"My
family, whom I love in truth. Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and
that you may be in good health, as it goes well with your soul. For I rejoiced
greatly when the brothers came and testified to your truth, as indeed you are
walking in the truth. I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are
walking in the truth." 3 John 1:1-4

            I was sincerely overjoyed to hear
through my sister, Laura, of the great fruit that has been taking form on your
end of things. It is so encouraging to be reminded that God's Spirit transcends
all borders, allowing wondrous work to be accomplished among the nations. I am
much more eager for my return, now in less than a month, knowing that I will be
stepping into a place of spiritual cultivation as well as amazing opportunity.
Throughout my time here, the Lord has ignited in me a passion for Calgary and
the people already in my life as well as the people I have yet to meet. This
fire is continually being fueled as the time fast approaches for me to come
home.

The excitement for ministry in Calgary has in no
way dampened my heart for Swaziland. Just this morning I was reading on
Christ's power as the "Alpha and Omega; the Beginning and the End." He most
certainly has time in His hands and I am aware that my dedication to Africa is
not limited to just a few weeks. This last stretch has given me the chance to
see how I will continue my labour here in Swaziland from Canada through prayer
of course as well as other creative means. 
I've also been blessed to see God orchestrate His people perfectly so
that the physical ministry here will not cease with the team's departure.

This past week the Lord validated this at our
Youth Center ministry. As mentioned in previous e-mails, two other girls and I
have been meeting with women from the Life Skills or "Youth" Center every
Tuesday since January. The center works to train Swazis in basic business so
that they will be equipped enough to open independent companies. The eight
ladies we visit with are part of a textile business, so much of our Tuesdays
are spent attempting to lend a hand in preparing the orders. All three of us
took a crack at the sewing machines on one of our first days of ministry and to
no surprise the women have not asked us to assist in that way since. However,
we've become pros at removing poor stitching and ironing uniforms. The
remainder of our days are spent diving into the Word. As a large group, we
teach and discuss on God's purpose for our lives. This topic has touched on
things such as conformity to Christ, heaven, and unity. The studies have
reached beyond the sewing ladies. Some of the women mentioned that their
husbands are going through the handouts at home and we often have visitors from
other departments dropping in on our meetings. SiSwati bibles were also passed
out to all of the women which soon caught the ears of all the workers on site.
Luckily our team has a stash of bibles in our home, so we've been blessed to give
away over ten and counting. The growth we as a ministry team have seen at the
Youth Center is very encouraging and as I mentioned before, the Lord has
already begun planting people who will continue the ministry when we leave.
Nonhlanhla, one of the quieter ladies, volunteered to lead next week's lesson,
so we are eager to see how God uses her. With only two Tuesday's left at the
Center, this could not be better timing for the teaching swap. The reality of
two Tuesdays is saddening for our hearts, but it also forces us to be
intentional.

This reality is true for all of my ministries:
the market, gas station, and Hope House. To your benefit, I will not go into
detail with all of them, but I will give praises to the Spirit and the
incredible love He has given me for each and every one, especially in these
last moments. I am looking forward to sharing testimonies of this work face to
face with anyone who is willing to listen upon my return.

There is a lot more that has gone down over the
past month and I am sure that many of you have heard things through the
grapevine. Just to bring anyone who may be missing out up to speed before I
conclude I'll point out a few highlights, or, lowlights that were quick to turn
around for the good of God's people. Since spring break and the unexpected
events which I wrote about in my latest e-mail, there has been a mass amount of
suffering experienced not only by the Swaziland team, but the entire AIM group
in Africa. We've had two of our teammates, Matt and Tyler, have to leave for
home early for physical emergencies. Both boys were troubled with going so
unexpectedly, however, the Lord has already proved to be the Father of
redemption and we have seen His glory immensely in their departures. Another,
very unexpected tragedy was that of a car accident in Port Elizabeth. The
accident left two injured and to everyone's shock, took the life of Sarah
Buller. Many of you know that Sarah was my ministry partner at Love A Child
last semester. The state of brokenness this situation brought not only myself,
but everyone involved with the Africa Awakening 08' and of course Sarah's
family allowed for such comfort and restoration from God. It's been nearly two
weeks since the incident and our Swazi team in particular has experienced the
joy of suffering in such an intense way. Needless to say, we still need the body's
continued praise and prayers concerning the matter. Please keep the PE team
especially on your heart as they are struggling with the means to press on and
where exactly they will be pressing onwards to.

            As
I keep relaying, our God is the perfect orchestrator, and all of the latest
events, those of tragedy and triumph, most certainly proclaim glory to His
name. Personally, I am overwhelmed by His goodness and have been contrasting
that with my sinful nature more than ever over the past few weeks. What a
blessing it is to receive such love and grace from the King of Kings. With that
said I wish all of you a most Happy Easter, better late than never for He is
risen every day in our lives and send the Lord's love and my prayers.

"I have much to write to you, but I would rather
not write with pen and ink. I hope to see you soon, and we will talk face to
face. Peace be to you. The friends greet you. Greet the friends, every one of
them." 3 John 1:13-15

-         
Gail