July 4th...in Swaziland

Well....it was an uneventful July 4th from a celebration stand point...in Swaziland. Funny thing....you're in another country for one...and then the President of the organization and his wife are from Canada originally....so I was on my own for the Birthday Party! But it was a good day.

After a night of MUCH needed rest....on Sunday we grocery shopped and then headed out to Project Canaan. For those of you who don't know about Project Canaan.....it is 2500 acres of land that was donated to Heart For Africa. The hope for the land and what is actually happening is that we would build life sustaining agriculture, crops, etc...bring Swazi orphans to the land, teach them, educate them, mentor them, and develop them in their faith...in order to grow up a NEW generation for this nation! And let me tell you....the land is fruitful and you can see God's hand print all over this land.

The picture above is the new entry gate to the land...it is all hand stacked stone and is a beautiful ushering into this place of HOPE. Once you go over rocky terrain...you see. The second photo taken from the car...you can see the fields that are harvested on the right, in the distance you see the farm house, and far of...you can see Project

Canaan mountains. Just amazing...and this land was purchased June of 2009 and had never been toiled or worked. In a short year, God has allowed such amazing fruit in the harvest. How much?.....well, with the first harvest the 10% tithe of the first crop will be enough maize (ground corn) to give to 30 churches to feed orphans in their areas. These churches are the ones partnering with us during our mission trips and the Listemba Event. We are growing corn, coffee, beans, and much more. The land is ripe.....and plenty.....but there is more to be done.

Another building (the 2nd structure to be built) is the chapel. It is a pavilion with a reed/thatch roof. It is said that if the workmanship is great...the roof will last 20 years. Amazing! Here is the chapel for you to see. Great thing....the FIRST thing in the chapel will be a wedding of a couple who is traveling on our mission trip this summer. So on July 18, 2010 a marriage will take place on the land.

They have also cleared the land for the first children's home and have built a park in memory of Norman Borlaug. He was known for being "the father of the Green Revolution". Read about him...fascinating man and such a gift to agriculture. During the mid-20th century, Borlaug led the introduction of high-yielding varieties combined with modern agricultural production techniques to Mexico, Pakistan, and India. As a result, Mexico became a net exporter of wheat by 1963. Between 1965 and 1970, wheat yields nearly doubled and India, greatly improving the food security in those nations. This picture you see to the right is our organization President and Vice President, Ian and Janine Maxwell...standing at the Memorial Park with Canaan in the background.

The last picture is our seedlings. How great is this....the Kenyans living on the property who are agriculture majors/students have planted seedlings and our 30 teams of 10 will go out July 18 - 22nd to the churches, partner with the pastor, sew a field and plant these seedlings....food from Project Canaan in hopes that we can partner with the church to draw the orphans to the body of Christ for nourishment of their physical body and their soul. This is exciting...the hopeful beginning to sustainable life for a generation of orphans. This is a nation...that is 1,000,000 people. Of those 1 Million....250,000 are orphans and it is estimated that if we don't teach them to grow food, educate them about aids, and help them sustain life...this nation will be a nation of ALL CHILDREN by the year 2020. The AIDS pandemic and hunger will kill off all the adults......So we rise up and partner......with the local church....to do just that....draw this lost generation back to their Father! He will provide their every need!

The 5th of July was full of meetings...tough ones...pray for favor! It is really by the grace of God that we'll be able to do what we've been called to do. There is SO much red tape and parliamentary procedure that we have to follow...so pray that we abide, but we're confident and obedient to His calling!

The amazing thing of tonight.....July 5th...we went back out to Project Canaan to celebrate Chloe Maxwell's 14th BD. So fun...we watched a movie on the garage doors, popped popcorn, made brownies and celebrated with our family on the land. When we were leaving...I looked up...the stars were brighter than I could ever imagine and then clouds. So I was talking to Janine and she said, "You know what the clouds are...right?" Of course I was thinking....um...don't really remember all those 3 names. (stratus or cumulous...etc). She said....."NO....that's the Milky Way!". Clear as day....there it sat! The southern hemisphere....spectacular! Oh LG...you would have loved it!

Well...until another day.....with love from Africa,

Masi