http://dennisbrock.myadventures.org Dennis Brock - - Living a life I never dreamed possible - en-us Fri, 5 Sep 2008 22:45:09 GMT 30 http://dennisbrock.myadventures.org/?filename=a-sense-of-family http://dennisbrock.myadventures.org/?filename=a-sense-of-family   "A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling. God sets the lonely in families, he leads forth the prisoners with singing..." - PS 68:5&6 There are about 850 + orphaned and vulnerable children that come to our care points. We are feeding them daily, and teaching them about the love of God. This past week Zwakele and I spent some extended time with Nokwanda, an 11 year old girl from one of our care points. Nokwanda had raised sores covering her head that were causing her a lot of pain. Because of the financial support from churches in the USA funding our work we have the ability to get our children much needed medical care. Without that support from our partner churches we simply wouldn't have the means to see that every one of those 850+ children could get medical attention. Being enabled to take children for medical treatment is by far one of my favorite things about our ministry. To me it is so "the real deal." It's part of doing the Mon, 19 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://dennisbrock.myadventures.org/?filename=a-tale-of-two-weddings http://dennisbrock.myadventures.org/?filename=a-tale-of-two-weddings On Saturday the 16th of February 2008 I married my sweetheart Zwakele Mamba. And then on Sunday the 17th I married her again! Yes, we had two full-on weddings, two days in a row. Two days of "I do's", two days of my beautiful bride in her wedding dress, and two days of wedding fun and craziness! Why two weddings on consecutive days? Well, we kind of had to do it that way. We chose to have our first wedding @ Emafini Conference Center. It is a beautiful place up in the mountains outside of the capital, Mbabane. Zwakele and I love Emafini, and we know the owners, so they gave us an incredible deal. The downside of Emafini was that it was a small venue, so only a limited number of people would be invited . That didn't sit well with our rural community of Timbutini. You see, in traditional Swazi culture one never has a wedding that uses private invitations. Everyone and anyone from the community are invited, and the bride and groom are expected to cater for them. Many pe Mon, 7 Apr 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://dennisbrock.myadventures.org/?filename=have-you-ever-had-a-birthday-party-for-800-kids http://dennisbrock.myadventures.org/?filename=have-you-ever-had-a-birthday-party-for-800-kids AIM partners with an organization called Children's Hope Chest (CHC) in our ministry to over 800 orphaned and vulnerable children in Swaziland. CHC links churches in the USA to financially sponsor the ministry at Pastor Walter's 8 Neighborhood Care Points. 1 Church sponsors the food, medical care, and discipleship teaching at 1 Orphan Care Point. Without the 8 church's and CHC's help we could not do some the amazing things we get to do! Feel free to check CHC out at their website: www.hopechest.org CHC wants each child's birthday celebrated. It is a huge task, but I think it is such a great thing. We want each orphaned child to know that their birthday is important because they are important. We want the orphans to know that they are loved by us but even more so by their Father in heaven. CHC's official sponsorship didn't begin until half way through 2007. Even though we missed half of the year with the official program, we still wanted to celebrate each orphan's birthday for 2007. Mon, 3 Dec 2007 00:00:00 GMT http://dennisbrock.myadventures.org/?filename=some-great-news http://dennisbrock.myadventures.org/?filename=some-great-news Dear Friends and Family,   This past Sunday (18th Nov 07) Zwakele and I were officially engaged at Timbutini Wesleyan Church (Pastor Walter's Church)! Woo-Hoo!!! In Swaziland a couple gets engaged in front the girls church during or after the Sunday morning worship service. We tried keep it the engagement a secret, in order to surprise the congregation. This is how it went down:     Half way through the service,a visiting AIM team was called up front to sing a special song. My friend Matt and I jumped in with the choir. When the song was over Matt and I stayed up front to give testimonies. Pastor Walter first asked for a new translator to come forward, and he picked Zwakele. Matt gave his testimony on the Lord's perfect timing in our lives, with much laughter coming from those who knew what was about to happen. Then I began, and I read 1st Timothy 1:12-14. In that moment I was just in awe of God's abundant grace that has been poured over my life these past 1 Tue, 20 Nov 2007 00:00:00 GMT http://dennisbrock.myadventures.org/?filename=how-do-i-do-this-lord http://dennisbrock.myadventures.org/?filename=how-do-i-do-this-lord "How do I do this Lord?" The tragedy of some people's stories has left my heart raw at times. Sometimes I am so broken that I don't know what to do. There is one particular situation (out of so many) that has been on my heart constantly. The following is me trying to process this, and I wanted to share it with you all: A few of us were visiting some "child headed homes." Because of the devastation of HIV/AIDS there are now many homesteads in Swaziland where both parents have passed away, leaving only the children to care of themselves. We visited one home in the community of Timbutini; in fact the home is only maybe a hundred yards away from Pastor Walter's church. Even though I have been in the community for over 2 years I have never seen this home which is adjacent to the churches property. The homestead is obscured by the "bush," being various trees and other vegetation. The irony struck me pretty harshly. A homestead that is so close to the church walls, and yet many Wed, 1 Aug 2007 00:00:00 GMT http://dennisbrock.myadventures.org/?filename=my-dteam http://dennisbrock.myadventures.org/?filename=my-dteam My Dear friends and Family,  PS 10:17 You hear, O LORD, the desire of the afflicted;    you encourage them, and you listen to their cry,  PS 10:18 defending the fatherless and the oppressed,    in order that man, who is of the earth, may terrify no more. In working at the care points in recent weeks I have been praying this verse and claiming it for so many of the children and their stories.  More on some specific stories later... This week we are starting the formalized discipleship program at Pastor Walter's Care Points. For the past few weeks I have been working with a team of 3 Swazi youth, training them and preparing for our ministry. In the first phase of this long-term program we will be visiting each of the care points and doing consistent discipleship teaching once a week for a couple hours. The time is meant to be fun and interactive, with games, songs, and crafts. Kind of like a VBS program but ongoing and bett Sun, 15 Apr 2007 00:00:00 GMT http://dennisbrock.myadventures.org/?filename=a-lesson-of-importance http://dennisbrock.myadventures.org/?filename=a-lesson-of-importance On March 9th & 10th we held another orphan camp.   We had 400 + orphaned and vulnerable children, plus the staff volunteers from Pastor Walter's care points.   My colleague Katy and I planned, did the set up, and led the event.   It was a lot of work, and we would not have pulled it off without a visiting team of 19 Americans.   We seriously wouldn't have pulled it off without the help of about 15 Swazi Gogo's (grandmothers) who volunteer daily at the care points.   They came to lend a hand to cook and dish out the food for the almost 500 people involved.   That in itself is a huge task, especially when they have to do it all over an open fire.   The following is a journal entry I wrote the day after the camp:     My body is in need of rest and recuperation but today I feel that my soul needs that so much more.   So many children, so many tragic stories Ap Wed, 4 Apr 2007 00:00:00 GMT http://dennisbrock.myadventures.org/?filename=welcome-home http://dennisbrock.myadventures.org/?filename=welcome-home Dear Friends and Family,   Some of the first words I heard when I landed were "Welcome home."   And coming back to Africa has certainly seemed like I was returning to a second home.   It has been absolutely great to return, and it's hard for me to believe that I have been back in Swaziland for almost 3 weeks now.   Since I have hit the ground things have been moving non-stop.   Of course I am expected to visit everyone I know and bring greetings from America, so I have daily been visiting homesteads, and re-establishing my relationships.  I am also trying to get used to the heat of Swaziland again; today we had hit 95 degrees at about 9am.   I am also having many gastro-intestinal adventures re-adjusting to the food and drinking water here. J   When I landed in Johannesburg, South Africa I kissed the ground and grabbed the beautiful red dirt in my hand and said "I hav Thu, 29 Mar 2007 00:00:00 GMT http://dennisbrock.myadventures.org/?filename=a-new-chapter-along-the-journeyim-ready http://dennisbrock.myadventures.org/?filename=a-new-chapter-along-the-journeyim-ready My dear Friends and family, A new chapter along the Journey(I'm ready!!) I have spent the last week in lower MarylandMy brother's wife recently had their second child, (my first niece) named Stella. It's been great meeting this new little life, and also reconnecting with my 1 and a half year old nephew. The last time I saw him he was two weeks old. How time flies! I thought I would be escaping the cold Buffalo winter being so south of the Mason-Dixon but we have had temperatures down in the single digits even here. But a new chapter is beginning, and soon I'll be trading snow for the 100 degree African sun! It is hard to believe, but after months of waiting I am starting my journey back to Swaziland on the evening of Monday February 12th. I was basically cleared to return back to Swaziland almost two weeks ago, but still awaited some test results and one final doctor's visit last week. I bought the first ai Mon, 12 Feb 2007 00:00:00 GMT http://dennisbrock.myadventures.org/?filename=christmas-reflections http://dennisbrock.myadventures.org/?filename=christmas-reflections So I have been thinking a lot about Christmas this past week.  I have come to realize that my Christmass have gotten progressively challenging in the past couple of years:                                                       Christmas 2004 was a two week holiday at the beach in South Africa with Ben, Janeen, and some SA friends. Warm Indian Ocean waters, 90 degrees, and the best sea food I have ever eaten! Pure Paradise? Christmas 2005 was at Pastor Walters mother in-laws house. That day we had a rural Swazi family feast! It was loud, and hilariously entertaining, and the meat flowed like the swallows of Capistrano. Unfortunately, some of that beautiful beef must have been a tad und Mon, 1 Jan 2007 00:00:00 GMT http://dennisbrock.myadventures.org/?filename=today-is-world-aids-day http://dennisbrock.myadventures.org/?filename=today-is-world-aids-day Today December 1st, 2006 is World AIDS Day         Over 40 million people are living with HIV/AIDS today in the world.  25 million of those people are located in Africa.     5,500 people die every day in Africa from HIV/AIDS 900 of those had lived in the country of South Africa.    many of those enter into eternity not knowing the love of Jesus Christ. Swaziland is still the country with the highest rate of HIV/AIDS infection at an estimated 47% of its total population.  More than 15 million children around the world have lost one or both parents to HIV/AIDS. Each one of these children has a name. Each one needs hope.  HIV/AIDS is destroying whole communities, whole families, and whole generations of people.  If the disease continues on its current progression, by 2050 there will be no more Swaziland.  Everyo Fri, 1 Dec 2006 00:00:00 GMT http://dennisbrock.myadventures.org/?filename=learning-to-trust http://dennisbrock.myadventures.org/?filename=learning-to-trust   My Dear Friends & Family, I hope that you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday!! Since I have been back in the USA I have had quite a busy time. I have been to Georgia twice, and visited Colorado and Ohio. The rest of my time has been spent at home outside of Buffalo, NY. I have been trying hard to reconnect in person or over the phone with many of you. I am also still trying to put together a trip to visit the Nyack area. My last two weeks have been quite eventful. On the Saturday before Thanksgiving I went to the ER because I was having an allergic reaction. Over the past month I have also had a pain in my lower back that would come and go.  Since Thanksgiving week that pain increased and has stayed. On the Wednesday before Thanksgiving I again was in the hospitals ER from that pain and from feeling feint. I had many tests, and had x-rays taken on my lower back.  Both the tests and X-rays c Thu, 30 Nov 2006 00:00:00 GMT http://dennisbrock.myadventures.org/?filename=african-emergency http://dennisbrock.myadventures.org/?filename=african-emergency The following is a portion from a note posted online by Bono concerning HIV/AIDS in Africa and of the launch of product (Red).  A portion of all product red purchases will go to fight HIV/AIDS in Africa.  "Sometimes when I'm walking down the street a passer by will say "love your work on Africa, Bono, great cause." Sometimes, they wish they hadn't. As I'm Irish, I love to talk to strangers. I love to talk about Africa. It can be hard to get away... Each time it makes me think we need to do much more to get the message across that this is not a "cause," this pandemic that we and so many others are working on. 5,500 Africans dying a day of AIDS, a preventable, treatable disease is not a cause. 5,500 Africans dying each day is an emergency."   - - Bono To me (Dennis), this puts it all in perspective.  5,500 people dying a day from HIV/AIDS in Africa.  This is a dire emergency!  If you are part of the church Fri, 20 Oct 2006 00:00:00 GMT http://dennisbrock.myadventures.org/?filename=buffalo-disaster http://dennisbrock.myadventures.org/?filename=buffalo-disaster On Thursday the 12th of October Buffalo was hit by a snow storm. As the flakes fell so did the tree branches, knocking down many power lines. By the dawn of Friday morning many roads were impassable and 350,000+ people were left without power. It was a bad storm to say the least. It was actually not that bad of a deal for me, having spent the last two years away, and living for a couple of months without electricity myself. It was just like being in the Swazi winter, except for the snow of course. I was intrigued by so many of the media and a number of talk radio calls that referred to this storm as a disaster, and used terminology like "horrific," "war zone," and "devastion." I kept telling people that this is not a disaster, as they do not have their cable to watch the bills game on Sunday. Theyre not too good anyways this year. (However, we might have a disaster on our hands if we cannot watch the undefeated Buffalo Sabres for a long period of time). Through most of my Thu, 19 Oct 2006 00:00:00 GMT http://dennisbrock.myadventures.org/?filename=today-i-turned-30 http://dennisbrock.myadventures.org/?filename=today-i-turned-30 I can hardly believe it!   Today September 23rd 2006 I turned 30 years old.   It seems so entirely strange to me.   3 decades of me.   Wow.   30 seems so out there, so far away, so imposing, so old.   I have never thought of myself actually being 30, and today I still cant.   I mean 30 years seems like such a long time.   And I feel like Ive hardly even lived.   30 to me is a big deal, its like a milestone or something.   By the average life expectancy in America I am almost halfway to eternity.   And thats if I was in great health which by the way I am not.   Because of the HIV/AIDS pandemic, if I were a Swazi citizen I would only have about 5 years to go.   I am also about to reach another milestone in my life.   In February I will have known Jesus for 10 years.           Milestones ough Sat, 23 Sep 2006 00:00:00 GMT