This third month of the World Race is being spent in Swaziland up in the mountains. My team and two other teams are helping out at El Shaddai, an orphanage and school located on top of a beautiful mountain. Every day we play with the kids, teach a Pre-K class, and lead a chapel service for the kids. On top of that we are also in charge of the church services on Sundays.
The age range of children at El Shaddai ranges from baby all the way up to roughly 13 years old. This orphanage makes only a small impact on the dilemma which is plaguing the country of Swaziland. It is estimated that by the year 2050, the people of Swaziland will no longer exist due to the AIDS epidemic. The majority of the children at this orphanage have been orphaned because one or both of their parents have died due to AIDS.
It’s so easy to tell that all these children want is someone to pay attention to them. They constantly run up to us and just want to talk or play. They so badly desire the affection of a parent that they seek for attention from any source they can find. Many of the children have been abused and malnourished when they were younger, and thus are harder to have open up to us. All in all, it is a great privilege to be able to show these kids just how much God loves them. Whether it be through talking with them, holding them in our arms during church, or simply throwing a ball back and forth, we bring them joy because someone is paying attention to them and loving them.
On top of that, this month is a time for us to really spend time with God. There is quite a bit of downtime up here on the mountain. We can’t really leave because it takes about an hour to get down and when it rains, it’s impossible for cars to avoid getting stuck. With really no place to be, or intense schedule to follow, it’s easy to really dive into the Bible and just spend time with God. This month is a month about really learning how to do life rather than just ministry. I’m thankful to be able to spend so much time with my Father this month; it’s definitely restful and is going to propel me and my team into month four being in China.
It’s going to be sad to leave this beautiful place with its mountains, stars, clouds, and sun but there is a season for everything, and we must continue this journey of the World Race to bring hope to the broken country of China.
