Around all the poverty of Africa is a great deal of beauty, somehow it is all intertwined. You can see that these people were blessed to have been born in such an extraordinary place, yet they are cursed with a silent killer. There are vibrant flowers, never ending mountains and plains as far as the eye can see. There are wild beasts that were not meant to be tamed. There is a sun so bright and strong it stings your skin and blinds your vision. There are a people dressed in extravagant colors, with smiles that make you laugh. There is joy and there is pain, there is extreme poverty and intense sunsets. You can't see it and not be changed. If this place does not move your soul, you simply do not have one. Africa has been in my heart for as long as I have

memories and now it is my home. Its history is rich, its people are unparallel. White beaches and turquoise sea, lush mountain tops and severe valleys. People living and laughing, people hurting and dying. No place here is untouched by beauty and agony. I can not imagine a place more diverse than Swaziland. The only Kingdom, the only remaining King. One tribe, one tongue, no civil or tribal war. Peace and no peace. It is incomprehensible to journey through the majesty of the mountains of Swaziland and believe that it is an infected land, literally dying by the moment. But the facts cannot be denied, if something radical is not done, this people will no longer exist!

The question comes to us all, “What can I do?" Most of us are not being asked to leave our homes and country and work side-by-side with Swazi to reverse the death toll. But all of us are called to do something, and we can not turn away. Once we have the knowledge, like it or not, we are responsible.

The response from this series has been strong, mostly from women just like me, broken mothers that care for all children.

If this is you, if God is quickening your heart to step out more than before, please join with our family. We are in desperate need of dedicated intercessors, funds for our training school in Swazi, and of course, people to come along.   Which one are you? Looking forward to hearing from you.

Lisa-Marie Black