Job opening at Heart for Africa

This 13 piece handmade Noah's Ark set from Khutsala Artisans is a wonderful Christmas gift.

As some of you know, I used to be a marketing executive, and some people may say that I still am.  I was thrilled to have 25% of the people who read my blog last week complete the survey monkey for my book title. Wow, that’s a good response rate!  And I have now a title, but I’m not going to share it with you just yet 😁.

I was also very happy to have so many people suggest names for our four new Khutsala dragons, and I CAN share those with you. The winners of the naming competition are Jackie Shores (with TWO names chosen), Rebecca Siebert and our very own Lisa Borders. Our dragons are now named Fireball, Dewey, Piper and Gus and you can order them by clicking here . Thank you, Spencer Maxwell and Maggie Lian, for choosing the winning names. 

 

In fact, we have a whole Kids Collection now filled with dinosaurs, bugs and dragons. Lots of fun items to decorate a child's room.  You can check them out at https://khutsala.com/pages/for-kids.

 

It’s fun for me to know that both Spencer and Chloe have followed in our marketing footsteps.  Both of them have differing degrees in marketing, and both are working in the field of marketing. Chloe is working in a biotech company in Canada who makes Covid-19 testing kits (among many other products), and Spencer is working at Heart for Africa. We are so very proud of them both. Spencer stepped in to the Marketing Manager position on an interim basis as his consulting job at EY in Chicago doesn’t start until January. We are thrilled to have him on the team, but now need to find his replacement so the he can bring them up to speed before his departure.

If you or someone you know might be interested in joining the Heart for Africa family in the Marketing Manager position, please send your resume to spencer@heartforafrica.org.  As per our website; “we are looking for an experienced person to develop and manage marketing programs in specific channels; specifically working to expand our reach, engagement and conversion with our customers and donors. This position must foster customer retention and amplify the organization’s values, including our purpose of bringing HOPE to Eswatini. Overall, the Marketing Manager must advance the brand strategy to resonate with customers and donors and build long-term relationships. For more information, please click here.”

Ian and I are tired. The border between Eswatini and South Africa opened for local travel, so we ran away to our favorite Indian ocean town of Umhlanga Rocks (near Durban) for a week of R&R. The sound of the ocean brings me joy, and being able to order in pizza or walk to a grocery store is such a treat. Long walks on the beach, a couple of naps a day and staring aimlessly at the ocean is what we really needed. We didn’t realize how much being isolated in a tiny country, on a mountain top for seven months, had weighed on us. We welcome this break and are thankful for the opportunity to take a break.

As we enjoy the view, we are also praying for our friends all over the world, especially our friends in the US who are dealing with Covid-19, power outages in Georgia and a national election. We pray that everyone keeps their eyes on Jesus, knowing that He is never surprised, and He is securely on the throne.

Live from the Indian ocean … getting some rest.

Janine

What should my third book be titled?

New dragons have arrived at www.Khutsala.com.  Now they  just need names!

This has been a very intense week. We had our annual Celebrate HOPE Gala in Georgia, where we typically have 200+ friends and family gather to enjoy a nice meal, a grand silent auction and a message of hope through what God is doing at Heart for Africa. Ian and I are always in attendance, but this year we are still in Eswatini, watching the live streaming event from bed in the middle of the night. The event included a virtual tour of Project Canaan and live segments with music and updates, all resulting in $70,000 being raised to help us continue the work here in Eswatini. The very next day was our Annual General US Board meeting, where we look at the year 2020 in review, then discuss and approve operating and capital budgets for 2021.  It’s a very intense and exhaustive process, but we had a great meeting and we are so very thankful for our US Board of Directors and our US staff, under the leadership of David Bryant.

 

The borders from Eswatini to South Africa have reopened, with certain Covid-19 restrictions, so Ian and I have decided to take a week’s holiday in Durban to rest, restore and get renewed next week.  I also really want to get my third book finished and published.  The manuscript is written and it is back from my editor. Now I just need to add the final touches, some photos, front and back cover, and… a title.  That is where I am really stuck. This book gives a short recap of where Ian and I started life, marriage, former lives-turned-missionaries, and then the rest is the story of Project Canaan. I attempt to give in-depth details of how the project developed, the highs, the lows, and the challenges in-between.  While it’s not a manual or “how to” book, it does give a lot of instruction or suggestions for other people doing similar ministry around the world, all wrapped in stories of joy, sorrow, miracles and wonders, with the golden thread of hope through the whole thing.

 

Today I am asking you to do me a quick favor. Please click on this short survey link

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/5JRY5X8  and answer SIX easy questions, including what to title this new book. I know it may be hard to name a book without having read it, but I have given you some suggestions and I’d like to know what book title would you be most likely to buy, read or share?  Please, please take that short survey today, and maybe I can get this book published in November.

 

I do have one more favor to ask.  With all the heaviness that is weighing on the world by a global pandemic and a national upcoming election, we thought we would try to bring a little levity by producing some fun, new product at Khutsala for this Christmas season. We have designed four really cute little dragons, complete with handmade SwaziMUD eyes, that have arrived in the US warehouse, and just like my book, they need names!  Please feel free to email me at janine@heartforafrica.org and give me a name for the RED, GREEN, PINK and YELLOW dragon OR comment on Facebook with your suggestions. We will give them all winning names this weekend and they will be ready for sale next week! Thanks for playing.

 

The RED dragon should be named  ____________.

This GREEN dragon should be named ___________.

 

This PINK dragon should be named ______________.

This YELLOW (and green) dragon should be named ___________.

Lastly, we shipped 200+ blood wood charcuterie boards, and some beautiful blood wood coasters this past week to our office in Georgia (well, actually it’s Pete and Julie Wilkerson’s house – thanks friends!!), and they will arrive by mid-week. Half of them have been pre-ordered and will be shipped out or ready for pick up. The other half are ready for you to order them for your Christmas gift giving.  Please support our Khutsala and Kufundza artisans by shopping at www.khutsala.com today. 

 

Live from Eswatini … it’s a glorious Saturday morning.

 

Janine

Would you like to come and join us by the fire?

 

For the past eight years, Ian and I have traveled from Africa in October to spend the month in the US and Canada raising money through speaking events and galas.  This annual trip kicks off our year-end giving campaign, which is critical to the health and existence of Heart for Africa and Project Canaan. 

 

This year we were not able to make that journey to see friends and family with borders closed and planes grounded, and we all know that it is almost impossible for large gatherings to happen safely.  But our Heart for Africa US team has gotten creative and figured out a way to do several things:  host a live event for 75 people at the Legacy Theater in Alpharetta, Georgia AND bring us all together on a virtual platform that will allow us to at still celebrate hope together from around the world.

 

So here is my invitation to you - on Thursday, October 22^nd at 7:00 PM EST please join us with pe9ple from all over the US to Celebrate HOPE together.  This is a very important fundraiser, so we are asking you to make a $50 donation to receive the link to join us. Ian and I will take you on a virtual tour of Project Canaan, just as if you were here in Eswatini with us, going from department to department, meeting our Supervisors and children and getting to see a bit more of life on Project Canaan. We know it’s not as good as doing it in person, but we hope it will be the next best thing, and we hope you will come. Unfortunately, due to US and Canadian charity laws, we are only US credit cards are able to be used on this platform. If you are Canadian and want to join this event, please email david@heartforafrica.org.  We will have a Canadian event in a few weeks that will be very similar in content.

 

Even if you aren’t able to join us on Thursday, you can easily bid on some really fun silent auction items, like a really beautiful Checkers board made on Project Canaan.  The board is made from dark and light bloodwood and the game pieces are hand rolled ceramic SwaziMUD.  Also available is a dinner for four people our house in Eswatini, with Ian’s delicious beef and ostrich steaks cooked to perfection, with farm fresh vegetables and South African wine, all while enjoying an African sunset.  You can also bid on 30-minute Zoom video calls with Ian on the farm, me at the children’s campus or Amber and her teachers at the Project Canaan Academy.  There is even a fireside chat for you and five friends/family with Ian and me at our home in Eswatini, including delicious South African wine and cheese and a beautiful charcuterie board to take home.

 

These are unusual times, and we have to approach them with fresh ideas and the knowledge that the Lord will provide for His children through His people.

 

If you are not able to join us, and/or aren’t interested in our auction items, you are welcome to click on the link and make a donation to help us continue the work in Eswatini. Just yesterday we received a newborn baby who was put in a plastic bag at birth and dropped in a pit latrine (outdoor toilet).  A neighbor noticed a strange sound as he urinated into the toilet and called his wife to bring a stick to pull the plastic bag out. They were shocked to find a wet and bloody newborn baby in the bag. This little 4-pound boy was saved and is now safe at Project Canaan, and will be with us for the next 18-21 years. That is our commitment to each and every child who is placed with us through the Social Welfare department of Eswatini.  There will be children living here and being saved long after Ian and I are gone, so we need more people around the world to know about our work and support us.

 

Thank you for reading this blog each week, and for sharing our mission with your friends and family. It takes a very large village to raise 273+ children!

 

If you want to join our Celebrate Hope Gala, please click here.

 

If you want to see our fun auction items, please click here.

 

If you want to make a donation, please click here.

 

Live from Eswatini …praying for continued favor.

 

Janine

Oxygen for my soul

I remember when our Project Canaan doctor told me in the early days of the pandemic that mental health issues will have much more wide spread implications that people dying from Covid-19.  I heard him, and Ian and I started being intentional about our mental and physical health. We had already been walking around the farm during the week, clocking 25-40 miles per week going up and down our mountainous home.  I had to eliminate the biggest climbs when we discovered a compressed disk that has been causing me terrible nerve pain down my legs, but the walks around the lower part of the farm and through the fields, with our new puppies, has been therapeutic.

 

We have always loved to cook together, and so with our borders being closed for the past seven months we have been limited in the ingredients available to keep our pantry full. Fortunately, we have fields full of fresh vegetables, which has been fun work on new recipes to enjoy. 

 

The one thing that we have not been able to do, that we have ALWAYS done to help with our mental health, is to go away for a weekend, or take a few days in South Africa (SA) when we really need a break.  SA is a beautiful country where the restaurants are wonderful, fresh fish is available and the stores have everything you need (something that is a never-ending battle in Eswatini). We can weeks without the simplest thing like sour cream being in Eswatini. And if you want to buy 20 of anything (bibs, size 2 shorts, almond milk), it can take a full day of hunting from store to store in town to town. Not in SA, in SA you can do one stop shopping, just like in the US or Canada.

 

Last week the borders opened to other African countries, and we waiting to see if people really were getting across (yes, we have fake news here too). We were told that you have to have a negative Covid-19 test within 72 hours of travel, and then you could leave.  But no one was clear on how you could get back in to Eswatini, so after a few days of newspapers reporting disastrous confusion at the borders, things seemed to calm down. We could get a Covid-19 test for $52, which would have to be sent to Nelspruit, SA, and then if you got the test before 9:30AM, you would be able to go back to the laboratory to get your printed results 24 hours later.  On Thursday/Friday, Ian and I did just that, and we escaped from our isolation, and into the wild.

 

We crossed the two international borders easily, put on a podcast and just enjoyed the 3-hour drive to Nelspruit, where we will spend the weekend.  Of course, a trip to SA wouldn’t be complete without a shopping comprehensive list from my Sr. Supervisors for things that we just can’t find in Eswatini, and things we have needed for many months (large good quality cooking pots, memory boxes, bibs, medicine etc.).

 

Of course, we didn’t know what to expect from our Covid-19 infected neighbors, but we drove with masks ready, hand sanitizer available and a funky hotel as our final destination.  Our first stop?  McDonalds. I’m not proud of it, but it was definitely the best Quarter Pounder with cheese that we have ever eaten. Next stop was a store called WestPack, where you can buy almost anything and everything you need. Ian’s truck quickly filled up within the first hour of our shopping. Then we went to Woolworths (our favorite gourmet-type grocery store), and bought some treats for the evening (they even had fresh baklava!), then headed to our hotel. Attached to the hotel is a beautiful restaurant, with fancy food, just like the old days.  We indulged in muscles, smoked salmon and fresh mahi-mahi, all at an outdoor table away from everyone else.  Covid-19 precautions in place, we had the best dinner and it was the first time that we had been able to leave the country OR eat have dinner at a restaurant in seven months.

 

It was like oxygen to our souls. The ability to move freely, the ability to stop and enjoy a good meal, and being freed from the spirit of oppression has been life giving to us today. We are sitting at Mugg & Bean having a delicious skinny cappuccino with poached eggs with fresh avocado, while enjoying the warm spring weather. Later today (after our shopping is complete), we will drive around the Panorama Route of Mpumalanga and enjoy views that are among the most spectacular in the world.

 

Today I am really thankful for freedom.

 

It looks like it will be many more months before we will be able to welcome visitors to Project Canaan from North America, but what we ARE able to do is invite you on a virtual tour of Project Canaan, hosted by Ian, me, and Supervisors from around the property.  This will all take place on Thursday, October 22^nd at our annual Celebrate HOPE event in Georgia. There is limited seating with only 75 seats available for the live event, BUT this year, our friends from all over the world, can buy a ticket to join us for the live event!  Ian and I will be joining and we have really incredible auction items that can be bid on before and during the event. You can even bid on bringing your family to join Ian and I for a fireside chat at our fire pit on the mountain when the borders open again, or a steak dinner for 4 people at our table, with Ian’s famous filet mignon cooked on the Green Egg.

 

We need your help now, more than ever. Please buy your tickets today at the link below:

 

http://bidpal.net/hfacelebratehope2020

 

We hope to see you on October 22^nd!

Live from South Africa… exhaling.

 

Janine

We are isolated - can you help us?

These are difficult times, we all know that. Social media can be hard to read, conversations with friends can be stilted and hugs are still out of the question. We all have good days and bad days, and just when we think the good days are the new norm, something else happens.

 

For those of us in Eswatini, the government locked down the country in March and has now extended the lock down until December. Liquor stores have been closed for months, with rumors (and newspaper articles) that suggest politics and greed are at the center of the closing, leaving restaurants and golf courses facing closure, and those who enjoy a glass of wine from time to time, without.

 

The borders to South Africa have been closed, keeping us and our volunteers from our normal “escape” when things are too complicated, or just too hard here. Schools are still closed, with no plans for reopening, leaving a country filled with confused , frustrated and in some cases, despondent people (and remember, all of our staff who have children know that their children are at home all day, with no school to keep them busy, engaged or productive). Our church partners have a never ending list of children who need food because there is no food at home. No one sees jobs returning, hope for the future or even a light at the end of the tunnel.

 

We have so many people who want to come and visit us, to “share hope” with our staff and church partners, but it appears that we won’t be able to welcome volunteers until well in to 2021.

 

So that’s where we are. We are still working hard. Our children are being “tutored”, and they are happy and healthy. They miss our “friends”, who usually come to visit, and they do know that it is Covid-19 that is keeping us isolated. But it is what it is.

 

We are isolated. We feel isolated. But we are safe and healthy, and for that we are thankful.

 

If you read this blog on a regular basis, you might be asking yourself how you can help us.  Today I am going to give you several practical ways that you can support us from afar.  I pray that every person who reads this blog today will choose one of the following ways to get involved, TODAY. We all need encouragement, and this is a practical way to do that, without getting on a plane.

 

1.     Help us build a fire station - thank you to everyone who made a donation to help us build a fire station and security offices last week. We raised $6,700+ towards the $12,500 matching gift. We only need $5,800 to complete this. If you were thinking about it and didn’t get around to giving, or are considering it, please do so today by clicking here and help us get these critical buildings built.

 

2.     Shop with a purpose – focus your Christmas or other gift shopping at www.khutsala.com and help us bring back dozens of our Khutsala Artisans who are at home praying that they will be able to work again in 2020 and provide or their families.

2020 Christmas tree ornaments in three colors

Lucky seed bracelet with SwaziMud end beads.

3.     Sponsor a child – we still have many children who need monthly sponsorship, whether it’s $10 per month or fully sponsoring a child at $225 per month (or anything in between). We need monthly donors to help us provide the best possible care for our children.   

        In the US:  https://www.heartforafrica.org/HOPESTARTS/       

        In Canada:  http://bit.ly/hfahopestartsca

 

4.     Become an Affiliate for Khutsala Artisans - each Affiliate is given a unique URL to share with friends and family through social media, text or email encouraging them to shop. Our affiliates are then able to track any sales that come from their link so that they can see the impact they are making! As a way of saying thank you, each affiliate receives a 10% store credit for every sale that comes from their link.  You can get more details here.

 

Blood wood charcuterie boards will be in the US by the end of October. Pre-ordering is available.

 

5.    If you or your church wants to help us feed more children at one of our 30 church partners, please contact hannah@heartforafrica.org. We need to build cooking structures and buy new/larger posts to feed more children. We really need help with this 2020 Hunger Initiative.

6.      Pray for us – please pray for our staff and their children. Please pray for our volunteers who can’t travel home to attend weddings, funerals or comfort sick family members. Please pray for the babies who are not being found in pit latrines or not making it to the hospital when they are found because there is no diesel for government vehicles. Pray for wisdom and provision for everyone involved with Heart for Africa.

 

If you are feeling isolated, please know that you are not alone. We all need to remember that the Lord is with us always. He will never leave us nor forsake us. Let us all be confident and encouraged by that knowledge.

Live from Eswatini ... this too shall pass.

Janine