I had the opportunity to sit down and interview one of my awesome friends here in Swaziland– Clive! It’s been a blast getting to know him and thought I could introduce all of you to him. Hope you enjoy!
Full name & age:
Clive Muziwendoda Herbst, 23
Where are you from?:
The Lobombo region in the Kingdom of eSwatini, in the community of Mabantaneni
Favorite part about Swaziland (eSwatini):
The mountains. It’s actually the Americans coming in.. when they notice them I’m like oh I’ve been looking at that my whole life! I haven’t paid attention, but now it’s actually become a part of my inspiration.
What was your childhood like, what’s it like to grow up in Swazi?
I grew up in a fairly modern home. I had a very fun childhood. I grew up with both parents and I was the oldest of three children… with my mom and dad around it was really nice. It was just everything that you could ask for. Things changed just recently when my father passed away, but I’m still holding up and still growing. I still have a lot to learn. Growing up in Swaziland was very different because in this culture I was being raised by the whole society as a child, it’s not like only my family is responsible for me, but everyone is responsible for me!
How old were you when you found the Lord?:
I don’t remember exactly, but I grew up in a Christian family. My mom was a Christian for as long as I can remember, but my father converted in 2006. So I grew up being inspired by them, y’know I grew up in the church.. I actually took the choice to get baptized last year in 2017, after a very long journey of ups and downs, I will be very honest about that!
Who is Jesus to you and how did you come to know Him?:
It was after discovering a lot of things. Like I said I grew up in the church, I’ve actually been an intercessor before. At my church there were seven of us intercessors assigned the task of praying for the church.. I got to witness God at work in many ways through prophecy and miracles, but I was just drawn to the power back then like ‘oh I can do this! and wow I can do that too!’. It was after going to the leadership program (a discipleship program run by Adventures in Missions here) and learning who Jesus is, the Messiah, He came and died for our sins! Which basically means I have no right to anything, so I began to see that power as a privilege. I am just a pencil in God’s hand.. I also learned that everything He does is out of love, which basically means that he doesn’t need us but we need Him!
What’s the hardest trial you’ve been through and how did you see the Lord in it?:
I’d say the hardest thing I’ve ever had to go through was losing my father.. at the time I had that vague idea of a God.. so I got angry at Him. My dad was a Christian so I didn’t understand why He would allow him to pass away when He knew how much we needed him. My mom was hit by a stroke in 2010 so the family was actually going through a very tough time, having a baby in the family. My sister had a lot of weight on her shoulders.. I turned my back on everything religion.. Even the pastors tried to reach out to me and pull me into the church, but I reacted in anger to all of them. Then I got addicted to marijuana and that was the sinking point for me.. I went so low and deep into addiction that I lost hope, I felt like there was nothing there for me. Then I got called out to attend the leadership program.. I got to understand who God was and how He works. The most powerful thing was discovering that He is inside of me!
How have you seen the Lord’s faithfulness in your life?:
I have seen His faithfulness through pain.. I believe that pain is actually God’s language for romance, His love. Going through what I’ve gone through, I have been lonely many times.. the pain came when discovering that all this time it was my choice to be alone because He has always been there.. Jesus has always been there, so I can’t be alone now.
That’s all for now folks! Check back in for the next blog to hear more about Clive and I’ll even have a poem from the man himself! Thanks for all your support, much love.
