The first day we stepped foot in Swaziland our ministry coordinator stated to us that 18% of kids were orphans… Almost 1 out of 5 children had no parents. Swaziland had the highest orphan percentage in the whole entire world. Not to mention, 28% of individuals in this country have HIV and 63% of this country is living under the poverty line. Because of that, this past month in Swaziland we worked at care points to feed a lot of the kids who came from underprivileged homes and work with them in soccer ministry. Our first day my team and I showed up to our care point named Mbfutu with the hope to show these kids love. When we showed up we worked with 35 preschoolers in the morning and 80 kids from age 5-16 in the afternoon. They did not only show up but were super rowdy and even getting into fist fights. I thought how am I supposed to share love with 105 kids?
Early last week the kids in high school had a day off and so they spent a few hours chatting with them. I met a girl named Paulette who showed a need that these girls had such a heart to grow closer to the Lord but the adults in the community wouldn’t let them join their bible study. So I looked her in the eyes and asked her if she would be interested having a bible study with girls her age on Saturday when the boys at the care point were in a soccer tournament. And her face lit up and she shook her head vigorously.
That Saturday rolled around and my teammate and I ended up having four girls her age write down on a piece of paper a lie they believed about their self so they can bring them to light. Our goal is that even when our team leaves, they continue growing as a body to unify and to building each other up through truth. We shared lies of what we believed about ourselves and gave it to the person next to us to rip up after bringing it to light. Then we had them ask how God viewed them to replace their lie with truth. When we were going around sharing one girl named Candice stood out to me. She wrote “Thank you God for loving me when I think my parents have left me. I thought that my parents abandoned me. I think my parents don’t love me for that sake. God loves me and forgive everything everyday.” My heart at first started breaking for this girl’s circumstance. Just imagine…. Your family didn’t just get ill and pass they actively abandoned their child.
Coming up to this moment God is pushing me closer into Him. I’ve seen how He’s a provider, protector, redeemer, and Father but lately I’ve realized God isn’t just our Father but we are children of God’s. Faith isn’t just about trusting your Father. It’s realizing the beauty of the eternal inheritance you are given as a child of God: you are an heir. God was there in every moment you ever felt abandoned in your life.
Just like Candice, even though we might be abandoned whether it be with our family, society, or even ourselves, we will always be a child in our Papas eyes. See, sometimes when we are abandoned its just a way that we are able to just be with our Papa. I’ve noticed that the most intimate moments with people is when it’s just you two. Circumstance sees abandonment but my Papa sees how she has surrendered and been set free through Him. When you are abandoned, we have the opportunity to be lonely or in absolutely blissful, intimate solitude with our Papa. Candice showed me that even though my heart broke for her circumstance, her story played a beautiful melody of a song just sung by her and our Papa. In life there are billions of people around the world and thousands of statistics of circumstance and needs in the world. However, in life sometimes it’s more important to have ears to hear the one sad melody and show her a way to find freedom in her song through her Papa. Let freedom ring.
