1st & 2nd day at the Care Point...Swazi

There is a saying on our trip, "It's not right. It's not wrong. It's just different." This seems like it would be very relevant but so far, I have found that it really is not that different. Yes the kids are all speaking siSwati and many are running around in the same clothes from the day before and barefooted. But I would have to say that is really isn't too different from home. If I do not tell my kids to change their clothes, they probably do not. If I let my kids, they would probably run around barefooted. When they are small, they mind as well be speaking siSwati because I couldn't always understand them. What I have found is that kids are kids no matter where you are. We all brought photo books to help connect with them and just showing them pictures of my family seemed to break the ice on the first day.

Cheryl showing pictures of her family.

When I go over to friends' homes that have foster kids that have been starved for adult attention, they all swarm me and want to get every bit of attention they can. The same is true of the kids here. They want adult attention. They don't seem to notice or mind that we do not speak the same language. They don't seem to care what I say, just that I say something to them.

The preschool teachers have done an amazing job teaching them several things. One thing you can always ask the small kids is, "What is your name?" The answer is, "My name is Renee. I am ___ years old. I am a girl." I love to hear them say it and often will ask them again and again. They love to tell me and will say it again and again. They count with me. They sing "Jesus loves me" and "Jesus loves the little children." They hold my hand, jump in my lap, grab my finger and touch my hair. They love my piercings and laugh asking me to open my mouth, not able to figure out my lip piercing.

I was blowing bubbles with the preschool kids this afternoon. They all have to form a line to get a turn to blow. There was one little boy that never once chased a bubble but just got in line again and again to blow bubbles till there was only one or two other kids in front of me. He consistently got in line to blow. He didn't want to loose his turn and sometimes would push others in line. I would direct him to the back of line each time he pushed. He just keep getting in my line. By the end, I started making it difficult for him to blow by moving the wand around. He was laughing and laughing. It was fun to see him laugh. I had no idea what he was saying to me but we connected through a bottle of bubbles. Thanks Kim for bringing bubbles.

Wendy blowing bubbles with the kids at the Care Point.

I got to go on a home visit after day one at the care point. We walked to a homestead and brought a gift (food). We got to sit on a grass mat outside and introduced ourselves and then prayed over them. We took a few pictures and then walked home. There wasn't much to the visit but it was amazing to visit with them for a few moments. We don't know a lot of details about them but we know that the girl from the care point was living there with her aunt and that she was an orphan.

I helped with the medical team on day one by painting the preschooler's faces after Marty had medically checked them that way we could tell who had been checked. They were so good about forming a line against the wall and waiting patiently for their turn. It was so fun painting their faces. Some the kids would get very excited to get painted and look in the mirror and see their faces and laugh. Some of the kids would barely smile trying to hide the smile, but I knew they loved it. Marty would teach them thumbs up when he was done checking them. Then I would paint their faces and I would give every single kid a thumbs up and they would give one back. Just a few minutes with Marty and they learned thumbs up. That was pretty cool.

Preschoolers lined up waiting to be checked by Marty.

Day two I also helped with the medical team but for the school aged kids. I was checking heads, faces, necks and ears. I was amazed how many kids had really clean teeth with no cavities showing. Most of them looked pretty good and were healthy at a glance. Obviously a quick look over is not very much, but I expected to see more problems then we saw. I got to ask each kid their name and grade as I check them. Even in the few moments I saw them, they would connect to me. Several kids came and hugged me before they left. We didn't get to check nearly enough kids, but I guess some is better than none.

We're back at Asante Guest House (where we are staying) and are going to have pizza with the other team that is here from Georgia as well as some worship time. It will be fun to socialize and hear their stories.

Please continue to pray for our team while we are here.

Pray for rest.
Pray for energy.
Pray we stay connected to His will.
Pray for our families from whom we are separated.

Oh, and to end the very long day one. We discovered a lizard in our bathroom. I probably would have let him stay but I wanted to close the door to take a bath. I tried to enlist the three 12 year old boys, but they all chickened out and Wendy, my lovely roommate came to the rescue, caught him in my PJs & released him outside. I would say that I rather lizards than bugs...but alas there are both. Tonight I was attacked by misquotes as I wrote this blog. For those who do not know, I am very allergic to them. I have six or so VERY large welts on my legs. Oh well...TIA (This is Africa).

Here's our buddy. He climbed into the door frame after this picture so I could close the bathroom door.

1st Sunday in Swazi

Today we got to go to Pastor Walter's church. It was more than three hours long but it was an amazing experience. The people sang together without instruments and everyone just knew all the songs. They had  beautiful harmony. It was wonderful to just close your eyes and hear their voices. It was like a piece of heaven.

There was another group from Georgia at church as well. They had been there for a week. They were the 2nd team from their church here this summer. We got to join them for lunch at Jumbo & Kriek's house (the missionaries on the ground here in Swazi).

We went to the half way house (an orphanage-not rehab). There were about 12-13 little kiddos there. This is the place where the Clapps got their two kids that they adopted from Swazi a couple years ago. I was amazing to see all the kiddos. At first they were very shy and cried when any of us came near them. It is very possible they have not seen very many white people if any at all. By the time we left, many were crying because they didn't want us to leave. We have plans to visit again and hopefully they will be excited to see us and remember us.

I was able to get a new SIM card today & talked to all three girls on the phone as well as Ryan. I also got to skype them much later & got to see their faces. I was pulled away from my chat with Ryan when Kimberly & Noelle discovered a lizard in their room. They search for it for about a half an hour with no luck before coming & getting me. I was the only other person awake. After searching for about a half hour more with them with no luck, we decided to all go to bed. Just another moment in Africa. I hope they are able to sleep tonight and pray they don't wake to a lizard on their face. Though none of us are scared of lizards, the though of sleeping with one loose in the room was not exactly desirable.

We will be heading to the care point for the first time tomorrow. We'll start the first of three days of VBS. I'll be leading over crafts. Please pray over us as we minister to the kids. Please pray over Kimberly as she teaches the lessons, Noelle as she leads the games & me as I lead the crafts. Please pray for the rest of the team that will assist us and for the construction team that begins their project tomorrow. We will also have two home visits tomorrow. Please pray that God blesses all He has in store for us and pray for blessing for all with whom we come in contact.

Well I hope all is well for those of you reading my blog. Thanks for listen.

On the Ground in Swazi...

Through my travels I discovered I forgot a few key things but other than that the travel was smooth. I forgot to pack my extra camera battery/charger and my glasses. I plan on just wearing my contacts around the clock for the next 2 weeks (which is how they are intended to be worn). I usually like to take them out because they last longer and my eyes need a break. But that is just little thing. As for the camera battery, I have a small camera if my battery dies and everyone on the trip has a camera.

We arrived in South Africa on Friday evening. We went out to eat at a fish place...I had sushi. The sushi was pretty good, but I only think it was good because Zach (a guy on the trip) and I were talking about sushi for a day now. We stayed at a nice hotel in South Africa. They were suites with two bedrooms, each with their own bath, a living room and a kitchen. It would have been a great place to stay for a while but we only really stayed long enough to sleep and then we were up early to travel into Swazi, which was a several hour drive.

The other small little hiccups were easily managed. The Clapp family did not make their flight to D.C. and were sent to Atlanta to take a direct flight to Johannesburg arrive around the same time as us though we had a stop in Dakar. 

The flight was long, but there were plenty of things to watch on the in seat TV as well as music lots of music of which to listen. I didn't find myself bored just tired of sitting!

Today we went to the cultural center. I took an amazing video of the Swazis dancing. It's a bit too long to upload on the slow WiFi here so that will come later. I just feel very blessed that I do have WiFi here so I can keep people informed about our trip. My camera is in my room and my roomie is already sleeping. I'll try to post pics tomorrow.

Tomorrow we will go to Pastor Walter's church and to the half way house where the Clapps adopted their two youngest. For those who do not know, the Clapps are the founders of Beyond Survival, the organization with which I am on this trip.

Keep on praying for us. I have had some technical difficulties and my phone that I got to use here is not working. Pray I am able to get that worked out so I can talk to my girls and Ryan. I know I miss them and they miss me. It would be good to hear their voices right now. Well it's late at night here so I'm off to bed.

Thanks so much for listen.

Swazi...tomorrow!

I leave for Swazi tomorrow morning. AHHHHHH!

I'm really excited. Things are working out and getting done. I have packed & repacked my bag several times today trying to not exceed the 50 lbs. limit. So far, I have not quite got it all in there.

If you would join me in pray, I would greatly appreciate it. You can pray for me (any the team) in the following ways:

~ That I will actually get my bags packed tonight ;)
~ For safe travel (as well as on time/no delays)
~ Safety for my family while I am gone
~ That all our luggage would arrive on time and safe
~ That we would accomplish His goals while we are there
~ That each of us on the team will work together in harmony though we may be exhausted
~ That Ryan and the kids will be blessed while I am gone
~ That all on the trip will be healthy
~ That my family would be healthy while I'm gone (because everyone knows you want mommy when your sick)

I'm sure there are more things than just these but that's a head start.

Thank you all for all the ways you have blessed me so far with your donations, financial support, your love, your time and your prayers. I could not have made this trip happen without all of you!

Blessings...see you all in two weeks (or maybe just a bit more because I'll probably be a little jet lagged).

My sister is Awesome...

So my sister, Candy, came out to visit me this past week. She needed a break from her four kids, but what she didn't realize is how much I needed her! It was amazing. She came for a week, helped me clean my house and get ready for my trip to Swazi. She went to a thousand stores with me and helped me throw a big birthday bash for my girls.

Haley & Candy with 2 dozen balloons in the car.

3 girls Swimming Luau Birthday Party!

We did get to do some sight seeing. We went to the Aquarium in Denver. We went to the top of Pike's Peak. We went to the Garden of the Gods. We took almost two thousand pictures and got some nice little souvenirs for her family.

Me & my sister at the Aquarium.

Candy, Haley & Megan at the Aquarium

Top of Pike's Peak. Too bad there was so much smoke from the AZ fires.             Candy is not taller than me, standing on her tip toes to be taller than Megan ;)

Aunt Candy with her nephew & nieces.

Garden of the Gods...oh & Candy is still NOT taller than me.

Kids holding up Balanced Rock at the Garden of the Gods.

It is so good to have her back in my life. I think my favorite part was sitting on the couch in my basement reading stupid celebrity magazines and commenting on their lives. I think it's the little things that make me feel close to my sister.

Another wonderful thing that came from her trip was getting to reunite with my dad. They had not talked in many years. She asked him if she could call him dad, he said yes. Their were lots of tears and it was so good. I feel like my family is whole again.

For those who do not know all the details, my parents were foster parents for years to my sister. Through a string of unfortunate events, she was put in another foster home after almost three years of being with us. I have always considered her my sister. We kept in touch on and off through the years and a few months ago she found me through the wonders of the internet. It had been over seven years since we talked and eleven years since we saw each other.

We hope to see each other more often. She's planning to bring her family on a camping trip with us this summer. I can't wait to see her again!

Breaking the Silence...

So for those who have followed my blog and love to read about our crazy lives, I am sure you have notice that there has been silence for a while. With exception to the few updated regarding my upcoming trip to Africa on June 9th, I have not written in months. It is now time to break that silence and share why I have been silent this long.

The past several months have been very trying on our family. There have been a lot of changes and we have been in a painful season. This season is by no means over, but I feel like it is time to open the doors just a bit. There are some of you who will read this post today and already know what is going on in our lives. I want to thank you for your love and support as well painfully try to find our way.

So here we go...

Dean has decided he no longer wishes to live with us. If you did not know all the details of our family, Dean is Ryan's step-son from his first marriage. Ryan has been raising him since Dean was three. After the divorce, Ryan and his ex-wife have had split, shared custody of both Dean and Cassidy. After Dean made this decision, though it was painful, there was something that told us to let him. Though we may have had a chance to fight for him in a lengthy court battle, biology has a strong say in court and we did not have that on our side.

After much prayer and amazing counsel, we have decided to allow Dean to make this decision and not fight him on it at this time. It has been terribly painful to have one less in our home and I still pray over Dean like I do all the other kids. I have never made a distinction in my heart or mind between biological kids and step kids. My heart tells me I have five kids and I love each of them as such.

It has also been hard on Megan, Alex and Haley. Because things did not end completely peacefully, they did not get so say goodbye to Dean. As of right now, Dean does not wish to be in relationship with them and we are honoring that. Cassidy of course still sees Dean when she is at her mom's house but I think it has been hard on her as well.

We knew when we decided to blend our families that there would be hardships. We knew that there would be pain that our kids would endure because of so many families being involved. We also knew there would be great joy to have a large blended family. There are so many wonderful things that have happened because we are a family. I thank God every day for putting this amazing family together. I know I could not have done a better job...ever. He is the director of our lives and has blessed our family in abundance the past several years.

OK...I felt all this had to be shared so we could move forward. I want to be able to share things happening in my life but have not because this is weighing on me. So hopefully this will help break that silence and allow me to move forward and share about my life.

If you have any questions, please direct them to me privately. I have shared all I can share at this point. I know many of you have missed Dean with us. I pray that God shows you the comfort He has shown us as we have grieved this.

I want to thank all the people who have been and are praying over us as we muddle through this. We covet your prayers and pray over all of you as well. Please continue to pray for us as we heal from this loss and as always, thank you for listening.

Swazi here I come...

So I thought I would do another financial update for those inquiring minds that have asked.

The plane ticket has been purchased! I am going to Swazi...

I have 7 days to raise the rest of the funds! My final payment is due Friday, May 13th!

Please continue to pray I hit my financial goal and pray for me while I am gone!

Thanks so much to those who have supported me in all the ways you have these past months as I have been preparing for this event. I covet your prayers and so does my family.

Support Chart Updated 5 7

For those who have donated, I have not "forgotten" you. I plan on sending thank you card with pictures from my trip. I hope to have them in the mail at the beginning of July. Thanks so much!

Renee