Reflections
Greetings family and friends,
The year 2022 has come to a close and we are already in our second month of 2023. I know I am a few months behind on updates... so I will try to give in short details what the last few months have looked like-
November- We prepared for Jako and Amber's return from the United States. Nate worked very hard trying to get our house livable so that we could transition over before they returned. It was kind of chaotic, but we were able to manage getting transitioned before they came. Nate left for Lusaka to pick them up, so all of the children at the children's home were great helpers as they tried to help me carry all of our belongings across the property to our new house.
December- The month of December is normally one of our busiest months as the school year ends. The plowing, and planting begins. There are 4 birthdays between Joubert and our family, Jako's mother and father visited, Christmas, New Years, and all of the children go on home visits with their extended family.
January- Before the children return to school, we go through each child's clothing and shoes to determine what they have. The children turn in clothes that are too small and also those that need mending. After this initial sort, we determine what new clothes and shoes they need. It is a very big job, and it requires a lot of time scrubbing, washing, drying, and sorting the clothes again based on what needs mending. Once the clothes are washed and checked, they get put away in totes according to size. Amber has managed this program so well. We are amazed how each year God has provided what is needed for these children. We know many of you have donated these items and it has blessed this ministry for many years.
The school year started on January 9th. Our teachers report a week before school begins to plan and ready their classrooms for the children. Since we have a new head teacher, we decided to do a large inventory on all of the supplies and materials at the school. The teachers worked very hard at preparing these lists for me so that we can assess and redistribute items as needed. Amber and I wanted to make sure we started off they year right so that we could better monitor how much supplies the school uses each year.
THANK YOU
We want to say thank you to those who have encouraged, supported, prayed, and given financially to this ministry last year. Your support has allowed our family to be able to help meet the growing needs of this ministry. For the last two years, we have been learning more about this culture, the people, and how to minister effectively to them. We have been challenged as a family to continue learning their language, how they think, and what they value. Our children seem to be learning more quickly than us as they pick up words and phrases from their friends. They also fill our house with Tongan praise songs that they have learned at church. It has been fun to see how in little ways how our family is growing in some of these areas. While the Joubert family was travelling in America, our family had the opportunity to grow in the understanding of their roles, and experience all of the different facets of the ministry: the farm, orphanage maintenance, care of children, school and community programs, baby admissions, community medical care, etc. The days were full and busy, but we enjoyed building our relationships with all the people that are employed here to keep the ministry running smoothly.
Children’s Home-
There are currently 19 children at the children’s home. 14 school-aged
children, and 5 babies. Each one is a gift, and we are blessed by their presence
in our home. We have enjoyed doing weekly Bible studies with the children and
the mothers. Each week we read God’s Word, worship, and pray together. In each
lesson, we focus on what the story teaches us about the character of God, and we
ask ourselves what is God wanting me to learn about Him in this passage of
Scripture? It is our prayer that each one will recognize their need for a
Savior and choose to enter into a relationship with our Heavenly Father.
The school has had a few big changes this year. Last year there was some confusions in the community about the school. The chief and his vice came and tried to unify the school with the community. We were so blessed by his willingness to come and bring encouragement to this community and showed his support for the school. The people seemed receptive to what was being said, so we are hopeful that in 2023 we will be able to see some positive changes.
 |
| Regina and Ement |
At the end of this year, we had 2
teachers step down. Regina has been with us for 10 years, and Ement 8 years. They
were both a great asset to the school and we are thankful for all of their
years of service. In January of this year, the community chose a new P.T.A. They
seem eager to work and bring some change to the school. With all these new
changes we ask that you will pray with us for:
·
The six teachers we employ would
continue to work well together, and our relationship with them will strengthen
as we work alongside them.
·
The newly chosen P.T.A board will be
able to encourage and strengthen the parent involvement at the school.
·
Wisdom and discernment into how to
teach the 125-130 students effectively.
 |
| Teachers: Mercy, Tommy, Ement, Regina, Lastone, Melisa, Prestone and Ethel(not pictured here) |
Nate and I are blessed to have Dan, Trevor,
and Bridget to help us, and the ministry with any needs that arise. Dan and
Trevor work more directly with Nate. They help him complete the different
responsibilities around here on the base- plumbing, mechanics, fixing animal
fences, garden, maintenance on buildings, maintenance of the school grounds,
and children’s home maintenance. Trevor also has the ability to translate for
Nate as he teaches his community Bible Study in Mukamba on Saturday afternoons when he is able.
Bridget has been a blessing to me and Amber as she helps us tackle the
different responsibilities we have here. We pray that these 3 workers will
continue to learn more about the ministry and see God’s hand of provision for
the children’s home, the school, and our families. It is our prayer that they
will see the love of Christ and desire to help extend His love to the
community.
Personal Family Updates
1
- Levi is teething, loves balls, anything with wheels, full of smiles, and loves the puppies and baby kittens, is walking some but not consistently. We really enjoy his silliness, the funny facial expressions, and his sign language signs on repeat (please, more, all done, please, more, all done).
- We started our new year of homeschooling in January. Natalie Grade 4, Clayton Grade 2, Lily Grade 1, and Hannah 4’s class.
- We are praying about coming to visit the states for a couple of months this year. Please pray with us as we begin to plan, prepare, and pray about the possibility of a visit this fall.
3.
4.
2022 Reflections
ar
In November, I wrote this to Nate’s family around Thanksgiving as we each shared with each other about our year. I wrote – This year has had many highs and lows. We struggled at times with parenting, marriage, unmet house expectations, and spiritually (our children can be very good at revealing our not-so-great moments). There were times where my thankfulness was down, and I did not have an attitude of gratitude. It is so challenging to have a heart of appreciation under any circumstance. Thankfully, I have a husband who is understanding, and sees the best in each situation. He encourages me to see the goodness of God in ALL things. This year, I believe God kept bringing to my mind this question- “Are you fervent?” God desires my(our) devotion. My (our)time. My (our)thoughts. My (our) all. It is out of this devotion and obedience that we can gain a new perspective, and be molded into who He desires us to be. Oh how badly do we need Him to transform and renew our minds.
As we look to our ministry here, we pray that it
would be led by God, and seasoned in prayer. We want to be and do what God
desires us to do. To be used by Him for His will and purposes. We want to
remain obedient to God and continue to show the love of Christ to the people
around us. We have many plans, desires, wants, and dreams for this growing
ministry. So please pray for us and with us as we entrust our family, and each area of this
ministry into God’s hands. We believe that His plans will prevail, triumph,
succeed, and bring forth good to this community.
If you want to partner with us financially you can write a check to
Faith Assembly of God. Please write Zambia in the memo line and send it to:
5112 Lafayette Rd.
Elk Run Heights, IA 50707
If you are interested in giving online please follow these steps below:
Click on this link below and it will take you to the church website https://www.faithassemblyerh.com/
Locate and Click on Tithe to follow the steps and make a donation.
Important Note: Be sure to switch from Tithe to Nate Sweerin in the drop down window to designate the funds to us.
Comments
Post a Comment