Our Dear Friends & Family,
It has been a busy couple of months for the Brock’s since we arrived back in Swaziland. When we first arrived in Swaziland we had only 2 days in country before the Kenmore Alliance Church (KAC) Mission Team visited us.
The KAC trip was such an incredible blessing for us! Not only were they here to minister to the people of Swaziland, but they also assisted us greatly! Specifically in encouraging us, as well as in providing counsel and wisdom for a big decision we were facing.
For the last few years, Zwakele & I have had a long-term goal of one day opening a home that would take in children who were orphaned or abandoned. Our original idea was that we would do this in the rural area we currently live in (Timbutini). There were a couple good examples of Christians already doing this in Swazi. One such ministry is called the Sandra Lee Centre (www.sandraleecentre.org ). The SLC is a ministry that takes in orphaned & abandoned children. They have homes with up to 8 children, headed by a 'housemother' who lives permanently at the centre and raises the children. Since these children have lost both their mother & father, the vision is to give them the very next best thing, being a stable and loving Christ-centered home to grow up in.
I (Dennis) have known the people & ministry @ the Sandra Lee Centre since 2004. They are awesome! Over the years I have brought many ministry teams to their facility. Zwakele & I have often said to each other we would like to do what they’re doing.
We had been praying for quite a while “Lord, we believe you have given us this vision, so how should we proceed?” In the last 12 months we really felt like the Lord was calling us to pursue our dream. We really sensed the Lord challenging us to take a step towards that calling, to stretch out of our comfort zones. But honestly, we didn’t have the Lord’s peace to start this home in the community we are now in. The more & moree we prayed we felt that the Lord was leading us to join the ministry @ The Sandra Lee Centre.
After Thandeka was born, we interviewed with the couple that run the Sandra Lee Centre. They are Mike & Robin Pratt. They have been living in Swaziland nearly 15 years, with the SLC running for almost 8 years. When we then travelled to the USA in April we started discussing with the leadership of our home church (KAC) the possibility of leaving AIM and joining the SLC. They were supportive right away, but still wanted to check into the SLC.
So, when the KAC Mission Team was here in July, the Assistant Pastor as well as a church Elder had a few meetings with the Pratt’s. After their trip was over, and they reported back to the church, the leadership of KAC felt that this would be a good move for us.
So dear friends we are happy to announce that we are transitioning to the SLC! We are so excited to be taking this next step in our ministry and lives! At the end of this month, we will be saying goodbye to our roles @ AIM. It’s hard to believe that I have worked with AIM for 7 years! It has been a good 7 years, and we will miss the friends and relationships we have built there.
We will be moving around the 15th of October over to the Sandra Lee Centre. Our family will be living at the Centre. There are around 30 children that currently reside @ the SLC. The ages of the children range from 3 to 10. Our roles will be to minister to the children as well as to the housemothers. We will be doing a lot practical educational work with the children, as well as regular discipleship and training with the housemothers.
NEW Support INFO
This is not a paid position, and therefore we will still be raising monthly financial support, just like with our ministry in AIM. However, the details will all be changing. If you currently support us through AIM, we would ask you to please stop sending AIM checks or making online donations through the AIM website. Kenmore Alliance Church has now graciously allowed us raise our support through their accounting structure. This is a huge blessing to us! The following are the 3 ways in which to support us financially:
1) If you attend KAC, you can simply give to us through the weekly offering @ any of the services. You simply need to indicate on the offering envelope that your donation is for the Brock’s.
2) If you are a friend who support’s us but does not attend KAC, you can send a check to the church’s address. It is as follows:
Kenmore Alliance Church
175 Bonnett Ave
Tonawanda, NY 14150
3) You can also support us by making an online donation with a debit/credit card @ Kenmore Alliance’s website: www.kenmorealliance.com
First click the "Online Giving" link. Secondly, at the “Gift Amount & Designation” box you must click “Other.” When the box comes up that reads “Please specify,” you need to type in “Brock Family” in the box. In this online form you have the option to make a one-time gift, or you can choose to make your donation reoccur automatically on a monthly basis.
We really feel loved & taken care of by our home church KAC!! We are so thankful that they have been willing to walk with us through every step of the way in this transition! Friends, please keep our transition in your prayers. We are so thankful that the Lord has opened the door for us to follow Him in this next chapter in our lives! Also, thank you so much for your prayers for our family and specifically for Thandeka Grace! She is doing well! She is now 6 & 1/2 months old. Below is a recent picture of her!
We are so thankful for your love to us! Thank you for standing with us for the past 7 years! We wouldn't be here following God's will for our lives without your love and support! May God bless you all!!
