WELCOME TO SWAZILAND!
My team and I arrived in Swaziland about two weeks ago on a rainy Thursday afternoon. Our taxi van barely made it up the mountain trekking the red clay streets made more of pot holes and deep trenches than solid ground. The rain made the mountain a mud slide but we eagerly pressed on to what awaited us at the top. We approached the gate which led us into the compound known as El Shaddai, a shelter for orphans, a promised land given to a woman who heard God’s voice and couldn’t forget it, and our home for the next month.
The van was unloaded and we were led into a cement building which would house the ladies of our squad for the month. Even through the excitement of arriving at our new ministry location, picking a spot to sleep, hanging my Christmas tree lights that follow me from month to month, and locating the bathroom with no door, I could not shake the feeling that I was somewhere special. We explored the compound and stood in awe on a huge boulder right at the edge of the mountain that overlooks the most beautiful mountain view I have ever seen. As the fog lifted off the mountain I took in the beauty of a land I never knew existed before my journey on the World Race began. I took in the view of a waterfall far out in the distance, watching the water pour out onto the rocks below, and feeling the love and presence of God pouring out on me in the same capacity.
The next few days I was able to learn about the vision that grew into a promise, which then turned into a reality called El Shaddai. Charmain, a South African woman who heard God’s voice to minister to the orphans in this land, leads the orphanage, school, and church that God has built on the mountain. She shared her heart about Swaziland, a country that is overlooked by most and is near extinction because of the sexual bondage that has plagued the land. She said that most children in the community are sexually abused by the age of 8, and if not by then, it’s a certainty they will soon after. Swaziland is the most highly affected country of HIV in the world and it has been calculated that if nothing is done to alter the widespread of this disease, the country will cease to exist by 2050. The heartbreaking reality that this land is in desperate need of saving further more gives me passion to share THE SAVIOR with them.
The orphanage here consists of 65 beautiful children ages 8 months to 15 years old. Out of all of the children, only 4 of them have contracted HIV, which is a testament to the sovereignty of the Lord, who allowed Charmain and the staff here the ability to rescue most of the children before they fell victim to the disease. Most of the children at El Shaddai have been orphaned, but there are others who have been removed from abusive homes, and homes of witch doctors who perform abusive dedication rituals on their children, dedicating them to the work of witchcraft. El Shaddai has the vision of raising up the children firstly with the knowledge of Christ, who is the author of hope, forgiveness, and authority as well as giving the children a sound education which enables a promising future. The children that live here all come from unthinkable backgrounds but as they run towards me with smiles and hugs, I am able to see more fully the greatness of redemption and healing that the Lord offers those who call out to Him.
Each one of us in the group is paired up with one of the school aged orphans in order to mentor, love on and focus our attention on this month. The first Monday that we were here, they did a ceremony in the chapel where they called out the child’s name and then called out the racer’s name that was assigned to that child. Everyone cheered as the pair hugged and high fived. My buddy for the month is Bonigue or Bonnie in English. She is 12 years old and says she came to El Shaddai when she was 8 years old. She hasn’t talked much about her time before she arrived, but when I ask her if she likes living here, her “yes I do” is strong enough for me to know her past was not something to remember. She is smart, loves doing homework and spelling out words in my ‘bananagrams’ with me. We get to hang out with and invest with our buddies every day when they get home from school. I tell her stories of my home, and how much God loves her, knowing that this girl will rip my heart out when I leave in a couple weeks.
In the mornings before we get to meet with our buddies, we are assigned a ministry for the day. The ministry opportunities here include, cleaning, painting, working at the clinic on campus, farming, digging trenches or construction, cleaning the pig pens, working in the nursery (known as the Baby House), or doing intercessory prayer which consists of praying over the buildings and land, worshipping and dancing with banners and flags. I have been assigned to most of these ministries but my favorite include intercessory prayer and working in the pig pens.
I have also several other projects that I have been working on as well. On Wednesday’s I get to travel into the capitol city and purchase food for my team and bring it back up the mountain. It is such a blessing to me to serve in this way and be able to prepare the meals for my amazing team. I also have been organizing a talent show that our squad will perform this Friday for the kids. We have some comedy acts, singing and instruments, and stunt shows. It is incredible here, with so many different opportunities to serve, everyone feels like their gifts and talents are being utilized.
When we are not doing ministry, there is plenty of awesome activity and excitement going on in the compound with the whole squad being here. There is always a game night going on in one of the rooms and movies on laptops, worship nights at sunset, and exploring the mountains that surround us. God is so good to us here at El Shaddai. Please continue praying for the people and the ministry here.
Abby in Swaziland
