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VIRTUAL PRAYER WALK MAP
FOR
NEW
HOPE BAPTIST CHURCH
The
New Hope Baptist Church (formerly Matsanjeni Baptist Church) was begun in 1998
as a Bible study that met on the Mkhanya homestead.
One of Babe (Mr.) Mkhanya’s wives was a sister to a member of the
Nhlangano Baptist Church. We met on
the Mkhanya homestead for about 1 year before moving our meeting place to the
Matsanjeni Secondary School. The
church met at the school approximately 1 year.
By this time the church had been given a plot of land and was ready to
build. The word Matsanjeni means “valley
of bones.” The congregation
felt they were not dead but alive and recently changed the name to the New Hope
Baptist Church.
The
New Hope Baptist Church is approximately 85 kilometers from Nhlangano, the
beginning of our journey. We have
made our way to a group of shops (pictured) called “esiphambanweni”
(cross roads). Our journey will
continue straight down this road to our next stop.
Traveling approximately 6 kilometers we come to
the homestead of one of the youth who is now living with his mother in Nhlangano
and attends the Nhlangano Baptist Church. On
this homestead reside his father and several siblings. Pray
for this family to come to know Jesus as their Savior.
Pictured is the Matsanjeni Community that
comprises of many shops and homes. Cotton
is a major crop in this area and farmers bring their cotton to the cotton gin in
this community. In the last few
years because of the lack of rain the cotton crop has not done well.
Pray for sufficient rain to plant and
sustain the yearly cotton crop that provides financially for many Swazi
families.
After traveling approximately 3 kilometers from
the Matsanjeni Community, we turn right at the Matsanjeni Secondary School.
We now make our way to the New Hope Baptist Church.
We will see many homesteads as we travel this dirt road.
Some attend the New Hope Baptist Church and others do not. Pray
for this community to be spiritually revived!!
Before
we turn to go to the church we first see a small stone building in the process
of being constructed (pictured). The chief from the Matsanjeni area asked the
church to consider working with UNICEF to help cook food for AIDS orphans. The
church agreed. This building will
be the kitchen when completed. Currently
the church is cooking daily for AIDS orphans in this community.
Pray for this church as its members step
forward by faith and commit to this opportunity of ministry.
Pray many lives touched by the devastation of AIDS and will be helped.
The New Hope Baptist Church (pictured) ministers
to a large community. Beyond the
church approximately 5½ kilometers (to the South African border) is a primary
school and secondary school. The
church also has a preschool that meets 5 days a week from 8:00-12:00.
Pray for this church as it tries to reach
this community for the Lord. Pray
for the children who attend the preschool to grow and become strong leaders in
the future.
As we leave the New Hope Baptist Church and make
our way to the main highway, instead of turning left and returning to Nhlangano,
we turn right and go about 2½ kilometers to the Matsanjeni Clinic one of the
main clinics in the Shiselweni Region. The building pictured is the entrance to
the clinic. As in most clinics in
this country, a doctor is not always present to treat patients.
Pray the Swazi government will see the
need to improve healthcare for the Swazi people.
Pray doctors will be adequately trained and paid and clinics and
hospitals will have the needed medical staff to meet the needs of the people who
come for treatment.
Pray for the pastor of the New
Hope Baptist Church to be strong in his walk and continue to be an example to
the congregation of New Hope Baptist Church.J