It is Wednesday, 10:00AM as I type this message. You all are sleeping soundly while the team over here is working amazingly at the school. Everyone is doing very, very well. I’ve had loads of comments about how great the team is doing, the wonderful personalities, and the service of the entire group. 

Here is what is taking place every day this week:

- In the morning, we all gather for morning assembly at the school. There is lots of singing and our group performs a drama telling a Bible story. As you can imagine, it is full of comedy. The kids love it and it is so refreshing to hear the Bible told in simple expressions.

- Following assembly, the team breaks into several groups: a) Three small groups head to various homes throughout the village to access the living conditions of the children attending the school; b) A construction team is hard at work with pick axes, shovels, and other tools to break up the ground in order to lay a foundation for a new classroom. This is hard work, but we see great progress and this will ultimately provide the second classroom of four that will eventually be built; c) Crafts, life skills training, and sports happen through the day; d) A big soccer match takes place in the afternoon where the Americans and South Africans are generally out schooled. We are tied 1 to 1 in the series:)

- Around 3:30PM we head to a small grocery store for some junk food, then back to camp for showers and a bit of relaxing by the waterhole. Yesterday as the sun was setting (which is around 5:30PM), there were elephants, various types of deer, rhinos, osterich, and hippos.

- Every morning, the group is rattled out of their sleep around 5:45AM, so the day is long. After dinner, we have worship and a debriefing time, and everyone has the option of heading to bed by 8:30PM. Some go, others hang out by the campfire for more worship and conversation.

I can’t say enough about how good everything is going. There is loads of stories to share later, but this is mostly to give you a little glimpse of life over here in Africa.

-Sean Cooper

So today our team leaves from MCO to JNB with a slight layover in Dakar. A 21 hour flight with an 8 hour bus ride afterwards is completely worth the 2 weeks in Siteki Swaziland. Our team is excited and filled with anticipation to see what God does this summer.

Please be in prayer for safe travels for flights and car rides. Also that God would begin to stir our hearts and align them with what he is doing in Swaziland. We are so excited!

More later…

Hello Team! Just want to remind you about our team meeting happening this Tuesday evening at the Coopers residence. It begins at 6:30. We will be covering information about packing lists and travel information. We will also be making bracelets to help raise support money for the trip! So come ready to create! See you on Tuesday!

What are you personally most excited about during our time in Swaziland?

Everyone wants to know: How do you pick a place like Swaziland for a Distributed Journey? The short answer is through Northland partnerships. Our connection to the village of Siteki begins with our partner church, Vredelust, located in Cape Town. As we have grown to know our friends in Cape Town, they have led us to a ministry opportunity in Swaziland at a school that educates 247 orphaned and vulnerable children. There is much, much more to this answer, but that will come later as we discuss partnerships.

Right now, a place like Swaziland is only a spot on a map. You will soon make new friends and experience a kingdom filled with sights, sounds, smells, and tastes that will quickly reshape your connection to this country. For now, though, let me offer a few numbers that will can take root into your life and motivate you for greater understanding of this beautiful place:

1.2 This number represents the population of Swaziland.

120,000 This is the amount of children who are orphans.

42% This percentage is the estimate of those infected with HIV or AIDS.

25% This is the percentage of children infected at the school with HIV or AIDS.

$1 This is the amount, per day, that qualifies for a person in a extreme poverty situation.

Memorize these numbers. Let them fuse into your memory banks and consider their magnitude. Pray for the people represented by these numbers, people you will meet who will become new friends. Allow the numbers to connect to the way you communicate with others why you are going this summer.

* Pray for the school in Swaziland, that it would continue to grow and flourish and that God would continue to use it as a safe place for orphans and vulnerable children to find hope and value.
* Our partnership church, Vredelust, is going through the same preparation process as we are, gearing up for the long voyage into Swaziland. Pray for our partners as they plan and prepare their team. Also pray that God would begin to prepare the hearts of all who plan to go this summer.
* Pray for the CHE (Community Health Evangelism) program that is doing much to impact the country of Swaziland.

We will post information related to our specific work this summer in the future. Right now, here is what you should focus on accomplishing:

1) Fill out and mail your passport application. Emerson had to renew hers and Addie had to mail hers to add more blank pages. They did this about two weeks ago and we have both in our hands today. If you haven’t done this yet, don’t even read the #2 objective.

2) Write and mail your support letters. You should already have knocked this out, but if you are reading this objective and not yet licked those stamps, don’t even read #3. Get ‘er done.

3) Turn in your completed application and $100 deposit. Jeremiah needs this ASAP. Until your paperwork is completed, you are not properly registered for the trip and this is a problem.

4) Earn and deposit money into your account.

5) Read The End of Poverty by Jeffrey D. Sachs. After you read it, set an appointment for coffee to chat over highlights with Sean Cooper.

6) Watch and re-watch the video posts on the site: Bono @ Prayer Breakfast and Bono in Africa.

Northland and Vredelust Church, located in Cape Town South Africa have partnered together over the last 3 years to do ministry together within Swaziland. Vredelust is a church that is doing much to reach out to their community locally as well as around the world. It is amazing to see how God continues to strengthen the relationship between Vredelust and Northland every time we converge together in Swaziland to reach out to the Swazi People.

February 23 Meeting

This is your new site for a whole variety of options related to the upcoming Swaziland trip! Aren’t you excited? Me too.Here are a few places to start:a) Prayer Requests: In the banner of the site, you will see an area titled “Prayer Requests”. You can find specific needs to begin praying for today. b) Relevant Material: On the right side of the page, you can see a section titled “Relevant Material”. Here you will discover books we recommend for understanding the issues taking place in Africa. Start with The End of Poverty as a way to gain insight on extreme poverty and economic crisis around the world.c) Photos: This section is a great place to send friends, family, and others who are praying or considering financial donation. They can get a glimpse of where you will go and spend time with this summer. You might also want to pray for those you see and look forward to seeing them in June or July!d) Blog: There are several leaders for the trip who will post a variety of notes, including upcoming meetings, additional prayer needs, other links, and some basic training elements leading up to the trip. We will aim to post at least one new segment each week.