Myers Weekly Prayer Letter

The Swazi Team enjoyed a wonderful 4th of July celebration at the home of the Allens in Mbabane.  The weather was in no way agreeable but all the guests enjoyed a time of food, fellowship and fun inside instead of a traditional American outdoor gathering.  Heather, Sienna, Kim and Brandi (Hands On missionaries) were able to join us as well as Jimmy and Karen Moore.  Jimmy, pastor of the First Baptist Church, Washington, NC is taking a Sabbatical in Swaziland until the end of this month.  The Moores have also been volunteers to Swaziland on more than one occasion and are great friends to us and the Swazi Team. We praise the Lord for such a wonderful time with friends on this special day.

Winter has definitely arrived in Swaziland.  Living in Tshaneni affords us warmer and nicer temperatures than in Nhlangano or Mbabane but, our homes are still hard to keep warm even when the temps outside are very pleasant.  The upcoming weekly forecasts calls for even cooler temperatures than we are now experiencing.  This means digging around for more layers of clothing and more blankets on the beds!!  But, the promise of spring is just around the corner!!  This week I have seen more variety of birds and some are in pairs!! 

UPCOMING SPECIAL EVENTS:
--(July 9th) the Shiselweni Association meets at the Velebantfu Baptist Church.  Continue to pray for this association that strives to meet together for encouragement and unity.
Major planning will take place for the “SPECIAL DO” (July 30-31) for Nkosingiphile Dlamini.  Pastor Dlamine was recently accepted to a teacher training college in Manzini.  He has been a strong committed Christian leader in the Shiselweni region and pastor of the Thunzini Baptist Church.  Pray for the planning of this special event for Nkosingiphile and the churches of the Shiselweni region.
Nkosingiphile Trivia:  Nkosingiphile came to Nhlangano in 1997 and began working with us.  One of the new things taught to him was the American way of eating hot dogs.  After showing and explaining how we eat them, Nkosingiphile absorbed and adjusted this knowledge to fit his lifestyle.  In one hand he held his mustard sandwich and in the other hand his hotdog, taking turns biting from the sandwich and then the hotdog.  We thought this was rather funny and so did the other Swazis eating with us!!

--July 11-12 is the third “Get Away” for the six summer missionaries hosted by Todd and Deborah Hoskins.  These scheduled “Get Aways” allow a touch of civilization to the missionaries who are currently staying in areas where such luxuries as electricity and clean flowing drinking water are limited.  Tuesday (the 12th) the group is scheduled to come to the Myers’ home for lunch.  We may not be doing the scheduled cook-out but we will have plenty of food to eat and fellowship to enjoy. Pray each will have a great time of fun and fellowship during this “Get Away”.  Please pray they will be energized and able to have a strong finish to their ministry in Swaziland.  July 27-28 will be a time of debriefing for their two month True Love Waits ministry in Swaziland.

--This week Brandi and Kim will begin their last week of their homestead stay in Mafucula.  Last week their host family (the Masukus) gave them an assignment of catching a chicken and killing it for supper.  Well, most of us would have trouble with such an assignment and so did Kim and Brandi.  With the help of Bheki, their language tutor who had no trouble procuring the chicken and killing it, the assignment was completed.  Pray for Brandi and Kim as learning continues for the next week. 

-August 10-18 a 16-member volunteer team from the Euto Baptist Church (Marshville, NC) lead by Bert and Lisa Warren will minister in the northeast section of Swaziland.  The Warrens were part of the Swazi Team in 2008-2009.  Ministries include prayer walking, hut-to-hut visitation, ladies and youth retreats, children’s Bible study, AIDS orphan ministery and other spirit led ministries.  Pray for Bert, Lisa, Matthew, Zach, Landon, Keith, Jen, Nathan, Lisa, Harley, Kimberly, Brooke, Kathy, Kara, Amanda and Jenna as they prepare to work with the Swazi people. 

--Please pray for Simphiwe Mavuso.  Simphiwe is expecting her third child (sometime in July) and experiencing serious problems with her blood pressure.  She is scheduled to return to the hospital in Siteki Tuesday (12th of July).  Pray for a healthy delivery for baby daughter and mother.

AIDS UPDATE:
According to the Time Magazine: 60,000 is the approximate number of people who may die when hospitals run out of antiretroviral AIDS drugs in two months.   Pray this crucial development in Swaziland will be solved before many people die.  Pray the ARVs will be available to those dying of AIDS.

IMB OFFICE OF GLOBAL PRAYER STRATEGY:
--A group of statesiding missionaries will be at the International Learning Center July 11-16 for the second Stateside Assignment Conference of the summer.  Please lift up this conference and its participants in prayer.

--IMB’s Overseas Global Strategists will be convening July 11-15 for an extremely important global strategy meeting: “Seize the Day Conference.”  This gathering of global strategists has been prompted by recent events in the Middle East and Northern Africa, as well as in Japan.  Please ask God to direct their thoughts and discussions so that the nations concerned will be dramatically impacted by the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

I think there was a death here on the farm last week.  I am not sure because there was no night vigil or sadness around me.  There was no way for me to know except the one who died has not been to see me since Monday.  I saw her on Sunday and Monday and she did not look well.  I continued to put her food out as I always did but she has not come to eat it.  I guess you know by now, I am talking about my neighbor, Sadie (a little dog).  She was not mine so I couldn’t do much to help and even though there doesn’t seem many who are saddened by her absence, I am.  She was my friend and I will miss her.