Break Every Chain - & Bhobokazi

There is power in the name of Jesus

To break every chain.

 

All sufficient sacrifice

So freely given

Such a price

Bought our redemption

Heavens gate swing wide.

 

Will Regan & The United Pursuit Band

 

I am struggling to write this post this morning.  I've been feeling really out of sorts lately.  I was told that a sort of depression is common upon arriving home from a mission trip, but man, I had no idea.

 

 When arriving home I was literally devestated.  I wanted nothing more than turn around and go back, never to touch American soil again.  I wanted to be with my sweet precious friends, I wanted to continue on in the distinct purpose I had felt in Swaziland.  I wanted to go back and bask in the presence of our Holy God (how silly of me to forget that He is here too).  I wanted to see my teammates and make them a permanent fixture in my life.

 

I wanted that and I continue to want that. 

 

But, it hurts deeply to want those things.  I've never experienced heart break this way before.  I dont know if you have, but let me tell you, it's painful.

 

To ease the pain I have found that I have forced myself to revert back to my old self. I have forced myself to find value in the empty things around me.  I forced myself to continue on in my old desires.  The devil has used my pain as a way to make me push everything I learned and saw away.

 

No more.  Lord, please help me.  Don't let me lose sight of You, of Your children, of Your world, of Your commission. 

 

Right now I'm trying to find purpose in what I am doing here and now.  There is purpose.  I don't have to be in Africa to have a cause, to feel useful.  My ministry is right where I stand. 

 

I love Swaziland.  I love each one of my teammates and leaders, more than they realize.  I love all the little Swazi children.  I love Audrey and Grace and all our Swazi friends.  I love Bhobokazi and Bhalekani.  I love Africa.  But, most of all, I love Jesus.  He has set a love upon my heart and I know He will see it through, one way or another.   

 

He will break this chain.  He will take my hurt and make it into something beautiful.

 

 

Day 5.

 

This is the carepoint my team was assigned too.  <3

I was quite afraid on our first day of home visits and carepoint ministry.

I lift up my eyes to the mountains - where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth.
Psalm 121: 1-2

I wrote down a few prayers in my journal, desperately pleading for strength and confidence.  I also wanted heartbreak.

Lord, I want to feel something deeper than sadness, than feeling sorry for these people.  I want to feel heartbreak.  Break my heart for what breaks Yours.  I feel passion building, or maybe compassion, but I want it to explode inside of me.  Align my heart with Yours.  Amen (side note: be careful what you ask for)

We headed out to our ministry sites bright and early on Monday morning.  From about 10-12:30 we were to be out doing home visits or street ministry.  Basically, meeting strangers and spending time getting to know them and praying with them.

I was terrified, what on earth was I going to tell these people?!  But God has a funny way of working all things together for His glory. 

The first man we met was Moses.  We spent some time getting to know him and reading scripture.  He was so appreciative to have us there.  We prayed for his family, for his home (that it wouldn't fall down), for his nephews injured leg, and for the Lords provision on this family.

We left Moses feeling deeply saddened by how hungry and skinny he was.  We immediately set out on a mission to find a way to get food for him and his family. (update on day 6)

The next lady we visited was probably about 75 years old.  She couldn't walk anymore and was pretty much trapped in her armchair.  She was overjoyed to have us read scripture to her, so much so that she began to cry.  It was truly beautiful. 

We then got asked to sing for her.  Say what!?  We all looked around at each other with looks of horror and then eventually decided to sing Amazing Grace.  We sang a rather out of tune but intensely powerful chorus of the song.  Praise God, it was awesome!

The best part was at the end we all laid hands on this beautiful woman and prayed for her healing and for her family.  It was so special.  Hallelujah! 

After our home visits we headed back to our carepoint to spend time with the kiddos! 

We were assigned the awesome, yet difficult task, of putting on Vacation Bible School each day.  Our theme of the week was how God can turn a bad day into a good day and we talked about biblical examples of this.

Our goal was to help the children understand that even when something bad happens to them, God can and will use it for the good of those who love Him.  We must simply trust Him to do so.

We put on silly skits, sang fun songs, and played games.  The kids loved it!

We blew up a bunch of balloons for them to play with and the children went NUTS!   



Joseph playing with the balloon with this precious little one.

I absolutely love this little one.  She was so

dirty, she had rotten teeth, she had sores on her head,

and she wore this dress the entire week, but I

couldn't help but snuggle her.

Playing games!

 

After the "program" the children ate their meal.  Now, remember, for most of them, this is their only meal.  It consists of rice and beans.  They get heaping portions, which is great, and they eat ALL of it, even the tiny ones.  Of course, some only eat part of it and bring the rest home to their family.  Thank God for care points, without them, these kids wouldn't be eating.

 

 

 

I was officially falling in love with Bhobokazi and couldn't wait to be back the following day. 

 

 

Agape & African Animals

Agape : selfless, sacraficial, unconditional love.

Day 4.

I had been looking forward to this day of the trip for a while, mainly because this was the day of the game drive. 

Before leaving America, I had been a little bummed thinking, "how could we go to Africa and not do a safari?!"  God heard my selfish little thoughts and provided us the opportunity to do an afternoon game drive.  I was beyond ecstatic!

Little did I know, this day was going to be unbelievably impactful and not because of any animals!

That morning we got up and headed to Sunday morning service at Agape Church.  This is a newly planted church on the grounds of the Bhalekane Care Point.  The entire attendance consisted of about 8 adults and 20 children and the 32 of us!

As we walked across the grounds toward the building they were holding service in, the stunningly beautiful sound of African voices filled the air.  I wish you could hear the music we heard that morning.  When they sing, you can hear their souls. I was about in tears the moment we stepped inside.

For several minutes we stood worshipping our Savior.  The Swazi men, women, and children sang their angelic songs as the rest of us tried to sing along or stood in silence and in awe.

I will never forget standing there, swaying to the beat of their music, looking out the window at the beautiful African landscape.  The moment literally took my breath away.  God was SURELY present.  I could feel Him.  He was so present, I could almost see Him.  This will go down as one of the most special moments of my life.

For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them.
Matthew 18:20

One of our teammates, Kenny, shared a few words of encouragement with the congregation and then the pastor got up to preach.  He preached out of Genisis and repeatedly asked the question "is anything too hard for the Lord?"  It was powerful and it was poignant.  Nothing is too hard for the Lord, NOTHING.  And it's a good thing too, because just about everything is too hard for us.

In my head I kept thinking "God is here & we are here!"  It was absolutely surreal.

Church in Swaziland was passionate.  It was beautiful.  It was not rushed.  It was His time.  I came away with a sense of how we rush God and church in America.  These people NEED Him, we all do, but they know it.  They depend on Him each and every day.  They worship Him with their whole hearts and I'll never be the same after being apart of it.

 the entire congregation at Agape

After church we left for our safari at the Hlane Royal National Park...

We got exceptionally close to this lion.  I believe someone on our team affectionately named him Aslin.  At one point he started walking toward a vehicle, which clearly was making them nervous, but he ended up just curling up in the grass for an afternoon nap.  As we drove past him we were about 6 feet away from him.  He clearly didn't mind being stared at all day long.

Next up, the Rhinos!  This was a definite hightlight for me. These creatures are so huge and powerful, and oddly beautiful.  God sure does have a huge imagination!  We were able to get out of our vehicle to get a closer look at these animals.  Our driver was not pleased about this but the other cars were doing it, so he couldn't say no.  We ended up standing about 20 to 30 feet away from these awesome animals!



We also got to experience, up close and personal, a Rhino fight!  Like a normal person, I about sprinted back to the vehicle, while my husband and a few other brave souls stood there and took pictures!  It was a little frightening, but very memorable!  Eventually, the tour guides got nervous and hustled everyone back to the Jeeps.

Our safari group!
Joseph, Michelle, Tricia, Becca, (guide), Rachel, Kenny
Allison (me), Ashley, Mairi, and Katie

On the way home, we got to see the most beautiful sunset.  I've always heard that African sunsets are the best, and now I know that first hand. 

When we got home we had an evening debrief.  The next day our real ministry was starting and fear was not just creeping it, but setting up camp inside of me.  Fortunately, I was not alone.

We had a powerful time of prayer, which was much needed, as it always is.  The prayer on my heart was that the Lord would deliver us from satans attacks.  Satan doesn't want us to feel worthy or good enough, but we are!  God can and will use us it we are ready and willing.  The Lord was whispering in my hear "I am ready, my child."  Even though I didn't feel ready, He assured me that He was, and that is always enough. 

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:6-7







Carnival - and learning to love.

Jesus loves the little children

All the children of the world

Black and yellow, red and white

They're all precious in His sight

Jesus loves the little children of the world

All around the world tonight

His children rest assured

That He will watch and He will keep us

Safe and secure



It is now Saturday, August 4. Meaning it's..

Day 3.

We awoke to the beautiful African sunlight streaming in our window, after the best night sleep I've ever gotten.

We got out of our cozy sleeping bags, eager to see exactly where we were. When we arrived the previous night it was dark outside, so it was hard to take in our surroundings.

In Swaziland, right now, it is winter time. It gets pitch black dark by 6pm and the temperature drops from about 70-80 degrees to the 40's. It was a welcome change from the blazing North Carolina heat and it was the perfect weather for a week of outdoor activity.

Our morning consisted of a simple and satisfying breakfast of muffins and cereal, and our first morning debrief. One of our awesome leaders, Bill Britton, spoke about our upcoming week, things we might incounter, and gave us a few objectives.

That afternoon we were throwing a "carnival" for the kids at the Bhalekane Care Point. A Care Point is a place for impoverished children to come for a safe place to play, discipleship, and one meal a day. We wanted to give these children a reason to smile!

We were all assigned to certain "stations" (ie. face painting, nail polish, parachute, jumpy house, and bracelet making) and got down to work organizing our supplies.

On the drive to Bhalekane the nerves started to set it. What was I going to say to these children? I've never even spent that much time with children and now I was going to be mobbed by kids that spoke a different language and were covered in who-knows-what.

Bhalekane Care Point

When we drove through the gate we were met by the most precious 350 kids I've ever seen. It took all of about 2 minutes for the children to warm up to us and for the next 3 hours we were connected to at least 5 kids at all times. It was wonderful!

I was working in the friendship bracelet station. We could not make the bracelets fast enough! Not to mention, we were having the kiddos help us make them, which was humorous because they had no idea what we were instructing them to do. But, at the end of the day, they were beyond thrilled to be wearing matching bracelets!



friends forever!

Joseph was working the jumpy castle. He would time how long the kids were on and let them know when there time was up.

Joseph made a very sweet friend. I believe his name is Mazule. He absolutely adored Joseph and was glued to his hip from the time we arrived until the time we left. At one point he decided to use green nail polish to paint a goatee on his face to match Josephs.  ADORABLE!

I made some very precious friends that day.  This sweet girl, her name is Thandalueto, clung to my side the entire afternoon.  She tried to teach me how to play a few of her favorite games, which I failed at miserably, and later asked me tell her about God.  I have never been point-blank asked to tell someone about God.  Oddly enough, it took me a bit off guard.  I asked her if she had any questions and when she couldn't think of any, we shared our favorite scriptures with eachother.  We were able to discuss them and I was able to express my love for Jesus with her.  I quickly learned to be prepared for anything, and when you aren't, to pray.

I realized that day, that in the past I haven't wanted to invest in deep conversations or relationships.  I never wanted to sacrafice too much of myself.   I found at the beginning of the afternoon I just wanted to skim over each child.  I wanted to snuggle each one of them and talk a little, but I didn't want to be tied down to just one.  I didn't want to allow myself to truly love them.  I didn't know how to love them adequately and I knew I would only be there a short time.

However, Thandalueto stole my heart and we became fast friends.  She had my attention and though we only got to spend that one day together, I will never forget her and I will always love her.

Jesus calls us to love and to love as He did (and does).  Throughout the week He taught me just what that means.  He ripped my heart away from me and gave it away to many little children, and I'm pretty sure I'm never getting it back.

The Lord showed up on day one of ministry and He was only getting started with me.

Later in the afternoon the children blessed us with their incredible voices.  It was surreal to stand in the presence of these adorable African children and listen them sing.  I really think they were born with the natural ability to harmonize!   God has surely given them a gift!  Listen to them below:



All in all, the day was the perfect way to start our week of ministry in Swaziland!  Tomorrow - SAFARI!

pure joy!



It blesses me to see my husband with this little guy!

Africa the Beautiful

For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him.  He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.

Colossians 1:16-17

Day 2.

We made it!! We finally arrived in South Africa after a very intense 15 hours. Not the most fun experience, but certainly worth it.

We swiftly made it through customs and baggage claim and proceeded to the Johannesburg airport food court to meet up with our team. With very heavy eyelids and grogginess left over from our sleeping drugs, we greeted our team. I'm not even sure I totally remember this event. Haha.

After gathering all 30 of us together we began the 5 1/2 hour bus ride to Manzini, Swaziland! We were all in and out of conciousness, but this turned out to be a great opportunity to take in the beauty that is Africa.



However, leaving Johannesburg was a very sad site. Johannesburg, South Africa is the most dangerous city in the world. We easily gathered this for ourselves because every single building and home is surrounded by barbed wire fences. There is an immense amount of poverty surrounding the city. Johannesburg needs prayers of deliverance from crime and poverty.

After about a 2 hour drive we stopped at a gas station for a bathroom and snack break. We were all excited and slightly baffled to find exotic animals just hanging out at a near by water hole. I think this was the point at which we all realized we were really in Africa. It's not everyday you're met by a zebra at your local rest stop!



The closer we got to the border of Swaziland, the more breathtaking the view became. Where we were in Africa was nothing what I imagined "Africa" to look like, but it was certainly not a disappoinment! The scenary screamed of God's glory!

Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.

John 1:3

The bus ride was the first of many times I was struck by the beauty of this place.  Creation unmistakably points back to our Maker.  I am convinced that the Lord has given these broken people such a beautiful view to help them remember His power and love (more on this later).

The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.

Psalm 19:1



After our long journey that spanned the better part of 2 days, we arrived in Manzini, Swaziland!  We were overjoyed to have finally arrived (we stayed at the lovely home of a missionary) and beyond excited to get started.  But, not before we got some much needed sleep.

A local missionary, and staff member of Adventures In Missions, prepared us an incredible meal of grilled chicken.  We ate outside in the chilly night air and thanked God for His faithfulness.  We were all ushered to bed early so we would be rested and ready for the "carnival" we were going to throw for some awesome kids the following day.

We went to bed that night with a lot of anticipation, excitment, and thankfulness.



Our little bus group

Expectations - and airport adventures!

I've been thinking for the past few days about these upcoming blog posts.

I've been trying to collect my thoughts, my emotions, my feelings. Trying to imagine how I could possibly convey to you just what we experienced. I still have no clue about how to do that, but I'll try.

One major thing I learned on this trip was to have expectancy - not expectation.

We must be waiting in expectancy for the Lord to show up and lead us, and we must be willing to follow. However, we can not expect certain things from the Lord. His plans are far better and often, far different, from ours.

Swaziland was unbelieveable, to say the least. The best week of my life. Of our lives.

But, before we get into all that, let me share with you our crazy airport adventures!

Day 1.

We arrived at the Charlotte Douglas Airport at the lovely hour of 4:15am. It has been a long time since I've willing gotten up so early! We met up with 3 of our teammates who were on our same flight route.

Our first flight departed at 6:15 am and we safely arrived at the Washington Dulles airport.

We had about an hour and 20 minutes until our next flight, so we headed to our gate, ate breakfast, and goofed around. 

Our second flight was supposed to take off at 8:20 am and at about 8 o'clock we looked at our watches and realized we hadn't boarded yet. In a panic I ran to the departures display board and realized our gate had been moved. Not just moved, but moved 2 terminals over! Meaning, we needed to get on a tram and everything. Nightmare.

It's now 8:05am and the five of us are running through the airport like total maniacs. We can hardly breath, we are sweating like crazy, and we are SURE we are going to miss our flight. Did I already mention, NIGHTMARE?

With the gate in site and our legs hardly willing to take another step, us girls sent Joseph ahead to hold the plane. Joseph asked a man in line, "Where is this plane headed?" The response, "Columbus, Ohio." Nooooo!!! For a brief moment, we thought our Africa dreams were dead.

Fortunately, one kind lady chimed up and said "JFK is boarding here also." Thank you, God!! We kindly shoved our way through the mass of people waiting and made it onto our flight. We all took one collective deep breath thinking that the worst was over. Little did we know..

We made it to JFK and had an hour and 45 minutes until our last departure to South Africa. We double checked our gate this time and started making our way there. I stopped and asked a lady for directions and she sweetly, yet sternly, told us to "hurry!" Here we go again..

Turns out we had to leave the airport and get on a tram that took us half way around the airport. Then we had to go back through check in (since we changed carriers) and back through security. We made it through check in and hurried our way to security, where we found a line that went on forever and ever. We all felt seriously deflated. There was no way we were going to get through this line and nothing we could do about it.

By the grace of God, the line moved quickly and with one final sprint to the gate, we were some of the last people to board the plane.  Hallelujah!! 

We were all smiles knowing that we had made it and we were on our way to Africa!  It was completely surreal. 

We boarded our flight completely drenched in sweat, totally out of breath, and probably not smelling so lovely, but it didnt' matter.  We collapsed into our seats with a sigh of relief and totally underestimating just how long 15 and half hours would be!

The Lord quickly showed us that He is in control.  We literally wouldn't have made it to Africa without His provision.  I believe He was testing us, revealing to us that we need to put more trust in Him.  I knew He had ordained this trip and I should have never doubted that He would get us there.  Maybe things didn't go smoothly, but we made it and all the glory goes to Him!


ready or not, here we go!

Ephesians 6: 19-20

 "Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains.  Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should."

You are my hearts desire, Jesus.  Reveal yourself to us!  Please show up and show off on this mission trip.  We are waiting in expectation to see your glory revealed!  Use us, break us, renew us!

Ok friends and family!  It's go time!! 

Our first flight leaves Thursday morning at 5:55am.  We are flying from Charlotte, NC to Washington, Dulles.  From there, we will fly to JFK and then it's a straight shot to Johannesburg, South Africa.  That is a grand total of about 20 hours of flying!

From the airport in Johannesburg we have a 5 and 1/2 hour bus ride, with our team, to Manzini, Swaziland. 

We are have our IPods and sleeping pills all geared up and ready to go!

We cannot express our gratitude to those of you who have helped to support us financially and through prayer!  We ask for continued prayer for safety and for the Lord to bless our efforts.

Tonight we are putting the finishing touches on our packing and getting the dogs all ready to go to "grandma and grandpa's" house!  Good luck mom and dad, and thank you!!

I'm sure it'll be a restless night of sleep, especially considering we are leaving for the airport at 4am, but we will manage. 

We could not be more thankful for this opportunity.  I recently read this quote -

"God wants to pour His life and love into you,

so that you can give it out to others."

My prayer and plea is that the Father would pour His love and life into Joseph and I, and our team, so that we can give it away to those around us.  Those who have never felt His love before.  We want to see the Spirit move in our lives and in the lives of those we are serving. 

At this point, our excitement is far outweighing our nerves, but I'm sure they'll show up in due time, and probably outstay their welcome.  But, we pray that Jesus would remind us that we are His beloved, His precious children.  When we feel we don't have the strength, He is strong in our place.  When words fail us, He speaks through us.  We have nothing to fear nor worry about it, He will NEVER forsake us.  Thank you, Lord!

 

We love you all and thank you again!  We will not have internet access while in Swaziland, but we will be journaling.  We plan to share all our adventures and photos with you when we return! 

Blessings,

Allison and Joseph Owen