Are you anxious, angry or afraid?

 

For a moment, perhaps even for a few minutes while you sip on your coffee and read this blog, would you consider being thankful rather than being anxious, angry or afraid? Those seem to be the three A’s that we are watching on TV, in social media and from afar. For this moment let's think about the three A’s being alive, abundant and affirmed.

 

It’s always a good week when we receive a newborn baby. This newborn baby girl was found in the bushes near a church. The mother obviously gave birth in a hospital and then dumped the baby, perhaps hoping someone would find the child. A passerby did hear the baby crying and now that baby is our 275^th child living at Project Canaan and it was a joy to have Spencer here to travel and pick up the baby with me. Baby Jacklin is alive!

This week Spencer arrived home from Chicago and what joy that has brought us every minute of every day. Spencer has been working at Heart for Africa for the past six months and is passionate about our Khutsala Artisans™. This week the three of us spent the entire week lifting and hauling boxes, doing inventory (more than 10,000 pieces), and trying to fix a fried computer (with the last back up being March 2019 – obviously more computer training is required here) all in 100F+ temperatures with full humidity. Our cold showers and evening on the patio never were so sweet, but still missing Chloe who wasn’t able to travel due to Canadian travel restrictions. We are thankful for video calling, and decent internet (when it works). Our joy is abundant.

While we were not in a position to give out Christmas bonuses or host a Christmas party as we have in the past, we were able to provide all of our employees with fresh vegetables, milk and eggs from our farm. We are also able to provide them with a trip to the “store” each year, where they get to choose multiple articles of clothing for themselves and/or their spouse or children. This year each woman who works on Project Canaan got to choose four bras IN ADDITION to the clothing so that was an added blessing from our friends in Canada and the U.S.. This was a difficult year for everyone all over the world, and we are thankful for our Project Canaan employees. Our staff is affirmed.

 

In addition to those things (and I really could write an epistle this morning), I’d like to add a few more fun photos that you might not be giving thanks for today, but we are. 

Below is our nurse Anthony who is now doing circumcisions at the El Rofi clinic (strongly advised to reduce transmission of HIV/AIDS in adulthood). He is so excited to have the opportunity to provide this service for our baby boys while reducing the risk of exposure to Covid-19 (and everything else that is infectious here).

 

I am eternally thankful that Spencer gets to be a big brother to 275 children, and watch our biggest kids grow (and aspire to be as tall as he is!). He also enjoys seeing his friends from Kenya, whom he met when he was only 10 years old. Both Anthony and Denis have known Spencer for 15+ years!

 

Lastly, and this might seem just silly, but …

 

When I was a girl, we would eat Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) once a year. It would be the day that my mom and I drove an hour to the “big” city of Timmins, from our small town of Matheson. We would do our Christmas shopping, which neither of us really enjoyed, and then reward ourselves with KFC for dinner. The 60-minute drive home was almost unbearable with the smell of that delicious, annual “cheat” sitting in the back seat. Well, KFC is the only fast food chain in Eswatini that is similar to a Canadian restaurant, and Ian and I picked up KFC last week. For those of you who have eaten it here, it is THE BEST KFC you will ever taste. We aren’t sure if it’s because it’s the only fast food, but it is a real treat. As we arrived home and started unloading the bag I couldn’t help but see the outside of the KFC bag which read “Add HOPE”. What a great idea. Let us all add a little hope to everything we do and say today.

 

^“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-8

“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” Isaiah 41:10

 

Live from Eswatini … enjoying a hopeful, joy-filled day.

 

Janine