Gwen Ellis
Bits & Pieces
My Journey to a Place in Africa...
Join Gwen each day as she returns to Swaziland and to New Hope Centre's Extraordinary Children
August 1, 2011
Home again, home again! Let me tell you that it’s a long ways from Swaziland to Los Angeles, especially when you go via London. However, everything went like clockwork in getting us home.
We left Manzini’s airport at 2 p.m. and flew to Johannesburg. Our flight to London on a 747 left at 8 p.m. After dinner on the plane, I was able to sleep quite a bit on this flight—something I almost never do. We arrived at London Heathrow early in the morning. Heathrow is a zoo. You have no idea where your gate will be until about 10 minutes before takeoff. Then when you flight comes up on a big board, there is an estimate of the walking time it will take to get to the gate, in our case 10 minutes. So the result is that you have thousands of travellers in the restaurants and sitting everywhere waiting to know where to go next.
Our flight out of London was delayed an hour, but at long last we were on our way flying with the sun so it never did get dark. I did not sleep except for a brief nap on this flight. We arrived in Los Angeles at 3:30, went through customs which took about an hour and made it out of the airport just in time to be caught up in the worst traffic of the day. Finally at 7:00 p.m. I made it home and there, waiting on the curb by the mailboxes were two adorable children yelling, “Grammy, Grammy, Grammy,” and then flying into my arms. My life is so full.
Now that the trip is over, how do I feel? Fulfilled. I got everything I needed to begin the new book. I was able to take part in several events I had written about but had not experienced before. Those included:
1. A national prayer breakfast when the Swazis burst into spontaneous unaccompanied four-part harmony as they sang praise to God as they were led by one of the Ministers of the King’s Cabinet.
2. Hope Camp which the young people of New Hope Centre host for the most needy children of a number of schools in the area.
3. The Festival of Somhlolo attended by princes, queens, and chiefs. The festival celebrates the coming of the Word of God to Swaziland. I was introduced as the writer and editor of the new book A Little Child Shall Lead Them. The children danced a special dance before Prince Joseph.
4. Litsemba, which is a festival of hope for orphans. This year it was held at Project Canaan, a 2,500 acre farm, that is being developed by Heart for Africa. This project came about in a most miraculous way and I suggest you check into what’s happening here: http://www.heartforafrica.org/Project%20Canaan.aspx
5. In addition I met several key people I had heard about and written about, but had never before met.
So now I begin to live the rest of my life and learn to listen carefully to what God is telling me to do and responding quickly to his voice.
Gwen Ellis
**If you wish to leave a comment, please go to the bottom of the page, click "Leave a Comment," and type your message. I will be receiving these emails and will try to post them quickly.
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July 29, 2011
Gwen arrived home this evening and was met by two very excited grandchildren who raced into her arms. She had a very warm welcome home. She will be posting more about her trip once she has a chance to rest and catch up with life.
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Days 19-21
July 25-27, 2011
Gwen and I have not been able to communicate with each other very well this week. I have been taking my niece to horse camp every day. Gwen will be leaving Swaziland tomorrow. Please pray for her trip home.
________________________________________________________________________ July 24, 2011 We had expected King Mswatti III to come to the event, but a death in the family prevented his coming. Instead we were graced by the presence of one of the princes, a man who knows God and had a beautiful smile. __________________________________________________________________________ Day 17 July 23, 2011 Greetings all. I have had a couple of very busy days here. Yesterday was the National Prayer breakfast. Imagine a large lovely room filled with Swazi Christians singing in four part harmony with no accompaniment and being led by one of the cabinet members of Swaziland. Wow! Today we went to Heart for Africa’s Project Canaan. It is a 2500 acre farm near one of Swaziland’s borders. The plan is to raise cattle and to grow maize, oranges, and other cash groups to raise funds to help the established children’s homes in Swaziland. We went for a celebration called Litsemba. Litsemba means Hope and the event hosted 5,000 orphans of the 200,000 orphans who call Swaziland home. I looked around at the sea of children's faces. I wondered how God looks at these little ones, and why such a dreadful disease (AIDS) has been allowed to ravage Swaziland in a pandemic. Oh, God, help us to help them! Just a few more days here to finish the task I came to do and then the real task of producing a book is next. That’s the big job.
___________________________________________________ Days 16-19 July 20-22, 2011 Hello everyone. Gwen has been extremely busy attending events and has been unable to write a blog. All the events that she is attending are related to the Somholo Festival of Praise which has a very interesting story behind it. Two hundred years ago, Swaziland was ruled by King Somholo. One night the king had a dream. The Lord appeared to the king and told him that many people would be coming to his land. Those people would be holding coins in their left hands and books in their right hands. God told the king to choose the book and to ignore the coin. The Lord told King Somhlolo that he and his people must “choose the book and eat it on the inside, that their nation may live” meaning that they should choose the Word of God. God knew that the people would need to know Him and His Word in the hard years to come. They would need the support that only God has the strength and resources to give. So, every year, Swaziland celebrates this event not only to remember King Somholo and what he experienced, but to give praise to God. During this time, Gwen will be attending a special prayer breakfast and the National Thanksgiving service that takes place on Sunday. On Sunday, a group of kids from New Hope Centre will perform a dance of praise to God before the man who is now the king of Swaziland, King Mswati III. Gwen is hoping to have an opportunity to give the king a signed copy of the book, A Little Child Shall Lead Them. Please pray for her. When she has the opportunity, I'm sure that she will have some very interesting stories to tell about this weekend. So please check back. ___________________________________________________ Day 15 Tuesday, July 19, 2011 Greetings friends, Today is Tuesday and this morning I rode out to the camp to see what was going on there. What an amazing operation New Hope Centre has put together there. The camp is held on the grounds of the National Church. Sadly, the National Church building has been neglected and is greatly in need of repair. It is surrounded by a large area where the children at the camp have pitched their tents. On one side are the boys’ tents and on the other side are the girls’ tents. Everything runs like clockwork and peace reigns for the most part. The cooking for the children is done partially from a kitchen inside the church and partially over an open fire. A huge three-legged pot sits over a smoldering fire. It is as black as can be from years of smoke pouring over it. Inside the pot is a white porridge called pap made from mealie meal—a corn product. This is the staple of the Swazi diet. Usually some kind of sauce is poured over a serving of pap. Sometimes the sauce has vegetables and chicken in it. Today when I was in the kitchen, the cooks were opening cans of fish packed in tomato sauce and pouring them into a big pan to be mixed with other ingredients. I assumed this would go over the pap. I watched in amazement as the cook opened the cans without the benefit of a can opener. She sharpened a knife, poked it through the lid next to the rim and then pried upward with the knife’s blade all the way around the can. It looked like a recipe for disaster, but if I am ever caught without a can opener yet have a knife, I know how to get a can open. Today the children practiced the dance they will do before the King of Swaziland. Imagine 140 children in red shirts dancing to a worship song before King Mswatii III next Sunday. The King will have a large tent set up from which he will watch the children perform and will greet them. What a thrill for them. I have three children yet to interview and get their pictures in place. I think I can make it before I come home.
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Day 14
Monday, July 18, 2011 Today is Monday in Swaziland. I am spending the day in the office interviewing kids. We have to go over their stories, choose which pictures they want included in their story, search for their artwork which has been photographed and have them comment on why they drew what they did. We have finished 19 of the 24 stories. Now things get a little more complicated because our schedule gets busier with public events. So, I’m not sure how we are to finish the stories. We’ll find a way.
I stick pretty close to the farm here and my learning about life here is coming from the kids’ stories. I learned today how you pull a calf that is having trouble being born and how to milk a cow with mastitis. Hmm. Is that information I might need?
Now from the farm to royalty. I just stepped outside and met a prince and princess who have come to bring some gifts. Dr. Elizabeth and I gave each of them a signed book. So now A Little Child Shall Lead Them is in royal hands. I always believed it would end up at the palace, but did not dream it would be so soon.
The two were accompanied by a number of officials and a police car. They are still on the grounds, but I felt I needed to step away. I am sadly lacking in protocol for meeting royalty.
We are almost out of books here. Please pray that the shipment comes soon. ___________________________________________________ Day 13
Sunday, July 17, 2011 Today is Sunday, but in Swaziland, it does not seem to be a day of rest. The markets are open, the shops are open, and everything is going on the same as on any other day. Our kids from New Hope Centre have gone to camp and so it is much quieter here than any day since we have come. This morning we drove far south in Swaziland—almost to Mozambique. It is true bush country with horrible roads and not much growing but scrub brush. Years ago this was an awful malaria region, but today it was super dry and not a mosquito was to be found. We went to a church service in a small church where the singing sounded as if it had been recorded in heaven. It is amazing how natural music, harmony, and rhythm are a part of the culture. My traveling companion, Jessica, says that the children can sing and dance before they can walk and talk. In the area where we were today we saw kapok trees. I suppose if you are old enough, you can remember that kapok was used at one time to stuff sleeping pads and sofa cushions. The tree produces huge pods that when opened produce fuzzy fibers that look something like what comes from milkweed pods. The other interesting plant was an aloe. We have aloe plants in California, but the ones in Swaziland are six or seven feet tall and are blooming in gorgeous sprays of orange flowers. They are everywhere throughout the area. I am making progress on the book I came to work on. We have 10 children yet to go. Dr. Elizabeth is going over their stories with them. She gives the stories to me, and I do some minor editing on them. Then I meet with the child. We choose the photo and the picture or pictures he or she has drawn for the book. The picture illustrates how that child feels about his or her life and how God is leading him or her. When this is all complete, the child approves it, and then we pray over it. What a wonderful experience it is for both of us. I thought you might like to see one of the kids drawings. I have seen them progress from stick figures to the kinds of illustrations you see here. ___________________________________________________ Day 12
Saturday, July 16, 2011 No email from Gwen today. I did talk to her on Skype last night. She told me that she will be attending a special church service next week. The king of Swaziland will also be attending this service. Please check back often because I'm sure that she will have some interesting stories to tell. I was buying coffee today and chatting with the barista. I told her that my mom was in Africa. She asked if I could have my mom bring her back a coin from Swaziland. Then I tried to recall what money they use there. This is what I found: The currency of Swaziland is called lilangeni (plural: emalangeni). It is subdivided into 100 cents. The South African Rand is also used there. A little history: Interesting Fact: Info found at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swazi_lilangeni ___________________________________________________ Day 11
Friday, July 15, 2011 Hello everyone. I have been thinking about something since I have been here at the home. New Hope Centre is built on a hill and one must traverse up and down all day long. Here and there are crude steps to help the climb, but what I am finding is that because of the rain and the constant pounding of young feet up and down the stairs, the soil has washed away from the bottom step. This makes the first step the hardest. I suppose you know where I am headed. Isn’t it true of life that often the first step is the hardest? Think back to when you first went to college. It was tough to pack your bags and go live with a bunch of people you had never met in a dormitory full of confusion and noise. Think of getting engaged or married and how that first step was. And if you are a parent you know that taking a new baby home from the hospital for the first time is one of the most frightening events in life. You begin to wonder if God could possibly know what he is doing entrusting you with this life. Since being here, a young man showed up who had just returned from climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro. My understanding is that the climb is all up in the cold and snow. Summiting Mt. Kilimanjaro doesn’t happen unless the climber puts on his shoes, gets his climbing poles and takes the first step. What in your life causes you to fear taking the first step? Is it giving regularly to your church knowing you can’t possibly stretch your income to cover it? Is it being afraid to visit a mission station or a home for AIDS orphans somewhere halfway around the world? I was terrified to come the first time and now it feels like home. I’ve never been able to out-give God, although I’ve tried. I just want to encourage you to gather your strength, stretch your spiritual muscles, and take the first step. At the end of your life you will not regret having risked the climb, but if you do not take the first step, you may find you have missed the best part of your life. Happy climbing! ___________________________________________________ Day 10
Thursday, July 14, 2011 May God bless all of you and thank you for your prayers. __________ ***Note from Wendy:
The kids at
I was able to talk to my Mom on Skype last night. She mentioned to me that
Sponsor a child.
You can choose a child. Then you can choose the amount that you want to sponsor that child for.
You can also give a donation of any amount at any time.
Please visit the New Hope Centre Site if you would like more information:
http://www.newhopeswaziland.com/content.asp?id=147
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Wednesday, July 13, 2011 Grand Central Station has nothing on New Hope Centre when it comes to teams coming and going. This morning a couple of ladies from Fresno left for the southern part of the country. One woman works with a medical mission and I believe she brought 800 wheelchairs out to distribute to people who are helpless because they cannot walk and they do not have the money to buy a chair of any kind. The other was a trainer in personality styles and did a mini seminar for the staff. I sat in on it and it was wonderful. There was a lot of laughing going on as individuals discovered their own and others strengths and weaknesses. This afternoon a team from Ohio arrived. They will be here most of the time Jessica and I are here. I’m not sure what they will be doing, but I’m sure it will be helpful. There is some talk of them repairing the computers that a lightning storm wrecked. I saw a lot of cables, etc. There is also talk that they will get the Internet and WiFi working here on the grounds. That would certainly make my life easier for fact checking and for communications. Oh yes, a team of about five medical students from Taiwan arrived this morning as well. I’m not sure what their function is here. Besides all this, the kids are getting ready to go to camp. It is a busy place here. I spent the day pretty much alone in an office (very cold office) rewriting kids stories and I have begun to match pictures to stories. It’s fun to see the text come alive and realize a book about these kids is possible. The only other thing I did today was to hand out six teddy bears. Three small ones went to the triplets who are not yet two years old. They were hugging them and dancing around. The other three went to new children who have never had a stuffed toy of their own. There were smiles all over the place. I would love to see them tucked into their beds tonight with their new bears. One sad thing happened today. One of the children’s five dogs, Grace, died in the night of some kind of poisoning. The little girl charged with caring for her, has had a very difficult day, even with the promise of a new puppy soon. More tomorrow. _______________________________________________ Day 8
Tuesday, July 12, 2011 Written on July 11th: It’s my granddaughter birthday and I am half a world away. However, with email, no person is far away from anyone else these days. Just think of the not-so-long ago times when missionaries left home and some of them never came home again. Not too far from Swaziland, David Livingstone’s heart is buried in African soil. He spent the bulk of his adult life opening the interior of Africa to missionaries by exploring and mapping this vast continent. The world has shrunk and we cannot complain about being far away from each other. I worked in the office rewriting stories today. It is much the same as what I would do at home. Some children wandered in and out to talk, but mostly they were in school and I was concentrating on their stories. Tonight, however, a young man and I climbed the goat path to the building where I was staying. He was just walking along to keep me company. We stopped for a moment to look at a very bright moon and for me an unrecognizable constellation. I asked him about it. He said, “That’s the Southern Cross,” and he and I talked about the stars that made up this constellation. I told him that we could not see the Southern Cross in America and we never see as many stars as you can see in an Africa night sky because from our vantage point at night we are looking out of the Milky Way galaxy. In Swaziland, however, viewers are looking into the heart of the galaxy where there are billions of stars to see. My sleep here has been deep and restful—even last night after I had stepped wrong and turned my ankle. It is somewhat sore, but worse than that, it is all puffed up. I’m just grateful it isn’t broken and it will heal in a few days. It is not even slowing me down. Oh, I was talking about sleep. I sleep until the roosters here at New Hope begin to crow about the time the sun comes up at 6 a.m. By that time the boys have been out to milk the cows. By 7 it is light and the entire valley spreads out below us, as the sun creeps across it. Our day has begun and believe me, no one at New Hope Centre knows what a day holds. It’s an exciting place to me. _____________________________________________ Day 7
Monday, July 11, 2011 I received an email from Gwen today. It is very difficult for her to get online, but she was able to send this. She also twister her ankle. She said that it is not broken, but is very swollen. Please pray for her. Here is her message. It refers to this past weekend: Shalom, Shalom, as we say in way of greeting here at New Hope Centre. Last night we celebrated Shabbat with much dancing and singing and praising God along with a lesson on love and how the children must learn to love children from the neighboring towns who will be attending camp. The camps are called Hope Camps and they are a place where New Hope’s children can learn to administrate all the aspects of running a camp. It is also a place where three children from each of the areas schools—those children who are most impoverished and neglected—come to be instructed and nurtured by New Hope’s children.
Today is Saturday and the structure of the day is different from a school day. A carload of children just left for ballet lessons. Others are waiting on the Lord, just to let him talk with them. I thought about that concept and had to admit that it has been a long time since I have spent an hour or two just waiting on the Lord. When I finish writing this blog, I intend to join them.
It is chilly this morning as other mornings have been. It is winter here and since there is no heat in the buildings one feels the cold more than we do at home. You learn to plan what you will wear when you get up in the morning and you jump into those clothes rather quickly. The afternoons warm up considerably and you pull off your jacket or jersey (sweater) for a few hours, only to don them again when the sun goes down.
I have begun work on the book 24 Extraordinary Children, which is the telling of the children’s amazing rescue and life here at New Hope Centre along with the way they believe God is leading them toward the future.
I’ll say goodbye now and get on with the work at hand.
Auntie Gwen—as the children call me.
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Sunday, July 10, 2011 Still no email from Gwen. I believe that someone is coming to fix the internet at New Hope on Tuesday. Thanks for your patience. Swaziland Facts: Languages spoken: English, siSwati Life expectancy: age 45 Government: Monarcy Flag: (found at: http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/countries/swaziland-facts/) My memory: I remember that on one of our last days at New Hope Centre, we heard a commotion outside of the office. We went to the window and saw a new child surrounded by the kids from the Centre. Dr. Elizabeth told us that this new child had been at one of the camps that the kids from the Centre put on. They knew that she needed a place to live. They had been worried about her. Now she had come to stay. Kids of every age welcomed hear with hugs and tears of joy. I felt so blessed that God allowed me to see this take place. This is the heart of New Hope Centre. This is what it is all about. ______________________________________________ Day 5
Saturday, July 9, 2011 Gwen did not email me today, so I am assuming that the internet system is down. So, I would like to share a few things with you: Swaziland Facts: Did you know- Swaziland is a little bit smaller than the state of New Jersey? About 1.2 million people live in this tiny country? A Little History: Before Swaziland became a country, the Swazi people wandered, looking for a country. According to tradition, the Swazi people left Mozambique before the 16th century and moved south. When conflicts began with the people in that area, the Swazi people again moved to northern Zululand in about 1750. When conflict became too fierce with the people of that area, they moved northward in the 1800s...and that is where they stayed. Present day Swaziland is located there. (Found at: http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/2841.htm) My Memory: I traveled to New Hope Centre a couple of years ago. Gwen and I stayed in a room on the grounds at New Hope. We could hear much of what the children were doing when we were in that room. One evening, as I lay in bed, I could hear the movie, The Sound of Music, being played for the children. The next morning I awoke to the sound of a little child singing the song, "Do, a deer, a female deer," at the top of his lungs while carrying out his morning chores. I loved it. What a great way to wake up. ___________________________________________________________________ Day 4
Friday, July 8, 2011 ______________________________________________ Day 3 Thursday, July 7, 2011 Gwen and Jessica have arrived at New Hope Centre! I received an email this morning from my Mom. Here is what it said: "Hi everyone,
We arrived safe and sound. Everything went as planned. I haven’t been to bed yet, but will soon. Two nights on a crammed airplane is two nights too long. But God is faithful and everything worked well. Everyone here is welcoming me home. I’ll write when I get my computer set up." We will be hearing from Gwen their time tomorrow. So please check the website tomorrow. Also, please continue to pray for Gwen and Jessica. They need to get a good night's sleep tonight. Here is a great website that shows the different time zones around the world. They are in the Cape Town time zone on the map: ___________________________________________________________________ Day 2 Wednesday, July 6, 2011 This is Wendy, Gwen's daughter. Gwen will not be making an entry today, but we might possibly hear from her some time tomorrow. I just went to the plane tracker site. Gwen and Jessica have just flown over Europe. They should be reaching the top of Africa soon. This is probably one of the hardest flights because of its length. Please pray for them. Day 1 Wednesday, July 5, 2011 I’m about to turn night into day and summer into winter as I travel halfway around the world and to the southern hemisphere. I’m off to Swaziland to visit the extraordinary children who live at New Hope Centre. The kids and I are working on a delightful book about their young lives—how they came to New Hope, how they got a new name, and what they believe God has for them to do in the future. Photos for the project were taken in January by an amazing photographer Brooks Potteiger. I’ll be pulling all the pieces together so that the book happens soon.
Swaziland, in case you’ve never heard of it, is a tiny country surrounded by South Africa. It is the last absolute monarchy in Africa. If you are checking on a map, Swaziland is just below Kruger National Park. Swaziland has been devastated by the AIDS pandemic that has ravaged Africa. The average life expectancy is something like 29 years in Swaziland. Can you imagine that happening in your country? It looks hopeless until you look at places like New Hope Centre where children who have lost their parents to disease and poverty are being raised to be the next generation of leadership in the country. These bright, charming, talented young people are excelling at scholarship, music, dance, athletics (mostly swimming), and organization and leadership. You cannot help falling in love with them—at least I couldn’t help it.
More later if Swaziland’s Internet will cooperate. ___________________________________________________________________ *****For more information about New Hope Centre and its extraordinary children, read the new book that Gwen helped to co author called, A Little Child Shall Lead Them. Click on the Gwen Ellis' Books link below**** ___________________________________________________________________________ LEAVE A COMMENT
Hi Mom, I have printed out your entire blog and I will read it to the kids tomorrow while we head to diabetes family camp. We are praying for all the kids at New Hope. Please give them our love and tell them that we hope to one day meet them in person. Please tell them that we will be at camp, too. No doubt very different, but we will be thinking of them. Love, Chandra & the kids __________________ I'm excited about hearing how God is going to use you and Bless you through this trip!! We prayed for you and Jessica in our home group tonight!!! Aloha no kakou, __________________ Grammy, we love you! The kids and I watched your plane travel over the Mediterranean Sea toward Africa! Technology is amazing. The Weisings __________________ We are so very blessed and proud to watch your trip unfold!
Bryan& Kathy White __________________ Hi Gwen – You inspire me to do more things to give back during my life time. Be safe and enjoy every moment!
Best Regards,
Jim Newmark __________________ Hi Gwen! This is Gay in Colorado. On to Michigan tomorrow. I am praying for you. I hope your ankle is better soon.
In 1974, the first lilangeni coins were introduced. The 1 lilangeni coin was round, the 1 and 50 cent coins were dodecagonal (12 sides), the 2 cent was square with rounded corners, and the 5, 10, and 20 cents were scalloped.
1 lilangeni coins look and feel so much like the British 1 pound coins that people successfully and illegally use them in British vending machines. The problem with this: a lilangeni coin is only worth about .09 of a British pound.
18-year-old King Mswati III became the ruling monarch in 1986.The king is an absolute monarch with supreme executive, legislative, and judicial powers. 
Sandy Cherrie
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