Christmas will never be the same for us again.  We are in Bulembu, Swaziland to facilitate a Christmas holiday summer camp for orphaned children (it’s summer time in Africa).  We have named the camp “Bulembu Village Sacred Heart Camp” and it has truly been amazing so far.  There are over 150 children participating and we have divided them into different teams each with their own name; Brave Heart, Lion Heart, Fearless Heart, Courageous Heart, Mighty Heart, and Strong Heart.  To seek after the restoration of these little guys hearts, we build that process on the foundation that they are precious and sacred to the King.

“I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you.”  Ezekiel 36:26

Many of these orphaned children have been forgotten by society and abandoned by their families.  Their hearts have suffered great loss and brokenness.  Many have lost their parents to AIDS and other diseases.  Many have been neglected and many have been abused.  But Jesus came to heal the brokenhearted and to set the captives free.  He uses you and I to do that beautiful work.  And it is a great honor and privilege to do so.

“Beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” Romans 10:15

The first day of the camp we washed the feet of every child.  It was a sacred time to say the least.  And as we have spent each day with them since we find ourselves falling in love with them.  Some of the younger children come running to us when Cara and I arrive.  Many of them just want us to hold them in our laps or put our arms around them.  There is a great joy in their presence.

On Christmas morning Cara, Nick, Clever and myself delivered small gifts to each child.  I can’t tell you what this meant to me.  They had no other gifts given to them and all we had to bring was a bag with some balloons, some candy, and a cheap small toy for each child.  But it was enough.  It brought many priceless smiles.

Even the smallest acts of kindness can make a huge ripple on the waters.

Another aspect of our mission here in Bulembu is mentoring. As we have been able, we have been taking small groups of the kids hiking and swimming to get a chance to know them better and develop deeper relationships with them.  We took some of the older girls cliff diving into some incredibly beautiful pools created by the waterfalls here.  It was a great time of bonding and just plain fun!

Thank you guys for allowing us to be here, giving us the opportunity to make a difference in these children’s lives.  I pray that our lives will honor Jesus in everything we say and do.  And that our lives will honor your support as well.  Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

This entry was posted on Monday, December 28th, 2009 at 2:09 pm and is filed under Jason and Cara. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.