Out with the old ...

Family cooking in Eswatini, Bangkok and Barcelona.

 

Early on New Years’ eve day we were awaken by security telling us that they just discovered a break in on the farm. They bent and broke their way into the maintenance container and stole a lot of equipment that is used on a daily basis to maintain the property. Clearly an inside job which required more than one person to haul everything away. The night guard was nowhere to be found, likely having a nice nap in the greenhouse. Good riddance 2020!

 

 

Early the next morning, on New Years’ day, I received a message that one of our big boys was fooling around and broke a window with his forehead. His head was okay, but the window would need repair. Unlike another boy who took a toy in the mouth and lost half of a tooth. The toy is fine, but the tooth, like the window, will also need repair. Welcome 2021?

 

 

While the world took a viral beating in 2020, we were truly blessed with good health, and no Covid-19 cases on Project Canaan (that we are aware of). The Kingdom of Eswatini has also had high impact deaths including losing our own Prime Minister to the virus, along with many prominent business people, government officials and people very close to His Majesty the King. The annual incwala ceremonies are still taking place while the rest of the country is being told to be extra vigilant and stay home, causing confusion and anger among the people. Not unlike confusion in other countries around the world.

 

Overall, 2020 was a year of favor and blessing to Heart for Africa and Project Canaan and we welcomed 18  additional children to our family. We are incredibly grateful to announce that we surpassed our year-end giving goal! Thank you to each of you who make a year-end gift, whether large or small. EVERY gift makes a difference and we are thankful for your love, prayers and financial support.  

 

 

In 2020 I was also able to write my third book, which tells the story of the last 11 years building and developing Project Canaan and explains what we do and why we do it the way we do.  We hope to have it published in February.  

 

Ian and I were able to write a cookbook for Spencer and Chloe with all our family favorites, complete with food photography (thank  goodness for our marketing background), cooking tips and a bit of twisted Maxwell humor. Our whole family loves to cook, and we have had many culinary adventures all over the  world.  (The photo of Chloe below was taken on a walking food tour in Vietnam. Little did we know until later that the fried patty was made of sea worms). Ian makes the best pad thai!

 

I’m not sad to see 2020 behind us, but I would be lying and ungrateful to say it was a bad year for us.  We look forward to another year of serving the Lord with all our hearts and minds, feeding the hungry, caring for orphans, providing employment and educating all with ears to hear and a willingness to learn.

 

Please join us as we continue on this epic and exciting journey of faith.

 

Live from Eswatini … we wish you all a Happy New Year!

 

Janine

Do you believe in miracles?

I will never forget July 14, 2017 when a tiny boy was put into my arms. He was a few days shy of his second birthday and weighed only 14 pounds. He couldn’t hold his own head up, he couldn’t crawl nor stand. He hardly had the energy to lift a hand to take some food. His body was skin and bones and he was very very sick with tuberculosis and extreme malnutrition.  His mother was 14-years old when she gave birth and she dumped the him with her Grandmother, just as her mother dumped her when she was born.  The newborn lived with his Great Grandmother for many months, being locked outside her stick and mud hut during the day then locked inside the hut when the Great Grandmother would go away, being completely neglected and starved.

 

We named the boy Jonathan and prayed over him daily, but Jonathan quickly ended up in the hospital for emergency care. Weeks later he came back to the El Roi baby home where we started the long journey to health, and one that none of us were sure would be successful.

 

This past Wednesday Jonathan finished pre-kindergarten and is moving on to Kindergarten in January. As we sat at the awards ceremony Jonathan was called up to the front and given the “Star Athlete” award.  Star athlete???  I believe in miracles because I have experienced them.

Then there is our Grace. A child who was left on the side of the road by her mother, and when found was taken immediately to the hospital where she was in a coma for many days. She was treated for meningitis, but was left blind. We did not know that when she was placed with us, and it was only during development assessments that we realized the depth and breadth of her disabilities. Eventually our medical team broke the news to us that Grace would never be able to sit on her own, or crawl or walk. We already knew from U.S. Ophthalmologist that she was blind and would never see.  

 

 

Well, Grace can see, she can sit and crawl and walk and dance and talk and sing. She is one of our extra special children who has extra special needs, and we are thankful to have her in our family. I believe in miracles because I have seen them. Enjoy Grace singing and dancing in the video below.

Then there are two other extra special girls who I want to update you on today. Both were burned as newborn children, both are strong and vibrant members of our family and both are testaments to the power of prayer, love, financial support and medical care from our friends in the U.S. and Canada.

 

Shirley has been to the U.S. twice for reconstructive surgery and we don’t anticipate her needing any more. She graduated from Kindergarten this week and was so proud to receive her certificate.  

 

Phiwa has also been to the U.S. twice for reconstructive surgery, and still has a long way to go in her healing process.  She came to us as a “boarding school” student two years ago and couldn’t speak any English and she couldn’t read or write as she was not able to attend school because of her facial burns (the other children were abusive to her). This week she not only passed 1^st grade, but she got STRAIGHT A’s and is on tot 2^nd grade in January. This is a testament to her hard work, great tutors, an educational psychologist and special education techniques from private school teachers in the U.S. who helped her catch up and WANT to learn. Phiwa is part of a very large global village of people who love and care for her and she in return is a blessing to all of us.

 

I believe in miracles because I have witnessed them.

 

 

None of these children would have been able to receive the care that they desperately needed if it weren’t for the generosity of people who have given sacrificially to help save the life or change the life of a Swazi child.

 

Would you join us in providing the ongoing care for the 275 children who currently call Project Canaan “home” and help us be able to continue to say “yes” to other children in need? We have a matching gift of up to $175,000 for our year end giving campaign so for every dollar you donate before December 31^st, it will be doubled! This might be the best Christmas gift you ever gift – the gift of life and love.

 

To make a year-end gift in the U.S. please click here.

 

To make a year-end gift in Canada please click here.

 

I hope that you experience miracles in your own life and find inexplicable joy during this sacred season of hope.

 

Live from Eswatini  … enjoying having Spencer home.

 

Janine

 

Everything is a buzz on Project Canaan (pardon the upcoming pun)

 

Spencer is on an airplane coming home for Christmas! I am still in shock that this was possible, and equally saddened that Chloe is not able to come (quarantine restrictions won’t allow it). During the last eight months we all just assumed that Christmas travel would not be possible, but then it was! And our boy is coming home. I simply can’t tell you how happy that makes us, and the children are so excited to see their big brother.

 

This week we opened our first “flow hives” in our apiary (a location where bee hives are kept) on the farm. What is that you ask? According to www.honeyflow.com “The Flow system is a whole new way of extracting honey from Langstroth-style European honeybee hives. The bees fill the honey cells and cap them off. When you insert the Flow Key and split the honey cells, gravity does the rest of the work, and the honey simply flows into the trough, through the tube and into your jar.”

 

Now Project Canaan really will be a land flowing with milk and honey (and abuzz!), and we will be able to provide our children with fresh honey and also sell it in our gift shop.

We have been working diligently on our tourism program for 2021 and the focus of the tours will be showing people the laying barns, dairy, greenhouse and the new apiary will be a highlight of the tour.  The goal is to inspire and educate people in the field of agriculture as well as display how our woodworking and bead craft is helping us work toward our goal of sustainability. We recently learned that 70% of all tourists coming to Eswatini are from neighboring South Africa and 10% from Mozambique, so we want to be ready to welcome people back to Eswatini when the time is right. Meanwhile we will be able to host local visitors (and hopefully schools and students) who want to come and learn about what is happening right here in the Kingdom of Eswatini!

 

2020 has been a year of complexity, challenge, blessing and favor and for that we give thanks to the One who has been with us at every step. Now we need to finish the year well and I am inviting you to join us in giving thanks by making a year-end gift that will be matched, dollar for dollar, up to $175,000! Please help us feed hungry children, care for orphans, alleviate poverty and educate the next generation of leaders.

 

Make a year-end gift in Canada:   http://www.heartforafrica.ca/2020yegivingca/

 

Make a year-end gift in the U.S.:  http://bit.ly/2020YEGivingUS

 

This is our toddler named Treasure. Isn't  she just the cutest  little girl!?

Live from Eswatini  … doing the happy dance.

Janine

2015 – a wonderful and difficult year.

Miriam taking cookies from the Oasis, down to the toddlers. Be still my heart.
Photo credit: Chris Cheek

As the year comes to a close I wanted to share a few beautiful photos of the children at Project Canaan and give you just a quick glance of a wonderful and difficult year.

In 2015:

·      We received 21 children in 2015 giving us a total of 106 orphaned and abandoned babies (under the age of 5-years) whom we are legal guardians for until they finish High School.

·      We built 15 buildings including Emseni East and the Oasis where the big children live and eat.

·      Khutsala Artisans made and sold 13,000+ Christmas tree ornaments (thank you everyone who bought and sold them for us!).

·      Through our partnership with the International Egg Foundation and the Egg Farmers of Canada we will receive a flock of 2,500 chickens arriving on January 4^th that will provide fresh eggs to feed the children of Swaziland.

·      We have a total of 30 church partners now, where we feed 2,100+ children every week. Starting in January they will all get a hard boiled, peeled, egg with each meal.

·      We are in the worst drought in recorded history which has made it impossible for people to plant their annually crops, it has killed thousands of farm animals and has sent maize prices soaring (expected to rise by 65% in the next 3 months).

·      We have seen miracle after miracle and have watched the mighty hand of God at work in the lives of people all over the world who are being called to help the children of Swaziland. 

On Christmas day Ian, Spencer, Chloe and I celebrated as we always do: stockings, coffee, gifts, Belgian waffles and lots of laughter. Since moving to Swaziland our tradition has expanded to include preparing a special brunch for all of the big kids (68) and all of our caregivers (54) and a few special guests.  Pancakes, bacon, fruit salad, whip cream and maple syrup are on the menu and everyone leaves full and sticky! Each child also received a beautifully wrapped pair of new pajamas and everyone was happy.

I am not sure there is any greater gift than to be able to serve these little children and all of the Aunties/Uncles who live with them 24/7 and are helping raise the future leaders of this nation. That is NOT an easy job. I also want to express my thanks for all of our long-term and short-term volunteers who come and serve so selflessly.  Each person contributes in a different way and we are thankful for each skill and ability they have been gifted with.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for reading my blog this year, for your words of encouragement and for your support.   Thank you also for those who have given financially so that we could complete the work given to us to do.   I would like to ask you to consider making a year-end giving donation so that the work of Heart for Africa can continue in 2016.  Thank you for considering my request.

In the US: 

https://heartforafrica.secure.force.com/pmtx/cmpgn__donations?id=7011A000001DHGq

In Canada: 

https://www.heartforafrica.ca/2015%20Year%20End%20Giving.aspx

Live from Swaziland … wishing you a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from our family to yours.

Janine