Swaziland, Africa. Locally known as Eswatini. Where the goats (attempt to) steal your underwear and the people (successfully) steal your heart. This last month, in one word, can be described as REDEEMING. The three months spent in Africa, while incredibly impactful, were also some of the hardest months I’ve experienced on the Race. While Swaziland had its difficulties I can truly say that the month here was redeeming. WiFi this last month wasn’t as common as months prior, so my blogs were few and far between. I’m currently in Siem Reap, Cambodia in Asia, but I wanted to give some closure and give a better picture of my time in Eswatini and what it meant to me.
The Mahongeni Care Point
Six of us women served at the Mahongeni Care Point under our shepherd, or Care Point leader, Bongiwe. Bongiwe can be summed up as a ball of energy. She’s a powerful, influential leader, but she also knows how to have fun and get the kids laughing. On the plot of land was a three-room schoolhouse and a newer playground that was donated by a previous missions team. To the side of the schoolhouse was a shack made of cinderblocks, sticks, and tin that was used as a kitchen. Everyday, beans and a rice mixture were prepared for the students covered by their school costs. For some of the children that meal was their only meal for the day. Thankfully, most of the kids we worked with, especially the younger ones, were sent to the school with a breakfast packed; often juice and some bread slices.
To even try and explain how much those kids at the Care Point impacted our team seems almost impossible. It went far beyond giving them funny nicknames and playing with them on the playground. AIDS is a huge threat to Swaziland and leaves many children orphaned. As a result, one woman may be having to take care of 6-12 kids on her own. She could be taking care of her own kids, her grandkids, her nieces or nephews, or some distant family member could have passed away and she may have been the only one capable to care for their children. This means that the chances are slim that each kid gets one-on-one time with an adult, also meaning that both physical touch needs and emotional needs are most likely not being met. Many of them would climb up in our laps just wanting to snuggle and take a nap. Some were overjoyed at the sight of us coming with them onto the playset and running around. A lot of my afternoons were spent with a child on my lap either sleeping, playing with my hair, or giggling and making funny faces. Although this ministry seems simple in a lot of ways, it was rewarding to be able to offer quality one-on-one time to those kiddos who were desperately craving the attention. We would walk three miles to our ministry site when weather allowed for it and, after the first week, when we would get close enough for the kids to see us from the Care Point, we knew to expect a dust cloud of children rounding the corner racing toward us. Time with these littles became more than a task or a “have to,” but it quickly became a strong desire and a “want to.”
Home Visits
We made two home visits this month and both were powerful. Our first experience was with two women who looked to be in their twenties. Once we went through introductions and questions regarding salvation, we asked them what they were seeking; what they desired most in their prayers. They both mentioned wanting protection over their children and their homes. Our team was given the opportunity to share about the Blood of Jesus, the protection it offers, and what comes with our salvation. The second house was very different. It was an older woman, a younger woman who ended up being a neighbor asking for food, and three children scattering the property. They were in desperate need of food and physical healing. We provided some tangible help alongside teachings about Jesus, faith, and provision. Walking away from that house was hard as we asked, “Lord, who will provide for them tomorrow when we don’t show up?” *Enter faith* On our walk back to the ministry site from that home visit we prayed that the message of Jesus and the message of faith in the Father’s provision would stick with the women and that they would learn to rely on Him for their needs. Side-note: One of the women from the first home visit was pregnant when we went to see her and had her baby while we were still in Swaziland, so she asked our team to give the child her English name! We decided on Esther. When we told the mother and grandmother the name and shared the story of Esther they were very pleased to know that their sweet, baby girl was named after such a distinguished woman of God.
The Base
It was just us girls this month as the boys spent their month in Lesotho. All the girls, minus us three squad leaders, shared a bunk room and bathrooms. We had a seperate room and bathroom for the month that proved to be helpful when it came to the three of us bonding and learning how to co-lead together. We had one main kitchen and eating area where we also held meetings, morning devos, lice checks, movie nights, and random dance parties. Laundry was done by hand and was hung up either on a camping line strung up between posts in front of our rooms or on the barbwire fence lining the property. Funny thing with the laundry though…if we hung our clothes too low on the fence the neighboring goats would consider it a snack (hence the underwear theiving mentioned at the start of this post) and if we left our clothes out after dark, small bugs could potentially come and lay eggs in our damp clothes and if they weren’t properly removed, they could then lay eggs in our skin. Yay Africa. Our living quarters, overall, were clean and we were all provided beds, mattresses, toilets, and showers.
Hosts
Hosts can make or break your month. Fortunately, our hosts, David and Jenna, were absolutely amazing. They’re both World Race alumni and they actually met each other while on the field. They were on the same squad during their 11 month journey and started intentionally dating after the Race and eventually got married. They now have two sons, Manning (2 yrs.) and Ezaria (4 mo.) and live in Swaziland working alongside the local community. Within five years of finishing the Race they got married, had two sweet, little boys, and are now invested in full-time missions work. If that doesn’t offer some encouragement about the Lord’s provision, I don’t know what does. Interactions with them were usually at their house where they offered us WiFi, coffee (Starbucks coffee, I might add…), and a place to rest and recharge on our free days. They went above and beyond to make sure we felt invested in and heard during our time with them and their words of wisdom were more impactful than I’m sure they were aware. I haven’t been sad leaving many countries, but they were a huge reason why Swaziland was hard to depart from.
Africa is over. Asia has begun. I have three and a half months until I’m back home. God’s been stirring my heart in ways that are uncomfortable and messy, but I can see He is calling me deeper and stretching me further than ever before. I have WiFi this month, so expect more frequent, regularly-posted blogs about what ministry in Siem Reap looks like!
Thank you to you, my supporter, for your dedication and intentionality. 🙂
All my love,
Alyx
