Greetings from Swaziland. Here is an update on the ministry here. My team along with 2 other teams (20 people in all) are at an organization this month called “El Shaddai”, which is an orphanage that homes about 40-50 orphans from infants to teens. It is located on a mountain top (literally on top of a mountain). It is beautiful here: Distant mountains, trees, a river, hills, mountain goats and cows. Every morning I wake up, sit on a giant boulder, and spend time with God as I stare in awe of His creation. We have no internet (for internet we drove down the mountain about a little over an hour for this one day only). Our living conditions are pretty good. I sleep in a cement hut with 3 other girls and unwelcomed bugs. We have a shower with warm water and a western toilet (Hallelujah). There is another hut that has a kitchen and dining room.
The teams take turns doing the different ministries here. The first week my team worked with the preschool from 8am-12pm. We taught the lessons (teaching ABC’s, shapes, numbers, etc.), we helped children one-on-one during the lessons, and we played and loved on them during free play. From 3pm-5:30pm, everyone helps out with tutoring for the older children. We help them with homework or study for exams. Every night from 5:30pm-6pm there is chapel for the children. My team was in charge of hosting chapel the first week. We came up with the songs for worship and took turns sharing the word. I spoke about having a positive attitude in everything you do and being thankful. On Saturdays from 12pm-2pm, we get to hang out with all of the children. We plan fun activities and games for them. Sundays we have a church service at 11am. People from the community attend as well. The past two Sundays, 2 of my fellow racers preached. I am most likely preaching this Sunday, so please pray for me. This week my team worked in the baby house. The youngest is 2 months old and the oldest 5yrs old. From 8am-12pm, I am singing, reading, dancing, playing, talking, praying, doing whatever I can think of to keep these children busy and entertained. God has definitely given me a passion for toddlers.
One thing that has been exciting this month so far, besides killing all of the creatures and bugs every night in my hut, would be when a group of us prayed over our contacts back. She told us that she hurt her back a while ago and that she is in pain and cannot sit down. She is going back to America the end of this month and is dreading sitting for the 19 hour plane ride. So we stood her in the middle of us and prayed “warrior style” over her, which is all of us praying aloud at the same time. When we were done we asked her how she felt. She said she was good. She sat down and said she felt no pain. We then began to pray and thank God for what He had done.
God is powerful. My prayer is that God’s Will will be done on earth as it is in heaven. I pray that we do exactly what Jesus did and destroy the works of the enemy. There are no people sick or in bondage in heaven so God has given us the power through the Holy Spirit to bring God’s Kingdom to earth. I pray that miracles become normal. I pray that Salvation and deliverance become normal. Because this is what “normal” Christianity is and should be. Pray this over me, over my team, over yourselves, and over Christians around the world.
Thank you so much for your prayers, support, and encouragement. I hope that this blessed you all and I love that God is omnipresent because He is here with me and He is there with you. God Bless!
