Just a few minutes here to give an brief update from Swaziland.
Marcia and I have been leading a group of men these past few days and it has been an 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 a 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 one 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.
The 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 bring 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 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
We experienced a truck delivery at the dump while we were there. It was dinner time, and some of the kids literally dropped their pap and beans on the ground to run across the street to the dump. They brought back “green” wieners, spoiled yogurt and crab legs, and they devoured them right before our eyes. The realization of being in a third world country broke our hearts and changed our lives.
Thank you Scott and Marcia for showing others how to be Light in a dark world. Your reward in heaven will be great. “Well done My good and faithful servant.”
Praying for all of you during this trip. Thanks for all you continue to do. May God give you the strength and heart to lay it all on the line for our brothers and sisters in Swaziland. You and Marcia are an amazing example of living a life fully surrendered. Blessings to both of you!
What a wonderful testimony of what God is doing through you all! Praying for you as the devil’s attack continues to have the Lord’s strength.
Praying for you bro, especially for endurance both physically and mentally. I pray that the Spirit continues to move while you all are in Nsoko. Can’t wait to hear more about this when you return.
I don’t know how you continue to do what you do…you are both amazing vessels of God…hang in there and remember that God gives us the grace we need each day and his grace is sufficient…continue to gather his grace! I want you to know that I look for stories like the garbage truck experience to share with the students when we do our 30 hour famine and this one is a sad, but realistic picture of the conditions that exist in the world. I will use it to help them get a glimpse of how bad things really are. Thank you for making a difference!
Praying for you guys.
Praying for you guys.
Continuing to pray for you both…..may the Lord continue to lead and guide you both and be your strength. May He get the glory! Love ya!
Praying for you and Marcia and the team right now for endurance and strength. Praying for God to sustain you and carry you. Praying for all the orphans in Swazi and looking forward to hearing how God uses you all in Nsoko. Thanks for your love and faithfulness and the difference you are making!
Praying for you both and for the others. Blessings!
Praying for you and Marcia! Thank you for your continued faithfulness to the Lord and the Swazi people!
Scott,
Looking forward to seeing you tonight. Thanks for investing into the people of Swaziland. God continues to order your steps.
Rick
Scott & Marcia,
Praying for you both and the team. May God strengthen you as face the daily hardships in ministering to the people of Swazi.
Prayers go out to you and the team. God will give you and the team double portions for your servant hearts for the people of Swazi!!!!!!! He will strengthen you for all that He has planned for you. Blessings and prayer.
Patti
Praying for you guys and for more hearts to be broken for God’s people. I will pray for your physical and spiritual strength.
Our son Ben is there with you and you are all in our prayers.
I love that you guys got to be the ones to guide these “big men” on this journey.
The good news is God has promised to help us in our weakness!
Romans8:26 “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.”
It does not say, “WHEN we don’t know what to pray”. It says, “We DON’T KNOW what to pray”. So we can be confident He delivers on His promise when we admit our weakness, and let Holy Spirit help us.
God loves your choice to obey His commands for you. Be encouraged and strengthened in your weakness.
Keep the posts coming when you can.
Scott and Marcia, we are praying for you and the team and are so thankful for all you do for the people of Swaziland and for our daughter and granddaughter. We talked to Julie today and she is very encouraged by what your team is doing and is always thankful for your visits. May the Lord give you the spiritual, physical and emotional strength you need for each day! Thanks so much for the packages you delivered for us.