These past three weeks in Swaziland have been beautiful and God has truly broken my heart for His children. The average Swazi lives on $1.75 or less a day. Malnutrition and poverty are a HUGE struggle that could easily be fixed; however, the eternal matter of the heart is much more serious.
Yesterday, I spoke with a young man named Mangoliso. He is very smart! He quizzed me in history, mathematics and biology(he said I got a 94%). At 20 years old, he is almost finished with high school and hopes to one day live in America. He knows that Jesus is his Lord and Savior and reads his Bible often. He asked me to tell him the parable of the prodigal son, so I told him and shared what it means to me. When asked what the parable means to him, he replied that “we are never forgotten by Jesus and that He always forgives us”. His favorite verse is Philippians 4:13.
I was so blessed by his knowledge and awareness of God. However, my heart broke when he told me that he wants to be white. He half-jokingly said that he will fast and pray for Jesus to make his skin white and trusts that He will answer his prayers. I kindly told him that God made him black for a reason and that he is perfect in God’s eyes. When asked why he wants to be white, he replied, “have you ever seen white person struggle?”. I was broken. Immediately my mind started rambling and I wanted to defend all of the struggling people in America, but I know it is a very different kind of struggle. This does not make American poverty invalid, but even in their poverty, Americans have many more opportunities than Swazis. Though Mangoliso knows Jesus and has accepted Him as the Lord of his life, he is struggling to understand His heart and purpose. He interprets the ease of American lifestyle, being white, as the best that God has for him. However, I know that God has placed immense purpose in his life as a faithful, strong and knowledgeable young Swazi man.
I was left questioning myself, “would I have the same faith in Jesus if I were in his shoes, struggling so much and observing others thrive?”.
This is just one of the many stories that show the lack of hope and a desire to live the American lifestyle amongst the people of Swazi.
Please continue to join me in prayer for God’s children in Swaziland.
