Swaziland breaks my heart. Every direction I turn my head I see some one dying, hungry, alone, or lost. This is the saddest country I have ever been to. HIV/AIDS is eating this country up and leaving wives who have lost their husband, mothers who are now dying from what killed their husbands, and children without anyone to care for them. One day does not go by without us hearing of someone new who has the most heartbreaking story. I knew this was going to be a heavy month of ministry but I have learned to love it through the hardship.
Here are a few stories of some of the ministry we have been involved in since coming to Nskoko, Swaziland:
Our first day here we met Du-du. She is dying of AIDS and literally wasting away. She is skin and bones now and in her final days. She is leaving behind a 7 month old baby and a 7 year old little girl. She is terrified right now. When we went into her bedroom to pray for her the Spirit of fear was overwhelming. She is scared of death, she is scared of what will happen to her babies, she is filled with fear completely. The next day my teammates Sara and Natalie went with her and Pastor Gift to the hospital. They held her hand for hours and tried to ease the fears that were consuming her. Death is coming and she cannot stop it, she can only change the way she will receive it. I pray Du-du finds peace before she passes.
Her father passed away a few years back and Pastor Gift suspects that her entire family is now infected with HIV. The have never been tested though. She is full of life and has such a comforting Spirit. I met her last Saturday when we had a pool party with 10 other teenage girls who have lost their fathers and Pastor has now ministering to them as a father would. We had pizza, swam, painted nails, and talked about purity. If God can change the hearts of 10 girls and make them strong in their faith they can transform this nation. That is what Pastor believes and that is why he invests his time in these girls. At church on Sunday I had a vision about Ncebo. She was standing in a field of flowers and Jesus was with her. He was putting on her a crown, jeweled necklaces, and she was in the most beautiful gown. He got down on one knee in front of her, grabbed her hand and said “Necebo, every time I look at you I see you as beautiful as you are right now. I love you and that will never change.” Tears filled her eyes when I told her. She touched my heart so much in that moment. Later she told me she had no food to eat so I had to do something about that. Yesterday, I bought enough food for her family to last at least a month. When we delivered it Necebo and her mother began to cry. I said this is not a gift from me, this is a gift from the Lord. He loves you and is always there even when you think nobody is. I was only able to feed one family while this entire nation is starving. But I have hope that God asked me to feed that one family so that they will eventually be able to feed this nation with a never ending supply of God’s love. Necebo has stolen my heart here in Swaziland.
Her name is Zotwa. She is 18 years old. She lives alone in hut. All of her family is dead. She feels alone in this world. The only way she can provide for herself is to prostitute herself, so she does. She puts on her nicest dress she has and walks to the military barracks down the road to find some work for the night. She has a little hunchback because she is literally so weighed down in life it is now taking a toll on her body. I look into her eyes and see a searching spirit, searching for something that will save her and bring her peace. Zotwa is searching and the only thing that will rescue her is the Lord. Tonight, Ali and myself will be spending the night with her at her home. We will be living with her and loving her. She speaks very little English so I am praying that the Spirit will take over when words are needed. My heart breaks for lost women who sell their bodies. For women who think they have no other way out, because I believe with the Lord, there is always a way. These women need to find hope so that they can then allow themselves for a chance at freedom. We are praying Zotwa finds freedom. I know I will not know what it is truly like to be in her shoes after one night at her home, but Zotwa will know after one night that I care, that her Father cares for her and always has.
Please stay tuned to read about my night with Zotwa…
