One of my favorite parts of the trip was meeting Ivy. Ivy is a beautiful, strong, and driven 17 year old girl. I asked her about her story and she told me about how her father left when she was three years old. Her mother could hardly provide for their family since they were already struggling financially before her father left. Ivy practically grew up at the Mahangeti Care Point. As a young child, she would carry her baby sister on her back and walk to the Care Point. The food she ate while there was often the only food she ate all day. As different teams of missionaries came and left throughout her childhood, she got to meet many friends and learn so much from them. What really shocked me was the fact that she was able to recall the names of dozens of missionaries she met, even ones from years ago, with perfect clarity. She gave a description of what each one looked like and recalled what she learned from them. Currently, Ivy is going to school in South Africa in hopes of becoming a doctor and returning to Swaziland to help the community she grew up in. Through Ivy’s testimony, I was able to see the bigger picture. The mission work being done here is making a difference-and I have the privilege of being part of it! If I am being completely transparent, there were many days that I was discouraged; these children showed up in the same tattered and dirty clothes each day, many barefoot and scraped up; their physical needs are so great. While I wish I could do more to help their physical needs, I know that what we are doing is not in vain. We are giving an abundance of love to children whose parents are not home for the majority of the day or who have no parent at all and tend for their homestead by themselves. On the last day before we left, we visited a homestead of one of the preschoolers we play with each day named Lindelwa. We had the opportunity to talk with her aunt Zanele and through that conversation we learned that both of Lindelwa’s parents had died a five years prior. Her two aunts took Lindelwa in, making the number of children under their provision reach a total 6. Hearing about how the men of this homestead had abandoned these women to fend for themselves was heartbreaking. They are both struggling to find a job , making it all the more difficult to When I saw the behind the scenes, what the home life was life for a girl we play with every day, I immediately realized the gravity of the work we are doing. By loving on these children, we are shedding hope and light into young ones who have had to grow up too fast and witness unimaginable hardships from a young age. God showed me I just needed to trust where He had me, He was working through me even when I felt like I was inadequate.
Some of my favorite memories happened outside of my Care Point. For example, one day I got the chance to go to the other group’s Care Point for a day. I looked around at all the kids there and my eye was immediately drawn to four older girls who were sitting alone by themselves. I went over and sat with them, asking them to tell me about themselves, their names, their passions, and their dreams. We laughed a LOT and just enjoyed one another’s company. I was so saddened when they had to leave, for I knew it was my last time ever seeing them; this was not my Care Point and there was not going to be another opportunity for me to go visit again. I told before they left that I would not be back again and we gave one another long hugs goodbye. The next day my friend Mackenzie who is part of the group that goes to that Care Point each day said “Veronicaaaaa, you have mail!” She handed me a folded piece of paper. I opened it up and to my surprise, it was a sweet letter from the four girls I met the day before telling me how much they missed me and how much it meant to them that I talked to them. I was completely in awe; I had no idea what an impact simply taking the time to talk to someone could have. A little love goes a long way.
Another time where I was just completely in awe of God’s timing occurred when a friend and I went for a run. We ran to some train tracks and then walked for a little. As we were walking, we we ran into some children. There was a little girl who came up and hugged me. I could tell that she carried a lot of emotional baggage, even at her young age. I sat down and held her in her arms and just hugged her. I just wanted her to know she was loved. I started praying for her, that she would grow up knowing the extent of God’s love for her, that He would raise her up as a leader, and that He would provide for her every need. I pray that in that moment she was able to be in touch with the love God has for her, a love exceeds all language barriers. I loved getting to hold her. Before we left to head back to the base we were staying back, I whispered “I love you” to her in her native tongue and she said it back, giving me a big squeeze as we hugged.
Guys, following Jesus is not about following a big set of rules. It is about love. It all comes back to love. God created us simply to be loved. And He just wants us to share this love with others. God is love and as His children, we are called to love as well. To love unconditionally and wholeheartedly and relentlessly. Love casts out fear. Love changes lives. Love is where finding our true identity begins. In Swaziland, I have learned the power of love. And I pray that I will never underestimate its impact ever again.
