The Villages of Swaziland…

Ministry in the Villages of Swaziland…

 

“Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” ~Matthew 19:14

 

[this happened several weeks ago while our whole squad was together in Swaziland]

 

 

Dropped off at a bus stop, Molly, Krystle, and I walk down a dirt path that seems to split every so often.  We keep walking passing many homesteads and fields of food.  When we don’t see the homestead we’re looking for, a friend of Molly’s from 2005, we ask two young boys and two mothers.  They point back to where we’ve come from and so we start walking.  Then Molly stops to ask four guys playing cards at the front of their homestead.  “Excuse me, do you know where Gladys lives?”  They respond by letting us know we’ve come to right place because she lives there.

 

 

(A homestead is where everyone in the family with that last name live.  All the homes are built in the same area, to make up a little community.  If a girl grows up in a homestead, she leaves to live in her husband’s homestead with his family.)

 

We walked up to Gladys’ front door, knocked and when she came to answer, she couldn’t believe she was looking at Molly’s face again…she was back!  She didn’t know what to say, except, “Oh, Molly…Molly, it’s Molly.”  We go to the side of the house where there is shade and where she can call for her little four year old granddaughter, Nosepo! (sp?)  This was “Molly’s girl,” her favorite.  She had spent a lot of time with this little girl and was so excited to see her again, a couple years older and much taller.

 

 

Molly asked if she could see her house again.  Gladys was a little embarrassed of her little house b/c she hadn’t had a chance to clean up, but we didn’t mind at all.  It’s a little one room house made out of concrete walls and a thatch roof.  Just a bedroom and kitchen.  But she was so thankful for how God has provided.  She talked a lot about how God has worked things out for them.  We spent time talking to Gladys and holding Nosepo.  Before we left, we prayed for both of them, gave hugs and went on our way.

 

 

I loved seeing the relationship Molly had built with Gladys and Nosepo.  I enjoyed seeing what God was doing even two years later.  I was privileged and thankful that I could be a part of this little reunion and seeing what a huge impact Molly had made in both of their lives a couple years ago.  I loved seeing Gladys so thankful for all she had, even though to us it seems like so little.

 

 

We left Gladys’ house and headed to a homestead full of kids, many Molly had also worked with a couple years ago.  When we arrived with several different fruits for them to eat, many kids surrounded as we passed the food out.  Molly talked to one of the mothers in the homestead about her kids.  In their culture, if a guy has more than one wife if he can afford it.  One man in that homestead had two wives; eight kids with each wife.  There were kids everywhere and they just kept coming.  There were other families besides that guy and his wives, so there were at least 25 kids surrounding.  Molly had gotten to share God’s love with a few of the children two years before, but the families needed God’s love so much.

 

 

Molly was paying for a few of the children to go to school and they asked if she could pay for the other kids, but there were so many and Molly decided to see what she could do.  My heart went out to all these children.  I didn’t know what attention they got usually, how they were all fed, but we held them and talked to them during the short time we were able to be there.  I prayed for all those gathered around us before we left.

 

 

As we walked away down the dirt path we had taken to their homestead, they begged for us to stay longer.  As I was walking, three kids grabbed onto my arms on each side.  They kissed my arms and held on tight, walking with me all the way out to our bus stop to head back.  They didn’t want to let go and I wanted to take all of them with me.  I had only spent a few short moments with them, but they had already captured my heart.  I wanted them to know how special they were, how much God loved them, and how much He would take care of them.  Maybe someday…maybe I’ll have the chance to go back and spend more time with them, but until then…I pray!

 

 

I thank God for giving me a glimpse of the different families in Swazi, how people live, and the chance to spend time with these specific people on that day: Gladys, Nosepo, and all the parents and kids at this other homestead. (Molly knows many more names than I do since she spent more time with them in 2005).

 

God will use whatever we can give, whatever we’re willing to give…a few moments, a few days, a few months, or just a simple prayer.

 

 

“Teach me to do Your will, for You are my God; may Your good Spirit lead me on level ground.” ~Psalm 143:10

 

“Defend the cause of the weak and fatherless, maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed.” ~Psalm82:3

 

“He who oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors God.” ~Proverbs 14:31