Hello!! We have been in Swaziland for about 2 and a half weeks, and have been doing ministry for 2 weeks. I am going to tell y’all what ministry looks like on a daily basis, so you have a peek into my life!
We are staying at an Adventures in Missions (AIM) base in Nsoko, Swaziland, and do ministry on Tuesday through Friday, from around 9:30am to 4pm. Adventures in Missions has around 10 carepoints in Nsoko, and each team on my World Race squad is assigned to a specific carepoint. Carepoints typically have a one-room building and a playground outside. (My team’s carepoint is called Mabantaneni 2, which we call Maba 2 for short.) Their purpose is to be a place for kids to come before and after school. Some of the kids are either too young to attend primary school (which is funded by the government) or do not have enough money to attend high school (which families pay for). Carepoints give a place for young kids to play while their parents work, get a free lunch of rice and beans, and receive further education on faith and general life skills. There are 2 “shepherds” employed by AIM that are always at the carepoints, watching and teaching the kids. They are usually chosen out of their communities to shepherd the kids because of their traits and the example that they portray to the kids. Our team plays with the younger kids, talks to the secondary schoolers, help serve the meals, and will teach one lesson per week to the kids. Schedules here are basically non-existent, so we show up every day ready to help the shepherd in whatever way they need. Some days are exciting and busy, and others can be slow and more relaxed. The kids’ faces light up when they see our van pull up in the morning, and then when get a hug from just about all of them when it is time to go in the afternoon. Days at ministry can feel like we aren’t always doing the most, but I can already see how sharing love with these kids is positively impacting them. The kids are usually sweet and smiley, and they love to play, and but sometimes we provide them with a lot of humor since we can’t pronounce their names. Or in this situation:
Apparently, it is normal for the kids in Swaziland to play with mice. So, towards the end of the day of ministry, a few of us were sitting on the front porch with kids in our laps, and we see a mouse run by, but before we can even move, one of the kids grabs it and throws it straight across the area in front of the building and over the fence. Then, a huge swarm of kids runs over to the mouse and starts playing with it. Carrie Grace and I went over to the group of kids to check it out, and they thought it would be funny to chase us with the mouse. Carrie Grace, being smart, does not flinch, so the kids basically ignore her. Now me on the other hand, when those kids came, I RAN. So the leader of all of them was holding the squirming mouse by the tail and help it out towards me. Luckily, after a bunch of laughing and running and screaming, the kids gave up and the mouse never touched me.
As you can see, days at ministry are fun, and I hope that story made you laugh. Please be praying for the shepherds- one specifically wants prayer for enough love to go around for all the kids. Please pray for the kids- that their home lives are safe, their needs are provided, and that we show God to them by how we treat them.
