Frik and I visited Swaziland with Dave McMaster, team leader of the Dundee team. We flew to Durban, early Monday morning 15th March and drove to Dundee in a rented car. Dave and his wife Susan hosted us for the evening and we entered Swaziland the next morning through the Sicunusa Border, near Piet Retief. We drove through to Malkerns, where we met Colin Phyfer and his wife Deane and son Jarred. Colin was led to the Lord by Dave after a CBMC outreach. He became a CBMCer and ran a group for some years in Mhlume, but since they moved to Malkerns, the group fell apart.

Through his active involvement in the church; The Potters Wheel, Pastor Kevin Ward asked him to start an inter-denominational men’s group. What an opportunity to get CBMC off the ground again.

Wednesday morning Frik and I shared our testimonies; our walk with Christ and our involvement in CBMC, with 70 business men at the church. 60 white and 10 black business men attended, including the ex- Prime Minister of Swaziland. We spent some time afterwards with men who were interested in joining CBMC.

After the breakfast we did a follow-up visit to Mark Ward in Mbabane. Mark runs 2 CBMC groups in his hotel. We shared the vision and mission with him and challenged him to change the prayer groups into proper CBMC groups. We left a CBMC Guide and other materials with him.

Mark sent us to a garage owner in Manzini, who recently gave his life to Christ and might be interested in CBMC. He attends one of Mark’s groups on a Thursday evening. We spent some time with Gareth Evans, who shared his life story of how he had been a run-away as a teenager, and a drug addict for many years while running his business. He is now saved and sold out for Jesus and keen to become a CBMCer. We asked him to join up with some business men who attended the breakfast and who want to start a new CBMC group.

From Manzini we drove to see a CBMCer, Sian Beneke, who is also a garage owner. He is the only survivor of Colin’s original group. Al the other members have moved away from Mhlume. It is difficult to start a new group there because there are very few business men in this area. Everybody works for the large sugar companies estates. They also lack vision to reach out to black business men.

We then drove through to Siteki, to sleep over at Dr Jonathan Ponts on Mabuda Farm, Dr Ponts heads up the CBMC group in Siteki. On the way there, we were caught in heavy rain and a tornado. What an experience! Trees were up-rooted and broken, power and telephone lines blown over and the sugar cane fields flattened.

Thursday morning, we joined Dr Ponts’ CBMC group of 12 members. 2 were white and the rest black business men. This was the first and only true CBMC group. Frik shared his testimony, vision and mission of CBMC and all the resources available. We left a CBMC Guide, 2 OT and 6 CBMC Bible study books with them. They asked, if possible, that we should come and do a weekend camp with them to share about CBMC vision and materials.
We left Siteki and drove to Bulembu, to visit Andrew and Colin le Roux, who heads the work under the orphans in Bulembu. Bulembu is a deserted asbestos mine where construction is under way to host more orphans. This place is a must to visit and see.

The Canadians donate a lot of money and send a lot of missionary groups to work and minister in the town. There are about 6 different ministries active and we hope one day to have a CBMC group in the town. We enjoyed a breakfast with some of the leaders in town on Friday morning. The leadership need a lot of covering in prayer.

Swaziland has 900 000 people of whom 60% are infected with HIV/AIDS. There are 30 000 orphans in Swaziland. Bulembu strives to house between 2-3000 orphans and to raise and school them while also teaching them skills.

After our stay at Bulembu on Thursday night, we returned to Dundee on Friday, to drop Dave off and left for Durban airport to arrive home in the cape at midnight.

Dave has been used in leading many men to Christ and into the CBMC ministry, and is everywhere acknowledged as their spiritual father. He is doing a stunning job in Swaziland and is prepared to get more involved and to help us to grow the ministry in the cities.

Let us keep on praying for Swaziland.

GERHARDT SCHEEPERS.

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