Before arriving in Nsoko I knew that I would be living in a country that had the highest HIV rate in the world. I also knew that it was a poverty stricken community and that I would see things this month that wouldn’t be so easy on the eyes. But obviously, you never know the extremity of a situation until you’re in the same room with it.
Our first morning in Nsoko we woke up to eat our regular, oatmeal breakfast and talk to Ericka about what we would be doing this month and learn a couple of not so fun facts about Swaziland.
And what we learned that morning made me eager to show these people how much there Heavenly Father loved them.
(Photo credit: Megan Kennedy)
We are in southern Swaziland where the HIV crisis is its worse and about 40-60% of the population is unemployed. Swaziland provides free ARVs but the cost of transportation prevents them from getting to the clinic and most do not even eat enough throughout the day to take the ARVs without it damaging their body. Also, because HIV is such an issue here there is a generation gap between the ages of 20 and 40.
The community here has not been taught good theology and very few know how to read. Therefore, theological distortion is also an issue here. There are several Jericho churches which practice ancestor worship as well as Zionist who believe that once you’re a Christian you never sin again.
(Photo credit: Megan Kennedy)
Our desire here has been to share scripture at each care point and as many big foundational truths as we can. We challenge the children to memorize the verses we study each day and challenge them to talk to God throughout the day. We share that whether they are happy or sad, God is with them, ready to comfort or celebrate with His presence.
The time we spend at each care point is precious to us and I hope they feel the same way. We are not the Prince of Peace but our love for the people and our community with them is hopefully an encouragement to find peace and joy from Daddy upstairs.
