The End

...is only the beginning. It's the end of our week in Swaziland, but I sense that it's just the beginning - or one step - on a lifelong journey. Where it will take us I don't know for sure. But I do know that I won't leave this trip the same, and I doubt that our students will either. Swaziland has changed us, and I only hope that we were able to have even a small impact on the lives of the people we encountered. Now the big question remains: How are we different? Each person will have their own answer to that question. For me, I hope to be a more grateful individual. I experienced what gratitude should look like, and I hope I can capture just a portion of that, and pass it on to my kids.

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Litsemba was today. What a day! We got to see our kids, gogos and pastors one last time for this huge worship gathering. What a joy it was to see their smiling faces through the dusty windows as they waved when they recognized us! Twenty-three full-size buses pulled down the dusty road to our parking area, where each child and adult received a bracelet. This bracelet meant that, at the end of the day, they would receive a hot meal and a gift bag, which included a Bible and a bar of soap. But that was the end of the day. After they exited the buses and got their bracelets, they hiked down the dusty road to the concert grounds, which will be turned into a greenhouse after today. They were treated to a great show, which included music from local artists, the Taiwanese group, artists from North Point Church in Atlanta, and our own Renovate Band. I was so proud of our youth as they lifted high the name of Jesus while leading over 3,000 orphans in worship. As I told them, this was a once in a lifetime experience. Who knows if they will ever have an opportunity like this again. But the band weren't the only ones I am proud of. All of our youth stepped up today - and all week - to bring hope and love to a country that desperately needs it. Whether that hope came in the form of a meal or some bags of beans or a smile with a 'take five' or simply holding a child on their lap, our youth were there providing it. If you are a parent reading this, your kid deserves a big hug for serving the Lord in a life-changing way this week.

Well, we head for home tomorrow. Thank you for your prayers and your support. We all appreciate you! See you soon!

Julianna's Blog Entry from Swaziland

To the folks back home,

Sawubona! Let me first say that I have been so richly blessed this week. That God would direct my path to Africa - to the most beautiful country of Swaziland - is mind-boggling and wonderful. But for Him to choose to bless me further by allowing me to work alongside the youth of La Croix on this journey - that has been indescribable. Going out to the community with Chase and Taylor was a life-changing experience for all of us every day - an experience hinted at by the glowing, Spirit-filled faces of our other youth. Each night as we share stories, inevitable I was floored by these young adults' willingness to answer the call. With both a natural knack and a deep fervor these youth are daily going to the ends of their worlds and shouting the Good News. And as we become vessels for the Lord, He shapes us into something that beautifully echoes Himself. The love of Christ I see on their faces and in the actions of these youth has been undeniably changing them as it flows through to their communities. Every time I talk to Blake about His day, I am amazed at how clearly he reflects God's heart for the people of Swaziland. I have seen the spark for this place and these people - and all who have need - in the eyes of all of our youth. I just love hearing to how Tyler and Rachel tell stories of the people they have met, how they are so quick to frame the perspective in empathy and Christian family. To the parents: I am so honored to have shared this week with these awesome men and women of God. To the youth: I love you all more than words can say - can't wait to come back with you. To La Croix and Cape Girardeau: Be ready because some blazing hearts for Africa are coming your way.

Wax Elephants - and real ones, too!

Blake got his luggage last night. He was almost as giddy about that as about serving in Swaziland. OK, not even close, but he was pretty happy.

David had such a good meeting with Allen. Like I wrote earlier, David brought a bunch of t-shirts and candy for him. He was overjoyed! As he opened each shirt, he smelled it, read the words on it, and tried it on. His favorite was the one that said 'Watts' on the back. And each package of candy got read aloud as well. They also got to see his home, which was a treat. Allen told David that he is going to walk to America. Now that would be a feat! (pun not intended)

Some of us are on our way to the game drive (safari), some are going shopping, while the other teams are going to their churches for the last time. There are bound to be some tears with that last group.

I'm excited to go to dinner tonight. They are going to show the video of the chicken conquest.

Boy, can Kevin sleep! After only a short trip in the van and he starts nodding. A few minutes later and he's out. I wish I had that ability! I wouldn't be so tired right now.

We took a collection from our team yesterday to buy supplies for our church. Our team leader just informed us that we collected enough to buy two large utensils - used to stir the food in the large kettles they use - and 31 bags of sugar beans! There's going to be some serious praising going on tomorrow!

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What a treat this morning! It started with being able to sleep in about an hour and a half later than normal. That goes a long way toward making one feel better. Then it was off to the Game Drive. While we desperately wanted to see a lion, which didn't happen, we did see several elephants - including one who staged a face-off with another Jeep - a handful of rhinos (or is it a clash of rhinos), a few wild boar, many antelopes and impalas, and a single giraffe. What a cool experience! While we didn't get to see them as closely as we do at the zoo, this was much funner experience.

We also stopped on the way back to the hotel for some more shopping at a different market. This was a little more, shall we say, civilized. There wasn't nearly the pressure to buy something like at the other place. We got to watch an artist make elephant candle. Very cool!

Tonight I think we are meeting to decide what clothes we are taking to our church. Some of the stuff just won't fit the children, so it may go with another church. Not sure how that will play out. We are excited to see their faces, though!

Swaziland - Entry One

As I type this, we are in the home stretch of our flight to Johannesburg, with just over an hour to go. It seems like this trip has lasted forever already...maybe because it started at 3:00am on Friday and has included very little sleep (for me) since then. On the first leg of our Africa flight - we made a stop in Dakar - not many of the youth slept. However, since that stop, many of them slept like rocks. That's a good thing, knowing the week we have ahead of us. My lack of sleep did have one benefit: I got caught up on movies, TV shows, and reading, so it's not all bad.

The American portion of our flight was pretty uneventful, except for the fact that it took our plane at least 30 minutes after take-off to cool down. It's fun getting all sweaty when you know your next shower is days away. In DC, we had plenty of time to kill, so we ate good lunches and sat around and took walks and played Apples to Apples. Julianna was on a different flight than the rest of us. She sprinted to make sure she got to the flight on time, only to realize that she had been reading her ticket wrong and that she had an hour to spare.

It's fun being on a flight where we are the foreigners. The Africans have a cool accent and some of the phrases they use are interesting. For example, when you want to get someone's attention, like the flight attendant, instead of saying, "Excuse me..." I've heard them saying, "Sorry..." It's enjoyable experiencing a new culture.

As we are flying over Africa, it's interesting to look down at the landscape. When I fly I'm used to seeing houses, businesses, highways, and such. Africa is a completely different experience. You don't see much of anything (at least the part we have been flying over - I'm sure Johannesburg will look more developed). David and I noticed a large area that looked like snow. He mentioned how surprising that was. When you think of Africa, you don't generally think of snow, but we could have been flying over a high-altitude area...or maybe it wasn't snow at all. It's definitely funner, though, to think of it as snow.
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Now, we are on a  charter bus heading for Swaziland. Chase and Tyler are playing guitar and singing, Taylor, Julianna and Blake are listening to iPods, Cori and David are goofing off, and Kevin is snoozing in the back.

When we got to J'burg, we discovered that one of Blake's suitcases was not present. He and I waited in a line for a pretty long time to report it. It should be delivered on Monday. Until then, he will be living off of the clothes that were slated for donation. Toiletries? He's sharing with David. I'm not sure if that includes his toothbrush or not. I hope not.

The hotel we stayed in was really nice. And the Heart for Africa people greeted us with a pizza reception. The general consensus was that the lamb Mexican pizza pretty much rocked. Some of the youth played Mafia while I tried to access the wi-fi. Not having luck, I went to bed at 9:45 and got a good night's sleep. I still feel a bit like a zombie, minus the desire to eat brains.

We had a fantastic breakfast buffet this morning! And, like I said, we wait to reach Swaziland. We should be there in a couple more hours...
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After arriving at the Lugogo Sun
yesterday, we went to the market, which is about 1/4 mile from our hotel. Much money was spent. This is a completely different experience from shopping in the US. The market is comprised of interconnected 'shops' (more like shacks) with corrugated metal roofs and dirt floors. There is a person in each shop beckoning you to come to their shop and 'look around. I give you good price." And once you're in there they will do what it takes to male the sale, from bartering to standing in your way from leaving to guilt trips ("Please sir, I am trying to support my son. He only has three years.") It's quite the experience! I bought, among other things, a large giraffe so we would have some African artifacts in our home in honor of our adopted baby. And Tyler won't stop making fun of me for buying that giraffe.

When we got back, Janine Maxwell led our orientation where we learned some rules for the week and some cultural guidelines, such as how to greet Swazis and how to shake hands. (when your child gets home, see if they remember) Then we had a fabulously huge dinner at the nearby Royal Swazi hotel. It was a BBQ. All of the sides - potatoes, rice, etc. - were in huge cast iron pots over a fire. The smoke was a little overwhelming for some, but it was a cool experience nonetheless. After dinner, it was bedtime for some, while others stayed up to watch the World Cup. Can you guess which I did?

We had an early start today, and will so every day. Our team has a two-hour drive to our church, so we had a huge breakfast at 6am and were on the road by 7am. We had our first adventure of the trip already. We got pulled over by the police for inspection. It turns out that we didn't have a permit to get to where we are going. So we had to sit in the van while our driver discussed things with the officer. It was a little nerve-wracking for some. But soon the van owner arrived and we were on our way, which is where we are as I type this. We have beautiful scenery outside our windows and a great team led by Eric Stallworth, a volunteer youth leader at North Point Church in Atlanta. I am on a team with Tyler, Kevin, and Rachel, among others. We are ready for a great week!
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A glance at our week:
-We will go to our churches Monday through Wednesday working in gardens, doing other work projects, and playing with children
-On Thursday we will go on safari.
- On Friday we will go to Project Canaan to get ready for Litsemba, a large worship gathering at which we are expecting 3,000 plus orphans. Tyler, Chase, Rachel and Cori will help lead worship at that.
-Saturday is Litsemba,
-Sunday we go to church and head to the airport. We fly out around 10:45pm.
-Monday afternoon - HOME! See you then!
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Wow! That really sums it up. Wow!

We had an amazing first day at our church. As we rolled up in our van, all the kids got very excited and waved at us. And when I started taking pictures of them and showing them the pictures on the viewfinder, well let's just say, I didn't make it off the bus. They were all clamoring for a spot so they could have their picture taken. And I'm fairly certain I got some good ones. When we could pull ourselves away, Pastor Joseph gave us a tour. He showed us the building which consisted of a preschool room, a kitchen, and a third room. The kitchen had two large kettles in it where their cooking was done, and they were heated by a fire that was kept burning outside. The highlight, though, was the garden. It was already beautiful, and we got to help plants seedlings later in the day.

After playing with the kids some, some our team took to the kitchen some sugar beans that we had brought. They were in for a surprise. When they went into the kitchen, they were greeted by a celebration. The gogos - their name for grandmother - started clapping and cheering and ultimately broke out into song for 5-10 minutes. One girl on our team cried because she was so overwhelmed with emotion.

All the kids were then brought into the preschool room for one of their many 'classes.' They performed several songs and chants, generally revolving around how much they loved God. It was so inspiring! And fun!

After lunch, we played more with the kids, including soccer and bubbles. Wow, did they like bubbles! I went inside at one point and was rolling cars back and forth with a couple of boys, when one little girl  started tickling my neck from behind. I reached behind me and tickled her. This started a brawl with lots of kids 'sneaking' up one to tickle - or scratch - my neck and I would reach back and tickle them. I had to quit when they tried to grab my glasses...and definitely NOT because I was tired.

Our final task was to help them finish the garden by planting hundred of seedlings. I'm fairly certain they could have done or much more quickly without our help, but they were grateful for the relationships we were building with them.

A cool story that Eric told us on the van ride back: Pastor Joseph told us that the fruit trees we planted (yes, we planted fruit trees, too) would live forever, and that the story would be passed down to future generations about a group of people who came from across the ocean to plant them. It's humbling to think that these wonderful people will be talking about US to the children and grandchildren.

Things that we experienced that is so unlike things in the US:
-Cows walking in the street
-So many children without a mommy or daddy
-Unbridled excitement at the delivery of food.
-Ladies -or men, for that matter - gardening with a child strapped to their backs.
-Bus drivers who don't stay in the bus and do their own thing, but rather get out and work alongside us.
We were blessed to be exposed to all this today!
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Is it possible that we have only been at our sites for two days? Because it feels like a year's worth of blessings.

After another big meal last night and a good or bad - depending on who you talk to - night's sleep, we were back at it bright and early at 7am, heading toward the Swedish Free Church. We were told yesterday that we would be visiting the sick and shut-ins. I had spoken to Danae Johnson who had done this the day before and, based on what she described, I was a little intimidated.

We had another great morning with our kiddos and gogos. Lots of playing with soccer and beach balls. The highlight of the morning was either Tyler and Rachel - with the rest of us, but they were the true leaders - teaching the kids the words and motions to two of the songs that will be sung at Litsemba on Saturday. They did great and were so energetic. The teacher said that she would work on the songs with them tomorrow. I guarantee that they will have it down pat because of her. She leads those children well!

The other option for highlight was: the chicken. While we gardened we noticed a chicken outside the fence. I dared Kevin to catch the chicken. After much hemming and hawing, I dared Tyler to do it. As he headed out, Kevin decided to give it a shot. He didn't try for long, but at least he tried. Then I gave it a shot and chased it around for a while until it escaped into the woods. Then an attempt by me and Tyler, and one by me, Tyler, Rachel and Hayley, the self-proclaimed expert. After all those failures we headed back to the children.  After a short while, someone point out the the chicken was behind us in the yard, and the chase was on! We chased it across the yard and had it boxed in, but it split the defenders. It headed toward the gate but for some unknown reason headed toward the garden and cornered itself. Hayley and I had it boxed in. The chicken tried to get through the fence and got stuck and I sprung. I grabbed its tail, pulled it out and grabbed it by the neck and feet, per instructions. I proudly carried it to the gogos thinking they could maybe cook it up for the kids. They just laughed. So I took it to Alex and asked him and he said, "The owner is not here." We clarified by asking if someone owned the chicken, and he said yes. I was so bummed! I was excited to present this gift to them, but I was shot down. But I will always have the memory of catching the chicken in Swaziland.

After lunch we headed out to visit the sick and shut-ins. We visited four people in all. We didn't really know what was wrong with any of them, but I think I heard the pastor say something about AIDS at one man's home. At two of the homes we were welcomed inside, and at the others we gathered on the porch. We did a short service at each home that consisted of singing, a short message from the Word, giving a gift of onions and other food, and praying for the individual. I had the privilege of praying the first house and sharing from the Word at the second. Our youth stepped up, too, as Tyler shared the Word at one home and Rachel led a song. I was quite proud of them!

The thing that sticks with me as I experienced this was the level of hospitality that we were shown. We were strangers to these families, and yet they welcomed us with open arms. That generally does not happen in the US. When we get sick, the last thing we want is for someone to come over. Maybe to drop a meal off, but certainly not to visit. What a different world and mindset this is. I kinda dig it!

Snapshots

I am really sorry. I really thought I would be able to get my phone online tonight and get the blog post I've been keeping on my phone, but I haven't had any luck. So here's a quick snapshot:

• Taylor and Chase have been working their tails off. They are digging 3' holes with steel poles to plant trees. Not shovels - poles! Oh, and Taylor got a chemical burn on his neck today because what they use to treat wood over here is different than we use in the States. But he is OK, just a little red and burny.
• Chase had his heart broken by a 6 year-old girl. The visited the sick little girl and were sure she had AIDS. They rushed her the next day to the clinic and the doctor told them that she was very sick and would not last a week. They prayed, and the doctor came skipping out to inform them that she was negative. Chase and Mike and Danae were wrecked. Chase gave her his lunch and went without today.
• Our team (Kevin, Tyler, Rachel and me) had the joy of seeing true gratitude. We delivered sugar beans to the gogos (grandmothers) who care for the kids and they kissed the first girl in. She came out crying. Then they broke out into a spontaneous worship service. They pray for food, and they view us as God coming through. It made us all question how much we take for granted.
• David's group (David, Cori and Blake) had the joy of meeting Allen. He is a boy that Pastor Ron met last year. David brought lots of clothes and candy in case they met up. They didn't think they would since school lets out later than they are at the church. But the first day driving back, they saw him on the side of the road. They stopped the van and got to meet him. Today they spent two hours at his home, delivering the goods. They all had a fantastic time!
• Chase, Tyler, Cori and Rachel did an outstanding job leading worship tonight!

OK, those are just snapshots, but I really need to go to bed. If you are a parent, thank you for sending your child on this trip. They will not come back the same...

What?! Still no update!

I apologize. I have been keeping a running blog on my phone to save me time at night, but I'm having trouble getting it from Point A (my phone) to Point B (the computer) to Point C (the blog). I will have to buy some extra Wi-fi for my phone, but that will not happen until tomorrow at the earliest. So look for an entry around 3:00 tomorrow afternoon. Suffice it to say that the youth are having an incredibly rewarding time! They will never be the same...

Swaziland - Entry One

I was getting ready to update tonight, but I can't figure out how to get the blog I wrote on my phone to my computer without paying for an extra device to use the Wi-fi. I will try again tomorrow. Suffice it to say that we are all doing well and enjoying the trip very much. Keep praying! We love you!