First Steps...(5 Month's @ the Sandra Lee Centre)

Dear Friends,

We have been serving @ the Sandra Lee Centre for over 5 months now!  The transition has been both great, as well as at times challenging.  

It has been GREAT to be ministering to the 27 beautiful children here.  It’s hard to think that all of them were once abandoned.  Many of the children came from very tough situations (abuse, sickness, etc).  But what a blessing it is to be a part of God’s work of RESTORATION in their life.  To love on them, & tell them about God’s love for them is such a blessing!  I (Dennis) am focusing a lot my time with 9 of the oldest children.  I daily help them with their school work, read bible stories to them, and just spend a bunch of time with them.  One of my favorite activities has been to take the children out of the SLC property for excursions.  I have intentionally taken them to the rural areas to see how many of their countrymen live.  Our children here, although their beginning was pretty rough, are now enjoying blessed lives.  They now live in a nice place, with the huge blessings of hot water, electricity, food every day, etc.  So we have been trying at an early age to help them get their eyes off of themselves, but to also see the needs of others.  We want to instill in them a sense of reaching out to others. Some of them have been shocked to see the way people are living in the rural areas.  We want the children to grow up realizing the blessings they have, and to understand that part of living a life as a follower of Jesus Christ is serving others.  This has been awesome thing to be a part of.

Another part of ministry for us that is a blessing has been working with the 8 Swazi women who daily care for the children @ SLC.  We daily interact with them, but also have special times to pray with them, counsel, and encourage them.  On Wednesday mornings we worship, study the Word of God, and pray for one another.  Zwakele & I have really loved this time on Wednesdays.  Zwakele has really been able to connect with the ladies.  

Please pray with us for our ministry to both the women and children of the SLC.  Please pray that we would continue to build deep relationships with them, & that we would be a continual source of Christs love to them.  

City life in the Capital of Swaziland is very different than our past 5 years of living in Timbutini.  At times we really miss the rural area.  By far the most challenging part of our transition has been not seeing Zwakele’s family as much as when we had lived in Timbutini.  We didn’t move that far away (only 1hr & 20 minutes drive), but because of the distance, and the busyness of daily life, we don’t get to visit them that much.  However, it does make the time we do get to spend with them that much sweeter.  We would definitely appreciate your prayers as we still are adjusting to our transition.  Thanks!   

One huge blessing of life @ the SLC has been Thandeka having so many friends to play with, and love on her.  She has really enjoyed getting to know so many of her new friends.  Thandeka is doing so well!  She just turned 1 year old on the 28th of February.  She is also now walking!  She has really enjoyed living @ the SLC!

 Our Dear Friends thank you so much for your prayers for us!  We so appreciate your love to us!  We wouldn't be able to do this without you!