From The Field
A story of what God is doing in Eswatini
Earlier this year, you may have seen our social media push through BackaBuddy to give Themba, Abide Well’s gardener, a more secure future. Themba has worked for our family and for Abide Well for the past nine years. He lives with a spinal cord injury, and for much of the past 15 years he has worked through the pain to provide for his family, including three daughters he is putting through school.
Many of you met Themba online, and many of you gave. Together, you raised about $6,000 for Themba and his family, and it is already changing things for them.
Part of what was raised will keep his daughters in school, covering fees, uniforms, and the everyday costs that keep a child in the classroom. The rest goes toward a home. Through Building Hope, Abide Well is adding its own support on top of what you gave, so Themba’s family can have a Strong Home: a safe, solid house where they can build their lives.
As promised, nothing raised was taken out for us. Every rand goes to Themba and his family.
To everyone who gave, shared, or prayed: siyabonga. You helped put a floor under one good man’s family.
Abiding Word
What’s on my heart
Psalm 121 has been on my mind these past few weeks while our family has been in America. It opens with a question: “I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come?” Then it answers right away: “My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.”
It reminds me that for the believer, it doesn’t matter where we are. Whatever the time, place, or continent, our help comes from the Lord. It doesn’t come from the mountains of Eswatini, as beautiful as they are, and it doesn’t come from stores the size of mountains (I’m looking at you, Costco). It comes from the Lord, the one who made the mountains and everything we could ever fill a cart with.
The psalm ends with a promise that feels especially close to home for a family that lives between two continents: “The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore.” Whether we’re going out or coming in, Bulembu or Prescott, He is the one who keeps us.
The Long View
Small thoughts on lasting answers to poverty
In Siswati, Themba means “trust.” In nine years of working together, Themba has remained true to his name. Something I have noticed after working in Africa for a decade is that trustworthiness can easily go unnoticed. That’s why it matters that you give your people opportunities to be trustworthy. Character that is never relied on can’t be seen, and it won’t grow. What we often label as untrustworthy is, more accurately, our unwillingness to find out whether someone is trustworthy.
That raises an important question for me, and for all Christians who lead people: Do we design trust out of our systems? Are we more comfortable when we never have to depend on anyone? Accountability is important, as is wisdom. But if every risk is managed away, so is every opportunity to be trusted. And being trusted, when it’s extended wisely, may be one of the most powerful ways we can help someone climb out of poverty. It says, “You are capable. I’m counting on you.” Few things build a person like that.
By the Numbers
Where things stand in 2026
Meals served: 40,047 of our 50,000 goal (80%)
Strong Homes built: 6 of our 8 goal
Funds raised: $231,573, projected ~$290,000 by year-end
Total spent: $180,729 of our $230,000 year-end budget
Programs vs. operations: 77% to programs, 23% to operations
So far this year, your generosity has funded $181,000 of ministry, and 77¢ of every dollar spent went straight to programs. The rest of what you’ve given is set aside to be put to work in the months ahead. Feed the Kids invested $54,000 in school meals, and two-thirds of the food was bought locally. That includes more than 1 in 5 food dollars going to food projects run by Bulembu Primary, Bulembu High, and Edudusi Nazarene Primary. Building Hope invested $79,000 in six Strong Homes for orphans and other vulnerable people in our community, built with local materials and local builders. In all, $21,000 in wages went to Eswatini staff. Our in-country team also earns income from its own consulting services, and that covered nearly half of our overhead in Eswatini, so your gift goes even further. Thank you for making this possible.
