This past month my squad has been all together in the kingdom of Swaziland (: We have been working with a missionary family who serve with Adventures in Missions here in Nsoko. Adventures has many care-points around Swaziland where children come to get a warm meal – for some, it’s the only meal for the day. We love on the kids and share Jesus through our actions when our saswati fails us. Twice a week there is discipleship that happens at the care-points, and local “shepherds” or leaders come and walk the children through lessons in faith. It’s been a filling month and it’s been the simplest I’ve had. I’ve been a tent dweller this month and I’ve loved it! We hitchhike to get places and walk about 5km to our ministry sites.
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Just last week as I sat outside of our squad house with some fellow squad mates – a flock of goats strutted by. I decided I would attempt to coral or catch one, but to no avail they had escaped (: There was a handful of local children around and they took it upon themselves to catch the goats. Well they did not only catch the goat, they pinned it to the ground. As one little fellow held down the goat’s hind legs and another held down the head, The boys took turns milking the goat and drinking from the udder of the poor creature. I felt like I was watching a sequel to the classic book, “Lord of the Flies.” My initial reaction was utter confusion and I wanted them to stop. It was like torture and I was condoning it all as I watched. The truth is that most of the children here in Swaziland aren’t nourished the same way children in North America are. Drinking that goat’s milk may have been the only dairy product they drank that day. How culture works in Swaziland is so different from North America, and it has been such an intriguing learning process this month.
Nsoko, the area we lived in this month is starkly different from North American life. We live out of so much privilege, privileges that we don’t need, but rather want. For instance, I haven’t had a washing machine this past month to wash my clothes, everything has been hand washed in buckets (a process that I have grown to respect :)…). Throughout the month my squad would make comments about “when” we would get a washing machine, but interestingly enough – the friends we made in Swaziland wash their clothes by hand, and have been doing so for years. Also, they will likely keep washing them that way well into the future. Some of the privileges we have in North America, that we often take for granted are luxuries that others in different cultures have managed to survive without, and will continue to thrive without.
The whole race has been a season of me realizing the objects and experiences that I think are necessary but truly aren’t. I’ve observed things done differently, not wrong, but differently.
For instance – clothes washing and goat milking.
As my squad transitions to South America today – I look forward to seeing more new things and experiencing culture that I am familiar with in new ways.
If you have questions about my race thus far – feel free to comment below and I look forward to answering (:
