Here are the other two prayer points for my upcoming trip to Swaziland. If you missed the first two, I posted them last time.

Swaziland
While we don’t want to overlook opportunities to share God’s love along the way, the primary purpose of our trip is to serve the orphans and their caretakers at a particular CarePoint in Swaziland. Some of the children who attend live with extended family, many live on their own, with only brothers and sisters to care for them—or for them to care for. They’ve watched their parents and other family members die, mostly from AIDS. They’re scared, alone, hungry, and to a large degree, unloved.

The caretakers, mostly grandmothers, have their own grief—watching their sons and daughters succumb to a disease they barely understand, dealing with poverty, poor health, and the burden of caring for their grandchildren.

While Christianity is widespread, it is often only a thin veneer over ancient beliefs in various spirits that must be appeased—or else.

Please pray that God will be plowing fertile ground, preparing hearts for our arrival. The CarePoint is a bright light shining in the darkness. We want to support their goal of bringing Christ’s love to the people of Swaziland.

Pray we’re able to love these children and their caretakers in appropriate ways. We don’t want to come as Santa Claus, bearing gifts that lead to unrealistic expectations, nor do we want to create dependency.

We want to bless them in tangible ways, and even more to honor the dignity of each person, leaving them with a sense of their value to God and the certainty that their lives will be eternally significant.

Long-term Results
Our trip is short, but we pray for long-term results. We want to make a difference now and in the future. Our church plans to send teams every six months, so there will be follow-up to what we’re able to accomplish. We’ve done our homework and prepared fun songs and games, Bible and life-skills lessons, and other activities. Still, what we do in the flesh will pass away. Please pray with us for eternal fruit. We These children are tomorrow’s leaders. May God allow them to be brought up in the wisdom and instruction of the Lord.

Thank you for praying!