Dear Friends and Family,

Greetings in the name of Jesus! We have an awesome testimony about a young lady being rescued from a terrible situation. Her name is Phumla (poom-lah) Manana, she is seventeen years old and here is her story.

Phumla was living with her step-mother and the step-mother’s three children. Her biological father is someone in South Africa. She was not viewed as a part of the family because she was not the step mother’s natural child. As a result, the family was using Phumla as a slave and was forcing her to do all of the work around the house. At the same time, she was being neglected regarding food, water and clothing.

Mrs. Masilela & Phumla

Eventually Phumla ran away to a girl friend’s house. When the parents of her girl friend found out she was staying there, they were not willing to care for her….. so she had to leave once again. She was offered a place to stay with five men. These five men gladly opened up their house for her to stay with them. Phumla was staying in the home with five men when some of our children at the “I Am Not Forgotten” orphan project found out about this situation. They reported Phumla’s terrible circumstances to the house mother over the orphan project—Mrs. Masilela. When Mrs. Masilela found out what was going on, she immediately went and rescued Phumla out of the men’s house. Phumla gladly left and now has a bed at the orphan project, where she is safe and sound. Praise the Lord!

We are so thankful for Mrs. Masilela and how the Lord is developing a heart of compassion in her for those who are less fortunate. We are also thankful for the children who heard about an awful situation and told their “Mom” about it. They too are developing hearts of compassion. These children who have been rescued themselves are now helping others out of desperate situations.

Please pray for this young lady, Phumla Manana. We are hoping that one day she can be restored to the people who treated her so terribly.

Jeremiah 20:13: “Sing to the Lord! Give praise to the Lord! He rescues the life of the needy from the hands of the wicked.”

Blessings,
Randy and Karen Brennan
Serving the Lord in Swaziland, Africa

Dear Friends in Christ,

The requests for how we pray for the sick have been overwhelming. So we are sending a follow-up email outlining what and how we pray. Please know that this is not a formula from any book or healing seminar. Over time the Lord has helped us to pray in a way that honors Him and His Word above all else. He does the rest because He loves us. I have included scripture to support the basis for praying in this fashion.

I hope you find this to be edifying. Put prayer to work for you, your family and those the Lord has placed around you. We know that the more we pray for healing the more it happens.

Download (right-click and save-as) or View (click): Notes on Praying for Healing

Blessings,
Randy and Karen

Dear Friends and Family,

All is well in Swaziland. We would like to take a moment to thank everyone for their ongoing support of the ministry. We know that the Kingdom of God here in Swaziland is advancing due to the continued prayers of the saints here and in the United States.

By God’s grace, we continue to see many people being healed in their physical bodies. We are seeing that this type of ministry points them to Christ as their Healer, Deliverer, Provider and Savior. People also get a fresh revelation of the validity and authenticity of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. They begin to realize that the Gospel is not just about the forgiveness of sins.

We are finding that people do not typically pursue divine healing on their own. Perhaps it’s due to unbelief, a lack of sound teaching in the church, or perhaps a willingness of heart to just plod along suffering in their circumstances. We are finding that if we see someone who is sick and the Lord quickens us to pray for that person they are healed every time. Seriously, I’m not kidding. There are also those instances when we will ask the people we are ministering to if they need healing in their physical bodies or deliverance from emotional torments. As they express faith to be healed by Christ according to His Word (the bible) they are usually healed either on the spot or over the next day or so.

We are also finding that the healings are taking place more frequently at the CarePoints and settings outside of the confines of the church. For example, we had four people get healed of various ailments within a few days of each other—all at the CarePoints. We had, Mrs. Mthembu, a 63 year old cook who had a badly sprained ankle get healed immediately upon praying for her. She was using crutches and was not able to put any weight on the ankle…..but after prayer she set the crutches down and began to walk, gingerly at first but within moments she was able to put full weight on the ankle without pain. Every time we have seen her since she thanks us for leading her to Jesus to be healed. The other three were similar in nature in that they were all sickness or disease related. After agreeing with them in prayer that Christ was willing and able to heal them and rebuking the sicknesses they were all healed. Two of them were healed of chronic fatigue and depression and one was healed of a terrible flu-cold type thing that had completely wiped her out. All three of these CarePoint teachers felt better at the time of prayer and were completely healed by the next day.

Jesus truly is our Healer! If you would like to know how we pray for healing just send us an email. It’s very simple and emphasizes a strictly biblical approach to requesting divine healing through prayer. God responds when we ask according to His Word.

Blessings,
Randy and Karen Brennan
Serving the Lord in Swaziland, Africa

Dear Friends and Family,

We have arrived safely back in Swaziland and it is great to be home! Our time back in the United States was such a blessing. We want to thank all of you for the love that you showed us while we were there. We were able to share with so many of you, what the Lord is doing here in Swaziland to build his kingdom. We were also able to hear about what the Lord is doing in your lives as well. It was an encouragement and a blessing!

When we arrived back in Swaziland, we were immediately faced with the stark reality of HIV/AIDS and the toll it is taking on the nation. This has renewed in us the sense of urgency in sharing the gospel and our daily need to be obedient to the Word of God.

Our dear friend at Children’s Cup, Gugu Dlamini, passed away on Saturday, May 15, 2010, one day before we arrived back in Swaziland. When we said good-bye on March 26, 2010, we didn’t realize we would not see her again. This however is a reality in Swaziland. She became sick with a fever on Monday, went to the doctor on Thursday, to the hospital on Friday and passed away on Saturday, as a result of complications from pneumonia. She was 41 years old. She is survived by her husband and three beautiful girls.

Gugu Dlamini

As we reflected on the legacy that Gugu left, it was unanimous that Gugu loved everyone very well! Jesus himself says in John 13:35, “By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” Gugu was a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ evidenced by the fruit of love in her life.

Please pray with us for the family, that they will be comforted during this time.

Blessings,
Randy and Karen Brennan
Serving the Lord in Swaziland, Africa

We wanted to make you aware of some opportunites to hear about what the Lord is doing in Swaziland.
We will be speaking at four different gatherings. They are as follows:

Thursday, April 22 6:30 p.m. – Todd and Kate Hannula’s house
N85 W36400 Riverwood Lane
Oconomowoc, WI
Kate’s cell: 262-719-0486
email: khannula @ hughes.net

Sunday, April 25 6:30 p.m. – Ron and Sara Rewert’s house
4549 Highway NN
West Bend, WI
home: 262-644-1311

Monday, April 26 7:00 p.m. – Uplink – Kevin & Kathy Byrum
N88 W16758 Main St.
Menomonee Falls, WI
Kevin’s cell: 414-803-8786

Friday, April 30 6:00 p.m. – Jim and Aimee Palmer’s house
W341 N6990 Northern Lights Dr.
Oconomowoc, WI
home: 262-966-9855
email: ajpalmer @ wi.rr.com

We would love to see you. As more get together’s are scheduled, we will let you know.

Love, Randy, Karen and Shelly

Dear Friends and Family,

We have been in the United States for almost 2 weeks now and we’ve just returned from New York. Our time spent at the Pastor’s Conference and with family was a blessing. We are in Wisconsin and Minnesota for the remaining 4 weeks and while we are here we want to meet with you! If you want to see us please give us a call. We can even meet for a cup of coffee! Our cell number while we are in the States is:

1-262-434-9162

We are here to minister what the Lord has been doing in Swaziland! We would like to pray with you and for you. Looking forward to hearing from you!

Love,
Randy, Karen and Shelly Brennan

Dear Friends and Family,

We would like to share about a recent success in Swaziland. Part of our mission is to rescue orphaned and vulnerable children from life threatening situations. We are happy to relay this story about 10 year old Majuba Matsebula and his 5 year old sister Nobuhle.

Majuba

The children were living with their father and step-mother. Their step-mother did not want them around and was continually driving them away from their home. They would come to Children’s Cup CarePoint in Makholweni during the day where they would eat and be taken care of. Their teacher, Londiwe, noticed their health deteriorating….they were both malnourished, filthy dirty and very deprived of sleep. Teacher Londiwe called Children’s Cup nurse Jessie and asked what could be done for the children.

Nobuhle

Within a very short period of time, the children were brought into the “I Am Not Forgotten” project. The “I Am Not Forgotten” project was established for situations just like this. For these two little children, it truly was a life or death situation. They have both tested positive for HIV and needed medicine months ago but the father neglected to seek treatment for the children. So we took them into our temporary emergency shelter for at risk kids. We cleaned them up, got them some clean clothes, filled their bellies with good food, and got them to the HIV clinic for a check-up and badly needed medication. We have had them in our care for about four weeks now and are working toward a permanent orphanage placement.

Please pray for these two beautiful little children that their health will improve and that a permanent placement will open up real soon. Please also pray for the continued success of the “I Am Not Forgotten” project as it continues to make a huge difference in the lives of kids like Majuba and Nobuhle.

Blessings,

Randy, Karen and Shelly
Serving the Lord in Swaziland, Africa

Dear Friends and Family,

This is a quick update to let you know what our itinerary looks like for our return visit from April 1st through May 14th. Please reach out to us in order to set aside time for a visit when we are in your area. We are looking forward to sharing our story with as many people as possible while we are back. Please remember that this is a tentative schedule.

• April 4th – April 10th Michigan, New York (for Pastor’s Conference)
• April 11th – April 17th Oconomowoc, Milwaukee, Madison
• April 18th – April 24th Manitowoc, Green Bay, Appleton
• April 25th – May 1st Oconomowoc, Milwaukee, Madison
• May 2nd – May 8th Minneapolis, Eau Claire, La Crosse
• May 9th – May 14th Oconomowoc, Milwaukee, Madison

We are looking forward to seeing you all very soon.

Serving the Lord in Swaziland,

Randy, Karen, and Shelly

Featured Picture: “Randy, Karen and Shelly”

Dear Friends and Family,

Greetings in the wonderful name of Jesus.

Happy New Year to everyone! We hope and pray that you will join us in pursuing Christ and everything He has for us in 2010.

Randy, Karen and Shelly

We have an exciting announcement to make. The Brennans are returning to the States to visit from April 1st to May 15th. It has been nearly three years since we have been back. Wow, it is amazing how time flies!

We are hoping to connect with all the people who have prayed for us and financially supported the mission here in Swaziland. If you would like to see us please begin to communicate with us now. We are looking forward to sharing with you what the Lord is doing here in Swaziland. We have learned a great deal about the Lord and the Kingdom of God over the past three years and would love to share the lessons and experiences with you.

Also, please pray about how the Lord may want to use you to help us while we are back. We have already been offered a beautiful place to stay during our visit. We have no transportation at this point. A reliable car would enable us to get around to all the people we need to see. It is a humbling experience to be completely reliant on others for things as basic as lodging and a car. If you sense that the Lord wants to use you to help us please let us know.

Looking forward to seeing you all!

Love,

Randy, Karen and Shelly

Serving the Lord in Swaziland, Africa

Featured Picture: “Thankful for the Greatest Gift of All—Jesus Christ”
(Picture of Randy, Karen and Peggy, mother at one of the “I Am Not Forgotten” orphan homes, and the kids that she loves on each and every day!)

Thankful for Jesus

Dear Friends and Family,

Greetings and Merry Christmas from Swaziland, Africa!

Celebrating Christmas is such an exciting time of year. For many here in Swaziland, Christmas has a new meaning. Do you remember the first time you realized the significance of Christmas? When the story of the birth of a little baby, wrapped in clothes and laying in a manger, when that story came to life for you and had real significance and meaning? Many here in Swaziland are realizing for the very first time that the best gift ever is “the gift of eternal life “offered to each of us by Jesus Christ through his birth, death and resurrection.

Each and every day of 2009 has been a sort of “Christmas celebration” as the good news of the gospel has been the focus of what we do. Sometimes it takes the form of feeding children, praying with our teachers, preaching and teaching at the Bride of Christ Church, giving out Bibles to those that can’t afford to buy them or rescuing children from abusive situations and placing them in loving homes like the “I Am Not Forgotten” project. All of these are being done with the purpose of pointing people to Jesus Christ, the giver of eternal life!

What a privilege it is to see the transformation of the hearts of men, women and children as they experience the realization that Jesus is real and He is alive today. For so many in Swaziland, this is their first “Merry Christmas!”

We would like to thank each and every one of you for your prayers and financial support. You are our partners and coworkers in this work in Swaziland as we share the gospel and see the transformation in the spiritual lives of so many men, women and especially the children. We continue to keep you in our prayers, that the Lord would bless you more than you could ever ask or imagine.

Merry Christmas and have a Blessed New Year!

We love you,

Randy, Karen and Shelly Brennan
Serving the Lord in Swaziland, Africa