For the entire month, our primary ministry was with an Adventures in Missions base in the Nsoko region of Swaziland. We spent much of our time serving at a carepoint, which is a place where children can get food, water, and a message from the Bible. We would walk 3 miles through the Swaziland countryside to this carepoint and find ourselves being attacked with hugs by countless children! We were truly blessed to love on these kids and do what we could to help then in any way we could.
We also did other things including manual labor and pool ministry (where the guys would play pool with Swazi men and pray for them). In summary, it was a month that allowed us to see many different characteristics and areas of the country.
This month was extremely difficult.
First were the physical aspects: the dirt that would never leave your clothes, the bathrooms filled with spiders, the outside showers which seemed like a football-field away, the hot sun, the constant feeling of dirtiness, and the lack of drinkable tap water (just to name a few).
Then were the emotional aspects: the sadness that comes with seeing true and total poverty, the despair of seeing malnourished and half-naked children, the irritation that comes with living with too many people, and the constant soul-searching.
And at last were the spiritual aspects: the constant spiritual warfare coming at every direction.
It was extremely easy to get discouraged and let the difficulties distract from what actually was true. Because throughout everything,
God was there.
Yes there was pain and despair through malnourished children, uncomfortable living conditions, scary creatures, and demonic activity. But God was always still there!
He was there in the cool breeze at night, the roaring thunder, and the beautiful dragonfly that followed us on a prayer walk. He was there in the ice-cold cokes across the street, the hot coffee served to me at night, and the friendly driver who picked my team up on a hot day for free. He was also there in each of my six incredible and beautiful teammates, who grew into a truly close family.
I can choose to look at what is difficult in my life, or I can choose to see the goodness of the Lord throughout difficult situations. The Lord is at work everywhere, even in Nsoko, Swaziland. It is a place that most have forgotten about. But the Lord hasn’t. If He is working there, He is working where you are currently at.
Will you let Him use you?
It was a true blessing to see the Lord at work this past month. Here’s to living with a kingdom-mindset this next month in Madagascar.
JM
