I love stories.
But I love for them to be well-developed. Which is part of why this weekly blogging thing is difficult for me. I want these to be thought out and heartfelt entires that will help me remember all the real emotions I was feeling during these times. That said, I’m sorry I haven’t been able to post in a while.
Let me tell you a little bit about my time in Swaziland so far.
Everything here is less — No wifi, hot water, or flat-screen TV’s (actually, I think someone said they saw one house with a flat-screen, but that is besides the point). Everything is uncomfortable. And everything is dirty. So no, it has not been 100% glamorous and mission-life “high” as you might expect. Or at least, as I had sort of expected. But if there is anything I have learned over the past couple weeks, it is that “flexibility is your friend, expectation is your enemy”. One of the Oversights for the care-point we are staying at told us that upon our arrival.
So far, my team has been working at one of the care-points (a place for kids to go and get some food, attention, schooling, and learn about God’s glory) near Nsoko, Swaziland, where the only “work” we have to do is hanging out with the youngsters there. Granted, it can be somewhat physically (and certainly emotionally) draining, but it isn’t manual labor. It has been so exciting to get to know the children at our care-point over the past week, and be someone they can look up to. Two of the days we’ve been here, I have been asked to help out with some more physically demanding tasks like moving 100+ pound tires into a trailer to be taken to various care-points; or attempting to dig trenches for said tires (to make a border around the playgrounds), and finding out that the ground in that area is more rock and less dirt. It’s not always fun, but those more physically taxing tasks are good for getting your pent-up aggressions out.
The kids here seem to love me. Which is apparently something that everyone on my squad has noticed, because they won’t shut up about it (I say that in the most loving way). I wish I had more time to get to know them and to watch them grow up. Four individuals come into mind when speaking of the children I have met here:
1. Lungelo (or Carl): a shy, but fun-loving kid who has a large scar above his right eye from a car crash he was in at age 6. He also has a heart-warming smile. He’s 10 years old.
2. DaDaDa (I remember his name by thinking of the words “dot dot dot”): a smart, energetic little bugger who speaks English very well, and isn’t afraid to make fun of you. He’s 11 years old.
3. Muzi (maybe Musi? Or Mosi? Swazi names are hard): one of the cutest kids you’ll ever meet. He looks like Yoshi (if Yoshi was a little black kid) and sounds like baby Tarzan. Also quite good at English. He’s 6 years old.
4. Kristen (?): she’s mixed (similar skin-tone to mine; I posted a picture of her on my Instagram), has dark brown eye’s, blond hair, and a great sense of humor. She looks like she could be my child. And we connected very well, so it almost felt like she was my child. She seems to understand English pretty well, but doesn’t talk much. Apparently she usually speaks in the local language. I couldn’t get much out of her, but I would guess she’s about 6-8 years old.
As far as the not-so-exciting stuff goes, it has mostly just been long days and sleepless nights that are getting me down. Some of it has been getting annoyed with the people that I am going to be living with for 9 months, but I guess that just means they are closer to becoming a 2nd family.
It has also been hard connecting to God lately. Prayers would be greatly appreciated.
I know that I am missing out on things at home, but I pretty much don’t care (which is a great feeling). I don’t care because I’m here: fully here. And I’m so excited that homesickness isn’t bogging me down (as much as I truly do love my family and friends back home). The only thing that I find difficult at times is not being “in-the-know” on fundraising for my own mission trip. But what can you do.
On a positive note, I plan on continuing to write the novel I have been working on for quite some time. Probably more often when I have wifi, but I hope to be near-ready to publish by the end of the World Race (don’t count on it). Keep an eye out for my mixtape(s) as well.
Love you guys and gals; keep living your lives to the fullest! God is good, even when we don’t see it.
Thanks, and God bless.
Paperback Writer by The Beatles
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=53wAv4cld6c
P.S. Tell your friends and family and their friends and family about my blog! I’d love to hear feedback and advice from all sorts of people! And hopefully someone can relate to my trials and tribulations.
P.P.S I wrote this while still in Swaziland. I’m now in South Africa for a “debrief” (basically a time to rest and recuperate), so it’s a bit out-dated. I made sure to post it with the date I wrote it. Not today’s date, which is 10/04/17.
