February 13^th was my 25^th birthday and
it was great to celebrate it in Swaziland, Africa! It started with a meeting
with a woman who was obedient to the Lord and started a free school. There will
be more to come about her soon as she deserves a whole story herself! She had
her 4 year olds sing me Happy Birthday, which melted my heart. The team decided to go into the Squatter Camp
today for ministry. We have been told that it is too dangerous to go and even
our translators have been too nervous. The Bible is clear though about reaching
out to the least of these and ministering to the poor. I believe that if Christ
were alive today, this is the kind of place He would hang out. These people are
among the poorest of Swaziland and need a Savior as much as any of us.   I broke us up into four teams, making sure
there was a guy on each team for safety purposes. As we ventured into the slums, we prayed
asking the Lord to guide our steps to the people He wanted us to talk to. We met a woman named Tembisile who took us to
her home and was pleased to have visitors. She is a widow with eight children,
two of which had died. The smell of
alcohol fumed off of her. She pulled up
benches for us and we sat talking to her and her neighbors. It didn't take us long to realize we were at
the local liquor store, where homemade beer was made and distributed. We met a
witch doctor and many others who came by to purchase their goods. We were served Coke and cookies as a gesture
of welcoming us into their social circle. 

 A woman came and sat
next to me and told me how drunk she was. Her speech was slurred and it was obvious she had a little too
much. As we chatted, she told me she was
a Zionist and wanted to hear the Truth. A Zionist will claim to know God but there is much ancestral worship and
false beliefs that come along with it. I
told her about Jesus Christ and how He was the only Way into heaven. At this, her tone changed and she became very
interested in learning about this Christ. She asked where I had heard this and I pulled out a Bible to show her
the words herself. After a beautiful
conversation, she said she wanted this Jesus as her own. A little skeptical, I kept restating it in
different ways and repeated the Scripture that we had just read. I feel like she really understood her need
for a Savior and we prayed together asking Christ to be the Lord of her
life. I don't know the condition of her
heart but I pray that some of the conversation sticks. We are told in Isaiah that the Word does not
go out and return void and I know the Lord wants her heart as much as He wanted
mine seven years ago. I am reminded of
Pastor Timothy, a pastor we worked with in Kenya. He said he came to know the Lord when He was
wasted and a white missionary came and shared the Love of God with him. Now, Pastor Timothy has a church and a school
and a feeding program and is reaching Kenya as an awesome vessel for God.

We cannot make the decision who should hear the Gospel or when
they should hear it. It is our job to
live the Gospel and proclaim the Good News to everyone. It is not our doing at all but the work of
the Holy Spirit. Christ came and died
for our sins and no matter how much of a disaster our lives are in, He is able
to redeem us and make us new.           
" Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father
of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles,
so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have
received from God." 2 Corinthians 1:3-4

I cannot imagine a better birthday present than sharing in
the joy of telling someone about the love of Christ. I am honored and humbled that God would
choose someone like me to help build His Kingdom. Please pray for this woman and the people we
met today who were caught up in finding fulfillment in liquor rather than
Christ. Pray that the Truth of God would spread through this squatter camp and
that lives would be changed because of knowing Him.

Thank you Lord for 25 years of life on this earth and thank
you for seven years of life with you!