Warren's Family Update - April 2009

Warren Family News - April 2009
Interested in following our day-to-day life here in Swaziland,
visit our blog for updates:
www.warrensinswaziland.blogspot.com


"Every person has a soul, and the greatest thing we can do is to share with each and every one the hope that we have in Jesus Christ, the Savior of our souls. " Franklin Graham, quoted from "aWake Project, Uniting Against the African Aids Crisis, 2002".

Greetings from warm and sunny Tshaneni! It's hard to believe April is already here, and that Easter is just around the corner ... seems like yesterday we were celebrating Christmas! It's been almost 3 months since moving to our area of ministry, and God continues to keep us in awe. He has opened so many doors here in such a short time. We are now "settled in" you could say, and feel at home here, but at the same time still experiencing many "firsts" .... I'm sure we will continue to have those as long as we are here!
This past month found us taking our first trip to the US Embassy in our capital city, playing "hide and seek" with a giraffe on the way home one afternoon, Bert being invited to become part of a local businessmen's weekly bible study in Simunye, and in preparing for our next volunteer team, visiting a new area in the Lubombo region, Siteki, and meeting a wonderful man of God, Pastor Sigwane. There will be many more "firsts" to follow in April too .... we will have the opportunity to meet with Ms. Kelly Woody, Swaziland's True Love Waits International consultant (April 6-8), attend the Swazi Baptist National Easter Services (April 9-12), travel to Johannesburg for our first Southern Sectional Meeting (April 15-20), and last but not least, welcome and serve alongside new friends from the South Roanoke Baptist Association's volunteer team from North Carolina (April 22-30). We will also have to say goodbye to one of our friends and fellow teammate, Kimber Ringler, as she finishes her term here in Swaziland and returns to the States on April 30.

MINISTRY UPDATES

Swazi Baptist Convention National Easter Services Each year the National Baptist Convention of Swaziland hold special Easter Services. Services this year will be April 9 -12th, from am -10:00 pm. This is a HUGE event celebrating the salvation found through Jesus Christ and the fact that He has risen from the grave, and given victory over death. Baptist churches from throughout Swaziland will travel great distances to attend. In addition to praise, worship and sermons, they will offer children's classes, and break-out group sessions concerning marriage, divorce, and life after the death of your spouse. Please pray that all attending will experience the true meaning of Good Friday and the resurrection, and also for safe travels to and from. Join us in also praying that lost souls around the area will be drawn to this event as well, and that they will find their own personal Savior this Easter.

Pastor Sigwane and the Maphungwane Ministry Bert and Pastor Sigwane have been meeting recently in preparation for the arrival of our next volunteer team. They have traveled to the area of ministry known as Maphungwane. Maphungwane is located on the eastern side of Swaziland, 30 minutes south of Siteki, where you can see into the country of Mozambique. As they traveled through the mountains, Bert asked Pastor Sigwane to share his burden for this community. He pastors a church which is about an hour west of this area. He shared that this was his homeland, but that he had never actually lived there. His mother and father had separated when he was young and he was raised by his mother in Manzini, the largest city in Swaziland. He shared how he had left home at an early age and became a “street kid”, which led him to later becoming a thief, drug addict, alcoholic and bank robber. After he accepted Jesus into his life and later became a pastor he was given his family homestead when he married. He travels in and out of this area very often working to repair the house upon his small farm, and during this time he became burdened for the people of this area. “The people here do not have any church that they can go to, " he explained. They do not know the truth of God’s Word and are following in cultic practices”. As they drove closer and closer to this area Bert could see his excitement as he shared how he was planning to leave his church in the hands of one of the young leaders that he has been mentoring so that he can come to this churchless area to teach and preach the Truth of God’s Word.
Please pray for direction for Pastor Sigwane, and for God to open the doors of ministry in this area. Also pray for the South Roanoke Baptist Association Team from North Carolina that will be ministering here April 22-30. Pray for safe travels, good health and that the Lord would bless their time together here in Swaziland.

Mafucula Ministry Update This is the area we first felt God drawing us to when we arrived in the northeast region of Swaziland. You have come to affectionately know these people as the "people beyond the sugar cane". Thank you for praying for this area, and as a result ministry doors were opened wide! During the South Roanoke Team's ministry in this community in February, there were many to make professions of faith in Christ and now they are regularly attending church each Sunday. Pastor Mabuska is already planning to begin a new believer's Bible study class where these new brothers and sisters can learn what it means to follow Christ and how to walk daily with the Lord. He also has a strong passion about reaching the youth in his village. Please join us in praying about a youth volunteer team coming to work here alongside this pastor, and the possibility of hosting a Youth Praise Camp, where youth can minister to youth. Please continue to pray for God's direction in this new area of ministry and for strength and direction for Pastor Mabuska as he seeks to further God's kingdom.

Looking ahead into future HIV/AIDS Ministry The statistics say that 40% of the one million people living in Swaziland are infected with HIV/AIDS. This means that 4 out off every 10 people that we meet are infected with this devastating virus. Statistics also report that the average life expectancy now is 30 to 32 yrs of age, this is leaving a huge gap in the population. These are school teachers, policemen, community leaders, doctors, nurses, farmers and the like. There are many, many children left behind without a mother or a father, or both, with no choice but to try and survive without any or little help. Reaching the ones here that are infected is proving to be difficult as it is a shameful thing to reveal that one is infected. The Lord is burdening us with the fact that they are right here in our backyard, and that they are dying every day without the knowledge of His saving grace and mercy. Before arriving in Swaziland, neither of us felt this call or even equipped to minister to AIDS patients and their families. Funny how God changes and re-directs our plans, and uses us where we are the weakest. He is leading us to research ways that we can reach into this culture in a way that brings spiritual hope through Christ and physical relief from their sufferings. We have learned that in each community/village there are older ladies (makes) and grandmothers (gogos) that know these that are sick and are not physically able to get to the local clinic for help. We have learned that these ladies are already serving their neighbors and caring for the sick. Please join us in praying for avenues to be able to connect the local church with these community servants, and that together we can minister to the physical and spiritual needs of these communities through this grass roots level. Please pray for the millions of people affected by this deadly disease, and that God would direct our steps as to how He would use us here so that the Hope of Jesus Christ can be revealed and shared with those who are dying without any hope.
For more information on HIV/AIDS, and other epidemics around the world, and their relief efforts, please visit the Baptist Global Response website, www.gobgr.org, or www.baptistglobalresponse.com.

Personal Prayer Requests:

~ Continue to pray for Lisa's Dad, Lloyd Claiborne. The carotid artery surgery scheduled for last month was postponed as you may know, and he has been awaiting test results concerning the condition of his heart. Tests revealed that he has scar tissue at the bottom of his heart as the result of an undetected heart attack sometime in the past. His heart doctor has now given approval to proceed with the neck surgery as soon as possible due to the risk of a stroke. We are waiting to hear from Raleigh as to when that will be scheduled. Thank you for continuing to remember my parents in your prayers during this time.

~ Pray for Bert's mom, Julia Warren, as she will be visiting a specialist on April 9th concerning struggles with her diabetes. Please pray for wisdom for her doctor, and direction that will help her maintain consistent and healthy sugar levels.

~ Pray for Lisa's friend, Lisa Gordon Whitby, as she battles leukemia, and awaits test results for possible stem cell transplant. Pray for her family, and especially her son, Holt, as he struggles with missing his Mom, and understanding all of this.

~ Pray for Lacie Allen, Steve and Monica's daughter, as she undergoes surgery on April 29th to have her tonsils and adenoids removed.

~ Pray for Wayne Myers's three brothers and one sister experiencing health problems. Especially remember Terry undergoing chemo and radiation for Stage 4 Cancer.

~ Pray for Kimber Ringler as she finishes out her term this month, and returns to the States on April 30th. Pray for good closure, sweet goodbyes, safe travel and for what God has in store for her as the next chapter of her life begins.

~ Praise God for all the many ways He has provided in our housing situation. Thank you for continuing to pray for God's will in the sale of our home back in the States. We recently had some showings during the month of March, and are awaiting feedback!

In closing, I wanted to share a devotion I read from Pastor Greg Laurie this morning. "God wrote His name on you when you gave your life to Christ. He invested Himself in you. That's why YOU can make a difference. God wants to use you, and He has a place for you—a part for you to play, a seed for you to sow, a call for you to answer." Each time I think about that, it is so humbling to me ... to know that God WANTS to use such a regular, ordinary person as myself. He wants to use YOU and ME ... isn't it great to know that He has the perfect plan for each of us, no matter where we may be in this world!

Thank you for continuing to hold the rope of prayer, and how you are constantly on your knees for us ...
Wishing you and your family a beautiful Easter celebrating our victory in Jesus!


Serving Him together,

~ The Warren Family ~bert, lisa, jessie, matthew & sarah


Is God calling you to come minister in Swaziland? Is it through a vision trip, prayer walking, revival services, VBS, children/youth camps, homestead visitations, medical missions, evangelism? If you or your church are interested in learning more about short-term mission trips, please email us ... we'd love to have you!
Is He calling you to join the front lines of battle in intercessory prayer for the people of Swaziland, and the Swazi Team?Intercessory prayer is prayer for others. One study Bible defines intercession as "holy, believing, persevering prayer whereby someone pleads with God on behalf of another or others who desperately need God's intervention." If you feel led to join our prayer team, please let us know and we will be sure to forward you weekly team prayer updates and requests.

Ways to Connect ....

Email:warrensinafrica@gmail.com (Family)motocrossboy95@gmail.com (Jessie)swazimonkeyboy@gmail.com (Matthew)

Mailing Address:
Bert & Lisa Warrenc/o Steve & Monica AllenPost Office Box 4480Manzini, Swaziland

Swazi Team Blogs/Web Pages:Allen Family Blog: http://www.allensinafrica.blogspot.com/
Kimber Ringler's Blog: www.kimber-swazitales.blogspot.com
Swazi Team Website: www.swazimissions.org
Warren Family Blog: www.warrensinswaziland.blogspot.comWarren Photo Albums: www.photobucket.com/warrensinswaziland