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Mission Trip Reports Trip Reports Home
Swaziland, Africa
Ambassador Team
| Trip Dates: | 6/22/2006 to 7/25/2006 |
| Age Group: | |
| Status: | Completed |
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| Reports for Swaziland Trip |
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Off to the airport!
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6/27/2007
By: Ashlie Hogan, Ambassador Administrator
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This is just a note to let everybody know that the Swaziland team had a great time at training camp and is now off to the Atlanta Airport. The team has spent five days learning dramas performed to music called DRIMES, planning childrens ministry and VBS, learning all about cultural awareness, and yesterday they even went and did an outreach in the Gainesville community at a local apartment complex.
We will post another update to let you know when the team has arrived in Africa... and after that the team will be responsible for updates. Please keep in mind that Swaziland is a very rural country, and the teams access to the internet will be limited. This means that updates could be few and far between, and the best thing to remember is that no news is good news... and the team will update when they are able!
Thanks so much for entrusting us your children for this three weeks, and we think they are wonderful!
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Team Makes it to ATL
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7/24/2006
By: Ben Messner
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All but Kittie back home. Kittie and Amy will return to the USA on Wednesday. Questions: 440 708 6096
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The Mountain
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7/17/2006
By: Josaya Matsenjwa, Leader
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After 3 hours in a khombie, (local transportation)and 3 hours hiking a mountian (vertical at times), the guys from both Swazi teams made it to our destination. We were just in time for the most beautiful sunset to spend our quiet times under. We were going to the house and church of our beloved translater, Bheki Matsenjwa. It is one of the most rural areas in the world. There isn't anything to do, except to share the gospel and read our bibles.
We spent the whole weekend doing home visitations, and preaching at various services. It was amazing to see God work in a place where most churches are worshiping Jesus, along with their ancestors. Most people visit witch doctors on a consistant basis. There is also an extreme amount of immorality.
There was one girl who had been "bewitched" at school. The witch doctor had given one of the students a potion that would make the girl unable to learn, or even read. Whenever she opened a book, she would get painful headaches, and even black out. We visited her home, and she agreed to come to one of our services. After the service, she accepted Christ!! We prayed with her and gave her a SiSwati bible. She is now a new member of Bheki's church.
The Holy Spirit is doing a lot of work all around the community. I know that none of the guys will ever be the same again. Praise the Lord!
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Personal Stories
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7/15/2006
By: Katy Howry, Ministry Coordinator
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Greetings from Swaziland! Our team is continuing to minister to people in the hospital, prison, informal schools, and townships. We are constantly in awe of our God who is so faithful. The following are personal stories from team members about our ministry time here in Swaziland:
“The best thing on this trip has been reaching out to the children at the township. I love to see their faces light up whenever they see our van coming down the road. God is really making a difference in the lives of these children. They only want to be loved, and we are seeing them realize God’s love for them!”
“We have been going to the hospital during free time to minister to a lady who is very ill. She has AIDS and is infected with TB and worms. I have seen her have good and bad days, but we always pray with her, no matter what. She told us that she had not accepted the Lord, and we read her the story of the prodigal son who has a father willing to welcome him back with open arms. The next time we visited her, she said she had been waiting for us. She decided to accept the Lord, but didn’t know how. We talked and prayed with her; she accepted our Lord! We continue to visit her and have given her a bible to read. He is amazing!”
“At the revival last week, there was an elderly lady who was using a cane to walk. There was an invitation for prayer for those who wanted to be commissioned as missionaries in their community. She hobbled to the front and received prayer. It was so awesome watching her joyfully hobble back and just as she reached her chair there was an invitation for prayer for the sick. She turned right back around and hobbled to the front again. We saw this woman’s faith yet again when we visited her home and she said that every morning at three AM, He wakes her with a song on her heart and she prays to her Father. She loves the Lord so much. What a blessing to our team!”
“Nonkululeko and Nokthula are two teens from the informal school that we have been working with. Some of the girls from the team have been walking them home. It is a “Swazi walk” which means really far! The conversations are getting deeper and it is awesome to see these girls open up to us. May God continue to work in their lives through us. Their families are so thankful that we love their daughters, but we are the ones who feel loved. Amen!”
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Home Visits
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7/8/2006
By: Katy Howry, Ministry Coordinator
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This morning a few of our team members went to visit the home of a family in the church we are attending. There was a grandmother living alone with all her grandchildren. She was feeling very attacked by the enemy and had asked the pastor to come. A team member shared the story of Paul and Silas in jail. They praised Him and God broke their chains as well as the prisoners.
The grandmother was incouraged and praised. She said, "What an impact God will make when His people in Swaziland praise Him in the midst of toubles? The righteous will be freed and all others will see how great our God is."
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Revival Time
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7/6/2006
By: Katy Howry, Swaziland Ministry Coordinator
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It is revival time in Swaziland. Everyone is invited. Come on into the big blue and white circus tent and get ready for a party. You can hear us from miles (kilos) away. It's the sound of a keyboard with bad speakers and people praying in SiSwati.
Each night our team has gathered with fellow believers and locals to praise our God. This has been a sweet time of ministry for our team. Each night, we perform one of the dramas that we learned at training camp. Then someone gives a message, and afterwards, there is prayer. Lots of prayer.
It's cold here at night, but our team is staying warm. We have a great family hosting us - the Mamba family, named after the snake, but don't worry - no snakes here. Thank you for your prayers.
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A little News from Swaziland
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7/5/2006
By: Julie Anderson, AIM Staff in Swaziland
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Hi Everyone. I was out to visit the team in Mankayane on Sunday and Katy asked me to get a trip report posted for them.
They looked like they are doing great. They have gotten settled into the homestead where they are living and are enjoying the family that is there, and also all of the pigs that roam freely in the yard! The girls are packed into one big room, and the guys are in another one in the same building. It's just a big concrete house with no frills. They're becoming pretty good at bucket showers and, when I saw them, were just starting to experiement with handwashing their clothes!
The team is working with a local Pastor named Sam, and some of the youth from the church are helping out the team as translators etc. Pray for a good partnership between the team and Sam's church. Pastor Sam has lots of vision, and we hope the team can be an encouragement and help in his work out there.
When I got there on Sunday, they were just finishing church and on their way to the local prison for ministry. They were able to present one of their dramas, and afterwards 11 people accepted Christ! The team was really excited about that and circled up to praise and thank the Lord afterwards.
Last Friday they visited a care point where orphans and vulnerable children are fed. On Saturday, they did a service project at a school and helped put up a fence.
Yesterday, to celebrate the 4th, the other Ambassdor team came out and they threw a big party for some of the kids that come to activities at a local community center. I haven't heard how it went, but there was going to be lots of hot dogs, cake, and cute Swazi kids, so how could it have been anything but good!
Thanks for checking in on the Swazi AMB team. Katy will get you more updates as she's able. They're not really close to any internet, so they may be sparse.
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They have arrived!
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6/28/2006
By: Sue Wilson, Real Life Mission Teams Administrator
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The Swaziland Ambassador team has arrived safe and sound in Johannesburg and are on their way to Swaziland!
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Training Camp
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6/24/2006
By: Katy Howry, Team Leader
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Hello to everyone at home. Our team is here at training camp in Gainesville GA. The tents are pitched, the sleeping bags are out, and the hot dogs are cooking. Can't you just smell it?
Here at training camp, we have devotional time in the morning for one hour, then a teaching session, and during the day, there are different kinds of training. In the evenings, we have praise and worship and prayer.
Yesterdaym our team dug right into training. We learned about ministering effectively in foreign cultures and then spent most of the day in team building.
Today, we are learning dramas set to music which we will perform in schools, churches and even in the market places. Tomorrow, we will be planning our children's ministry and taking our first language lesson.
As our team gets to know each other, it is becoming more and more obvious why God chose each specific person for the team. We are so diverse, yet already acting as "the body". I couldn't help but laugh out loud last night during praise and worship. The team was all standing in prayer on the red Georgia clay. As the sun was setting behind them, it cast a pink glow on everything. It was beautiful; it was God pouring His love on His children praising Him.
We are so excited to write about what God is doing from Swaziland. Sign up to receive an e-mail each time we post an update, and tell your friends and family to check it out.
"SALANI GASHLE!" Stay well, from Isabeau, Kittie, Rebecca W., Natasha, Laura, Rebecca M., Ryan, Stephen, Rebecca E., Erin, Autumn, Jenn, JoAnna, and Katy.
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They've Arrived!
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6/23/2006
By: Amy Howard, Office Assistant
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Just wanted to let you know that all the students and luggage have made it to training camp here in Gainesville. Today (Friday) has been an action packed, fun in the sun, day of team building for all the teams!
Please continue praying for energy and unity for each of the teams!
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Travel Itinerary
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6/22/2006
By: Amy Howard, Team Leader
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Swaziland Intinerary
Tuesday, June 27
Depart Atlanta at 10:30 AM
South African Airways Flight #0210
Wednesday, June 28
Arrives Johannesburg at 10:20 AM
Return Flight:
Monday, July 23
Depart Johannesburg at 6:20 PM
South African Airways Flight #0207
Tuesday, July 24
Arrives Washington DU at 6:25 AM
Depart Washington DU at 8:35 AM
Arrive Atlanta at 10:32 AM
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The Art of Listening Prayer - by Seth Barnes
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This interactive devotional is for the person who isn't satisfied with a dry faith. If you're dying to hear God's voice, the good news is that you can! Jesus is the door, and He has opened it up to you.
Don't Miss Out on Hearing God's Voice!
The Art of Listening Prayer |
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