here.

sept. 13. 2008 So I’m here safe in Swaziland! The plane from Joburg to Manzini (Swaziland) was possibly the smallest commercial plane I’ve ever seen.  Most planes have seat patterns such as 3-5-3 or 2-4-2… not this one… this is 1-2. Haha so I was the first seat on the left so I had no one next to me and nowhere to put my carryon. It was cozy but a very adventurous and fun experience.  In my opinion, they should have chosen a more petite flight attendant for a plane of that size. Here’s what I learned: Pringles are only 42% potato… Gross! What is the rest!?!  Also, FDR and Helen Keller have some really great quotes.  Helen picked me up from the airport (with Asher, 14, her daughter.)  It was a really cool drive. I love mountains and there is some fantastic vegetation here!  We chatted in the car about me, life, Swaziland life, and what all I’m going to be doing (wouldn’t you all like to know :D.)  There was a fire here a few weeks back so the phones and internet are down and have been down for a while.  It was dark by the time I got to Hawane so I haven’t gotten the tour yet.  I’m staying in the “big brown house” which I think used to be a barn/farmhouse.  Pretty cool.  I have some housemates. Roomies! Haha. They are really awesome.  Stephanie and Julie are from Ireland and are only here for 5 weeks as a part of their nursing school program.  Both are 21 and have great accents. I like them already!  Then there’s Kylee.  She’s 23 (24 on Wednesday) and from Dayton, Ohio.  They are all new too but have been here for almost a week already.  Kylee is also here till December or longer.  She has so much ambition and passion for this place already.  I love it and can’t wait to get plugged and get to know her more.  I went to the Wards (Kevin and Helen) for dinner.  We had chicken on the brye (sp?) a.k.a. Swazi term for the grill.  And we had some tasty salad with avocadoes and all sorts of great stuff.  I met their son Joshua who is 12.  He’s a very cool kid as is Asher.  I can’t wait to be BFFs with them and get to know everyone better.  I haven’t met any other regular staff yet, but there is a team here from Dayton (Kylee’s church/ Christian Life Center) They’re doing construction.  It was very cool to talk to them and share my story of how I got here and hear about them.  One of the guys has 2 daughters at Lee and I have mutual friends with them. Small world!?! We had tea and chocolates and talked and played with animal balloons.  It was a very pleasant evening.  When Kylee and I got back to the house/barn (:D)  there was smoke everywhere! Stephanie and Julie made a fire in the fireplace and I guess the chimney was inefficient.  We were all laughing really hard and our eyes and lungs were burning.  It was a comical experience.  My room is upstairs and the door was shut so it wasn’t smoky.  Helen said I will probably move some when I’m here.  (all of course on the grounds here, but to different locations like the other half of the big brown house)  I unpacked some.  I love it here so far.  So far so good… well… so far so God.  Oh and it is warmer here than it was in Johannesburg.  Alright well I better get some rest.  Church and wake up will come early! Peace and Love! Tiffany Noel

 

If you are interested I seeing more stuff about CLC Dayton team go to www.clcdayton.com and click on Swaziland and then blog.  They are an awesome church and team.

 

sept. 14. 2008.  Sunday- Early morning for church.  It was a crazy/awesome day.  We went to the Potter’s Wheel for church and it was really good.  By the way… awesome thatch roof! There is a couple from the US (the Smiths) that have been here for the past 6 years but they are leaving Tuesday for good so he (Don Smith)  spoke in church.  Plus the CLC guys shared testimonies.  It was such a good service. Afterwards we went back to Hawane for a more traditional Swazi service.  We went to the church’s new site after church and prayed over it and played with the children. I went to Kevin and Helen’s house again for lunch and had butternut squash soup.  Delicious.  Also, I took an amazing nap that came back to bite me last night when I couldn’t sleep.  When I woke up we had a going away party for the Smiths (mentioned previous… leaving for the US) and we played with the children again.  I spent some more time with Stephanie and Julie and then tried to figure out my plans for Monday (today.)  We watched a video on children with AIDS.  It was very heartbreaking but good for my mindset.  More quality bonding with Kylee and Julie and Stephanie.  I didn’t sleep too well last night.  Today I am with Kylee and Paul (from CLC) and pastor Augustan (pastor of Hawane church) We went up on the mountain across from us and met with pastor Lewis.  CLC Dayton is looking for more locations to start doing what they have done at Hawane.  The concept is called ICBC.  (In community, by community)  Basically, they are trying to build self-sustaining communities with orphanages and widows as housemothers.  They children do the work on the farm, which is how Hawane is run.  It is amazing how CLC has such an intense passion and dedication to Swaziland.  It was definitely a different experience.  Pastor Lewis and his wife single-handedly run an orphanage of over 30 children plus many more that live with “go-gos.”   It is incredible to see his heart and passion to make his ministry grow.  So CLC is an awesome church and I’m glad I’ve been able to spend time with the guys from there and live with Kylee while I’m here.  I’m very happy still.  It has been quite an adjustment as far as climate, culture, time difference, and overall life pace.  Some things to pray for: my adjustment, fires (they break out all of the time and the CLC actually helped put out a raging fire that was about to get to a crippled widow’s house.  They beat the fire out with branches.)  smooth transitions with the Smiths and CLC team leaving and with the new volunteers.  Also, we are figuring out what exactly I’m going to be doing here.  The plan is to just try different things and see what fits so within 2 weeks I should be totally plugged in and settled.  It’s exciting not knowing on a day-to-day basis what I will be doing.  We will see! I’ll keep you all posted.  Love and miss you all lots!