Twenty days until we board the plane for the l-o-n-g trip back to the U.S.  Our time here has passed so quickly.  We have kept busy with the jobs given to us that will help to spread the Gospel to those who have not heard, to those who need to hear God’s words to meet the needs of their hearts and lives.  It has been encouraging to speak personally to people who listen to TWR every day. All who we have talked to have said they would like to hear  more teaching more hours of the day.  To hear from missionaries in parts of Africa where TWR is their source of encouragement and teaching as they serve Him,  people who meet around their radio to worship together as there is no  church,  changed hearts, these are the reasons why we are willing to leave our families and home and serve wherever God wants us.

It is not unusual, as I walk through town, to enter a shop and hear Christian music and/or Biblical teaching.  Sometimes it is in English and sometimes in SiSwati, the local language or Zulu which most Swazis also speak and understand. These programs are broadcast by Voice of the Church, a local station TWR helped to start.  It is local pastors and teachers and is run by the Swazis.  TWR personnel provide technical assistance when needed. It is amazing how far reaching the testimony of this local station is.  People who travel through or near Swaziland hear the Gospel broadcast by this station.  With the heavy Muslim influence in this area, to have a strong voice for the true living God is important.

Wednesday was a busy day.  I did laundry in the morning and then decided to accept a friend’s offer to ride to Mbabane with her and her family for piano lessons.  That meant taking all the clothes off the line and hanging them on a clothes rack.  I did this so they would not be hanging in the sun all day and because there is a very real chance that they might not be there when I return if they are left outside.  The clothes did dry on the rack just fine and I only had to hang the towels back out when I got home.

We started to Mbabane around 11:30 for the children’s 12:30 piano lesson.  The place was located in the hills near Mbabane and is called Brackenhill Lodge, a bed and breakfast.

It is a very pretty location, quiet and has hiking into the higher mountains or hills.  We explored a bit while the children had their lesson and had a snack to eat.  We left there and went to one of the big malls, The Gables Shopping Centre in Ezulwini, where Katja and the children were meeting a  young man to teach him a bit of German as he is planning to go to Germany in November.  He brought the kids some clay from his art class and showed them how to make things from it and said that he would teach them drawing as well.  I walked to the post office and mailed some cards and did a little shopping.

Larry also had a busy day.  The men picked up some of the parts for the antenna upgrade, which had arrived in the country the night before. Larry spent the day putting together capacitor assemblies — nine assemblies with a total of 21 large capacitors. 

Wednesday evening, we again met at church for Bible study and prayer meeting.  Not a huge group, but people who truly love the Lord.  It is such a blessing to hear the prayers of these saints.

Thursday, Larry fabricated all the copper straps needed to connect the capacitor assemblies to ground or to each other.  On Friday, he and Salema transported all the capacitor assemblies and some inductors (coils) out to the antenna tuning huts and began the process of making connections.  They are still waiting for 5 more inductors to arrive from South Africa.  Please pray for speedy delivery of these needed inductors.  After these arrive and are connected, the final adjustments can be made and the transmitter power can be increased from 50,000 to 100,000 watts.

Saturday, Larry and I went to the Market in town. They had some neat wire cars for sale.  We didn’t buy any because our space and pocketbook are limited and these were fancy ones,  but we did take pictures.

We also talked to some of the people at the market who remembered us from previous visits.  It is good to make those contacts and have that relationship. It opens doors to share the Gospel with those who don’t know the saving Grace of God and to be an encouragement to those who do know Jesus.

Sunday, we took Ruth to the candle factory for lunch.  We all ordered our favorites.  Ruth and I had fish and chips and Larry had chicken strips and chips and then we ‘window’ shopped.

While we were eating, we noticed a large group from The Luke Commission gathering for lunch and worship.  The Luke Commission is a medical group that travels to areas where medical help is difficult to reach.  They travel with medical equipment and staff and can treat most things that do not require hospitalization or specialists.  They do have specialists who come from the States from time to time to help.   Recently, they had an ophthalmologist come from the States to do cataract surgeries.  They share the Gospel as they help physically.

We are thankful that our son Philip and his family arrived safely in Idaho.  It was a 10 day trip, pulling a big camping trailer.  They encountered heavy winds with some bad weather and an over-heated engine that slowed them down, but they were safe.  Philip begins his new job tomorrow, Tuesday, June 7.  We were so grateful to hear that they had arrived safely.