This month has been a season of growth in my relational depth with Christ – really resting and standing firm in Him and allowing him to fight for me like He says he will. There are more stories to come about this lesson, but I felt like an update on this month would be best first.
So what have I been up to this month?!
Mostly, I’ve been helping out at various care points in villages. I’ve also had the opportunity to spend time with my teams Swazi family and make some great friendships there! This month has been a HOT one, but I’m thankful for the breeze at night and the ventilation my tent offers. And yes, I am living in my tent – and I LOVE it. 🙂
Let me explain what a care point is. It is a place for pre-schoolers to come and learn English. It’s also kind of like a daycare so their parents can work without worry. The little ones get taught in the mornings, are fed a meal of soy protein and rice, and then have playtime for the afternoon. After lunch, the older kids come and receive a free meal. They eat and play together and are discipled for a short time before they head home. All in all, each day goes from 9 am – 3 pm. The care points were established to provide a safe place for kids to come to. Where kids can be kids, play, and receive love that they may not get at home. We help teach English, feed them and play with them until the day is done.
I’m not gunna lie – kids are NOT my forte. So when I heard I would be working with kids again, my heart dropped in disappointment. But God has a funny way of blessing you when you obey him even when it’s hard. There was one day while I was walking to ministry that God just flat out asked me, “Danielle, do you care about this care point as much as you care about me?“ I stopped and thought about that question and could not answer positively unfortunately. And God reminded me, “When you love on these little ones, you are loving on Me.” It wasn’t easy to swallow that reminder, as true as it was. But I knew that I needed to pray for God to give me His heart for this specific care point because I was lacking on my own strength. And He did eventually. It didn’t happen right away, but since I was very aware of the status of my heart for this ministry, I was waiting and actively seeking for a heart-shift.
And it came through a 9-yr old little girl, Acacia.
She clung to me the first day she set her eyes on me. She asked me TONS of questions about my home, my family, myself….everything under the sun it seemed. But through that encounter, my heart began to fall in love with the kids and ministry here. It hit me that what I am doing here IS making a real difference even when I feel useless. These kids just want to be loved.
It’s ALL about love.
So now, the kids and care points have actually grown on me. I’ve been able to help create a fun and safe environment for all the kids to come to. It’s been such a blessing to see the growth and fruit that come from an obedient heart. So many great friendships have popped up through the care point ministry. God has totally blessed me with connections that were totally unexpected but very welcome just the same.
A lesson in obedience and the fruit that it brings.
My heart is very thankful.
