The Summit in Swaziland Influences a Fatherless Generation

Situation: Influence in a fatherless generation

Young people and adults are struggling with an orphan heart; it is fatherless generation.

We have a leadership crisis in our country. We are in a very difficult position economically. We are also struggling spiritually. There is an “orphan heart” we struggle with in our nation. We are not just dealing with physical orphans as a result of HIV and AIDS* where many parents are dying as a result of this pandemic, we’re also struggling spiritually as psychological and emotional orphans. Young people and adults are struggling with an orphan heart; it is fatherless generation. This is a big struggle for us in our country.

So how do we make the change?

How do we reach out to the people who are crying out in desperation, and bring about change in their lives so they can experience the love and acceptance of God? So they can know what it means to be a child of God and to walk in that kind of freedom and that kind of blessing?

Personally I think God is raising up people who are recognizing the need and saying, “I want to make a change. I want to be an influencer.” 

Through The Global Leadership Summit, we have seen people who want to be influencers in the community, which is key. They are saying, “Can I use the tools that I have been given to partner with you so that we can make a better country? I want to influence the country and the leadership, and through that, make the necessary changes so the country changes and becomes productive, not only for our generation, but for generations to come.”

We cannot stay where we are.  We keep looking at the vision and see how God will take us there.

We can all work together in order to make the necessary changes, not just now, but in generations to come.

Vision: The country wins when leaders get better.

We have a huge passion to see more leadership development in our country. We believe as the leaders get better, the country wins and our whole county improves. We can influence the government, education, religion, health care, business, etc.

Within our team that brings the GLS to Swaziland, we select people from each of these sectors which we call “the seven mountains.” We identify key leaders within those seven mountains and then we spend time with them almost on a weekly basis just to influence them, encourage them and motivate them as they invite leaders from their different sectors to attend the Summit. We work very hard to touch top leaders because this trickles down and ultimately effects everyone.

My primary motivator in pursuing this vision is Christ’s love. It compels me forward. I have a passion for the lost. I care about the things God cares about whether it is leadership for a country, the prime minister, any of the leaders in our seven mountains or our young people. All of this is influences the next generation.

We cannot stay where we are.  We keep looking at the vision and see how God will take us there.

Solution: Equipping leaders to bring transformation

The Global Leadership Summit provides tools and equips the leaders of our country in all the spheres. It helps us recognize the situations we are dealing with on a day-to-day basis, creating awareness. But it’s not just leaving it there—the Summit helps us figure out how to bring about change. This is fundamental in the whole process.

Just to be a catalyst for change has really stirred up a passion within me to keep striving forward.

Leaders see the value in the Summit. Some of our leaders have come alongside and said, “I want to have a greater influence. I want to sponsor tickets so more people can attend.”

Impact: Influencing the next generation

As a result of the Summit, bigger organizations are developing a servant’s heart for the next generation.

Because of our passion for the next generation, we hosted our first Youth GLS event in 2017. We invited 10 of the top leaders from all the schools, primarily from grade 10-12, and they brought students, teachers and principals with them.

We created an atmosphere where people could sit around a table with the CEO of an organization at the head of every table. We had both the video teaching and the small group discussion. Then the CEOs would speak into the lives of everyone sitting around the table.

One of the key things we have seen as a result of the youth event is a desire for peers to mentor peers, and see how people have grown in their interactions with one another. Having a CEO of a big organization sitting at the table was enough to inspire them to say, “I can achieve this if I just keep moving” and for them to then motivate their peers.

Thank you for making the Summit possible in Swaziland.

Because of the Summit, I have become a better father and a better husband. God has really challenged me to become a better leader and influencer in that capacity. It also instilled a passion within me to make a difference in people’s lives, and for God to use me to be an influence one life at a time. Thank you very much for the opportunity to learn and grow and be a part of an amazing movement where God is using us in such a supernatural way.  We cannot even begin to measure what He is doing. Just to be a catalyst for change has really stirred up a passion within me to keep striving forward.

Thank you for your generosity and for all the love and compassion you have shown.

On behalf of myself and Swaziland, I want to say thank you very much for the contribution you have made to bring the GLS to our country. Without you, I do not think we would have experienced the impact we have. Thank you for your generosity and for all the love and compassion you have shown. May the Lord kindly repay you for the way you have shown kindness to us.

*It’s important to know that HIV/AIDS hit Swaziland harder than any other country in the world and has the notoriety of having the worst HIV percentage rate in the world. At one time, the statistic reflected that 9 out of 10 children would not make it to the age of 31. For more info from the CDC, click here.