Day 3 of the Journey

Rick is in Zimbabwe, and I am eating a French Silk Pie Blizzard.

Really, I was hoping I would make it longer before I resorted to these measures.

It is not that the last 3 days have been bad, just exhausting.

When my kids ate all the food that I was planning to partake of for dinner, I just decided that was it.

Forget dinner, I am going straight to dessert.

Yes, I know I should be turning to God in my distress, not food.

Does it make a difference if I eat while I do my Beth Moore James study???

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Abby woke up yesterday morning with a stomach virus.

This is no normal stomach virus.

 It has been going around our family for the last month.

The really weird part is that we will go several days(9 to be exact with this last bout) with no activity and then out of nowhere, it strikes again.

Sam has had it twice, Cody has had it once, and now Abby has had it twice.

For the love of all things bright and beautiful, can it just end?!?!?!?

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As I think about Swaziland and our launch of Beyond Survival, I have two favorite Swazi memories from our team trips that I wanted to share with you.

1.  On our second trip to Swaziland, we took LOTS of shoes.  It is so heartbreaking to see these beautiful children walking miles each day on very rocky ground with no shoes.  We wanted to give them each a new pair of shoes, for some of them, their first ever.  As we were getting ready to put them on, we realized we couldn't just put new shoes on their dirty feet.  Some of them had cuts that needed to be treated.  Even if they had shoes, they were really worn out, wet, and even moldy inside.  So, this exercise of giving the children new shoes became a foot washing.  It felt like one of the most spiritual things I have ever done as I cleaned those kids feet, prayed over them, showed care to them in a way that many had never experienced and then watched them, with their big smiles, prance away glancing down at their feet as they walked.  They had a strut in their step.  It was beautiful.

2.  Also, on our second trip, we did a retreat for the Gogos.  These are the Swazi grandmothers who come to the carepoint each day to feed the children.   Many of them have taken orphans into their homes and care for them as their own.  This retreat was a chance to give them a break, pour into them spiritually, and get to know them better.  It was a lot of work, and our team of ladies really sacrificed to make it special.  On the last night, we did a big Birthday party for all the women.   My absolute favorite moment was when we gave them the "gift" that we had brought for them, a Bible in their own language.  Many of these women never owned a book, much less a Bible.  You would have thought I was Oprah Winfrey saying, "YOU GET A CAR AND YOU GET A CAR AND YOU GET A CAR!"  the way they reacted.  They were singing, dancing around the room, and waving their Bibles in the air.  Once again, a truly beautiful moment that I will NEVER forget.  It impacted me for so many reasons.

These are just 2 of my memories.  It is moments like these that fuel the fire in me to continue in this calling that God has given our family.  Some of you were a part of these moments.  There is nothing like the bond that is created when you go on a missions' trip together with a group of people.  You can't help but be changed and connected from that point on.

Thank you for investing in Beyond Survival.  Thank you for taking ownership of this ministry.  Thank you for believing in the work that God is doing and still wants to do in Swaziland, Africa!