Posted in Trip Update by Neil Bruinsma on 3/13/2010
We had just pulled into the carepoint in Thulwani. The kids gathered around the big tree to welcome our arrival. I noticed a boy sitting on a concrete slab all by himself. His leg looked bandaged up. I immediately went over to him and with the help of our translator I ask what was wrong. Apparently three days ago he had fallen off the back of a motorcycle and was dragged some how. I could see the blood oozing through his bandage while flies buzzed busily around it.
"Three days ago? Why hasn't he been taken to the hospital?" I asked in surprise.
"There is no one to take him. He says he has no father and his mother has been gone for the past week and he doesn't know when she is returning," replied my translator, Titi.
I realized in that moment it was up to me if he was going to be taken to the hospital. It felt a bit strange to take on the responsibility of this boy, but I knew I had no choice. If not me then whom?
I asked if it hurt. He said yes, but he showed no emotion in his face. I imagined years of emotional neglect had made him much tougher than he should be.
After our time at the carepoint he, Nksoing, got in the van with us. I dropped most of the team off at our homestead and then headed into town, thirty minutes away. Through the rearview mirror I could see his eyes wide soaking in all buildings, lights, and cars of town. Manzini is not a large town by any means but I wondered how often, if ever, Nksoing had been here.
We arrived at the hospital and I put him into a wheelchair and pushed him to the ER. I was a bit confused when we entered. Everything seemed scatter and chaotic. The ER was one big room where paperwork and treatment happened all together. Along part of the wall were patients leaning against it and in wheelchairs waiting to be seen.
I helped with his paperwork and paid some initial fees. A half hour later we headed down to radiology where I found out he had two breaks. One in his foot and one in his knee.
The technician asked, "How long ago did this happen?"
"Three days ago."
"Why hasn't he been here sooner?" He said agitatedly.
"I am sorry, I only found out today." I said with some frustration in my heart. I was mostly just frustrated with the circumstance Nksoing was in.
We headed back to the ER where we waited for two hours along the wall. I asked the nurse how long we would have to wait. He said he wasn't sure, he had been calling the doctor but hadn't been able to get a hold of him. It then occurred to me that no one had been seen by a doctor yet. How could this be? This is the ER? Where is the doctor?
My body had grown tried from standing the whole time when the doctor finally entered. But it was soon after that the doctor was examining Nksoing's leg. The bandage was off and I could see for the first time how bad it really was. His entire shin to his foot was one big red and orange bloody scab. There was even a sort of hole in the top of his foot. The doctor told me that someone had put orange dirt over his wound to stop the bleeding but the bacteria in the soil had infected his foot causing it to swell grossly.
Nksoing still remained emotionless even after seeing his own wound.
The doctor told me that Nksoing would have to be admitted to the hospital because it would take a week for his leg to be healed and treated properly. I signed the admittance papers as his guardian.
We left Nksoing that night under the care of the doctors and nurses. It felt wrong to leave him there by himself. I felt helpless to my many other obligations with the team. I had to come to terms with my inability to meet all the needs I see here. Where is his mother? Why doesn't he have a father? Why are there so many orphans? Why won't more people help?
I have since visited Nksoing everyday for the past 3 days. Every time he sees me his face lights up and his big prefect African smile is unveiled. His leg is healing up well and he will soon have a hard cast on it.
I walked into the children's ward at the hospital to screams of agonizing pain. I looked around to see where they were coming from. Ryan my teammate pointed to a 10 year old boy laying in a steel framed hospital bed by the far wall. The boy was lying naked in the fetal position grabbing at his knee that had been dressed with an inch of bandage cloth. I recognized the boy at once.
Two days ago I was visiting the hospital and he had a bright smile on his face. He walked me around by the hand and pointed at things he wanted me to draw in his notepad. Last time he pointed to a friendly giraffe painted on the wall. But now there was no pointing only grabbing at his wounded knee. No one in the ward seemed to notice his ear numbing screams. I covered his naked body with the bed sheet. I noticed the sheet had big blotches of dry blood. I held his hand and began to pray for peace and healing to come into his body. His water-filled eyes met mine.
His screams died to whimpering. I began to sing softly to him. But the pain would come back like electrical shocks every few minutes. His neck would crane back as far as it could as he let out shouts of terror. I felt so helpless and frustrated that my prayers didn't seem to lift his pain from his body. I tried to be strong for him and look him gently in his eyes and tell him it was going to be ok. Where is your mom, I thought? Why is no one here for you?
The nurse came over about 10 minutes later and gave him a shot of painkiller in the butt. It wasn't long after that his pain subsided and he became sleepy. He kept directing me to rub his knee for him as he lay resting with his eyes closed. I rubbed it for about a half hour. My muscles in my forearm became sore. I hoped that he would fall asleep. But he kept opening his eyes looking into mine.
I didn't know what was wrong with his knee, or why he had no family member with him like the rest of the patients, or why my prayers didn't seem to be effective as the painkiller. But I knew in that moment I was called to be. To be there, to touch him, to pray for him, to sing to him, to care about him, to be Jesus.
*I do ministry at the hospital on Tuesdays and Thursday with some of my team. We go to pray and bring comfort to those that are suffering.
Some of the most demonic times are experienced during the night. Especially around 3 am. The devil likes to play tricks with us when our guard is down when we are already disillusioned in our sleep state. Spiritual warfare during the night is something that I have grown in. It doesn't surprise me that much anymore. Sometimes it is as real as "something" grabbing you during the night or a heavy weight on your chest that keeps you from breathing. Other times it is just a feeling of overwhelming fear, like something is watching you or is nearby that shouldn't be.
Maybe it is because we are in the third world where witchcraft is commonly practiced or the fact that we are doing intense ministry but in my travels I have always encountered dark forces during the night. We have already had some here in Swazi. One night in the guys room, Landon was awaken by a dark voice speaking through the window. He woke the guys up and two of us, myself included, woke out of nightmares (I never have nightmares). We could feel the presence of fear all around us. Us five guys prayed for a while together and then went outside to pray over the girls hut. In the morning we found out that one of the girls, Kaci, had been awaken before we did with the feeling of intense fear and then heard something moving around outside walking and making loud noises. She later heard us wake up and pray. We prayed until we felt the presence of fear leave and peace come. Katie had a terrible nightmare that night that she hasn't had in years. And then interesting enough Billy had a dream that Katie had a really bad dream and should ask her about it.
On Tuesday night we did a Night Watch. An all night time of prayer and worship as a team. It is a time meant to establish a presence of God during the night. To take authority and claim that evil has no dominion on our homestead during the night. When we invite the presence of God we invite prefect light and where there is light no darkness can hide.
Last night we were in Nsoko visiting a team of five from AIM that is here for 5 months. For the past week they have had terrible restless sleep. They have awakened to see dark figures hovering in their room or things grabbing them. We did a Night Watch last night on their behalf. Every hour during the night we had different people up praying for protection and for God's presences. In the morning I talked with their team and they all said they slept great.
"For we are not fighting against people made of flesh and blood, but against the evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against those mighty powers of darkness who rule this world, and against wicked spirits in the heavenly realms." Eph 6:12
Thankfully God has given us ALL authority over the evil powers (Luke 10:19). I take it personally when we are attacked. I get angry when an unwelcome intruder comes into my home. I will not stand for it. I fight back. I fight back with the awesome power of God that has been given to me through the sacrifice of our Lord Jesus.
The Super Bowl. Saints 31-Colts 17. One of the most televised events of the year. I missed it for the second year in a row. Honestly I couldn't care less. I have never been in to spectating sports much. So it was a bit ironic when 3 huge NFL football players rolled up to the church/carepoint next where I am staying. One was Anthony Hargrove from the New Orleans Saints this year's Super Bowl champions.
It had been only a week ago that he was in all his glory. Soaking in an accomplished life long dream at being the best in the world at football. Yet here he was standing in the Swazi heat all 6 foot 8, 280 whatever pounds. He is African American but the children here aren't use to seeing a man of this size and coward a bit.
These NFLers were apart of an AIM vision trip to Swaziland. A trip to help those who are interested in being involved get an understanding of what is happening out in the field. Some come because they want to be missionaries and others just want to know how their resources can best be used.
I sat in on their culture briefing in the church. At the end everyone was asked to stand up and introduce their selves and say where they were from. Anthony had gotten up to speak but was out of turn so sat back down. Unfortunately his massive size caused the legs on the plastic chair to buckle sending him rolling on the dusty ground. I wasn't sure how to respond but his two NFL brothers busted up laughing. Things were put into perspective for me in that moment.
Anthony was still human but with a heart for the Kingdom. Despite his fame and fortune part of him understood the need to go to the low places and make a difference on the eternity level. I believe people have a desire deep in their heart to be apart of a story that lasts forever and makes a difference. Not even a Superbowl championship can quench that desire.
*As I was writing this I shifted my weight in my chair and the legs of my chair buckled and almost sent me to the ground. Hmm does God have a sense of humor?
*Also please pray for my team today as we will be spending the whole night to sunrise in prayer in worship. We really want God to meet us.
A half hour drive off the pavement on dirt rouged roads. Pass schools, barbed wire fences, cinderblock houses and cows. Deep into a Swazi forest filled with giant cactus and throne trees. A bit of God's Kingdom was tucked away. It wasn't much, really it wasn't anything. Well not to the western eye. But to the fifty children gathered under the big tree it was everything. It was their life source. Literally. A meal. Their only meal that day. Two big cast iron pots sat with cool coals underneath and warm rice inside.
We slowly approached the big tree finding our way down animal paths and around throne bushes. The children were surprised and curious to see our white faces. They hadn't see foreigners in over a year and we were the second visitors to them. They looked uncertain, afraid to move or be noticed. We weren't quite sure what to do either. We fumbled with saying hello and how are you in their language. They whispered their response.
Everyone made their way to a big open area on uneven ground after the food was gone. They lined up like a choir, little kids in front and taller in back in uniform rows. With the help of our translator we taught them some songs. Smiles began to break across faces. Laughter started to rumble quietly. Making Melodies in My Heart for those that don't know is song that progresses with hilarious intensity using full advantage of all body parts. Thumbs up, elbows bent, knees bent, butt out, head cocked, one eye closed, tongue out, and spin around. The laughter was uncontrollable now.
Attitudes and personalities began to emerge. They taught us a song in their language. I caught onto the hand motions easily enough and muttered the words with low hums. I got the impression I was singing praise to God for all that he has provided. I identified the words thank you and Jesus in their language.
We walked them through the ancient story of Noah's ark using boys and girls as animals, requiring animal sounds from them. The message was of God's promise in the rainbow. A current day reminder that God watches over us and wants us to be safe in him. We finished our time by forming them into the first ever Swazi baseball team with a fat stick as a bat and walnut size fruit for balls.
What does God's Kingdom look like? Sound? Feel? Smell? Taste Like? There was something absolutely beautiful and wonderful happening far off the main road. Hidden in the deep thick brush of a corner of Swazi. The Garden. God's Kingdom. A place of joy, rest, peace, and a full stomach.
*This was at one of Adventures in Missions many Care Points in Swaziland. A place where orphans and come and get food everyday.
I have been a bit of a nomad for the last year and a
half. Moving in out of countries and
cultures, languages and cuisines. I was
surprised with how easy my transition was back to the states after the Race,
but I have been even more surprised with how easy it has been to transition
back to Africa. Maybe it is because I
really like camping...but I love it out here. I love taking bucket baths under the moon light, throwing rocks at
rosters that crow throughout the night, jogging down dirt roads with African
children, breathing in the smell of the green covered mountains, watching the
violent thunder storms, and simply just holding an orphan close to my chest.
I feel like I have a better understanding of what Paul was
writing in Philippians 4:12 when he said ,"I know how to live on almost
nothing or with everything. I have
learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full
stomach or empty, with plenty or little." I constantly find my home in God. It doesn't seem to matter the location or situation I always find rest
in his presence. Sometimes it takes some
work to get into His presence but it is always there. Like the air we breathe. All around, always available and life
giving. It is just a matter of opening your month and breathing in.
I find family wherever I go, back in the states with my
long-term relationships or out here with newly formed friendships within my
team and contacts. What does home mean
to you? I find it to mean a place of rest, comfort, joy, peace, and
familiarity. So as odd as it sounds
Africa feels a bit like home to me.
Posted in Trip Update by Neil Bruinsma on 1/10/2010
I am rested, recuperated, relaxed, and refreshed. It is time to get moving again. I have been back in the States for 4 months and it has been awesome. Many people struggle with coming home after living overseas -reverse culture shock. But I have been soaking it all up. Soaking in the bath, bed, and my daily bread (or more like my daily banquet). Maybe because I was spent when I came home from pouring myself out, but now I am filled up again and restless to spill God's living water.
I am honored to be co-leading this trip with one of my old Racers Liz Adcock. It looks like we will have 4 guys and 11 girls between the ages of 18 and 24. I can't tell you how excited I am to be apart of this trip and for the opportunity to invest my life into these participants. My first ministry will be to them. To walk along side them through abandonment of safety and familiarity of home and help them embrace the Kingdom call on their life in a country desperate for love. I covet your prayers for wisdom in this new leadership role, as I know it will come with new and unforeseen challenges.
Thank you to everyone that made a donation to me! I have now raised all $2,000 for this trip! Know that you are investing in more than just me. Your investment will extend well into the hearts my teammates and those that we minister to.
I will be flying into Atlanta on the January 22nd for a few days of leadership training and Training Camp for the participants. We will all be flying out on the 29th for Swaziland. It is coming soon and I much to do yet to get ready. I am blessed to journey again to a foreign country and excited to take you with me through my blogs. Thank you everyone for following me and supporting me. I love to hear from you and enjoy answering any questions you have.
Posted in Trip Update by Neil Bruinsma on 12/16/2009
Below is a video of the the Nsoko project that I will be working
with in Swaziland. It was started by Adventures in Missions and
depicts the great need of Swaziland's 130,000 orphan children.
So far I have raised $200, I still have $1800 to go.
Please consider giving to me. If everyone who receives this blog
update gave me just $10 I would almost have enough to go. Please click on Support Me! on the left to donate.
Posted in Trip Update by Neil Bruinsma on 11/18/2009
So God spoke to me last week and he said go to Swaziland. I got a phone call from AIM and they asked me if I was willing to co-lead a 3 month long trip for college age students to Swaziland at the end of January. I said I will pray about it and see what God says. To be honest the thought of going back to Africa didn't sound to appealing to me. The day before the phone call I got an email from a friend I met when I did The Man Hike in October. His email was about how God was calling his family to go to Swaziland for a few weeks in February to see if that would be a long term fit for them. Interesting I thought. Then I also remembered that a few weeks from that phone call, Seth Barns (President of AIM) told me in a one-sentence email to go to Swaziland, Nicaragua, or some community/mentorship thing. They all seemed like random things at the time.
Then the day after the phone call I get an email from my teammate, Carly telling me to check out a blog written by my old coach Gary Black entitled: The Remnant is shaping a nation... that he posted on the same day as my phone call. Remnant was my team name so I clicked to read it, and what do you know it is all about Swaziland. Hmm interesting. The next morning I read Seth's blog, part of my morning ritual, and it happen to be about Swaziland. Hmm. Oh and the next day he wrote about Swaziland again. Hmm again. At that point I was like maybe I should go to Swaziland. Out of nowhere I was bombarded with Swaziland, I hadn't read or heard anything about it in at least a couple months. I also felt confirmation in my Spirit that I should go so I said yes to the call!
Swaziland is a small country near South Africa with a population of 1 million people. Of that population 10% are orphan children that's 100,000 children. It has the highest AIDS rate on the plant with over 26 percent of adults testing HIV positive. The average life expectancy is only 32 years the lowest on the planet and it is estimated that the entire population will cease to exist by the year 2050. (Source C.I.A.)
Swaziland is in incredible need. I am blessed with the opportunity serve and part take in what God is already doing there. My team will be working with local pastors to help take care of orphans, bring healing to the sick and to provide for the destitute. Please consider partnering with me in prayer and financially to bring hope to this country. I need to raise about $2,000 for this trip. You can click HERE to donate to me. Or click on Support Me on the left.
So where is my life going? I don't know. Good question though. I have given up on trying to plan my life out. Right now God is only giving me glimpses into the near future and I am ok with that. It is sort of more exciting that way anyways. I realize that my life style doesn't make sense by the world standards, but that's ok my home isn't of this world but of another.
Posted in Trip Update by Neil Bruinsma on 11/17/2009
This is a question that has been on my mind since I have been home. "Lord where are you taking me? What do you want me to do? I am ready, just send me." I thought the Lord might be leading me to Mexico to help Adventures in Missions at one of their bases to raise up missionaries, but that door soon closed shut. I have had some options on the table: Engineering/business jobs in Michigan (which is crazy considering Michigan has the worst economy in the U.S.), going to Spain to a leadership school, maybe working with AIM some how, and any other direction I might want to pursue.
Originally I felt pretty good about my position. I really felt like I had the world at my fingertips. I could launch in any direction. It was only a matter of figuring out what I was passionate about and where the Lord was leading. To be honest all the options that I had on the table seemed like great options and made sense with my interests but as I prayed about them they didn't resonant in my Spirit. I felt like the Lord was just telling me to wait.
Wait?! Really? I hate not having a plan. I want to have a goal. I want to accomplish something that I am working towards. But for the last 3 weeks I was getting no direction- besides just waiting that is. God took me into a season of being OK with having no particular calling. He gave me a deeper understanding that he loves me for just who I am and not what I do. I also learned that my main passion for pursuing something comes from hearing God speak to me and following where he is leading -not from the actual thing itself.
So I waited. And last week God began to speak and make it very clear what I was to do next.
You will have to wait for my next blog coming tomorrow to find out what is next.
We had just pulled into the carepoint in Thulwani. The kids gathered around the big tree to welcome our arrival. I noticed a boy sitting on a concrete slab all by himself. His leg looked bandaged up. I immediately went over to him and with the help of our translator I ask what was wrong. Apparently three days ago he had fallen off the back of a motorcycle and was dragged some how. I could see the blood oozing through his bandage while flies buzzed busily around it. 
We headed back to the ER where we waited for two hours along the wall. I asked the nurse how long we would have to wait. He said he wasn't sure, he had been calling the doctor but hadn't been able to get a hold of him. It then occurred to me that no one had been seen by a doctor yet. How could this be? This is the ER? Where is the doctor? 
Maybe it is because we are in the third world where witchcraft is commonly practiced or the fact that we are doing intense ministry but in my travels I have always encountered dark forces during the night. We have already had some here in Swazi. One night in the guys room, Landon was awaken by a dark voice speaking through the window. He woke the guys up and two of us, myself included, woke out of nightmares (I never have nightmares). We could feel the presence of fear all around us. Us five guys prayed for a while together and then went outside to pray over the girls hut. In the morning we found out that one of the girls, Kaci, had been awaken before we did with the feeling of intense fear and then heard something moving around outside walking and making loud noises. She later heard us wake up and pray. We prayed until we felt the presence of fear leave and peace come. Katie had a terrible nightmare that night that she hasn't had in years. And then interesting enough Billy had a dream that Katie had a really bad dream and should ask her about it. 
On Tuesday night we did a Night Watch. An all night time of prayer and worship as a team. It is a time meant to establish a presence of God during the night. To take authority and claim that evil has no dominion on our homestead during the night. When we invite the presence of God we invite prefect light and where there is light no darkness can hide.
It had been only a week ago that he was in all his glory. Soaking in an accomplished life long dream at being the best in the world at football. Yet here he was standing in the Swazi heat all 6 foot 8, 280 whatever pounds. He is African American but the children here aren't use to seeing a man of this size and coward a bit. 
A half hour drive off the pavement on dirt rouged roads. Pass schools, barbed wire fences, cinderblock houses and cows. Deep into a Swazi forest filled with giant cactus and throne trees. A bit of God's Kingdom was tucked away. It wasn't much, really it wasn't anything. Well not to the western eye. But to the fifty children gathered under the big tree it was everything. It was their life source. Literally. A meal. Their only meal that day. Two big cast iron pots sat with cool coals underneath and warm rice inside. 
Attitudes and personalities began to emerge. They taught us a song in their language. I caught onto the hand motions easily enough and muttered the words with low hums. I got the impression I was singing praise to God for all that he has provided. I identified the words thank you and Jesus in their language. 
I have been a bit of a nomad for the last year and a
half. Moving in out of countries and
cultures, languages and cuisines. I was
surprised with how easy my transition was back to the states after the Race,
but I have been even more surprised with how easy it has been to transition
back to Africa. Maybe it is because I
really like camping...but I love it out here. I love taking bucket baths under the moon light, throwing rocks at
rosters that crow throughout the night, jogging down dirt roads with African
children, breathing in the smell of the green covered mountains, watching the
violent thunder storms, and simply just holding an orphan close to my chest. 
I feel like I have a better understanding of what Paul was
writing in Philippians 4:12 when he said ,"I know how to live on almost
nothing or with everything. I have
learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full
stomach or empty, with plenty or little." I constantly find my home in God. It doesn't seem to matter the location or situation I always find rest
in his presence. Sometimes it takes some
work to get into His presence but it is always there. Like the air we breathe. All around, always available and life
giving. It is just a matter of opening your month and breathing in.
I find family wherever I go, back in the states with my
long-term relationships or out here with newly formed friendships within my
team and contacts. What does home mean
to you? I find it to mean a place of rest, comfort, joy, peace, and
familiarity. So as odd as it sounds
Africa feels a bit like home to me. 
I am honored to be co-leading this trip with one of my old Racers 
So God spoke to me last week and he said go to Swaziland. I got a phone call from AIM and they asked me if I was willing to co-lead a 3 month long trip for college age students to Swaziland at the end of January. I said I will pray about it and see what God says. To be honest the thought of going back to Africa didn't sound to appealing to me. The day before the phone call I got an email from a friend I met when I did 
Swaziland is a small country near South Africa with a population of 1 million people. Of that population 10% are orphan children that's 100,000 children. It has the highest AIDS rate on the plant with over 26 percent of adults testing HIV positive. The average life expectancy is only 32 years the lowest on the planet and it is estimated that the entire population will cease to exist by the year 2050. (Source
This is a question that has been on my mind since I have been home. "Lord where are you taking me? What do you want me to do? I am ready, just send me." I thought the Lord might be leading me to Mexico to help Adventures in Missions at one of their bases to raise up missionaries, but that door soon closed shut. I have had some options on the table: Engineering/business jobs in Michigan (which is crazy considering Michigan has the worst economy in the U.S.), going to Spain to a leadership school, maybe working with AIM some how, and any other direction I might want to pursue.
Wait?! Really? I hate not having a plan. I want to have a goal. I want to accomplish something that I am working towards. But for the last 3 weeks I was getting no direction- besides just waiting that is. God took me into a season of being OK with having no particular calling. He gave me a deeper understanding that he loves me for just who I am and not what I do. I also learned that my main passion for pursuing something comes from hearing God speak to me and following where he is leading -not from the actual thing itself.