Hi to all parents and Friends!!!

This is Kristen, one of the leaders for the Swazi trip. Hopefully the blogs and the stories from your participants have made you smile and given you a better idea of how to pray for us, them, and for those that we are ministering to!!!

Internet access in Africa is difficult to find, hang on to, and use, to say the least. Pictures are pretty much impossible to upload because of their weight and the amount of time that it takes to even pull up a single page. We're sorry about that, but it just means that you'll have more to see when the trip is over!!!

We try to post the blogs once a week. However, we live in Africa and have "Africa" days a lot--where you spend all day trying to do something that wasn't in your plans but do none of the things that you had to do. Transportation is its own adventure, so if for some reason it takes more than a week to get blogs up, please do not panic! We are safe and we are in God's hands. Also, if the blogs have been posted for the week but your participant did not post, that only means that they didn't get it to us in time or something didn't work out electronically. They are definitely okay!!!! We know that it's hard to be so far away and not really know what's going on other than these blogs and communication days. Thanks for being awesome and for lifting us up in prayer!!!

The trip is going well. Yesterday we left the country to renew our visas and got to spend the day in a mall, watching movies, shopping, and eating pizza. Culture shock can be huge on days like that, but the team seems to be doing well. The reality that the trip is almost half over has hit. As the adjustment period to being here has worn off and we've become used to every day life here in Swaziland, we find ourselves completely ready and eager to pour ourselves out for Christ and into others for him every single day.

Please continue to lift us up daily in prayer, we everyday we wake up and run hard, giving everything for Him, despite sunburns, soreness, or whatever else seems to be against us that day. Please continue to pray for good health and for safety in travel. Pray for a spirit of praise, even on the dark days when there doesn't seem to be much to praise about. Pray for the little ones that we hug everyday, for the patients that we minister to, and to everyone else that we come in contact with. Pray for team unity, that we will come together as one and live as the Body of Christ.

We love you, we miss you, and are praying for all of you! Have a great day!