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What does God want done in Africa? We believe God's desire is to see His people rise up and take action against hunger, orphans, poverty and AIDS education in Africa. Heart for Africa has embraced this purpose and is a movement bigger than any man could imagine. The purpose of this newsletter is to inform and inspire you to partner with us as we endeavor to spread the message of hope in Africa!

Bore Holes in Malawi - Bringing both HOPE and Water

In many communities in Sub-Sahara Africa, the need for water is as overwhelming and intense as the need for food. Agrina Majawa lives in Malawi. Here is her story.

Agrina Majawa, 36, has lived in Lilongwe for over 10 years. She washes her clothes and bathes in one of the polluted rivers in the country’s capital city, Lilongwe.
Agrina cannot afford piped water supply from the water board. Even the price of 3 kwacha (2 US cents) per pail from the water kiosks is out of her reach.
A widow, Agrina supports her family of three selling vegetables in the central business district of Lilongwe and says life has not been easy for her family following her husband’s death a few years ago.
She is not alone in her predicament in search of clean water and sanitation. The vendors at the flea market a stone throw away from the Lilongwe River use it for cleaning their wares and vegetables. Along the banks of the river, vendors have constructed temporary toilets. There is a paying toilet at the flea market but most vendors say they cannot afford the 10 kwacha (7 US cents). Instead, they use bushes around and shelters they have constructed to answer the call of nature.

Heart for Africa is working to make a difference in Malawi. We are currently working in the areas of Deya, Ngona Slum and Njewa. Bore holes, a drilled well with a hand pump, have been installed in Deya and Ngoma Slum. We have repaired a bore hole in Njewa so the people there have fresh, clean water again. We have commitments and donations received to place 3 more bore holes in Malawi and we hope to have funding for the 15 more needed by the end of 2007. Each bore hole costs $4,400. In North America, $4,400 doesn’t go very far. It could buy a nice cruise or a used car. But in Malawi, $4,400 can bring fresh water to an entire community, and HOPE to a many hearts.

Agrina’s story is only one of many. There are millions that walk for miles and miles to gather water that will only sustain them for the day. It is inconceivable that there are still those living today who do not have this basic need for water met on a daily basis.

Please join us in bringing water and HOPE to the many precious people in Malawi. How many lives can we touch? How many mouths can we pour clean water into? To how many hearts can we bring HOPE?

Dirty Fingernails: Journals from the Field - Troy Johnson

Walking Beside Him

Have you ever thought about what it would be like to walk along side of Jesus? What would it be like to speak to Him, to listen to Him, and to see Him perform miracles? This is something that I have desired my whole life. I have sought the absolute presence of God and craved to experience God working through my willing hands for His glory and His kingdom. I had the privilege of experiencing this on my Heart for Africa mission to Malawi this last December.

I will never forget the anticipation before the trip as my wife Katherine and I worked to get everything ready. We collected donations, we prayed for guidance and spiritual preparation from the Lord, and we purchased all the personal items that we would need for the trip. We also prayed every night that God would prepare our hearts for the work that He had for us to do there.

When we arrived, I realized that this trip would be a little different from the Never Ending Gardens trip I was on the year before to South Africa. Heart for Africa told us that we would help where the need was greatest and in the second poorest country in the world, the need was great! We focused not only on planting, but we took part in ministry, in fixing roofs, in playing with vulnerable and orphaned children that the world had forgotten, in doing AIDS testing, and yes in planting gardens. God led us to a place where the people needed to know that He loved them. God wanted us to serve their emotional and spiritual needs as well as their physical needs. A touch of love, a kind word, and a warm smile gave hope where little hope existed before and fed the people’s souls. I remember crying as I walked among the impoverished children playing with us happily as they wore their dirty, tattered clothing and ran around us with bare feet. I did not cry out of despair, rather the tears were tears of joy, because I could feel the absolute presence of God. I felt God working through our Team’s hands and I could see our lives being transformed as God used each one of us to touch someone’s heart.

The little children had no toys, so they either made them themselves or they sang and danced for entertainment. I was so impressed by how well they sang and danced together. But what touched my heart was that their singing was always a song of praise and thanksgiving to God. On our last day, we visited the poorest slum that I have ever seen. The people lived in tiny mud huts with thatch roofs and lived in extreme poverty and disease. We brought food and medicine to the poorest of the poor and prayed with those in desperate need. After we traversed the maze of huts that made up the slum, Somebody Cares Ministry started to pass out candy to the children. The children started to ask us for more food or money or anything. It started to get very tense and the children started to get impatient, as we had we had no more to give them. But God had something to give them.

Katherine and I got a number of children to line up to sing. One young man was studying to be a pastor and I asked him to lead the children in singing. They asked us to sing first, so we sang Jesus Loves Me and Jesus Loves the Little Children of the World. I asked our translator, Chapingua, what song we sang first at church on Sunday and he said Jesu Ayanaya (Jesus Saves) and then I asked the young pastor if the children knew that song. Well, they started to sing and dance and praise God. I will never forget that moment as long as I live! I saw the face of Jesus shine among the children. I felt God’s deep intense love and His presence as the entire atmosphere changed from “GIVE ME” to “PRAISE HIM”! The experience was life changing and it was truly a privilege to walk beside the Lord in Malawi and to be a part of what He is doing in Africa.

You Can Make It Happen In Africa

You've asked, "How can I help?, What can I do to really make a difference in Africa?"

Each year we receive a list of projects that our African Partners hope to be able to get done during the year. Without your help it is impossible to have these needs met. Please consider partnering with Heart for Africa and our African Partners to bring HOPE to the people and children of Africa. Please pray and ask God what your part in Africa is this year.

Are you to build a school for children who have no hope of an education?

Are you to buy a dairy cow so children can have the milk that they so desperately need?

Is your family or small group to fund a bore hole so that a whole village can have the clean water that they have never had?

Are you to support a children’s feeding program?

There are as many opportunities as you can imagine to become involved with the people of Swaziland, Kenya and Malawi. Please consider the following opportunities in the following countries:

El Shaddai Childrens Home/ Swaziland
5 school rooms $30,635
Mission House $7,000
School garden project $2,730
Staff housing for 10 teachers $6,300
New homes for orphan headed homes $57,600
Chicken project for ongoing income $5,650
Expand Dairy 10 cows @ $825 $8,250
Plant fruit trees 400-500 trees $5,500
6 sewing machines $1,320
Cloth, cottons, beads for crafts $1,870

New Hope Childrens Centre/ Swaziland
2 Houses for teenage children $132,000
28 Seater bus $66,000
12 Seater van $8,250
Wardrobes for new children $3,300
Bunk beds for new children $880
Clothing for children $4,400
School materials $5,500
School curriculum (ACE wookbooks) $6,600
New homes in community for orphans
And widows 20@ $2,880 $57,600
Arts and Crafts at school $2,750


Somebody Cares / Malawi ( Villages of Njewa, Chatimba/Chikudzulire, Mvunguti/Ngona, and Deya)
School supplies for new school in Deya $5,500
Bore Holes (wells) 11@$4,400 $48,400
Feeding centers in 5 villages $27,500
Community gardens at feeding centers $16,500
Home repairs for widows, aged and ill $75,000
Building pit latrines at Ngona 10@$750 $7,500
Seedling/seed farm at Balaka $82,500
Repairs of churches in 5 villages $16,500
Repairs on 5 child care centers $16,500
Funding for 5 feeding centers
5@$550/mo for 12 months $33,000

Rongo and Kitutu Masaba, Kenya
Bore holes 2@$11,000 $22,000
Medical supplies $1,100/mo $13,200
Orphan feeding center in Rongo $33,000
Orphan feeding program $1100/mo $13,200
Oasis Childrens Home 100 girls $278,573
Classroom for local school in Rongo $12,000
Complete church building in Rongo
Roof $6,600
Floor and seats $4,400
VCT testing center building $11,000
Staff training $2,200
Staff $4,800
Sports outreach soccer tournament $1,650
Vehicle for AIDS ministry with GOA $11,000.

Herefords Never Ending Garden Project/ Swaziland
Bore Holes 2@ $13,400 $26,800
Follow up nutritional study $23,500
Fontotje Care Center
Fencing $100
Classroom structure $1,775
Cooking Shelter $260
Ncatsavaneni Care Center
Fencing $100
Classroom structure $1,775
Cooking Shelter $260
Seedling shelter $500
Transportation for Jabulani to gardens
$85/wk $4,420
Daily laborers $1,560
The need may be overwhelming and maybe you don’t feel that you can make a difference. But if by your giving you can bring one shred of hope to one person in need, you will have made a difference far beyond anything you had imagined.
BRING HOPE TO THE PEOPLE OF AFRICA, GET INVOLVED, TAKE ON A PROJECT AND MAKE A DIFFERENCE.
All donations are tax deductible.

It's NOT OKAY with me...

It's Not Okay with me that girls are traded for cows.

During one of my visits to the Mully Children’s Family home in Kenya I was out in the bean processing building on the farm and saw a strange poster on the wall that made me laugh. It said “Don’t exchange girls for cows. Give them an education.” What a silly poster. Who would exchange their daughter for a cow? I didn’t quite take a moment to think it through, but rather asked if I could take the poster. I was sure that no one in North America would have ever seen something like this before. When I asked if I could have it I was met with some surprise and disbelief. My hosts politely shook their heads and explained that it is important that it stay up here to remind the local workers that they shouldn’t trade their daughters for cows. This poster was not created by the Mully’s, but rather was a government produced and distributed poster that was designed to address a growing problem in the country.

What did they mean? I probed as I was sure I had heard them incorrectly. It seems that often when a family runs out of food and does not see a solution, they will take their daughter to a neighbour who has cows and exchange their daughter for a cow. That’s right, “Hey, I need some food – I’ll give you my daughter if you give me one of your cows, and I’ll throw in a couple of cabbages to sweeten the deal.”

The girl is then pulled out of school (if she was lucky enough to be in school) and is used as a house servant and sexual slave by the man who purchased her. This is crazy! This is absurd! This is happening in our world in 2007. We stand and wonder why 75% of all girls between the ages of 15-24 don’t know that AIDS is a sexually transmitted disease and I propose that this is one of the reasons. If a girl does not get an education she will never know the truth about AIDS. She will never have a hope for her future. She will live and die and become one of the terrible statistics we read about.

This is NOT OKAY with me. Is it okay with you? If not, what are you prepared to do about it? Come with us to Africa in 2007 and help us bring hope to families so that they don’t have to exchange their daughter for a cow. Help bring them hope so that they CAN give her an education. Will you join us?

Why vacation when you can go on a life changing adventure?

Imagine, you’re on a cruise ship; you eat and sleep, read a book at pool side, catch a show or two and hit the shore for an excursion of snorkeling and shopping! You head home and get back to the grind. You share some pictures with friends and work hard to make up the debt you’ve incurred. The joy of it all wears off and you’re dreaming of next year again.

Now imagine you go to a land that makes you feel closer to GOD. You toil in a garden and play with some orphan children and meet people from a culture that you often wondered about. You even see animals that you’d thought you might only see in a zoo or a circus show, up close and personal in the wild. You’re just as comfortable in the accommodations and equally fed.

But…
You start journaling, because you’ve experienced soooo… much that you don’t EVER want to forget a second of it. Every emotion is at peak awareness. The Spirit in you has found new life. You make friends for life. You feel the eternal bond and your heart swells with joy, TRUE JOY!

You head home and you’re still so high, your feet haven’t hit the ground after half a year of sharing it with everyone you encounter! The entire cost was tax deductible and everything in your life has changed. You look forward to going to work; you look at your children, parents, employer, neighbors and friends differently. You’ve gone through a paradigm shift in your perspective of the meaning of life. You’re continually blessed with the stories of others who say they were inspired by your trip and story and the way you life has changed. You look forward to seeing the same change in them, when they return and relive the excitement with them.

I’ve been there done that and I’m begging you, “Get out of the Boat,” and walk where you never dared before. I promise, you’ll be changed forever and the entire world, more than you can ask or imagine.

Right NOW; Go to www.heartforafrica.org and educate yourself about this non-vacation adventure opportunity of a life time. Then go to www.itsnotokwithme.com and buy Janine Maxwell’s new book. Read it share it and answer the title question. When you’ve done that, you’ll be ready to sign up and watch GOD work in your life, like you’ve never known!

Listen, in the whisper of the wind, your name is being called….

Written by David Lee Waters, Sr.

On Board with Heart for Africa's Board

Heart for Africa will take its North American volunteers to Africa this year with a renewed sense of purpose and clarity about its goals.

Meeting in Alpharetta, GA, in February, the directors unanimously approved the strategic plan presented by President Ian Maxwell. The plan recognizes both the organization’s roots and its call by laying the cornerstone of Heart for Africa as backyard gardens leading to food security.

By coming alongside Africans in Malawi, Kenya and Swaziland to plant seedlings rich in nutrients, we will be helping these families and villages—who choose too- to move toward a sustainable food supply. By doing so, they will have hope for a future. Bringing that hope is central to why God has called us to Africa.

We will use the three-phase planting model that was piloted in Swaziland last year in Malawi and Kenya. Utilizing drip irrigation and compost trenches, it leads to sustainable rotational gardens.

In Malawi, it’s particularly intriguing because Ian’s research led to a missionary couple that had flourished for more than 20 years by only growing food crops native to Malawi. They’ve dubbed the program permaculture. Isn’t it remarkably logical to encourage folks to grow the plants that God put on that land originally?

We’re excited about the new partnership in Kenya with Glory Outreach and Help a Child Face Tomorrow that will combine our efforts with a medical mission and evangelism followed by discipleship.

Our trips will combine gardens, work with orphans (both in villages and in children’s homes), some light construction and, for trained professionals, medical outreach.

The board left Georgia excited to see what God was going to do this year and thrilled to have a role in His plans for His kids in Africa and North America.

Come join us and serve as the hands and feet of Jesus in Africa.

by: Tim Hunt, Chairman of Heart for Africa Board

Never Ending Gardens - Does it Work?

The purpose for planting Never Ending Gardens is to create self sustainable food security within a family unit. Family units might not consist of a mother, father, and children, but instead it might be a "go-go" (grandmother) and several children. We define a family unit as 8 people living together. The Never Ending Gardens plan is to provide self sustaining food within 18 weeks, and we have proven this can be accomplished in 3 stages.

In May 2006, Heart for Africa began the process of implementing Never Ending Gardens in 726 family units in the Hereford region of Swaziland. This is 95% of the homes in this region. Much work has gone into this accomplishment. This work was undertaken by the Swazi people working alongside hundreds and hundreds of North American brothers and sisters. Much more than seedlings have been planted in Swaziland.

The Never Ending Garden plan is accomplished in 3 stages.

• Stage 1 requires that the Swazi family unit put posts in the ground to support fencing that will go around their future garden. (Both posts and fencing supplies are provided through donations from Heart for Africa supporters.) We then assist them through team work in planting seedlings in 1/3 of their new garden giving them instruction on watering and caring for the young plants. They are then given instructions to build compost trenches in the remaining 2/3 of the garden. (Trench gardening will produce much healthier, hardier plants.)
• Stage 2 takes place 6-8 weeks later.Here we return to their gardens to install drip irrigation systems as long as they have done their part in caring for existing plants and creating the needed compost trenches. Family units are taught to leaf pick mature plants, leaving the healthy plant to continue to grow. In this way one plant can continue to produce food security for weeks. New seedlings and seeds are planted in the newly formed trenches, and some mature plants are marked to be left to mature and go into seed producing plants.
• Stage 3 takes place 10 - 12 weeks later giving time for plants to mature. During this time the family continues to be able to eat immune boosting vegetables while also preparing for future planting. During stage 3 they learn how to harvest seeds from mature plants, and continue planting in areas of the garden that are now ready for new seedlings. The drip irrigation system is monitored to be sure it is still working properly and repairs are made if needed. Families are given seed packets as well.
• Follow up for each garden is done every month for the next year by the Ministry of Agriculture of Swaziland or Heart for Africa staff. New seeds will be given throughout this time. At the end of this 2 year process, family units are now prepared and educated to continue growing plants to both eat and to produce seeds for the future.

Heart for Africa has commissioned a thorough study to follow up on the long term effectiveness of the Never Ending Gardens project in Hereford. This study is now being conducted by the Minister of Health and Social Welfare in Swaziland. The results of this study will be of great interest to our organization, other non-profit organizations, and the Ministry of Health in Swaziland. If successful it will offer much hope for other areas of not only Swaziland, but for all of sub-saharan Africa. We all anxiously await the results.

Never Ending Gardens is not an effort to simply "give" food to those who are hungry. Never Ending Gardens works to assist and enable them to plant, grow, and produce food for themselves. It takes a great deal of organization, patience, prayer, and hard work. We are eternally grateful to the hundreds of individuals who traveled to the Herefords region with us, to work alongside the people there to enable them to produce their own food.

May God bless the plants, the people, and the results of the study currently underway.

School Construction Begins in Deya, Malawi

There is great excitement and hope flowing in the village of Deya outside of Lilongwe, Malawi these days. Through the generous donation of a Heart for Africa volunteer the first block of a school is under construction and will welcome 120 children in 1st and 2nd grade! The next two blocks will be built once an additional $44,000 is raised. There is now hope for the future of this village where up until last year had no source of clean drinking water until a team from the Heart for Africa raised funds to install the first and only bore hole (well) in the area. This well now provides clean drinking water for the entire village.

On December 2, 2006 I was privileged to be part of a Heart for Africa team that visited Deya to be part of a prayer service to begin this school. We were led to the site of the school by a group of men beating drums made of goat skins with women dancing and singing as we walked. Arriving at the site we gathered around the area where the footings for the foundation had been dug to begin the ceremony to lay the first foundation blocks. As the village chief spoke (through an interpreter) you could sense his gratitude for what God was doing in his village and the burden he carries for his people.

The ceremony consisted of four separate groups each taking part in this foundation laying experience, each bringing an important piece to the future of this area. The four groups included the Chief who represented the community, Theresa Malila representing Somebody Cares Ministry (provides ongoing care for Deya and 14 other villages), several pastors from local churches, and Janine Maxwell representing Heart for Africa. In turn each of these people placed four foundation bricks, laying them so each brick was supported by another, symbolizing the joining of these four groups in ongoing work in Deya.

There is much more for Heart for Africa to do in Africa and you can be a part of a story like the one in Deya if you choose. I believe God is calling many of you to become involved in His work in Africa, some may feel led to go and serve, others may be called to give and not go and some may resist what God is asking of you. The needs are great and God is asking you to be a part of what is happening. How are you to be a part of His work?

We have so much in North America; it seems that it requires so much to meet our needs. And yet in places like Deya, they do not require nearly as much. Receiving even the smallest of blessings can result in filling them with great hope for their days ahead in Africa. Be a part of what is happening! Your life will be changed and so will theirs.

By Rob Shoemaker

"Guide My Feet While I Run This Race"

On January 14, 2007, Caroline McGraw ran a marathon in honor of those suffering in Africa. Caroline tirelessly and lovingly shares her heart with everyone in her world and she is making a huge difference in Africa. We thank you ... and we love you Caroline.

Here is her story...

"My heart for Africa.....You save what you love.....

As my feet met the street during my recent marathon run, I ran with great joy and in fierce pursuit of HOPE on behalf of the widows and orphans of Swaziland, South Africa.

After two trips this past year and one half to Swaziland, South Africa with Heart for Africa, the silence of their story seemed too loud and I knew I had to put Love into action and empty myself, sacrifice, you know, like running a marathon on their behalf!

ITS NOT OKAY WITH ME was taped to the back of my shirt, encouraging people to learn more about the plight of the AIDS Pandemic in Africa, specifically in Swaziland, the world's highest rate of AIDS where 1 in 3 are HIV positive. http://www.itsnotokaywithme.com/

As I trained for the marathon, the children's faces, the precious people of Africa, and their harrowing plight played like a news reel in front of me. Etched on the insides of my eyelids forever.

As my feet moved along during my training; some days fast, some days slow, most days I felt encouraged that my love and action could make a difference. Strangely enough I felt HOPE for this Nation, a Nation that is literally dying before our very eyes. Within three short years a whole generation of Swazi people will be extinct due to the AIDS Pandemic unless we take urgent action.

Currently in a Nation of 1 million there are 132,000 orphans, not to mention the vulnerable children and widows.
*Every 14 seconds a child is orphaned by AIDS in Africa
IS THAT OKAY WITH YOU?
*Every 3 seconds a child dies of hunger or malnutrition-
that is 30,000 children PER DAY
IS THAT OKAY WITH YOU?
*75% of girls between the ages of 15-24 do not know that
AIDS is a sexually transmitted disease
IS THAT OKAY WITH YOU?
*In the past 12 months, 1.6 million more children have been
orphaned due to the AIDS pandemic in Africa, leaving
15 million children children to fend for themselves.
IS THAT OKAY WITH YOU?

THIS IS NOT OKAY WITH ME, SO,MY feet ran the race in Pursuit of HOPE AND JUSTICE for the people of Swaziland and all of Africa!"

Caroline McGraw

Keeping You Connected with our New Forum

How many participants have come home from a trip, and suddenly felt disconnected from their fellow travelers who felt like family to them while in Africa, and from those they met and fell in love with in Africa? This has been a consistant, reoccuring comment from our past participants. It is for this reason that we are thrilled to now offer a wonderful way for everyone to stay connected through the Heart for Africa Forum.

To become a part of this Heart for Africa community, you simply need to register with our new website, and it is free. To register, please go to www.heartforafricaconnect.org/forum/register.php

There are so many ways you can use this forum, here are just a few:

1. Post Conversation Topics or Questions:
www.heartforafricaconnect.org/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=112

2. Upload Photos from your Africa Trip or view photos of other Trip Participants:
www.heartforafricaconnect.org/forum/photopost/

3. Start your own blog about Africa or Heart for Africa:
www.heartforafricaconnect.org/forum/blogs/

4. Help answer questions of others who want to know about Africa:
www.heartforafricaconnect.org/forum/showthread.php?t=71471

5. Read news and watch videos about Africa and Heart for Africa:
www.heartforafricaconnect.org/

We look forward to staying connected with you and to assisting you all in staying connected with one another.

A special "Thank You" to Drew Strickland for creating and managing this forum for Heart for Africa. You might want to let that be your first message after you join --- thanking Drew for his work in making this possible.

Janine speaking in California - Sharing "It's Not Okay with Me"

We praise our Lord for His movement in hearts as they read Janine's book "It's Not Okay with Me". The response has been overwhelmingly beautiful. It is surely a God kiss to see hearts moved so deeply in such beautiful ways over such a deeply troubling book. But God loves truth --- and this book is honest in every way.

Janine has already recorded Chapter 3 in the studio and it can now be downloaded from both the Heart for Africa website (www.heartforafrica.org) as well as the books' website (www.itsnotokaywithme.com) There were many tears in the studio, as Janine's heart revisited the realities of the moments when she saw, loved, and rescued Kantwa.

Be watchful for an update letting you know when the entire book will be available on audio with a chapter being released each month by pod cast.

Janine is currently receiving emails requesting that she speak at churches, chapels, schools, and ladies groups. We are working to make this happen as often as possible. If you would like to invite her to speak, please email us at speaker@heartforafrica.org . What a blessing to see God open doors of opportunity as He is longing for His children to know the truth and to act. What is happening in Africa is not okay with us --- and it is most definitely not okay with God either.

Janine has many talks planned for the Atlanta area, but if you live in California or Hawaii, we hope you will join her on the following dates:

February 28, 2007 – North Coast Calvary Chapel
Carlsbad, CA
7:00 p.m.

March 1, 2007 - speaking in Fresno, California
(details coming soon)

March 4, 2007 – Christ the King Lutheran Church
Fallbrook, CA
8:00 and 10:30 a.m.

March 29 – 31, 2007 – Hawaiian Island Ministries
Hawaii Convention Center in Honolulu
Heart for Africa Booth display

In Honor of my Friend, my Sister, my Daughter – Rahab Njoki

Today I received news that Rahab is dead.

Rahab had the most terrible life from the beginning. She had no father, her mother was a drunk and used to beat her regularly with a big stick. She had 8 siblings and at the age of two years old (yes, two) she ran away to the streets to find food because there was none at home. Rahab moved in to the slums and went from hut to hut looking for shelter, food and maybe even love. The “big girls” took her under their wing at the age of three, but they beat her up and mistreated her daily.

When Rahab had just turned nine a group of boys grabbed her and raped her. She went home to find her mother to tell them and get help, but her mother beat her badly and sent her away. Her mother told her now that she was damaged goods, she was of no value because she would never be able to get a dowry for Rahab if she married. At that moment Rahab became a “street girl” – a soft expression used to not make us “westerners” uncomfortable in saying that a nine year old girl is a prostitute. Rahab was just that.

In 1993 when Rahab was 12 years old she was rescued by the Mully Children’s Family (MCF) home in Eldoret where she struggled to get clean from the life she had been living. Her addiction to drugs, sex and freedom caused her to run back to the streets three times over the next many years. In 1999 she ran away to Mombassa and lived on the street where she got malaria, tuberculosis and AIDS. Emaciated, dying and alone this young woman made her way back to Eldoret in 2003 to beg her Aunt or her brothers to let her live with them. They said no.

Terrified with no where to turn this 80 pound skeleton crawled up to the big iron gate at MCF not sure if she would be welcomed. But of course she was. The prodigal was home again and welcomed with open arms, and loved. Rahab’s AIDS then was full blown, she had tuberculosis and it did not appear hopeful that she would live.

It was at this point that I first met Rahab.

In April 2003 we had to help carry her to her chair as she was too weak to walk. She was on anti-retro virals to keep her alive, had a special diet that “Daddy” provided her and was living in isolation from the other children for a time, because of the contagious nature of TB. But her smile … I will never forget Rahab’s wonderful smile when she spoke of the love that the Mully’s showed her. She was their daughter and all was forgiven. She rededicated her life to God and was a soldier who waved His banner high for all to see.

Rahab rallied and became strong. In fact, so strong that when we rescued Lillian from the Kipsongo slum in October 2003, Rahab went and slept in the hospital with Lillian to reassure her and make her feel safe.

In 2004 Rahab decided to marry a young man named James, with the blessing of the Mully’s. Both Rahab and James were HIV positive. In 2005 Rahab gave birth to a baby, but the infant died only days after birth. Pneumonia combined with poor hospital care were blamed.

On December 12th 2006 Rahab gave birth to a baby girl by caesarean, but became sick due to complications and died on December 30th, 2006. Rahab was buried in Eldoret and the baby is under the care and protection of MCF. I await further details as to her health and future.

Rahab will not be mourned by her natural family, in fact she has been dead to them for a long time. The Mully’s will mourn the loss of their daughter and she will be missed by them all. And I will mourn Rahab because she was my friend, my sister, my daughter. No one deserves a life of such pain and sorrow.

Rahab, I will always remember you and will continue to scream from the mountain tops your name and the name of so many other children who are being starved and beaten and raped every day because no one cares about them. This is not okay with me.

God bless your rest Rahab.

Thank you Mully family for being the arms of Christ.

From the heart of Janine Maxwell

Download the audio version of "It's Not Okay with Me" - Chapter 3

"It's Not Okay With Me" was published on December 1 , 2006 and has been met with amazing response. We have received incredible stories from so many of you who purchased the book and were moved to action. Many of you have shared your own stories of how God changed your life while on a Heart for Africa trip in the past few years and many of you have told us that it is Not Okay with you either.

To help spread the message, Janine has just spent time in a recording studio creating an audio version of chapter 3, "A boy named Kantwa". We are pleased to offer this as a free download to anyone who is interested . You can stream the file from our website . Or even better, right click on the link and choose to save the file to your computer. Once saved to your computer, you can listen on your computer, put it on your iPod or other mp3 player, or burn a copy to CD to play in your car or share with your friends and family.

In the near future, we will offer the complete book on CD for purchase from our website, http://www.itsnotokwithme.com/ and will be releasing one chapter per week for 15 weeks via pod cast. In the meantime, please enjoy this free download and share it with your friends and family. We hope you will come and serve with us in Africa in 2007 - you can make a huge difference to so many people in just 10 days. Please go to http://www.heartforafrica.org/ for trip details today.

Heart for Africa Greeting Cards Available

Heart for Africa greeting cards are available!

You can buy 20 cards and envelopes for only $25.00 (includes shipping and handling*) and help support this important ministry.

They are ideal to use when mailing support letters/notes to family members and friends. They are also great to use year round as thank you notes and notes of encouragement. What a great way to not only remember, but also to support our friends in Africa.

Details:

• 2 each of 10 beautifully photographed and designed 5" x 7" cards
• All photos taken by Heart for Africa volunteers in Swaziland, South Africa and Malawi.
• Inside each card is a scripture specially chosen for the photo.
• The back of each card has information about Heart for Africa.

ORDER YOURS TODAY by sending the following information to:

tricia@heartforafrica.org

NAME:

SHIPPING ADDRESS:

PHONE: (in case there is a question concerning your order)

E-MAIL ADDRESS: (so we can send you the credit card payment form via email)

# of PACKS of 20 CARDS:

CREDIT CARD: (a form will be emailed to you. Please print, sign, and mail or fax it back to the address above)

CHECK: Make check payable to Heart for Africa for $25.00 per pack.

MAIL payment to: Heart for Africa, 4 Oxford Drive, Newmanstown, PA 17073

*Shipping outside of Canada and the US is subject to additional postal charge.

All proceeds from greeting card sales will go to further the work of Heart for Africa. Thank You!

A message from the Maxwell's

We am so excited about what God has in store for Heart for Africa in 2007. 2006 was a year of transition for the organization and for the Maxwell family. We are all settled in Atlanta and are looking forward to the plans that God is laying before us for this year.

Our goal in 2007 is to IGNITE people about Africa, have them EXPERIENCE Africa through a trip and CONNECT with the people they meet to form an ongoing relationship with Africa. We will do this through our H.O.P.E. trips (Hunger, Orphans, Poverty, and Education) with the Never Ending Gardens being a foundation block for the “H” on all trips. These trips will continue to focus on providing sustainable food security for the people of Africa.

We are adding three trips to Kenya in 2007 as well as continuing trips to Swaziland and Malawi. Please visit our website for dates and more information on the trips.

Many of you have asked how you can assist Heart for Africa. One of our biggest needs is in the area of recruitment for trips. We would love to have you join us on a trip and also to bring a friend with you. If you can’t go please help us to encourage others to go. If you are interested in recruitment for future trips please contact donna@heartforafrica.org and join the IGNITE TEAM.
We need your help to make 2007 be a year that changes lives in Africa. Each of you has a part in God’s plan for the African people. Ask how you can IGNITE , EXPERIENCE and CONNECT. Ask what God is saying to you. Please come and join us this year as we bring HOPE to the people of Africa.

God bless you,

Ian and Janine Maxwell

Important Note: Heart for Africa Address Change

Please take a moment and change the address you now have for Heart for Africa.
Our main office accounts are no longer located in Oklahoma.

If you are mailing something to us from the USA, please mail it to:
Heart for Africa
PO Box 573
Alpharetta, GA 30009

If you are mailing something to us from Canada, please mail it to:
Heart for Africa-Canadian Office
P.O. Box 246 Dept. HOPE
Pickering ON L1V 2V4

Thank you so much for taking the time to make this important change. We certainly do want to receive everything you mail to us.

It's Time to Ignite - want to join the team?

Ignite: verb, to set on fire; kindle.

If you have joined us in Africa, then it is our prayer that you have felt a kindling in your heart that has not gone away. To look into the faces of the people living in Africa, to be witness to the hardships of their lives, and still to see the love of our Lord there with them, truly does ignite a fire inside our hearts.
It is our hope that everyone who travels to Africa with us will return home holding an armload of "kindling".

So what can we do with this kindling? Kindling has one good purpose. It is used to ignite a fire.

We invite you to share your heart, share the warmth of your fire with others. The only way we can continue to make a difference in the lives of those in Africa, is by continuing the labor of love we have begun. And in order to continue this work, we need people joining us on trips this year.

Is there anyone in your life that would love to be a blessing to someone suffering in Africa?
Then ignite them to join you on a trip.

Is there anyone in your life that would love to be used as a vessel of God's love?
Then ignite them, and ask them to join you in Africa and lavish those there with the love of God.

Is there a day that goes by that you do not remember your time in Africa?
Then ignite your own flame, and fan it again by joining us once again this year.

Do you still enjoy the blessings of what the Lord did in your life in Africa?
Then seek Him further, join Him again, and walk with Him again in Africa.

Heart for Africa longs to help you Ignite - Experience - Connect.

Ignite by fanning into flame the desire the Lord has placed in every heart to help those who are hurting. To be God's hands of service, His voice of love, and show His heart of compassion for any and all who are in need.

Experience what God is doing in the lives of those living in Africa as He uses the Body of Christ to reveal His deep love for them, while He is also seeking to bless you in new and amazing ways.

Connect with those living in Africa and with others who seek to know God more, serve Him more fervently, and make a life-changing difference in the lives of those we meet in Africa.

If you would like to inspire others in your world to experience God in Africa, we would like to invite you to join a special group of people known as our Ignite Team 2007.

If you would be interested in being a part of our Ignite Team please email Donna at donna@heartforafrica.org

We look forward to hearing from you as we lay our kindling together and fan the flames.

Watching Doors Open in Kenya - Tim Hunt, Chairman

Heart for Africa will serve in its fourth African country in 2007 after God threw the doors to Kenya wide open.

The team exploring options spent from Nov. 22 to Nov. 29 in Kenya meeting with potential partners and discussing how we could work together. Heart for Africa Vice-President Janine Maxwell led the North American team which also included new operations director, Rob Shoemaker, and board Chairman Tim Hunt.

We invited the leaders of our two Swazi partner children’s homes, El Shaddai and New Hope, to join us in Kenya as well as Lad Chapman (Heart for Africa Country Manager in Swaziland).

We visited inspiring programs run by African Enterprise in one of the major slums in Nairobi and then traveled to Ndalani to spend three days at the Mully Children’s Family Home. We also visited the sister facility a few miles away at Yatta where Mully is teaching practical skills to teen-aged mothers so they have a way to earn an income. Seeing what God is doing at the Mully Family inspired all of us, particularly when you see kids from toddlers to teen-agers all coming together to celebrate what Jesus has done for them.

We returned to Nairobi for meetings that would transform the trip. The first was with Dr. Meschach Ong’uti, founder of "Help a Child Face Tomorrow", is a specialist who has been a leader in pro-bono cleft-pallet repair for kids. Dr. Meschach explained his plans for a medical mission team in Kisii, a very poor region of Kenya about two hours from the capital city of Nairobi.

The next meeting was with Bishop David Thagano from Glory Outreach Assembly (GOA) whose ministry has six pillars including evangelism and discipleship. The bishop was very excited as he had just returned from a hugely successful evangelism drive and was dispatching an emergency discipleship team to the area to spend a month working with the new believers. His enthusiasm and passion was contagious and inspiring.

Janine pulled out a map and asked where the evangelism campaign was, it was located about 25 miles from where Dr. Meschach already was working. Incidentally, Dr. Meschach’s group already has a list of more than 150 orphans in the target area. Bishop David was interested in expanding into that area, but thought a medical mission would really help draw people.

In 2007 we have 3 trips planned for Kenya partnering with GOA and Dr. Meschach's medical teams to bring H.O.P.E. to the area of Kisi. A medical mission will be included in each of these so we are actively looking for Doctor's and any medical professionals to join us. The first team will leave on July 9th and is being specially designed trip called the NextGen Team where parents and teenagers can go to Kenya and serve side by side. The other teams will travel in October and November. Please consider joining us for this important work.

God is moving and He’s using us in His efforts. Praise Him and join us in 2007.

Dirty Fingernails: Journals from the Field - Liz Higgins

We are home from Swaziland, changed forever by our trip. We fell in love with the kind Swazi people, the breathtaking landscape and the precious children of the El Shaddai Orphanage.

God first put Swaziland on our hearts last year as we helped my father prepare to travel with Heart for Africa. We loved learning about Swaziland and praying for the people he would meet. When he returned, he brought stories and pictures and a real love for this special place.

Mike and I had always hoped that we would be able to take our children on mission trips someday. We figured it would be in the future, when they were older. When we discovered that we could join my dad and take Jacob and Andrew (who are six and four years old) on this trip to El Shaddai, we were thrilled and began immediately to pray for God’s permission and blessing. It was a long road, we faced fundraising obstacles and opposition from some of our family. But it strengthened us in following the Lord and trusting Him completely. Before we knew it, He had cleared the way and our adventure was beginning.

Our first day in Africa, I was overjoyed to be there. I was awed by the beauty, warmed by the friendly people and eager to begin our work. But by the end of the next day, I was heartbroken. Of course I had known about the hardships in Swaziland, but to be there was different. I felt completely overwhelmed. I wondered how we could begin to help solve the problems that Swaziland was facing.

Again, God showed me that I only needed to bring everything to Him. Yes, the problems in Swaziland are overwhelming. But God is there.

Throughout the week, He refreshed my hope. He did it through the fellowship of our wonderful team, through Lad’s uplifting messages each night, through meeting Jabulani and seeing his love for God, and through witnessing Kallie and Charmain’s obedience and faithfulness. It was a special joy to serve alongside my family. Our family will be strengthened by all that we experienced together. I was proud to see my husband and my father working so hard and caring so much for the people at El Shaddai. Jacob and Andrew were so eager to pitch in and help. Our team was amazing. Twenty-four people who love the Lord and His children, ready to do whatever needed to be done. We cleaned, painted, sorted, installed and built. And while it felt good to be productive and complete our tasks, the real joy was in interacting with the children! They were so sweet! They are being taught about Jesus and they love Him so much. I dearly loved watching Jacob and Andrew play with their new friends. They are already asking when we can go back again.

We would love to go back to Swaziland, if that is God's plan for us. It was an honor to serve Him with Heart for Africa. In the meantime, He has put it on our hearts to pray for the children of Swaziland. The hope of Swaziland is in the children and the hope of these children is in the Lord. "Bambelela Ku Jesu," it says on the roof of the church at El Shaddai. "Hold onto Jesus."

A God Moment in Malawi - Rob Shoemaker

Every time I go to Africa my eyes see a new perspective on life and my November trip to Malawi was no different. We worked in several villages meeting and working alongside some of the friendliest, most amazing people, but one man in particular that I met in a village named Deya had the greatest impact on me.

Theresa, our host in Malawi, told me about this man and wanted me to meet him which I was glad to do. As we walked up to his garden I saw this man sitting on the ground beside a container of water in front of the best garden I had seen in Malawi. He didn’t get up and as I looked at his legs I realized he had polio or some disease that left him crippled from the waist down but very fit looking from there up.

This beautiful garden of about 1/3 acre was his and he tended it by himself, on his knees, using his hands to move about. He had tilled the soil by hand, planted by hand, watered by hand and now sits for hours watching so the goats don’t eat his produce. His wheelchair was an upside-down bicycle mounted on a three wheel chair. Dragging himself from his house to this chair, he peddles 300 yards to his garden where he crawls out of the chair and around his garden each day to tend the future food for his family. He pulls water from a shallow well by hand and delivers it to each and every plant up to two times per week.

His resolve to take care of his family is so very rare for an African male, much less for one with a severe handicap. He is 46 years old and has been paralyzed for 20 years and takes care of a wife and three children that live with him.

I later asked Theresa what we could do for him and I was told he is a tinsmith by trade but has little money to pursue his craft, so some tin and cutters would be a real blessing for him. Two days later we return with the tin and cutters and he is so grateful but I still wonder what we can do to assist this man. I have Theresa ask him if there is anything else he needs and his response is my God moment. He says that what we have done for him with the tin and cutters is all he needs because now he can provide for his family. So little given but so much received.

He could have asked for a new wheelchair to replace the old one that is falling apart or he could have asked for a new roof for the part of the house where the kids sleep which blew off the day before or he could have asked for food for his family. But this humble man only thought about the abundant blessing that God had given him in the tin.(by the way he will peddle many miles to sell his tin buckets).

So many times we are only thankful for the big blessings from God that we fail to see the everyday blessings we are given. This man is thankful for the life God has given him and consequently for every blessing no matter the size.

It is sad that we in the United States do not have this same attitude about life. We seem to only value the large, whether in giving or receiving, and so we are sad when we can’t give a large expensive gift or we get a small one. What would our lives be like to have the same grateful hearts that this man has, who can’t walk and has so little, but is so humble and content with all God gives him? Please ask yourselves this question as the New Year begins and be prepared for God to answer and start you on a journey with Him.

Are You Wondering H.O.W? You Can Help Orphans and Widows???

Not only is H.O.W? an acronym for Helping Orphans and Widows, but by hosting a H.O.W? Jewelry Party, you can help contribute to the orphans and widows safety and well-being in Malawi, Swaziland and Kenya.

H.O.W? is designed to actively support women in African countries, helping them become self-sufficient and able to pay for their children’s or grandchildren’s food, clothing and education as opposed to prostituting themselves or their children to raise money to eat.

Our goal is to raise seed money to train women in need to skillfully create handicrafts of jewelry, rugs and tote bags to be sold at a profit through H.O.W?, benefiting the women, their children and Heart for Africa. This is done by partnering with ministries with which Heart for Africa already has a relationship (Somebody Cares in Malawi, Women’s Prison in Swaziland, Mully Children's Family in Kenya). All profits that come from the sale of the goods goes back to support the work and projects of Heart for Africa

In less than a month, 14 H.O.W? Jewelry parties were hosted mostly in the Atlanta area, raising more than $23,000 toward that end. The excitement about the products as well as the cause was infectious. If you would like to host your own party, please contact Deitra Shoemaker at deitra@heartforafrica.org or call 678-546-3782 for more information.

Book Launch and Open House in Atlanta, Georgia

On December 10th, past Heart for Africa trip participants living in the Atlanta area came together for a time of renewing and welcoming. We all joyfully welcomed the Maxwell family to Alpharetta as they have now enjoyed their first Georgia Christmas (just a bit warmer than their prior Canadian Christmas').

And how dear it was to us to enjoy time together with those from the Atlanta area who have traveled with us to Swaziland, South Africa, and Malawi. We thank our Lord for the family connection we all feel for one another as brothers and sisters in Christ.

Just days later we celebrated together at King's Ridge Christian School the official book launch of Janine's life changing book, "It's Not Okay with Me" www.itsnotokaywithme.com

Our sincere thanks goes Canadian television program 100 Huntley Street for hosting the Candian launch of the book on the progam. To see this interview yourself go to our new Heart for Africa Forum at www.heartforafricaconnect.org The program can be launched from here.

For more information on how you can order a copy of Janine's book, please visit our website at www.heartforafrica.org and click on the link for "It's Not Okay with Me". While visiting our website please take a look at our trips for next year. We would be thrilled to have you join us for a time of service and love in Africa.

Book release - December 1st WORLD AIDS day

Introduction from Janine

"It's Not Okay with Me" is my personal journey from riches to rags, success to significance, or as my girlfriend said about me, “Marketing chick to African Chief in five agonizing years.” I did not want to write this book. I did not want to tell you about my business successes and failures, my fears, my doubts, my depression or my disobedience. Frankly, I didn’t think it was any of your business. But I swallowed my pride, was obedient, and wrote it. And I hope that somehow it gets into your hands, so that it can become your business.

I thought I would always own my successful marketing company, always be making money and always be designing creative campaigns. But now I am a missionary, of sorts, and designing a new kind of campaign. This book really is the kick-off to that campaign. I am committed to telling the world the truth about what is happening to the children of Africa and trying to get people to do something. (Hopefully, this book might help to reach the goal a bit quicker).

I want everyone to look into the eyes of an African child and see the hope that I do. I want everyone who says, “It’s not okay with me either,” to act! To do something to make a difference. It could be as simple as baking cookies or having an annual garage sale, or as big as recruiting your small group to go to Africa with you and help out for a week or two.

The stories you will read are true, I have seen them with my own eyes, but I have changed a few of the names and some details to protect the people whose stories I tell.

Although the book is my story, it is really a witness to how God is calling ordinary everyday people to step up to the plate and make a difference in the world. I always thought that it was priests and pastors and reverends who were supposed to be doing God’s work. But apparently I was wrong. There are far more of us “ordinary types” than there are religious leaders. Each of us has the power to change the world. Imagine the transformation that could occur if we could put our pride aside and united together. Just imagine.

I hope that you will decide to join me on this journey and order a book at www.itsnotokaywithme.com . Get ready for a wild ride.

From my heart to yours,
Janine

Official book launch - you are invited!

King's Ridge Christian School invites you to come to the official book launch of "It's Not Okay with Me" on December 13th.

Janine Maxwell will have just returned from her trip to Kenya and Malawi and will share a bit of her journey from "Marketing Chick to African Chief in 5 agonizing years" with all who attend.

Where? 285 South Main Street Alpharetta, Georgia 30004, in the Alpharetta Square Center

When? Wednesday, December 13, 2006

Time? 7:00 - 9:00 p.m.

Please come and join the Heart for Africa team. Janine will give a short talk about the book at 7:30 and there will be "NOT OKAY" African beaded bracelets, t-shirts and hand made African jewelry, greeting cards, and books for sale!

For more information please contact: Lisa McGuire lmcguire@kingsridgecs.org or call 770.754.5738

Please support Heart for Africa

As 2006 draws to a close, and we look ahead to all the opportunities of service we have before us in 2007, we would ask that you prayerfully consider supporting Heart for Africa with your year end tax deductible donations. The calling is from Him and there is much work to be done. We are most eager to move forward, realizing that this can only be done with God's hand upon as He works through individuals just like you to generously provide needed resources.

May the Lord receive all the glory for what He has allowed us to be a part of in 2006. Hundreds of gardens have been planted bringing food to stomachs that had been hungry the year before. Hundreds of drip irrigation systems have been installed which allows for more gardens to thrive in dry lands. Children who had known great loss and suffering have now been placed in safe Children's Homes and receive the blessing of a monthly sponsorship parent through Heart for Africa. And the Lord has increased his calling upon us leading us into Malawi in 2006 and on to Kenya in 2007.

There is much to be done. There is much suffering, pain, hunger, and loss. But we praise our Mighty Lord for His provision and His calling upon us to be His hands, His feet, His voice, and to share His love with those He brings before us in Africa.

For the month of December we are offering Janine Maxwell's new book "It's Not Okay with Me"to anyone who gives a gift of $100 or more to the general fund of Heart for Africa. (Donations to trip funds or Christmas gifts do not apply for this offer.)

We thank you for your continued support of Heart for Africa. May we together make a difference in our world that reveals more of our Lord, His greatness, His grace, and His glory.

Free book offer:

For the month of December we are offeringJanine Maxwell's new book "It's Not Okay with Me"
to anyone who gives a gift of $100 or more tothe general fund of Heart for Africa.
Donation to trip funds or Christmas gifts
do not apply for this offer.

A Christmas Like Never Before

"Love one another deeply, from the heart." 1 Peter 1:22b

Christmas this year will be an amazing and precious time in Malawi and Swaziland. We are thrilled to share with you that we have seen Christ through your generous giving this Christmas, and it is not even Christmas yet.

There are few things more beautiful on this earth than to see someone love deeply and from their heart. It could only be rivaled by the beauty of watching someone receive this pure, deep, and sincere love.

As we prayed over and longed for an outpouring of our Lord's favor on these Christmas Gifts for Africa this year, we walked in faith as we realized the limited amount of time allotted to be able to receive these gifts and distribute them to those in Africa. But we are simply awed and amazed at the beauty of the "Body of Christ" which stretches across all of North America.

This Christmas there will be food, food, and more food for several communities and Children's Homes in Malawi as donations to purchase food have reached almost $3000.

This Christmas there will be 11 new bicycles delivered to volunteers who in the past have walked for miles to deliver food, medicine, and care to those in rural areas in Malawi. This gift will enable them to carry more, go further, and touch more lives for our Lord.

This Christmas the children at El Shaddai Children's Home in Swaziland will have an abundance of food and enjoy the pure pleasure of opening Christmas presents purchased especially for them. This will be a first for them.

Praise God, for He is showing His love for those in Africa through your obedience to share with others what He has entrusted to you. We at Heart for Africa, are humbly jubilant as we are allowed to see our Lord's love flow through each of you, and as we see the joy on the faces of those in Africa who will this year experience a Christmas like never before.

.

Hands and feet of Christ - Thank you Dream Team!

In October 2005 a small group of people paid to fly up to Canada to meet with the Maxwell's to discuss how to recruit teams of people to go to Africa in 2007. This group of people were appropriately called "The Dream Team". We have been so encouraged to see this group work in 2006 to spread the news about what is happening in Africa and to specifically recruit others to go and work.

The whole team a Heart for Africa would like to thank the following Dream Team individuals who successfully recruited a group of people to go and serve in Africa:


Dick Cote - Swaziland







Jim Burnett - Swaziland


Cheryl Lowery-Osborne - Malawi
Heart for Africa WOMAN OF THE YEAR award winner







Susan Page & Jerry Coffee - Swaziland/Malawi
DOUBLE MISSION









If you would like to volunteer to be involved in recruiting people to travel to African and serve in 2007, please e-mail tricia@heartforafrica.org

"To prepare God's people for works of service so that the body of Christ may be built up" Ephesians 4:12

December Child Sponsorship opportunity

Name: Suzzane, girl

Birth Date: 18th April 1999

Suzzane has suffered much loss and trauma during her 7 years. With both parents dead, Suzzane lived with her grandmother, a very old, frail woman. With her grandmother unable to care for or protect her, Suzzane suffered sexual and emotional abuse. She learned many unhealthy behavioral habits and will need much prayer, patience, and time to overcome her traumas and heal.

Suzzane is a very bright child with a strong personality. Channeled in a healthy way she will grow into exhibiting gifts in authority and leadership. She will do great things in Kingdom work with loving guidance, direction and education.

Suzzane is thankful to have become a part of the family at the New Hope Centre in Swaziland .

To sponsor Suzzane please contact Penny Ballew at penny@heartforafrica.org

A message to you from Kallie & Charmain

From Kallie a special heartfelt thank-you for the great blessing the teams have been to El Shaddai. We are praising God daily for the difference the Heart for Africa teams have made here at El Shaddai and for the new and lasting friendships that God made possible. Our prayer in return is that Heart for Africa would truly see God's window of heaven opening upon their work as well. We send our true and loving Christ filled blessings to you all for this Christ filled season coming up.

From Charmain, I do not have words that are appropriate enough to thank you all for the loving kindness we have received from you all. Standing back I am still in awe of what God has done the last few months. A special thank you to Heart for Africa for opening their blog and letting people know of our needs as well as volunteers arriving at El Shaddai and being a great blessing to us all. Blessing to you all for this coming Christmas season. Love and greetings to all our new friends.

A message to you from Theresa Malila and team

Yes this is how I would like to remember every member of the teams that visited Malawi during this year. They left a mark that will never be erased in our hearts and also in our land. They brought the compassion and heart of Christ to life. Yes many have come and yes many have helped but if the heart is not in it, they can be forgotten, these wonderful people too many to mention by name but each one remembered dearly for having left an indelible mark in our minds and hearts.

And yes Dr. Love (Dr. Bill Osborne, Atlanta), what love mixed with care and compassion for the dying and sick. The school which was painted gives much joy to the little ones and their caregivers. The clothing and other gifts brought joy to the people in the communities and the water (boreholes) - life to the communities. Each one brought themselves and left a mark that our people will always remember.

The community and church leaders have grown through interaction and seeing people who came to serve with hands and feet, side by side working together, planting seed and seedlings of hope and life. The medical supplies that ran out because so many needed attention and received it and were not turned back for lack of supplies. What can we say? The teams have been such a blessing to me, the staff and the work of Somebody Cares in Malawi, because they cared enough to come! May God increase and bless them all abundantly in the New Year.

Dirty Fingernails: Journals from the Field - Mary Shamburger

Indescribable ("seeing is believing") - a verbal expression that best describes what we saw and felt on our mission trip to the poverty stricken country of Malawi.

At our orientation the night before going into the field for work, Theresa Malila, spoke to us about her local organization, Somebody Cares, who we would partner with us in the villages.

The interpreters of Somebody Cares were mostly young men, totally committed to serving our Lord and sincere about helping those in need. Their spiritual maturity amazed me! They minister physically, emotionally and spiritually in the name of Jesus, to people of various remote villages, schools, slums, street children, the hospital, etc.

We were in teams of 7-10 people going to different villages. Our first day of seedling planting and loving people was in the village of Mvunguti. When I first looked upon hundreds of people with nothing but the clothes on their backs, I was overcome with tears of compassion, love and humility toward these people!

As their culture would have it, the first thing we did was stand before the village chief(s), introduce ourselves, and state our purpose for being there. Then the chief proceeded to either welcome us...or not. We were of course welcomed because of our life-sustaining purpose. We planted cabbage, lettuce, pumpkins, parsnips, tomatoes, onions, and banana trees. There were two small watering holes from which we drew water with watering cans, carried them to the gardens and poured. Playing with the children and trying to communicate in Chichewa were the most enjoyable memories for my son Grey and me . Even though we could not communicate with words, our spirits connected as we interacted in love. I really enjoyed holding the babies and singing “Jesus Loves Me” to them.

What “sunk in” that day was that these people we were with for a mere 7-8 hours, live this life of poverty day in and day out.

When we were ready to leave the village we were given an opportunity to express our hearts with the people. As I made eye contact with several of their precious faces, I explained to them that in the Bible, God says His people are the “light of the world”, and that their smiling faces were His light to me that day.

Matthew 5:14-16 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.”

I intended to say more, but felt my throat swelling as I choked up with tears, so I just thanked them for letting us be there and told them that I would pray for them and for their gardens to be bountiful.

Isn’t it amazing what it takes for us to realize and appreciate how much we have in America? It is just as hard for us to imagine how little they have, as it is for them to imagine how much we have. A tissue, a ball, a matchbox car, a bottle of water, hand sanitizer - these are just a few things that they have never seen. They live daily with little to nothing that they can call their own, and yet they are not hopeless. These dear people do not base their hope on their possessions. They find their hope in Christ, and that is what brought us to this poverty stricken land, to share the love and hope of the Savior.

Indescribable – yes, “seeing is believing”. I invite you to go and see for yourself.

How to avoid shopping malls this Christmas.

Are you tired of giving sweaters at Christmas to people who have a cupboard full? Would you like to join us in making a difference in a life in Africa this Christmas? Would you like to give a gift that would touch the heart of a friend or family member here at home, and touch the life of a child in Africa?

Here at Heart for Africa we continually remember those in Africa whose Christmas Day will be just another day of hunger and need. It is our hope to bring H.O.P.E. into their lives. We invite you to join us as we work to make a difference, one child, one family, one community, at a time.

There are many opportunities for you to be a vital part of giving a child a Christmas like never before. From Swaziland to Malawi, there are millions of needs. Please prayerfully consider joining us this Holiday Season and celebrating the birth of our Savior by making a difference in the life of one of His children.

Keep reading below to see what you can do for a child at El Shaddai Children's Home, a child at NEW HOPE Children's Home, or the children of Malawi.

To buy a gift for someone in Africa, please go to our website at www.heartforafrica.org and click on General Donations. Select the country you reside in. To designate funds, click the drop down arrow beside “Fund” and choose “Christmas Gifts 2006”. Complete all other needed information.

Someone from Heart for Africa will contact you within 2 business days to get the further details of how you would like to direct your donation. If you would like us to send a gift card to a friend on your behalf we will gather that information by phone.

Continue reading this newsletter to see what your gift giving options are! Thanks you and God bless.

El Shaddai - give a child a Christmas gift!

$35 – will buy a Christmas dinner and gift for a child at El Shaddai

There are 32 children in total so we hope to raise $1,120 to bring joy to a child on Christmas day.

Once those funds have been raised we hope to raise an money for Christmas dinner and a gift for the 120 extremely needy children who come to the El Shaddai school from the community. $35 each x 120 = $4,200.

Please help us make a child's Christmas special.

Malawi - give a Christmas gift.

$60 - Christmas Dinner for 10 Malawi village children

$120 - Christmas Dinner for 20 Malawi village children

$600 - Christmas Dinner for a whole community in Malawi (if funded these will take place during the Nov. 29th trip with our American volunteers)

$100 – for one bicycle for the Somebody Cares Ministry - 15 bikes requested in total for community workers /volunteers to use to transport sick people to the hospital and deliver maize to the hungry in the community as well as to reach rural areas with food and supplies.

$10,000 – Truck/van for Somebody Cares Ministry which is critically needed to transport food and large supplies to rural areas.

NEW HOPE Children's Home - give a Christmas gift.

$35 - Provide a Christmas meal and gift for a needy child at the New Hope Children’s Home in Swaziland

There are 24 children in total so we hope to raise $840.

November Child Sponorship opportunity

Name: Zipporah (girl)

Birth Date: 2nd April 1998

Zipporah and her sister were referred to us by a missionary couple working in the north of the country who work to provide for the orphan care points in the area. The two girls were found to be living totally alone aged 11 and 6. They have no known relatives and were in a mud hut being cared for by the community women but so vulnerable and neglected and scared. Their eyes were very lost and it took them sometime to adjust.

Zipporah is settling well and is glad to join the New Hope Centre family in Swaziland.

To sponsor Zipporah please contact penny@heartforafrica.org

Reflections of Malawi - Karen Pina

Prior to going on the mission trip with Heart for Africa, I had felt that God was calling me to do more with my life. While I had a great corporate position, I felt that it was time that I gave more of myself to doing the Lord's work. A few days before I left for Malawi, a surgeon friend in Lubbock named Dr. John Thomas called me and I told him that I was going to Malawi. It turns out that he was planning a trip to Malawi in September as it was on his heart to go there on a medical mission and find contacts so that he could bring a team of doctors there in 2007.

Upon my return to Lubbock I was unsettled in my corporate job and a week after my return I gave my notice to my employer. I didn't have a job lined up; didn't even have a resume as I had worked for my employer for over 11 years. But I knew that God would provide as it was time to serve Him. Within 4 hours of my resigning, Dr. Thomas called me and we began talking about his non-profit called Operation HOPE based in Lubbock. I am now the Executive Director for his organization.

Because of my involvement with the trip through Heart for Africa, I was able to introduce Dr. Thomas to Theresa Malila and when Dr. John went to Malawi in September he met with her and is going to be able to go back to Malawi in May 2007 with a team of doctors and perform much needed operations. Theresa took him to her school and Dr. John was able to see the mural that we painted there. I was able to tell him about the mural prior to his departure to Africa and it was so rewarding to hear that he was able to see it.

This has been an experience I will never forget. I thrilled to have been a part of painting something that will be there for years to come. I will never forget the proprietor’s face when he saw the mural. He felt that it would bring joy to children for years. It was also a gift from God to be able to be a part of the team that painted it and to do so with one of my best friends and my brother. They were the artists and I was merely a painter - but it was the highlight of my trip and I will never forget it. Thank you for allowing us to leave a little bit of "us" behind!!!

Noah's Ark in Malawi? - Lara Liptak

If beauty is in the eye of the beholder, then let me tell you about a simple, child-like mural that was a masterpiece of which the Louvre itself is unworthy. On an August trip to Malawi, a small group of us took a day out of the gardens to paint one small, rough classroom of one small, colorless school. We had planned to do this for the single classroom of this school devoted to preschool-age Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVCs). We brought paints and supplies from the States and the artists in our group sketched a drawing – Noah’s Ark. We thought it would be perfect for the young children, and looked forward to featuring animals of their Africa.

I was happy to be doing a cheerful project, knowing that we would leave something somewhat lasting behind. That day we arrived in the school, driving through gates into what was a courtyard formed by 3 attached rows of buildings. We were greeted by Godfrey, the headmaster, and, after some introductions, we entered the room for the OVCs. I had been in the villages, surrounded by children, and my head knew that, statistically, most of them were orphaned. Out there, though, I had tricked myself into hoping, as I looked into each set of bright eyes, “Maybe this one has a mother. Maybe this one has hope.” My mind could not defend me in this place, however, for, above the door to this “classroom”, were the crudely-written letters, “O.V.C.”. Inside were packed the most beautiful, singing, smiling, bewildered group of young children we had ever seen. They sang us a joyful greeting, and their teacher ushered them out to another room where they would be kept that day while we worked. Kept until 3:00, when they were sent out of the gates.

I do not recall a single word spoken between us about those children. Instead, we communicated with each other by getting busy. We mixed paint in whatever we could find. The artistic of us four took out pencils, and drew, and drew, with great determination. They drew on the dirty, chipping plaster and transformed that twelve by ten foot room into 4 pages of a Bible story coloring book. One whole wall was the ark, the windows of which were the small holes in the outer wall for ventilation. The others became rolling hills with happy animals spilling out under the watch of a jolly Noah. Then we began to paint, and the room received color. That may seem ordinary for all of us who have seen many a kindergarten or preschool room. Not here. Godfrey, the headmaster, walked in and said, “This is not here. This is another place,” as tears rolled down his cheeks.

I walked out of the room for water to clean brushes, and returned to look at the room in comparison to its surroundings. Color. It stood out in all the browns, beiges, and dirty whites like a bright kite on an overcast day of solid gray. It was startling. It was beautiful. The artists who sketched, and we who did our best to color between the lines, would never call it our best work. We would, however, call it the most meaningful. We added a bright yellow banner with the scripture, “Let the little children come onto me . . . for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these. (Matt. 4:14)” Yes, it is, and I certainly hope that mural gave them even the tiniest glimpse of what they will inherit. I think all of us painting that room that day would say the whole journey was worth it if it brought color, and the corresponding feelings from those bright colors.

That day was unforgettable because our hours there made a difference. It also taught me what I did not yet understand about the people of Africa and why they need help from outside. They have much to teach us about how to find joy amidst no reason for it, and other things. We also have much to teach them. My conversations with Godfrey continued that day. He is a man with some education, with intelligence, and with a desire and position to help the kids in his school. He was overcome by the mural, as if it had appeared on the walls supernaturally. He repeated over and over that he wished we could spend more time and transform the whole school. I told him, “You can do this! I am leaving you paint, leaving you brushes! Just look at what we did, and do the same, or even simple elements of the same. Just paint a big yellow sun!” He was dumbfounded. He did not comprehend that he could look at our example, and create something of his own – possibly even something better and more true to the likings of his culture. I began to understand right then and there how essential it is that we go there, be there, and just do for them. That we don’t hand them things, but work beside them and help them see what they are capable of. That can only be achieved through time spent there, eye contact, example rather than instruction. Believe it or not, this revelation gave me hope. The problem is not insurmountable. It is simple if we take the time to increase the color spectrum of their surroundings and their hearts.

"It's Not Okay with Me" - by Janine Maxwell

On December 1st, World AIDS day, Janine Maxwell is releasing her first book called "It's Not Okay with Me".

It is God's story of how he took her from being President of a highly successful mareketing company to being in full time ministry with her husband, Ian (President of Heart for Africa). This amazing book takes the reader on an unexpected roller coaster ride from New York City on September 11, 2001 to Malawi in August, 2006. It reveals the truth about what is happening in Africa in a way that may not have been told before.

To get involved with the grassroots "It's Not Okay with Me" movement please contact Jeanette at jeanette@vision2advance.com

To order your copy of the book go to www.itsnotokaywithme.com

Watch this newsletter for news on December 1st!

Christmas open house in Atlanta - welcome Maxwell family.

On September 29th the Maxwell family moved to Atlanta, Georgia (Alpharetta to be precise) to work side by side with the thousands of people from America who have served and are serving the poor in Africa.

On Sunday, December 10th there will be an Open House to come and meet the Maxwell family and welcome them to the US from their native home in Canada. It will be held from 1:00 - 4:00 at the Veranda Club, White Columns Country Club, 200 Clubhouse Drive, Alpharetta. There will be Christmas goodies, a huge African jewelry sale and a Heart for Africa 2007 update at 3:00. Please come and bring your friends and family for a time of reunion and celebration.

Emergency Repair angels go to El Shaddai

The team of 11 arrived in full fashion, loaded and ready to go to the mountain. Some of the team had just been in Africa just 6 weeks prior; some for a third time serving with Heart for Africa and one his first time. Hallelujah!!

As we approached the border of Swaziland the Lord bestowed upon us a light show which was magnificent, hail came in the size of golf balls and pouring rain. All the way up the mountain the lightening lit up the night sky and revealed the valley below we all could only stand in awe as we praised God for his grace and mercy on a safe arrival.

The next morning the sun shown brightly and the Construction Crusaders for Christ (CCC) were upon the girl’s dorm with a furry. Plaster patches completed, plumbing repair, painting, and sweeping, beating of rugs and furniture to rid the storm residue; clean and ready to move in. By the end of the first week the girls were allowed to move in; such excitement we experience at Christmas. The girls ran carrying their basket of belongings placing all into the pink cubbies built by the last Heart for Africa Team. The boys too were just as excited as this meant for the time being they could move into the girl’s old dorm room which gave them more room. Soon the boy’s dorm will come.

The generator arrived, the men stood in awe, a new cement pad was poured and the generator installed; it is fantastic compared to the old oil spitting monster that sat before faithfully providing electricity at the end of the day. The bulbs shown so much brighter with the new equipment we teased that it looks like God’s light from the Valley below. Thank You to those that provided such a long awaited blessing.

Next the team led by our AWESOME mason Dennis (AKA Cisco kid) converged on the school as it was to start back Monday Oct 2nd. Two of the classrooms received repairs and a new roof so the SA students could start helping to move the furniture back in and helping Margie get the school ready to receive students. The additional classroom was added and the roof placed over the entire central area to give the children a place to play in the rain.

Also repaired was the roofing over the church office which also serves and the health clinic. Charmain our hostess is the local nurse to all those in need, helping her was one of our own, Sue a neo-natal nurse from Canada which proved to be instrumental in helping Charmain with a local young boy that had fallen into the rocks and cut himself badly.

The team did what ever had to be done no matter how small or large; some of the ladies spent the day chipping away the old cement from the useable bricks that had fallen so they could be used again, not something most of us would think to do, however completely necessary in this part of the world. It was our African sewing bee.

El Shaddai is truly a namesake for a place with God, high on this mountain so much love can be felt, quiet breezes and green rolling hills where stars at night are so close you feel as though you can reach up and touch them. Undisturbed by the city lights, where else can you spend time seeing the Southern Cross while viewing the Milky Way? Our God is an awesome God.

"Speak, for your servant hears" - by Dr. Milton Dowty Wichita, KS

The story of Samuel in his moment of saying “Speak, for Your servant hears” is a point of “gleam” in an otherwise gloomy story about the wickedness of the house of Eli. From all across this errant world, we the people of all kinds of backgrounds, beliefs, cultures, denominations, and degrees of sanity have stood still in spirit to listen to God’s voice call us to Africa. All of us responded in kind “Yes Lord, for Your servant heareth”.

With only the expectation that it is to be a “God directed thing”, we came together to become a team of servants for the Lord. We accomplished great things! More than 350 gardens were planted; many irrigation systems and running water systems were installed. Many gifts were given so that some people were rescued from hunger, poverty, disease, and burdens of care,

The August team excelled in camaraderie, work ethics and a passion for the quest so that Swaziland could see, feel, and know that we were “here to make a difference”. What they could not see, feel, and know was what they did for us… For all of us who know God’s voice in our heart, we cannot deny that God has a beautiful way of helping each of us attain the desire that He has for us…to be in the center of His will. Swaziland can never leave our mind and heart because God put it there and we are different now even though we cannot explain how. Thank you, Lord, for giving us a Heart for Africa.

Dirty Fingernails: Journals from the Field - Dana Schleicher

If you had asked me this time last year if I would consider going on a mission trip like Never Ending Gardens, I would have been very hesitant to answer you because of many fears that consumed me. My heart was being tugged in two directions - part of me had a huge desire to serve overseas, yet another part of me was consumed with worrisome thoughts – Is it safe to fly over such a large ocean? Will I catch a disease? What kind of food will I eat? Fear of the unknown was crippling my desire to act and serve on behalf of God. I prayed hard that God would release me from those worries and give me the heart and confidence to step out and serve Him in a big way. Over the course of six months He did just that.

Upon my arrival in Swaziland, I had a hard time adjusting to the conditions and poverty. Never in my life had I seen such a need and appreciation for, health, food and love. Everything was different. Down every street there seemed to be an unending amount of barefoot people in ragged clothes. Young mothers held starving babies in their arms. Old men were so skinny and weak that they were unable to stand. Hardest of all to see, though, were the children; everywhere I looked they were there. And yet still, I loved every minute of being in Swaziland.

I wanted God to use me in a personal way to touch lives. The very next day God answered my prayer. Our group walked up to a homestead where a sweet little girl came running into my arms as if she had been waiting for my arrival all week. She was wearing a worn jean dress that accented her pretty brown eyes and dark skin. I asked her if she spoke English, and to my delight she understood me! We started talking and she proceeded to tell me that she was nine years old, her name was Sabay and she was a girl. I'm not quite sure how it happened, but we became instant friends. . It was hard for her to believe that someone from so far away had traveled across the world to help her people.

Before our group left to move onto our next home, I asked Sabay to promise me that she would work hard to be a good girl and grow up to do good things with her life. ”Oh yes”, she replied. “I will be a very good girl. I will get a job and stay off the streets. I want to work so I can have a family and feed my children". As our group walked away from her family’s homestead, I realized how much I loved this little girl.

Before the trip I had pictured the world as though it was made up of two categories: "them" and "us." "Us", being the middle to upper class citizens of the civilized world who basically have all we need to survive. We're smart, educated, civilized and modern. Everyone else fell into the category of "them." I heard stories about "them" every day on the news, read about "them" in magazines and even whispered about "them" as they passed me on the street. I'd gone to church sermons devoted entirely to "them" and learned how compared to "them" we had so much. I would even give my money away and support different missionaries or shelters that were specifically "called by God" to help "them".
It's easy, too easy to think of "them" in that way. Faceless, soulless people that, when grouped together, form the innumerable masses of unlucky people of this world. It's hard to remember that within every "them," there is a he, a she, a baby, a desperate mother weeping over her child or an old man dying in the street. We forget about the tears, the sorrow, the pain and the suffering.

From this trip I learned the value of one. One person, one smile, one life touched, one hug that warmed a hopeless heart, one caress that showed love to someone who had forgotten love existed. Yes, I still remembered the beggars and the sick. I could still see the people dying in the street—but it was different. I realized that God wanted me to look at the world as he does, and I know he sees more than just crowds of dying people. Those people have faces, those faces have names and those names have souls. I made a difference in one life and that made a difference in mine.

With this realization I decided then and there to stop looking at the world as masses made up of individuals, but instead to see the individuals that make up the masses. It may seem like a small thing to you — a mere play-on words, but to a kid like Sabay it makes all the difference in the world.
Looking ahead, I see that my biggest challenge is to remember how much God loves and values the life of every person on this Earth. People across the world, people in my neighborhood, my best friends, the outcast in the work place, the waiter at the restaurant or the homeless man outside - God loves us all the same.
God has an awesome way of working in our lives through the personal enrichment that comes from this type of mission trip. I encourage you to be a part of this incredible opportunity, for I know that you too will be blessed beyond what you have ever dreamed of.

NEW - Child Sponorship Opportunity

“And he (Jesus) took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them.”
Mark 10:16

There 15 million orphans in sub-Saharan Africa today due to AIDS. Only a few chosen ones are fortunate enough to be rescued and brought in to Children’s Homes where they are given food, shelter, clothing and an education. But each of these things comes at a cost.

During July 2006, a group of Heart for Africa participants traveled to Swaziland to work at a Children’s Home. Something amazing happened while they were there. When they returned home, they had chosen to “take the children into their arms, and bless them”.

We are thrilled to now facilitate the sponsorship of children in Children’s Homes that our ministry has carefully screened and chosen to come along side. We currently channel support funds to 32 children at El Shaddai Children’s Home in Swaziland. Sponsors donate $35 each month to provide for the daily needs and educational development of their chosen child. We are moved to tears when we see what the Lord is doing in their lives. No longer are they abandoned, abused, and forgotten; instead they are now clothed, fed, loved, cared for, and receiving an education.

The cycle of sadness has been stopped, for these 32 children. They now have a chance to dream, to hope, and realize each day the great love their Heavenly Father has for them.

We look ahead with much anticipation as we plan to add more children and Children’s Homes in 2007. It is beautiful to see what can be done with $35 a month. In order to sponsor a child we ask that sponsors commit to at least one year of support. For more information on how you can be a part of this, life changing part of our work in Africa, please contact Penny Ballew by emailing her at penny@heartforafrica.org

A Ballew Blessing is on the Way!

“Rock a bye Baby”----- Yes that’s right, a baby is on the way,
“In the tree top” ---- Not in the tree top, but here at Heart for Africa.
“When the wind the blows”--- We expect the wind to blow on April 16th 2007,
“The cradle will rock” ---- At our own Penny Ballew’s home.
“When the bow breaks” --- No bows will be breaking with Daddy Hal around,
“The cradle will fall” – Nothing will be falling with Brother Caleb near.
“And down will come baby” –Hopefully to visit all our loving arms.
“Cradle and all.” --- Congratulations to Penny, Hal, and Caleb.

The voice of truth - Nelson Mandela

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us.
We ask ourselves who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?
Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God.
Your playing small does not serve the world.
There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people will not feel insecure around you.

We are all meant to shine, as children do.
We were born to make manifest this glory to God that is within us.
It's not just in some of us; it is in everyone.
And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.
As we are liberated from our own fears, our presence automatically liberates others.

Nelson Mandela, South Africa
1994 Inaugural Address

Dirty Fingernails: Journals from the Field - Valerie Bailey, Volunteer

Where do I begin to tell the story of our trip to Africa! Over the past few days, I have reflected on the many blessings God showered on us through the beautiful people of Malawi. Our experiences were so precious and the people we met will live in our hearts forever.

As we arrived at the airport, we were greeted by a choir of women who greeted us with the most joyful singing I've ever heard. Their warm smiles welcomed us and we knew that we were about to experience something only God can engineer.

After dinner that evening, we were formally introduced to Teresa Malili. Many call her Mother Teresa and that is a well-deserved name. Teresa left a very good corporate position several years ago to devote her life to helping orphans and the poorest of the poor in the villages surrounding Lilongwe, the capital city of Malawi. Under her direction, our teams spent 3-4 days planting community gardens. Each day, we were greeted with such warmth and hospitality. The men and women worked alongside us in the fields, planting corn, beans, lettuce,cabbage, swiss chard and even banana trees. One group shared their lunch with us, which consisted of a porridge, called cima, made from maize.

On Sunday, we attended a church service which we'll never forget. It lasted for three hours, and yet it seemed to go by in a flash. The singing was lusty and exuberant. Almost everyone in the church sang in one of the choirs and they truly made a joyful noise to the Lord! Teresa Malili preached a very powerful sermon that day. God is truly using her for the work of His kingdom.
The last day in Malawi was the most emotional, as we visited a slum where many children have lost both of their parents to AIDS. One grandmother we met is almost completely blind, but is still caring for five grandchildren. A man in our group gave her his cross, and she jumped for joy and caressed that cross so lovingly. We will never forget the look of gratitude on her face.
We went to Malawi, intent on helping the people, and yet it was they who blessed us with their kindness and their deep love of our Lord. They recited Scripture with us, prayed with us and thanked us with gratitude that defies description. It was they who taught us about having faith in the most difficult circumstances. So, we will honor them by telling their story to everyone who will listen and by asking God to continue watching over each one of His precious children.

Rebuilding El Shaddai - the walls go up!

Thank you all for your fast and generous donations to help rebuild the girls dorm at El Shaddai. The walls that tumbled down have been rebuilt and will be painted (again) next week. God is good and He supplies our every need.

A team of 10 people have rallied to travel back to El Shaddai in the middle of September to work on rebuilding the school. Funds will be required for this so if you can give, please do so at www.heartforafrica.org

Thank you all for your on going prayers.

Things you need to know - statistics

Did you know that ...

• Every 3 seconds a child dies of hunger or malnutrition in sub-Saharan That means 30,000 children per day.
• Official statistics show that 274 people die every hour of HIV/AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa (approximately 6,600), but reports at the AIDS conference in Toronto (August 2006) claim the real number to be 9,000 - 10,000 people dying each and every day
• That means 6,575 people die every day - 2.4 million people die every year at minimum.

Africa at a glance ...

• There are 800 million people living in Africa
• 300 million people live in the USA
• The bottom half of Africa is considered “sub-Saharan” Africa
• sub-Saharan Africa is home to 10% of the world’s population, but carries 66% of the world’s people who are infected with HIV
• 9 countries in sub-Saharan Africa have an average life expectancy of 30 years old and are in danger of extinction
• There are 40 million people living with HIV/AIDS in the world
  –26.8 million of them live in sub-Saharan Africa
  –1.2 million in the North America
• There are approximately 2.1 million children living with HIV today globally

• Every 14 seconds a child is orphaned by HIV/AIDS in Africa
• 15,000,000 children are orphaned TODAY in sub-Saharan Africa alone
• The World Health Organization (WHO) has predicted that there will be 18 - 43 million HIV/AIDS orphans by 2010 globally
• 72% of all new HIV infections are in woman

Swaziland

• The population of Swaziland is 1,000,000
• Swaziland is the #1 AIDS infected country in the world where more than 1 in 3 people are infected with HIV/AIDS (42.6% prevalence rate)
• Swaziland has 5,000+ households headed by children
• 44% of the child population are orphans
• In August it was thought that there were 70,000 orphans in Swaziland and it was projected that there would be 120,000 orphans by 2010
• In October 2005 new statistics were released estimating that there are 132,000 orphans in Swaziland today - the number has continued to grow

Malawi

• Population 12 million
• 1.2 million orphans currently – the number previously predicted by the WHO (World Health Organization) for 2010
• 65% of the total population less than 15 years old
• 55% of those have stunted growth
• 25% malnourished
• 6% will die

South Africa

• Has the largest number of people living with HIV/AIDS in the world
• National HIV prevalence rate has rocketed from 1% in 1990 to 25% today
• 4,000 teachers died in 2004 of AIDS
• 12% of teachers are infected
• 30% of pregnant women are infected

Zambia is home to 660,000 orphans in a country of 10,000,000 people (expected to be 10% of total population by 2010)

Kenya has 1.7 million orphans in a country of 30,000,000 people (on land that is the size of the state of California)

Botswana in 2004 had 600 families registered with the government whose head of household is 6 years old

*statistics from UNAID, UNICEF and AIDS 2006 conference

The Other Half - Lara Liptak

Until recently, I belonged to that set of folks whose spouse had gone on a life-changing trip to Africa. My husband and I had sat in the same church service when he heard the call to go. He knew he must go, in fact. I had heard nothing that day. So, I became the spouse of the traveler, fielding the questions from everyone, shopping for the bug repellent, and planning life for me and our three children while Daddy spent 10 days on the far side of the world. He returned – if not changed – then most definitely with a new passion.

Being a married couple, that change began to affect me. I heard his stories, piece by piece, and, before I know it, something was happening with me too. I had, through vicarious experience, grown a heart for Africa. I will be upfront as well and say that at times I was jealous. He had an amazing experience while I stayed behind. So, when he said he wanted to return with me – and our three children – no answer but “When?” came to my mind.

As we prepared to go to Malawi in July, I had the distinct advantage of him as a reference. I could ask him all the “what ifs” and my destination became more tangible. Most importantly, I was never afraid. I am a protective mother, and no motivational speaker in the world would have caused me to bring my kids to such an unknown foreign place as Africa. Yet, I had their daddy’s word. He had the experience, and he spent much of the time there trying to experience it through our eyes, and he knew that, not only would it be okay for us to go, we must.

And so we did. We got off that plane in Malawi, and my first word was, “Finally!” Finally I came to know the place my husband loved, and now I love it too. Sometimes I think I was able to love it more, as I had been preparing my heart for it all more than he had opportunity to himself. My children took to Africa better than they ever have to a vacation spot near home. They know it as a part of our lives now, and I don’t believe they will ever lose that connection.

If your loved one has been on a trip, and they want you to go back with them, then you must go! Think of how much more the most meaningful things in your life become when they are shared by those you love. That will be so true of Africa. If you have been on a trip without your loved one, do all you can to return together. My husband would tell you that watching us experience this trip was better than experiencing it himself. These trips can be more than life-changing. They can be family-changing.

There and Back...and I wanna go back there! - Aynsley Pagan

There were 50 of us on this special mission project: We were to complete a girl's dorm on the El Shaddai Orphanage campus. Days at the El Shaddai Orphanage were rich beyond recognition. When I say rich, I mean filled with love, compassion, hard work, fun, worship and the Lord peeking at you, loving you, through each child's eye. There was an instance during church, that a little one, probably about 1 year old, toddled up to me, and put her hands on my knees. She looked at me smiling, with these beautiful brown eyes, that twinkled with an unknown wisdom, a knowledge that I still can't comprehend. And I thought to myself...does this child have hope? My eyes filled with tears.

People say that the Holy Spirit lives in Africa. And now I'll say it too. I felt Him in my steps, in my breath, in my hands, saw Him with my eyes and felt Him with my heart, like I never have before. He lives in the soil, in the sky, and in His people! I went there thinking that my love and passion for children would help so much, that God would teach them something through me. It's what I prayed for Him to do with me. It's what He had sent me there for, right? The children at El Shaddai had seen dark days before they came there, darker than any I've ever fathomed in my lifetime. We were all thinking "our love will help save them somehow". I know I was. How can my heart beunconditionally warmed but break at the same time? These children love so much but have so little. It's so simple for them- Jesus is all you need. In a physically beautiful country... full of AIDS, unspeakable acts of sexual immorality and sin, violence and poverty, these children are lifted up to a safe haven, or should I say a little piece of heaven on earth, called El Shaddai. A place where they find love, friendship, shelter, family and their Savior, who tucks them in every night.

I come back a changed individual. The Lord has given me a renewed vision and an open merciful heart. For that I am so thankful... And it's unexplainable...so no one ask me "how". In order to understand what God is doing over there, what He is saving one day at a time, you have to experience it for yourself. I went there thinking that God would use me to teach the Swazi people something, little did I know they would teach me so much more.

My first trip to Africa - Bekah Wofford

Everyone asks me, “How it was?” It was the most amazing experience I've ever been a part of. Meeting the people on the Heart for Africa team, the Somebody Cares team, as well as the people of Malawi was one of the most humbling, God-filled experiences to take place in my life. Living in California is a constant Rat Race of whose has the nicest clothes, cell phones, cars, or homes. But to go to Malawi and see that none of that matters was so awesome. To play with the kids, and to realize they did not care about how we were dressed or what we looked like, but instead, they cared about the heart; it made me realize that I need to change some priorities in my life.

I've realized that there is no reason to take more food than you need. There is no need to buy the pair of $80 jeans, or to spend $100 on a haircut. But most importantly I've realized that there is no reason not to take time to have a morning devotional, and no reason to pass up saying hello to a stranger in the store. Because the truth is, if we are all made in God's image, then shouldn't we act like him as well. Shouldn't we accept people for who they are, not who you want them to be.

So, all in all, Malawi was such a life changing experience for me. I know that through it all God was there, because I saw him. I saw him in the eyes of the Malawians, the Canadians, and the Americans. I saw him in the actions that took place, and heard him in the words that were spoken. But more than that, I felt him. I felt him in the hugs I received, the ground that I planted, and the people I prayed for. And still most important of all, for the first time, I felt him in my own heart.

Double Mission Team - by Rob and Deitra Shoemaker

A double mission trip means going on two different trips back to back (Swaziland and Malawi). Since Africa is so far away, you have more time and diverse opportunities to serve the people of Africa, as well as getting to experience two different countries plus there is a financial savings as well. The first week we lent our backs and brawn at El Shaddai orphanage, the second we planted food gardens alongside the villagers.

During the 16 days we were in Africa, 480,000 children died from hunger and malnutrition and another 104,000 were orphaned by AIDS. That would be as if all the people who live in Washington, D.C. died in a matter of two weeks. Overwhelming to think about, isn’t it? How do you begin to work with a problem like this? The answer is you do it one child at a time and this is what we did on this trip.

Week 1: Rob
El Shaddai is a mountaintop refuge of hope to the 31 orphans living there. All of them have either been severely abused or abandoned by their parents, many also being orphaned by AIDS. Our job was to finish work on the girl’s new dorm and bathrooms. During our time there, the team painted the interior of the dorm and the tin roof, ran plumbing and electrical, build shelves, assembled beds, painted a mural, cleaned and generally finished a safe, comfortable home for these children. We also dug and poured by hand the footers for the boy’s new dorm. To see the faces of the girls who would come by after school to see their new home with real beds, toilets, showers and four overhead lights (instead of only one small 60 watt bulb), was worth the whole trip. The joy on their faces filled us with a warmth that can only come from God in knowing that you are doing what He has called you to do.
The experience at El Shaddai has given me hope for the children of Africa. Through people like Kallie and Charmain who head up the orphanage and people like you and me who partner with them through Heart for Africa, the future of Africa’s orphans can be changed. The overwhelming problems become solvable. I encourage you to go and be a part of the solution.

Week 2: Deitra
This week we ventured into one of the poorest countries in Africa. Although our work planting food gardens for this starving country felt worthwhile and fulfilling, the day that impacted me the most was the “optional” trip into the slums. I was very apprehensive about seeing “true” poverty where there are no jobs available, no clean water and their only food is corn mush. I saw people living (and dying) in devastation: one room dwellings, no sanitation, children wearing dirty, ragged. Many households are headed up by children ages 8-14 who have lost both parents to AIDS. These children are the primary caregivers of their younger siblings. We also met grandmothers who take care of their grandchildren as all their sons and daughters have passed away. As I heard their personal stories and prayed with them, I no longer felt anxious but connected to these people. Through being there with them and showing our concern, as well as giving food, water and clothing we gave them hope for their future. I realized that God has blessed us with more than we need so we may bless and share our abundance with others in need. What a privilege He gives us to be His hand and feet to the “least” of these.

Pedicure for Jesus - by Beth Pilgreen

I have been back from Swaziland for nearly a month now. I was there working with Beat the Drum, the high school abstinence ministry. If I were asked my most memorable moment, that gave me utmost assurance of my time there, it wouldn’t be a story from a high school. It would be the hour’s span of time I had at the salon getting a pedicure. One hour. One pedicure. One life changed forever. All glory to God!

At home, I’d treat myself to manicures and pedicures more often, but in Swaziland, that only happened once. It was a Thursday afternoon. I’d taken the day off. Siphiwe was my ‘nail technician.’ She had recently gone through a rough separation with her husband who was actively trying to take their 4 year old son, Junior, away. He’d done nothing in the past year to support him. She was so broken and hopeless in the way she talked to me. The Lord totally took over my mouth and directed me to ask her if I could read from Psalms 34 to her. She’d never really read Psalms, which made me so excited to introduce her to them because wow, they are by far, my favorite just because David expresses himself so transparently and I can so relate to him. Psalm 34:17-18, “The righteous cry out and the Lord hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles. The Lord is close to the broken hearted and saves those crushed in spirit.” She was crushed in spirit to say the least. I asked her if she attended a church, not because I believe being inside a church each week saves anyone. It doesn’t. I used to go all the time growing up and I was far from being a servant of the Lord because to me it was only religion. It was boring and lifeless. But somehow, during college, the Lord opened my eyes to the freedom of truly knowing Him personally. It was through the example of some very close friends that radiated the freedom and joy of personally knowing Christ. The Christians I knew in college were so inwardly beautiful. They weren’t like the kind that said they were Christians, but acted the opposite; they were the real self abandoned kind. The Lord put them in my life for a divine purpose to show me what He was truly like. I wanted it! I wanted freedom and I hadn’t found it in religion. I found it in the person of Jesus. Talking to Him, reading from His word. It’s so exciting! “Where the spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom,” 2 Corinthians 3:17. It’s so true!! I saw that she so desperately needed freedom. Freedom from bitterness, freedom from fear and worry. Freedom from other people because she’d been so hurt by others in churches. She said she would go to a church and no one would talk to her. She was putting too much reliance in others and not enough in our invisible God. Its harder to trust Him since we can’t really see Him face to face, but we have to look deeper than that. He’s all around us. First of all, He jumps off the pages of His Word. He’s in the masterpiece of a pineapple and a morning dove’s song. He’s in the joy of a child living in a junk yard, yet is still able to play and laugh. He’s in the miracles of things just working out when you trust Him. They just do. It’s amazing. He’s everywhere and He’s awesome. He’s life.Siphiwe prayed for Jesus to take over her life that day. That hour. It was only an hour. Wow. It was such a divinely orchestrated conversation. All glory to God! All credit to Him because all I did was open my mouth and words came out. I don’t even remember all we said because I was speaking under the control of the Holy Spirit – without a doubt. Matthew 10:19b-20 says, “At that time, you will be given what to say, for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.” So true. Praise the Lord!! Praise Him for His infinite goodness and for this newly surrendered life. Pray for encouragement for her and for her to be blessed in her efforts to seek Him. Thanks!!

Wind storm hits El Shaddai Children's Home

On Wednesday, August 2, 2006 a freak storm hit Swaziland. It was like a dry hurricane sweeping across the nation and doing a tremendous amount of damage to the country. Roofs are torn off buildings, buildings are down, electricity and water have been out in both Mbabane and Manzini for days.

But what happened at El Shaddai brought tears to our eyes and a cry out to God to ask “why?!” First let me say that everyone is safe, no one was hurt.

Kallie and Charmain had travelled to South Africa to pick up the Kombi’s to take the children on holiday when the storm began. There was a storm predicted for Tuesday night which brought some rain, wind and hail, but it was Wednesday that did the damage. The wind was like that of a tropical storm although the sky was clear and there was no rain. The wind blew hard all day with gusts of up to 70 mph (predicted by Mike who is volunteering with his family for the summer). Mike also said, “The roofs were dancing and it seemed like the buildings were breathing.” The children were released from school at 1:00pm on Wednesday and as the storm got worse in the evening Margie took the girls out of new dorm and went back to the old rooms where they were more sheltered from the wind. Thank the Lord that she did!

Reports from Kallie and Lad say that the school buildings have been destroyed and the steel gurder frame is twisted and snapped “like match sticks”. The church lost the roof over the bathrooms and vestibule and the ridge line on the church is damaged. And sadly the new girls dorm took a big hit. The roof popped off and blew away under the pressure of the hurricane and the back wall (where the bathrooms are) is gone. Some of it crushed in on the new beds – thank goodness the children were out. The mission house and the guest house are fine.

This is so very discouraging to the Coertzen’s and to the Heart for Africa team. But this morning’s devotion in My Utmost for His Highest reminded us that “the things that happen do not happen by chance – they happen entirely by the decree of God, God is sovereignly working out His own purposes.”

How can you help?

- We ask you to keep them all in your daily prayers and lift them up so that they are not discouraged.

- They will need funds to rebuild – on Monday, August 7th you can go to http://www.heartforafrica.org/ under “General donation” look for El Shaddai hurricane fund to make a donation.

- Kallie will need workers to help rebuild the buildings. If you can go and help him please contact Tricia at tricia@heartforafrica.org and she will help facilitate a team going to work. We hope to send a small group for 10 -14 days in September. If you are seriously interested please contact Tricia and we will let you know when plans are made. Cost are being worked on now.

Thank you.

The Chronicle, Malawi – Monday, August 7, 2006

Board member Doug Liptak. Jacob's Well installed providing water for 50,000+ people.

Throughout the month of July 85 people from the US and Canada arrived in Lilongwe on a mission. The mission was to plant seedlings of immune boosting vegetables in the communities and to plant seeds of hope in the hearts of the people they served. They came with an organization called Heart for Africa. Heart for Africa is a faith based humanitarian organization that focuses on four major areas in the African countries in which they serve; Hunger - Orphans – Poverty – Education and acronym that appropriately spells HOPE.

Heart for Africa has been serving in South Africa and Swaziland for the past three years since it was started by American author Dr. Bruce Wilkinson and is now being run by Ian and Janine Maxwell from Toronto, Canada. Since its inception more than 4,500 North Americans have flown to Africa, at their own cost, on ten day trips to serve the poor. The Never Ending Gardens program has resulted in more than 600,000 gardens being planted and in Swaziland 95% of the country has received a back yard garden.

The harsh reality of HIV/AIDS is that every 14 seconds a child is orphaned in Sub-Saharan Africa. In addition every 3 seconds a child dies from hunger or malnutrition in this same area. The crisis continues. In 2005 the leadership at Heart for Africa met Ms. Teresa Malila from Somebody Cares Ministry and knew that they needed to come alongside and do what they could to help. The Somebody Cares Ministry is made up of a group of 75 volunteers who care for more than 350 families who have been devastated by the HIV/AIDS pandemic.

Well known Malawi citizen Evangelist Stephen Lungu recently commented that “What Teresa does is go where no one else would want to go. She and her volunteers work in the communities that have been forgotten, but need help so desperately.”

Heart for Africa has been criticized in the past for allowing people to spend so much money to travel to Africa to serve for only ten days when those funds could go so far by being donated instead. When Mr. Ian Maxwell, President, was questioned about the use of funds he responded, “Our goal is to open the hearts and minds and eyes of people in North America so that they can come to Africa and see for themselves what is happening and that they can help. There is a sense at home that the problems are so big that they can not be solved. We want to lead people by the hand and show them that by partnering with people like Teresa Malila and her team that we can bring hope and life to the people whom we serve.”

Mr. Maxwell went on to say that there is true transformation that happens in the hearts and minds of the North Americans who come to serve. They are out in the communities working on the ground with the villagers planting gardens, playing with the children and even bringing medical help when there is a Doctor on the team.

We asked Ms. Malila how the community people are responding to the visitors and she said, “They are so excited to see the Azungu’s come. They can’t believe their eyes. On Wednesday we went to Chatimba Village, TA Kalolo and the people took us out to their garden beds and saw with their own eyes the Heart for Africa digging in the soil and planting the seedlings that we had brought. They had expected the white people to stand and give directions, but they were on their knees doing the work – men, women and children alike. They laughed and laughed and couldn’t wait to tell people in other villages that white people came and planted their gardens. It was a wonderful day.”

Ms. Malila was honoured as the Heart for Africa “Woman of the Year 2006” and in her acceptance speech she said, “We are so happy that the people have travelled so far to help us. You will never know how much happiness and hope you have brought by coming to visit. I encourage our own people in Malawi to show the same level of concern and drive out to the communities and see the children – hundreds of them in each community with no parent. It is a crime and we are allowing it to happen. Something much change.”

The first team to visit in July collected funds to install a bore hole in the community of Deya. This photo is the initial pipe, soon to be surrounded by a concrete pad and wash table. The water source has been dedicated as “Jacob’s Well”.

Heart for Africa will bring another team to Lilongwe in December and they look forward to a long and healthy partnership with Somebody Cares and the people of Malawi.

Medical Team in Malawi - Debbi Baker Volunteer

Theresa Malila, director of Someone Cares ministry in Malawi, invited Heart for Africa to partner with her in this inaugural Malawi mission trip. We are 22 strong as we arrive in the village. We have several projects planned: planting community gardens, arts and crafts projects with the children, photography and a medical team. Theresa introduces us to the Chiefs and teams divide to begin our morning work.

Our make shift clinic includes Dr. Bill Osborne, Internist, Krishna Rao, medical student, and me as clinical pharmacist. We had packed an assortment of supplies, but what we had not brought with us, Heart for Africa supplied, providing medication to re-hydrate, treat Malaria and to de-worm. Our focus was to treat acute health issues, and there was no shortage of those. We had a fun MacGyver moment the first day. Bill could not find the speculum attachment to his light, which would have allowed him to see into a patient’s ear. So we quickly disassembled Janine’s orange ball point pen and fashioned a new speculum from the hollow portion of it.

On the first morning, villagers had placed several small chairs and a table under two shade trees for our medical clinic. A Chief drew a bucket of water for us from their bore hole well. We used the silty water to reconstitute our liquid antibiotics. Each patient would sit in a chair as Bill and Krisha examined and spoke with them through an interpreter. Janine, Cheryl or Krishna would record the diagnosis and treatment. The patient would then move to the pharmacy chair. With the help of another interpreter, I would give them their medication and counsel them on how to take it.

One of our first clinic patients was a 15 year old boy with epilepsy. Three months earlier a seizure had caused him to fall into a fire and badly burn his back and upper left arm. He had been unable to properly clean or dress the large wounds, so they remained unable to heal. This is not an uncommon story in Africa. This boy never flinched, cried or made sound as Bill and Krishna worked to clean the wounds and remove%2

Dirty Fingernails: Journals from the Field - Sharlotte Weslosky Volunteer

Ministering in Africa had always been a dream for me. A fourth year student of International Relations and Middle East and African studies, I had spent countless hours familiarizing myself with the region and the seemingly overwhelming challenges it faces. Despite the desire to visit Africa firsthand, I had become accustomed to the idea that such a trip would remain somewhere in my distant future. In February of this year God revealed that He had other plans. I had the opportunity to hear a grandson of Nelson Mandela speak at my university about the crises of starvation and HIV/AIDS within sub-Saharan Africa. Only after returning from the trip and reviewing a newspaper clip of the event did I come to realize the speaker was Prince Cedza Dlamini of Swaziland. God’s sense of humour and attention to detail never cease to amaze me. I recall leaving the auditorium questioning God.

Three weeks later I came into contact with Heart for Africa. The simple act of attending a seminar on ‘God’s response to poverty’ resulted in fifty of us standing up at the front having just committed to answering God’s call to plant gardens for families at risk of starvation in sub-Saharan Africa. Not knowing how the details would work out, many of us stood up with nothing but the promise that where God calls he provides. At that moment, I knew that God’s plans were much bigger than mine and that walking in what He had for me involved stepping out of my comfort zone into the unknown. It meant trusting Him at a level I had not ventured out into before.

Months later and thousands of miles away, this chapter was read as a devotional in the early morning as our team boarded vans to take us into the villages of northern Swaziland. With God’s hand at work to extend our efforts, the team was able to plant and install irrigation systems in 200 homesteads during our time in the region. I also got to witness God’s healing of a man deaf for years after losing his hearing in a mining accident. He had come down from the village to ask for prayer and as we laid hands on him his hearing was restored. Others in the group also witnessed such miracles during their travels throughout each community. As much as any of us hoped to bless the people of Swaziland, the experience of being used of God to reach out so powerfully to those in need blessed us beyond what we could have hoped or imagined.

God has a very effective response to the poverty and desperation of these people – the obedience of His children to be willing to fill a gap however large or small. God does not require your competency and your strength as much as your willingness and availability. He is the God of the impossible. I challenge you to take the step and listen to what He may be saying to you about going to Africa. I guarantee there are gaps that you can fill. The grim outlook facing Swaziland and the rest of Africa is not inevitable. Our God is a God of hope and of restoration and he invites you to be a part of changing the future of Africa. He is faithful to take what little you can offer and use it to change the destiny of a nation.

I choose to abstain - Beat the Drum Zambia

Abstinence? Iliche!

Beat the Drum ventured into new territory this summer as it was introduced into Southern Zambia by 300 college-age/young adults from all over the world. One of the countries represented was Swaziland as the Beat the Drum follow-up team in Swaziland was asked to join the pioneering trip to Zambia.

The Beat the Drum launched in Swaziland in the summer of 2004 when over 350 students from all over the world lived in Swaziland for two months and visited every high school for one week at a time. This year the catalyst program was taken to Choma and Livingston, Zambia and the surrounding areas ministering in over 60 schools. The week begins by showing the Beat the Drum film on Monday, teaching the corresponding curriculum Tuesday through Thursday and finishes with an abstinence assembly on Friday where students are invited to present what they’ve learned to the student body through songs, poems, dramas, and dances. Before the presentations begin on Friday the students who are choosing to abstain are asked to stand in front of their school and sign their names on pieces of paper as a public profession of abstaining from sex until marriage. One of the most memorable moments of the trip was on a Friday at Mwaata High School in Kolomo, Zambia. After all the students had signed their names on the paper one of the unmarried male teachers at the school stood up and in front of the whole school signed his name to abstain. He was followed by the rest of his fellow male teachers who all shook the Head Teachers hand and vowed to abstain from sex until marriage. There was not a dry eye or mouth closed on our team because it is all too common for male teachers to demand sexual favors from students to improve their grade or have their school fees waived. All of the students were on their feet cheering so loudly, it was at that moment the Holy Spirit showed Himself in a powerful way!

In Zambia when someone yells “Abstinence” the students respond “Iliche” loosely translated “it’s okay by me”!

Becca Christian
Beat the Drum Supervisor, Swaziland

20 Girls have a new home and real beds - El Shaddai team is blessed beyond belief

Thank you to everyone who contributed Chloe's Beds for Kids program that Chloe Maxwell did. Every girl at El Shaddai got a new bed, sheets, hand made blanket, pillow and towel. The boys will get theirs when their dorm is built on the November 9th trip.

Dirty Fingernails: Journals from the Field - Cindy Poundstone Volunteer

Thank You.

Two simple words that never meant so much before, “Thank you!” blessed me several times each day in Africa.

The children smiled thanks as we gave out sweeties, hugs, and kisses. The go-gos (grandmothers) waved thanks as we left gardens of seedlings and hope. The AIDS clinic workers wished us well with thanks as we left immune strengthening plants in their garden. Our community volunteer thanked us for the experience by telling me she would see me again in heaven and promised to look for me with Jesus. Agnes’s tears thanked us as she stopped our group on the road and asked us to pray for her and her illness.

Gratitude poured out of all of the community at the Celebration Dinner as we rejoiced at planting 54,800 seedlings in the area. Thank you rang out in the voices of the people as they sang hymns and praise at church on Sunday. Even the cab driver upon my return to Atlanta expressed his thanks for our work. He is a Nigerian who still loves the people of Africa.

The most unexpected thanks came in the form of cards from a 4th grade class in the area to my children in Atlanta. They made cards to tell my students they loved them for sending their teacher and gifts to children in their community. They will never meet me or get a gift, they just extended their thanks for us loving children of their country.

I heard all of these thanks and they expanded my heart in a way I never dreamed possible. In return, all I can say is, “Thank you God for giving me this blessing and thank you Africa for your love.”

By Cindy Poundstone
Atlanta, Georgia
White River, South Africa June 24 – July 3

23 deaths in one home - doors used for coffins, blankets used to wrap the dead leaving children shivering

by Janine Maxwell
The Article in the Swazi Observer said that the home had been filled with death and putrefaction from slowing rotting legs made the house a “no go” location for a while. It said that this “Gogo and Babi” – Grandmother and Grandfather in Siswati were caring for 12 grandchildren, all orphaned by this terrible AIDS pandemic. They had no food, no clothes, no hope. We had to go and help them.

The car was full – 2 adults, 3 children, one newspaper photographer, 15 blankets, 2 suitcases of clothes, shoes, underpants, 5 pineapples, 25 avacados, 20 oranges, soap, yams and a months supply of dry food including vitamin supplemented mixes. We were loaded to the roof. In fact, Chloe had to lie in the back on top of the goods.

Our journey was to take us 20 minutes away from our home. We drove for 2 ½ hours before our guide told us to turn off the main road and go on down smaller and smaller dirt road until our little car, heavily laden was truly “off roading” (and not doing it well).

The sun was going down. Because of the unexpected length of the drive, we found ourselves in the middle of the field with the sun just above the mountains in the west. A beautiful sight on any other day, but not good for strangers in a land with no electricity. As we approached a crumbled home an old man went inside to bring out the straw mats that the children sleep on for us to sit on outside his home. The children gathered around their grandparents in wonder of what these white people were doing so far out in the country, in a field, sitting on their mats.

We told them we had come to hear their story and to help if we could. It was a story told all over Swaziland, but this was THEIR story, from their own lips, told through their own tears that we sat and listened to. They had 15 children and all of them had died of AIDS since 2000. Not only had they died of AIDS, but were cared for through all of the horrific stages of this humiliating and painful disease by this old couple, and then buried in the graveyard that was a stone’s throw from their front door. Actually, they don’t have a front door because it was used to build a coffin when the family could no longer afford to buy then.

Although we saw 12 little children (under the age of ten) with them I couldn’t help but think that there had to have been more with 15 adults dying. So I asked them how many grandchildren had died. There was a moment of pause after the translator asked the question. The two looked at each other, looked at the children around them and then said, “No, we don’t know how many we have buried.”

I couldn’t believe my ears. How could they not know? The translator saw my confusion and asked the question in a different way. Their response was that they would have to go over to count the graves – they didn’t know the number. After more deliberation they chose the number “8”. They guessed that they had buried eight grandchildren along with 15 of their own. These people were only 66 years old themselves.

We went in to their house, with no door. In fact, all of the doors had been used to build coffins. I asked where the children slept, she pointed to a mud floor in an empty room and started to cry again. I asked where the blankets were, as there were none there. She explained that when their children and grandchildren died that they wrapped them in blankets before putting them in to the coffins made from their doors. That left them with none.

It was cold. The sun was almost down. There was no electricity, no lights, no fire. We were cold. Carter was shivering. The children we met had no long sleeves, no long pants and the little one who had just turned one had no pants at all. He walked about with bear bum and legs and a tiny t-shirt on, shivering. There were no spare clothes inside the house either. I looked. The only thing inside the house was a small pot on a pile of greying coals that would represent their entire meal for the night. It wouldn’t have properly fed one person.

The sun was dropping quickly so we had to move swiftly or we would never have found our way out to the road. We put a large warm fuzzy blanket around each and every one of them. We also were able to find clean warm sweaters that fit each child as well as for the two Grandparents. As we put the clothes on each child the Gogo dropped to her knees and began crying out to God in thanksgiving for what He had provided her family. She rocked back and forth with her head low. Within seconds all the children were on their knees giving thanks to God who is their provider. It was time for us to go so we hugged each child and hugged each adult and blessed them all.

We got back in the car at dark and were carefully escorted out of the field by the children. It was a miraculous night. How wonderful that God would use our hands and feet and car to bless His children in such a remote area. Thank you Jesus for choosing us to be your servants, to “look after orphans and widows in their distress” (James 1:27). We pray that the food we brought would be like the loaves and fishes in the bible and continue to multiply and never run out.

400 students go to Zambia to Beat the Drum

At an unforgettable event occurred in Pretoria, south Africa in mid-June as 400 volunteers (most of them University students) from the US, South Africa and Zambia met to launch this year’s Beat the Drum Outreach in Zambia. The evening was filled with worship and dancing and words of encouragement from team leader George Mwanza.

Ian Maxwell, President of Heart for Africa, also was present to speak to the students about the Beat the Drum program and explained how critical their participation was in changing/saving the lives of the students of Zambia – and in so doing, saving a country from death. Ian also gave them words of encouragement to motivate them about the mission that they are about to embark upon. He said, “Remember that this is the Lord’s project and you are not here by accident. You must trust that He has you here for a purpose. There is something in you that must pour into the lives of the students in Zambia. He could have asked anyone to come, but He chose you. Your gifts. Your passion. You.”

“It was invigorating and inspiring to see so many cultures gathered together to worship the same God and to work together on the same mission” said Holly Frew, Atlanta based volunteer in Swaziland.

This marks the third summer of the Beat the Drum Outreach program and the Zambia Outreach program is being led by UCSA of South Africa. There are more than twenty teams of volunteers that will be disbursed into schools throughout Zambia for the month of July. AIM, (Adventures In Missions), has helped to recruit college students in the U.S. and has joined the adventure to Zambia with their representative Paul Van Der Verf. Joining AIM is a team lead by Suzanne Barber from BigStuf, an Atlanta based youth ministry (www.bigstuf.org).d the difference living for Him can make in our lives.

Beat the Drum Outreach is a project in which teams of volunteers spend an entire week in each high school educating the students on HIV/AIDS, and encouraging the students to choose a life of abstinence until marriage. They start the week showing the “Beat the Drum” movie, and then spend the remainder of the week teaching lessons that are built around examples from the movie. The goal of the project is to get the students to recognize that the way they think and value themselves will determine the way they behave, and to teach them positive values and thinking patterns that will result in good decision-making.

Please keep each volunteer, each student in Zambia who will receive this life saving message, and the entire Beat the Drum program in your daily prayers. These students are on the front line doing the hard work. We must support them in every way.

If you would like to financially support the Beat the Drum program please go to www.heartforafrica.org and you can make a contribution on line directly to Beat the Drum.

Dirty Fingernails: Journals from the Field - Suzanne Ross Volunteer

“So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth;
It shall not return to Me void,
But it shall accomplish what I please,
And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.

For you shall go out with joy,
And be led out with peace;
The mountains and the hills
Shall break forth into singing before you,
And all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.” Isaiah 55:11 – 12

What sweet comforting words to have received before heading out on my journey to Africa. Thank you Lord for showing me boldly how you were sending me out with a purpose that WOULD be accomplished by YOU through me and during the process you would provide joy and peace amongst many other things I would soon discover in Swaziland. That is but a touch of the goodness of our sweet Lord. I had no idea what those words spoken to me from Isaiah would entail until I took a leap of faith and traveled across the world.

Including myself, what most people think when going on a mission trip is that you’re going to tell people about Jesus and essentially to “bring Jesus” to another part of the world. No, Jesus is in everything and is everywhere, and He is so evidently in Swaziland! The mountains, the sun, the sky, and the stars all scream loudly the glory of God in this beautiful land. And within them and on every face of the precious people there, you can see the face of Jesus. I can not imagine if I had never listened to that call from the Lord to go on this trip. More importantly, what an honor that He would even entrust me to visit this land and to use me in such a mighty way to make His name famous? Who am I?

Jesus has certainly made a mark on me for eternity and has ruined me with His love, Praise His Name! I am still in awe of this whole experience. What a joy to have gone on this NEG trip and to come back with a greater belief and passion about what God is accomplishing through Heart for Africa and the planting of these gardens. We saw before our eyes how these gardens are really growing and providing nutritious vegetables for families that wouldn’t have that type of food if HFA wasn’t taking trips each month to Swaziland and other areas to plant gardens. As there are multiple phases to the process of the gardens, our group came in and installed an incredible drip irrigation system to the already existing gardens in a community, along with planting additional vegetables as well. Additionally, we had the opportunity to teach “leaf picking” to the Swazi’s and empower them with knowledge that would enable them to know how to pick leaves of the vegetables every day, thus supplying their families with nutritious meals potentially every day. How amazing!

But the job is not finished. There is much work to be done, and it can be done through you, yes YOU! You have the privilege of allowing God to do a mighty work through you. Be confident that the Lord will equip you exactly the way you need to be. You are His hands and His feet to accomplish His will. I encourage you to pray and ask God how He wants to use you and simply give Him your willingness and in return you will receive abundant blessings. I am writing this to testify to that today!

“Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep one-self unspotted from the world.” James 1:27

Suzanne Ross

Jeff Reinke from San Diego joins the Board

Jeff Reinke is the Pastor of Marriage and Family Ministries at North Coast Calvary Chapel in Carlsbad, California. Jeff resides in California with his wife, Robin, and their two children. The Reinke's participated in a Never Ending Gardens Trip to South Africa in 2005 and will be going to Malawi in July. God has given Jeff a heart for missions and he believes in the power of God's kingdom to change the course of life in geographic communities. He brings board experience as well as his gift of counseling to our team. God has used him in the past in the capacity of mediator and facilitator for team development. His life verse is Ephesians 3:20:21 "Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen."

In everything give thanks - a story of faith, hope and love.

Last summer on a trip from New York to Swaziland with Never Ending Gardens, my group visited the AIDS ward of a hospital in Mbabane. I was there for all of an hour, but it seemed like an eternity. On top of the poor air circulation, dirty floors, paint chipped walls and inattentive staff, a couple of patients were begging for us to help them buy a box of tissues. Tissues weren’t a courtesy like an American would expect. My feelings, though genuine, were a bit cliché: I felt sorrow for the people I saw in the hospital and was thankful for my health as well as the access to great treatment if I got sick.

A few weeks after I returned to New York, I was diagnosed with sarcoma cancer, had a large tumor removed from my neck and began seven months of intense chemotherapy and radiation at St. Vincent’s Comprehensive Cancer Center under the care of one of the world’s top sarcoma specialists. Though I knew my only lasting hope was in the mercy of Christ, I took great comfort in knowing that I was getting the best care available. When I would catch my girlfriend or my family weeping about my condition, I would think back on my time in Swaziland and try to imagine what it would be like to be a loved one of a patient there. How horrible it must be when most of the world is throwing their hands up at the crisis that threatens the one you love and you can’t do anything about it. How much greater that burden of uncertainty must be for them. It broke me.

As AIDS and poverty continue to weigh on the people of Africa, so does the need for the church to love, serve and share the burden for His glory. You cannot walk the hills of Swaziland with NEG and refute that needs are being met by the gardens and skills learned in planting them when you see the joy of those being served. With the cross as their model, when I was sick, my church served me and took care of me. I was prayed for, cooked for, helped with housing for my out of town family and visited countless times by people who cared about me. This is the body of Christ and it exists across oceans in Heart for Africa.

Garland’s writings during treatment:
Part I: Anticipation of the Trumpet Sound (December 2005)
http://www.relevantmagazine.com/god_article.php?id=7034

Part II: Nothing Fits (April 2006)
http://www.relevantmagazine.com/god_article.php?id=7106

A Little News from Garland:
The Tale of Garland and Karina (June 2006)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m6uVqSEO_qo

Hands at Work in Malawi

Heart For Africa is currently developing a supportive relationship with a great Christian organization in Lilongwe, Malawi called Hands at Work. Malawi is home to 12 million people with a annual per capita income of approx $400USD (less than 25% the per capita income of Swaziland!) and some of the greatest drought, food security and hunger problems in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Heart for Africa will be sending four teams of volunteers to Malawi in 2006 to help their work, under the leadership of Theresa Malila. Hands at Work has been working with churches and communities in some of the most needy communities surrounding Lilongwe with food production for orphan care and leadership development. The community ownership they have achieved is astounding, as they have created a number of very productive gardens and systems of crop distribution. On a preparation trip in May, Heart for Africa staff (Lad Chapman from Swaziland) were greatly impressed with the quality of the work/gardens they witnessed in the Hands at Work community projects.

Heart for Africa teams will be encouraging communities and churches by planting alongside of them in their community schemes, as well as possibly developing some household gardens. Volunteers are also going to be helping some of the community schools, with painting schools and developing some photography/ art projects that will not only bring skills and dignity to Malawian children, but bring their priceless perspectives and stories back to the United States.

Please pray for Hands at Work as they daily serve in this significant way, and for the Heart for Africa volunteers who will be bring the HOPE of Christ there to help. Check the website for trip dates and ways that you can participate in these projects.

Soles4Souls - walk a mile in their shoes in San Diego

Soles4Souls Footwear Drive in San Diego is off to a roaring start. This past weekend, Pastor Bear of North Coast Calvary Chapel made a brief but passionate plea to the church members at each service to donate their many dormant pairs of shoes and sandals for the countless people in Africa that do not have any shoes to wear.
Teaming up with Soles 4 Souls and founder Wayne Elsey, Bear made mention of the estimated 1.5 billion pairs of shoes that sit in the closets and garages of the USA population. He reminded the members of his church that we are all called to "feed the hungry and clothe the naked." Bear then took off his shoes and told everyone that he was sending his shoes to Africa and asked that everyone join him. Hearts were moved as band members, pastors and church members followed his lead and gave their own shoes as well. Bear gleefully ended each of his pleas with the call. " I want your shoes!"

Founder of Soles4Souls, longtime footwear Executive Wayne Elsey, said that the footwear drive in San Diego is indicative of the overall generosity of Americans. "People in San Diego and around the country have huge hearts and shoes to donate," he said.

One of the many highlights to the weekend was when this cute little boy around 5 years old walked up to the donation table and took off his shoes of his own accord and joyfully offered them up for another child in Africa.

In less than 48 hours, over 700 pairs were donated to Soles4Souls by the members of his church and the donations of shoes are still running in to the church. (pun intended) Souls4Soles will be sending all these shoes collected from this effort to Heart for Africa projects in Malawi and Swaziland, two African countries in much need for the shoes.Call if you have questions: 877-486-7713 or 205-410-6693. All of this was made possible by Heart for Africa 2005 participant, Caroline McGraw, who is returning to Swaziland in July 2006 with her husband and children. God bless you Caroline for all you do for the "orphans and widows in distress" (James 1:27)

Soles4Souls was established to make a difference in people's lives with the gift of shoes. It all began with the Asian Tsunami Relief Drive, when Elsey, President of Kodiak-Terra USA, Inc. called on his colleagues in the shoe industry to step up and donate shoes. 18 months later, Soles4Souls has collected and distributed over 1 million pairs of shoes, both used and new. Last year,over 3/4 million pairs were sent to the region affected by Hurricane Katrina.

Even if you don't live in the San Diego area, you can make a donation by donating cash to help with freight costs. "We need help in getting these shoes to the people in Africa and all over the world," said Wilson. The non-profit group has established a website (http://www.soles4souls.org/) and is coordinating with individuals and corporations around the world to bring the gift of shoes to hurting people everywhere. Cash donations earmarked for freight can be sent to the home office in Wadley, Alabama and are tax-deductible.

Power of lemonade - and the heart of a child

Will and Meg David (along with their friends Jack, Kathleen and Courtney Maley) found a way to help their Aunt Mary Carol fund an "Art from the Heart" project she will participate in during her upcoming trip to Malawi. When they heard Mary Carol Harsch discussing the project (that will allow 20 children in Malawi to paint and photograph their lives) they knew they could help. They created a lemonade stand and raised 45.00 to buy the paint sets needed for the project.

The art will be used to decorate their orphanage and also for displays in this country to bring attention to their lives. Thanks kids for leading the way.

Daily prayer for Heart for Africa team

As the Heart for Africa team works to listen to the Lord's calling and direction we find ourselves under constant attack from the enemy. The good news is that we KNOW that we are doing something right. The BAD news is that it is simply exhausting to deal with health issues, technical problems and other things that the enemy uses to distract and discourage us.

It was suggested to us that we have a team of volunteer prayer warriors who would volunteer to fast and pray one day a month so that the whole team is covered in prayer for every day of each month.

We now have a full 31+ people fasting and praying for our team. Thanks to each of your who are doing it "officially" and those who pray for us "unofficially".

Blessings from your Heart for Africa team.

100 Huntley Street - The Maxwell's talk about stepping out of the boat in faith

On Thursday, May 25th Ian and Janine Maxwell were interviewed by Rhonda Glenn on Canadian national television program 100 Huntley Street. To see the interview please go to tp://www.crossroads.ca/broadcas/program.htm

Ian and Janine share their story of owning one of the largest and successful marketing companies in Canada for 16 years until they heard "the call" to close it. After much pain and prayer the decision was made the the doors of ONYX Marketing Group closed forever. And then they waited. Six months later (January 29th, 2005) Ian met Dr. Wilkinson for the first time. Only 36 hours later Ian was on a plane to join a Never Ending Gardens trip to Swaziland. After returning home they waited again to hear what the Lord had in store for them. On May 25th the Maxwell's answered Dr. Wilkinson's call for assistance by packing up their two children (Spencer 10 and Chloe 8) and moving to Africa as volunteers for nine weeks.

Their adventure included 11 moves in 9 weeks and took them between countries and worlds. They were introduced to more than 1,000 Never Ending Gardens participants and then were asked to join the team full time. After moving back to Canada in August 2005 Ian was told that Dr. Wilkinson had decided to retire and was asked to assume the position of President and leader of the organization. On January 29th, 2006 (exactly one year from when Ian first met Dr. Wilkinson) the mantle of Heart for Africa was passed to Ian in a service at Unionville Alliance church. The journey had just began.

Reporter Rhonda Glenn explores the issues, the questions and the fear that comes with "stepping out of the boat" and following the call.

New Board meets in Atlanta

It was a great new beginning when the new Board for Heart for Africa gathered in Atlanta to discuss the future of Heart for Africa and the H.O.P.E. intiatives. Members from the Boards in the US and Canada met for two days to review the successes and evaluate the challenges of the past as well as to begin to design the future. At every turn the Board found that our purpose must be to bring glory to our Lord with each decision made.

God bless these people for their willingness to serve:

Tim Hunt, US Chair is Associate publisher of the Tri-Valley Herald in
San Francisco, is a weekly columnist and has 25 years of news room experience; 10 years on the business side and is a weekly columnist. He resides with his family in Pleasanton, California. Tim participated in a Never Ending Gardens trip to Swaziland in August of 2005. He has founded, directed, and participated in a host of outreach and charity organizations and is currently an elder of Pleasanton Presbyterian Church. God has given Heart for Africa a bold and huge vision-- to be the heart of transformation Africa and in the American church. It's an immense undertaking, doable only with God's leading and blessing. We look forward to being obedient to God and coming along side the partners he leads to us as we labor side-by-side, prayer-by-prayer, to help God care for and transform his kids in Africa.

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Susan Page, Vice-Chair is Vice President of Coffee Enterprises Inc, and is a freelance journalist who resides with her husband in Honolulu, Hawaii. Susan participated in a Never Ending Gardens trip to Swaziland in July of 2005. She has felt the call to Africa since she was a child and feels this dream has come full circle. Susan brings a wealth of experience to Heart for Africa such as business experience, marketing and strategic planning in areas of recruiting as well as board experience. Susan’s prayer for Heart for Africa is that the Lord would make the African and American Hearts beat as one, a single drum beat of healing.

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Doug Liptak, Treasurer is a founding partner of a wealth management firm and resides with his family in Atlanta, Georgia. He participated in a Never Ending Gardens trip to White River, South Africa last December. His heart was opened to understand true giving and serving, and he desires for others to experience the same. His longtime business, board, and planning experience, as well as a gift for financial discernment, are a valuable addition to the Heart for Africa team. His prayer for Heart for Africa is that hearts will be changed in America and in Africa, and that relationships will be built to make an earthly and eternal difference.


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Cheryl Lowery-Osborne, Secretary is a wife, mother, daughter and friend. She also serves as Practice Manager for a large Internal Medicine Practice with locations in Fayetteville and Stockbridge, Georgia. She participated in a Never Ending Gardens trip to Swaziland in June 2005 and will be going to Malawi this July. She currently serves as Treasurer for the Joseph Lowery Institute for Justice and Human Rights. Cheryl believes that as written in Luke 12:48 “Much is required for those to whom much is given, and much more is required from those to whom much more is given." Her favorite quote is "Life is a lease from God. One day when we turn in our lease, we will have to be accountable for how we have chosen to use it."

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Drew Strickland and his wife operate a professional photography business as well as a number of social media websites. They reside in Atlanta, Georgia. Drew participated in a Never Ending Gardens trip to White River, South Africa in December 2005. His skills lie in the area of consulting and change management, as well as entrepreneurial experience having started his own business, all of which will be an asset to Heart for Africa. Drew’s prayer is that God will show his love through our hands and feet by putting our faith into action.

I love you Lord. Please help me to do your will everyday. Everything I am,everything I have, and everything I will be are yours.

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Jeff Reinke is the Pastor of Marriage and Family Ministries at North Coast Calvary Chapel in Carlsbad, California. Jeff resides in California with his wife, Robin, and their two children. The Reinke's participated in a Never Ending Gardens Trip to South Africa in 2005 and will be going to Malawi in July. God has given Jeff a heart for missions and he believes in the power of God's kingdom to change the course of life in geographic communities. He brings board experience as well as his gift of counseling to our team. God has used him in the past in the capacity of mediator and facilitator for team development. His life verse is Ephesians 3:20:21 "Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen."
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Thomas Kehler, Canadian Chair is General Manager Business Services with Suncor Energy Products in Canada and resides with his family in Richmond Hill, Ontario. Thomas is the new Chairman of the Board in Canada. He will be participating on a trip to Swaziland this June. Through his wife's passion and ministry to Africa, Thomas has come to a deeper appreciation for how God is working there. He believes that being on the Board of Heart for Africa is an opportunity for him to become more involved in a personal way about helping others in need. His recent acceptance onto the Board of the Suncor Energy Foundation, and past experience as a barrister and solicitor, bring a unique variety of skills to the Heart for Africa team. His prayer for Heart for Africa is that we will be managed with integrity in a manner that glorifies God and achieves His purpose.

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Derek Edwards is a Recruitment Company Owner and is a member of the Canadian Board, residing with his wife and 5 kids in Newmarket, Ontario. Through his wife’s passion for Africa and the sponsorship of several children from Kenya, God has shown Derek His “heart for Africa.” His analytical and problem solving strengths as well as his internet research knowledge will be an asset to our board. His prayer is that through the Lord, this ministry would have a significant impact on the lives of the people it touches.

Message from the Chair - Tim Hunt

When 15 Heart for Africa volunteers and senior staff gathered around a conference table in Atlanta last month (May), we invited the Holy Spirit to join us and guide us.

Wow. The vision that God unified 15 hearts and minds with is what you'd expect from God--extraordinary and achievable only through his power and guidance. Like the immense challenges in Africa, it's way beyond human intelligence or capability. We are moving ahead to develop a plan, enlist partners, and keep moving forward in line with God's call to bring hope to Africa and be the heart that connects North American believers with Africans.

Please pray for the Heart for Africa team to hear God clearly as the plans and partners develop. And remember, Never Ending Gardens will continue as a core activity so if God is calling you to go back and bring others, please visit the web site and sign up.

Brainstorming: IGNITE. EXPERIENCE. CONNECT by Lara Liptak

On Wednesday, May 17, a group of diverse individuals with a common passion for Africa, and what Heart for Africa can do there, met in a hotel board room in Atlanta to communally tune into what God would have the organization do. Through some creative exercises, all framed in prayer, the group “brainstormed” about the specific focus Heart for Africa should take. We’ve all participated in brainstorming before, and that term has come to label the chaos of ideas that comes before a work is initiated. The ideas did indeed rain in, but there was no chaos. Just a steady, refreshing shower that was miraculously coherent. Everyone in that room had come to know Africa in a different way and for a different reason, but they all arrived at the same point.

It became clear to all that Heart for Africa can be an instrument of transformation to both Africa and to those whom God has called to help it. We realized that we are in a unique position to be the heart that pumps a passion for the African people to the Body of Christ. Everyone involved in this exciting day were so encouraged by the realization that all our Lord wants us to do is be His hands and feet to a place for which He has always had a heart. Transforming our hearts for Africa is merely a step toward transforming our hearts to be more like His.

As the group threw out words upon words in response to Janine’s idea-generating exercises, there were just a few key concepts that came to them all, over and over. One is that our mission is simple, regardless of what goes in to the details. We are to IGNITE the Body of Christ to go and EXPERIENCE what is happening in Africa to then CONNECT with those He wishes to help in Africa, and to give those serving there the opportunity to be transformed themselves.

Perhaps more awesome than the products of that day was the experience of that group of individuals coming before God and asking for unity and direction and being immersed in both.

Lara Liptak - Volunteer participant

Jabez blanket ministry - hand made blankets for orphans

The Jabez Blanket Ministry is pleased to be partnering with Heart for Africa. Established in 2002 in Ontario, Canada, by sisters Catherine Trafford Welk and Sharon Trafford James, this Christian ministry of compassion provides "Backpacks of Hope" for Orphans living in unimaginable poverty, in Orphanages, around the world.

The Jabez "Backpack of Hope" contains a colourful, hand-crocheted or knitted Blanket for warmth, a comforting Teddy-Bear "friend", and essential School Supplies for learning. If the longing eyes of a tiny, fragile child were to look up into your eyes, and you were able to place a warm blanket in his/her hands and a precious little bear next to his/her heart, who would be the happier? The child or you?

There are MILLIONS of Orphans needing your help, in some way, to the extent you are able. Would you consider bringing comfort, hope, and joy to a hurting child who looks to anyone to help? This summer Jabez blankets will be taken to the El Shaddai Children's home in Swaziland and to Somebody Cares Ministry in Malawi to provide warmth for the children who are suffering. These will be caried by people travelling with Heart for Africa to serve in these countries in June and July 2006.

Many people do not know that the nights in Africa are very cold and and in some areas below zero temperatures are reached in the winter. These blankets are life saving to children who are in poor health and have no way to stay warm.

For Blanket Instructions, or further Ministry information, or to help with the basic material costs of a Jabez "Backpack of Hope" (tax receiptable), kindly contact:

Jabez Blanket Ministry International
P.O. Box 336
Killaloe, Ontario, Canada
KOJ 2AO
E-mail: jabezblanketministry@sympatico.ca


The Jabez Blanket Ministry is a Canadian Registered Charity, working jointly with established North American Organizations.

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Dirty Fingernails: Journals from the Field - Gwen Merritt Volunteer

WHITE RIVER APRIL 27-MAY 6

When God called me to go to South Africa, I had no idea what was waiting for me there. In my wildest dreams, I couldn't have come up with what actually was. This could easily be a book, so I don't know how a short entry of events is possible. The village God called us to was called Cork, and was about a one hour drive from White River. It was originally a refugee camp for those who had fled Mozambique.

One day, while we were in Cork, God put it on my heart to give a Bible to a young lady we had met on Saturday. We didn't see her Sunday or Monday, so Tuesday after lunch, Phillip, Lynne and I set out to find her. God led us straight to her house and Lynne and I enetered the yard. As Lynne yoohooed, the father came out. We learned that the daughter was still at school so I told him the words I felt and asked if he would please tell her and give her the Bible. He was so overcome with emotion that when asked his daughter's name, he was unable to speak. He turned to his son who told us her name was Millicent. Later that day, as I was retelling the story to the team, Autumn told us that on Saturday Millicent had told her that her name meant wisdom. Autumn said she needed that Bible to help her gain all the wisdom she would need to make it in life. God knew. Isn't He great!

This small team of 15 Americans learned that more than all the candy and gifts we handed out, what the children wanted and enjoyed most was doing things with us. They fought over who would hold our hands as we walked and skipped from garden to garden. They fought over who would carry our backpacks and water bottles. Imagine 200-300 small African children laughing as I taught them all the Macarana. Each one joined in and didn't want to stop. They all sang and danced native songs for us. God obviously brought this team to South Africa to learn all about unconditional love. Not only His, but that which we all had for each other and the many beautiful people we met. Also, their's for us.

All 15 of us know in our hearts we want to go back if it is God's plan for us, and my prayer is that anyone who gets this calling will listen because it will be life changing and never forgotten. God is indeed awesome.

My blessings to all, Gwen Merritt

A message direct from the heart of a Volunteer teacher - Sarah Puiras in Swaziland

Sawubona! (greetings)

It’s been an experience of a lifetime up here at El Shaddai. I’m a student who came to volunteer as a teacher at the beginning of March. There is never a dull moment. I am currently teaching every subject for a grade three level class at the El Shaddai Primary School. I’m also teaching the grade four class Religious Education. Some days it’s been a challenge to teach, seeing as most of the students only speak SiSwati and have difficulty understanding and learning in English. It’s been an encouragement knowing that all my efforts have been beneficial in improving the students’ English skills. Through the tough days the Lord is teaching me patience and also very much how to think on my feet and be spontaneous. Improvisations are not my strong point, but are proving to be an important skill to have when teaching and even I (the teacher) am learning more in every frustration. The ministry’s school consists of about 120 students ranging in groups from daycare (crèche) to grade 4.

The Lord truly is the El Shaddai (The Provider) of this ministry. Kallie and Charmain are such willing servants of the Lord and their lives continue to be an awesome example and a big encouragement to me. They trust in the Lord for all of their needs and He continues to bless them. The Lord also continues to show His wild love for me each new morning. I get to see new miracles happen every day, which would usually go unnoticed back home. Like Charmain says, “everything here is done in-time, not on-time.” There is a huge sense of peace about any of life’s stresses. HFA teams and South African university student teams come up to minister each month as well. They have helped to provide finical support and the bricks and other building materials for new buildings. The HFA teams coming up in the months to come will help provide furnishings and other supplies needed for the new children’s dorms.

My devotion times here are phenomenal. The view from sitting on a mountainside rock is breathtaking and can only be really fully understood when experienced personally. It’s ideal place for reading God’s Word and journaling. The Lord continues to open my eyes each day to the many blessings He’s provided just in my life while I’ve been here. I have only experienced minor, temporary sickness and bug bites. The maize meal has made me strong and the Lord has kept me healthy. I believe that I have also made life-long friends with some South African university students.

The 33 children in the children’s home are the most amazing little blessings. While I’m not preparing lesson plans for the next school day, I’m spending time with the beautiful children. They are such a joy! They pour out love with their entire beings and their smiles and laughing warms my heart whenever I spent time with them. Their stories of overcoming such horrible experiences are such an inspiration as well.

The theme verse of the ministry is James 1:27: “Religion that God our Father excepts as pure and faultless is this; to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” It’s the most amazing thing to realize how truly joyful an experience it is to live so simply.

I plan to go back home to university in August and study to become a teacher. With everything I’ve learned and experienced, I hope to encourage others back home. Going home and leaving all the precious children of the Lord behind will be an overwhelming feeling. I very much feel that El Shaddai will be a part of my future as well and Lord-willing I want to come back again and again.

There are big dreams for the expansion of the ministry and I believe that it will continue to grow and be blessed. There is so much more involved in the ministry and I’ve only outlined what I’ve been involved with and had the privilege of learning. Every day I can see how the Lord has poured out His blessings in the lives of everyone living and working here. El Shaddai is really my home away from home.
God is so good! Thank you everyone for your prayers! --- Sarah Puiras

Footnote - Sarah's father left for Swaziland on May 26th to help with carpentry and building needs around the home. The the Lord richly bless the Puiras family for their hearts and willingness to sacrifice to serve.

"Must read" for June - Out of the Black Shadows

Out of the Black Shadows testifies to the power of transformation.

Join Stephen Lungu on his life journey which begins with a childhood scarred by abandonment. At the age of seven his mother left him standing alone in the village center with his younger brother and baby sister in his arms. She never returned and Stephen suddenly found himself living on the street. Stephen's life on the street led him to a life of violent crime and then he was recruited by the urban gang called The Black Shadows.

During Stephen's association with The Black Shadows one of his missions included fire bombing a town meeting for 5,000 people hosted by a travelling evangelist. As Stephen walked through the crowd and listened to the message, the mission he intended on carrying out was forever changed.

Stephen Lungu's Book is a spiritual thriller! So Fasten your seatbelt, hold on tight and seize the blessings speeding towards you. MichaelCassidy, Founder and International Team Leader, African Enterprise.

To order a copy of this book go to: www.africanenterprise.org Click on books/cds - at the bottom is an online order form

Building a home for girls - ALL FUNDS RAISED! Thank you.

Heart for Africa is doing a pilot project to begin our work to help "orphans in distress" (James 1:27) by coming alongside a Children's Home (orphanage) in Swaziland this summer. Our objective is to help strenghthen the home and help provide for many of their critical needs. El Shaddai is a home where children are loved, cared for, nurtured, and sheltered from the horrors they experienced when homeless, alone, abused, and abandoned.

What can you do?

We ask that you prayerfully read over the list below of the specific needs of this children’s home. As the Lord leads you to “look after orphans in their distress”, please contact Annely Allen at annely@heartforafrica.org . Annely will inform you of how you can make your tax deductible donation through Heart for Africa and help us “look after the orphans”. The team leaving July 20th will be working to complete the building while there if the funds are supplied, so please prayerfully consider this today.

Girls dormitory building
The paint for the buildings and the roofs - $1,700 US - PAID
The cement for the plastering and floor - $450 US - PAID
Crush stone for floor - $300 US - PAID
The windows - $75 US - PAID
Wood for the Roof - $500 US - PAID
Roof Sheeting - $1,000 US - PAID
Curtains and Rails - $700 US - PAID
Doors - $350 - PAID
-----------
Total $5,075 US - $4,590 raised - PAID

If you would like to help support the boys dormitory being built with the Heart for Africa November team please contact annely@heartforafrica.org today.

Connecting Point Live - Janine Maxwell tells her story

How did Janine Maxwell get her Heart for Africa?

On this Connecting Point Live, you'll meet a lady who just a few years ago owned a successful and prestigious marketing agency, but gave it all up to labor among the poorest of the poor in Africa. Join Pastor Wayne for this remarkable interview with Janine Maxwell of Heart for Africa. To view the program click on http://www.enewhope.org/nhn/ or go to http://www.enewhope.org/news/2006/april/28/janinemaxwell/ to read more about this story.

HIV infection rate rises to 59% in ages 23-29!

• Recent UNICEF projections released by, Dr Alan Brody, UNICEF leader in Swaziland indicate that, in Swaziland, two thirds of the population born between 1966-1985 will die of HIV/AIDs .
• The infection rate has jumped again, up from 42 % to 46% (TASC). The most startling statistic is that the age group between 23-29 has risen to 59%.
• Predators are on the increase. Abuse is being reported more and more often, affecting especially the vulnerable and lonely orphans who have no protection, no income, and no hope. More and more children are being taken into the care of unscrupulous community members who use them as cheap labor, slaves, sex slaves and housekeepers.
• The good news is that the infection rate of 15-19 year-olds has decreased! This is incredible news as this is the age group which the Beat the Drum prevention program targeted. Yet as the situation comtinues to get worse in Swaziland the need to get the message out becomes more urgent.

To see the Beat the Drum team at work please visit www.dearfrancis.org and order a copy of the magnificent film "Dear Francis".

Frances - a story of HOPE in a land of death.

Beat the Drum has a new hero in Swaziland, named Frances Shongwe. She is a student at St. Florence high school in Manzini. Frances is HIV positive and she has a six-year-old daughter who is also HIV positive. When the Beat the Drum team presented at St. Florence back in 2004 Frances confessed to Musa Dlamini, one of our Beat the Drum leaders, that she was HIV positive. It was the first time that she had ever told anyone that she was HIV positive. She was freed of her secret.

Since this confession, Frances has taken amazing strides in breaking the silence of the AIDS epidemic among young people in Swaziland. During the Beat the Drum program Frances stood up in front of her entire school of about 500 students and told them that she was HIV positive, and urged her fellow students to take action against HIV and abstain. We also recently interviewed Frances on camera where she spoke openly about her HIV status. During the interview, she talked about how God has given her hope since finding out that she was HIV positive. She said, “Beat the Drum changed my life.” Beat the Drum is going to show this interview with Frances as part of our program in the schools.

God is moving in Swaziland through people like Frances. She does not let her HIV status get her spirits down. This young woman has a smile that can light up the room. She genuinely wants to see a change for the people of Swaziland, and is willing to do what she can to help bring about that change. Frances’s courage is the kind of courage that can come only from God, and she is an inspiration to all of us.

American women working to save a Kingdom from death.

Holly, Becca and Beth are living in Swaziland - giving of their own time, energy and money to save Swazi students from death.

There are seven of us total on the Beat the Drum team in Swaziland, as of March ’06 - three Americans and four Swazi’s. We’ve become very close in the two months we’ve worked together. With seven of us, we’re able to have three teams traveling throughout Swaziland, educating young people on the dangers of casual sex. We cover approximately 40 schools per month and promote abstinence as the best way to prevent STI’s (sexually transmitted infections) and HIV.

We’ve divided our curriculum into four phases. My team is about to start phase two, while the others are beginning phase three. During the first phase, we showed a video, hosted by a South African doctor who gave us many stories and pictures that would scare anyone out of a lifestyle of casual sex. Our phase two curriculum goes into further depth on many more STI’s that the video didn’t cover. We give detailed descriptions on the symptoms, consequences and prevention of STI’s, as well as recommendations for treatment. We encourage students to go to hospitals for treatment instead of their traditional doctors (witch doctors). Unfortunately, what they call ‘natural healers’ are very popular here. Phase three is all about abstinence and respecting your body and others’ bodies. Phase four will be a summary of all we’ve learned, then the students we’ve been visiting each month will give us a drama, dance, or a song depicting all they’ve learned through this year’s curriculum.

This is an amazing experience and I encourage others to come and participate or give so that the program can continue. Thank you.

Beth Pilgreen – Atlanta Volunteer (6 months)

"Charity must become love," says Dr. Joseph Lowery

Thanks to all the volunteers, led by Jeff Kellar and Beverly Petty, who participated in a magical evening at the Rialto theatre in Atlanta on April 24th.

Dr. Joseph Lowery gave a passion-filled message that detailed the transformation that he saw happen in his own family after they participated in a Never Ending Gardens trip in 2005 (see Drum Major for Justice heading in newsletter for more information).

Dr. Lowery ended his comments by explaining that the bible says the greatest of "faith, hope and charity" is "charity" - but the newer bible translations agree that the word "charity" should be actually be the word "love". So the greatest of "faith, hope and love, is love". Charity must become love if we are to affect our world. Thank you Dr. Lowery and all who came and gave of themselves that night.

Malawi - here we come!

July 2006 marks the first time that Heart for Africa will be going to serve in the country of Malawi alongside Ms. Theresa Malila (top photo).

The teams will be planting gardens, working in the community and an "Extreme Makeover - classroom style" is in the works with some of the children going on the trips.

Cheryl Lowery-Osborne and her husband Bill will be leading a team July 5-14th cjlo@comcast.net.

Susan Page and husband Jerry Coffee will be leading a team on July 26- August 4th spage@hawaii.rr.com.

A return team from North Coast Calvary Chapel in San Diego will be joining the team along with 12 people participating in the DOUBLE MISSION (Swaziland & Malawi in 20 days).

There are only a few seats left on each of these two pilot trips so sign up today to get in on the ground floor of a "new work" that God is doing in Malawi.

Drum Major for Justice awards given to Swazi volunteers

On Saturday, April 1st, 2006 the SCLC WOMEN gave out their annual "Drum Major for Justice" Awards in Atlanta, Georgia. The event was hosted by Mrs. Evelyn Lowery, founder of the SCLC WOMEN, and it was an evening that will not soon be forgotten. Among the honoured were 8 students who travelled to Swaziland in June 2005 on a Never Ending Gardens trip to serve the poor and needy. Janine Maxwell, VP H.O.P.E. Initiatives - Heart for Africa, was invited to hand out the award to each student and to thank each of them for their "hearts, their hands and their feet". Please read below the acceptance speech given by Blake Osborne, on behalf of all the students. A message from the youth of America. God bless them all.

"On behalf of Justin, Michael, Jessica, Maya, Brandon, Eddie, and Jeanne, I'd like to thank SCLC WOMEN for this award. I'd also like to thank our parents, because ithout them, we wouldn't have been able to experience this great journey. I believe i speak for all of us when I say that our mission trip to Swaziland was one of the most memorable experiences of our lives. Although we were considered "youths", we worked just as tirelessly and as hard as all of the adults on this trip. We found ourselves doing things that we never thought we were capable of doing. I remember that Jeanne, not only traveled to Africa without her parents, but also willingly gave up her day off to go and plant more gardens. we are "youths", but we were on a mission. A mission to do our part to affect change in a world that constantly shows us in a negative light. Our Africa trip threw us face to face with some of the most desperate situations on the planet, a situation that many people ignore, and others scarcely know exists. The lessons we learned while in Africa will carry with us for the remainder of our lives. I, myself, have noticed a huge change in my own level of maturity, faith, and gratitude. Never again will I complain about not having enough clothes in my closet, or how unfair life is treating me. i have no right to complain about having alot, while others have nothing at all. The mission is not over. Until we become a world devoid of poverty, starvation, injustice, and racism, the mission will never be over. On behalf of all the recipients I would like to thank SCLC women, for it is an honor to receive this award, because it shows the world that we are willing and able to make a difference.

Thank you, Good Night, and God bless."

Dirty Fingernails: Journals from the Field - Ellen Genrich Volunteer

Africa ... was like nothing we had experienced before.

It enlarged our hearts, expanded our vision, stretched our faith, deepened our compassion and filled us with awe. The need in Africa is so immense and we were only a small group of 39 Americans. Could we make a difference? Could we help in a tangible way? Would it matter to a small settlement in South Africa called Motsoaledi? The answer? YES!

We came from all over the country, with different backgrounds and varied talents. We ranged in age from 16 to 81, male and female, black and white. We had several mother/daughter, father/son teams, one father/daughter duo, singles, college students, married couples, one engaged couple and one husband and wife who were expecting their second child. But we all came with one heart ... a heart for serving the people of Africa. And serve them we did. But what came as a surprise was what they gave back to us. A joyful spirit, hopeful hearts and smiles greeted us everywhere. Their gratitude for the small gardens we planted was overwhelming.

The children were endearing and completely captured our hearts. 70,000 seedlings later our small group had planted gardens throughout the entire settlement. We left knowing we had touched, been touched and would never forget the people of Motsoaledi. The Sunday church service was phenomenal. Powerful. Joyful. They expressed their faith in song, in dance and in prayer. There was no altar, no cross, no FLOOR. It was hot. It was long. But it flew by. Their love for the Lord was so strong it was almost palpable. They have so little, but they have what they need; hope in Jesus. We found His word to be resonating in the African settlements.

We had the chance to visit the Apartheid Museum where we gained new insights into the depth of South Africa’s struggle for freedom and a deeper appreciation for the democracy we were, by the grace of God, born into. Our half-day safari in Pilansburg showed us firsthand the beauty and wildness of the dark continent. We experienced a traditional outdoor African Bush Braai where we ate delicious, authentic, regional cuisine as the sun set over the awesome countryside and the full moon slowly rose. We also planted gardens at the Refilwe Orphan Project. Here we met the real victims of the AIDS epidemic; kids who, before being rescued by the orphanage, were living in garbage dumps, some as young as seven months. The week before we arrived they had found a seven year old taking care of two younger siblings. These are the true, heart-breaking, everyday realities of Africa.

This time we were called to go and others were called to give. Next time may be their turn to go. Whether here in our own backyard or across the ocean in Africa, all we have to do is say “Yes, Lord. Yes, Lord. Yes, yes, Lord!” He’ll do the rest.

Ellen & Carley Genrich

Luggage allowance changed - please take note

As of April 25th the new luggage allowance is 2 bags at 50 pounds each for a total of 100 pounds.

Matching Hearts Fund is a HUGE SUCCESS!

Thank you to all of you who gave generously to the Matching Hearts Fund. Between February 1st and March 31st we raised well over $50,000 and $50,000 will be MATCHED by a generous man of God who truly has a heart for Africa and has put his "money where his mouth is". Thanks to all of you who have done the same. Please read on to see how a young girl baked cookies to join her heart with ours. God bless you Andie and all who continue to help serve the needy people in Africa.



The children of Africa and “Andie and the Cookie Factory” Need Your Help!

This was the heading for Andie’s “Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Blitz” last month. Andie (now 10 years old) started her own cookie business at the age of 9. She created brochures and gave them to all her neighbours promising fresh, delicious cookies delivered to their door.

After meeting Janine, Spencer and Chloe Maxwell, she decided that 10% of her earnings should go to helping the children in Africa. It was the least she could do she thought.

Last month, she discovered the Matching Heart Fund and wanted to boost her efforts. She had $430 already collected and needed $70 more – and fast! She sent out the following appeal to her favourite, regular customers:

“Andie and the cookie factory” needs your help. My plan is to donate $1000 to help the children of Africa. I have made $215 so far. My mom offered to double it. That makes $430. There is an offer from an anonymous donor that if I donate between $500 and $1000 dollars to “Heart for Africa”, before March 31 he or she will double that. I need $70 more to reach $500 and that means we will be able to send $1000 to Africa! So, this is the chocolate chip cookie dough blitz. Please place an order before March 30 for chocolate chip cookie dough for your freezer. For just $4.99 you will receive enough dough to make a dozen of my famous chocolate chip cookies and the comfort of knowing you have helped some very needy children in Africa. 100% of your money goes to help in Africa!

Those trusted customers responded in spades! The $1000 target was reached! Way to go Andie. Keep up that baking!

Beat the Drum Private Screenings UPDATE

Tom and Caroline McGraw (and their entire family) worked diligently to ensure a successful event for the first Beat the Drum screening in the US. This event was hosted at the La Paloma theatre in Encinitas, CA on April 8-9 and was a blessing to all to came. The film Beat the Drum was shown and then followed by the important documentary Dear Francis - a film that follows 2 college students on their journey in Swaziland on a Beat the Drum program. (www.dearfrancis.org) . Special thanks also goes to The Glue Network and the Dear Francis team for there partnership and assistance at this event.

IMPORTANT NOTICE - the second of only five private screenings in the US of this award winning film. The Rialto theatre will host this event on Tuesday, April 25th. Tickets are on sale now for $35 per person (full tax receipt will be issued). This event will not be released to the media so please spread the word to friends and family and join new President, Ian Maxwell and his wife Janine at the Rialto. To order tickets please call 404-651-4727 TODAY. We hope to see YOU there!

Dirty Fingernails: Journals from the field - Bob Longbottom Volunteer

I’ve had a dream since I was a little boy that came true at the age of 73…to go to Africa.
God has a way of blessing us beyond what we dream on our own. My son Stephen went with me and we both left part of our hearts and a lot of our clothes with those wonderful people who had so little, needed so much, and were so thankful for what little we did and gave to such an overwhelming need. On the bus the last afternoon of planting, one of the team said we should have someone take a picture of our feet! Almost all of us were barefoot after giving our shoes to someone. As we labored in the soil planting gardens in their little huts with all the rubble around, we were able to get into a circle with them and pray for them and their gardens and ask God to bless them indeed. Tears were ever present as I watched my son lead those prayers and share his love and smile with our team and the African people in the village. These thoughts of course are ever so personal to have been blessed by laboring in the fields together, for Jesus.

After returning home to our surplus, it’s hard to imagine getting up every morning with the only thought, “I must survive another day and provide water and food for my family!” There was no lights and water in those huts. Some of our construction site scraps would build many of those little shelters that housed as many as fifteen. One young, beautiful, barefoot, African mother lit up like a Christmas tree when asked if she knew Jesus. She said, “Oh yes, I know and love Jesus, he is so good to me and my family!”

One morning at breakfast, Philip, our wonderful director who did an outstanding job of leading us and taking care of us, said that he was impressed by what Stephen had shared at the team meeting last night. Stephen said that his mom and I were his best friends and that when he learned that I was going to come to Africa, he felt that God wanted him to come too. Philip asked me, how do you become that kind of a father? He wanted to be the same to his children. I think I said that I once heard that the greatest failure in life, was to succeed at something that doesn’t matter!” I believe that he and all those who have dedicated their time and talents to “Heart for Africa” are truly striving to succeed at something that really does matter, to God!

I will thank my God everyday as I pray and think about my experience, the team that shared my dream with me, those that made it possible, and those humble and loving people who helped to change my heart and life forever.

Bob Longbottom
New Port Richey, FL

Couple Rallies Hawaii Residents to Dig Africa. By Susan Page

The “couple” in this press release headline is Heart for Africa’s Ian and Janine Maxwell, who were in “paradise” for the Mar. 23rd to 25th Hawaiian Island Ministries (HIM) conference, for various meetings, and to encourage Hawaii residents to join a Never Ending Gardens trip. Last July, I was among 53 people from Hawaii and 40 others from the U.S. mainland who went to Swaziland and planted a whopping 39,000 gardens. Mostly from First Presbyterian Church of Honolulu, we were eager to again embrace Janine, Ian, Spencer, and Chloe and show them our Aloha spirit. It was no surprise that the Maxwells “dug” Hawaii and it dug them, too. And, there was a lot of planting going on as well: planting seeds of understanding about Africa’s real crisis, about God’s miracles in bringing North Americans together with those who are hurting and hungry, and about how Never Ending Gardens “gardeners” can literally feed millions.

The Lord showed up in amazing ways, affirming His hand in every contact made and seed planted.

First Presbyterian’s Pastor Dan Chun included Ian and Janine in all three Sunday morning services, as Pastor Jordan Seng did in the evening “Night Life” service. They were on-air guests on the top rated morning Fox affiliate TV news broadcast and later in the week on The Mike Buck Show – Hawaii’s leading talk radio program. A luncheon featuring both Hawaii’s Lieutenant Governor Duke Aiona and Janine as speakers resulted in both financial support and sign ups for Africa. Daughter Chloe, 9, even raised some funds for her orphanage “bed” project. Janine continues to honor the Lord with her powerful testimony and her unswerving obedience to His call to help the most vulnerable among us – Africa’s children.

It also rained. And rained more. If only winters in Swaziland produced a little of this kind of soaking rain for the seedlings, I thought, while alternately bemoaning the thick gray clouds that came to drench Hawaii for, as it turned out, over 40 days straight. Noah and ark metaphors aside, the wet weather kept us all focussed on the mission rather than the beach.

On the Eve of the HIM conference, the Lord was tilling more fertile ground for Heart for Africa. New Hope Christian Fellowship, Hawaii’s largest church, led by senior pastor Wayne Cordiero, invited Janine to give her testimony on their widely viewed Connecting Point Live television show. This had been in my prayers for weeks. In addition, the guest on the show’s first hour was author of Out of the Black Shadows and new President of Malawi-based African Enterprise (A.E.), Stephen Lungu. This kind of an introduction between Heart for Africa and Africa’s leading Christian evangelical organization could have only been orchestrated by our Creator, who surely delights in bringing the “like-hearted” together. This new liason has already proven that partnering with others in humanitarian endeavors helps to produce broader results.

The HIM conference theme was “Give God Glory: G3”. With Divine planning, Heart for Africa was prominently featured with photos and all in the opening keynote speech by Dan Chun. Janine burst into tears of joy. And, the Heart for Africa booth in the exhibition hall attracted many people, some who have now signed up for the July 20 Swaziland, Malawi Double trip.

Last year’s G8 Conference on worldwide poverty and Africa had nothing on the Maxwell visit. G3 is all we need. Can I hear an Amen?
Aloha!

Thank you volunteers

Jere & Janet
Scott (left) worked
at the Heart
for Africa booth at the HIM conference in Hawaii. Both went to Swaziland in 2005 and are doing the double mission at El Shaddai and Malawi in July 2006.

Miss Hawaii 2005, Malika Dudley, joined the "Heart of a Woman" luncheon, hosted by Susan Page (right) and Jerry Coffee. Susan and Jerry are recruiting/leading a team to Malawi on July 26th. For more information please contact them at heartforafrica@hawaii.rr.com

Beds for Kids - by Chloe Maxwell

Chloe Maxwell is on a mission. She is going to Swaziland this summer with her family to work at the El Shaddai Children's Home in Swaziland and she wants to do some homework before she arrives. Her heart and determination is a testiment to what each of us can do. The bible says, "and a little child shall lead them." Chloe may not be little, but she is 9 years old and plans to build beds for every child in the El Shaddai Children's Home AND raise funds for beds for future children to sleep in.

In only 3 weeks Chloe has sold 37 beds ($50 each) to people in Hawaii (top left) and to her own theatre group in Canada (top right) and supportive friends and relatives. If you want to help Chloe achieve her goal of 50 beds, please feel free to help her by mailing a check for $50 per bed to: Heart for Africa 45 Archerhill Court, Aurora, ON CANADA L4G 6W9. All funds exceeding the bed drive will go to buy other necessities for the children at the El Shaddai Children's home. All donations are tax receiptable.

This is a wonderful project for your child to get involved in. Funds can be collected at Sunday school, in class and through work projects around the house and neighborhood. What a wonderful testiment to have children helping children around the world. Chloe can be reached at cj@hopesanddreamsteam.ca if you would like to encourage her.

Ian and Janine Maxwell on ListenUP TV – next week!

Journalist Lorna Dueck asks the hard questions about the transition of Dream for Africa to Heart for Africa and Dr. Wilkinson’s retirement from the public view. Be encouraged as Lorna reveals a letter from a senior member of the government of Swaziland (written March 2, 2006). In the letter Minister Lutfo Dlamini sends words of thanks to Dr. Wilkinson for coming to Swaziland and giving so selflessly of himself and his family. “Without him, Dream for Africa could not have achieved the huge success that you have to date working closely with the Swazi government.” He goes on to say, “His Majesty King Mswati III is desirous to see the partnership grow into success in the future.” And he asks Heart for Africa to continue to provide unique and workable solutions.

This television program will begin airing the week of March 19th. You can check specific network and program times at http://www.listenuptv.com/ . In Canada the program will air Sunday, March 19th on the Global Television Network, CTS and Miracle Channel. In the US it can be seen on Thursday, March 23rd on Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN), Salt & Light TV and The Christian Channel. Please note that the Heart for Africa interview will be featured in the second half of the broadcast. We encourage you to send your comments to USfeedback@listenuptv.com after the show.

Successful meeting - The Honourable Minister Lutfo Dlamini and Ian Maxwell

On March 2, 2006 new Heart for Africa President, Ian Maxwell, had another successful meeting with the Minister of Enterprise & Employment in Swaziland, the Honourable Minister Lutfo Dlamini. After reviewing the past and planning for the future this letter was given to Heart for Africa to further confirm Swaziland's ongoing partnership and thanks to the Heart for Africa team and our wonderful volunteers ... like you!

The letter reads:


3rd March 2006

Mr. Ian Maxwell
President
Heart for Africa

Dear Ian,

It is with great joy and gratitude that I write this letter to you. Dream for Africa over the past two years has brought hope, love and genuine compassion to the people of our country.

Through the Never Ending Garden program, hundreds of thousands of backyard gardens have been planted in Swaziland. Not only did your volunteers plant gardens but they also passed on the knowledge of how to grow our own food. Seeing your volunteers in the fields planting seedlings on there hands and knees while being studied by my people brought joy to my heart. Change is in the wind, and Dream for Africa has become a real movement and continues to build momentum.

The Beat the Drum HIV/AIDS project in Swaziland was one of the most successful behavioral change programs to ever run in our high schools. There are very positive signs that indicate our most precious resource has begun to embrace abstinence as a way of life. Our country may have the dubious title as the highest prevalence rate of HIV/AIDS in the world, but with programs like Beat the Drum there is hope for a future.

Our country is suffering on many levels. Our orphans and vulnerable children numbers are growing at a rate that almost brings sickness to my lips. This is a problem of epic proportion now and the World Health Organizations predicts that it will only get worse. Dream for Africa was not afraid of talking about this problem or formulating proposals to address this issue. Please do not let one failed proposal deter you from continuing to provide unique and workable solutions.

Please know that His Majesty King Mswati III is desirous to see the partnership grow into success in the future. We would also like to thank Dr. Bruce Wilkinson for coming to Swaziland and giving so selflessly of himself and his family. Without him, Dream for African could not have achieved the huge success that you have to date working closely with the Swazi government. We wish him well as he enters in to his well deserved retirement years.

I understand that with the change of leadership of Dream for Africa there comes a change of name - Heart for Africa. I am encouraged to see that the dream has moved into the heart. The heart is what keeps the body alive and I can see that you have a large heart and are prepared to share it with our people. I do believe you will lead Heart for Africa into the future with patience and resolve.

Ian, it was a pleasure meeting you again and please know that the Swazi people are most grateful for the selflessness of your volunteers who have come to Swaziland to serve. All of your past and future volunteers are most welcome in Swaziland. I look forward to working with you side by side as we put our shoulder to the plow of hope

Yours Sincerely,

LUTFO E. DLAMINI (MP)
MINISTER FOR ENTERPRISE & EMPLOYMENT

Good news for Canadians

Heart for Africa has been set up as a Foundation in Canada which is the first step to becoming a registered charity. The good news is that all donations will qualify for a charitable tax receipt moving forward so anyone making a donation on line, through our 1-800 # or by cheque will receive a Canadian tax receipt. Please keep this in mind between now and March 31st as the Matching Hearts Fund is only active until the end of this month. Tax receipts will be issued at the end of the year.

Matching Hearts Fund - March 12th update

As of March 12th we have received more than $30,000 in the Matching Hearts Fund. Thank you to all who have generously given. There are only 3 weeks left to give and have your donation DOUBLE. The deadline is March 31st to receive your funds in order for them to qualify to be matched by one of the people who traveled on a Never Ending Gardens trip to South Africa in 2005.

For a limited time (February 1 – March 31) this anonymous donor will match each gift made to Heart for Africa in any amount between $500 - $1,000 to an aggregate amount of $50,000!

So, that means if you go to www.heartforafrica.org and make a donation to the Matching Hearts Fund in any amount between $500 - $1,000 before March 31st, this person will match your donation! Please note that the Matching Hearts Fund does not apply to donations made for trip participation.

Of course donations of less than $500 or more than $1,000 are MOST welcome and will go directly to furthering the work of the Heart for Africa team. Checks will also be gratefully accepted. Please put “Matching Heart Fund” in the memo line of your check and mail. Checks should be mailed to:

Heart for Africa
Department 500,
P.O. Box 470650,
Tulsa, OK
74147-0650
1-800-901-7585

For those of you making a donation of $500+ before on or before March 31st, we will send you a beautiful hand carved African soap stone heart as a special thank you from our heart to yours. (See below)


“... but those who wait upon the Lord, He shall renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they shall run and not grow weary, they shall walk and shall not faint ...” Isaiah 40:31

Heart for Africa goes to Malawi for the first time!

Team leader, Cheryl Lowery-Osborne and husband Dr. Bill Osborne invite you to come.

When? July 5-14, 2006

"Last summer we went to Swaziland with our 3 children (and other members from Cascade church) on a Never Ending Gardens trip that turned out to be the most spiritually rewarding experience we had ever shared as a family. We had no idea how planting and helping the children of Africa would cement a dedication to service in the hearts of our own kids forever.
This July 5th we are returning to Africa to plant gardens, work in the community and deposit hope in Malawi.

Malawi has 12 million people living there, but 4.3 million of them are at risk of dying of hunger due to the current drought. That, coupled with the AIDS pandemic is decimating the country. We have been called as a family to help. Won't you please join us?

Grab a friend, a family member, or come make new friends whose hearts for Africa are about to explode in Malawi!! We are working on all kinds of projects that maximize our time in Malawi to help in creative ways...including planting, working with orphaned children and coming along side the African church to make a difference in the community. Please come share your heart, your time, your skills...your faith in action...with us, in Malawi this summer."

May God bless each of you as you spread the word and pray your way to MALAWI JULY 5-14, 2006. For more information please feel free to go to www.heartforafrica.org or contact Cheryl at cjlo@comcast.net

Thank You General Motors, South Africa

The partnership between General Motors, South Africa and Heart for Africa has been one of the most significant corporate sponsorship to date. General Motors - South Africa has made a huge and generous difference in the daily operations and work of Heart For Africa with their 2005 donation of 10 vehicles to use for one year, free of charge and maintenance cost. Africa needs businesses like GM who see the need of the people around them and find ways to use their resources to give generously to be a part of the "solution". The purchase price of these vehicles alone would be close to 2 million Rand ($324,440 USD) as the cost of a car is 2-3 times of that in North America.

Donating a combination of small trucks and cars for the transportation of volunteers and execution of projects, GM South Africa has had a direct impact on the following projects:

• The transportation of over 1,000 international volunteers
  the planting and distribution of over 200,000 gardens in Swaziland and South Africa
• The presentation of Beat the Drum HIV prevention program to over 100 high schools in Swaziland, reaching over 50,000 high school students (www.beatthedrum.com)
  

Heart For Africa is truly thankful to God and the people of GM South Africa for this partnership as it has been a vital part of the daily execution of everything we do on the ground in Africa.

Ian Maxwell , President

Heart for Africa

Why we Beat The Drum.

In Swaziland we currently have a team of over a dozen Swazi staff and volunteers who are committed to seeing God bring about the end of new HIV infections in their country. They have been joined by a handful of international volunteers, like Lindsay, Becca, Beth, and Holly, who have an equal passion to see God move greatly in a new generation in Africa, and have helped to make the project happen. Most of their ministry and time is spent in the educational format of the high schools of the country, in which we have been to developing a four month program to solidify the lifestyle choice of abstinence and marital faithfulness in their lives as the best way to keep free of HIV/AIDS. Please pray with us in asking God to bring this about.

Occasionaly the team gets to teach and show the movie in a community like we did at a recent Bulembu HIV/AIDS Awareness Day. The organizer, and American missionary named Don Smith, told us this: "At the community event SASO (Swaziland Aids Support Organization) had some Swazi staff give their testimony concerning their HIV+ status just before we showed the Beat the Drum movie. It was a powerful set of tools to get the message out. Our community day had approx. 350 participants present and to date we know 40 people tested for HIV status as a direct result of the information and movie but unfortunately only 4 of the 40 tested negative. Realizing people get their status checked when they suspect something is wrong does not lessen the statistics of 90% are coming out positive.

ONLY 4 people out of 40 were HIV-. [think about that] 36/40 were HIV+!!! [can you imagine]. Please pray for God to send His Spirit and the people and finances to stop this madness.

Heart for Africa, Swaziland

"Must Read" for March

Hearts of Fire, by The Voice of the Martyrs.
Eight women in the underground church and their stories of costly faith.

The Voice of the Martyrs is a nonprofit, interdenominational organization dedicated to assisting the persecuted church worldwide. VOM was founded in 1967 by Pastor Richard Wurmbrand, who was imprisoned in Communist Romania for 14 years for his faith in Jesus Christ.

"Women have always been significant in the cause of Christ. Hearts of Fire thrillingly describes the work of eight women whose mission continues to be telling the world that He has risen, and with that, resurrection comes love, grace, and forgiveness."
Mary Graham, President of Women of Faith

Dream for Africa renamed Heart for Africa

Sunday, January 29th marked an important day for Dream for Africa. At Unionville Alliance church, just north of Toronto in Canada, Dr. Bruce Wilkinson raised his hands in prayer, blessed the humble man who was on one knee if front of him and then anointed him with oil. Dr. Wilkinson then removed the mantle of Dream for Africa from his shoulders and placed it on the shoulders of this man, Mr. Ian Maxwell. The room was thick and silent as each person wasn’t sure exactly what they were witness to, but knew that it was of God and that it was an important moment in time.

It has been clear to many that God has hand picked Ian Maxwell to move this missions movement forward. With new appointment comes a new name for the organization. Dream for Africa will now be called Heart for Africa – a name that reflects the true vision while clearly describing all whose heart’s God has called to “GO” and serve in Africa.

As one Pastor who was on a Never Ending Garden’s trip in January wrote, “Bruce did the preparation for Africa through Dream for Africa and now Ian will lead the spiritual conquering with Heart for Africa. You have been added to our weekly prayer list and know that our little church will be faithful to lift you and yours before the Lord.”

Dr. Wilkinson has officially retired from public life after decades in ministry The Dream for Africa team thanks him for his courage, his heart and his obedience to his call to serve in Africa. May he and Darlene be richly blessed as they move in to this new season in their lives.

The transition of the new name will happen swiftly. The website is being re-developed, but all information can still be accessed at http://www.dreamforafrica.com/ or http://www.heartforafrica.org/ Our monthly newsletter is called "Soul Food" and you can access it at any time at www.heartnewsletter.blogspot.com

Please note that this is a name change only. All other business with Dream for Africa will transition directly to Heart for Africa and there will be no disruption in service, trips or donations.

WANTED!

Heart for Africa is in need of a web services company to work on our new web site on a pro bono basis. The new Heart for Africa site, which has been designed to provide a dynamic user experience, is now fully programmed. It is ready to launch, but we need the help of a web services company to get it up and running and handle on-going maintenance. If you are able to help us with this critical project please contact our project manager, Garth Armstrong, for further details, at 416-859-2679.

Come plant with us in 2006

Here are some of the current available trip dates! Visit our website to see changes or additions www.heartforafrica.org

• Mar 9 - Mar 18 to South Africa
• Mar 23-Apr 1 to Swaziland
• Apr 6 - Apr 15 to Swaziland
• Apr 27 - May 6 to South Africa
• May 11 - May 20 to Swaziland
• May 25 - Jun 3 to South Africa
• Jun 8 - Jun 17 to Swaziland
• Jun 15 - Jun 24 to Swaziland
• Jun 22 - Jul 1 to Swaziland
• Jun 29 - Jul 8 to Swaziland
• Jun 24 - Jul 3 to South Africa
• Jul 5 - Jul 14 to Malawi
• Jul 20 - Jul 29th - Swaziland Orphanage - 50 spaces only - FULL
• Jul 26 - Aug 4 to Malawi
• Aug 24 - Sept. 2 to Swaziland
• Nov 9 - Nov 18 - Swaziland Orphanage - only 23 spaces left (updated June 2, 2006)
• Nov 30 - Dec 9 to Malawi

Additional September - December trips will be posted on the website as soon as they are confirmed

2005 update from the President, Ian Maxwell

In the past 18 months 3,500 volunteers paid their own way to travel from the U.S., Canada and other parts of the world to serve the needy in Africa. Together with local African people 500,000+ gardens were planted that will feed more than 4 million people in 3 African countries (Swaziland, South Africa, Botswana). To date, our Beat the Drum program has been in every high school in Swaziland, with the full support of the Minister of Education and the Swazi government, to educate students about AIDS. These are huge achievements that could not have been possible without the hand of God directing Dr. Wilkinson and the Dream for Africa team.

Each day 30,000 children continue to die of starvation/malnutrition in Africa. More than 6,500 people die every day of HIV/AIDS and 14 million children are orphaned in Africa due to the AIDS pandemic. We must stand strong and forge ahead to the best of our abilities and God given strength to do the work that we have been called to do. I strongly encourage everyone to join us on a Never Ending Garden trip in 2006 - come and see the work that God is doing through Dream for Africa for yourself. You will be welcomed with open arms by the people of Africa and your life will never be the same.

Ian Maxwell

"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat."

- Theodore Roosevelt, 26th President of the United States

Donations Overflowing!

Lynne Laubscher, a Dream for Africa volunteer said the photograph shown above was just an idea of how two July Never Ending Gardens groups blessed Africa ...this is only a quarter of what was received and distributed to the needy. Over 2000 Christmas presents were distributed as well. Thank YOU for your open hearts and stuffed suitcases! Together, we are making a difference!

Dirty Fingernails: Journals from the Field by Lad Chapman - Director, Swaziland

Above photos: Lad leads prayer with two pastors and shows progress of Skumbuzo garden

To be honest, I was not expecting much from this flat tire. This being the 6th flat tire of the week, I was very familiar with the route to the tire shop in Nhlangano. To say the least, our fleet of Condors was ‘taking it in the tires’ during this November Never Ending Gardens project.

When I arrived at the Nhlangano Tire Shop to pick up 4 repaired tires and drop this 6th flat off, I was greeted by the manager, who I hadn’t met before, who acted like he almost knew me. This is a pretty normal experience for me on the one hand, because I meet so many people in Swaziland who have been blessed and impacted by the Gardens project and God’s provision for them through it. On the other hand, I work with so many people that I have a hard time remembering everyone…

The man went on tell me that he was so grateful for Dream For Africa because of the work we did in his hometown, Gege. DFA’s team from Shadow Mt. first planted there in February, and since then we have done two Phase2 plantings, in September with a team from People’s in Fresno, and in late October. He went on with enthusiasm to tell me that all Swazis know about “gardens,” but his family and community had not had them at their homesteads before. In Swaziland, “gardens” are typically community/ commercial gardens located by the river, grown one season annually, harvested, and sold for profit. Some of the produce comes home, but is only available and consumed for a few weeks.

In Gege now, he want on to say, his mother and her friends all have household gardens. They have food that is grown on their own land that they eat daily and live off of. The gardens are all [according to him] succeeding and there is enough produce to give a little away, and even sell at the market. He went on to tell me that they use the profits to re-plant their gardens to keep the cycle going. He thanked me again, as the produce of Never Ending Gardens changed his family’s life for the better.

In Swaziland, we as a DFA staff are so grateful for all of those who “prayed for, gave for, and came for” this garden and the 327,484 others that were planted in Swaziland this year. We have seen you come and represent Christ at the households of over 90% of all the communities in the country of Swaziland, and we pray the success of this account grows to be the norm for the people of Swaziland. Keep praying with us toward that end…

Lad Chapman

Volunteer teachers needed immediately!

Good news report! Sarah Puiras (age 18) from Canada got on a plane early March 1st to travel to Swaziland and serve with El Shaddai for 6 months as a volunteer teacher. Thank you Sarah for your obedience to the call, and at such a young age. May you be richly blessed as you serve the children of Swaziland.

Janine Maxwell - March 1, 2006

____________________________________________

Greetings from Swaziland,
I am looking for a couple of people who want to volunteer as elementary school teachers here in Swaziland. We need 2-3 at the El Shaddai children's home for 6-12 months. Needed immediately. The living quarters are lovely and the people running the home are amazing and love God. If you know of anyone, please have them contact me at janine@heartforafrica.org. Please pray that the Lord will bring the perfect people to these dear children. The location of the home is atop a magnificent mountain range in the Piggs
Peak area of Swaziland. It is one of the most beautiful parts of
the world I have ever seen. But the scenery does not stand
up to the beauty of the children. Although they have all been
abandoned, abused, starved and/or beaten, they are children
of God and we must help them.
Many thanks all!

Janine Maxwell - February 2006

God’s Gardeners! By Jodi Newton

"Give a man a fish, he eats for a day. Teach a man to fish, he eats for a lifetime."

No amount of experiences I have had in the United States could have prepared be for the amount of poverty that I saw during my trip to Swaziland, Africa. Yet, the feeling of love, hope and a future was evident everywhere....especially in the eyes of the children. Each morning I awakened with new energy to work hard to provide food security to a people that have every right to be encouraged.Our team of 10, including our Swazi minister Pastor Elias, provided 1100 gardens to villagers in the mountains of Swaziland, during our 1 week stay. With each visit we joyfully helped villages put up fences, plant and water their new gardens. Pastor Elias told them how to care for their new plants. Then the real "seeds" were planted. He told them the importance of having a Savior in their life. A Savior who knows all about them, where they are and what He has planted in their lives. We prayed with them. And then said our "good-byes."Many souls were saved that week. I believe that a portion of God's love was left on that hillside: in the gardens and in the hearts of the people that dwell there. I know that a portion of their love will always be a part of my heart. It was an experience that I will NEVER forget.

Jodi Newton, DFA trip '05

"Must Read" for December

Father to the Fatherless: The Charles Mulli Story, by Paul Boge A true story of a man whose life begins in desperate poverty, moves to riches, and finally servanthood, where he becomes a real-life demonstration of selfless love and sacrifice that challenges us to evaluate the cost of giving up all to God in the service of others.

"This book will challenge you to examine your priorities. It will challenge you to live as though you can make a difference, because you can. It will inspire you to share your hope as God wants you to, as Charles Mulli is doing."

Henry Tessman, CEO Concordia Hospital

Message from the President

When Dr. Wilkinson asked me to assume the position of President of Dream for Africa I knew that I would be in for the adventure of my life. And the first month has been just that. I have just returned from spending 3 weeks in South Africa and Swaziland where I have been working with the Dream for Africa team, visiting local church and community leaders and meeting with government officials. All of this to improve our systems and our approach to better serve the people of Africa and our future volunteers from around the world. 2005 has been a banner year for the Never Ending Gardens and Beat the Drum programs, but we know that we can make it even better in 2006.

Just like any other organization we need funding to continue with this important work. As the Christmas season approaches I ask you to consider making a contribution to Dream for Africa to help us move in to 2006. There is much work to be done and we cannot do it without financial assistance from people who have experienced the need and know how much more needs to be done.

If you can help us please make a donation today. If you would like to buy a friend a gift of life, we know that the people of Africa will be eternally grateful. Please join me in remembering each of the people suffering in prayer this holiday season.

I ask a special blessing on the children and pray that the Lord will provide for them in a way that only He can so that He may get all the glory!

Thank you and may each of you have a wonderful holiday season, remembering that Jesus IS the reason for the season.

Ian Maxwell

Dirty Fingernails: Journals from the field by Marilyn and Richard Simmons - Swaziland, October 2005 volunteers

One Sunday morning at Peoples Church in Fresno, CA I was atttending my Sunday school class and heard some of my friends tearfully talk about how the guest speaker, Dr. Bruce Wilkinson, was calling people to go to Swaziland, Africa. They felt deeply moved to go, therefore my husband and I excitely attended the next worship service. As Bruce began his presentation and asked who will go to Africa? I found myself up out of my chair, my husband right beside me. I didn’t know how we were every going to get that much money, but God provided. Then September 21st we were on our way. Our team was a family going out to plant gardens and plant seeds of salvation and spread our love though each plant to each person. What fun we had giving out vegetables and seeing these women running up to our van so they might have vegetables for their gardens. We had so much fun planting and helping the people of Swaziland. We prayed with them over each and every garden. We had such joyful times singing with the children and give them gifts with love, and they were so loving back to us so many smiles, so many thanks, so many hugs and so many joyous moments. My heart will never be able to forget Swaziland and the people.

With a thank-full heart, Marilyn & Richard Simmons

Greetings from White River, South Africa!

It is with thanks that I send this White River update. As you know, we have had more than 3,500 volunteers work with Dream for Africa over the past 18 months. Each time a group arrives, they come loaded with gifts, clothes, bibles, toys, candy etc. In fact there is often so much that we couldn't possibly hand it all out during their stay. We are very thankful for all that is given and given so generously.
I am in White River, South Africa now and want to send a special thanks to the groups who came here in June and July. Even after all the gifts all that you gave out to the local people while you were here, there was much left (as you well know).
Lyn and her team have sorted, labelled and sized everything that was left and has made Christmas packages for many children in local orphanages from what you brought.
So picture this, each child gets a wrapped gift that has clothes in his/her size, a toy and candy (or more). Now that sounds great doesn't it? Now, picture that 2,000 children will receive these gifts - all donated by YOU! Imagine.
AND, the Dream for Africa team that is here now from Atlanta has the privilege of attending a Christmas party for 700 orphans today and will be able to give out your gifts.
Not only that, Lyn was able to make up 300+ gift bags for the volunteers who helped plan and work at these parties with the soaps, toothbrushes and creams that you brought. There will be 4 parties in total. PLUS, more than 60 old and fragile Gogo's (remember? the Siswati word for 'Grandmother') were specifically blessed during the big rain storms with your umbrellas and rain ponchos.

Want to come back and do it again? We have trips scheduled for 2006 and they are filling up so please go on line and check out the dates. Our new website will be live within the week with all dates and locations. Register soon so you can come and serve again. There is much work to be done and the workers are few. Is God calling you back to Africa?

On behalf of the missionaries and children and people whom we serve in White River, South Africa, I thank you for blessing them all.

Janine Maxwell
Director of Recruitment

Did You Know?

• December 1st is World AIDS day
• Every 3 seconds a child dies of starvation/malnutrition in Africa – that is 30,000 children dying EVERY DAY
• There are 40 million people living worldwide with HIV/AIDS
• 26.8 million of people infected live in sub-Saharan Africa
• There were 3.1 million NEW infections in 2004 in sub-Saharan
• Africa 2.3 million deaths to AIDS in 2004 in sub-Saharan Africa
• 23% of all children in Zambia are orphans with the expectation to be 33% by 2010

"Must Read" for November

Jeffrey D. Sachs is the Director of The Earth Institute at Columbia University and Special Advisory to the United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan on the Millennium Development Goals.

Celebrated economist Jeffrey Sachs has a plan to eliminate extreme poverty around the world by 2025 by focusing on the one billion poorest individuals around the world who are caught in a poverty trap of disease, physical isolation, environmental stress, political instability, and lack of access to capital, technology, medicine, and education.

“If you care about development, and more importantly about poor people in the developing world, this volume is a must.”

Ernesto Zedillo, former President of Mexico

Dream for Africa welcomes new President Ian Maxwell

As part of Dream for Africa’s growth from its “launch phase” to “operations phase,” Mr. Ian Maxwell has been named Dream for Africa’s new President, effective October 1, 2005. Ian Maxwell brings a wealth of experience in business and people leadership having most recently served as Vice President of Operations for Onyx Marketing Group, one of Canada’s largest marketing firms serving such prestigious clients as Disney ™, Kellogg’s ™, Gillette ™, Kraft™, and Pepsi-Cola™.

“Dr. Wilkinson is a godly man whom the Lord has chosen to give this enormous vision to. I am honored and humbled to have been chosen to lead the Dream for Africa team into the next phase of growth. I believe one of the keys to success is coming along side and partnering with African leaders and Pastors to reach the needy people in their communities," remarked Ian Maxwell upon his appointment as President.

Dr. Bruce Wilkinson will remain as Chairman of Dream for Africa through the end of the year and will continue to fully support the new leadership at Dream for Africa, but will retire from his official post in the new year. He has decided to take some much needed time off and plans to spend it with his family. “Darlene Marie and I leave Africa as changed people and will live the rest of our lives seeking to better the conditions of those in poverty and great need,” he concluded. Dr. Wilkinson goes on to say that he is very confident that God has brought Ian Maxwell to Dream for Africa for "such a time as this."

God’s Gardeners!

Never Ending Gardens

Most of you have personally experienced the challenge and reward of going to Africa on a Never Ending Gardens trip. Approximately 500,000 gardens will have been planted in the short 2 years that Dream for Africa has been in Africa. Thank YOU for your sacrifice of time, talent, and resources to make a significant contribution toward food security in sub-Saharan Africa. The Dream for Africa team is continually encouraged by the testimonies we’ve heard from you. Phillip Shapiro and Lad Chapman, two of our Field Directors, successfully led 15 churches, and 3,500 volunteers in planting gardens that feed over 4 million people! More than 5 million cabbage, spinach, beet root, green pepper, and onion seedlings were prayerfully sowed into the desperate soil of South Africa and Swaziland. Now that the work in 2005 is done, we must all stand together and claim a God-size harvest for these precious people bearing the burden of extreme poverty.

But the goal for 2006 is even bigger with an objective of recruiting thousands of volunteers! We have set up a Recruitment Dream Team to help with this God-sized challenge. If you would like to help recruit or lead a Never Ending Gardens trip contact Janine Maxwell at janine@heartforafrica.org.

"Folks who make a garden, Who love to weed and hoe, Always seem less worried, Than other folks I know. They also seem more gentle; Their hearts with love abound; You can almost tell such people; By the look they carry around. Can it be that gardening; Plays a double role; Fulfills creative longing And cultivates the Soul!" -- Unknown

Dirty Fingernails: Journals from the Field by Tim Hunt - Swaziland, August 2005 volunteer

Planting gardens in the hillside community of Bulembu in Swaziland provides a wonderful opportunity to bless the residents and be blessed by them. Thanks to the excellent work on the ground by Larry and Kathy Rowe, who are partnered with Dream for Africa, our planting was superbly organized. Each of our two teams had an African mom with a list of homesteads to plant. We walked from homestead to homestead with more than 15 villagers. The moms, teen-aged boys and children planted each other’s gardens. We prayed a blessing on the gardens and the family and then moved on.
What struck me is the folks were living in what would be squalor by American standards, yet they were blessed for the African countryside because they had running water fed by a spring up the mountain. By contrast, each day as we traveled to Bulembu, we passed a family pitching water from a stream into 55-gallon drums in the back of a pick-up.
The stark testimony to the AIDS pandemic came home to us our first day when one of the village elders pointed to an abandoned homestead and said nobody lived there. They had all died.
The simple act of planting gardens to help the Swazis on the path to food self-sufficiency helps extend life and make a better life. It’s being the hands, arms and feet of our Lord and Savior.

James 1:27
This is pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father, to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.

Beat The Drum Update

During the summer of 2005, 500 college students embraced a 30 day adventure in Africa for the purpose of spreading life-giving information regarding AIDS and abstinence. They spent one week training in a classroom environment and then three weeks showing the film Beat the Drum to 111 high schools in South Africa and Swaziland. So far, over 50,000 students in Africa have been impacted by the Beat the Drum film! We are fully convinced the way to turn the tide of AIDS in Africa is through educating and inspiring the next generation toward abstinence. Watch this space for 2006 updates!

Yebo Africa!

African Dream Villages

With 14 million orphans in Africa today, Dream for Africa knows it is critical to begin the African Dream Villages initiative in 2006. We are continuing to work with local governments on acquiring the land to begin. Watch for future "Living The Dream" newsletters for updates.

Did You Know?

• 356 people die every hour of HIV/AIDS
• 30,000 children die every day in Africa from starvation and malnutrition
• There are 14 million children orphaned due the HIV/AIDS pandemic in Africa alone
• Swaziland has the highest infection rate of HIV/AIDS in the world
• 13.2% of the total population of Swaziland are orphans under the age of 15
• More than 4,000 teachers died of AIDS in South Africa in 2004

Is God calling YOU to Africa?

"Must Read" for October

“Good News about Injustice” by Gary Haugen.
Gary Haugen is the President of International Justice Mission in Washington D.C. He worked in the civil rights division of the U.S. Department of Justice and was the director of the United Nations genocide investigation in Rwanda.

"Good News about Injustice is a compelling read for anyone who cares about the oppressed. It's a MUST READ as encouragement for anyone who is actively involved in the fight against injustice."

-- Maureen Kehler, a Dream for Africa supporter

What Can I Do Next?

Our prayer is that you will continue your journey by partnering with Heart for Africa in these specific ways:

1. PRAY. Please pray for Heart for Africa. We desire more than anything to serve our great God with passion, focus, and excellence. Pray that the seedlings already planted will flourish and multiply for each household who was blessed to receive them.

2. GO. Tell someone they should join YOU on another NEG trip in 2006. Yes, that’s right! We want YOU to come again to help plant gardens of vegetables and seeds of hope. For more information please contact 800-901-7585 or go to www.heartforafrica.org and register for a life changing trip today!

3. GIVE. Support Heart for Africa financially today. The funds you give will be used to further the desperately needed work of Heart for Africa in 2006. Please make checks payable to Heart For Africa and mail to Heart for Africa PO Box 470650 Tulsa, OK 74147. To make a credit card donation log on to www.heartforafrica.org


These vulnerable children are living alone only 1 mile from our hotel in Swaziland.

“Millions have lost their lives in the worst pandemic the world has ever seen. We are faced with a crisis that spans the globe, and engulfs all of sub-Saharan Africa. Where infection percentages were predicted to drop, they have increased. The world's answers have failed. The church must rise …”

-- Adventures In Missons