Lord, Widen Our Territories

by Global Ministries | published on Oct 10, 2014

Wayne & Ingrid Wilson – Swaziland

The Prayer of Jabez (1 Chronicles 4:9-10) is a powerful, yet simple prayer. Before one prays that prayer they must have already prepared themselves for its outcome. The first time we prayed this prayer together was when we were considering an overseas mission assignment in the first place. And look where we have ended up, Swaziland and Mozambique by way of Portugal and Angola. Wow wee!

“Oh, that you would bless [us] and enlarge [our] territory! Let your hand be with [us], and keep [us] from harm so that [we] will be free from pain”- 1 Chronicles 4:10(The Prayer of Jabez)

As Wayne and I compare our life stories, we agree that our fathers share similar attributes. One of the most significant is that others consider each of them to be “jacks of all trades and masters of none.” That means that they can do many things well, they are generalists, a great attribute for missionaries and missionaries to be.

The second time we prayed this prayer together was when we began our actual field assignments. And here again, God continues to widen our territory and keep us safe everyday, not only because God has blessed us with hearts and minds to handle it, but because ultimately we asked/prayed for it.

Our ministry in Swaziland has continued over the past five months on a slow, yet steady pace. Whenever things get a little slow, we ask God to guide our paths toward something new and exciting so that those we are working with are inspired to forge ahead, but also so that we remain fully engaged and inspired to do the work of God in Swaziland.

In our first Swaziland report, we talked a lot about our garden, The Garden of Hope, because that was our first project. Today, we can report that the garden has virtually completed its first harvesting cycle, producing a plethora of chinese cabbage (bok choy), carrots, beetroot, green cabbage, and tomatoes. Much of the produce has been given to struggling families. Additionally, two carloads have been shared with GiGi’s Place, a neighborhood feeding center in Manzini. A feeding center is a place where people, especially children, can go to receive at least one hot free meal per day. Feeding stations have become more prominent in communities since the number of orphans and vulnerable children have increased. As a nation, Swaziland struggles with the issue of food security, so any attempt to grow and distribute food is a noble endeavor. Prayerfully, in September and October 2005 we will begin the process of planting seedlings for the next season, the season for warm weather crops. So please, continue to lift this project up in prayer and ask God to bless it and keep it in God’s tender loving care.

We continue to forge ahead working toward completing as many objectives as possible from the 2005 Project Development Plan. Ingrid continues her work in the area of income generation, as she encourages women of Kukhany’okusha to develop and manufacture items for Lydia House. Lydia House is a precious space and ministry housed in the headquarters of the United Congregational Church of Southern Africa in Johannesburg, S.A. Its primary objective is to help women and men, many who have been affected and infected by the HIV/AIDS pandemic to earn an income.

In May 2005, the Micro Credit Feasibility Study was completed and submitted to the leadership of Kukhany’okusha. They received it with much optimism and are looking forward to designing a project proposal that will meet their specific needs and requirements.

In June 2005, the visionary leadership of Kukhany’okusha purchased a parcel of land adjacent to their current headquarters, which is presently housed in one of their local congregations, located in Manzini. They have begun the process of gathering data in order to prepare a needs assessment and feasibility study for how the land will be utilized in the very near future. Preliminary results indicate that they would like to construct a multi-functional, three storied, Family Life Center. The goals of the center include, but are not limited to: 1) creating a space where programs and projects can be administered, 2) establishing a permanent office for HIV/AIDS ministries (the latest statistics show that 45% of the adult population has been affected by the pandemic), and 3) construct a space where income generating projects and rentable office space can be housed. Their plans are aggressive to say the least, but as we know and believe, those who have the faith as small as a mustard seed can accomplish great things!

In July 2005, a proposal for Office Administration and Leadership Development was prepared and submitted for consideration for funding to the Global Ministries, Inc. Resource Development Office. For many years, the leadership of Kukhany’okusha have operated and administered their headquarters office on a shoe string budget. Now, they have decided to forge ahead with a process of fiscal and administrative planning and coordination that will put them on a course toward financial solvency.

In August 2005, a slow but deliberate process for gathering “congregational vital statistics” was approved and initiated by the Board and leadership of Kukhany’okusha. Once the information starts flowing in, we will teach them how to create, utilize, and update a database, eventually leading to the publishing of an “Annual Yearbook of Congregational Statistics.” Included in the yearbook will be additional information including the constitution, bylaws, and statement of faith, many of which were designed and approved under the ministry of Rev. Howard Goodrich, former Global Ministries Consultant to the Kukhany’okusha Zion Church in Swaziland.

As we began this report, we started out talking about our desire to have our territories widened. Well, God continues to do this by blessing us with energy to take on responsibilities other than those assigned by our partners, Kukhany’ okusha, by allowing us to be part of a grassroots ecumenical planning group whose goal is to establish an HIV/AIDS ministry in a nearby town known as Siteki. The lead administrative organization on the project is The Church Forum. The Church Forum is the official national Christian ecumenical organization representing the Council of Swaziland Churches, the League of African Indigenous Churches, and the Swaziland Conference of Churches. It was established in March 2005 to work directly on programs and projects associated with HIV/AIDS on behalf of the church universal. We are passionate about this project, because Siteki is a place that needs so much, due to the pandemic. The preliminary plans look great! The plan has all of the elements of other community based projects- income generation, capacity building, and employment- but it is different because it is also striving to provide recreational opportunities and preschool education. In a recent meeting with the Town Clerk of Siteki, we were very encouraged. As in many municipalities around the world, when budget cuts are proposed, the “non-essential” quality of life programs and those involving children are often the first to go. Therefore, in the area of recreation and preschool education, we have three goals. One is to establish a safe space where people of all ages and genders can play games, watch videos, conduct a rap session (especially teenagers) or have a simple cup of coffee, tea, or soda pop. The second is to establish a much needed preschool in the neighborhood for working parents, in an environment where the family structure is deteriorating. And the third goal, albeit a stretch for such a small group, is to help the town refurbish and revitalize its only municipal basketball court. Again, with God, all things are possible, so right now, as we write this letter, we are forging ahead on a proposal and cost analysis for this basketball project.

Finally, God has summoned us to widen our territories by utilizing skills that we both have but never planned to use in this juncture of our lives. In a recent conversation with an American colleague and friend in Swaziland, we began talking about the straining health care system that exists. It is a system that seems to never catch up to its workload because of the pandemic. He stated that he knew of a community clinic whose lines (queues) were incredibly long. And this is in a place where people are sick, irritable, and tired! Moments later, we both realized that our past life experiences in retail and manufacturing gave us some expertise at analyzing queues, determining where the bottle necks are, and submitting recommendations on how they might be alleviated if not eliminated. Well, this month, we are volunteering to work on a very small project with the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation to do just that. As background, Elizabeth Glaser was the wife of actor Paul Michael Glaser (of Starsky and Hutch television fame), who contracted HIV through a blood transfusion. Unknowingly, she transmitted it to her unborn fetus, and ultimately she and one of her children died. With such a large percentage of the population affected by the pandemic, Pediatric AIDS prevention is of utmost importance. Therefore, we are working directly with the country representative of the Foundation to see how we can help to improve the queue situation, a quality of care issue, at one of the local clinics. In fact, without prior knowledge, we rode to the clinic, only to discover that it is just a stones throw from the headquarters of the Kukhany’okusha Zion Church Headquarters.

It continues to be a joy, a privilege and a pleasure to be servants of God in Swaziland and its neighboring countries in Southern Africa. May you continue to keep us, the Kukhany’okusha Zion Church, and the peoples of Southern Africa in your prayers? And in return, we will do what people of the faith have always done, and that is to also pray for you and ask God “to bless [you] and enlarge [your] territory! Let God’s hand be with [you], and keep [you] from harm so that [you] will be free from pain.”(The Prayer of Jabez)

Peace and Blessings,
Ingrid and Wayne Wilson

Wayne and Ingrid Wilson are missionaries with the Kukhany’okusha Zion Church. They are development project officers.