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| Miriam taking cookies from the Oasis, down to the toddlers. Be still my heart. Photo credit: Chris Cheek |
As the year comes to a close I wanted to share a few
beautiful photos of the children at Project Canaan and give you just a quick glance
of a wonderful and difficult year.
In 2015:
·
We received 21 children in 2015 giving us a
total of 106 orphaned and abandoned babies (under the age of 5-years) whom we
are legal guardians for until they finish High School.
·
We built 15 buildings including Emseni East and
the Oasis where the big children live and eat.
·
Khutsala Artisans made and sold 13,000+
Christmas tree ornaments (thank you everyone who bought and sold them for us!).
·
Through our partnership with the International
Egg Foundation and the Egg Farmers of Canada we will receive a flock of 2,500
chickens arriving on January 4th that will provide fresh eggs to
feed the children of Swaziland.
·
We have a total of 30 church partners now, where
we feed 2,100+ children every week. Starting in January they will all get a
hard boiled, peeled, egg with each meal.
·
We are in the worst drought in recorded history
which has made it impossible for people to plant their annually crops, it has
killed thousands of farm animals and has sent maize prices soaring (expected to
rise by 65% in the next 3 months).
·
We have seen miracle after miracle and have
watched the mighty hand of God at work in the lives of people all over the
world who are being called to help the children of Swaziland.
On Christmas day Ian, Spencer, Chloe and I celebrated as we
always do: stockings, coffee, gifts, Belgian waffles and lots of laughter.
Since moving to Swaziland our tradition has expanded to include preparing a
special brunch for all of the big kids (68) and all of our caregivers
(54) and a few special guests. Pancakes, bacon, fruit
salad, whip cream and maple syrup are on the menu and everyone leaves full and
sticky! Each child also received a beautifully wrapped pair of new pajamas and everyone was happy.
I am not sure there is any greater gift than to be able to
serve these little children and all of the Aunties/Uncles who live with them
24/7 and are helping raise the future leaders of this nation. That is NOT an easy job. I also want to express my thanks for all
of our long-term and short-term volunteers who come and serve so
selflessly. Each person
contributes in a different way and we are thankful for each skill and ability
they have been gifted with.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for reading
my blog this year, for your words of encouragement and for your support. Thank you also for those who have
given financially so that we could complete the work given to us to do. I would like to ask you to
consider making a year-end giving donation so that the work of Heart for Africa
can continue in 2016. Thank you
for considering my request.
In the US:
In
Canada:
Live
from Swaziland … wishing you a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from our family to yours.
Janine
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