Never heard of this place before? Thought it said Switzerland at first? It's OK, until the Race I didn't know anything either. I wasn't sure what to expect at all until we arrived.
Swaziland is a beautiful country. The stars twinkle here, the sunsets are breathtaking and with the mountains and the greenery it really does glorify God as the Creator.
One of the first words we heard from our contact here about the people of Swaziland was that they were passive. I have definitely felt that passivity is something that does run in pretty much all Swazi culture. The plants are passive in the sense that they have thorns, but unless you touch the plant the plant will not harm you. The cows, goats, pigs, chickens, and all other random animals roaming around will stare at you or run away from you or just ignore you completely. The people will stare and just stare as you walk by or board a bus. The crime rate is actually quite low in Swaziland because of the passive nature that people have. People here are not aggressive and if crime does happen it is more of a crime of opportunity. Yet, somehow even though I know I am relatively safe I still feel uneasy around the people.
Children who understand you will still disobey and they just run around and play all day. Even the staring makes me feel weird, like, I'm an object or something instead of a person. I wonder if it is because Swazi people are so used to receiving aid from foreigners due to the high level of HIV/AIDS and TB in the country that it easier for them to just expect help and do nothing.
This country has definitely been one of the harder ones in terms of loving the people and understanding my purpose/role during ministry. Yet, as easy as it is for me to check-out and to be uncaring, I feel like God put me here for a purpose. This entire journey has been planned and orchestrated by God and who am I to question God's plans?
"Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth." – 1 John 3:18
God has called us to love and not to just talk about it, but to do it. So, even though we are leaving soon and part of me is still not fully invested in Swaziland, I want to fully love during the rest of the time I am here and even after I leave by praying for the people I have met here.
