Adventures in Missions has established care points throughout Swaziland. A care point is a safe place where children can come eat, learn about God and be loved on. For some children, this is the only meal they will receive that day. It may be the only time that they are given a hug and told that they are loved.
My team works at a care point in Joyela. When we arrive, there are five kids that greet us. These kids are around the age of four and too young for school. We play with them and feed them. Our games look like jumping in a circle screaming our heads off. Another game that I’ve invented is talking gibberish to them. I add a couple of tongue clucks in there to make me feel like I can talk Sets Swani. It can get really entertaining.
Around 2pm, the primary school kids come to the care point. We do a small Bible teaching, play games and serve food to them. They all bring a tuperware container that we fill with rice and beans. Some kids eat the food at the site and others save it to bring home for their family.
Our care point is led by Phindile. She is a mother of three. Her four-year-old daughter, Fiso goes to preschool in the morning. After school she joins her mother and us at the care point. I love that she can come hang out with us and be a part of ministry at such a young age. We only spend three days a week at the care point and every moment is full of joy.
I had the opportunity to ask Phindile to share her story with me. Phindile grew up with her mother. Her father and siblings stayed at another homestead. Her childhood was unconventional; she had to grow up fast. Because of this, she wasn’t able to finish school. At the age of 21, she became pregnant with Fiso.
Her favorite Bible verse is Phillipians 3:12-14.
Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
These verses gave Phindile the comfort and courage she needed during tough times. She accepted Christ when she was 21 years old. Today, her relationship with her father has been mended. She goes to her father’s church every Sunday. Phindile and her daughter live with her mother and siblings. Her endurance and focus on the grace of Christ has given her the ability to forgive. She has found an inner peace to let go of the hurt and anger from her parents.
I have found a great friend and role model in Phindile. There is power in remembering that our future lies with Christ. We have to die to our old self in order to fully embrace the calling God places on our lives.
