I’ve been in Africa for over two months now this time around. I’ve been in a rural town called Nsoko in the southeast corner of eSwatini.
Our team house is placed right in front of a beautiful view of mountains on one side, with South Africa being the top of those mountains. The other side is fields full of grazing cows and sugar cane and kids playing in a dirt soccer field. The house house 3 large rooms for the squads living quarters and two small bedrooms for us leaders. There is a dining room/kitchen that is often busy with quiet times with the Lord, card games happening, instruments being played, and conversations to be had.
The mornings start slow as people come into the kitchen with sleepy eyes looking for coffee. People prepare their own breakfast usually consisting of eggs and toast, all the while trying to get creative enough to seem like they have variety. As I walk in to the dining room in the morning I am often greeted with silence as people are enjoying a peaceful start to the day and getting their quiet time in.
The peaceful morning turns into hurried preparation as 11 o’clock approaches. 3 teams get on the bus to head to their care point for the day, while the other two teams walk.
The days here seem long and hot on most days. Playing with kids for hours on end feels mundane and like we’re not even making an impact. But the smiles on their faces throughout the day and their disappointment as we say goodbye make it all worth it. As we are heading home we are thankful for long days but even more thankful for rest and rejuvenation.
6 o’clock rolls around and we are greeted with skies of pink and orange and blue all mixed together as we are preparing for dinner as a family.
The days here are simple. There isn’t much to do if we are being honest, so spending time with the amazing community around often seems to happen without effort or intention. Card games, squad games, painting parties, and book reading tends to fill our time as much as we can.
The simpleness of life has led to a lot of thanks within me. It gives me time to reflect and rejoice in the happenings of the last 8 months, and the freedom that has happened. It has led to reflections of who I am and who I want to be. It has led to beautiful moments of connecting intimately with the Father and being able to just sit in his arms. But ultimately it has led to moments of tears because of the squad I am surrounded with.
Life here in Africa is exhausting sometimes, boring at others, but it is a life that brings so much joy and peace. It is a time that I will look back on with a fond heart because of the memories I have been apart of.
Thanks God for this sweet country and this sweet time of living in it.
In Him,
Caleb
