Swaziland is nothing like you imagine.
We are in Manzini, a large city, approximately in the center of the
country. All the girls of C-Squad are
living together in a house (such a blessing!). We are staying in bunk beds, have varied ministries and
are cooking up group dinners. It is
something I was really worried about. I
stressed about everyone liking the meals, about remaining in budget, about the
logistics of it all…but it is working out.
God has blessed us.
“Then Jesus said to his
disciples, ‘So I tell you to stop worrying about what
you will eat or wear. Life is more than food’…” Luke 12:22
The first day, I was so tense and worked up over the
unknowns of our circumstance, the possibility of failing, and the potential drama of living so closely with so
many. However, I vented…then I prayed; I
gave up the worries to God and asked Him to release me of those looming burdens. Since then, it has been
running smoothly (so appreciative for
this answered prayer)! I am thankful
that God lifted that weight off me
and has allowed me to enjoy the food and the community.
There are 4 care-points
in the city that teach pre-school and serve lunch to local children. Since there isn’t a single ministry to keep
all 25 of us busy, we are split. Some girls go to care-points to play with
kids and teach preschool, others are slated for Administrative and curriculum
development duties. It was said that
I would be good at curriculum, so that is what I’ve been doing for one
week. Along with 5 others I go to Kriek
(pronounced “Creek”) and Jumbo’s house; they are a South African missionary
couple working in Swaziland approximately 5 years. The first thing that hits you when you walk
in is the smell of coffee brewing. There is also a flat screen tv with shelves
full of movies and tv series. It is like
being back home at a friend’s house. We
have the tedious duty of reading
through a South African home-schooling kit.
The curriculum needs to be simplified
and duplicated for care-point pre-schools.
the full curriculum!
Our first challenge
was to read the entire curriculum. A
binder full of information, divided at each age, included notes of things to
watch out for, ways to make daily activities learning experiences, and instructive lessons for home schooling
a child from 0-7 years old. It was a
lot! We noted the important points and
starred the relevant activities. Many of
the parent notes and daily life advice had to be scrapped. Such things just aren’t reasonable for an
inexperienced teacher with 15-60 students!
(that’s right, classrooms can have anywhere between 15-SIXTY students on a given day)
Now, we duplicate. Each day we walk to the house and get to
work on dominos, shapes and dice for 12
classrooms. One full set of dominoes
includes 40 different colored,
construction paper dominoes…a total need of 480 dominoes! The six of us
trace, cut, paste, sort and count items to build an academic toolbox suitable for care-points. It is fairly dull and monotonous work, but
will have a lasting impact. It is easy
to judge my comfortable workplace
and feel as if I should be doing something else, something dirtier, something
harder. Yet, I know I was put in this
situation for a reason, and can do big things right where I am. There is a calmness and delight that comes with the knowledge that my efforts, though
backstage, will hold the spotlight and make a positive difference.
“Never worry
about anything. But in every situation
let God know what you need in prayers and requests while giving thanks. Then God’s peace, which goes beyond anything
we can imagine, will guard your thoughts and emotions through Christ Jesus.”
Philippians 4:6-7
