A Decade of Difference

Hello friends,

Let’s take a trip.

It’s January of 2017. Tia and I show up in Bulembu, Eswatini with no idea what we are doing.

Fast forward.

It’s January of 2026. Copy & paste.

Same story, with a few things in between:

Three boys born in three different countries.
A fourth boy born in heaven
A business opened and a business closed for Nate
7 moves

I wasn’t joking. We really don’t know what we’re doing sometimes.

And yet, I find it incredibly comforting that God does. We play the part of simply showing up.

When we started our ministry someone told me,

“It takes a decade to make a difference in Africa.”

We are officially in our 10th year now! Someone find that guy!

From 2017 to 2026:
16 homes built in Eswatini.
2 community bathrooms constructed serving hundreds of people.
2 community waterlines installed serving over 1,000 Swazis.
5 farmers launched from zero to full operation.
5 additional farmers supported, bringing the total to 10 families sustained through chicken farming.

In 2025 alone:
30,800 meals served in Eswatini.
3,436 chickens purchased in 2025.
2 homes built.

Scripture tells us to remember. Faithfulness often looks like slow obedience. God’s work is easier to see in hindsight than in the moment. None of this happened quickly. Much of it did not feel impressive while it was happening. Years where it seemed like nothing was moving forward. Years where obedience looked more like staying than building.

We are not looking back to say, “Look what we built.”
We are looking back to say, “Look what God sustained.”

And as we move forward, we do so the same way we started. Still showing up. Still learning. Still trusting that God will continue to do what only He can do.

Thank you all so much for being part of our story.

They say it takes a decade. We’re not finished yet.

Stay Well & Go Well,

Nate Burlingame