EMERGENCY CONTACT INFO

Hi All~

Sorry for the rather spotty record of getting posts up. As you might imagine, our schedule has been pretty non-stop, and there hasn't been much time to edit photos and get things uploaded. I'll do my best to go back and fill-in some of what's missing... (Good news is that those of us who've been ill are doing much better, thanks for your prayers!)

We have spent the last two days with Pastor Solomon and the kids at the New Life International School (to the right and below are photos of the assembly they held to welcome us -- including a little dancing, which a few throw their heart , or back, into...). The school has an enrollment of 101, with more than 50 living as boarders in dormitories on site (indeed, more than a few of you provide annual support for individual kids).

The school includes kids grade 0 (pre-K and K) thru 6th, with a 7th grade to begin next year, and provides not only academic education (math, science, reading -- in 3 languages, I might add [Swazi, English, and French] -- etc.), but also home economics and some basic trades.

In the last 8 years, Solomon has managed to go from a dirt lot, to 3 fully built classroom buildings, and a dormitory (and another dorm is partially completed), along with garden and chicken coop (roofed several years ago by our own Alan Swift) -- eggs are both eaten and sold for income -- and has plans for much, much more. (I am also quite partial to the Trojan color scheme; a partial explanation for his success??? ;-)

As for our work there, we have been busy on a number of fronts. Time with kids, of course, is always a priority, so several in the group have devoted themselves to games, skits, stories, songs, dancing and the like. How Megan, Heidi, and Sarah keep up their strength is beyond me. They are forever being tugged at, jumped upon, and basically besieged by children wanting their attention. But they remain eternal good sports. Below is a photo of them in the dance circle, a game I never did figure out (but Megan looked like a natural, and I swear I saw her lips moving to the words of a Swazi song!)

Others of us got to work in construction, and I'm sad to say I don't have photos to share (more on that in a minute). Yesterday's major project was putting up a basketball hoop that was shipped over in a container (along with tons of other supplies) from CA a few weeks ago (many of you donated to it and we saw all the stuff now unloaded -- turns out those containers hold a lot of stuff...).

Scot and Bud let the charge, digging a post hole thru inches of rock-hard dirt with a pile driver and a shovel (we got some help from the kids). And I photo I wish I'd had my camera for was Bud and Scot carrying this big, metal pole on their shoulders, and behind them were two little kids with a long stick across their shoulders! (Like anglers, photographers are always thinking of the one that got away...)

It was quite a sight, and both Bud and Scot are incredibly popular with the boys. (Bud has brought his bucket-rope game to Swaziland where it has been embraced with extraordinary enthusiasm. Now we have kids in two countries falling off paint buckets onto concrete and brick. Sometimes I can't watch.... ;-)

Today's project centered on assembling bookshelves for the library, and here is where Chelsea earned our collective, undying respect for pure effort. The shelf frames are made of steel (built on site by local craftsmen), but until today there were no actual "shelves" (as in the wood on which one sets the books). That required not only cutting and fitting the wood (go Bud, Alan, and Scot), but the drilling of countless holes thru steel (sounds easy, right?). Well Chelsea worked her tail off with the guys all day long ("guys" not including me -- who had a cush, inside job). I'm bummed I have no photos to prove her mettle (har!), but I'm betting others do, so I'll see if I can get some up online.

The other big project over the last two days has been collecting all the information to produce next year's sponsorship packets (includes a photo of the child., along with some information about them and their dreams for the future). That is the task to which Laura, Michelle, Sarah, Megan and I set ourselves. (On the left you can see Laura helping the kids fill in a questionnaire. You try helping grade 0 kids spell their Swazi names!)

Today, the work was to line up all 101 kids for school photos. We worked out a pretty snappy assembly line: Megan matching kid to master list, to form they filled out yesterday,

Sarah, straightening collars, wiping noses (that's love), fixing hair, Laura posing and matching kid to photo, and me with the difficult job of pushing the button on the camera. It's a real challenge to make these kids look cute, but I managed to Photoshop out their flaws... ;-)

We'll use the photos both for sponsorship packets, and also to create a yearbook for the kids and staff.

Oh, and did I mention that we me the king yesterday? (Swaziland really is a kingdom, run by a king and everything...). By "met" I mean more "saw as he when flying by in his big, black car."

It's sort of a long story, but the basics are that apparently the Irvine World News (our local freebie neighborhood "paper" -- I use the term loosely) runs some crazy contest about having your picture taken with the IWN in your hand in obscure spots around the world. (I know nothing of this, I never read the IWN).

But apparently Alan is a big fan. At least he brought a copy of the paper and wanted his picture taken with it by a road sign pointing to one of the king palaces here in Swazi.

So on our way home from Solomon's, we pulled off on the side of the road for me to get a photo of him and Bud and the IWN and Alan lawn gnome (I made that last one up) with the sign (how touristy of us).

We no sooner get across the street on foot than I see a bunch of police motorcycles and I make some off-handed comment that this must be the king's motorcade. Well sure enough, IT IS.

But one of the cops on his motorcycle sorta wants to know how it is that three Americans with a big camera just happen to be on the side of the road just as the king is approaching. He didn't really question us, but more gave us quite the examination from his bike (which he pulled over). Then he motioned for us to get down. I thought it was some security thing, Turns out we were kneeling (or in our case, confusedly squatting and ducking) as the king passed by in his black Bentley, followed by about 5 police cars. What are the chances...? Our brush with Swazi greatness...

With that, I should get off to bed. Another long day tomorrow, but a bit of a break in the AM - we're going to a local craft market to buy cool, African stuff for our loved ones. :-)

After that, we're off to Pastor Chomba's where we'll participate in his feeding program (for 60-70 local kids). And we'll be with him again on Sunday, when our own Bud is preaching, so pray for him (he was working on it tonight).

Know that all is well with us. Weather is colder, but not too bad and we are all getting along wonderfully -- lots of cool bonding and such. (And we've eaten at enough pizza joints in southern Africa to compile the authoritative guide!)

We miss you all and will see you in a week!

Kirk