On June 19th, we arrived at our new ministry site in a rural area of Swaziland. We set up camp with Team Lego(a June team) and prepared for a series of meeting to come.
WE will be participating in a new “G42” project. G42 stands for the forty-second generation from Matthew 1 and that is the generation that is going to change the world. Gary Black and some of the men we were trained by, have a vision to raise up 1 million orphans who will reach their own culture and own nation for the Lord.
So far we have made frequent visitations to four care centers. Each have different needs and circumstances. One of the sites, we call “Field of Dreams”, has 95 orphans, they get food delivered by the government once a month and sometimes that doesn’t come. There are many orphans in Swaziland due to the AIDS epidemic, it has been estimated that over half the Swazi people have AIDS.
We are so fortunate to have the opportunity to get connected with a group of South African business men who have a heart for the children. The AIDS epidemic has wiped out their employment and the orphans are the upcoming generation who still have a chance. The business men have the money and resources to transform this are and Gary Black has the vision of what it can look like.
Gary’s vision is to create “mercy homes.” A mercy home consists of one “Go-go” or grandmother that looks over 6-8 orphans. They would live in community and then become self-sufficient through making purses, maintaining a garden, and eventually, maintaining a coy farm. This is all part of the long term vision.
That is where we come in as the bridge between the gaps. Our current job is to assess the physical and spiritual needs of the community. As I said before, each location has different needs. Our two teams have combined to make up two separate sub teams, an Immediate Needs team and an Educational Needs team. During our several visits to each site we have compiled a list of needs for each individual place. At the moment much of our time is spent brainstorming possibilities and opportunities to share with the Troy, one of the business men and Gary.
Although things appear to be moving slow I am encouraged as I can see the vision being rolled out a little at a time. This is an amazing opportunity that I am so blessed to able to participate in. What I am most excited about is the chance to watch vision continue to unfold through Gary Black long after we leave Swaziland.
