When we were in Swaziland, my team did ministry at a care point called Mabantaneni 1 (or Maba 1 for short). Each care point has a “shepherd,” or leader, so we were paired with a man named Lwazie. When we first met him on that first Monday morning, I was excited to get to know him better. I wasn’t sure what to expect, though. He seemed pretty quiet, so I didn’t know if we’d get much conversation with him as the two weeks went on.
Tuesday was a different story. As we began digging trenches around the playground, Lwazie’s personality began to show. And it continued to unravel itself to us as the couple weeks went on. There are so many different, amazing qualities about Lwazie that my team and I loved getting the opportunity to see and experience first-hand.
Lwazie is a very wise man of God. On many occasions, he told us that his main job is to spread the gospel, rather than his job at the care point. I admire that so much. I also admire how open he was about his story. He never held anything back from us. Lwazie is also incredibly funny. He loves to joke, tell stories, and poke fun at us – a lot. There’s never a dull moment with him.
I’m so thankful for the time that we got to spend with Lwazie and learn from him. He is definitely one of my favorite parts of Swaziland that I will never forget. I’ll miss you, friend.
