Her situation has gotten worse.  She is totally blind now and can’t leave her home or cook any food for herself.  Her 13-year old daughter ran away with a man and is now pregnant.  Her 14-year old boy, Daniel, is doing well at the school at Tumaini, but has to do all of her personal care, home care and cooking (on top of going to school and doing his homework).

She is desperate.  My mom had sent $100 for me to spend on food for her and that should last many weeks (cooking oil, flour, rice, dry beans, tea, sugar, bread, jam, vaseline for her skin, laundry soap and body soap).  She believes she can have an operation (cataracts maybe?) that will allow her to discern light and dark again, but it is $600. She has no income now that she can’t tend her garden, BUT she is thankful that the cow that she received from Heart for Africa back in 2007 and proudly announced that the cow is pregnant again!!!!  She is so thankful for that and praises God for that.

I took it upon myself to offer my mom’s help of hiring  a housemaid.  For $26 per month, we hired one of the other Seagull women (named Emma) to work at Mary’s home every day, 30 days/month to do her laundry, cook her meals and be her friend.  It was a blessing to Emma as she has no income other than the jewelry making and she cares for many in her home.  Hopefully between Emma and the son they can get the garden going again.

As we drove back to Nairobi I couldn’t help thinking about what a “bad day” is to me.  She is a 47 year old woman who is not angry or bitter and has a long list of reasons that she could be.  She is thankful.  I am a 46 year old woman with lots of complaints and often little thankfulness.  For that I repent … again.

There is much more to this story, but I will say that the Seagull women are fearfully, but stoically standing beside Esther and her family. Esther has now had to sell some of her own land to pay for bus fare to go back and forth to court (which has a high likelihood of failure at a high price) and our team at Tumaini continues to provide health and emotional care for little Florence.

What is it about Africa? I want to write a cuss word with an exclamation point here, but my mom will likely read this, so I won’t.

On my knees again… for the country and the people that I love.

Ta Kuan was a remarkable young man, a poet and and a peace maker.  His story reminds me much of Mattie Stepanek (for you Oprah fans). His was a message of love that transcends all pain, religion, angry or fear.  When he had his right leg removed he started writing poetry and his four books have sold more than 2,000,000 copies in many Asian languages.

It is in his honor that we have been invited to Taiwan on this trip.  I am humbled (in a really big way) to be receiving the Fervent Global Love of LIfe Award from the Chou, Ta-Kuan Foundation this week.  Yesterday I met another winner of this award ceremony and we were given one hour each to speak at a press conference held at the Chaing Kai-shek Memorial Hall (a hero of the Taiwanese people).  The woman’s name is Mrs. Lui and I wish you could all meet her.  She is a fire-cracker, business entrepreneur (tycoon type) and has been diagnosed with 4 types of terminal cancer, including advanced bone cancer. In January she fell down some stairs and broke many ribs and both arms.  Her 19 yr old son travels with her and cares for her every need.  Her torso is supported with a body brace to keep her vertical and yet she seems to stand 7 feet tall as she sits in her wheelchair.

Yesterday she gave a message of hope, of love, of joy and truly one of CHOICE in your circumstances.  In spite of her constant pain and little time left on this earth, she is still fighting hard for rights for the disabled and is committed to encouraging people to choose joy rather than anger, hope rather than fear.

Mrs. Lui is a true inspiration and I was thankful that I was asked to speak first.  Her determination and testimony is one that you don’t want to follow on stage

Today we join another large press conference at the Grand Hotel where we are staying.  Tomorrow we head off to Changhua Senior High School for the official ceremony.  More then.

Highlights of the next week include being given the Global Live Love Award by the President of Taiwan, launching the official charity of HEART FOR AFRICA -TAIWAN (which will come alongside our work on Project Canaan in Swaziland), releasing IS IT OKAY WITH YOU in Chinese, celebrating AFRICA WEEK with the Ambassador of Swaziland, meeting Minster of International Development, seeing our friends at Changhua High School and an extensive media tour.  Lots of fun, all glory going to the ONE who planned it all and called us to His purpose.

Will try to blog as often as possible.  Thanks for your prayers and encouragement.

I am back in Atlanta, Georgia and wanted to post one more blog on the topic of this funeral while it is fresh in my mind and in my heart.

As the burial came to a close and the final prayer was prayed there was a moment of silence.  It was pitch black except for the starry sky, but I could see young Vumeli sitting right next to the grave (she is the one in the photo looking at the camera).  Vumeli, age 12, was almost like a mother to her younger brothers and sisters.  Sarah used to go off for days and leave them alone.  That habit is diminishing as hope is being restored.  Vumeli was left to try to find food for them, cook for them and comfort them… all 5 who were younger than her.

The final prayer was prayed and then out of nowhere a small voice started to sing a song in English – it was Vumeli, sitting beside the grave.  She sang, “You deserve the glory and the honor as I lift my hands in worship and I bless your Holy name, for you are great, you do miracles so great, there is no one else like you, there is no one else like you, for you are great, you do miracles so great, there is no one else like you… no one else like you.”  She repeated the verses over and over, her voice getting stronger each time and by the third repetition Sarah was singing with her.  I have no idea where she learned it as she speaks very little english, but both of them sang it in perfect english and it was a most beautiful moment and a most beautiful ending to a day of peace.

As we went back to the homestead for dinner Sarah spoke to anyone who would listen and told them that there was no way that she could have survived this loss of a child it it hadn’t been for Jesus being with her.  She had decided in the days after Gcinile’s death that Jesus was her Lord and Savior and clung to Him through the pain and sorrow.  I believe that this was one of the reasons why there was unexplainable peace and love surrounding us all that day.

Sarah and the children are very anxious and excited to get back to Canaan and settle in to their new home.  Sarah will start work on Project Canaan next week, the children will head back to school and a new day begins.  Please join me continued prayers for this family as they move in to a new season with it’s own challenges, but with a new hope that they has never had before.  A hope in a Savior who loves them unconditionally and who is with them even in the darkest days.

I don’t think I really knew what God’s love looked like until this past weekend.  I understood it in my head, but my heart didn’t really “get it”.  Now I have seen and heard and bear witness to the true power of love.  Thanks for reading.

Gcina, the twin boy, FREAKED OUT (no kidding!).  Several of us immediately started praying for the child and that he would not remember this at all and would have peace.  I think he was only in there for a few seconds, but it seem like hours.  Finally he was rescued and given back to his mother.

Later, as the grave was being filled I had the joy of holding that little boy in my arms. He clung tightly and watch the men put shovel after shovel of dirt on the very spot he had been put in and pulled from.  Quietly he kept asking “Where is Masisis?  Where is Masisi (Where is my sister?)”.  I continued to pray over his life.

Traditionally each grave is covered with stones once it has been filled with dirt, but not this one. This one remains with just soil and pieces of wood (see photo) until the other twin dies.   Then he/she is buried there too and stones are put on top.  The grave is not finished.  We bought a stone cross on the side of the road to adorn this grave and remind people that Jesus is alive, his grave is finished and all glory goes to Him. It was the only grave in the entire family plot that had a cross because there was no money for the family to buy them for the others.  We walked back to the house for a meal with the family and at one point we all looked up and saw more stars in the sky than any of us had ever seen.  It was spectacular.  Psalm 19:1  says, The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.”  We all saw it first hand that night.  Amen.

(Gcinile’s grave)

(Sarah in the background sitting beside Gcinile’s coffin)

Once while I was in Malawi I found myself sitting at the front of a tiny church made completely of mud and animal dung.  It actually was a really cool church.  Because I was the foreign “Azungu” (white chick) I was asked, no, informed, JUST before the sermon was to begin, that I was the one giving the sermon. No matter how much public speaking I have done in my life, I assure you that it is a terrifying moment.

After Gcinile’s coffin was moved in to the family rondavel (meeting room) I sat beside Sarah to comfort her.  Just then Jabulani came over and explained that the pastor had not shown up for the funeral … this CHILD’s funeral. Okay, so…?   Well, you would be the next in line to give the message/sermon to the group.

Ah, no, but thanks Jabulani.  Janine, you must. You are the one that must.  Can you spell UGH in siSwati?  No, me neither.

Well, HE is faithful and as Jabulani said a long opening prayer, buying me 3 minutes to come up with something, the Lord gave me 1 Corinthians 13.   For those of you bible types you are thinking, “oh no Janine, those scriptures are for weddings, not funerals!” … and that is exactly how I opened up my message.  This is not a wedding, it is a funeral and here is what Jesus says about love.

My relationship with the Masuku family is one of true love.  I don’t pity them.  They are not my favorite charity.  They are not my pet project.  They are people, real people who bring ME great joy.  They make me laugh, we love to hang out and chat and yet if I had only sent them money or given all I had so that they could have more, but had not loved them, this would have been a different funeral.  Because of love they now have hope – hope in a Savior whom they didn’t know existed.  When men fail us, He does not.  I know that Sarah knows that now.

At the end of the message other family members spoke, and they too spoke of love – very unusual in that culture. They kept saying that they couldn’t miss or ignore the fact  that Shirley, Paula, Sherri, Mark, Kaleli, Anthony and Carol were there because of love, not duty and not for any other reason.  It was just that obvious.

Love one another as I have loved you. It’s that simple.

body and coffin.  When we arrived it was explained that she was not ready yet.  Not ready?  She has been dead for 4 days?  The father explained that the $100 paid for the coffin did not include cleaning the body, and he was sure that Sarah would

want to see Gcinile’s face before burial (quite common).  The problem was that they were asking for an additional $20 to wash the body, and he simply didn’t have the money after buying food for the extended family for 4 days, hiring grave diggers and paying for the coffin.  I asked what the $100 had included and they explained that it was simply moving the body from the hospital to the morgue, then the coffin itself.  I asked if she had been embalmed?

No, she had been in the fridge since Thursday, they explained.

Living in our society where $20 is really not a lot of money to most people I couldn’t reconcile the pain and shame on the face of a father that could not have his 5 year old daughter’s dead body washed for burial because he didn’t have $20.   I opened my wallet, paid the fee and we handed over a little dress for them to put on her when the body was clean.  They said they would be back in 15 minutes with the girl.

Much later we were called in to the mortuary  room to collect the coffin.  We walked in and they removed the lid to the tiny casket so that we could identify her body.  The face of a sleeping angel appeared in front of us.  So tiny, so innocent, so peaceful.  It was her.  We were sure.

None of the Maskuku children have birth certificates so it took some negotiating for us to convince the “authorities” that a child who technically did not exist, had died.  In the eyes of the state, Gcinile had never been alive, therefore could not die (yep, serious).  She is not even on their statistics list.  But today, she was noted in the history books of Swaziland and her existence was recorded, even if just in death.

We wheeled her out to our truck and loaded the coffin in the back where her dad and two Aunties road along on the 90 minute journey to the homestead and graveyard.

It has been a long time since I slept, so I will do so now and write more tomorrow before I fly back home to see my family.  Suffice it to say that today was a day of deep sadness, great joy and peace that passed all understanding. Amen.

I love God because he listened to me, listened as I begged for mercy.
He listened so intently
as I laid out my case before him.
Death stared me in the face,
hell was hard on my heels.
Up against it, I didn’t know which way to turn;
then I called out to God for help:
“Please, God!” I cried out.
“Save my life!”
God is gracious—it is he who makes things right,
our most compassionate God.
God takes the side of the helpless;
when I was at the end of my rope, he saved me.

^7-8 I said to myself, “Relax and rest.
God has showered you with blessings.
Soul, you’ve been rescued from death;
Eye, you’ve been rescued from tears;
And you, Foot, were kept from stumbling.”

^9-11 I’m striding in the presence of God,
alive in the land of the living!
I stayed faithful, though bedeviled,
and despite a ton of bad luck,
Despite giving up on the human race,
saying, “They’re all liars and cheats.”

^12-19 What can I give back to God
for the blessings he’s poured out on me?
I’ll lift high the cup of salvation—a toast to God!
I’ll pray in the name of God;
I’ll complete what I promised God I’d do,
and I’ll do it together with his people.
When they arrive at the gates of death,
God welcomes those who love him.
Oh, God, here I am, your servant,
your faithful servant: set me free for your service!
I’m ready to offer the thanksgiving sacrifice
and pray in the name of God.
I’ll complete what I promised God I’d do,
and I’ll do it in company with his people,
In the place of worship, in God’s house,
in Jerusalem, God’s city.
Hallelujah!