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Hello to all of our friends and family! We are home!

It is always good to spend some time with family and friends in the US and it was good to see you. This trip was a bit special, so we didn’t get to spend lots of time with everyone, neither did we get to see all of you. But it was a good visit, albeit quick.

Still, it is good to be home. It is good to sleep in our own bed and to unpack our suitcases. Well, almost. Seven of our bags didn't make it. Since last week, we've received only two, so five are still floating around out there somewhere. What's worse, British Airways can't tell us where they are! What kind of security is that??!!

Our girls are happy and haven’t stopped running, playing and riding bicycles since we got out of the taxi! But jet lag was bound to catch up to us all…




We love and appreciate each of you. More soon! (Once we all wake up!)

God's Timing

Hello friends and family! Below is a brief report from our dear friends and co-workers on the coast. Luganje Nyale, Mike Karabu and John Kenga are coordinating the food relief efforts among various Giryama families who are in need. We are so very thankful for their efforts and willingness to assist us and God's people. This is an excerpt from them along with photos of some of the families...

“God’s timing is perfect.” This is one of the many thanksgivings of the few recipients of the food aid from Swift African Ministries. Many of these recipients came from poverty stricken families. One need not ask what these people need, a glance of them will tell you their suffering has been with them for some time. Apart from the rags on their bodies, the small thatched and mud houses will surely tell you more. But babies with wrinkled faces will make you shed tears. The other thing which will come into your mind is how and to what extent you can help because almost everything needed urgent intervention and people ready to stretch a helping hand. This is the actual situation in Kaloleni, Kilifi and Malindi area.

Mama Nyevu Mwanyule is a widow caring for 9 children most of them in Primary School. Her husband died five years ago from AIDS and being HIV positive, she lives a life of being constantly sick. Her second born daughter has a baby. They live by baking local bread to sell at the nearby market for the daily meal. They were very happy to have received this aid and prayed for continuous donation. May God bless you all.

Church of Christ Primary School was taken as a family to be assisted in the food aid. It is handling children from poor families who cannot afford quality education in the public or private primary schools. The Chairman of the school, Mr. Karani Baya (on the right) wishes to provide good education for these families. It has a total number of 120 children, from Kindergarten to class 2 (second grade). The dreams for the Church members are to provide good classrooms with facilities for better education. We do really pray for all those who donated and pray for more donations in aid of these children. God Bless you all.

Jaw Breaker!

This is a shot of Jaime just hours after his fateful collision with a charging rhino! (or something like that!) He’s lucky to have gotten away with nothing more than a broken jaw!

Despite the all the pain, swelling and stitches, Jaime is doing fine today. The doctors in Mombasa actually did a very poor job of diagnosing the injury. Fortunately for us, Jaime asked his dentist to check things out 2 weeks after the injury because his teeth were still not fitting together properly. The dentist recommended a facial surgeon who, after a head CT Scan, saw that the jaw was severely broken in two pieces.

Last Wednesday, the 5th of July, he underwent 6 hours of surgery to put things back in place. Today a week later, he’s doing much better, with minimal swelling and almost no pain. His jaw is and will be, wired shut for two full weeks. (Lord willing, the wires will be removed on the 19th and all will be well.)

Thanks for all your emails and continued prayers!

Memaw

My grandmother died a few days ago. My mom’s mom passed away in East Texas. She just had a birthday a matter of days before her death; she was in her mid-80s. Her funeral is tomorrow (Monday) in Hobbs, NM.

Just hours after I heard, I called my mom and spoke to her for quite some time. She was doing ok, but it never is an easy thing. And for me, it isn’t easy being 10,000 miles away from family at a time like this. I wish I could be there to hug my mom.

Within minutes after calling my mom, I called my granddad (pawpaw is what we call him). He couldn’t even speak to me the first few moments of the call. I could hear clearly through the receiver how tough a time he was having. His wife of 65 years was gone. Can you imagine how incredible it must be to live with someone for 65 years and then in the twinkle of an eye, they’re gone? I can’t. I wish I could be there to hug my pawpaw.

I told them both the same thing though: just think of memaw (that is what we called her. She always called me “Oscar” if I called her grandma!). Think of memaw right now. As difficult as this may be for those of us still here on this planet, she is laughing and running around in heaven, giddy like a young girl again. Yes, she is in heaven, of that I have no doubt. For her, there is no more pain, no more loss of memory (she was suffering from Alzheimer’s), no more sadness. She is just beginning, a new beginning; one that will last forevermore.

I will miss her, but I’m happy to have had lots of good time with her. Before we moved to Africa, I used to relish her incredible sandwiches every Monday (I love Fritos with a crispy lettuce sandwich!). For nearly eight years, I had the privilege to work near memaw and pawpaw and would stop in for lunch every chance I got. Every Monday, I ate lunch with them and if I stayed long enough, I even got a bowl of beans and cornbread for dinner (Mondays were always bean day at memaw’s!). I spoke to her a couple of months ago on the phone. I'm not sure she knew who I was, but I like to think she did.

I could go on and on and on with my memories. I could sit here and type out a long page expressing how deeply she will be missed by me and my family. I could tell you how incredibly difficult it is NOT to be there now with my family to comfort those who are still living. But I would rather think about memaw right now. I’d rather think about how much fun she must be having and the smile that I know is on her face.

“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness.” Memaw, enjoy your crown and I’ll see you again soon.

jaime (oscar)

25 cents for your green grass?

Dear friends, please to continue to pray earnestly for our Mijikenda brothers and sisters.

I spoke to the coordinators of our food relief just today. They were meeting to discuss food distribution in Kilifi District this week. The testimonies they gave me tore at my heart, so much so that I had to share them with you.

Stephen Thethe from an area known as Mihongohi Chenda (the place of nine poles) says that the families in his area are suffering greatly. The church there sponsors a preschool for children from the nearby villages. The preschool recently asked parents to give 20 Kenyan Shillings per week (about 25 American cents) to feed their children while at school. To date, not one single parent has been able to come up with that amount of money.

And if that doesn’t pull at your heart strings enough, Luganje Nyale from Kaloleni area gave an equally disturbing report. He says that the rains have brought some relief. Now that the rains have helped green the grass, many families have begun eating grass to relieve the hunger.

Please continue praying for these people. And if you have an extra few dollars, please consider sending it to help feed a few desperate people on the coast of Kenya.

Food Relief

Many of you have heard about the struggles our brothers and sisters in Kenya have been living with recently. Severe drought and high temperatures throughout much of 2005 and early 2006 caused many problems for the Mijikenda people.

Earlier this year, as we wrote of these struggles in our newsletters, some of you responded, asking how you could help. So we put together a small proposal, asking for $2000 per month to assist with food relief among our Mijikenda friends. We are so very thankful for the abundance God has provided for us, through you and your generosity. Thus far, we have received almost three times the amount we asked for! Thank you!

This is a 6-month commitment, so we hope and pray that the Lord will continue to bless us. We do not want to let up or lose steam as the months come and go. The more money donated, the more hungry families will be assisted. So please, if the Spirit is encouraging you to give, then please contact us on where to send your donation.

In the picture you’ll see Jaime with four of the Mijikenda leaders who will be coordinating the food relief. From left to right is Luganje Nyale from Kaloleni, Mike Karabu from Malindi, Stephen Thethe from Malindi and John Kenga from Kilifi. These men are the ones who will be coordinating, advising and overseeing all distribution of food assistance among various families on the coast. What’s more, they have exempted themselves and their entire families from receiving any assistance, despite the fact that the drought seriously affected them as well.

Please continue to pray for all the Mijikenda people as well as our distribution efforts. The rains have begun, but the harvest is still several months away and many of the people have no seed to plant. Pray too for these men. It is their responsibility to determine the areas of greatest need, identify specific families in those areas, and then distribute food in the best way possible. Pray for wisdom and guidance and for the opportunity to share the gospel with those who may receive assistance, but do not yet know our Savior.

Easter!

HAPPY EASTER!
May God bless you all richly as we celebrate the resurrection of our Lord.


Hannah and Autumn had an Easter play at school last Thursday. Can you spot them in the crowd of brightly-colored kids?

A note from Duncan

Below is an email that Duncan Ziro sent to us just today (April 8th). He is the young Giryama man that many of you are helping to attend Daystar Christian University. Please pray for him as he begins exams soon and closes out another school year.

Hi dear friends

I trust that you are all full of health, joy and love.

By God’s grace through your support, I am continuing with my studies at Daystar University. I want to inform you that I very much appreciate your prayers and financial support. I pray God to bless you each day of your lives as you minister to the lives of many in the world.

I am about to start my end of semester exams which will end in May 12th. I trust God to lead me to the end of this semester and throughout my study period in Daystar.

God bless you and keep you my dear friends.

With much appreciation
Duncan Ziro Wanje

Update on Duncan Ziro

Our good friend Duncan is doing great this semester at Daystar Christian University. We are thrilled to see him doing so well – the first Giryama we know to have the chance for a university education! It’s all because of people like you – Thatcher, Brandt, Conder, Garner, Talley, Bookout, Lipscomb, the ladies at New Braunfels, and others – that Duncan has this opportunity. Thank you!

Duncan is working on a double major, Bible and Community Development. This semester, he is enrolled in 15 hours. His classes include Romans, Intro to Economics, Modern Africa, History of Christianity and Rural Appropriate Technology. He continues to perform really well too. His GPA for the Fall 2005 semester was 3.45! That’s incredible for anyone, much less a young man who grew up in a mud hut!

Duncan recently sent us an email. Here are some excerpts from his note:

Hi bro!
I am fine in the Lord and my hope and prayer is that you and your family are fine too. Please pass my greetings to mucheo na anao [your wife and children].

Naenderera na mashomo tototo [I’m doing well with my studies]. I remain with 31 credit hours before I graduate. This is like two semesters.

I want to thank you very much brother for your support and for just being a friend. I also want to thank all brothers and sisters who have committed themselves to see that I do my bachelors. If it were not for such friends God have touched, I would be at Bore [his home village] I don’t know doing what – maybe nikihega mathali [catching mice for food]. God bless you abundantly.

Yes, God bless you all abundantly. What a huge blessing you have been to Duncan’s life and to our own as well.

U.N.: Famine Approaching Kenya

Food Expected To Run Out In 30 To 60 Days
(AP) EL WAK, Kenya The U.N. food agency will soon run out of food needed to feed some 3.5 million Kenyans facing prolonged drought because it has received a fraction of the required funding, officials said Saturday.

The World Food Program has enough cereal to last until April but will run out of other staples by month's end, program spokesman Peter Smerdon said.

The program needs $225 million to buy more than 33,000 tons of food each month until February 2007 but has received only $28 million, he said. "If we don't get any more food aid it will be a catastrophe," Smerdon said. "We are already on the edge because food is running out and we are supposed to be feeding people until February next year."

World Food Program Executive Director James Morris arrived Saturday in El Wak, 420 miles northeast of the capital, Nairobi. Food program officials called the village an example of the effects of prolonged drought in the Horn of Africa, where 11.5 million people need food aid.

Dozens of people have died of hunger in drought-stricken parts of northeastern and eastern Kenya, according to local media. The government has declared the situation a famine and a national disaster, but has not given a death toll.

"We will urgently need more help in the next 10 days because it takes time to buy, ship and distribute food. It is not something you can do overnight," Morris said. "If we get a break in the food pipeline, then malnutrition will go up very seriously."

El Wak resident Mohamed Ibrahim, 55, said that 160 of his 200 camels and 97 of his 100 cattle had died.

"We don't just need food, we need other kinds of help as well," Ibrahim said. "People say we should change the way we live but there are no towns, no businesses, no agriculture that we can do."

Ibrahim Younis, emergency coordinator of a feeding center in El Wak run by a Belgian aid agency, said more children are coming to the group for help.

"The key problem is water because these children are malnourished and a lack of hygiene means they get diarrhea, which pushes them over the edge," he said.

Urgent Prayer Request

“Police shut down KTN and burn The Standard”, so read the headlines of Kenya’s leading paper, The Nation on March 2nd. On Friday the 3rd, The Nation reported that Kenya’s “National Security minister, John Michuki shocked Kenyans yesterday when he arrogantly admitted the Government was responsible for the State-sponsored terror against The Standard Group”.

The Standard is one of Kenya’s leading papers and KTN is probably the largest television station in the nation, both are owned by The Standard Group. The attacks were carried out by hooded police about midnight on Wednesday, March 1st. Supposedly, there was a story that the government did not want to be released to the public, but it is unclear exactly why they reacted in this way. The present administration has come under repeated attacks of severe corruption and abuse recently. It is being said that they wanted to send a clear message that criticism of the government and its corruption will no longer be tolerated.

Whatever the case, we would again ask for your prayers for this nation. Kenya has struggled in so many ways for years now, but there was such a spirit of excitement when this new administration was sworn-in in 2002. The people of this nation (including us) were thrilled and could sense change after more than 20 years of oppression, terrible scandals and rampant corruption. There is a strong sense of desperation and disappointment today, and violent acts such as this do not bode well for the government or the people of this nation. It never is a good thing when the government of any nation uses the police to silence freedom of speech. Please pray for peace and true change in the lives of Kenya’s leaders.

Update on Fredrick

Hello friends and family! After posting our recent update on Fredrick (below), we realized that we forgot to mention anything about specific help for him.

Bottom line, he would really like to replace the chickens he lost. The project cost us about $500 initially, but that included 100 chicks, several bags of food (enough to sustain the chicks for a while), vaccines and other miscellaneous things. A gift of $50 would probably help him buy 15-20 chickens. If you would like to help him start again, please leave us a message here on our site, or send us an email.

Thank you and God bless!

Fredrick Kaingu

This is a good friend of ours named Fredrick Kaingu. Fredrick lives out in the Kaloleni area and has been very faithful and hard working since the day we met him.

We helped sponsor Fredrick several years ago as he went to Bible school. In fact, we sponsored two young men at the same time, the other one was Duncan Ziro who you probably know quite well.

Now Fredrick is back on the coast and has been invaluable in helping us minister to the young people the last couple of years. Just this last year, he decided to move onto the church’s 3 ½-acre plot in order to help us maintain it and expand our ministry in the area. We appreciate his willingness to move away from home and help us in reaching out to the youth.

As a “thank you”, we helped him buy 100 chickens a few months ago, in order to start a poultry farm. Disaster hit last month when the chickens got sick and all but 10 of them died. He’s still living there on the church plot, continuing to meet regularly with the youth, but struggling to make ends meet. We had hoped that this poultry farm would allow him the opportunity to support himself while continuing to reach out to the hundreds of young people in the area who do not yet know Jesus. Now we’re looking for what more we can do to help him as he continues to serve God faithfully.

Please pray for Fredrick and the struggles he’s having right now. Pray also for our other Giryama brothers and sisters who are struggling. There is a serious shortage of water and thousands of people are in the same situation. There has been no rain for close to a year now, so there’s a serious shortage of food too. Please pray for relief, especially in the form of rain. Pray that God will send rain soon to help people like Fredrick and the thousands of others who are struggling to live and survive in such harsh conditions.

Happy New Year!

We hope all of you had a good holiday with family and friends. We pray that your Christmas and New Year were wonderful, full of true peace and joy. We thought we’d give you a bit of an update on the Swift’s holiday in Africa.

We’re doing ok and enjoyed a little time off at home. Jaime went to the coast on the 7th of December and returned on the 11th. He went with a Christian group here in Nairobi that wanted to do some food relief among the Giryama in Kilifi District (see our recent report on the “Poorest of the Poor” in Kenya). It was a really good trip and a good time to grow relationships with new friends while renewing old relationships among the Giryama. It was a struggle at times, just seeing again the incredible need among the Giryama and how much work is still needed to minister to them physically and spiritually. He pulled some 16-17 hour days and came back with a terrible chest cold, but he’s all better now.

Ginger is recuperating fine from her surgery on the 23rd of December. The doctor found some cysts on her cervix and was concerned. After a bit of anxiety and a few tests, we’re thankful to report that the cysts were benign. Still, she needed to have them removed and we thought the holidays would be a good time to rest. She’s pretty much back to normal now, but still suffering from pain and cramping. Thanks for all your prayers regarding Ginger and her health.

The girls had a wonderful time at home and enjoyed their break from school. Hannah has struggled some with a cold the last couple of weeks, and despite our best attempts at making her rest, it developed into pneumonia. The doctor said that she would be ok resting at home and taking antibiotics. It’s a tough job keeping her still while her sisters are out playing with their new Christmas toys!

Christmas was good for all of us. It is hot and dry as usual at this time of year so it doesn’t feel much like a traditional Christmas. And add to that the fact that we’ve had a lot of problems with water. We went for a full 7 days without water, had it for 2, then none again for another 6! Stop and think a minute about living with only 2 days of water for over two weeks! It’s not fun! Needless to say, everything is a little dirty and stinky and we’re hoping we’ll get some water soon. Pray for rain!

Blessings to all of you throughout this new year. We love you and appreciate so much your financial and prayerful support.

Thanksgiving in Kenya

Hello to all our friends and family. Today is Thanksgiving and we hope and pray you’re all having a blessed day with good food and great company. We’re not having any turkey today, but we may get some Friday night when the Nairobi team gets together. In fact, we’re all being lazy today. Jaime is pretty sick with some kind of bug and he doesn’t feel much like doing anything. Phooey. We’ll just have to spend Thanksgiving lying around watching TV!

We want to begin by saying thank you for your prayers concerning Kenya’s recent vote on the proposed new constitution. We were apprehensive and not quite sure what might happen. Your prayers for peace were granted undoubtedly. Overall the vote was very peaceful with only a few problems and outbursts in various areas.

The outcome of the vote was overwhelmingly against the new constitution. We were happy to see that Kenyans voted in an organized and peaceful manner and we felt as if the tension had passed. However, your prayers are still very much needed. The president of Kenya, although accepting defeat (he strongly supported the new constitution), made a move yesterday that has confused many and left us all wondering what he is up to.

On Wednesday, President Kibaki fired his ENTIRE cabinet. In essence, he has sent the whole government home. That leaves him and only him as the sole leader of the country and supreme commander of the military. He has promised to replace his government within the next 2 weeks with a more unified cabinet, but only time will tell. For now, he IS the government. Needless to say, this bold move has left us all a little concerned and just a bit perplexed as to his true motives. If you will recall, this is EXACTLY what occurred in Zimbabwe a few years ago. There was a national referendum on a proposed new constitution that Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe strongly supported. The results of the vote in Zimbabwe were the same as here in Kenya, with the people rejecting the proposed new constitution. After his defeat, President Mugabe was angered and began to retaliate against those who opposed him and plunged Zimbabwe into the chaos that still reigns today.

We don’t tell you this to alarm you, but to ask again for your continued prayers for the people of Kenya. Kibaki’s bold move could either help the country – if he truly has the best interests of the people in mind – or it could cause lots of pain and suffering throughout Kenya.

Pray for Peace

This next Monday, November 21st, Kenyans will vote on whether or not to accept a new draft constitution. As far as I know, no country has ever ratified a new constitution during a time of peace. Every new constitution that I know of has come after a period of civil war or serious political upheaval.

There has been a lot of violence in the last couple of months leading up to this day, but still the government pushes on and refuses to grant a stay. Just a few weeks ago, a small boy, just out of class and still in his school uniform, was shot to death by police who were firing unchecked into an unruly crowd. This is just one sad example of the violence and rioting that has divided the country and caused hundreds, if not thousands, of injuries and deaths.

The US Embassy here in the capitol city of Nairobi is under “lockdown” for the next week - they are not allowing any American Embassy personnel to travel and are strongly recommending that all American citizens in Kenya remain at home and away from dangerous areas of the city where rioting may erupt.

There is danger, you can be sure of that. We live in a country where the government is exceedingly corrupt (just ranked among the top 20 most corrupt countries in the world by Transparency International) and is willing to go to the extreme to advance the agenda of the wealthy few and those in power.

Please pray for us and our safety during the next week. We recognize the danger and will be cautious, but we cannot bury our head in the sand and put our lives on hold. And too, we ask that you pray earnestly for the people of Kenya. From what little we can tell, the people do not support the draft constitution. The government does. That alone could be an explosive combination. So please pray for the people of Kenya. If things get out of hand, we can leave and return to a country that knows peace and prosperity; they cannot.

Birthdays

It really is amazing how fast they grow. On October 22nd, Autumn turned 8 years old. All the grandparents sent money for them to spend and celebrate with, so Jaime took her out for pizza and bowling. Despite the fact that they have a “ball slide” for young bowlers to launch their ball with, Autumn insisted on throwing her ball like papa. Little did we know she had been practicing in school!















Our baby, Gabrielle, turned 5 on November 6th. In this picture, you see her reaction after opening the big present from mama and papa. (Isn’t that just a beautiful little face?) I’m not sure why, but our girls love horses. Maybe some day we can surprise her with a real one.

Kilifi District, poorest of the poor

A recent study issued on November 1, 2005 by the Kenyan government and in conjunction with the World Bank, reports that much of the country still remains impoverished. Of the 210 constituencies in Kenya, two of the poorest were located in Kilifi District where we lived and ministered for the last 7 years. The 210th place (#210 being at the bottom) is held by Ganze and the 206th position by Kaloleni.

The report went on to say that the people living in those areas were surviving on less than 1,239 Kenyan Shillings (approximately $16) per month. That is an average. We know personally many families living on much less.

This report only confirms what we have known to be true for years: the Mijikenda people on the coast of Kenya are the poorest of the poor. Who else needs a message of hope more than those who have absolutely nothing in this life?

Please remember to pray for us and our Mijikenda friends as we continue our ministry among Kenya’s poorest. There is never a shortage of opportunities to give when living among the poor. So if you would like to help bless the Mijikenda of the coast, please feel free to write us for more information on what you might to do lend a hand

Cubanotics

This is the name of a Kenyan, Christian hip-hop band. I met the guys for the first time early on this year. Their story is encouraging, especially in an African youth culture that mimics more and more the lifestyle of Western youth. Unlike many musicians from the West who cross-over from Christian to secular music, these young men actually crossed-over from secular music to Christian a few years ago. As young men who have come into a relationship with Jesus, their desire is simply to minister to those who are still trapped in the sinful lifestyle that they used to be caught up in.

We were excited to partner with Cubanotics on their first major music video production. The short 5-minute video is called “Tabasamu” (smile). The message is simple: “Smile, a new day has come!” The “Tabasamu” video will be used to launch their first Christian music album and will undoubtedly have a strong, positive impact on the youth here in Africa. Already, one young girl who participated in the filming of the video accepted Christ as her Savior! Rejoice with us and pray that this video will continue to have this effect on many others!

Duncan Ziro

Hello friends. I hope this note finds you all doing well. We have a brief update on Duncan Ziro to share with you all.

Duncan is one of the bright spots on the coast, a young Christian man whom we are all very proud of. I have really come to appreciate and love Duncan as one of my best friends and co-workers on the coast. He’s incredibly talented, very humble and kind.

After graduating from Nairobi Great Commission School, Duncan returned home for nearly a year, tending his father’s goats and working in the fields. Then he got the opportunity to attend Daystar Christian University. So in August 2003, Duncan reported to Daystar, the first Giryama Christian that we know of to get this incredible opportunity!

Duncan is supposed to report soon for the beginning of his junior year. He’s enrolled for 18 hours. We have an education fund set up for friends and well wishers to donate to, but the costs of tuition have all but drained the account. Please consider how you might help us meet our goal and send us an email if you'd like to help. I’d hate to see Duncan back out herding his dad’s goats when he has such an incredible opportunity and future in front of him.