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Welcome to Africa!

September 19, 2010 in Across Our World, Mission Trip 2010, Swaziland with 3 Comments

With about 18 hours of flight time, 7 people & 28 heavy suitcases arrived to the Johannesburg, South African airport just a few hours ago! We made it… by God’s grace, the entire trip went off without a hitch! Hallelujah! The Holy Spirit rode with us the entire way and we are so grateful for such smooth sailing.

After successfully making it through airport customs, we met up with our AIM guide, Marios, who graciously & quickly got our currency exchanged & hosted us to a wonderful dinner at Spur. We opted to avoid the monkey glands on the menu and instead went for more traditional dinners likes burgers & steak. What are monkey glands you ask? Do you really want to know? It’s way more fun to make you guess!

And now having traveled half way across the world, we are tired!

Tonight we rest comfortably in the Hotel Don near the Johannesburg airport. Our team met together & prayed. Mike shared this verse.

Zephaniah 3:17

“The Lord your God is with you, He is might to save, He will take great delight in you, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.”

We are all clinging to that promise for ourselves, our families, and the Beveni Carepoint kids.

We will drive out early tomorrow morning towards Swaziland!

We hope to have better internet service in the days to come, but here is a picture of us at the Atlanta airport just before take off…. Thank you for your prayers! God is answering them!

Love the B-Team!

B-Team - Erica, Jim, Anna, Elysa, Danielle, Kelly & Mike

Prayer Request Day #2

September 18, 2010 in Across Our World, Swaziland with 1 Comment

Day #2

September 19th

SMOOTH SAILING

The B-Team will arrive in Johannesburg on the same flight and need to collect our belongings, move through customs, meetup with our Adventures In Missions (AIM) hosts, drive 3+ hours to Manzini, and enjoy the endorphin high that the culmination of the past 6 months of efforts will bring. We are believing for favor all along the way. Hold up our pilots, our vehicles, our introductions, our sanity…and anything else you can think of!

B-Team Prayer TAKEOFF!!!!

September 17, 2010 in Across My Heart, Across Our World, Mission Trip 2010, Swaziland with 4 Comments

This is the Day that the Lord Has Made

2 Chronicles 5:13
“The trumpeters and singers joined in unison, as with one voice, to give praise and thanks to the LORD. Accompanied by trumpets, cymbals and other instruments, they raised their voices in praise to the LORD and sang: “He is good; his love endures forever.” Then the temple of the LORD was filled with a cloud,”

This summer Jesus has been preparing a symphony. He’s brought together many players & instruments of worship, through which the players may give of their talents and glorify God the Father. You, my friend, are in the orchestra right alongside us, sweetly playing your part. You have given of your time, your provisions & your prayers.

The music is beautiful, do you hear it growing louder?

Today 7 members of this symphony begin playing the chorus for the Beveni Carepoint in Swaziland. May we all play in one accord, with one purpose, to glorify our God by sharing His love.

Please continue to pray for us as the journey to Swaziland begins! Here is today’s prayer request…

Sept 18: SAFE TRAVELS. Our team will be flying to Atlanta from various spots throughout the country. We need 7 people, 28 suitcases, 7 carry on bags, and 7 computer packs or purses to all arrive safely and intact prior to the 7:25pm flight to Johannesburg, South Africa. It’s going to be a long 15+ hour haul from there. Please pray for efficiency, safety, tranquility, and ingenuity throughout the process. The list of supply needs is long. Thankfully we’ve found favor with the airlines and will have room for much…but we’ll need it all to get there with us intact and undamaged.

On a personal note: Many of you know that Thursday night I found out my father passed away. He was only 57 & this was very unexpected. He blessed my life with joy and unconditional love; I will miss him more than words can describe.

When the question came up as to whether we would continue the missions trip to Swaziland, then just 36 hours from take-off, it didn’t take me long to know that God did not change His mind. He has been preparing our lives for such a time as this… I go knowing that God’s grace is sufficient and my Dad is cheering us on from heaven.

I’ve received a great deal of comfort the last 24 hours from friends & family… and from myself… This is a note I sent to my team on “T-4 Days” to encourage them to PRESS ON & not to let the enemy steal anything during our days of final preparation for the missions trip. Through the grace of God, I now take my own advice…

Team – we’ve got 4 days! God has already blessed our team & the Beveni Carepoint in so many ways. But in these next 4 days I really believe He’s gonna SURPRISE us with an outpouring of love & blessings as we prepare to depart to Swaziland.

In the midst of blessings, there is often an attack from the enemy (Satan – not your spouse or your parents!) to get you down & distracted. So I encourage you to RUN your RACE with endurance & press towards the mark – not looking to the left or right, but only to Jesus. Cling tightly to Him today, for strength & protection & provision.

One key to clinging tightly is to remain thankful – even at the worst of moments, when you feel everything is going wrong! As I said in today’s blog post – forget not ALL His benefits. So this is my reminder to you that each of us on the B-Team are gonna face stress & circumstances that seem too big in the next 4 days.

But I challenge you to press on with thankfulness, knowing that NOTHING is stopping us from getting to the Beveni kids. And I challenge you to rest in the fact that each of us are as prepared as we’re gonna be. No one – not me, not HopeChest, not AIM, not GOD, expects you to be perfect or have it all figured out. And may His strength be made perfect in our weakness.

Lets continue to be open, eager vessels that God can pour His love through!

Danielle

Ps. if you need me for anything, I’m here! Feel free to call me anytime!

So thank you for your continued prayers for us personally as we grieve, but keep praying for the Beveni Kids’s hearts to receive His unconditional love & acceptance and may the LIGHT of His LOVE shine in the darkness.

Grace & Peace

Danielle & The B-Team!

B-Team Prayer T-1 Day!!!

September 16, 2010 in Across Our World, Mission Trip 2010, Swaziland with 7 Comments

Swaziland 2010 Mission Trip Prayer Calendar

First off, a huge thank you to everyone who has been praying for the Beveni children, care-givers, and all of us mission-trip participants. We are so grateful and humbled by all of the caring support that so many have lavishly given. We are believing for God’s hand to be evident in our work and relationships with the people of Swaziland in the coming weeks.

A brief introduction…my name is Mike Brower. I have been the very blessed husband of Danielle Brower for the past 15 years. I have also been increasingly proud of Danielle and her efforts toward Beveni in recent months. There seems to be a daily boost to our faith as we share the many wonderful testimonies of God’s faithfulness through you and the partners of Beveni. Thank you all so much for warmly receiving Danielle, and I, in this role of “leader”. We are challenged each day, but so grateful for these times. As each of us work together in obedience to the little things, I believe that great works are being accomplished in God’s Kingdom.

Danielle asked if I would consider writing a prayer request post for the “T minus” prayer countdown. I said I would…then I did something slightly different. Sorry for not following instructions but, “Please pray for safe travels” would have been a very short post…even if I could have found a really big picture to go with it! Instead I’ve put together a calendar of prayer for the duration of our trip. We hope to be able to connect and send updates often during the trip, but in case plans go awry, I figured having an advance calendar to pray for each day might be a good idea. Here goes…

Sept 18: SAFE TRAVELS. Our team will be flying to Atlanta from various spots throughout the country. We need 7 people, 28 suitcases, 7 carry on bags, and 7 computer packs or purses to all arrive safely and intact prior to the 7:25pm flight to Johannesburg, South Africa. It’s going to be a long 15+ hour haul from there. Please pray for efficiency, safety, tranquility, and ingenuity throughout the process. The list of supply needs is long. Thankfully we’ve found favor with the airlines and will have room for much…but we’ll need it all to get there with us intact and undamaged.

Sept 19: SMOOTH SAILING. We will arrive in Johannesburg on the same flight and need to collect our belongings, move through customs, meetup with our Adventures In Missions (AIM) hosts, drive 3+ hours to Manzini, and enjoy the endorphin high that the culmination of the past 6 months of efforts will bring. We are believing for favor all along the way. Hold up our pilots, our vehicles, our introductions, our sanity…and anything else you can think of!

Sept 20: GREAT FIRST IMPRESSIONS. There will be many first encounters, new relationships, and re-connections in the early days of this mission. We are believing for connections that will make a lasting impact. We are believing that we’ll be able to be a blessing to all that we encounter…and we’re thankful the many blessings we’ll also receive. We are believing for God encounters…and we don’t want to see these missed due to a cultural misstep or some other misunderstanding.

Sept 21: PHYSICAL HEALTH. I don’t believe that any on the team are Olympic athletes…perhaps Jim is? But even they need rest to remain healthy. We are believing that our bodies will function properly, and that our days will be filled with strength and health.

Sept 22: LAUGHTER. There are many new relationships that are being formed on our team. We all like each other right now. We are believing that this trip will be filled with grace toward us, and toward each other. Pray that we all would be strengthened by the Lord’s joy, that we would bear one another’s burdens, be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger.

Sept 23: BEVENI CHILDREN. Our great hope is that somehow through our simple actions the love of Jesus is introduced to those who need, and that His companionship would be evident in their lives. This trip is not about us. We are attempting to be obedient to Jesus…but that’s pretty easy really. The great needs of the children are going to be glaring, and at times overwhelming. Pray that we would simply shine with the love of Jesus toward the people we encounter. Pray that they would be drawn toward Him in all that we say and do.

Sept 24: BEVENI CAREGIVERS. We don’t know how this will happen, but one of our goals is to be a source of strength, encouragement, and blessing to the men & women & teens who are doing the real work in Swaziland. Humbly we pray that we would in no way add to their burden, but rather lighten the load for a short time at least. Please pray that they would be strengthened for their on-going and important mission. Think about what you could do to lighten their load from home.

Sept 25: ENDURANCE. There is a potential that our endorphins will abandon us at some point in this journey. Pray that our strength would be sustained, that our joy would be full, that our light would shine bright, that we would be utterly spent…but not until we arrive back home safely in the USA.

Sept 26: EFFECTIVE MINISTRY. We will be conducting a VBS-style ministry with the children of Beveni throughout our mission. We will rely on the care-givers and AIM staff to steer our efforts properly, but we are believing the Holy Spirit’s anointing will be strong upon each of us and that He will know and lead us in exactly what we need to say and do to accomplish His work in the lives of each person we encounter.

Sept 27: FAMILIES AT HOME. For several this trip will be the longest time we’ve ever been apart from our children. We are believing that they will be kept safe, healthy, and fully aware of our deep love for them. We are hoping to communicate clearly and often through the many wonderful technologies available to us…but we’ll miss their hugs, laughter, and smiles for a bit longer than we’d like. Pray for wisdom for their caregivers, strength for each day, and constant reminders of Jesus in their lives too!

Sept 28: GOD-IDEAS. We are believing that God will “show up” in each day and encounter throughout this trip. As we’ll be nearing the end of the mission, we are hoping for God inspired ideas for how to continue ministry through the carepoint and care-givers, AIM’s efforts, capital projects, and increased awareness. Pray that what begins in these brief days would continue long after we’re gone, and build stronger with each day.

Sept 29: TRAVEL SAFETY. We will be returning to the USA after a long travel route once again. Pray that all would go well. That we would be properly rested and ready to reconnect with family and friends. Pray for us to be able to effectively communicate the stories and realities of life in Swaziland. Pray that we would remember those people that touched our hearts, and that they would remember Jesus in us.

Also, Danielle and I have a bit of additional adventure as we’ll be going straight from Atlanta to Colorado rather than home in Minnesota. We are participating in a HopeChest event for the Swaziland/Uganda Carepoint Sponsorship Coordinators on Sept 29 & 30.

Please pray for our continued strength and health in these final days of our travels.
Please pray for Children’s HopeChest’s efforts.
Please pray for AIM’s efforts and missionaries.
Please pray for the other Sponsorship Coordinators.
Please pray for divine connections.
Please pray for vision and wisdom.
Please pray that God’s will would be done in and through each one of us, including yourself.

Oct 1: A STRONG FINISH. This will be our final travel day in returning to Minnesota. Pray that all would go well, that we would be safely reunited with our sons, and that we would be already energized for the next leg in God’s adventure.

Thank you for praying! We are so thankful. It would mean so much to us if you would let us know in the comments of this blog, or in some other way that you’re supporting us through prayer. We fully believe that you are joining us in spirit on this journey. We could not be more proud of you and the team that God has brought together for this trip.

Blessings to you today,

Mike & Danielle and the B-Team!

Ps. Want to see all our smiling faces? Click HERE!

B-Team Prayer T-2 Days!!!

September 15, 2010 in Across Our World, Mission Trip 2010, Swaziland with 2 Comments

Everything our team and supporters have done this summer – blood, sweat & tears – is for this.

In two days we depart for Swaziland.

Yeah, we’ve done a lot of work to prepare for the trip, but the reality is that in & of itself none of that work matters without us going & sharing Jesus with the children of Swaziland.

This is not a missions trip for us to ‘see Africa’ & get closer to God, though I’m sure we will. This is not to pat ourselves on the back so we can say, “Look what we did for God!”

This is not a vacation. It will be hard & will be a challenge, for most of us, one of the greatest challenges of our lives.

It is not even to deliver supplies & provisions for the Beveni kids, though we are blessed to take them so much that will bless their earthly lives.

So why are we going then?

We go as ambassadors of Christ. We go to bring the message of hope to a dying nation. The hope we bring is that Jesus loves them & wants to spend eternity with them, that He has NOT left them orphans!

If you haven’t read Erica’s blogpost that I added earlier today, read it now. Prepare to have your heart broken. And let that brokenness cause you to PRAY. PRAY. PRAY. for the children of Swaziland, that includes our Beveni kids.

Reality Check.. by Erica Zeiler

Honestly, it’s easy for me to get caught up in the tangible business of this mission. Today, I’ve had a dose of reality that came through one of my team members blogs. Thank you, Erica.

Once again thank you for praying for us. Today please pray more fervently for this request than any other.

Salvation is the mission.

Danielle & The B-Team

Reality Check… A Closer Look at Swaziland Statistics

September 15, 2010 in Across Our World, Mission Trip 2010, Swaziland with 2 Comments

Erica Z.

Erica Zeiler is on the B-Team. I will meet her for the first time on Saturday, but our hearts are already being weaved together! She wrote the post below on her personal blog In The Blink Of My Eyes Thank you Erica! What a powerful post.

Prayer Team: Please pray for the salvation of our Beveni kids & caregivers.

Reality Check…. A Closer Look at Swaziland Statistics

I recently read that if you are a 15 year old in Swaziland, your chances of living to the age of 32 are 6%! SIX PERCENT!!! Translated…that means your chances of dying before you turn 32 are 94%. You are probably more likely to be struck by lightning or attacked by a hippo than live to be 32 if you live in Swaziland…all because of the AIDS crisis. Of the 900,000 people in the country, the orphan population is closing in on 200,000. And half of all 20 somethings have AIDS already. But the one that hits me hardest is the first statistic….6 %!

To put this into perspective, I have just finished packing 140 bags full of school supplies and vitamins. God has provided enough money, through so many generous people, for our team to also be able to buy each child a pair of shoes for school, have a party with a cooked meal for them while we’re there, and give out a ton of clothing…but reality is still there. According to that first statistic, only 8 or 9 of those kids will live to be 32…meaning that 132 of the kids I will meet next week will probably die of AIDS (or some disease like TB resulting from a weakened immune system) before they are my age! God, have mercy!

So what has God called us to do in this seemingly hopeless situation? Without wanting to be too morbid or a Debbie-downer, the thing that I keep coming back to is that we must prepare them for eternity. Yes, we can encourage them in school, help them set goals, encourage them to dream about their future, provide them with food, clothes, and school supplies…but we must balance that with the reality that some experts have said that with the current birth/death rates the way they are, Swaziland won’t exist by 2050 because AIDS will have ravaged it beyond repair. And James’ words come ringing true to my ears….

“What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes”

(James 4:14).

And for children in Swaziland, this verse describes the frailty of life all around them, that they will be looking at death and eternity all too soon.

So as we go next week… prepared to bless the socks off of the kids and the gogos (“grandmas” that cook, teach, and care for the kids at the carepoints), as well as those we will meet through house visits…in the back of my mind I will be thinking about the best gift that I can give them…the gift of the Gospel that we have been entrusted with. As much as I anticipate seeing their joyful faces when they receive clothes, shoes, and school supplies, the look on their faces when they realize they can have eternal peace and be with the Lord beyond this world is beyond description. To look in the face of a 28 year old woman who has “the peace that passes understanding” as she prepares for her death, to sit with a grieving gogo as she realizes her new responsibility of parenting her orphaned grandchildren…the only thing that can get anyone through those times is trusting in the sovereignty of God and the eternal hope that we have in Christ.

As we go to teach VBS and love on these kids, I hope to be used by God to pour into them, pray for them, teach them, and encourage them as if they were a terminally ill child in the hospital…because they are…statistics have given them only 25 more years to live at most. Yet I go hopeful, because as we trust in what Christ did for us on the cross, we can cling to the promise that

“the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be His people, and God Himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away…for He is making all things new.”

(Revelation 21:3-5)

This world is temporary because we were created for another world with unhindered intimacy with the God of the universe…and we can begin to live in that now!

More Than Enough

September 15, 2010 in Across My Heart, Across Our World, Mission Trip 2010 with 0 Comments

The Groom!

You will want to read this… trust me! It’s written by one of the most gifted, gracious, & generous people I know – my husband, Mike Brower.

Here’s an excerpt:

In just a few days, my bride and I will be joining five others and traveling to Swaziland, Africa. If you’ve seen us on Facebook or follow my bride’s blog at all you are already well aware! Seriously, it’s been a 3 month, all-out, fund-raising bonanza going on. Join us in the journey!

~~~~~~~

Did you catch that? He called me his bride – after 15 years together – I’m still his bride!

Read the rest HERE on his blog and be sure to let him know how it blesses you!

B-Team Prayer T-3 Days!!!

September 14, 2010 in Across Our World, Mission Trip 2010, Swaziland with 1 Comment

It’s crunch time, Y’all!

It's Crunch Time, Y'all!!!!

Our B-Team is busy, busy – finding, filling & crunching suitcases to make all the supplies fit! We have been so blessed by our generous family & friends that are sending provisions for the Beveni kids!

And not only are there provisions of clothing, toys, bandanas, candy, crafts, backpacks, and school supplies, and more, but we’ve had so many monetary donations as well!

Notice the Give-O-Meter ‘s total is OVER $5,000! In fact, I had to raise the goal to $7200, just so you could see how far over our goal of $5,000 we actually are. Extraordinary!

Please pray for the following:

Ask the Lord to help us finalize the details of the trip, as the B-Team are making final arrangements for departure.
Pray for continued health & healing for everyone on the B-Team. There are several of us who are fighting sickness.
Pray that God would continue to prepare the hearts of the 131 (and growing!) children who are cared for at the Beveni Carepoint, that He would keep them strong & healthy that they may participate in all the fun we have planned for them!
Pray that we spend the money wisely & put it towards what the kids & the Carepoint need the most to provide long term sustainment.

In His Service,

Danielle & The B-Team!

B-Team Prayer T-4 Days!!!

September 14, 2010 in Across Our World, Mission Trip 2010, Swaziland with 3 Comments

Praise Him For His Mighty Acts!

Remember our B-Team verse I shared with you, our Prayer Team, nearly two weeks ago? The truth of that verse is more tangible now than ever!

Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

Ephesians 3:20, 21

The Word also tells us “Let all that I am praise the LORD; may I never forget the good things he does for me.” Psalm 103:2

So let’s take today to simply praise the Lord and not forget all the things He has done for us!

Let me help remind you of just some of the ways God has blessed our missions trip before we’re even on the plane!

To build your faith in God’s provision.

God grew our team of 4 to a team of 7, seemingly overnight! Of course, it was the last possible night, but God did it! We had to have six to make the trip happen. So we were very excited when the last two claimed their spots on the B-Team!
A Child’s Hope International & Kids Against Hunger partnered with us, allowing us to ship hundreds of pounds of aid to Beveni on one of their food cargo ships. It left the US about six weeks ago & will arrive at Beveni appx. 3 weeks after we are there with toiletries for each child, feminine products, medicines, first aid supplies, school supplies & toys, as well as other items. This was an amazing God-connection via Facebook. This offer of cargo palette space on their shipment opened the door for Beveni Outpouring. I knew we’d need money to pay KAH for the supplies they gathered for our carepoint. God knew differently. The supplies on that cargo shipment were donated to us! So that means all the money we raised could now go towards Beveni in other ways!
Beveni Outpouring 72 - this was so much fun! We attempted to raise $7200 in 72 hours. Though we raised just over $3,000, we’ve seen God bring in LOTS more since then. I felt like that was the kick-off, when momentum really began to pick up. People were spreading the word all over Facebook & gifts came from very unexpected places. One family specifically donated all the funds needed to buy shoes for all the kids. And now? All the kids are getting shoes & socks & an outfit & school supplies, and toys & candy and…
Bandanas – I asked my Facebook friends if anyone knew where I could get 150 Bandanas for cheap. Within minutes several people were offering ideas, and in less than 20 minutes a very generous soul offered to pay for them & sent money to my PayPal account so I could order them for the Beveni kids – and then a 2nd giver said she just had to get in on it too and also paypal’d money for the kids! There were 37 comments on this one status update… a few people thought I was asking for bananas! And the laughs continued from there! Everyone’s joy was full!
Delta! Delta! Delta! Oh Delta! This week Delta Airlines agreed to waive the checked baggage fees for all 7 of us to take 4 bags each! That means we are carrying 1,100 POUNDS of supplies with us just for Beveni!
Passion Ignited! I’ve been so blessed to watch other people catch the vision for our Beveni Carepoint. There’s been so much excitement & so much compassion that we’ve even had a few people do fundraisers of their own to make sure the Beveni kids get all they need! It’s those fundraisers that have put us within $100 of reaching our goal.
Goals Exceeded! And right now, 4 days before our trip, we sit within $100 of reaching our $5,000 Beveni Kids Fund Goal! But in actuality, we’ve already exceeded it. If we were to add up all the gifts, clothes, toys, school supplies, and discounts we’ve received, I fully believe we’re nearing the $7200 mark of the Beveni Outpouring!

At each new God-encounter, I think this is ICING on the Beveni Cake, but by now, we have so much ICING we might have to bake a new cake just to hold it all!

And I can bet the other six B-Team members have their own stories of God’s abundant provision (I know they do!).

Do you? I challenge you today to take time to remember all of God’s benefits in your life – past & present. May the remembrance of those blessings stir your faith & trust in our Father who always provides!

Thank you for your prayers. Now on Day 4, PRAISE with us! “Praise Him for His mighty works; praise His unequaled greatness!” Psalm 105:2

With a grateful heart,

Danielle & The B-Team

B-Team Prayer T-5 Days!!!

September 12, 2010 in Across Our World, Mission Trip 2010, Swaziland with 0 Comments

“Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:7

These Jitters are Normal, Right?

As you can imagine, our B-Team is starting to experience some pre-missions jitters! We are all so excited & yet now as we are only 5 days from Swaziland, we are realizing everything HAS to come together… and quick!

Please pray for the following:

God’s peace would rest upon us, allowing us to calmly & clearly execute every tangible thing that has to be done. Or, as i like to say, pray that my brain doesn’t become mushy!
Ask God to strengthen our inner most beings, that our spirits would be in tune with the Holy Spirit’s leading, that we would sense & know God’s presence in these final preparation days. Ephesians 3:16
Pray that God keeps our bodies (and our families, too) healthy & strong for the days that lie ahead. Pray that each team member would have sweet sleep that allows for refreshed & energized days both now & during the trip! 1 Peter 2:24
A personal request: please pray for my seven year old. His head collided with the corner of our dining room table last night. After the blood stopped gushing, we were able to see that it was a small puncture wound, not needing stitches. However, today our little guy has been lethargic & complaining of a headache & has some signs of a mild concussion. We’re attempting to use wisdom to know whether we need to see a doctor or not and how to best take care of him. Pray for his healing & quick recovery.

God bless each & every one of you praying for us,

Danielle & The B-Team

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