Crazy to believe that in 36 days ill be able to have all the Pumpkin Spice Lattes, Pumpkin doughnuts, sweet tea w/ lemonade & hugs from my fam bam that I want! 🙂
In the meantime though, im trying to soak up every minute we have left in Africa. We have been in the boonies of Swaziland loving on children who have various emotional, spiritual & physical needs. Most of these kids are raised by their grandparents because their parents have died from HIV/AIDS. These kids are in need of so much love & have so little of it given to them in the way it should be. We go to the same carepoint everyday so its been super cool to love on these kids consistently. These carepoints are located on about 2 acres of land with one small 2 room building, a concrete outhouse building & a lean-to area known as the kitchen. The kids are served one meal a day: 2 scoops of rice & 1 scoop of beans.
SIDE NOTE: For those of you wondering if organizations that advertise giving rice or shoes to the kids overseas I can tell you that we have seen many Toms & Bobs on several of the children. Also the rice that these kids eat every day is provided by the organization Feed My Starving Children. Which was super encouraging to our team!!
We leave for ministry around 10 am to walk 2.5 miles to our carepoint. This has actually become one of my favorite parts of the day. Its a great time to pray as a team, jam to some tunes, or just get a little alone time if you walk behind the pack. This is also a way for us to get a taste of what these kids do everyday. Many walk much more than 2 miles one way to school, the carepoint & home.
The tinies (ages 2-5) hang out with us for most of the day until the school age kids come at 2:30. The tinies get served their meal around 12 & then its nap time for some of them & the rest we play with on the swings or in the sand (which may or may not have been peed in). The older kids get fed when they come after school & then all of the kids sit in on a lesson or just hang out & talk. At first, it was frustrating because we haven’t been given a specific task to do or direction on what to do with the kids. We were literally dropped off the first day & left. Haha
Its so cool though because each day we see more & more the need these children have for LOVE.
Thats its.
Yes, I want to buy them clothes that dont have holes in the butt & dresses that aren’t so torn up.
Yes, I want to wash their clothes for them so they aren’t sitting in their own filth day after day.
Yes, I want to buy them warmer clothing.
Yes, I want to feed them more than one meal of rice & beans per day.
Yes, I want to buy them jump ropes & build them a swing that isnt falling apart.
Yes, I want to show them they dont have to misbehave to get attention.
BUT all I really can do for the month is LOVE them.
Love for us this month has looked less like kisses & candy & buying things for these kids & a whole lots more like:
Choosing to have patience with Chaka when he hits us b/c he wants attention & love but doesnt know any other way to get it
Being a safe & warm place for Cebo to fall asleep
Wiping the runny noses of almost all the children
Stopping them from hitting each other when they get jealous of us not paying attention to them.
Pushing Bho & Zaka on the swing for hours
Holding a child even though they may have pee soaking through their pants
Holding Philiswa’s hand & telling her that I love her even though she doesnt understand what I am saying
Holding sleeping kids as they drool & snot all over your shirt
Making an obstacle course out of sticks
Telling kids we love them when they are hitting us rather than cursing at them or telling them we hate them or hitting them. Cause Jesus’ love for me isnt based on my behavior so neither should mine be for them. (Boy is that a hard one to actually live out!)
We aren’t able to communicate super well with these kids because most of them dont speak a whole lot of English. So we just have to continue praying that they see the love of Jesus for them through our smiles, our attention to them, our hugs, our discipline, & our cuddles.
This month has been draining emotionally & physically BUT it has actually been one of my favorite months so far! Which is funny because I am not a tinies person. The JOY of the Lord really has been my strength. Yes, Jesus & I have a conversation everyday about Him needing to give me a desire to spend 7 hours with kids. And everytime He comes through. Its not always an exuberant joy. Sometimes its a moment by moment surrender & reminder of why I am here that gets me through. It has finally felt like what I thought the race was going to be like all along. Challenging but COMPLETELY worth it. Electricity is iffy. Running water is in & out. We walk to the outhouse about 100 yards away to take a dump. I am finally getting to use my tent !!! 🙂 Bucket showers on the reg. No wifi. When we go running in the mornings the kids see us on their way to school & run with us. Its literally the BEST thing, especially for a non runner!
Oh I could go on & on about all the wonderful things Jesus has let me experience this month. I’m excited to get to share more with those who want to listen when I get back home.
Thanks for all the support & prayer! Thank you to those who continually reach out to me with encouragement & letting me know you are thinking about me. It makes me feel more normal than you know! 🙂
