Lodging: We spent the month overlooking the most gorgeous view. We were on a mountaintop overlooking a valley and frequently sitting in or above the clouds. It was cold for many of the days but we were able to be cozy in our dorm-style bedrooms under a comforter and our sleeping bags. A few nights we would gather around a fire singing songs and roasting marshmallows. I spent the entire month on our mountaintop and away from the rest of civilization. It was lovely. 
Food: This was easily the best month for food. We cooked for ourselves in a full service kitchen- oven, stove, refrigerator. It was great. We had one team member go to the grocery store weekly and there was a decent variety, especially compared to what we have seen in past months. We were on our own for breakfast and lunch and then my teammate Monique cooked us a lovely dinner each night. Once a week we would eat a meal together as a whole “house.” There were two other teams with us this month and the community among the teams was amazing!
People: Our interaction with Swazi people was limited. Our contacts were from South Africa so our interaction with Swazi people was just the children at the orphanage.
Ministry: Amazing. We working with El Shaddai Orphanage with 50-80 kids ranging from infant to 7th grade. After that they move to another campus an hour or so away to complete high school. These kids were great. I fell in love. There were a lot of wounds beneath their outgoing exterior that I got a glimpse into as I built relationships with a few as I helped tutor them in the afternoon. During the month the Lord was conveniently teaching me about my own “orphan” heart through a book called Spiritual Slavery to Spiritual Sonship. That only made me want for them more- want for them to know how much the Father loves them. Our mornings were spent doing manual labor on the dorms while the kids were at school, and the afternoons/evenings went to tutoring and leading a worship/church service. I felt like my capacity to love grew this month, only by the grace of God, and I loved every minute of it. Such a great month!!
Prayer Requests:
– Continued boldness for our team in sharing the gospel especially in the context of our own stories. Pray that we would all learn more diving into and preaching the Word.
-Pray that I would learn to seek God in new ways and always be obedient when he wants to stretch me in new areas.
-Pray for us as we are praying into what God desires of us after the race, but also pray that despite that we would remain very present in all that He has left for us in the next two months.
Thank you for all the love and support!!
