- The Field: Swaziland is a beautiful country nestled between the countries of South Africa and Mozambique. It is the last absolute monarchy in Africa under the rule of His Majesty, King Mswati III. The population of the nation is 1 million and it is now the leading country in the world with regard to its rate of HIV infection. Today, 42% of all adults (who have been tested) are HIV positive. The median age of residents in the country is 15 years old with a life expectancy of 31 years. This means you are actually middle-aged by your 15th birthday! Recent statistics reveal a horrific reality: This could be the first country in the world to become extinct because of AIDS and it could happen in as little as 20 years! 50% of the population is under age 18. 40% of the population is under age 14! There are currently 150,000 children living in the country without adult supervision. The country now holds 5 records: Highest HIV infection rate in the world; lowest life expectancy in the world; highest TB infection rate in the world, highest death rate in the world, & the highest percentage of orphans of any country in the world.
- The Call: While in Africa in May 2007, I was in a meeting and listening intently to instructions that were being given. A small group of children had come into the shanty church. A small child pressed against my right leg. Since I was listening to what was happening, I did not look down to see who it was. I simplly placed my arm around the child. When I did this, the others seemed to gasp. I wondered what I had done wrong. I looked down to see a young boy with a terrible skin affliction. Some speculated that it was leprosy. He had large white patches of skin with bloody edges and it was peeling away from his body. When I saw this, I knelt down and hugged him tightly and he smiled from ear to ear. I was told by some that I was foolish for doing this and could contract a very deadly disease. I learned something that day. I would be content to die of a disease, but I could not be content to let this boy die in the street without a hug...without human touch...without knowing he was loved and that he had value. To me, this child was unreached because no one ever told him that he was highly valued by God and could be a prince in God's Kingdom. He was also untouched, not knowing the warmth of love and compassion. Psalm 113:78 (NLT) - "He lifts the poor from the dust and the needy from the garbage dump. He sets them among princes, even the princes of his own people!"
- Our Vision: We will be involved in compassion ministries for the Assemblies of God in this land. Our heart lies with the children and youth. There are many homes where there are no parents because they have already died of AIDS and the children are left behind. We have a vision for Hope Centers to be opened where children can receive medical attention, hot meals, help with school work so they may continue their education, and most of all, a safe place where they receive love and compassion. You see, we are not being sent to simply touch a community or a city, but to impact a nation before it is too late. God chose us to go to one of the last kingdoms on earth. We are literally one in a million! There is one Goodling family, and over one million Swazis. Still, we believe as in the Book of Esther, "Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?" Esther 4:14.
US Missions Resources
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Church “Adopts” Military Chaplain
Assemblies of God military chaplains go through extensive schooling and training to prepare for their duties. They are men and women of strong faith and great courage. -
Cornell University Clears Chi Alpha
The Chi Alpha group ministering to students at Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, recently had its funding temporarily suspended by Cornell's Student Assembly Finance Commission (SAFC) while it investigated the forced resignation of one of the Chi Alpha student leaders.
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Couple Wrap Up 39 Years of Prison Ministry
A lot has changed in the 39 years since Lloyd and Nita Colbaugh began volunteering at the United States Medical Center, a federal prison hospital in Springfield, Missouri.
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Surprise Home Makeover Results in Tears and Cheers
Several years ago, Ed and Leah Bass purchased a home in Alvarado, Texas. It was a fixer-upper, but the couple was determined to turn the desperately needy house into their dream home. Step by step, they started to repair and rebuild the house. Last July, the couple went to pick out new paint colors and items for the house, dreaming of what was to be.
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New Chi Alpha Scholarship Awarded by Regent
Regent University School of Law recently announced that Leanne Watrous, a member of the University of Virginia Chi Alpha ministry, has been awarded the first Regent Law Chi Alpha Scholarship.
