Have you ever seen a lavender tree? We have them here in Africa and they are beautiful! In September, the Jacaranda trees begin to turn lavender and by October they are in full bloom; often with what almost looks like purple snow under them as the flowers fall to the ground. The rains also begin at this time of the year, turning the brown landscape into a lush green. It is beautiful!
Work Team from Sugar Grove Church: The work team my brother Joel organized has come and gone. Their two weeks seemed to fly by. I thought the ceiling job in the transmitter building would take up most of their time. But soon after arriving, Joel warned me that this team works hard and fast, so we’d better have some more jobs lined up for them. Sure enough, they finished the job in just four days! However, finding enough work for this “dream team” wasn’t a problem. We could
have used them another few weeks. What they were able to do was just enough to cut down the huge mountain of work which we saw looming ahead. It all seems doable now. It is so neat to see the Lord supply the right people at the right time. Each night we enjoyed supper around our dinner table. A lot of laughter filled the air as we interacted with each other. Thanks, Sugar Grove Church, for sending these angels all the way to southern Africa to help us! What a blessing they were!
New Shortwave Transmitter Arrives: As I mentioned in our last letter, the new HC100 transmitter was on its way. Now it has arrived. I thought it would arrive after the team was due to leave on September 20th. However, the transmitter arrived early, giving the team two days to unload, position, bolt together, and add a new soffit above the existing transmitters, as well as start the soffit above the new one. Recently Larry McGuire and his wife Virginia, former Swaziland staff members, arrived from HCJB Global, Elkhart, Indiana. Larry will commission the transmitter and make sure all is well before returning to the US. The old Continental transmitter is running out of steam, so retiring it is something we are very much looking forward to. The savings on the electricity bill will be substantial and the radio signals will be stronger and reach further. Thanks to all who have given toward this project, it now looks like it will be a reality very soon. Last I heard the project was still about $70,000 short of the amount we need. So if you’d like to give, there’s still opportunity.Medium Wave Transmitter: I’m pleased that the Harris Medium Wave transmitter is again looking like it will come to Swaziland. Some of the questions we had concerning it were answered when Steve, our chief engineer, went to the States to attend a training course and interact with other engineers to learn all he could about it.
Farming God’s Way: A number of months ago we began airing a program called ‘Farming God’s Way.’ It has been getting good response and generating excitement. This title seemed a bit strange to me when I first heard about it. You mean there is a godly way to farm? So, I attended a seminar to see what it is all about. I thought I’d learn a bit about farming in the process, as I was involved in agriculture when I worked in Bangladesh many years ago. But as I sat and listened, it became very evident that principles were being taught which involved much more than just farming. It was teaching a way of life which is dependent on our Lord and gives Him the glory for the increase. It involves biblical training, technology and management. The man teaching was a very prosperous Zimbabwean white farmer who had his farm taken away from him. He had to make a choice; to become bitter and angry or follow our Lord’s example and look for ways to bless those around him, even though some had hurt him deeply. He decided on the latter and dedicated his life to helping the poor. His realized he was doing farming all wrong and completely changed! This new method of farming has four principles. Do things on time, do all to an excellent standard, do not waste and do the work with joy, giving God the glory. These can be carried out by poor people and increase their harvest by 16 times and more when growing corn, their staple crop. I was so impressed with the training I asked him to come to Swaziland to train people here. This will take place the end of this week and may revolutionize farming in this part of Africa.
Recently we received word that due to changes in income of some of our long-time supporters and friends, our support income will be dropping about $350 a month. This is understandable and happens from time to time. But, at the same time, we want to let the rest of you know so if you feel led to help fill this gap, you can take the opportunity. We continue to be amazed how many of you continue to faithfully support us year after year. It is humbling to realize that you have faith in us to continue to carry on with the Lord’s work in this corner of the world. It is even more amazing to realize that as of December 2nd, this has been happening for 29 years! Thank you all for your faithfulness!
Stay tuned for our next letter in February.
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