Hello from Swaziland! After a bit of a journey (but nothing
compared to our previous travel through Africa), we
finally made it to Swaziland. We’ve been here for about a week and will be
here until the first week in January. We’re here with an Adventures in Missions (AIM)
base working with different villages. This first week, we’ve actually been a bit immobile; the van we’re
supposed to be using for transport was loaned out for a wedding (apparently
weddings are week long events?). But
it’s been cool to get to know the kids and the people in the community in which
we live. We’ve spent our time hanging
out and playing with the kids. Today, we
threw a Christmas party for the kids which of course involved a big water
balloon fight. (Yes I realize that most
Christmas parties involve making snow angels; welcome to the Southern
Hemisphere!) When we get the van back
for next week, we’ll be going around to different care points that AIM
has already established; we’ll be distributing food, building relationships
with people, playing with kids, etc. It’s gonna be a great month.
So a little bit about Swaziland. Sadly, what people typically think of when
they hear Swaziland
is AIDS/HIV. Swaziland
is the country with the highest rate of this epidemic. There’s two statistics that Swaziland
holds. By 2020, there will no longer be
anyone above the age of 18 living in Swaziland;
by 2050, Swaziland
will cease to exist as a country. Basically, the middle generation of Swaziland
is almost nonexistent. There is a generation
of grandmas (gogos as they’re called here) and there’s a whole ton of kids, but
the AIDS/HIV epidemic has killed off the middle generation. So according to the statistics, by 2020, the
gogos will have all died off, leaving only the kids, and by 2050, because there
will be only kids left, and they’ll all either die off because they follow the
promiscuous patterns of the past or will just not be able to survive without an
older generation to take care of them, the country will cease to exist.
So why are we here? It’s pointless, right? In 40 years, it’s not even going to matter,
right? Wrong! Personally, I think that 2050 is only a
number. And my God is bigger than a
number. We’re here to help in the
process of rising up this younger generation to be men and women of God. As they turn to Christ and turn away from the
sexual curses of past generations, Swaziland
will no longer be defined by AIDS/HIV but by Christ. One aspect of this ministry that I love is
that when we work with the natives here, it’s not them following our lead as we
minister and they translate. They’re
being empowered and taught how to do ministry, and we’re coming up under them
and assisting them as they put what they learn into practice. So when we leave, and if for some reason, AIM
was to leave Swaziland,
the indigenous people here will still be able to continue their work and fight
to bring their country to redemption.
So let 2050 come. And in 40 years, when I research Swaziland,
I’ll see that not only does the country still exist, but they will be a country
that has been redeemed by Christ and broken free from the chains of
AIDS/HIV.
Train up a child in the way he should go;
even when he is old, he will no depart from it.
Proverbs
22:6
