Full Circle

Child sponsorship was our first introduction to Eswatini (formerly Swaziland). We chose a 10 year old little girl which at the time, was the same age as our twin boys.  We loved that our family was able to write her letters and she sent back artwork that we displayed on our refrigerator. A few years later, a mission trip at our church was offered and we were able to go meet her.  Below is a picture of that day:)

While in the country in 2012 during our first mission trip, the Lord called Greg and I to move our family to Swazi and work alongside the local staff at the Adventures In Missions base. We instantly became students of a very complex culture in which we fell in love with many things, mainly the people!

As quickly as God had called us to “go” to Eswatini in June 2014, He brought us back to the states through an unexpected repatriation flight about a year ago.  Our time of living on the field came suddenly to a close.  As He has proven over and over, His timing is perfect! After a few months of living stateside and wondering what our next steps would be, we were offered new positions with AIM as Sponsorship Managers! Little did we know after 13 years of Children’s HopeChest and AIM’s partnership in Eswatini, leaders of both organizations had realized that a greater impact could be achieved if there was only one driver moving the ministry forward. HopeChest had always managed the sponsorship piece of the ministry, so AIM needed to figure out their own sponsorship program in order to move onward. God has used our own personal sponsorship journey and unique field experience to equip us for these specific roles. Sometimes God allows us a glimpse of His plan and we are absolutely humbled by His guidance.

We are amazed at the timing of this transition, new positions, and how God has brought us full circle through sponsorship!

We will admit, this has been a bit of a roller coaster as we were not able to say goodbye to many friends we did life with on a daily basis. We were registered for a highly recommended debrief in February, but due to COVID-19 rescheduled to August. We are hopeful this debrief will provide some healthy ways to process the last six years on the field and the transition we have had over the past year. Our time living in Eswatini has changed us forever and we are thrilled to still be involved and reach out to coworkers and friends on the other side of the world.

If you would like more information on how to sponsor a child, we can hook you up! We have witnessed first-hand how sponsorship and the work at the CarePoints are not only providing basic needs, but making a difference in the lives of these children and their families! If you are a current sponsor, nothing is changing with your child. Feel free to reach out to us if you have ANY questions. You should have received a letter around the first of March outlining future details about this transition effective April 1st. The good news is there will be few changes on the field and the transition should be very smooth!

Specific prayer request:

• Pray for Eswatini.  Currently, they are still on a partial lock down, but COVID-19 positive cases are declining.  Vaccines were received yesterday, so hopefully, schools will re-open soon and CarePoints can return to normal operations.
• Pray for the staff on the field.  The lockdowns have presented plenty of challenges and we are asking God to keep them healthy and unified as they move forward.
• Pray God continues to equip us for these new positions.  There is a lot to learn and it has been overwhelming at times.
• Pray we can continue a healthy transition and avoid side effects of reverse culture shock. 

 

Thank you to all those who have continued this journey with us through your encouragement, prayers and generosity. We are still required to raise 50% support in our new sponsorship positions. This gives you, as our friends and family, an opportunity to continue to be part of God’s work in this beautiful country. Most U.S. AIM staff raise support and this simply allows for more resources to be used on the field.

Thank you for partnering with us and Adventures In Missions Eswatini!

Because of Him,

Greg and Michelle