To the next World Racer to serve in Swaziland:
You are going to fall in love with this country. It will all start with the drive from the airport to Nsoko. It’s absolutely beautiful; mountainous and rural and green and that SUNSET. Ugh… soak em all in.
You may feel overwhelmed upon arriving at the compound, I know I did. You may try to analyze your living conditions on day 3 and decide whether or not you’ll be able to handle it. You might freak yourself out trying to imagine yourself living this quiet, slow lifestyle in the middle of the African bush for such a long time. You might even find yourself discouraged after your first day of ministry, wondering why on earth you are “babysitting” in a nation that has so many other crises.
But take heart.
You are going to fall in love with these very things that terrify you. I promise.
You are going to love the prayer garden at the compound. You’re going to love taking a cold shower after a long day of ministry, and then laying in your hammock, staring at the mountain before eating dinner with your squad. You’re going to adjust to the routine of compound-living. You’ll figure out that it actually is totally safe to eat the apples and bananas and carrots, so you won’t just be eating a ton of PB&Js. You’ll learn to chill and listen to music and laugh with your friends as you wait an hour for a kumbi just to get to the grocery store five minutes away. You’ll realize that you can handle it, even if you cry everyday for the first month. That’s God stripping you of everything you thought you needed, and filling that void with Himself. It’s so beautiful! You are going to learn to hate WiFi. You’re going to love how quiet it is. You’re going to find yourself choosing to stay at the compound all day on your sabbath day just because you love the still, slow, quiet days so much. And that says a lot coming from me, a busy bee pre-race. Swaziland will teach you how to breathe. You’re suddenly going to notice all the free space in your head. Being without cell connection, being without so many options of adventurous things to do… it’s going to be so freeing. Don’t fight for your phone; surrender it. Choose to play stupid games with your squad mates, choose to just sit and look around you, choose to go to the soccer field and chill with some pretty cool kiddos that might intimidate you at first. CHOOSE TO BE PRESENT. And know that you’re going to miss the simple things when suddenly it’s the night before you’re leaving and you just aren’t ready to go!
And the most significant thing you’re going to love… your ministry. You are going to fall in love with those kiddos. You’re going to realize that the problems in Swaziland are rooted so deep, that the most influential thing you can do is love those children like Jesus does. Be His hands and feet. If those precious babies can grow up with a genuine love for the Lord, having been encouraged by your love and faith, they could change some of the cultural norms. They could grow to be bold prayer warriors in their communities. They could grow to start valuing women. They could grow to start praying away the evil forces of witchcraft. It starts with these kids; be Jesus to them. They are tough, they are hysterical and they are KIND! One little girl would often hold my face and stare into my eyes and just start saying, “I love your face! I love your eyes! I love your hair! I love your nose! I love your mouth! You are beautiful!” And when a child is sick and asleep on the dirty cement floor, you get to squeeze that child and comfort him/her in a way that he/she most likely isn’t receiving at home. And when that one really dirty, smelly, clingy child is all up in your grill on a 100+ degree day and pulling at your skirt and hitting the other kids that try to come to you, you get to choose to take a deep breath and pursue him/her anyway, because that’s the abandoned, neglected child. You get to love kids for three months and it’s so important. Tell them why you’re loving them; it’s because He loved us first! Teach them worship songs, they love music. Pray over them, they know the power of God.
Last but not least, pursue your Shepard. He/She will start out as just your leader at the CarePoint. But as the weeks go on, your Shepard will turn into one of your dearest friends. And if you end up with Sithulele, tell him Team Saahas loves him.
Jesus is going to give you new peace, new freedom, and a new appreciation of what it looks like to surrender to Him, be still, and know that He is God. Embrace your time in Swazi… I promise you’re going to miss it.
Sincerely and joyfully,
Anna, the girl who thought she’d hate it <3
