Hi friends! It’s been a while since I’ve blogged (in my defense, there isn’t wifi here) and I just wanted to catch you up on everything! I have loved my time here. It has gone by so fast, so I just wanted to take a moment to reflect on everything that has happened here. I wanted to give you a little peek into what my life here is like!
I start my day around 7 am. I roll out of the bunk bed, careful not to slam my head on the top bunk (like I’ve seen so many others do). Usually most people are awake already, and they all look so clean and put together while they read their Bibles in the “living room” while I stumble in, usually still wearing my awesome elephant shirt from the safari in South Africa and my increasingly dirty shorts.
Once I’m up and have grabbed some desperately needed coffee, I open my Bible. This has become one of my favorite parts of the day. At home, even last month, I wasn’t reading my bible everyday. But the Lord has placed a hunger inside of me to know Him better, and I pray this hunger is never satisfied. When it isn’t too hot or raining, I sit outside, drink my coffee, read my Bible, and journal while having the most beautiful view of the mountains that are surrounding us. Our house is in the middle of a care point, where kids come after school for food. There is a community garden, a church we attend on Sunday’s, a playground, an outhouse (where Megan and I were chased by a scorpion), a preschool, and a soccer field. It is absolutely beautiful.
Ministry looks a little different depending on the day. On Monday’s and Wednesday’s, we will stick around our house. We have helped in the preschool, which I loved. Other times we have cut grass with machetes and laid down bricks. I never thought I would cut grass with a machete and love it, but that’s Swaziland for you. Completely unexpected, but so worth it.
On Tuesday’s and Thursday’s, we walk three miles to our care point. That’s another thing I didn’t expect to love. Exercise is not my friend, yet I love this walk. We are in the bush of Swaziland, so there is a lot of open fields, and not a lot of cars or people. There are sugar cane fields for miles on both sides of us, while we walk on this winding dirt road. If you want to feel close to God, I highly suggest going on this walk. Some of my best conversations I’ve had with Him this month have been while I was walking to the care point completely humbled by the beauty of Swaziland.
We rarely see anyone on our walk to the care point except for Nate. Nate is one of the chopa drivers that the boys befriended during their man-istry time. He drives by us as we walk back home and will pick us up. Thanks Nate, you’re the real MVP. Anyway, getting to the care point, we’re almost there (3 miles later).
Once we start to get close to the care point, kids start coming out of nowhere. It’s hard to dwell on how tired and hot you are when you have possibly the cutest kids in the world running to you with huge grins and contagious laughter. The care point is one small building with one room and a little closet where we hide our water bottles and backpacks from curious little kids. There is a small shack where the gogo’s (community grandmothers) cook meals for the kids, a small building that has three bathrooms that most of us haven’t braved going into yet, and then a well. We usually stay for a few hours and play with the kids and pass out bible verses. And then we head home, praying Nate drives by to give us a ride.
Once our scheduled ministry is over for the day, some of us go into our hammocks, some play with kids on the playground, some watch the soccer games that start at five, and some of us catch up on laundry, journaling, and naps. I usually do a mix of these things until about five or six when a boy named Grasshopper comes looking for me. Every single day, he comes to the house looking for me. If he doesn’t see me outside journaling or reading, he will start asking people where I am until someone comes and finds me. I have so much love for this boy and his family. In his short life he has been through so much, but he has taught me about perseverance and depending on the Lord.
After dinner, if it isn’t my team’s turn to clean, we usually go straight into team time. Each team time looks a little different. Sometimes we share testimonies, sometimes it is listening prayer, sometimes it is worship where we sit in silence together and color, draw, or journal, and sometimes it is just watching a movie. I knew in Mozambique that I had a special team, but that has become even more obvious to me in Swaziland. This is a team that truly loves each other. We aren’t just friends or just a group of people that got put together, but we are really a family. We look after each other, pray for each other, and encourage each other. But what I love most is that the girls are showing the guys what good, Jesus loving girls are like. And the guys have completely changed mine and the other girl’s perspective on men.
They love us the way Jesus loves us. They give us grace (and usually chocolate) when we are having a bad day. Let me brag on them real quick. On Valentines Day, they surprised Haley, Hannah, Megan and me with a Coke, two chocolate bars, a fake rose, and a Valentines Day card. Come on, how cute is that?! I never thought my best Valentines Day would be in Swaziland!
After team time it usually around nine or ten and we all go to bed. Some of us sleep in tents, and some of us sleep in the house. My team gives each other goodnight hugs every night, and I am convinced we just might be the cutest team to ever go on the race. I might be a little biased. But anyway, that is what a typical day in Swaziland looks like. Of course, my words will never do this place justice, but I hope it gives you a little bit better of an idea of what it looks like here. It’s not just a place where HIV and Aids runs rampant. It isn’t just a place of poverty. It isn’t just a place of death. It is a place of beauty. It is a place full of survivors. It is a place where Jesus shines. Swaziland, just like Mozambique, will always have a special place in my heart.
God has continuously showed me how good he is. He has pursued me. He broke out of the box that I have had him in for so long. He is so much bigger than I ever thought. He has been working so much in my heart and in my spirit, and I am certain that I am not the same person I was, and I am excited (and a little nervous) to see what other pruning He wants to do in my life. From the bottom of my heart, I want to thank everyone that got me here. I am fully funded and my heart is so full knowing so many people believed in me enough to pray and give $17,417. It is truly amazing. I am so glad you get to go on this adventure with me!
