Blessed With Hearing

Blessed by a surprise donation of new, high quality hearing aids, Siphosami, a teenage girl in Bulembu, is now experiencing consistent and adequate hearing. Previously Siphosami was using hearing aids that were very uncomfortable for her and therefore difficult for her to utilize regularly. Today, as a result of the generosity of Steven and Vicky from G & J Parking in Canada, Siphosami is enjoying her improved ability to hear and to interact with others, including at home and at school. In addition to the light-weight hearing aids, Sophosami was presented with more than one year’s supply of batteries in order to effectively operate her new hearing aids. The occupational therapist who has been working with Siphosami has noticed a notable, positive difference in her since she has acquired the new hearing aids. Siphosami is very appreciative for this amazing gift which has come as an answer to prayer.

Giving out of a place of understanding the needs of those who are deaf and hearing impaired, Steve and Vicky have a daughter who is deaf and Vicky works as a special needs teacher at a primary school in Canada. Their generosity is making a huge difference in Siphosami’s life and the lives she will touch.

 ^“Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.

This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of the Lord’s people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God” (2 Corinthians 9:10-12).

By Kylee Masiya

Gary’s Bulembu Journey

Here on his fourth tour since 2008, Gary Todoroff is again providing two months of photography and graphics training for the Connect Department in Bulembu.   As a volunteer with Overseas Resource Link based in Eureka, California, he also has helped with setting up a hydroponics system donated by American Hydroponics, and is working with Eureka Rotary Club on a grant proposal with Mbabane Rotary (in Swaziland’s capital) for a commercial hydroponics system.

Gary enjoys talking about experiences in Bulembu, especially to people who have the freedom to spend time as a volunteer here. “And if they can’t come, they can certainly pray,” he adds, noting how important the foundation of Bulembu is, the Rock Himself, Jesus Christ. “Underlying all that happens here is a deep love for God and His children, especially the over 300 babies and kids here with no family of their own.”

Being semi-retired has allowed Gary an almost annual visit here, which he encourages people in similar situations to do.  “I recently read about an organization called Halftime. Their motto, ‘From success to significance’ guides retired people towards missions work. It turns out that was what I was doing here already.”  Most people who stay for either short-term or long-term missions in Bulembu do so on their own or perhaps with a church or other organization. With a total of eight months in Bulembu, Gary admits that he feels qualified now to call his mission “mid-term.”  Information on volunteering for whatever length of time can be found at www.bulembu.org or you can contact info@bulembu.org.

Gary says his photographs speak best for what he loves about Bulembu, so here are some of those photos along with captions in his own words.

School Sports Day brings out the spectators and umbrellas on a sunny day in Bulembu.  Along with a wide variety of photographic assignments here, getting to photograph so many happy children over the years has always been a joyful time.

The town’s hospital, abandoned along with the mine, was simply locked up and left after the doctors’ last surgery. Used for storage shown here in 2008, five years later the hospital has been converted to a clean and modern clinic that serves Bulembu and the surrounding region.

With generous donations and a lot of hard work, the Bulembu Clinic is ready to treat patients from the community, dispensing medicines and non-surgery health care.

Half way up Emlembe, Swaziland’s tallest mountain, the view takes in all of Bulembu. Hiking with a group up the steep slopes, the extra weight of cameras is more than compensated by the excuse they give me to pause for a photograph, when I mostly need to catch my breath.

In 2009, I accompanied Vernon Puttkammer and a Swazi government social worker to fetch four orphaned boys from areas within an hour’s drive.  When I see them around town now, bigger and taller, I’m reminded of their special day four years ago, being taken in by Bulembu with me along for the ride feeling a little like a midwife.

 

What is more exciting to first graders than new school supplies, especially your very own ruler? One thing too big to measure is the quality of care I see all over Bulembu to raise these children who have no other family.

Beautiful landscapes abound around Bulembu.  And you don’t have to go far; this view is from my front porch.

Honey is one of Bulembu’s enterprises, with profits going towards orphan care. I’ve donned the beekeeper suits twice now, braving the wrath of a thousand disturbed bees to document a unique job that helps support the town with some of the best-tasting honey around. I’m always grateful to Joel (right) and his crew for sealing my suit up tight!

There’s never a dull moment in the Bulembu Baby Home, a favourite tour for visitors and volunteers.

Church is an important and cheerful part of the Bulembu Community. Back in 2008 this small room (now remodeled into the Hospitality Training Center) could hold everyone.  The newly renovated Community Center now seats 300 or more. However, the established tradition still exists – on my first Sunday in town, the pastor introduces me as the town’s photographer, I snap a quick photo of the congregation, and from that moment, people are disappointed if I *don’t* take their picture!

Musical Chairs is a game apparently played around the world. I didn’t join in this game, but getting down to the children’s level in the Pre-Primary school certainly gives my knees a workout.

Kurt Puttkammer instructs the Young Farmers class in hydroponics agriculture at the new greenhouse next to the high school.  American Hydroponics, near my hometown of Eureka, California, donated the system whose newest crop will train a future crop of farmers for Swaziland.

Dudu is one of about 45 Aunties in the Bulembu Baby Home who tend 53 children, ages newborn to four. For a photographer, you don’t get a more “target-rich” opportunity for capturing some sweet moments. Without further comment, here are a few.

At the toddler age, children are assigned to homes with two Aunties. Usually there are six or seven kids in each home.

Taking group photos of each toddler home gives me opportunity to capture some happy moments with the children at play, who pause just long enough for a photo.

Photography seems to gets me into some unique situations, like the middle of the Bulembu Sawmill. These hardworking guys are hopefully attending to a small concern for my safety, while I keep one eye in the viewfinder and the other on the organized mayhem around me. The sawmill is one of the major economic contributors to Bulembu’s vision to be a self-sustaining community.

Don’t you love a song with gusto? These students at the Primary School join right in to begin their school day with an energetic chorus.

The Bakery is a favourite Bulembu hang-out, with fresh bread, pastries and full cream milk right from the dairy. I only indulge in a fresh donut if I’m walking back home up the steep hill that works off a few of the calories.

One of my favorite jobs is taking the profile photos that are sent to sponsors who support orphan-care for Bulembu. I get to meet every child and capture a bit of their hearts to encourage people far away who care for them.

Volunteer teams come year-round to help out in Bulembu. The G&J Parking Company in Edmonton, Canada has sent people for five years for some hard work around town, in this case, installing playground equipment at the schools and park.

Was the twenty minutes it took to set up this group photo worth it? At the Pre-Primary school, I feel more like a sheepherder than a photographer. Then I come back the next year and see the same kids growing up, with some of them even remembering me. Yes, it is definitely worth it.

On my computer laptop, a folder called “Townscapes” holds the photos found while simply walking around Bulembu. The Jacaranda and Australian Flame trees just below The Bulembu Country Lodge bloom in striking contrast in October, spring time here in the Southern Hemisphere.

Natural springs in the hills above Bulembu provide pure drinking water for the Bottling Plant. On shopping trips into Swaziland’s bigger towns, I am always delighted to see the Bulembu brand on supermarket shelves.

Nondomiso teaches Form Three (USA high school sophomores) at the Bulembu Christian Academy.

Architecture photography has always been one of my favorite endeavors, especially to capture that brief moment when indoor and outdoor light balance and seem to reveal a bit of the personality of a building. The  Bulembu Country Lodge needed an update for its tourist brochure.

On another Bulembu “walk-about”, this Acacia tree made a fine frame for the northern hillside part of town called Dvudusi.

House Aunties in the Dvudusi homes are hired through careful interviews for the job, and then they are trained and assigned to a family of six children.

On a walk through the neighboring village of Malanda, our tour-guide introduced us to friends and family, including Ellen, who praised God out loud and welcomed us with open arms.

Jessica greets her school teacher at Sunday morning church.

On another Bulembu walk-about, the gum trees near the Community Centre made the perfect frame for people heading home in the quiet of early evening.  I often encourage people to volunteer here; when they do, work hard I say, but be sure to stay long enough to also hear the whisper of Bulembu.

Westerly storms seem to funnel right up the South African valleys directly into Bulembu. Sometimes the thunder is one long, continuous roar with flashes going off like angelic paparazzi.

Sport photography is not one of my specialties, but I enjoy the action here in Bulembu. The local clubs take soccer very seriously, along with the crowds who show up on a weekend to cheer on their favorite team.

When you don’t have far to fall, there’s nothing like a friendly wrestle on the school lawn.  I was also flat on the grass for this shot, but stayed safely away from the combat.

The Bulembu Connect Department co-ordinates communications, graphics, publications, and volunteer individuals and teams. They are responsible for all the Blogs, Twitter feeds, Facebook postings, and the Bulembu Beat Newsletter.  And, amazingly, the Connect Department  and I are the ones who get to document and report on what happens in Bulembu with the unique and privileged position of getting to see it all!

By Gary Todoroff and Bianca Puttkammer

Photographers often express interest in the kinds of equipment used to capture images.  For Bulembu, I have used the following cameras. An Olympus C-8080 helped me make the transition from digital to film in 2005 and was my backup camera for an Olympus E-330 DSLR on my first trip to Bulembu in 2008. The next year I brought two E-330’s, one of which became the backup camera to my Canon 5d MarkII  in 2011. This year the same Canon with 24-70mm lens and a Leica M9 make up the kit. I use Leica M lenses that were slowly acquired since my first Leica M2 in the 1960’s, plus some Leica R lenses that adapt very nicely to the Canon DSLR.  Some of the history of the cameras is recorded on a web page at

http://northcoastphotos.com/sites/northcoastphotos.com/previous_site/Lympa.htm

Bulembu Choir Of Hope

Excitement is in the air as a new choir emerges in Bulembu. Distinct from other choirs this team will be preparing for both local and international performances in England, Northern Ireland, Canada and the United States. Raising  awareness and support for Bulembu Ministries Swaziland and Challenge Ministries Swaziland, who combined have around 400 children in their care.

Bringing the hope of Jesus to the nations through relevant songs, dances and testimonies of lives changed by the power of God’s love is the choir’s mission. Transformed lives transform lives and that is what we believe the children are doing. It is an honour for the children of Bulembu to stand up and let their voices be heard among the nations for the glory of God. “For as the earth brings forth its sprouts, and as the garden causes the things sown in it to spring up, so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to spring up before all the nations” (Isaiah 61:11).

Requirements for choir participation include demonstrating commitment to the choir, obedience to authority, positive attitude, relationship with God, teachable spirit, and vocal ability. Choir participants are ages 7 to 16 years old.

Leading the choir, Emmanuel Masiya – a Swazi national, has worked for Challenge Ministries Swaziland for ten years. He was primarily based at the men’s discipleship centre at Emafini. Emmanuel is assisted by Bulembu teacher Job Madembo who has been working with the Bulembu children for four years.

In August 2012 the Challenge Ministries Swaziland choir and director Emmanuel Masiya toured around England and Ireland. In England the team presented songs, dances and testimonies in various churches and schools. Featured on one of Ireland’s most popular TV shows, The Late Late Show, about one million viewers watched the choir’s live performance. We look forward to new and exciting doors of opportunity that will open for the choir.

Auditions for the choir are now completed and practices started on the 23^rd January. Choir practices will be held three times per week with the possibility of more frequent practices as performances draw near. Thank you in advance for your prayers and support of the choir! Our prayer is that the choir will touch many lives and that many will choose to pray and financially support the ministry.

By: Kylee Masiya

End of Year Celebration – Primary School

Imagine being transported back in time to the very first Christmas – the day Jesus was born! A time machine is all you’d need, right? What could possibly go wrong? Well, you might end up in the wrong era!

Such was the story depicted by the primary school children for their end of year production at Bulembu Christian Academy. The tale centered on a professor and his assistant who wanted to transport themselves back in time but something with their machine goes terribly awry. Instead, they end up in a rock and roll era. The children, from Grade 1 through Grade 6 participated in most of the program but ultimately included all of the children from the school. As Michelle Loubser, Principal of the Primary School explains, “The aim of our productions is to include everyone. So, the final scene involved all 236 students, including staff!”

The production, which was held at the end of November, required more than a month of rehearsals. Students were acquainted with 50’s themed music by watching videos and even choreographed to that style of dancing.

Through all the grooving and be-bopping, the professor and his assistant concluded that ending up in the wrong era wasn’t really a bad thing. They came to realize that no matter what “time” you find yourself in, the Christmas message remains the same: Christ bringing hope into our world.

By: Theresia Whitfield

End of Year Celebration: Pre-Primary “Playtime for Toys”

It’s probably been the dream of at least every child at least once in his or her life – to have their toys come to life. Movies such as “Toy Story” have been made about that dream, and the children of the Bulembu Christian Academy’s Pre-Primary School have put that dream on display through their year-end production of “Playtime for Toys.”

The program, which was performed in the beginning of October at the old cinema, was an original story by Candice le Roux. Ninety-five learners from two to six years of age joined together on stage depicting the story of a brother and sister who were playing with their toys when the sister suggests how fun it would be if the toys could come to life and play with them. After their mother ushers them to bed, they dream of their toybox toys playing all around them. When the siblings awaken, they discover a ballerina dancing about in their room. So, was it really just a dream – or something more?

The children were dressed in a variety of colorful outfits while the stage was decorated with little mice, ducks, pigs, ballerinas and clowns. Candice and her team of teachers taught the children their parts and the songs, which covered a wide range of music genres. The show consisted of short skits, poetry and dance.

This school year officially ends on December 7 and the new academic year will begin again on January 25, 2013. Until then, the children of Bulembu’s Pre-Primary School can dream of having their own toys come to life and and all the fun they can have together!

By: Theresia Whitfield

End of Year Celebration – High School

The end of another school year has come for Bulembu Christian Academy, and the students recently had the chance to show off the many things they learned and all that they had accomplished through the year with year-end celebrations. The high school students had their celebration on November 9 with all 71 high school students participating in the event.

The celebration was divided into two parts: First, students were able to showcase their club, sport or other activities from the year via interactive exhibits. Visitors to the exhibits were afforded the chance to buy baked goods from the Culinary Arts Club and enjoy a cup of coffee while browsing around. The second part of the celebration was an exciting performance of song, dance and drama.

The high school has 18 clubs, and students must participate in two of the clubs, as their involvement is part of the school curriculum. The clubs are as diverse as the students’ interests and abilities and include drama, debate, music, aerobics, free style dance, African dance, fashion and design, photography, young farmers, media, culinary art, Mr. Fix It, carpentry, computers, sport, enterprise, mechanics, and art.

Dennis Neville, Acting Principal for the high school and Director of Education over all campuses, beamed with delight as the evening was determined to be a tremendous success. “All of the money raised from sales from the club exhibits goes back into the school so we can continue to operate and grow in 2013.”

Most of all, Neville and the 11 high school teachers felt the evening was as a celebration of what God has done and for the gifts and talents present in the children’s lives.

By: Theresia Whitfield

Fitting the Pieces Together

It’s a little funny, sometimes, how the pieces eventually fit together. When you least expect it; when you’re not looking, it happens. First a tiny seed is planted. It could take years and years of watering and nurturing before the first fruits become visible. Along the way, life happens. Sometimes life doesn’t seem to make sense, and we ask, “Why did God allow that to happen?” or “How does this fit into the bigger plan for my life?” And then suddenly, it’s all there; right before your eyes. And you know. You just know you’re doing what you were meant to do.

That’s how things happened for Bulembu Christian Academy’s new music teacher, Kristen Toda. From the time she was just 12 years old, Kristen felt called to full time missions. There’s the seed that was planted. In the meantime, she had been a successful child actor for the Disney channel, Fox Kids, various commercials and TV programs. She also took lessons in the French horn. Those beg the question, “How does this fit into the bigger scheme of life?”

Kristen has always had a heart for kids and for Africa. She’s also always had a heart for music, but if there was one thing she was sure of when she was younger, it was that she didn’t want to become a music teacher. “The one thing I say no to in my heart, I have become,” she said. But how did she get from the seed that was planted to doing what God meant for her to do?

Despite her success as a child actor, she knew acting was not something she would pursue. “I was very shy,” she explained. “Even then I was a perfectionist and would take it personally if I didn’t get booked for a job.” But, the success she had also gave her a financial cushion, which she’s using now to support herself as a full time volunteer in Bulembu. Water.

Outside of her French horn lessons, Kristen taught herself to play numerous instruments. More water. In early 2010, Kristen was introduced to the international singing group, The Tenors. The group from Canada became one of her favourite vocal groups, and she had the pleasure of attending a couple of their concerts as well as watch them represent their home country during the Winter Olympics, which were held in Vancouver, British Columbia. Even more water and nurturing.

The Tenors have long been ardent supporters of Bulembu, having visited twice and held several fundraising concerts to benefit the children of Bulembu. All the while Kristen was exploring mission opportunities but couldn’t seem to find the right fit. Considering how blessed she has felt because of the relationship she’d been able to establish with the Tenors and the impact their music had on her, she began to wonder how she could give back to something that was important to them. Then she remembered Bulembu. Suddenly the water that had been poured out in the form of music lessons, acting that provided a financial safety net, and an inspirational and philanthropic group of men who happen to be sensational singers seemed to produce the beautiful fruit from the seed God had originally planted many years ago. And the pieces all seemed to finally fit together. That’s how she knew she was meant to become a music teacher in Bulembu.

In addition to teaching music at the primary school for grade 1 through grade 6, she is working with the drama club.  The money she saved up will sustain her in her volunteer efforts as she hopes to stay in Bulembu long-term, or at least until God plants another seed.

Bulembu has opportunities for additional volunteer teachers, and while there is no limit on the need, their immediate desire is for the Pre-Primary School: a two-year old’s class and a Pre-School/Reception class teacher. In the Primary School Grade 2 teacher, Librarian, and Special Needs/Development teachers are needed. And the High School is searching for teachers in Math, Science, English, Music/choir and Agriculture. Volunteers should be willing to commit to living and teaching in Bulembu for at least a year, but preferably two years. If God has planted a seed and provided lots of water in your life, perhaps all the pieces will eventually fit together in Bulembu for you too.

For more information on becoming a volunteer teacher, contact Caley at caley@bulembu.org.

 By: Theresia Whitfield