start asking questions, we can SHARE the Gospel of the Good News with words!

"For the Kingdom of God is not a matter of talk, but of power." !!!!!!!

(1 Cor. 4:20)

AGAIN?????!!!!!

Fri, 11 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Our break is over and we are back home. The time of rest was really good and God has been so faithful. Thank you to all of you who prayed for us. We laughed a lot, we had great times of fellowship with good friends who we have not seen in a while, we enjoyed time with family, we did some fun things (participated in some South African culture - RUGBY!), we read a lot, slept a lot, watched many movies, and we experienced some sweet times with the Lord. We feel rested, encouraged and motivated to continue with the work God is allowing us to be part of.

Now that we are back it is time to start focusing on year end Christmas parties! (Can you believe it?! It is that time of the year AGAIN!!!) On Monday we are having a big planning day where we will be deciding on dates, gifts, food, etch. Although it is a big job of organizing everything, we are really excited about the parties. These parties are always the highlight of the year for the kids. When we ask them for the year reports what their favorite event during the year was, 95% of them say the Christmas parties! Please remember that the children of Swaziland, and especially of our carepoints, do NOT celebrate Christmas in the way children in America or Canada celebrate Christmas. No Christmas decorations to create the Christmas spirit', no Christmas tree and unwrapping gifts the morning of Christmas, no big meal with turkey and stuffing... These might be the only celebration of Christmas they experience.

So if you want to be part of these celebrations and you would like to make a financial contribution, please email us for details. Or if you want to make an online donation, just click on Support me' on the left of this page; enter Swazi Orphan Fund' instead of the staff member's name, and please forward us the receipt.

Thank you so much! Wish some of you could be here to help us bake and decorate cakes, buy gifts, make candy bags, haul food and gifts around, play on the jumping castle ... and share in the laughter and fun of Christmas with the children of Swaziland!

Thankful

Sun, 23 Aug 2009 00:00:00 GMT

I thought it wise to share our thankfulness to all the churches that are so hard at work to make a difference in the lives of the children of Swaziland. This year all the churches came for a visit and the visits made a huge impact on all the care points and communities that were visited. Kriek and I want to thank each one of you and let you know that you are part of the puzzle that God is building in Swaziland.

This past week I was in the great position to help and see Capo Beach Calvary open their container that they shipped over and build the playground that the church sent to Swaziland. The container has been sitting at the carepoint for about a month. Of course the children at the carepoint have been anxiously waiting for the day the container would be opened. It was amazing to see their reactions when the container was opened and see what's inside. It was also amazing to see how excited they were about the playground as it got bigger and bigger every day. (They were actually so excited that they started playing on it even before it was up.)

I do not have much to say; the pictures can speak for itself. Thank you guys; this is amazing ... (And thank you Dan and Jesse Snipes for the pictures.)

Come to Me ...

Mon, 17 Aug 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Dear friends

In Matthew 11:28 God makes this promise to us:

"Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and my burden is light."

I know Jumbo blogged about spending time with God a while ago, so I don't want to say the same things. But in the daily running around, feeling responsible for about 2700 children, discipling people, sorting out problems, fighting against this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms ... and remembering that the fight is NOT against flesh and blood ... (Ephesians 6:12) we get tired and we forget to go to Christ!

Jumbo and I are taking a short break. I am already on my break and Jumbo will join me in a few days. Please pray with us that we will really seek God for this rest. We are both tired and weary and we feel we need God to step in. It is our desires that God will refresh our souls.

What makes me come alive?

Mon, 3 Aug 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Why do people blog? Why are we blogging? To tell you what's happening in our lives? To share with you what God's doing in and through us (and you; if you are partnering with us in this ministry)? To somehow keep you involved in our lives and ministry? Right now I don't even have an answer to this. I, Kriek, am really tired and now might not even be a good time to write this blog. But I am going to! I don't think I have put much emotion into the last few blogs; I have been going through the motions. Sad, but true! But I am hoping this one will be different. I guess it is easy to just give a report (or quick updates) about what's happening, but for me it is harder to reflect my real emotions while sharing with you what's happening.

We are over the busiest time of the summer and things are starting to slow down somewhat now. It has been a good summer and the kids, the ladies cooking, and even the communities, have been blessed immensely by all the visiting teams. All the gifts they received were amazing; new clothes, shoes, toys, blankets ... just to mention a few! And all the medical attention the children received was a huge blessing. (At one of the carepoints there is even a whole container still waiting to be opened!) Jumbo and I have been blessed too! Spending time with returning friends and new friends, all the prayers and encouragement we received, friends blessing us by serving alongside us, spending time with the kids at the carepoints, etch. (Thanks again girls! I could not have done it without you and our emergency chocolate!)

But during this summer I have been asking myself this question: What makes me come alive? What during this summer made me come alive? If I am doing what God has called me to do, why am I just going through the motions at this stage? Why am I so tired? Well, I don't have the answers to this yet and maybe I will blog next about the thoughts I do have and what I think God is telling me. But I can share with you what makes me feel alive at this stage!

Seeing growth in the lives and behavior of the kids at the carepoints. Sometimes I feel so proud of them that I want to burst into tears! Seeing growth in the discipleship team; in their walk with God, in the way they take responsibility for the things that need to happen. They way they interact with the kids. Doing things that is against the cultural norm.

Seeing hearts being touched and lives being changed through vulnerable, forgotten little ones. Knowing that God is at work.

Hearing a few of my favorites calling me by my name for the first time in 2 years. First they called me mlungu' (white person), then they called me make' (mother) and now I am Krrrieke (I love the way they say my name!). This shows me that there is growth in the openness of our relationship.

Walking a few of my favorite boys home, hand in hand, in the rural area, on a lovely sunny Swazi winter's afternoon. No demands, no responsibilities. Just me and them; laughing and walking. Not much talking; I am still struggling with SiSwati. Who needs words if smiles say enough?

Knowing that God is using us to make a difference in Swaziland. And it isn't anything we are doing or that we can boast in. It is all God; He is just allowing us to be part of it.

These are a few things I want to remember for the rest of my life! What are the things you want to remember for the rest of your life? What makes you come alive?

Another little update from us

Fri, 26 Jun 2009 00:00:00 GMT

This week is our busiest week of the summer (our winter)! We already have 5 teams in the country and 2 more arriving in the next 2 days! (I am praising God for the help He has sent me.)

We had a great time with our second team at their sponsored carepoint. Almost the whole team from last year returned and it was like family visiting us. (Larry and Squeaky, we missed you!) Many of the children at the carepoint also remembered their friends from last year and it was good to see the children taking less time to open up. I also feel like the kids laughed more than last year and it was good to see them play and laugh.

On Wednesday I, Kriek, did a few quick visits to some of the sponsored carepoints. At one of the carepoints (Bhalekane) we have put up our first sign. It is so nice! It is just amazing to see how God has provided!

When I pulled up to the carepoint which we visited with the second team, I was greeted by a sad sight. The roof and of the kitchen collapsed because of a windstorm we had the day before. The miracle: none of the kids were harmed! It is amazing! Usually the kids will sit and eat behind the kitchen, but the ladies decided to send the kids home because of the strong wind. If they didn't do it, a lot of the kids might have been hurt. God is faithful!

Blue paint and 800+ hotdogs = ...

Sun, 7 Jun 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Hi friends

Just a quick update from us as we are about to finish our first CHC trip for the summer. (Can't believe it!) It went well and it was good to spend time with the children at the carepoints again. It felt so good to touch and kiss those dirty little cheeks, to hold those little bodies and see those beautiful smiles. It was good to see how well the kids behaved while having a team visiting their carepoint and it was also good to see them play and have fun with their American friends. We visited 2 carepoints this past week with a team from Warren Baptist (Augusta, GA) and on Saturday we had a big fun day for the kids. It was fun watching the team make about 800 or so hotdogs and it was fun watching the kids eat those hotdogs.

We also painted our first building with the colors we have decided to paint all our buildings with. It was so exciting! It looks amazing coming over the hill and then seeing the blue building! (Check out the pictures below.)

God also showed Jumbo and I both that this ministry is His! It is not ours, it is His! I think we somehow got arrogant thinking that it is our' ministry. But it has been freeing realizing that it is all His and handing it back over to Him.

NEW LIFE

Fri, 29 May 2009 00:00:00 GMT

"NEW LIFE" is the theme for our women's camp coming up June 12-14 for the women who cook at our care points and sew for Timbali Crafts. In a place with so much death, we're getting really excited about God is going to do during our weekend focused on LIFE...true life found in Jesus. The camp will hopefully have close to 80 women in attendance, including the 40+ women from Nsoko who just started sewing for Timbali last fall. This will be the first time all of the women have been together and they are excited for the opportunity.

The cost for each woman will be around $25.

IF YOU'D LIKE TO DONATE TOWARD THE COST OF THE CAMP
you can do so through the AIM website:
https://www.adventures.org/give/donate.asp?giveto=swazi
(Choose Swazi Craft Co-op in the drop down menu.)

Here are some stories and pics from Julie Anderson's blog, (http://julieanderson.myadventures.org) who works with these women and heads up Timbali Crafts...

NOMSA

A while ago my friend Nomsa told me I needed to come to visit her home so she could show me what she has done with money she's earned through Timbali Crafts. Nomsa is a precious woman, who works hard, never complains and has a beautiful smile. Yesterday afternoon Ellie and I, and a few other friends, were able to visit the home of Nomsa and her family.

Nomsa and her husband, their 6 children, 3 other children they care for, and her husband's mother all live on the same homestead. Nomsa's house is small, only one room made from stick and mud, with a very leaky roof that was threatening to cave in during heavy rains. There were several other similar stick and mud homes/rooms shared by the family members and also a concrete block home (one room) for the grandmother. What Nomsa was so excited to show us was the nearly finished concrete block house/room that they have been able to build using money she had earned through the purses she sews. We captured some great pictures during our visit, but I wish you all could have seen Nomsa in person yesterday-she was BEAMING with the excitement of visitors to her home and showing off what the Lord has provided. It was such a good time of rejoicing with my friend. There was one less chicken running around their yard yesterday afternoon, as Nomsa had also prepared a meal for us! I hope it encourages you as it did me to see the good things the Lord is providing for these precious women!

THOKO

I met as usual yesterday with the Timbali women to cut fabric. Afterwards about 17 of us piled into the van to go and visit Thoko. I heard on Sunday that Thoko's daughter, had passed away over the weekend. About 9 months ago I blogged about a couple of trips I'd made to a local HIV/AIDS clinic with Thoko's daughter Lindiwe. At only 24 she had been too weak to walk, barely able to speak, and had to be pushed in a wheel barrowdown a small path to the road where I could pick them up. Lindiwe had been doing pretty well for a while, but in the last couple weeks grew weak again, and finally passed away on Friday. This is the third child Thoko has lost in the last few years, and her husband is also very sick.

We drove as far as we could in the van, then walked across a small valley to Thoko's homestead. As we got close one of the women started singing a song and the others joined in. Everyone took their shoes off at the door and crowded into the small 7'x7' stick and mud hut. We sat on the floor and sang, prayed and shared scripture with Thoko. It's hard to imagine the heaviness of Thoko's grief.

During the afternoon Psalm 62:8 kept coming to mind, and I shared it with the women while we were sitting in Thoko's house: "Trust in the Lord at all times, O people. Pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge." I pray that Thoko will know that they can pour out their hearts to the Lord, that they can trust Him and that they can find refuge in Him.

Nomsa and Thoko are just some of the women that will be attending the "NEW LIFE" camp. These times away can be great times of encouragement, refreshment and healing. Please consider helping to make it happen!

First clinic

Mon, 18 May 2009 00:00:00 GMT

What? Blog # 3 for the month of May? It looks like it has been a good month!

We have been talking to Luke Commision about doing clinics at some of our carepoints; Luke Commision is a team of missionary doctors working in Swaziland. And last week Friday we were happy to have our first clinic. The children from 3 of our carepoints came to the clinic and we also had a lot of people from the community coming. It was a long day at the craepoint for everybody who helped, but a lot of people received medical attention.

We are excited about having more clinics and working with Luke Commision. We already have a date for the next clinic at one of our other carepoints!

A call to even more diligent prayer!

Wed, 13 May 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Just last week we mentioned the increasing effects of poverty we are seeing around us. Well, it is staring to come closer to home' as people are getting more and more desperate.

Sunday afternoon we got a call from Julie; one of our AIM staff members. She, her daughter and a friend were in South Africa. The car they were driving (one of the ministry vehicles, because Julie's own car has been in the shop forever and they can't seem to fix it!!) got stolen in the parking lot of one of the malls. Julie's passport and brand new computer were in the car; it was also gone!

Yesterday morning we received another call. Zodwa, a member of the D-team, and her family was mugged and robbed during the night. Zodwa and her sister each has separate rooms away from their parents' house. Sometime during the night somebody knocked on her sister's door, she asked who it was, but there was no answer. The next moment the door (just a wooden door, no safety gate) was bashed opened and some guys stormed in. Zodwa's sister yelled for help, Zodwa heard her and came to help her. Not sure what happened next, but their parents also came out of their house and Zodwa's mom was badly beaten over the head. The thieves stole a bunch of things from their rooms and the house and then ran away.

Zodwa's mom is doing okay and she is home after they have taken her to the hospital, but Zodwa sounded pretty upset when I talked to her. Of course they are upset by what happened, but they are also scared for a repeat of this.

Please, please, if God lays it on your heart, continue to lift us up in prayer now even more than before. Please pray for our safety and for the safety of all our staff.

Here is a picture of Zodwa

A 'jumbo' update

Fri, 8 May 2009 00:00:00 GMT

It has been a while since our last blog update, but to be honest it hasn't been the easiest of times for me and Kriek. We started the year at full throttle and so many things happened. We also experienced a few disappointments at the same time and we realized that the 2 of us had to re-evaluate if we could continue in the ministry and if we were still able to go on at the pace we were going. Somewhere we have to start looking out for ourselves, our emotional health and our marriage, but also still be effective in the ministry God has called us to.

In this time I again realized that one of my biggest strengths is also one of my biggest weaknesses. I know, and I am proud of it, that I can do a lot of things and handle a lot at the same time. But then the weakness is that I do most of the things out of my own strength and the first thing that gets left behind is my time at the Source. During our time of re-evaluation I spend a lot of time with Scott Borg. He made it clear to me that spending time with the Lord is one of the most essential aspects of our relationship with the Lord and of being successful in ministry. It does not matter how much needs to happen on a daily basis; our time with the Father should be a non negotiable. The funny thing for me is that this is the first thing you learn when you become a Christian, but it is also the easiest (and maybe the first thing) to neglect.

So the Lord came and emphasized it again to me. Two weekends ago I went to the Mighty Men Conference were 260 000 men worshipped and prayed together. It was amazing!! The preacher at the conference talked about how important it is to spend time with the Father and how he will spend more time with the Lord the more his responsibilities gets. So again I am back realizing how important it is to keep our eyes on the Lord. Rest is very important, but even more important is our time with the Lord and resting with and in Him.

So for now ... I am done reflecting on my lesson that I have learned numerous times, but fail to implement the way it should be. With God's grace I am trying to implement this time thing with the Lord again.

On the ministry side it is going well. So far this year we have been able to care for around 2700 children and we have even been able to provide some food, clothes and shoes to other areas in need that we are not working in yet. I am not even going to mention all the building and water projects that so many great people have donated to that is happening to make life easier in the communities. (Thank you!)

One of the greatest things in life for me is a thankful person. It touches my heart to see the tears in a lady's eyes because the Lord has used some of you to provide funds to build her a new house. Now she and the children she is looking after no longer have to fight the elements or criminals in her mud and stick structure. They can lock their door, they are safe, warm and dry. It is amazing to see.

Please continue praying and staying involved in our lives and in Swaziland. Please continue to pray for the ongoing battles we are fighting. One of the biggest of these battles is the effects of AIDS on some of the communities. There is a lady that is living with her 8 month old baby and she has a severe strain of TB that is highly contagious. There is a special hospital for cases like this in Swaziland, but they have no space available. So they gave her some medicine and send her home. She needs to get an injection every week for the next six months and are suppose to be separated from contact with other people, but where she lives it isn't possible. And there is also no way she can be separated from her baby; the homestead where she lives has decided to put her and the baby in one room. So it is kind of already too late; the chances are good that the baby already has TB.

We are also seeing (and feeling) the increasing effect of poverty around us daily. We have more and more people coming to our office asking for help. Children coming to ask for school fees or ladies and pastors starting new carepoints asking for food. Most of the times we have to turn them down; it is impossible at this stage to help them all. Sometimes we can help them with something that is temporarily, but it doesn't really solve their long term problem. It is things like this that makes life very hard on this side, but we can only do what we can.

The American summer is also approaching fast and we have numerous teams coming to visit their sponsored children and carepoints, putting up play grounds, loving the kids and ministering to the desperate and the needy. Please also pray for this time ahead. We pray for lives to be changed and we are thankful for each person who is involved in some way here in Swaziland and helping to bring change in the lives of the children and ladies we are working with.

My twins

Fri, 3 Apr 2009 00:00:00 GMT

From Kriek:

My favorite set of twins (they are almost in all of my pictures!) got burned with boiling water last week. It was really upsetting to see them in such pain and there wasn't much I could do for them.

Please copy and paste and then go to this link below to read what my friend Marcia Borg, who was with me when this happened, wrote about it. (Thank you, Marcia) You can also see some pictures of the twins on her blog.

http://marciaborg.myadventures.org/?filename=binding-wounds

A Wonder- called Kriek

Wed, 4 Mar 2009 00:00:00 GMT

fastinnerhtml!

Amazing Grace

Mon, 9 Feb 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound ...

...of orphan laughter after receiving a new pair of shoes.

...of a beloved's voice over the phone saying he is safe after loosing a tire.

How do we thank God for calling us to Swaziland and making us part of what He is doing here? How do I thank God for keeping my husband safe? And how do we thank all of you who are daily lifting us up in prayer?

January was another busy month for us with visitors, many trips to Johannesburg airport and back, and hours of fun at the carepoints. Last year we received shoes from Yield clothing and Samaritan's Feet (thank you!); we just had to buy some smaller sizes for the small kids (thank you Erin, Daniela, Brenda, Lynne). So the teams washed the feet of the children, prayed over them and gave them new shoes. It was heart warming to watch the children outside after receiving their new shoes; looking at their shoes and comparing their shoes with pride. It was good to watch the teams interacting with the kids and seeing how God was changing lives.

It was also good holding my husband after he almost totaled his car. The front tire on the car bursted on his way back from Johannesburg airport and it is only by the protection and grace of God that he and his passengers were all okay. (Below is a picture of the tire.)

So we want to thank you all for covering us in prayer. We are humbled by your prayers for us.

Happy New Year!

Thu, 15 Jan 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Hallo friends and family!

Hope 2009 has treated you nicely so far. We have been back in Swaziland for about a week and we have already been running in different directions. Jumbo has been in Nsoko and I have been taking a team around, showing them a small part of our ministry and sharing our hearts for Swaziland with them.

I also had a great first day with the discipleship team. Last year we decided to take the first working day of 2009 and spend it in prayer, studying God's Word and seeking His face. We asked God to reveal Himself to us and show us Who He really is. It was amazing to listen to the team's revelations. We also interceded for the carepoints, children, ladies cooking, our work there and for the sponsoring churches. It was a sweet time!

It looks like 2009 is going to be a busy year. Jumbo sees it as a challenge and I get a bit nervous. But we are excited about it and like David I want to say, "With Your help I can advance against a troop; with my God I can scale a wall." (Psalm 18:29)

May we scale some walls together in 2009!

Merry Christmas friends!

Wed, 24 Dec 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Hey friends, as we are taking a break and enjoying our summer vacation with family, we are thinking of you and we want to wish you all a Merry Christmas. Thank you for all your support this year and for all the ways you were part of our lives. Thank you for every prayer, for every encouraging word and message, for donations, for whichever way you contributed to the ministry and our lives.

Hope you have a great holiday and we hope that you will continue to be part of the ministry in Swaziland and our lives to make 2009 another memorable year.

Merry Christmas!!!

Love

Jumbo and Kriek

Please pray with us

Tue, 16 Dec 2008 00:00:00 GMT

To all of you who are praying so faithfully for us, I just want to thank each one of you. I also want to call each one of you to continue to pray for Pastor Walter and his family. I just got of the phone with Lelo and he informed me that the same guys that robbed Pastor Walter a week ago has returned.

Lelo caught 3 of the five guys that robbed Walter, but the other 2 returned and tried again to get into his house. Because some of you were so gracious to give some money, we were able to secure Walter's house. So they could not get into the house, but they tried to break through the wall with a pick ax and threw stones through the windows. One of the stones hid Nomsa, but she is okay. The family is very shocked. We moved Walter and his family to one of our team houses and they will stay there for now. The past events are very worry some for us and I believe that we need to step up to the plate and start praying against what is happening.

I believe that the jealousy in this community and the attitude of "everyone should rather have nothing, than someone having something" is spiritual strongholds that can be broken through prayer and trusting the Lord to give us the answer. So please join us in spending time with the Lord and praying specifically for the victory over these strongholds in the community.

Thank you that we can share this with you and that we can know that many of you will intercede on behalf of one of our main ministry partners in Swaziland. Let's overcome this giant together.

Finally something about the 'Grand Finale'

Mon, 15 Dec 2008 00:00:00 GMT

"I will enter His gates with thanksgiving in my heart; I will enter His courts with praise.

I will say this is the day that the Lord has made, I will rejoice for He has made me

glad ... "

This was the song I had in my head Saturday (December 6^th) during the last Christmas party. God was yet again faithful (even in the smallest details) and the day was a big success. A few hundred children, most dressed in colorful outfits, showed up. We played together, laughed together, danced together, jumped together and had fun together. My heart was overwhelmed with pride and joy. Pride in what the discipleship team has accomplished and joy in what was going on around me.

We saw the story of Daniel acted out (we even saw some big old skeleton bones in the lions' den). We saw young Swazi warriors doing traditional dances. We listened to carepoint choirs. And we watch as little faces turned into surprised, excited expressions upon receiving back packs and toys.

Thank you so much to all of you who made a contribution to these parties. Thank you for all your prayers and for sending us encouraging messages.

Here are some pictures!