The Kind of Ministry You Can't Measure

One of the greatest gifts of serving at Project Canaan for the past eleven years has been watching our children grow up.

When I first started coming to Eswatini, there was one little girl who was almost always by my side. She was incredibly shy, but somehow, she always managed to be wherever I was. We didn't have long conversations. We didn't need to. She simply wanted to be close.

Then life changed.

COVID kept me from traveling to Eswatini for a few years, and when I finally began spending more time here again in 2022, she wasn't that little girl anymore. She had grown up, and like most teenagers, she had become much quieter and more independent.

I spent the next few years trying to rebuild what we once had. I prayed for her often. I looked for opportunities to spend time with her. I tried to make little deposits into our relationship whenever I could. If I'm honest, I wasn't sure any of it was making a difference.

Then something changed. I honestly can't tell you when it happened.

There wasn't one conversation or one breakthrough moment. About six weeks ago she simply started showing up at my office every afternoon after school. Before going home to change clothes or do her chores, she'd stop by just to say hello. Some days she'd stay for a few minutes. Other days she'd stay much longer. Somewhere along the way, the walls she'd spent years building slowly began to come down.

Last month she had a difficult day at school. Something had happened that deeply hurt her, and the principal invited her to come talk about it and she sat there in complete silence. Finally, she quietly said there was only one person she wanted to talk to, "Auntie Hannah."

Later that afternoon we sat together on a bench overlooking the beautiful hills of Project Canaan. For the first time in years, she told me everything. She shared what had happened, how she was feeling, what had hurt her, and the questions she was carrying.

As I sat there listening, I found myself thanking God over and over again. Not because I had all the answers and not even because I said anything profound but because after years of praying, showing up, and simply loving her, she trusted me enough to let me into her heart again.

Those moments don't happen overnight. They happen after years of consistency, presence, and faithfulness. They happen because someone is there. As I reflected on that conversation, I was reminded that this is exactly why your partnership matters.

Over time, life changes. Families move, jobs change, and financial situations shift. We've recently had several faithful monthly partners reach a season where they simply aren't able to continue giving. We're incredibly grateful for the partnership they've shared with us, and we're praying that God would raise up new people to step into the story.

As those seasons change, we're praying that God would raise up new people to step into the story. Maybe you've been reading these updates for a while and have wondered how you could be part of what God is doing here.

Would you prayerfully consider becoming one of our monthly ministry partners? Your monthly partnership makes stories like this possible.

Monthly giving doesn't just help cover expenses. It creates the consistency that allows relationships like this one to grow over years instead of weeks. It allows us to keep showing up day after day until a child knows exactly where to go when they need someone.

One of the things I'm most excited about this fall is something our Spiritual Life team has been working toward for a long time. Every child who comes to Project Canaan arrives before the age of two. As they grow older, many begin asking the same questions. Where did I come from? Why am I here? What happened to my family?

When our children turn twelve, Ian and Janine Maxwell sit down with each of them and lovingly share their story. Those conversations are incredibly important, but they also open the door to questions, emotions, and processing that doesn't end in a single afternoon.

Over the past several weeks, our Spiritual Life team has been working to develop a new curriculum called “My Story Matters.” Beginning in September, we'll pilot it with all our children who are twelve and older. Our prayer is that these students won't simply learn the facts of their story, but that they'll begin to understand their story through the lens of God's story. We want them to know that their past does not define them, that they have immeasurable worth, and that they are deeply loved by their Heavenly Father.

I still can't believe this is what I get to be part of every single day. I get to sit on benches with teenagers who are learning to trust again. I get to watch children discover that their story matters because they matter to God. I get to help create resources that will remind them of that truth for years to come. And every bit of it is possible because of people like you.

Whether you've prayed for us, encouraged us, given once, or faithfully supported us month after month, thank you. You are making investments that often can't be measured until years later, when a teenage girl quietly says, "The only person I want to talk to is Auntie Hannah."

Those are the moments that remind me that saying "yes" to God's call all those years ago was worth every step.

With gratitude, 

Hannah

Your monthly partnership makes stories like this possible. If God is leading you to invest in the stories He's writing at Project Canaan, we'd be honored to have you join us as a monthly ministry partner.