Mitch & Char -Africa and Back: Catch the vision- be part of a solution! We can't do it alone- we need your help!

(CocaCola got a hat, jacket, blanket and her first pair of shoes)

Her name is pronounced Kokeysiphothu, but we just called her Coca Cola. She is 15 and we met her in Swaziland in August. Her mother has passed away, her father is ill and Coca Cola has HIV, and will quite possibly not make it another 2 years. We chose not to look at her circumstances, and simply saw a beautiful little girl who desperately wanted to play and be loved. She came up to us boldly, and said IN ENGLISH: "I need you to find me a tutor" and "I want to learn better English to teach teachers of English". We were in awe! Her english was fair despite not having income to go to school-she has been studying. She recognized that if more people spoke English(the language of business and trade) they would have opportunity to change their circumstances. She has more wisdom than we do. Most importantly-she has HOPE for the future and a desire to change her world.

Charlotte and I have been serving with Mission of Mercy for several years now, and are always touched by the hope, that despite desperate times continues to be the one thing people in abject poverty can cling to. They are not looking for a handout; they are looking for an opportunity.

Romans 12:1 reminded us to “offer our body as a living sacrifice-this is our spiritual act of worship.” God is now asking us to be obedient to His call on our lives, and we are responding with a firm YES LORD! We will be selling all of our belongings, and hope to be on the ground in Swaziland Africa by October/November 2010. We are going to join with Children’s Cup (www.childrenscup.org) as missionaries. They are a partner ministry to Mission of Mercy (the child sponsorship organization we have been serving with) and are incredibly passionate about changing the world through this upcoming generation.

While there, we will be overseeing some of the care points (where the children come for meals and classroom time), and will help in discipleship of these children. We will also be working with the local churches and the cook’s ministries at the children’s care points (neighborhood women volunteer to cook for the children each day).

This is not going to be an easy calling, but we KNOW we are to go. The culture there is one where men will come up and quite plainly ask if they can “have” Charlotte, where the Aids virus has ravaged the nation with 43% positive, only 40% of the population have safe drinking water, life expectancy is just 39, and if a child gets through the second grade-they are considered educated. These are all things that can be changed!

Children’s Cup is a wise ministry, they have asked us to secure the majority of our funding prior to going for a minimum of 2 years on the field. We are utilizing our savings and any profits from the selling of our “stuff” to help offset much of the moving expenses as well as a small portion of our monthly needs. This is not going to be enough. We will need your help to fund this ministry. One immediate need upon our arrival will be to secure a reliable vehicle (where lions do actually run wild in the bush, and robbery is a common daily practice-dependability will be key). This alone will be around $8500. We will of course have monthly expenses that need to be met as well. We will put hands and feet to YOUR funding of this ministry.

Your prayers are vitally important. Will you commit to pray for us at least once a week? The enemy will want to throw shadows of doubt on us, and will want to confuse those around us. The devil does not want us to go to serve Christ, but he has NO authority! There will be much preparation in the months ahead. We know there will be trials and hurdles, hiccups and bumps in the road. We embrace those, as they will be a necessary preparation for our hearts as Christ continues to mold us.

If your prayers lead you to put action behind them: