*This blog was written August 9th, 2013. Internet in Africa wasn't steady enough to post it!
Today, I find myself sitting on the patio of Nisela Safari and Resort while the Swaziland sun shines down on me and a light breeze blows through my hair. It’s a stunning morning in Swaziland. We have been in Nsoko, Swaziland for about 2 weeks and have been working with AIM’s Anchor Center.
This month is manistry month which means the men are all working together and the girls are working in two different places. Because of manistry month, my team changed again and I was placed on a team with four beautiful women. We work really well together and God is moving so much in this team! I never thought it would take eight months to really go deep with a team but I’m so grateful for it!
Swaziland is a beautiful country but unfortunately it is very spiritually corrupt. Swaziland is also corrupted by a sexual culture. If you don’t already know it is estimated that the beautiful country of Swaziland will cease to exist by 2050 if the AIDS epidemic doesn’t get under control. Most of the children now are being raised by elderly grandparents known as go-go’s. Most families live in a one room home. Imagine what children see when everyone is sleeping in one room and it is such a sexual culture. By the age of three most children in the Nsoko region have been exposed to some form of sexual abuse. It’s sickening. I found myself angry at how God could abandon a country like this where little kids are experiencing so much injustice. And as I pleaded with him on the base of the Anchor center He told me that He’s got it under control still. I had just finished reading Job and this situation is no different than the end of Job. Job 42:2 "I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted."
Most of our ministry has been working at different care points that AIM has around the south of Swaziland. There are 10 care points and the children there get fed, preschool, a playground, etc. We are also doing various work projects around the Anchor center, which is the largest care point that AIM has near Nsoko. The Anchor center has a church on site, a community garden that provides veggies for about 35 families, a local garden, a community well with safe drinking water, a preschool, a community clinic, and a futbol/netball field. It is a great asset to the community.
It has been great working with the various care points and getting to love on the kids a bit while we can! We only have a little more than a week left here then we fly out to Thailand to start month 9 of ministry!
