For those of you that don’t know, I found out about the World Race in April from a beautiful woman named Elaina Rogers. She had gone on the World Race two years ago. When I asked her what advice she would give to someone thinking about doing the Race, her answer was “Do it!” When I asked her which of the countries she visited was the most beautiful, she said Swaziland (we laughed and agreed that the name of the country sounds like an African theme park). Fast-forward six months: I have been accepted to go on the World Race, Elaina is now my girlfriend, we have had a couple of route changes, we are going into month two of the race, and I am about to go to Swaziland to spend the month at El Shaddai children’s home (the same place where Elaina visited in Swaziland). Isn’t it crazy how God works?
It didn’t take long to see why Elaina loved El Shaddai. It’s hard not to fall in love with the place. The ministry provides abandoned and orphaned kids a safe home, meals, an education and most importantly God’s love and hope. The kids are adorable and super fun, the views of the mountains are beautiful, and the workers are all unique and amazing. God is definitely doing a mighty work at El Shaddai and rising up a generation that is going to rock both Swaziland and the continent of Africa.
It was a unique month for our squad because all six of our teams were there living, eating, worshiping and working together. We had our challenges at times, but we were able to experience what living in genuine community is all about. One challenge that we overcame was meals. We planned, shopped (on a budget of $3 per person per day), and cooked meals for 40 people on a small stove with four burners. We divided our squad into two shifts and assigned a team to cook each night. The team wrote out the ingredients for the meal they were going to cook. We sent one person to shop for the weeks worth of meals. Then the team that cooked was responsible for cooking and doing dishes on their night. It actually worked out quite well and we ate like champs.
Our mornings were filled with doing different jobs around the property. They varied from painting to cleaning to digging a hole for a septic tank. In the afternoon, we spent time with the kids. Every World Racer got matched up with a child from El Shaddai for the month. We were able to meet with them, help with homework, talk about life, encourage them, read the Bible with them, draw, play, etc. I was matched up with a boy named Verner. He is an older boy who was pretty quiet and didn’t like to come outside of his room much, so I also spent a lot of time with a little guy named Masotja and one of the workers named Banele.
It was a month full of encouragement, work, relationships, challenges, growth, and beauty. I’m super thankful for my time in El Shaddai! Elaina was right, just like her, Swaziland is unique and beautiful!
