Dan and I had eight days in Eswatini last week and it was a wonderful time of ministry and connecting with people.  Our primary investment was at the Eswatini College of Theology where Dan was invited to share in the chapel sessions for the Spiritual Emphasis week.  We enjoyed sharing some of the things the Lord has given us as a “life message” and giving them tools for future ministry.  Dan opened with a story about 5 frogs on a log by a pond.  It was getting sweltering and the frogs were saying to one another, “It’s about time to jump in the pond, it’s too hot now.”  Another frog said, “if we stay here any longer, the sun is going to cook us, and we are all going to die.”  The frogs all agreed the best course of action to take was to jump in.  So, what happened to the frogs?  They all died!  They all knew what to do, but no one activated the good idea and actually jumped.  

It’s a silly story, but it drove the point home to the students that you can learn and study and know TONS of information in your head, but if you choose not to activate what you learn in your life…nothing changes.  Heart and mind transformation is the key to for life change and being effective ministers, not focusing on behavior. Behavior follows your heart and what you believe.

We also had a fun surprise – Dr Chomba organized for us to have an opportunity to share our story on the Voice of the Church Radio station.  We weren’t sure what to expect, but they asked Lewis and I to interview Dan and for him to share tools and tips for recovery and healing throughout the hour of recording.  I’m not sure when it will air, but we heard great feedback and the CEO of the station has sent us an email asking if we can partner further in the future.  Thank you Lord for a wonderful new opportunity.

I shared children’s sermons with the kids who come for a hot meal in Lundzi and Motjane (both programs are facilitated by Hope House) and we were able to pass out some warm clothes donated to them.  

Last year, one of the lovely families we know in the States gave a large donation to Hope House to help them with the renovations needed on their structures that were damaged.  They are making great progress and are close to being able to use the main building again (kitchen, dining room, living room, storage/pantry).  The roof is back on, the electrical is fixed, they also fixed some plumbing challenges so they can have hot showers and flushing toilets again, and they are digging drainage fields to move moisture away from the foundations of the buildings.  They had a 2^ndconcurrent project and they are close to opening another preschool building on their campus.  Very exciting!  The Chomba family, their dedicated volunteers, and the church family at Hope House are making a huge difference in two communities struggling to meet basic needs.

I had the joy of sharing with the ladies at Hope House Church on a very wet and cold day.  It was a public holiday (the King’s birthday party!) and since all the ladies had to walk up the steep, muddy hill to reach the church (some came in high heels!), I was surprised and grateful for the 45 who did make it.  I shared on how they make their unique mark in the world and how God sees them and deeply loves them.  It was a blessing to be together and to encourage each other in the Lord.

On Saturday, we were invited to share at a youth group at Hawane Christian Life Center.  We had a blast with the students, Dan shared a great message, and we really enjoyed meeting Pastor Tim.  The weather also changed and we were soaking in the sunshine and warmer weather and loved going for a drive in the countryside with the gorgeous mountains.

On Sunday morning, Dan was invited to share the morning message at two churches.  We absolutely loved Pastor Gideon Phiri’s church.  We met him earlier in the week at the College and the atmosphere at his church was wonderful.  Gideon asked if we could repeat our forgiveness message we shared at the college with his members and we happily agreed.  It was so well received!  Later that day, he shared two testimonies of people in his church already activating forgiveness in their stories.  Brilliant!!

The second church was a wonderful opportunity too and we were warmly received by the people there.  Lubamba Church was in Ezulwini Valley (valley of heaven) and is very near one of the royal palaces.  We were told that quite a few people from the royal family attend church here.  Dan gave a clear salvation message and spoke about how your life changes after an encounter with Jesus – so good!

Several of the people along the way told us that they were helped so much by our ministry and sharing and specifically said, “Sometimes there is a special blessing from hearing truth from someone from far away – thank you for coming to us.”   It confirmed to us that traveling out of your comfort zone to minister is a blessing.

I obviously am sharing the highlights and best testimonies from the week with you all.  Just for fun – here are a few of the challenges…. At our airBnB place, there was an ant infestation.  One night I banged my toothbrush on the sink and 7 ants fell out.  I unknowingly bought some spoiled yogurt from a grocery store and experienced the terrible side effects from food poisoning.   Also, the 2^nd church on Sunday morning was loud.  It honestly was the loudest church we have been in during the 20 years of ministry in Africa.  Africans like their worship loud – no problem, we do too!  This one was next level.  Dan’s watch kept sending him messages that said, “loud environment, sustained volume for more than 30 minutes can cause hearing loss.”  We drove straight from that church to the border and then home to Bethlehem.  It took about an hour and a half of driving before we could hear each other properly again!

This coming Saturday (9^th) we are hosting a wedding in our garden and Dan and another African pastor are co-officiating.  We are learning a lot as we plan together and learn about all the cultural pieces of a BaSotho wedding.  Please will you add your prayers to ours for good weather?  It will be perfect if the ceremony can happen in our yard as planned and would be a little bit of a tight squeeze if everyone was in our living room.

On May 15^th, our family will begin the long drive up to Zambia to do ministry with our friends for a couple weeks.  Then it looks like Dan will be in the states for the month of June, then when he gets back we are taking the kids on another road trip to the coastal town of George, South Africa to attend a camp for missionary kids.  We are going to be putting some serious kilometers on the vehicle! 

ALSO….We got it, we got it, we got it!!!!!!    Six and a half years after our first applications were submitted for Permanent Residency, ALL of us now have our PRs.  Miesha now has the official document needed to stay with us in South Africa.  This is a massive answer to SO many prayers and a huge relief for our family.  

We are excited for all God has done, the huge answers to prayers we have received recently, and we are anticipating great things for the months ahead.  Thank you for your prayers and love and generosity towards Magezi Ministries and our family.

Blessings!
Janell for all of us

PS.  If you want to see more pictures or the epic dinosaur celebration dance video Titus and a friend made for Miesha, you can find them on our social media.  Links above!