The Sweerin's

To our friends and family, Merry Christmas! It is now the time in which we reflect back on the past year and anticipate the year to come. It is the time we remember and celebrate the new life we have because of Christ’s birth. God created a way for us through his son Jesus so that we could be reunited with Him, and have eternal life.  This year we are especially thankful for all the love, support, and encouragement you have given us as we were called to serve at the Mission of Love Orphanage in Zambia, Africa.  Many of you supported us in this endeavor financially or through prayer, and you believed in the mission to which we were called to.  In Africa, Nate worked with the locals on various community projects and started doing bible studies with them once a week. He was going through a book called, Firm Foundations. Many of the Tonga people have heard the gospel message and claim they are believers, but they show no fruit. Many see God as another spirit to appease.

To all our loved ones. We again thank you for all your prayers and encouragement during this time. We have received numerous messages that have helped us look to God. When God said in Isaiah 55, 8  For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. 9  For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. 10  “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, 11  so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.  God is the almighty creator and giver of life. He loves his creation who blatantly turns from Him each and every day. We follow the schemes of satan and our own sinful flesh. Jesus Christ is the perfect sac

We come to you with saddened hearts as we have had a rough past couple of days. For some reason God decided to take our baby home to be with Him. On Saturday evening Melanie started having some mild contractions. We assumed it was braxton hicks or a false labor and decided to wait it out a bit as they weren’t getting stronger. After waking up around 5:30-6 in the morning we could tell they were getting stronger and we would need to make a plan. By 7:30am on Sunday the baby was born and had only a few breaths before going home to be with Jesus. The helicopter arrived  around 8:30 and the paramedic attempted to resuscitate him but his lungs were filled with fluid and collapsed. It just wasn’t time for Elijah Dale Sweerin. Our hearts are broken as we question why this happened to us but we are trusting in God’s perfect plan. He knows exactly why this happened and what our families future will hold. Please pray for us as we try to heal. Melanie has been checked by several doctors and a hig

  Well, the first and most exciting news for our family here in Zambia is that we are having another baby! Most of you likely saw this a couple months ago on facebook, but we knew some of you haven’t  heard yet.  Due to various reasons that other mothers would understand, we didn’t know we were pregnant until we were 18 weeks along. And, yes, it answered a lot of questions we both were having during that 18 weeks.   God is soo good. We had an ultrasound done and Melanie and the baby both seem to be doing well. We have decided to go to South Africa for the delivery (due date is Dec 17) around the end of November and then return to Zambia at the beginning of January. We are very grateful as Jako and Amber have allowed us to use there vehicle for transportation and have helped us find accommodations. Melanie and I have decided we were not going to let another month slip by without updating all of you on how things are going here. In the month of July we were busy working on projects in

Wow, we have now spent 3 months in Zambia! Thanks to your prayers, support and a mighty awesome God we have grown in our faith by seeing God at work in us and in those around us. Each day brings its own challenges, but we are regularly are reminded of His strength, endurance, joy and peace.   He gives us the assurance we need to continue trusting and obeying   in Him. Knowing that in our obedience, His promises are true and we are safe in his arms. Isaiah 43:1-13 is a good reminder of that. God is so worthy of our obedience.   The past month has been good. I (Nate) had the privilege of beginning a Bible study with two men that work for Mission of Love. The material I am using (called Firm Foundations) is a cover to cover Bible study. It will be very good for us all to learn who God is from the beginning of the Bible to the end. The first couple lessons went well and I believe it will get more and more exciting each week.   For projects, we’ve been busy putting up a fence on our

Dear Family and Friends, We have been quite busy these last few weeks. We would like to thank you all for your prayers and encouraging e-mails that have been sent our way. It has taken some time for us to adjust to life back out in the bush, but there has been some recent updates that have really made it easier. Amber and Jako have done a wonderful job at accommodating our needs, and really trying to make our transition as easy as possible. We are currently in Lusaka, Zambia. Lusaka is the capital of Zambia and is about a 6-8 hour drive from Amber and Jako's. Nate and I needed to start the application process for our work visas, and we had to say our goodbyes to Alyssa. Her two year commitment was finished, and with mixed emotions she left Africa and is going back to America. Please pray for her as this transition will not be easy on her. In the prior weeks to her departure she was showing me the preschool and introducing me to Medis(the teacher) at Twana Little School. The comm

We have made it to Zambia!! We are so thankful that during the 4 days of travel God was watching over us. We made every flight and our luggage made it here as well.   As we arrived at our new home, we discovered some electrical problems that resulted in the fridge and freezer being off for several days. Fortunately, we were able to save most of the items as the freezer was still cool. It quickly reminded us of how dependent we are and how so many things happen out of our control but always within God’s control. This week has been spent getting settled in and adjusting to living in the bush. Jako and Amber have made us feel at home by preparing our room with anything we might need and giving us time to adjust. There are currently two other volunteers here helping out, Alyssa and Olivia. Alyssa has been here almost two years. During this time she got a preschool up and running for children in the orphanage and surrounding community. There are currently two classes with 30 chil

Greetings everyone!! With our plane tickets purchased for the 18th of April, we are starting to prepare our cabin for our time away, and start the packing process. Our loft in our cabin has been turned into a packing zone. Anything and everything we want to take is put up there. Hopefully we can fit everything we need in 6 suitcases or less. Fingers crossed... Let the organizing begin!! Twana School Through the internet Alyssa and I have been communicating about what some needs are for the preschool and primary school. Alyssa committed to live in Zambia for 2 years. In that time she helped with the starting of the preschool(Twana School). Unfortunately her 2 year commitment is up, and she will be leaving late April/ May. Since she is leaving, we have talked about different curriculum materials she has currently implemented and ones that we would like to implement in the primary school. As many of you know, it is extremely expensive to purchase valuable resources. I have sent e-mai