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It was 5 years ago that I went on my very first international mission trip to Swaziland, Africa. I could not believe how much God broke my heart for the people and how much my life was changed because of my time in that country. I sit here today, on the World Race, because of the work and the way God messed me up in Swaziland. I can very clearly remember a few days after I returned from Swazi – driving my car through Houston and crying hysterically … because there I was: driving MY car in the United States, with everything I wanted at my fingertips, and back in Swazi – I knew people were dying every day with AIDS and I knew little school girls were being raped every day. How could I go on as if I did not know this was happening? That is why I still cannot pretend that it is not happening. I have looked into the face of a young 14 year old girl – who told me that the only way she could attend school was to be raped by her father. He paid for her schooling, which she knew she had to get in order to move forward in life, and the only way he would pay for her school was for her to let him take advantage of her sexually – disgusting! This same little girl told me that her father had gotten her pregnant twice and forced her to abort twice. HORRIFIC – and she was only 14 years old! 

I am overwhelmed that I will be going back to this country and yet I have so many fond memories of my time there.   I fell in love with other cultures, missions, and God during my time in this country and I look forward to all that will happen this time. 5 years ago, when I went to Swazi, it was the highest AIDS rated country in the world. I went with a program called Dream For Africa and our job was to travel around to the schools and not only share Christ with the students, but to share abstinence with them. We knew that JESUS + ABSTINENCE are the only way to save this country. If they can abstain … it will help to wipe out some of the horrible disease that is ravaging their people. We petitioned the school children to commit their lives to abstinence and told them all of the horrible effects of AIDS and what was happening to their country. I know that by the time I was about 14 – I had only known of one person in my life that had AIDS … and there was not one child out of hundreds that I met, that had not been directly affected by AIDS. 

 

                        * Me with the Swazi school children                                                            Cultural dancing

                                       Learning the dance                                                                               with local girl

   signing the paper to remain abstinent                                                        celebrating with our students

Here are some recent facts about Swaziland – taken from Seth Barnes blog: Stalked by death in Swaziland.

Death is not a respecter of persons in Swaziland. Here are the facts:


• Life expectancy of only 30 years.
• Fifteen-year-olds with less than a 10 percent chance of living to age 35.
• More than 50 percent of the population lives on about 28 cents a day.

• Half of the country’s population are under the age of 15.

• In some parts of the country, 80% test positive for HIV.

• According to UN statistics, the entire country will literally die-wiped off the face of the earth-by 2050.

 

You can read the entire article HERE.

In Nsoko, Swaziland – where we will be serving for the month – I believe the AIDS rate in that city alone is 47%!! We will be working at an AIDS care point and I am not sure of much more past that. 
 
·         I ask for your prayers for this month – more than any other month. I believe our eyes will see things that are really emotionally hard to digest. I hope that we emotionally connect with people on a deeper level than we ever have.  
 
·         Pray that God would give us HIS heart for these people and that we can be the LOVE of CHRIST for them.

 

·         Pray that the Holy Spirit would empower us to do His work, to pray for people with Power and for Him to lead our conversations and actions. I want to be so filled with the Holy Spirit – that I am constantly walking in each step that He wants for me!
 
 
* Just to let you know — this blog was perfect yesterday when I put it together –and somehow in the night, it became a jumbled mess of pictures and words!  I will fix it when I have time and the internet!  THANKS!!