UPDATE BULEMBU, SWAZILAND-Mission trips impact: Bobbie Bisher’s parents were missionaries in India, she was just a little girl, but the good memories of God’s work lingered and she never lost her childhood passion to serve God in a foreign land. Her husband Harry, a carpenter/contractor by trade was waiting for God’s call, so when he heard Maury Buchanan from Mission Discovery tell about the African town of Bulembu, Swaziland his heart leaped. Could God be calling him too?
Harry and Bobbie believed that God was indeed calling them. For the last 2 and a half years the Bishers have been raising support for what is for they a dream come true! Harry and Bobbie left December 28th for Bulembu and have arrived there for the work ahead. Bobbie will work in the administration of the city and Harry will be a Project Overseer for construction projects in the city. Would you say a prayer for Harry and Bobbie today as they settle in to their new life in Africa!
The Bulembu Story: Bulembu, a mining town in Swaziland, used to be a thriving center of commerce filled with prosperity and hope until it was completely abandoned by the mining industry in 2001. What once had been the economic backbone of the country and sole support of this community was suddenly gone. The over 10,000 inhabitants of the town were forced to desert it as well, searching for jobs and survival. Left behind was a tremendous infrastructure of houses, schools, commercial buildings, industrial factories, churches, clinics and even a theater—all just waiting to be restored.
In 2006, a team of entrepreneurs and social developers saw the potential in the town as a beacon of hope for a dying country. They bought it and turned ownership over to a Christian organization, Bulembu Ministries Swaziland.
Bulembu Orphan Care: Swaziland’s AIDS rate has left a tide of orphaned children. Bulembu Ministries is committed to providing for orphans in homes so they become part of a caring family.
The Big Goal: Bulembu Ministries’ vision from God is to restore the town to
self-sufficiency by 2020. Bulembu will be filled with new enterprises, an active health care clinic, schools and churches. Bulembu will be a place where children can grow up to become contributing citizens and start their own families.
