My favourite part of Swaziland was the people that we got to
build relationships with during our time there. Pastor Gift was a HUGE blessing to all of us. He taught us so much by the example he gives
in the way he lives. Three different translators
worked with us every day, and we got to know them and love them. But I would have to say that the people who
captured my heart the most were the children, six in particular. I would like to take this opportunity to
introduce you to them.
Abigail is 15-years-old. She was raped, is now pregnant, and her baby is due to be born in a
couple weeks. I got a few opportunities
to talk to her, and one of the questions I asked is what her dreams are. One of her dreams is to go to school to
become a social worker. Another of her dreams
is to get married and have a family, but she thinks that because she’s not a
virgin anymore, no man will ever want to marry her. Abigail is beautiful. She is loving and kind, talented, and very
patient. She was a huge source of encouragement
to me. During one of our Friday
afternoon girl’s meetings, a few of us girls shared about how much God loves us,
and that he has a purpose and a plan for everyone. We spoke life over the girls and prayed for
them each individually. Abigail told us
that she is afraid to give birth, and she asked that we would pray for that,
which we were more than happy to do. We
also prayed that she would find her purpose, and that she would not give up on
the dreams God has given her.
wanted to be close to the G42 center, so he ran back. He doesn’t really have a place to stay. He and his sister were left a tiny, one-room
cement house when their parents died, but he is not welcome there. Clive’s sister is a prostitute and has a
different man over every night, which means that Clive gets kicked out. Clive is incredibly sweet. He has an amazing smile, and he squeals when
he gets excited. He loves to sing, and he
is always up for a hug. Clive even took
the time to teach me how to properly hand wash my clothes.
always helps to keep the other boys in line. He longs to be loved by people. He goes to school, and he can speak fairly good English. Sabelo would always help me out with
translating when I needed him to. He is
a very smart kid, and he has so much potential.
is the biggest. Manza is a little
charmer. He has the most entertaining
mannerisms and expressions, and he always makes me laugh. He is a good boy who loves to cause trouble. He is very caring, and he is always willing
to share what little he has. Manza is really
good at listening (usually), and he is a very good older brother, always
looking out for his younger brothers.
brothers and takes things the hardest. He is also very entertaining. It is
really funny to watch his reactions to things when he experiences something for
the first time or when something surprises him. I let him listen to my I-pod one day, and it fascinated him, especially
when it was Michael Jackson who was singing.
especially at the end of a long day. He
also loves to be tickled, even though he says he’s not actually ticklish. I would always tell him I loved him, and he
would just look at me and say, “Yes,” in that way that only Musa could. I will never forget the first day I saw
Musa. He was wearing an open jacket with
no t-shirt underneath, and he had on his rock star shades. It was definitely love at first sight.
parents died from AIDS. Our group would
make supper for them every night, and then someone would walk them back to the
one-room house they all sleep in because they were too scared to walk alone. Every night before walking back from their house,
we got to pray with them and receive multiple good night hugs and kisses. This was one of my favourite parts of every
day.
On our last night in Swaziland, our World Race group took
them out to a restaurant. It was one of
the highlights of Swaziland to be able to watch them experience eating at a
restaurant for what was most likely their first time ever. They had a wonderful time, and they were
fascinated with everything. There was a
water wall, and they were all on their hands and knees looking up to see where
the water was coming from. When they got
their food, they were very proper and used good manners. They used every piece of the seven pieces of
cutlery they were given, and they even cut up their French fries and ate them
with a fork.
communicating the best I could despite the language barrier. Leaving them was one of the hardest things I
have ever had to do. It does not seem
fair to me. They are so precious and
lovable, and I don’t get how God could leave them without parents to love them
and take care of them. Part of why it
was so hard for me to leave is because I don’t know what is going to happen to
them. I don’t know who will step in and
take our place watching out for them. I wrestled
with this for a few days, and then one day I stumbled upon Isaiah 17.10 which
says:
“You have forgotten
God your Saviour; you have not remembered the Rock, your fortress.”
I realized that I was forgetting God. I
was forgetting how big and how great He is. I was forgetting how incredibly much He loves
those kids. He loves them a lot more than
I ever will, and He desires great things for each and every one of them. They are His
children. Our team loved them and poured
into them, we prayed over them and for them, and now God will take what we gave
and use it.
