God Answers Prayers!
God answers prayers . . . . .
Dear Friends and Family,
Below is a story about how God answers prayers. Nellie, one of our Children??s Cup staff has been watching and praying for twins from one of our CarePoints for over 4 years …. here is what happens when people pray …. God listens, then at the perfect time, he acts!!!
Let me introduce you to Alex and Alexinah, (in the photo above) a set of seven year old twins that would frequent one of Children’s Cup CarePoints for food. Nellie, one of our Children’s Cup staff, (in the photo above) recalls over 4 years ago when they were just 3 years old, how the children would come to the CarePoint early in the morning for food. She remembers them laying flat on the ground on their stomachs, hungry and filthy.
Alex and Alexinah are double orphans which means both of their parents have died as a result of HIV/AIDS. They have been staying with their grandmother and grandfather. The people in the community would describe the grandmother as a “drunkard”. The grandfather does what he can to provide, but there is never enough and the children are the ones who suffer.
The past few months, their attendance at the CarePoint was sporadic, and this showed up physically; the kids were looking thin and unhealthy. Nellie investigated and found out that the kids were not coming to the CarePoint because they were at home doing work around the house like fetching firewood and water, cooking and doing other chores. Something had to be done so Nellie gave us a call to see if there was room in the “I Am Not Forgotten” orphan homes for Alex and Alexinah.
Over the last 2-3 months the Lord has worked in a miraculous way and Alex and Alexinah are now staying at our newest orphan home in Mbekelweni. They arrived last week, just in time to start school in their new community with their new “brothers and sisters”. When we visited them on Tuesday, they were completely different children. They were happy, laughing, running and filled with a sense of hope. For them at this age, a roof over their heads and 3 nutritious meals a day, is something they have never experienced before. They have a bed to sleep in and they have clothes to wear. They are filled with such joy and know they are loved! Before we left, we circled up, joined hands and prayed . . . . . when we were finished, I bent down to give Alexinah a hug and she gave me a huge kiss on my cheek… one I’ll never forget.
Above is a picture of Alexinah, Ntombie (their new “Mother”) and Alex.
We thank God for answering our prayers and providing a home for Alex and Alexinah. A place where they are loved and cared for. A home where they can grow up learning about the Lord Jesus Christ and what he has done for them!
Blessings,
Randy and Karen Brennan
Missionaries in Swaziland, Africa
Merry Christmas from the Brennans!
Merry Christmas!
Luke 2:11 “Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord!”
Today we celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and realize why He humbled Himself and came to the earth. The fourfold ministry of Jesus Christ was revealed by the prophet Isaiah which says in Isaiah 61: 1-2;
“The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor.”
Jesus’s ministry was the preaching of the gospel to the poor the meek and afflicted.
“He has sent me to bind up the broken hearted”
While on the earth, Jesus ministered healing to those that were spiritually and physically sick and brokenhearted.
“To proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners”
Breaking the bonds of evil and proclaiming freedom from sin and satanic dominion.
“To proclaim the year of the Lord??s favor”
Opening the spiritual eyes of the lost that they might see the light of the gospel and be saved, by God’s favor and grace!
Praying for each of you this Christmas season…. That you have received the good news of the gospel that Jesus Christ brought. That the joy of your salvation will be experienced each and every day as you live your life for Him. May the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus!
To all of our family and friends, we would like to wish you a very Merry Christmas!
Love, Randy and Karen Brennan
Christmas Celebrations and Graduations!
Dear Friends and Family,
Below is our latest update. We have made a few changes, we hope you enjoy.
December in Swaziland means the end of the school year. We share information about CarePoint graduation, International School of Ministry graduation, and Christmas Celebrations at the CarePoints.
Next update we will share with you what is happening at all 3 ??I Am Not Forgotten?? orphan homes.
Enjoy and be blessed!
With much love,
Randy and Karen
New House Mom at “I Am Not Forgotten” Oprhan Home
Missions in Africa, Inc.
October 7, 2011
http://www.missionsinafrica.com
Dear Friends and Family,
Greetings in Jesus’ name! Last month we shared with you what the Lord is doing through Peggy, one of our mothers at an “I Am Not Forgotten” home. This month we would like to share with you about our newest house and newest house Mom, Ntombie.
This new house was built this past spring and has been a safe haven for many children that needed care that they were not receiving at their homes or by their care givers. For some time, Ruth Dlamini was the “mother” to these beautiful little children, but she has since moved to South Africa at the Lord’s direction.
You may ask, where do you find a mother to mother children who are not her own? Only the Lord can do that!
As we prayed and asked the Lord for his direction on finding a new house Mom, we were also looking to see who the Lord had raised up to be a “mother” to these beautiful children. The answer was right in front of us at the Children’s Cup CarePoint where the children would eat Monday through Friday. Ntombie is one of the facilitators or teachers at the Mbeklweni CarePoint. She has been with Children’s Cup for years and has demonstrated her love for the Lord and her love for the children.
When we asked her if she would consider being the house mom, her fist response was let me pray about it and seek the Lord. Ntombie or “Pretty Girl” which is her nickname, came back to us with a huge “YES!”. Ntombie knows the love of a mother. In conversations with her, she said her mother is one of her best friends. Even to this day if she has questions, she will call her mother and ask for insight and wisdom.
We are praising the Lord for his faithfulness and direction. We are thrilled that in the midst of change, our God is a personal loving Father who is intimately involved in every decision in the lives of his children. Psalm 23:1-3 is a beautiful expression of our Father’s love. It reads, “The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.”
Ntombie with Sibonelo
Above is a picture of Ntombie with Sibonelo who is full of smiles in her mommy’s arms. After Ntombie’s first week as “mother” , Tjengisile (pictured below) one of the older girls asked, “Can she be our mother forever?”
Tjengisile
Please pray with us for Ntombie, that the Lord will give her strength, wisdom, and that the Lord will lead her and guide her in this new God given role as mother to these beautiful children!
Peace and Grace,
Randy and Karen Brennan
Missionaries in Swaziland, Africa
A Father to the Fatherless
Missions in Africa, Inc.
August 31, 2011
http://www.missionsinafrica.com
Psalm 68:5-6: A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling. God sets the lonely in families….
Dear Friends and Family,
Daily I am amazed as I watch the Lord perform amazing acts of compassion, loving kindness, patience and gentleness through His people, to help rescue those children that are left abandoned, neglected oppressed and abused. His Word says in Psalm 68:5-6 that “he sets the lonely in families….” where they are loved! And here is an example….
This last week Randy and I were at “Make Peggy’s” house. “Make,” pronounced “Mah-gay” in siSwati means “mother.” Peggy is one of three mothers at our “I Am Not Forgotten” homes. These homes are temporary shelters for kids who are in desperate situations such as life threatening, physical or emotional abuse, abandonment or neglect. Sometimes children come into the home for a short period of time and are able to go back to their families once the problem has been solved. Other times, the children come and stay for a long time. That’s the situation with Rose and her brother Fernando.
Rose and Fernando June 2008
Rose and Fernando June 2008
Rose and her brother Fernando, have been living with Peggy since June 2008. Their story is heart breaking, but very common in this country. Their mother passed away because of HIV and they were living with their father in a squatter camp in Mangwaneni, Manzini. They frequented the CarePoint for food and a safe place to play with their friends. One day we found out that their father went to South Africa to find a job and left them with a “grandmother” to care for them. She was not their biological grandmother and after a short period of time she started to physically abuse them. After that, the landlord started to care for them. He would lock them in their room at night and let them out in the morning. This was for their safety and protection because there were strangers coming around the village trying to take them to Mozambique. Once we heard what was going on, we went to the police and told them what was going on and we “received custody” of the children and they have been living with Peggy ever since.
Rose and Fernando June 2011
Rose June 2011
Fernando June 2011
I can’t even imagine where these two children would be if they were not living with Peggy today. The “I Am Not Forgotten” homes are a safe place, a Christ centered loving home and an answer to prayer! It is God’s heart being lived out in His church today. Rose and Fernando are loved on by Peggy and continue to grow in their knowledge of God. They are able to attend school and are doing exceptionally well. Most importantly though, they are receiving the love of Christ which changes lives.
The Word says in James 1:27 “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.”
Thank you for your prayers and support. When you give financially, your money buys things like food, toiletries, bibles, clothes because the children are constantly growing, school shoes, backpacks… and the list goes on. This would not be possible without your help! Thank you again. We love you!
Peace and grace to you!
Randy and Karen Brennan
Psalm 68:4-6 “Sing to God, sing praise to his name, extol him who rides on the clouds– his name is the LORD– and rejoice before him. A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling. God sets the lonely in families….”
Welcome
Welcome to Missions in Africa, a ministry raised up by the Lord to take the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the nation of Swaziland, Africa.
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