School fees for Swazi Kids!

The new school year in Swaziland just started. This is the first year the government is offering free education for Grade 1 and Grade 2. While that gives a wonderful opportunity to children just starting into school, many of the older kids are still not allowed to attend school because of a lack of funds. This year the situation is worse then ever!

Since...forever...the price of school gets a little more expensive every year a child continues their education. However this year, the price has jumped considerably for grades 3 and above. My theory on the situation is that because the government is losing money on Grade 1 and 2, they need to make up for that lost income and so, they've increased the prices of all the other grades. Unfortunately, this is not only frustrated but also so unfortunate!

Myself along with my friends and family sponsor about 7 kids. Gogo mailed us their school fees about 6 weeks ago and by no surprise, they still haven't showed up in my mail box. I talked to Gogo earlier in the week and learned the children we sponsor were getting chased from school because we had yet to pay their fees due to basically, a lack of communication. (Yes I said chased! Can you imagine?) Let me reassure you, it became our highest priority to get school fees in.

What I wanted to share with you through this story is the need for school sponsorship is greater than ever this year. Just to give you an idea on the money we're talking about: Grade 3 costs about 600E = about $80 USD + 350E for uniform = about $130 USD. The cost of high school jumps to around $350 USD. The average Swazi lives off of less than a $1 a day. Imagine a Swazi mom trying to put her 4 children through school, yet alone 1. It's nearly impossible!

If you are interested in sponsoring a child, it's not too late. Please contact me at rhm.swazi@hotmail.com. As cliche as it sounds, by sponsoring a child you're giving them a chance at a future. Meet Mndeni and Schlanganiso, the two boys I sponsor. It's a great feeling to know the difference I am able to make by setting aside a portion of my income every month for these boys. They are able to become eduated young men. They have been given a chance to succeed.

Our New Video

If you haven't already seen it, I highly suggest you go to our website (www.rootsofhopeministries.com) and check out our new video! Thanks to Miss Chelsea Geyer and the help of others, we finally have a wonderful visual for you to watch, learn, understand and connect with those in Swaziland. I couldn't be more happy with the outcome of the video and I hope that you enjoy it!

Our food program is going well. We are feeding seven families each month! This means their sponsors have committed to giving $50 a month to give a family the gift of food and health. We still have 33 families in need of food sponsors! Please, please pray about becoming a sponsor. It is so important that these families receive food. Many times, parents or grandparents are passing away prematurely because on top of illness, they have no food to fuel and nurture their body. Children have no energy to concentrate in school and their bodies are not developing properly because of a lack of nutrition. You can be the difference in their lives and keeping these families together.

Below, are just a few of the children of families who need food sponsors.

I hope your new year has started off on the right foot and only gets better from here. Remember to expect big things from God! He's got great things in store for you!

Keep praying for Roots of Hope. We've got a lot of need and I know God will provide through our prayers. God bless!

A little lesson I learned today

I received some news today regarding Roots of Hope from a friend. The kind of news where you don't want to get your hopes up, but the possibilities of what it could bring and what doors it could open really makes excited! It gives you a boost in your step that makes your feel like you can conquer anything! (I see myself on top of a mountain, overlooking the greenery with my workout clothes on and my fist in the air).

My first thought upon hearing this news, was to call up a friend and tell her all about it. But God stopped me quickly and suggested, "Why don't you celebrate with Me first."

That really made me stop in my tracks. I so often turn to others to celebrate things God is doing in my life when really, I should stop and have a party with God first. I should thank Him and sing praises to His name for the mighty work He is doing in my life. And not only that, but then find rest in Him and seek out prayer about where this new thing is taking me.

Just a short lesson I learned today. Sorry, I can't share the news with you. Don't want to get ahead of myself now!

What is in store for this year God?

Happy 2010!! Wow! A year ago, I would have never imagined I would be where I am now. I was thinking about that today and asking myself, why? Why don't we go into a new year expecting that it will be full of blessings, richness, growth and at the end of it, we will be standing so much further than our wildest dreams? Why is it such a surprise that God takes us there? Why don't we live with such greater trust in the Lord and expect Him to do marvelous things with us?

The truth is, it's easy to have that attitude at the beginning of the year but as life takes its twists and turns it's just as easy to forget what God has promised us. We get distracted and forget to push forward towards God's plans for us. But, may I remind you - that even when we get a little lost, God redeems! He can do what you and I think takes months, overnight! That's how awesome our God is!

This year, I will live with great expectations. I will believe that God has big plans for me and I will be okay with not knowing what those plans are, but trusting they are better than anything I could ever think up. I believe that God will continue to grow Roots of Hope. I believe His heart still aches for the little boys and girls of Swaziland and that He will use you and I to reach them. I believe in miracles!

We have 30 Swazi families in need of Food sponsors. It takes $50 a month to sponsor a family. The beautiful thing about the Body of Christ is God always takes care of us and He loves it when we step a little bit out of our comfort zone to take care of our Brothers and Sisters. I believe God will provide sponsors for our 30 families! Will you ask yourself if you're one of them?

Roots of Hope started off the new year with a brand new website! Hopefully now, you will be able to navigate your way around it more easily and understand our vision more clearly! I encourage you to visit it and check it out! Also, pop into Our Shop. We have handmade clutches and headwraps for sale as well as Roots of Hope t-shirts!

I love your support and I will never be able to thank you enough. Please continue to spread the word about Roots of Hope. And if you would, please pray that we find 30 food sponsors!

My wish for you is that you have a beautiful 2010. That you live it closely to the Lord and that you expect Him to do more in 12 months than you ever thought possible. Be blessed in the name of Jesus! And thank you again for your support in 2009!

NEW PRODUCTS!

I'm still working on getting all of this on the website, but wanted to share with you guys our new line of t-shirts, headwraps and clutches. Sorry boys - there's not much for you besides the t-shirts (which are awesome by the way)...unless you can rock a headwrap and feel comfortable carrying a clutch. So, introducing....

Clutches. Hand made with imported African clothe. $20 donation



Headwrap. Hand sewn with imported African clothe. $10 donation.


Expiration Tee. Next Level Apparel t-shirts. $18 donation Sizes: Women S/M/L Men S/M/L


Clutches and headwraps are available in an assortment of colors and fabrics. They will be pictures on the website in the next couple days. If you'd like to put a order in please contact me at rhm.swazi@hotmail.com

Back Home

I'm back home after a short but very successful trip! All our of children are healthy and happy! What a blessing it was to see that! Here's a little slide show of what we accomplished.

I loved hanging out with our beautiful children! 9 days was just not enough.

I handed out all of your Letters of Love. The kids adored them.
This is Ncobile proudly showing off her letter.

Children's books were donated to RHM. Here are some of the kids enjoying them.

The money raised by Hillsboro High School
at the bake sale bought 11 children new school shoes.
Here are a few of the girls excited about their shiny shoes!

RHM collected toys to hand out.
Schlanganiso is pumped about his new jump rope!

A friend donated infant clothes. I spent a whole day walking around
the rural area handing them out to women and their children.
This was a huge blessing for them and for me!

The kids wrote me a goodbye note on the chalk board.
Nonhlanhla is my siSwati name. They wrote "you are crying,"
because I always cry when I say goodbye to them.

Most importantly, I made a lot of progress on expanding our Food to Fill program as well as gathered a lot of new information and ideas on how best we can help the children of Swaziland.

Right before my trip we got in our first ever Roots of Hope t-shirts! They are on sale for $18. Pictures will be posted on the website soon. We also will be launching a headband and wallet collection in the near future! They're going to be awesome!

Please visit our website at www.rootsofhopeministries.com and check out our families in need of a Food to Fill sponsor. You can make a difference in their lives by providing them with groceries and household itemes like candles and matches.

The Power of Prayer

I am sure most, if not all of you have heard Lindo's story. She's a little girl that stole my heart away during my first trip to Swaziland. Just a little background info for those of you who don't know...

Lindo's mother died right after she was born of AIDS. She lived with her gogo and three aunties in a mud and stick home. Her gogo is mentally handicaped and unable to find work. Lindo would go days and days without eating. It was assumed that she was positive for HIV because her mother was positive and she was constantly getting sick. Every night as I settled into my comfortable bed I would think of Lindo. When it rained, her house (the size of a small bathroom) would get flooded with water. How could I be so lucky and this beautiful little girl have it so hard?

Her gogo asked if I could keep Lindo; take her as my own. Imagine raising your child for seven years and then giving her away to a family "better suited" to raise her. She knew that she could not provide for Lindo the way Lindo needed, so she would give her up to have the opporutnity to have a better life. Needless to say, I could not take Lindo but I prayed and prayed that Lindo would find a new home,

This is Lindo today. After years of prayer, Lindo is a new home. SOS Children Orphange has taken Lindo into their program. She now lives in a house with seven other children with a house mom. She recieves a meal morning, noon and night. She is safe, happy and healthy! (Oh yeah I forgot to say, I believe the Lord healed Lindo of HIV. Although we never knew for sure that she was positive, we got her tested Nov 08 and her results were negative. Praise God!!)

God answers prayer. God hears our cries. He knows our heartache.

Matthew 7:7-8 "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened."

I will cling to this promise. I will find hope in this Truth.

Thank you God for listening and answering my prayers. Thank you for your promise. I trust in your plan even when I don't understand. Thank you for taking care of your children.