“To Him be glory forever”

We can’t believe our husbands are about to be back home Saturday! They have had an absolute amazing time. The Spragg family has been so awesome loving on our husbands! Charity has been the one sending all the pictures and videos to us for the blog! It is going to be so bittersweet for our guys to have to leave the Spraggs and for them to have to say goodbye again. We are so thankful for the opportunity the guys had to go serve along side of our family and brother and sister in Christ! One of the guys sent his wife a message saying “his heart had been broken and the Lord has filled it with His spirit.” The Lord is so so good!

Yesterday, the guys were able to finish building the Gogos house. She was praising God for her new house. They also were able to go on more home visits yesterday! What a blessing it is to be able to love on each person at their home and provide some food for them! When you see how thankful they are for just a few basic things, you realize how much we take things for granted. What if we were to REALLY live as if everything we have is not ours? God will use what we have for His glory if we surrender all to Him. Last night, the guys did some laundry and the power went out before dinner. Some of the Swazi staff cooked them a Swazi meal and they ate dinner with their hands by candlelight. Today, the guys went on a Hike. They said they really have seen a “dry and weary land.” That verse is something we just read over and not think much about especially with all the rain we have had, but there they have lost many animals, people, and crops because of the drought.

Today’s verses:
Jeremiah 23:23-24
23 “Am I a God at hand, declares the LORD, and not a God far away? 24 Can a man hide himself in secret places so that I cannot see him? declares the LORD. Do I not fill heaven and earth? declares the LORD. ”

Romans 11:33-36-
33 “Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! 34 “For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?” 35 “Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid?”
36 For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.”

Pray for our husbands as they travel home. Also be praying for the Spragg family as they will have to say goodbye again. Pray that they will continue to feel all of our prayers and see God move in mighty ways!
We worship a GREAT God! So thankful He has not hidden himself from us, but He is very much at hand! Praising God today for the work He has accomplished through our husbands. Praying that the Swazis would cling to the Lord, know He is faithful, trust him, honor him, and see Him glorified in their people! Nothing is impossible with our God!

Beautiful

Gogo Mavembela’s finished house!

She was singing praises to God!

All the guys that worked on the house!

Fun with the Spragg boys!

Home visits

Home visits

Drying laundry

Making memories!

Hiking!

” Among the Nations”

Today we have lots of pictures for you to enjoy. The guys are continuing to work on Gogo Mavembela’s home. They started today off with devotions at her house. Please pray for her health today as she went to the doctor. The guys also went on a home visit yesterday so you will see pictures of that as well.
Today’s verses:
1 Chronicles 16:23-25
23 Sing to the Lord, all the earth! Tell of His salvation from day to day.
24 Declare His glory among the nations, His marvelous works among all the peoples!
25 For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised, and He is to be held in awe above all gods.
How great is our God! Pray for His name to be made known and declared among the people in Nsoko and throughout Swaziland. Pray for the Holy Spirit to convict hearts and for the eyes of the blind to be opened! Praying for our husbands to depend on the Lord and be strengthened and renewed in Him today! Thankful for what He is doing in this place! “Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us”

Home visit

Hang out time at the team house after dinner!

Devotion time!

Working hard!

“Your steadfast love is better than life.”

Today, the guys are working on building a house for a Gogo. This will be a one room house, but will provide the perfect shelter for her. Her house was made of mud and sticks and had so many leaks and holes throughout. This morning they got a big truck load of sand, and then unloaded it all so they could mix it with the concrete mixture for the house. We can’t wait to see the house completed.

Loading the truck with sand! Temps are over 100 degrees the next couple of days!

God’s work done in God’s way will never lack God’s supply.”~James Hudson Taylor

Today’s verse:

Psalm 63:1-3
63 1 “O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you;
my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water. 2 So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory. 3 Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you.”

Our guys have been able to see literal dry land. Pray that God would send rain to Swaziland in this time of drought. How awesome it is to know that God is our “thirst” quencher! When we wake up He is right there waiting to talk to us! How incredible it is that our Father is waiting for us to earnestly seek him! Praying for our guys as they build the house for the Gogo. Pray that even while building this house, God would bring people their way who do not know him and that their hearts would be opened to the gospel!

“He who calls you is faithful!”

The guys are having an absolute incredible trip! They have been able to be with the Spragg family everyday, which is a huge blessing!! Today, they were able to have worship with the AIM staff. They said it was amazing! Tomorrow they will be helping build a home for a Gogo (grandma).  She is so thankful and overwhelmed with excitement!
Verses for today:

Psalm 61:1-3:
“Hear my cry, O God; listen to my prayer. From the ends of the earth I call to you, I call as my heart grows faint; lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the foe.”

2 Thessalonians 1:11-12:
11 “To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power,
12 so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.”

What an encouragement to know that no matter where we are geographically, physically, emotionally, and spiritually, we can call out to God and He hears our cries. I’m so glad that our HOPE is not in this world, it is in Jesus Christ!

Pray that Caleb, Matheney, Jeff, Corey, Evan, Stephen and Joseph, would be led by the Holy Spirit, changed by the Holy Spirit and experience great power in the Holy Spirit today, so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in them. We are rejoicing, praying and thanking God daily for all that He is doing through them in this amazing country! Pray for continued strength, rest and pursuit of Jesus! “He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.”

Worship with AIM staff!

“A First Timers Perspective”

One of our guys was able to share today for the blog!! Enjoy!

As we near the halfway point of our time in Swaziland I want to share a few personal reflections.

1. One people, two nations – Psalms 33:8 says “Let all the earth fear the Lord, let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him.” It has been amazing to worship and experience life with another culture and people group. As Joseph spoke of on Saturday while meeting with the pastors we should not be living for our American culture or our Swazi culture but rather we should be living for a kingdom culture.
2. Eternal joy and standing despite circumstances – the Swazi people have great joy. What I love most are the smiles, laughs, and reactions to my poor attempts at SiSwati (their language). The average American would think with limited resources including food and water that there is nothing to be thankful for. The Swazi people do not share this poor outlook on circumstances. Their faith and standing with the Lord and his grace show as I have interacted with them during church, revival, and sports ministry.
3. Prayer – We have spent each morning in devotions talking about prayer and each man leads us day to day. Glossing over scripture from Matthew to Luke to James to Hebrews to Lamentations shows how vital prayer is to daily life. I have been so convicted as a man to offer myself to the Lord and allow the Spirit to lead and communicate in order that His name may be glorified.
4. The Spraggs – I am beyond thankful for the rich blessing this family is to the people of Swaziland. Their fear of the Lord and their desire to follow his every command is encouraging as a believer and a friend. They are loved by the community and it is certainly because they are showing the love of the gospel and of Christ to the people of Nsoko.

Please continue to pray for:

1.The people of Nsoko – Charity shared the people are expected to be expunged by 2050 because of disease, resources, and sin. To combat this pray for Godly men to lead the communities, for a biblical view / practice of sexuality, and for the people to know Jesus and the one, true, living God.
2.The Spraggs – God’s continued guidance and rich blessing on their ministry to the people of Nsoko and their children.
3.Our wives and families who carry on without us.

Here are some pictures from last night and today! Some pictures are a little blurry because it was so dark, but you can still enjoy!

Community worship last night!! They got in the Word and sang until 12 am! Love these long worship times!

Church this morning!

Rest time!

A game of Old Maid!

Beautiful Sunset! So thankful for this group of men serving the Lord!!

Look at those Skies!!

God provides!

Today was the sport ministry day!! There were kids coming from everywhere! They had over 365 kids and some parents come to  participate and eat lunch!! How amazing is this!! Tonight they had a community concert they have been practicing for. Hearing everyone come together and worship in Swazi is beautiful and will give you chills! God is providing opportunities daily for us to share His love to others!! He gives us perfect times at work, the grocery store, and different places to share the gospel! It is crazy to think about how many people we come into contact with daily who don’t know or understand God’s love for them, but are just waiting to be told! We need to be the feet of Jesus!

Verse for today:

Psalm 36:7-9:

“How precious is your steadfast love, O God! The children of mankind take refuge in the shadow of your wings. They feast on the abundance of your house, and you give them drink from the river of your delights. For with you is the fountain of life; in your light do we see light.”
Pray that the team will see and can portray that the Lord provides an abundance of “food” and “drink” through Him and that this He is the only one who can satisfy and sustain us. Pray that the Lord would reveal himself as a provider and protector while they are there for the team and the children! Lastly, pray for the Holy Spirit to surround them, specifically tonight at the “concert.”Praying  they will all be encouraged and fall at the feet of the Lord in worship!

Getting ready for Sports Ministry!

Playtime

Pure sweetness!

Beautiful feet

Our husbands spent the morning at the anchor center playing with some of the kids before heading to the Timbutini Christmas party. There are so many amazing pics from today! The pictures and videos below will speak louder than words.

Verse for today:

Romans 10:13-15:
13 For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
14 How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?
15 And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!”

So thankful our men and the Spragg family have answered the call to serve and spread the good news. Pray for the hearts of those who they encounter. Pray that the Lord would use these conversations as a mechanism for the reality of the gospel in their lives and that He would speak His truth through the team. Pray for lives to be changed and hearts to be transformed and renewed by the saving grace of our Savior. So thankful for the team’s beautiful feet serving our great God!

Day at Timbutini

 

Dinner at Nisela Game reserve/restuarant

Luke did not last through the rehearsal either.

Sweet Hannah and Titus during rehearsal! Sleeping in Caleb’s bed

Swazi soil!

The guys are officially in Swaziland and all settled in for a good night of rest after an amazing day! They woke up early this morning and had time in the Word before getting on the road. They made it there at 4 pm. The pictures below show the excitement in their eyes! Our husband’s hearts will be forever changed, even those who are visiting again. There is something about seeing these kids and their desperate need for God’s love and relationship that just tugs at your heart. The Spragg kids were so excited to be reunited with everyone! Today they were able to play soccer with some kids, and already are building relationships. It is amazing to think that God uses soccer to break down any barriers and allow relationships to form! Our hearts are overjoyed with excitement for each of our husbands! We have all felt such a peace knowing that this is exactly where God wants them! We have such an incredible opportunity here to be able to pray for them and Swaziland! God is moving and we are ready to see all that He has in store! !
The verses for today is:
Hebrews 12:28-29. “Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire.”Pray for God’s consuming fire to radiate through the hearts of our husbands. Pray for that same fire to consume the Swazi people. Pray that the fire stays in Swaziland even after our husband’s leave. Pray for their worship time together; not only singing and praying, but their serving too. May it all be pleasing to our Savior and bring glory to His name!

On the way to Swaziland!

On the border in Swaziland

Reunited with the Spragg kids!

Getting ready to play soccer

Soccer time!

Supper time at the Spraggs!

Our husbands are in Africa!

After weeks of preparation and praying, the guys have finally made it to Africa. This is the first “all guys” trip to Swaziland so we will be blogging for them along with pictures from Charity and the team.All of us wives have decided to take a day and share a verse with each other along with what we will be praying for each day.

Today’s verse is:

Psalm 46:10-“Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!”

Please be praying that our husbands will all have rest and sleep for tonight. Pray that God would prepare their hearts for what they will see and do. Pray that they will be able to see exactly what God would have us do as a church in Nsoko!

Reunited with Stephen Spragg at the airport!

Enjoying dinner after a long flight.

Charting New Territory

Six young men from the Warren Grovetown Campus have answered God’s call to go to Swaziland.  They left Warren Tuesday at 11am and will return on November 14.

They will be traveling to Nsoko, where our Warren missionaries, the Spragg family serves.  They will be leading two revivals in Nsoko before heading to Timbutini, one of our care points.  At Timbutini, they will participate in our children’s Christmas party.  They will also lead a night of worship for all of the missionaries who are serving in Swaziland.  This will not be just missionaries who serve with AIM, but any missionary who is serving in the country is invited to come.  What an amazing time this will be as voices are lifted up to our Lord as they praise Him and intercede for Swaziland and her people.

Swaziland is currently experiencing a severe and life threatening drought. The people can’t grow crops and feed their livestock.  They are in desperate need for your prayers.

Please pray for this team: Stephen Newman (leader), Joseph Humphreys, Evan Davis, Jeff Grantham, Caleb Mellinger, Corey Baxter, Matheney Saxon