It is Saturday afternoon here in Taiwan, so I am a bit late
for “morning” in Swaziland, but still have a few hours before the sun comes up
in North America so I have a few extra hours to put my thoughts together for
this week’s blog.
Last night I posted a question on Facebook and asked what I
should blog about today? I had questions from Australia, Canada and the US so I
will take this opportunity to answer all of them. I hope this information is valuable and interesting. Thank you to each of you who posted a
question!
Question: Ann from Indiana asked: I would
love to hear the story of your friends in Taiwan and their involvement with and
support of Heart for Africa Swaziland.
Answer: Taiwan and Swaziland
have a very important political and diplomatic relationship. Swaziland is one of only 24
nations globally that recognizes Taiwan as being and independent nation from
China. This unique political
position provides an important platform for the two nations to work
together. Taiwan has a wellknown philosophy
that basically says (pardon my paraphrase), “Fifty years ago Taiwan was a
recipient of foreign aid and many other nations came to assist us in our time
of need. Now we must be givers of
foreign aid and help others who are in need as we once were.” Swaziland is a recipient of kindness
and support due to the unique partnership with Taiwan.
This philosophy was one of the reasons that
Mr. Lewis Lu starting bringing students from Changhua Senior Highschool to
Swaziland to serve the poor in 2007.
His ambition, dedication and commitment manifested and grew into the
formation of the organization called Heart for Africa Taiwan with Mr.
Michael Chen, and their enthusiasm encouraged many other groups to get involved
including: other High Schools, the Catholic church, Christian schools and
churches, Universities, Hospitals, Lions Club International and Rotary
International). Due to Mr. Lu’s
efforts we will launch a group called Heart for Africa Japan on February 2nd
at the ONE WORLD conference in Osaka, Japan. I am always encouraged by and thankful for the never-ending
efforts of the people of Taiwan to help us in Swaziland.
Question: Lori from California asked: What are the greatest ‘needs’ in
Taiwan? They are doing so much for
Swaziland, how can we help/pray for them?
Answer: That is a tough one for me to
answer because I do not live here and am only a visitor. We are thankful for the love and
support that we get from our Taiwanese friends and that religion is not a
barrier to helping the orphans and vulnerable children of Swaziland. I am proud to say that my Buddhist
friends have joined with my Catholic friends, my Christian friends and my
non-Christian friends to help the orphans and vulnerable children of Swaziland
and I pray that each and every person is blessed abundantly for his or her
participation.
Question: Penny from Georgia asked: Talk about snake wrangling in Swaziland?
Answer: Now, Penny, you know we don’t
wrangle snakes in Swaziland!
We just sprinkle mothballs all over the property and they go away! J The truth is we have lots of really
nasty snakes that appear regularly on the farm including: Python, Spitting Cobra, Black Mamba,
Green Mamba and Puff Adder to name a few.
We try to avoid them as much as they try to avoid us (and Brooke Sleeper
is working on a protocol for snakes bites on the farm). But we discourage ALL “wrangling”.
Question: Janet from Australia asked: What do you do to de-stress? From the day-to
day issues?
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| Spencer sitting in our favorite spot with the best vi |
Answer: I find myself much less
stressed on a daily basis than ever before. When I was in business I carried
the burden of the company and the people I worked with every day. That was very stressful. When I worked at Heart for Africa in
Canada and the US I felt the burden of the work being done in Africa while I
sat millions of miles away. That
was very hard on me emotionally. Now that I live and work in Swaziland I feel
that I am doing the best that I can with what I have and that in itself gives
me great peace and joy.
BUT, at the end of
each and almost every day Ian and I (and sometimes Chloe) will sit out on our
patio at 6PM and enjoy the quiet and beauty of the farm. It brings us back to ‘center’
quickly and to a place of thanksgiving that is pure and real. We also love watching TV – that is our
big escape. We don’t really get
live TV, but watch series on DVD from beginning to end. Favorites include: Breaking
Bad, Friday Night Lights, 24, Alias
and for comedy Modern Family.
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| The view of the farm from our patio. |
Question: Kim from Ontario, Canada asked: Please talk about the Moringa Tree and why
it is important?
Answer: The Moringa Tree is one of the many
crops we are growing on Project Canaan. To date we have planted more than 2,000
Moringa seeds, which have become seedlings used in with our church partners and
in our own Moringa fields. We
harvest the leaves, dry them, grind them and sell the powder to anyone who
would like to purchase it. One day we hope to have enough for export, but in
the meantime it is proving to have significant positive impact in the health of
some of our HIV workers at Project Canaan.
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| Moringa leaves being harvested by November volunteer team. |
“In
developing tropical countries, Moringa trees have been used to combat
malnutrition, especially among infants and nursing mothers. Leaves can be eaten
fresh, cooked, or stored as dried powder for many months without refrigeration,
and without loss of nutritional value. Moringa is especially promising as a
food source in the tropics because the tree
is in full leaf at the end of the dry season when other foods are typically
scarce. Analyses of the leaf composition have revealed them to have significant
quantities of vitamins A, B and C, calcium, iron and protein. According to
Optima of Africa, Ltd., a group that has been working with the tree in
Tanzania, "25 grams daily of Moringa Leaf Powder will give a child"
the following recommended daily allowances:
Protein 42%, Calcium 125%, Magnesium 61%, Potassium 41%, Iron 71%, Vitamin A
272%, and Vitamin C 22%. These numbers are particularly astounding; considering
this nutrition is available when other food sources may be scarce.
Scientific research confirms that these humble leaves are a powerhouse of
nutritional value. Gram for gram, Moringa leaves contain: SEVEN times the
vitamin C in oranges, FOUR times the Calcium in milk, FOUR times the vitamin A
in carrots, TWO times the protein in milk and THREE times the Potassium in
bananas.” Source - www.naturalnews.com/022272.html
Question: Linda from Georgia asked: How about blogging about your hopes and
dreams for 2013?
Answer: It’s funny that you would ask that
while I am sitting in a guest room at a boarding school in Taiwan with my
16-year old daughter Chloe. Today,
my hopes and dreams for 2013 are that Chloe will find peace and joy in the
school that she is going to attend for the next two years of her life. She has gone through tremendous
transition over the past six years as we moved to Alpharetta, Georgia and then
to Swaziland, Africa. She has
supported our “calling” and the work that Ian and I are doing, but it has not
been easy and not been without personal sacrifice. Chloe is a beautiful young lady and the only thing that I
want more than her happiness is for her to be right where she is “supposed” to
be. We believe that God has a very
big plan for her life and the road ahead may not be easy and carefree, but I
believe with my heart and soul that it will be well worth the hard work it in
the end. Linda, thank you for
asking.
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| That's my girl - never afraid of a challenge. |
Live from Taiwan … it’s Saturday evening.
Janine
