Two girls and a tractor

 

This was another busy, but very fruitful week at Heart for Africa.  Let me start by sharing the new launch of the www.khutsala.com website.  Our son Spencer was offered a job at EY consulting in Chicago, but with Covid-19 hitting the world, his start date was pushed back to January 2021, so we took the opportunity to hire him as an interim Marketing Manager at Heart for Africa. The first thing he tackled was creating a new website for Khutsala Artisans. He worked closely on the design with Maggie Taylor (who did all the stunning photography) and Lisa Borders on content. We have a limited number of stunning new charcuterie boards, that just landed in the US this past week and lots of beautiful SwaziMUD product and UNITY collection pieces.  Please take a moment to check it out today. If you are interested in getting more involved with Khutsala, please check out our Ambassador and Affiliate programs on the site (and shop too!).  If you are interested in the Marketing Manager position later in the fall, please email info@heartforafrica.org.  

 

Nokwanda and Nokuphiwa FINALLY arrived at Project Canaan after taking a repatriation flight home from the US, through Nairobi, Kenya. When they landed they were immediately whisked away to a hotel in the most northern part of Eswatini and literally locked in a hotel for 11 days. That was NOT what we were told was going to happen, and we expected to pick them up and quarantine them at The Lodge on Project Canaan. But alas, on Thursday we were told that their SECOND Covid-19 test was negative (third one in two weeks) and we could pick them up. Ian and I were happy to make the five-hour drive to finally see the girls, and bring them home. The children were so thrilled to have Phiwa back and the “pied piper” lead “her people” around campus.  Thank you to everyone who made their journey a good one.

 

 

For our farmer friends, you will join in our excitement that a new tractor arrived from China this week! It’s a John Deere 6110B and we passed it on the bridge as we left the farm to go and pick up the girls at the hotel.  Ian was so excited about it, but not nearly as excited as Arlyn and his 3-year-old son, Owen, who thinks we bought it so that he can ride with his papa to feed the cows without being in the dust all day (it has doors).

We’ve celebrated birthdays, enjoyed net ball games and this weekend each house will visit the Swazi homestead for some fun food, cultural dancing and stories of the days of old. All in all, it’s been a great week. I hope you have had a good one too.

 

Please be sure to go to www.khutsala.com today and share the link on your Facebook page so your friends and family can see it too!  Thank you.

 

Live from Eswatini … it’s time for a cup of coffee with the puppies.

 

 

Janine

Death, life and indescribable peace

This week our dear friend, Mathokoza Mtetfwa, lost his beloved father to Covid-19. This is the first death to this virus that has been personal to us, and we mourn with he and his family. We have another dear friend, Rev. Dr. JV Mazubuko, in hospital fighting for his life having buried his wife only three weeks ago.  There was “fake news” announcing his death earlier in the week, but he is still fighting the fight as I write this blog.  He believes that one of the people who came to visit his wife in her last days brought the deadly virus to the house. The virus is real, and it is here.

 

Each week Ian and I take a cautious journey to town together to pick up groceries and supplies.  We laugh at ourselves and say that the country mice are going to the big city, with masks and hand sanitizer in our pockets. Every store we enter (which we limit as much as possible) takes our temperature and insists that we also use their hand sanitizer for our hands, and sanitizing wipes for our cart. We shop and check out as quickly as we can, although the stores are very quiet and the parking lot is usually almost empty. 

 

Liquor stores have been closed since June 1^st and will not reopen until mid to late September, which also reduces the traffic in the shopping center where we buy our groceries.  We are told that emergency rooms in South Africa and Eswatini have been much quieter because of this ban on liquor sales because drunk driving accidents are down and bar fights, gang fights and general “stupid” fights have been greatly reduced. Sadly, domestic violence has escalated, but in Eswatini the police don’t have any gas for their police cars so they can’t go and rescue a woman being abused, or transport her to the hospital for care. Instead, she has to stay at home with the abuser (who is now drinking home brew… which can make you go blind, paralyze you for life, and most certainly make you go crazy). We see this frequently at Project Canaan when women don’t show up to work. When we dig down to why they were absent, it is almost always a result of being badly beaten up, and they are either to hurt to come to work or too ashamed. It’s heart breaking.

 

In other news we have lots of activities happening on Project Canaan. This past week we started harvesting almost two acres of onions.  Did you know that onions need to have their necks broken (ouch), and then they are left in the ground to “heal the wound” before being harvested? Then they are hung in the greenhouse to cure for 2-3 weeks until the necks are completely dry and the outer skin is slightly crisp. The farm team is growing enough onions to last the children’s campus a full year, and we will sell the rest. Believe me, we use a lot of onions!

 

This week we poured the concrete floor on the main floor of the second Oasis building called “O2” (a play on Oasis #2 and a place to get oxygen for the mind, body and soul). It will eventually be the large dining hall for our older kids on the upper campus (as opposed to the middle and lower campuses). This building will be used as a recreation center for the next two years and will have a second-floor outdoor patio space for games, homework and just hanging out. When we were in Georgia in January with our friends the Jean and Jerry Eickhoff and Jan and Ernest Taylor, we saw the most beautiful outdoor patio roof on an early morning walk. We are always looking for interesting ideas that we can use on Project Canaan when we travel around the world. We immediately knew that this roof would be a stunning addition to the new O2 building, and our carpentry team is working on the design now. Thank you friends for the kind invitation and for showing us such beauty.

 

We also had a big soccer tournament this week with the older children followed by a braai (grilled meat) and gigantic bon fire.  It was too cold on the day of the tournament to end with the bonfire (55F), so we spread the fun over two nights. There was something magical about the evening that is hard to put in to words. I am attaching a few photos, but you will have to breathe deeply to smell the meat on the grill and listen closely to hear the children singing along with the music and cheering on the players. The fire was warm, the sunset was stunning and everyone was happy. Covid-19 did not exist for a few hours, and we had indescribable peace.

 

I hope that you will be able to take a moment this week, if only for a few hours, to breathe in deeply, listen closely and enjoy a moment of indescribable peace and joy.

 

Live from Eswatini … going for a Saturday morning walk around the farm.

 

Janine

Are 3 pictures worth 3,000 words? (Bonus: Phiwa is on a plane coming home!)

I had a photo pop up on my Facebook news feed this week and it showed a group of our first nine children sitting on change tables that had been pushed together to fit all their tiny bodies. Below that picture was a photo taken five years later of the same children, placed in the order, on the top bunk of their beds. That prompted me to go and get an updated photo to add, three years later. This time they wanted to pose themselves to look like they looked five years ago, and the photo that you see above is the result.

As I look back at their baby photos I am immediately transported back to the day that our first baby, Joshua arrived.  Ian was on Project Canaan with Pete Wilkerson, and they were at the top of the mountain when I received the phone call in Alpharetta, Georgia, telling me that our first baby had arrived.  I called Ian and told him to rush down the mountain, there was a baby!!!  The second person I called was Teresa Birk, as the baby home was built in honor of her deceased son, Jared, and then I called Raelenna Ferguson, who was largely responsible for raising those funds.  What a day of joy and thanksgiving that was!

 

Today we have 271 children who call Project Canaan “home”.  Each child’s story reminds me of one of those first nine, from being found in an outdoor pit latrine, to arriving at our door severely malnourished (and crying whenever the spoon showed the bottom of the bowl).  Another one delivered to us in a cardboard box, covered in lesions with skin too raw to touch, and another found at a bus stop, in only a diaper, in the middle of winter, and in the dead of night. Each story worse than the next, but each story the beginning of salvation and redemption.

 

While we first focus on the physical health of each and every child who is placed with us through Social Welfare, we very quickly start to pray for healing for their emotional scars, pray for the restoration of their emotional health, and start them on a journey to their spiritual health. Each of these three are important to us, and we are intentional and wholistic in our approach to each. And it’s working.

 

Now, when I look at the photo taken this week of these same nine children who arrived hungry, hurting and helpless, I see children filled with confidence and joy.  I see the strong silent one, I see the class clown, I see the ring leader, and I see the academic.  But more importantly to me, is that I know that eight of these nine children have made a personal decision to join the family of God over the past year. That is the most important part of what we do, and I am thankful for all of our volunteers and staff who are aligned in working on this vision together.

 

You may recall that the now famous Swazi girl named “Phiwa” went back to the US for surgery last November with her guardian, Project Canaan staff member and super-hero, Nokwanda.  They found themselves locked down in Boston when Covid-19 hit, and eventually made it to Florida to be reunited with the Habelow family.  After a time, we decided to move the girls to Georgia so that Phiwa could get some educational testing, counseling and special education assistance. They would also be tucked in with our Heart for Africa staff in Georgia. Their time there was highly successful and Phiwa made lots of progress in many ways, but then we heard about a repatriation flight that might be able to get them back home, and we jumped on the opportunity.  The process was long, complicated and expensive, but our own, Hannah Gaddis, navigated the giant maze with grace, love and determination, with the help of many people including Teri McClure and Lynn Floum. 

 

I just now received a call from Nokwanda in Amsterdam, where they are awaiting their next flight to Nairobi. They will fly direct to Eswatini tomorrow (Sunday, August 16^th) and then be taken to a hotel for two days while they receive medical assessments, after which they will live at The Lodge on Project Canaan, self-isolated for 14-days, but at least they will be home!

There are so many people to thank for helping Nokwanda and Phiwa during their unexpected 8+ month stay in the US, but I would specifically give a shout out to the Habelow family, Bishop family, McClure family and Floum family for hosting the ladies and making them feel welcome and a part of your families. Thank you to Robin Daughtery and her team of educators who helped with assessments and tutoring to help Phiwa move forward with her unique educational challenges. Thank you again, Hannah, for being friend, sister, Mother, Aunt, driver, nurse, Covid-19 test(s) finder, travel agent, US Visa tracker etc. etc. The Lord brought you to us “for such a time as this” and we are so grateful for you.  And thank you David Bryant for your leadership, your wisdom, guidance and love for every one of our Heart for Africa team members, and the extra love and care you are providing everyone you touch during these difficult times.

 

Our goal is to do the best we can with what we have to provide physical, emotional and spiritual support to every child who is placed with us through Social Welfare, but it takes a very big village to do that for 271 children. Thank you to every person who sponsors a child through Heart for Africa, and if you don’t, I ask you to consider sponsoring a child today. I promise you that you will be blessed, and you will help save a life like Phiwa’s.

 

Child Sponsorship in the US:  https://www.heartforafrica.org/HOPESTARTS/
Child sponsorship in Canada:  http://bit.ly/hfahopestartsca
 

Live from Eswatini … I am living in a state of awe.

 

Janine

 

A paradigm shift in my thinking

Last week I received a call about a newborn baby who has just been found in the forest, still bloody from birth, umbilical cord attached, but crudely torn away from her mother’s womb. 

The social worker told me that she had given the child the name “Usiphile Favor”.  Usiphile means “He has sent us” in the siSwati language, so her name means “He has sent us favor”.  I did a quick biblegateway search of the word “favor” and it took me directly to Isaiah 61, which was interesting because just that morning I had read Isaiah 61 in my daily scripture reading.  The headline read “The Year of the Lord’s favor”.   

 

“The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners,  to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion-- to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor.”  Isaiah 61:1-3

 

It was at that moment that I had a paradigm shift.  I realized that I had been mourning through this terrible year of Covid-19. I had been feeling like a prisoner here in Eswatini with our borders closed and I suffered from the spirit of despair. But why? I was missing the year of favor that was right in front of my eyes.

 

Suddenly, it was as if a giant curtain was pulled back and I instantly looked at my world differently.  This has been a year of the Lord’s favor for Heart for Africa and Project Canaan.  We have the funds to start building Emseni #7 for our older boys and O2, our huge, double story recreation center and dining hall.  We have the funds to build double story classrooms for of 3^rd and 4^th grade.  We hired a full time Farm Manager who is maximizing the utilization of our irrigated fields, producing a bountiful harvest for consumption and for sale.  He has been able to increase employment opportunities, when most companies were laying people off or closing their doors.  Our greenhouse is flourishing with fresh produce that goes straight from farm to table. 

 

We were given funds to get phase one of our dairy expansion moving forward so that we can increase the capacity for more cows, which means more milk production, which meant more income generation.  The water is flowing freely down the mountain and our dams are full. With water security we were able to expand our irrigated fields by an additional 17-acres, allowing us to grow alfalfa to feed our dairy herd.  All of this was happening in front of my eyes during the time of Covid-19, and I was feeling sorry for myself.

This year of the Lord’s favor also included funding to import a new water filtration system from Israel that produces 1,100 gallons of clean drinking water per hour for the entire property, ensuring that no deadly water born illnesses are present. We were given funding to create an intensive goat breeding program, which included 10-acres of fenced area complete with structures for breeding, birthing and treatment (including a foot bath!). 

 

Heart for Africa US has also established partnerships with an organization called Gleanings for the Hungry, who has already shipped us two 40ft containers filled with dried beans and hearty soup mix filled with dried vegetables, pasta and rice. Another organization called The Gleaners in British Columbia, Canada is shipping a container of dried vegetables and apples, topped up with gently used clothing collected by our friends Carol and Barry Hickman (and team!). The biggest surprise was a donation of a 4-stall computerized feeding system for our dairy that will also ship on the Canadian container.

 

Today in Georgia, our friends Julie and Pete Wilkerson, along with the incredible staff from SCAPES Landscaping, are packing a container that UPS is shipping to us for free.  It will be filled to the brim with diapers and wipes that so many of our supporters have bought through our annual amazon diaper drive. There are also bikes, helmets, medical supplies, clothes, kiddie pools, and 1,800+ bras that many of my girlfriends quickly collected over the past week to send to my female staff here on Project Canaan.

Last, but certainly not least, many of you know that we lost our beloved Doberman, Max, a few weeks ago.  As soon as we knew he wouldn’t be with us for long, Ian contacted the breeder who we got Max from. That very day one of their females gave to birth to 11 puppies, and we were able to buy two of them.  Today, we picked up our Doberman puppies, who we named “Chicago” (Spencer lives in Chicago) and “Saint” (Chloe lives in St. Catharines).  It was only after we had the dogs registered in South Africa that we learned that Kanye West and Kim Kardashian have children named Chicago and Saint. Sigh. Well, you can’t win 'em all.

Last week we received a 3.5 pound baby girl named “Blessing”, so Blessing and Favor are now with us.  I WILL rejoice and be glad.

Live from Eswatini … in puppy heaven!

Janine

Just look at these children!

200 Faces of HOPE puzzle coming to PC for Christmas!  Shhh! Don't tell the children!

How can it be August 1^st already?  Some days I feel stuck on March 25^th when Eswatini went in to lockdown and the borders closed.  And then some days I feel like I have at least made it to June, but August?  No way! 

 

Today’s blog will be a photo blog, with pictures of our children in their homes.  We have a lot of children!  A few weeks ago I asked Bryan to help me set up photos with the children in each house.  As always, our children and staff are quick to do what they are asked to do, and they love having their photos taken, so the exercise was painless and quick. The reason for the photos was so that I could have Lisa, in the US office, order Shutterfly puzzles of these photos!  Each puzzle is age appropriate with the number of pieces, and they are ready to be shipped in the container. I can’t wait to see the children work on putting puzzles together with their very own faces!

Needless to say, the toddlers and babies won’t be doing puzzles (or be given the opportunity to eat puzzle pieces), so I didn’t take a photo of them together.

 

I hope you are blessed by these photos today!

 

By the way, our Diaper Drive is finished and YOU BOUGHT EVERYTHING on our wish (and dream) lists! We have enough diapers and wipes to last the next year, and in addition we have bicycles, helmets, games, books, educational toys and so many more things that will help us raise our future leaders to be the best that they can be. I cannot thank you enough for your generosity and love.

 

Live from Eswatini … we are blessed.

 

Janine