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Tuesday, July 12, 2011
HopeForSwazi.com Bracelets only 4.99 !!!!! (billy mays style)
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Thursday, June 30, 2011
It all started in the back of a van on the way to church camp.
My friends and I decided to make a club that only the people of our choosing would be able to join. Someone thought it would be funny to make our own country, and the name “Swaziland” was suggested. The rest of the week at camp was filled with us as the leaders of our “country” coming up with laws and deciding who was worthy to be a part of our community.
Fast forward to 15 years later, and a country that I had thought I had “made up” in a church van is now a place I find myself being called to go to on a missions trip in October.
The kingdom of Swaziland is a small landlocked country in Southern Africa with a population of a little over one million people. It has been hit hard by HIV, and has the highest HIV prevalence in the world. One in four adults are living with AIDS. Orphans and vulnerable children account for an estimated 15 percent of the total population. Life expectancy is just 49 years - one of the lowest in the world.
In a place where there seems to be so much despair, it can seem very dark. Swaziland is at the moment before sunrise, where the light seems to be so far away that it may never come back again. Just like the sun breaking through that dark, hope is on the horizon. Children's Cup is on the ground and is helping meet the Swazi orphans’ basic needs. But food, shelter, medicine and education are not enough to heal their emotions. Most have been sexually abused, beaten and some have even been forced to murder and maim as child warriors. They need hope. Hope’s name is Jesus!
It can seem overwhelming and confusing what an American can do to help in a little over a week to change the lives of these children. Honestly, our goal is simple: love on them like they have never been loved on before. We are going to spend almost our entire time doing VBS activities, playing sports, and sharing our time with them. The rest of the time will be devoted to helping out the missionaries with any needs they may have.
God has been working on my heart to reach out to the Swazi people for over 15 years. I have finally answered the call to step out of my comfort zone and into a new country and culture.
If you feel God calling you to support me, will you do that today? Whether it is prayerfully or financially, I appreciate anything that you can do to help in this Great Commission.
Salakahle, (Stay well)
Andrew Youso
P.S. My total amount needed for this trip is $3000. With some incredibly generous gifts already in, I have $1665 left to go. I need $1065 of that by July 15th, so your immediate gifts would be greatly appreciated!
Fast forward to 15 years later, and a country that I had thought I had “made up” in a church van is now a place I find myself being called to go to on a missions trip in October.
The kingdom of Swaziland is a small landlocked country in Southern Africa with a population of a little over one million people. It has been hit hard by HIV, and has the highest HIV prevalence in the world. One in four adults are living with AIDS. Orphans and vulnerable children account for an estimated 15 percent of the total population. Life expectancy is just 49 years - one of the lowest in the world.
In a place where there seems to be so much despair, it can seem very dark. Swaziland is at the moment before sunrise, where the light seems to be so far away that it may never come back again. Just like the sun breaking through that dark, hope is on the horizon. Children's Cup is on the ground and is helping meet the Swazi orphans’ basic needs. But food, shelter, medicine and education are not enough to heal their emotions. Most have been sexually abused, beaten and some have even been forced to murder and maim as child warriors. They need hope. Hope’s name is Jesus!
It can seem overwhelming and confusing what an American can do to help in a little over a week to change the lives of these children. Honestly, our goal is simple: love on them like they have never been loved on before. We are going to spend almost our entire time doing VBS activities, playing sports, and sharing our time with them. The rest of the time will be devoted to helping out the missionaries with any needs they may have.
God has been working on my heart to reach out to the Swazi people for over 15 years. I have finally answered the call to step out of my comfort zone and into a new country and culture.
If you feel God calling you to support me, will you do that today? Whether it is prayerfully or financially, I appreciate anything that you can do to help in this Great Commission.
Salakahle, (Stay well)
Andrew Youso
P.S. My total amount needed for this trip is $3000. With some incredibly generous gifts already in, I have $1665 left to go. I need $1065 of that by July 15th, so your immediate gifts would be greatly appreciated!
------ Want to help Get Andy To Swazi? Donate now:
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
I'm not just gonna throw a bible at them and run away!
But maybe you are a little confused about why you would want to send me to Swaziland.
I had a facebook friend question what good I would do by going to Swaziland, and I wanted to just reply "Well, it's not like I'm gonna throw a bible at them and run away!" I want to help, and in so many instances, helping meet others' basic needs and letting them know that we are doing it to show them Jesus' love is the most important thing. It's not that some guy from the USA is going to Swaziland to yell at them street preacher style from a milk crate saying "you need Jeeeeeasus"!
I'm not arrogant in thinking that I am supposed to just show up into these kids' lives and that will fix everything.
That I'm the cure.
Because I'm not.
But I know who is.
So, I'm going to love on those kids in Swaziland. I hope to play soccer or whatever else they play (I fully expect to lose on this as well). I hope to get messy and not worry about my clothes or my ego. I hope that I am ready for them to ultimately teach me.
I'm not going for a vacation.
I'm not going to put another stamp in my passport.
I'm going because I've been asked to go.
(Not just by other people, but by God.)
Next post, I will talk more about what we will be doing in Swaziland, and what Children's Cup (the organization we are partnering up with) does to meet the needs of Children in Swaziland. If you're ready to help, just click the "donate" button below.
------ Want to help Get Andy To Swazi? Donate now:
Monday, May 23, 2011
My Daily Bread
$1200 in 12 days.
$100 / day.
I thought to myself-
Alright, God, if you really want this to happen you're gonna have to help me on this. I will do what I can, but that is a lot of money in a little amount of time.The first $100 came in, then a $500 donation. Janelle mentioned "well, now you've got 6 days covered!"
Today I come back from my lunch break to find a $100 bill in an unmarked envelope on my desk. Incredibly, God provided again. Just enough for today. Just my "daily" bread.
Give us each day our daily bread.-Luke 11:3
------ Want to help Get Andy To Swazi? Donate now:
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
A $500 Phone Call
A little background if you don't know about me: I work at a Christian Radio Station called The House FM, and I had mentioned the crazy undertaking that I agreed to yesterday on the air.
Someone was listening and decided to call Brent and Janelle this morning to offer me a gift for my trip:
Check this out on Chirbit
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The First Step of Faith
Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. (Hebrews 11:1)So I'm taking a step of faith, and committing to going to Swaziland in October. Someone had to drop out of the trip, so I decided to step up and help where I can.
I'm excited for what God is going to do through this experience, helping Children's Cup in a country where, according to the CIA Fact Book:
More than one-fourth of the population needed emergency food aid in 2006-07 because of drought, and more than one-quarter of the adult population has been infected by HIV/AIDS.
So I saw the need to say "I will go!" to help others in need. The only thing keeping me from Swaziland? The cash to go (for now).
I got a bunch of emails with the usual travel information, forms to fill out, and passport recommendations, along with the timeline for payments and when they were due. And as I looked at those dates, I realized that this would take much more faith than I first thought (what a funny thing to say, right?).
My first $1200 payment for this trip is due on May 30th.
I read that and my jaw dropped. Doing the quick math, I have less than two weeks and need to raise $100/day just to get the first payment out in time! I'm already in a situation where I know there is no way I can do this on my own and MUST trust that God has a plan that I don't understand.
Better yet?
I think that the harder the circumstance, the larger the miracle God provides. It's only when we are at our lowest, when we feel like a lump of clay, that we can be molded the right way. It's that point where our body goes limp, and God can move our hands and feet when we can't.
The other incredible thing?
God can use YOU!
A donation of any kind can help change children's lives. Your donation is tax-deductible as well. Here's a few different ways that you can support my trip and Get Andy To Swazi:
- Donate Via PayPal:
- Send Checks (payable to Children's Cup, put "Andy's 2011 Swaziland in the memo) or Cash to:
- Andrew Youso
- 1320 N 5th ST
- Ponca City, OK 74601
- Please Pray!!!!
