Another break in on Project Canaan AND they tried to poison the dog.

August 11 Blog

Last Saturday night we had another break in on Project Canaan, but this time it was at Amber and Kenny VanWinkle’s house.  The VanWinkles are long term volunteers and were offsite visiting friends when the thieves cut through the burglar bars at their home, went through their whole house and stealing laptops, iPhone, TV, a wedding ring and some personal family treasures.  Their Jack Russell dog (Yebo) was in the house, but clearly did not deter the burglars.

This was as devastating to Amber and Kenny as it was to us when our house was broken in to back in June (http://janinemaxwell.blogspot.com/2017/07/our-home-was-vandalized.html).

We are quite certain that it is the same thieves and we are quite certain that it’s an inside job, meaning that people whom we know, trust, love and employ are directly involved with both break-ins.

We have hired a private investigator who is infamous in Swaziland.  His name is well known and as he says, “When a snake heads towards the monkeys, the monkeys will scatter”.  There certainly has been some scattering on the farm when this man started showing up on the premises to investigate.

Two nights after the break-in (with a 24 hour guard assigned to their house) the thieves came back and put rat poison in Yebo’s water bowl that was in the backyard inside their gated area. We are told that rationale was to scare us all in to calling off the investigation, but it will not be called off, we will NOT be afraid, and Yebo was smart enough to point it out to Kenny.

We are working with several experts on elevating the security all over the property, but won’t share any of those details here as many of our employees read this blog. Suffice it to say, things are changing at Project Canaan.

This morning my Facebook page popped up an image from five years ago. It was a photo of our first nine children, in their pajamas all sitting on a change table.  I went down to Saturday’s Kids Club and the Oasis and we re-enacted the photo of our first nine.  The kids squealed in seeing themselves as babies and loved crawling up on the bed to get the updated photo.

Levi, David, Caleb, Jeremiah, Emmanuel, Anna, Joshua, Esther, Miriam - 2012

Levi, David, Caleb, Jeremiah, Emmanuel, Anna, Joshua, Esther, Miriam - 2017

I sent both photos to Kenny and Amber to encourage them and remind them why we are all here.  While fear continues to want to keep a stranglehold here at Project Canaan, LOVE is so much bigger and SO much stronger than fear. I am sharing them today with you to show you what the love of Jesus looks like.  Look at the hope and joy in the eyes of our children now.  My heart is full.

We are told that the greatest commandment in the bible is to “love one another”, even when it’s hard. Today, and every day, we choose love.

Live from Swaziland … I choose love and I will not be afraid.

Janine

Serious accident on Project Canaan

 

It’s Sunday morning and it is time to reflect on a day yesterday that could have ended in great tragedy and heartbreak, but it didn’t.  So I start this blog by giving thanks to God for His mighty hand of protection.

Now the story.

Jimmy Wilferth (Heart for Africa US, President) and John McCarthy (Heart for Africa US, Financial Controller) have been here for the past week and on Saturday morning decided to go for an ATV (4-wheeler) ride up to the top of Hope Mountain.  There is no road up, but there are paths that can be followed on an ATV.  It’s a five mile journey “as the crow flies”, but closer to eight miles by path. The grass is tall at this time of year and danger is hidden.

They got to the top, enjoyed the magnificent view and then headed back down via a different route.  As the story goes, Jimmy headed down a grassy hill first and then realized that it was too steep.  He hand motioned John to turn around, but John interpreted the motion as “follow me” so he followed.  Jimmy’s machine suddenly disappeared in front of him as it tipped over a hidden ledge.  There was nothing he could do to stop it and was catapulted over the front of the machine and then it came crashing down on him.  The machine delivered a crushing blow to Jimmy and then broke into pieces as it rolled down the hill.  John’s machine followed behind with the same fate.

There was no cellular service where they landed so while in pain and shock they slowly walked down the hill until cellular service was found.  Two random Swazi’s were up at the top and witnessed this accident so they came and helped them walk to a shaded area. 

Jimmy send Ian a text at 12:24 PM that read, “Ian, we’ve had a problem.  We are both OK, but neither of the 4-wheelers have survived.  We are on the hillside just off the tower facing the farm.  We will need help to get down. Banged and bruised, but mobile.”

The black dot in the middle of the hill is half of the green machine.

 We have an amazing team of people here at Project Canaan and yesterday they shone as bright as the sun.  Within minutes Ian was on his way to pick up Kenny VanWinkle (our resident EMT).  Ian drives an old Land Cruiser and that would be the best vehicle to drive up to see if they could even reach the guys and then transport them back down (let’s just say there is no helicopter Air Evacuation here).  Next, Arlyn Koopmans and Mike Skiles jumped in and followed Ian up the mountain with splints, a transport board and duct tape.  It took a bit more than an hour for them to arrive with Ian driving like a madman up the mountain.  Kenny was hanging on for dear life, while texting me (at the hairdressers) to contact the hospital of the incoming trauma patients.

As I mentioned, there is no road going to the top so Ian and Arlyn’s cars took quite a beating.  When they arrived at the scene they found Jimmy and John sitting under a tree.  There were pieces of ATV scattered over a 70-yard radius.  There was a 30-50 yard difference in elevation from where they started to roll to where the lowest machine landed.  Both machines were completely destroyed.  Kenny quickly assessed their injuries and knew they needed to get to a hospital quickly.  At first glance John had a broken wrist or arm and Jimmy likely had broken ribs and maybe a broken hip?  Kenny says that his body just didn’t line up properly so something was wrong.  Jimmy was having a hard time breathing  so time was of the essence, but they were at the top of a mountain (!).

John's machine

Thankfully Arlyn and Mike brought up a board to strap Jimmy to.  For those of you who don’t know Jimmy is he 6’ 4” and weighs 220lbs.  He is a big boy.  They guys rolled him on to the board and then duct taped his head and legs to the board.  They were fairly certain he had broken ribs and he was having a hard time breathing so they couldn’t strap his chest.  They managed to get him up in to the back of the Land Cruiser, but the board didn’t fit so they had to leave the back door open (split hatch with a swinging spare tire).  John sat in the front holding his arm to his chest in the front seat.

Jimmy's machine

It was just before 2PM when they were ready to leave.  Ian decided to go up and over the top of the mountain rather than going back down the treacherous path they had come up.  Arlyn and Mike went ahead to clear the path of trees, branches or rocks.  They came to a place that was impassable, so Ian had to go “off roading” he says, to get around it. (Pause for editorial comment from Ian’s wife and author of this blog – IT IS ALL OFF ROADING UP THERE!  IT IS CRAZY DANGEROUS!!!).  So up and over the mountain they went and headed to the Mbabane Clinic (hospital).

Meanwhile, my haircut and highlights were going well J and I was able to contact some great friends who are medical practitioners in the country to get their council.  As expected it was recommended that they go to the Mbabane Clinic (hospital) because they can handle trauma, have x-ray on sight, good doctors and an orthopedic surgeon.  (I am so grateful to have gotten to know so many medical people in Swaziland who have freely given me their cell numbers.  THANK YOU ALL!).

Back to the race over the mountain.  There were times when the board would start to slide out the back of the car because the back was open. Kenny would literally have to hold the board down to keep Jimmy from sliding out the back.  Once they got off the dirt path/road (50 minutes of the drive) Ian was going 87 MPH on the main road.  As they climbed the mountain into Mbabane Ian saw that his temperature gauge was in the red.  The car was about to stop from overheating.  John saved the day by suggesting that he turn off the AC and turn the heat on high to suck the heat in to the car rather than in to the engine (it was 87F yesterday).  It worked!  The gauge moved to below the red line and they made it to the hospital.

I arrive at the hospital before the guys did so I was able to get them registered, brief the doctor and he had the x-ray tech on sight when they arrived.  At 3:30PM the big red Land Cruiser pulled up to the Emergency Entrance with the radiator hissing and spluttering, the battery had snapped off of connector cables and they were missing a side bumper.  But they were there.

John's wrist

While this is a good hospital, there are no orderlies to move people so Ian and the guys (and Doctor) slid the board out of the back and transferred him to a gurney.

We later discovered that John does have a broken wrist and it has been put in a cast.  Jimmy has a cracked pelvis and broken third rib.  They are both pretty beaten up and in a lot of pain.  Jimmy has been hospitalized and Mark Klee stayed with him last night to keep him company, sleeping under his bed.  We were able to contact Jimmy’s parents who went and shared the update with Chrisy. John called his wife and spoke with her. 

I can’t emphasize enough the miracle of the day.  Really.  The outcome could have been horrific.  They could have had massive head injuries (YES they should have had helmets on!), they could have not had any cell service and we wouldn’t have known they were missing until dark, it is possible that we wouldn’t have found them at all.  So many “what if’s”, but God is God and He is securely on the throne. I don’t know why He allowed this accident at all, but I do know that he spared their lives and allowed them to be heard and found.

We ended the day with a report that said it took one tractor and trailer, a truck, nine men and five hours to pick up all the debris on the top of the mountain.  Denis and Anthony lead the clean up team with Arlyn and Mike and they are all rock stars in our books.  As the sun set, the tractor with all the pieces arrived back on the farm.

Thanks Mike for all the photos!

 We will be having (more) conversations about safety on the farm, but for today, we give thanks.

Live from Swaziland … it’s Sunday morning.

Janine

PS – today Ian’s parents arrive from Canada for the first time. We can’t wait to show them Project Canaan!

Not a good way to start the New Year, or maybe it was the best way?

 

Our family in enjoying a much needed, long overdue holiday, together on the beach in Durban, South Africa.  Each day starts with a view of the Indian Ocean and ends with a delicious meal, Cribbage games and watching Scandal Season 2 together.  The reason we can go away worry free is because we have such an incredible team of people living and serving at Project Canaan.  They only contact us when there is something that we need to know or that they know we would want to know.  That is how the day started.

Today, my first FaceBook message was from Kenny VanWinkle. He and Amber graciously offered to live in our house while we are away taking care of chickens, dogs and security.  Kenny’s message to me read something like this:

“Hey Janine. Hope your vacation is going great. We had a couple of visitors last night. Came out of the bedroom and there was a 3.5 foot long snake coming out of the pantry. Chased it and cornered it under the stove. At the same time saw another one come from under a chair in the living room and go down the hallway. Called Denis and we killed the one under the stove. Not sure what kind of snake it was. Kinda looks like a Puff Adder, but it hissed at me really loud, and it long and skinny. Haven't found the other one yet. And we have looked like crazy. Just curious if you guys have had this problem before. We haven't left any doors or windows open. Anyway just wanted to let you know what's going on. We are still searching for the second intruder. Other than that all is well. Pretty sure I lost a few years off my life last night! Haha”

I know lots of you (Beth, Penny etc) hate when I talk about snakes, but I have a point. I will get to it.

After that I was looking through friends FaceBook posts and saw this photo from Brooke Sleeper of little Esther’s foot with a hookworm working its way through her skin.  We try to get the Aunties to make the children wear shoes, but heck, its Africa.  Everyone is in bare feet, right?  I wonder how many other people have hookworms making tracts that no one sees? Probably many.  I was able to contact Brooke to find out what she was going to do and she said that Esther’s foot is very itchy and after 3 days of treatment the worm(s) will die.  YUCK!!  Again, I have a point to why I am telling you this, and will get to it.

After reading my morning news, we got up and headed to the lobby at 5:45AM where we were getting a car to take us Deep Sea Fishing. We were all so excited for another great Maxwell family adventure. One of our favorites from the past was White Water Rafting down the Great Zambizi River in Zimbabwe. Maybe today would be even better than that?  We arrived at the chartered boat, hopped in and off we went. Simple.  I had packed lunches, water, cold drinks, lots of sunscreen and cameras.  It would be a perfect day (other than how it had started).  But I knew I had forgotten something. What was it?

It wasn’t until we left the harbor and we headed in to the open water that I remembered what I forgot, but it was too late. You see, I get really, really, REALLY motion sick.  And it started.  We had traveled out in the Indian Ocean about 2.5 miles and then stopped. We were all handled fishing rods and told to drop the lines to the bottom. Immediately fish were on Chloe’s and my line and up we successfully caught 8” fish. I did that once, and then things started to spin.  I moved in to the shade and sat down in the breeze. I was in a full body sweat. My head was sweating and even my upper lip and I knew I wasn’t going to make it.  I moved to the front of the boat to get more breeze and see the shoreline and tried to regroup.  What was I thinking? This was my idea to go Deep Sea Fishing!  How could I have forgotten such an important thing!

I didn’t want to tell Ian how sick I was getting for fear of ruining this great adventure.  It turns out we were only fishing for bait at that stop and soon we were heading back out to the open sea.  The swells were high as we crashed into and over each wave.  After 15 minutes of debating if I could call a helicopter to be evacuated or if I could just jump in the water and sink or swim (didn’t care which at that point), I went to the skipper and asked how much farther were were going.  He said, “Only another 9 miles out to sea”. I panicked.

He, and my family saw my panic and he gave me a anti-nausea pill.  Chloe was looking “green around the gills” too and so she took one too.  Fast-forwarding to the end of this terrible morning, by 7:30AM I was begging God to take me home.  Spencer and Ian were reeling in big Dorado fish (Mahi Mahi), I was power puking off the side of the boat and Chloe was curled up in the fetal position trying to “find her happy place.”   

The adventure was to last until 2PM, but we were back on shore by 10:08AM, much to my joy (and thanks to the understanding men in our family).  Oh my, my, my we were SO SICK.  But we have some great fish to show for it and will be eating it at dinner tonight (if I ever get this blog posted).

Near the end of the day I got a message on my phone from a Child Protection Police officer. He message read, “Good afternoon Janine.  We have yet another discovery of a dumped baby who has been rushed to the hospital.  Do you sill have space at the El Roi Baby Home?”

My reply was, “Yes, we hope to always have room for babies that you find dumped”. 

We are awaiting the details of this newborn baby, our first of 2014.

So, how do the snakes in our house, the hookworm in Esther’s foot, the adventure at sea and a newborn baby possibly all fit together?  It’s easy.  If we were too afraid of snakes to have said “yes” to this calling (and I HATE SNAKES!), I wouldn’t have had the privilege of receiving the phone message about a dumped baby. While I am totally grossed out by Esther’s hookworm (and may have wanted to cut my own foot off), we have an awesome Nurse Practitioner who said “yes” to the calling on her life and she can treat Esther and do another “teaching” on the importance of wearing shoes outside (oh, and we have shoes for all of them – we are blessed).  If we had said “no” to God’s calling on our life we wouldn’t have had the amazing opportunity to drive to Durban, stay on the beach and go Deep Sea Fishing in the Indian Ocean.  Sick or not sick, I got to be a part of a really cool adventure that our family will not soon forget.  And, at the end of the day, I got a message about a baby whose day was much worse than mine, and yet I could be a part of making his/her day better.

It’s January 2014 and we all are starting a new year.  I pray that you will not let your fears, your phobias or your excuses rob you of the huge blessings that the Lord has in store for you because you are thinking about saying “no” to what HE is asking you to do.  Today was a great day in my life – not an easy one, but another great one. I am so very thankful that we said “yes”.  You will be too.

Live from South Africa … it’s Saturday evening and time to eat Mahi Mahi.

Janine